Prompto never really had a best friend until Noctis. They just clicked, even when Prompto felt silly for "re-introducing" himself to the Crown prince. And Noctis never really had a best friend either, so they had all the time in the world for each other.
Well, not all the time, because Ignis and Gladio certainly have priority in that aspect, what with being the Prince's Advisor and Shield. But Prompto was certain that he was Noctis' best friend, because Noctis never judged him for walking off to take pictures or teased him for being obsessed with chocobos.
No, Noctis simply indulged Prompto's excited bursts, in that quiet regal way of his.
And Prompto would accompany Noctis on his fishing trips in the Caelum Gardens. They would sit in silence all afternoon, talking about everything and nothing, depending on Noctis' mood.
So yes, they were best friends. And they were happy.
Prompto was scrolling through his phone gallery when Noctis slumped against his shoulder.
"Rough night, dude?" Prompto asked, adjusting himself so Noctis was comfortably nestled in the crook of his elbow.
"Ignis made me revise our political history with Tenebrae," came the Crown Prince's sleepy answer, "and didn't leave until I got it right."
Prompto laughed. "Then you should have gotten it right sooner! Honestly, Noct, it's something you should at least know fairly well."
Noctis grumbled, evidently too tired to respond. He kept his head cushioned on Prompto's elbow until their teacher entered the classroom, making entirely too much noise for 8o'clock in the morning.
Prompto zoned out, doodling on the margins of his textbook when a small scrap of paper landed on his desk.
Gardens later? read the note in Noctis' crisp handwriting. Prompto looked over at his best friend, who was pretending to be interested in the lecture with a ghost of a smile on his lips.
Prompto simply nodded and tucked the note into his pencil case. Fishing it is.
Fishing was Noctis' closely guarded secret. Prompto never knew about the fishing until he started planning Noctis' birthday and realized he didn't know what to get an actual Crown Prince who literally owns everything.
So instead Prompto had asked Noctis to keep himself free the day before (because his actual birthday meant being stuck in the Palace with his father to play politics), packed two bowls of curry rice, and brought Noctis to a hidden corner in the Caelum Gardens where he usually took photos of the flowers.
There was a small fishing dock nearby and Noctis' eyes had instantly lit up. "Let's fish!" he had muttered excitedly, jogging over to the dock while Prompto unpacked the picnic.
That was the first time Prompto has seen Noctis' love for fishing, as well as the shimmering crystalline light of the Armiger as Noctis picked out his fishing line.
"Didn't know you fished."
"Yeah, well... It's not the coolest hobby that the gossip magazines would think is appropriate for the Crown Prince to have." Noctis said cooly.
"Well, catch us a big one and I'll take your picture." Prompto grinned, holding up his camera.
Four hours and a curry rice bowl later, Noctis held up an armful of decent-sized fish and smiled happily for his birthday picture.
They decided to walk to the Caelum Gardens because the weather was beautiful. It was edging into spring, and the trees have started to turn green.
"You know, it's so weird that you've never been here until last year. It's literally named after you." Prompto said, playing around with the camera settings on his phone. He's been trying to make use of the filter settings, but it never came out quite right.
"It's technically not named after me," Noctis replied. "It's named after the family. Besides, it's a public park. I didn't really leave castle grounds until I moved out and I never knew there was a fishing dock here."
"Did you fish back in the castle?"
"Yeah, but it wasn't as fun. The fish there aren't challenging at all. They're probably too used to being fed by the groundskeepers. Ignis would always make me release them back into the pond anyway."
In a flash of crystalline light that Prompto had gotten used to, Noctis summoned his fishing pole from thin air.
"That's so cool," Prompto sighed, watching the shimmer wink out. He was secretly pleased that no one else seems to visit the hidden fishing dock so Noctis wouldn't be skittish about using the Armiger in public.
"It's alright," Noctis said absently. "Maybe one day you'll get to use it too."
"What, your fishing pole? No thanks, I'll leave that to you." Prompto grinned, leaning against Noctis' back as he tested out the new camera filters on the gently swaying trees above them. And maybe he imagined it, but he almost thought he could feel Noctis' smile.
"I need help with calculus, Noct." Prompto groaned, leaning heavily against Noctis' shoulder.
"Sure." Noctis agreed readily, continuing to organize the books in his locker. "We have Science next, right?"
"Hmm? Yeah. Bring the lab report from last week too. Did you do them?"
"I think so." Noctis ruffled Prompto's hair and gently grabbed his hand, guiding him to the Science building. "Cheer up, Prom, I'll buy you a pizza later and then we'll work on calc together, okay?"
Prompto brightened up immediately. "Okay!" he grinned, giving Noctis' hand a grateful squeeze.
It started to rain in the afternoon, so the boys decided to have pizza delivered to Noctis' suite instead. They tried to run through the rain as fast as they could, but ultimately stumbled laughing into the suite dripping water over the smooth marble tiles.
"It would have been faster if you let me warp," Noctis said, quickly dropping his bag onto the floor.
"Nooooo," Prompto whined, "that's cheating!"
Noctis emerged from his bedroom with a fluffy black towel, tossing it at Prompto's face. "Go take a shower. If you get sick, Ignis will never let me hear the end of it."
"Sorry," Prompto muttered nervously. He still habitually apologizes for the smallest things, even though he's been actively working on changing that. Being in Noctis' suite that was larger than his house, surrounded by understated luxury brought out the nervousness and a nagging sense that he didn't belong.
It was his second time here, the first being a casual dinner with Ignis and Gladio that felt suspiciously like a job interview. It was pretty fun though, and Prompto still dreamed about Ignis' cooking.
Noctis shoved some clothes into Prompto's arms and manhandled him into the bathroom, where he emerged later in a cloud of steam, dressed in a pair of black sweatpants and a black hooded jacket.
"Hey, it doesn't look half bad on you." Noctis nodded approvingly.
"Dude, this is majorly comfortable." Prompto said, running his hands down the soft downy material of the jacket.
"Yeah well, it's actually a little too small for me. If you like it, keep it."
"Wait, what? Noct, I couldn't possibly- I can't just take your clothes-!"
"Calm down, Prom," Noctis laughed, ruffling Prompto's damp hair. "Just take it. I have loads. Besides, I was going to toss them anyway."
Prompto wringed his hands, clearly torn between the thought of perfectly good clothes going to waste and feeling like an undeserving charity case.
Noctis didn't give him a chance to reply. "I already ordered the pizza, so keep an eye on the door, okay? I've set up the PS4 too if you wanna play a bit." Then he disappeared into his room.
Ignis was pleasantly surprised to find Noctis and Prompto actually working on their homework together. The two were discussing a particularly difficult question, both clearly stumped. Still, it's a huge improvement from when Noctis would come home alone and nap his evenings away.
He had planned to cook them a healthy dinner, but the pizza boxes strewn over the dining table told him that the boys wouldn't have appetite for the Mother & Child Rice Bowl he wanted to make.
Then he stopped.
"Ah, I see you're wearing Noctis' clothes. Did you two get wet in the rain earlier?" Ignis asked, keeping his voice neutral. The black fabric truly brought out Prompto's pale complexion and bright blonde hair.
"Yep. We were completely soaked." Noctis replied just as casually. "I gave Prompto a set of my old clothes so he won't get sick."
"Ah." was all Ignis said before he decided that he might as well prepare lunch for the two the next day.
The school was abuzz much more than usual. Students were chattering in hushed voices, huddled tightly in groups. Prompto felt strangely put-off by it, like he was left out of a school-wide joke.
"Is it just me or are people weird today?" he asked Noctis.
Noctis raised an eyebrow. "They're always weird. I doubt it's anything serious. The gossip mill probably has something else to talk about. Anyway, Ignis made us lunch!" He lifted the two rice bowls stacked neatly in a paper bag.
Prompto promptly forgot all everything else, focusing on the faint smell of the rice bowl. His stomach growled. "Ignis literally cooks the best food."
"C'mon, let's go eat them behind the gym."
Their usual spot was a hidden corner behind the gym past the school fields. It was a little far, but it was certainly worth it for the privacy it provided, away from prying eyes and annoying questions.
They dug into the rice bowls, still warm from the morning, because Ignis thinks of everything.
It was when they finished the food and walked back to class early that things quickly went south.
"Hey, nice jacket!" someone they didn't recognise shouted past the crowd. Prompto looked down at the black jacket from yesterday. It was so comfortable, he hadn't wanted to take it off, but now he suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. Could people tell that it was second-hand? Should he not have worn it? Maybe he should have worn his usual school blazer instead, even though it's an optional dress code and no one really does.
"Thanks, it's mine." Noctis yelled back, putting a supportive hand on Prompto's back. He knew how much Prompto hated attention to be on him and how sensitive he was about standing out.
The whispering resumed tenfold, Prompto getting redder now that it was clear he was the source of gossip. He hurried into the classroom, pulling the jacket tighter against himself.
The class representative walked up to them, an apologetic expression on her face. "Look, you guys are super cute, but even though you're Crown Prince you still have to abide by school rules, and school rules say no inappropriate displays of affection."
Noctis blinked. "He's just wearing a jacket."
"Well, yes, but isn't it your jacket?"
"What's the big deal?"
"Well, aren't you two dating?"