The first store that Prompto decided to enter was some sort of beauty store. He was really just looking around, still a bit shocked by the size of the mall. He browsed through all the different types of makeup and hair products that lined the plastic shelves and display tables. Every now and then he would pick something up and turn it around in his hands or read the label before putting it back where he got it from. Then he would walk away from it to see Noctis pick it up and put it in the shopping basket he had filled with everything Prompto showed interest in. Prompto shook his head and laughed knowing that Noctis would refuse to listen to him if he asked him to put it all back.
When they went to the counter to check out, Prompto expected a disapproving look from the cashier but instead their eyes went wide with a mix of disbelief and excitement at seeing the king. They rang up the items and put them into a pink paper bag that almost every beauty store had. Prompto reached his hand out to grab the bag but it never came to him. Instead, the cashier told them to have a great day before helping the next customer. Noctis smiled at them in return and lead Prompto out of the store.
"What about our stuff?" Prompto asked when they were out of the store.
Noctis shrugged, "They never give me my bags when I shop here. They hold onto them for when I leave. I guess they don't want the king to hold his own bags."
Prompto faked sympathy, "Oh your poor soul," He placed a hand over his heart. His eyes caught sight of a video game store just behind Noctis and he pulled him towards it. "Let's get a game that I can finally beat you in."
"I'm pretty sure you suck at all games." Noctis laughed when Prompto threw him a glare over his shoulder.
If they were given their bags to hold then Prompto's sure that they would have had at least twenty bags. And they've only been to five stores in the hour that they've been at the mall. But Prompto couldn't complain. He was having a nice time with Noctis and he noticed himself not paying attention to the other people. He was glad that Noctis brought him here.
They were just leaving one of the stores on the underground levels when Prompto's stomach growled obnoxiously loud. Noctis laughed until his own stomach growled louder. It was Prompto's turn to laugh this time, Noctis laughing along with him.
Prompt's laughter quieted down, "Food court?"
"Food court." Noctis lead them both to the elevator and climbed on when it reached them. He pushed the button for ground level and the elevator immediately took them up. They stepped out when they arrived and headed to the other side of the mall.
Prompto smelt the food court before he saw it and it made his mouth water. He didn't realize he was that hungry. But Noctis was in the same condition he was, sniffing the air every other second and sighing in delight.
The food court was bigger than Prompto expected it to be. It was, just like every store in the mall, the size of a full restaurant. There were around a hundred tables but most of them were empty despite how busy the mall was.
Prompto was halfway to the counter so they could order food when he felt Noctis' hand on his shoulder. He turned around, "What's up, Noct?"
Noctis flashed him an apologetic smile, "My knee is acting up. I need to sit down for a bit, sorry." Noctis pulled out a chair from the table closest to them. He sat down and rubbed his knee, hoping to ease some of the pain. "Just give me a minute and we can go order." He didn't want to hold Prompto up but his knee was screaming in pain.
Prompto shook his head, "Its fine. I can go get the food. Just tell me what you want."
"Whatever you get is fine."
"Pizza good?" Noctis nodded and pulled his card out of his wallet. He tried to hand it to Prompto but he shook his head again, "Let me pay for it. You've been treating me all day, let me treat you this time." He smiled at Noctis before turning around and heading to the counter. The man behind the counter greeted him and asked what he wanted. "Two slices of pizza with medium drinks please." Prompto took out his wallet- that he made sure was in his pocket this time- and handed the man his card.
The man handed him a receipt along with his card, "The pizzas are still in the oven. It might take a few minutes before they're ready." He gave Prompto two cups and smiled at him, "Have a nice day."
Prompto smiled back at him before moving along the counter to the soda machine to get himself and Noctis a drink. He stood behind another man who seemed to be messing with the food on his tray. Prompto looked around at his surroundings as he waited for the man to move.
The man looked behind him, "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there," He moved out from in front of the soda machine, "My bad." Now that Prompto got a look at him he could see that the man was actually around his age, maybe a few years older at most.
"It's no problem, dude. I'm waiting for my food to be brought out anyway." Prompto filled the first cup with ice and some carbonated, sugary drink that he didn't bother to look at the name of. He thought about getting Noctis a diet drink and telling him that diet drinks are good for the elderly's health. Prompto chuckled to himself before filling Noctis' cup with the same drink he got.
"No, it's my fault, I was in the way trying to pick out all of the tomatoes in my salad." He showed Prompto his tray, salad bowl in the center with a napkin full of tiny pieces of tomatoes beside it. Prompto hummed in response and thought how Noctis would have done the same thing, even though he wouldn't have ordered a salad in the first place. The man studied Prompto's face for a few seconds, "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?"
Prompto shook his head, "No, I've just never been inside the mall before. I live not too far from here actually."
"Oh really? I'm Cibus by the way." Cibus held his hand out for Prompto, letting his fingers linger by Prompto's hand when they finished shaking hands.
"I'm Prompto." He put lids on the cups and grabbed straws for them. Cibus opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by the man at the counter calling out that Prompto's order was ready. "That's me." Prompto turned to leave but stopped when Cibus grabbed his forearm softly. Prompto turned back to him, eyebrow raised in question.
"Here," Cibus grabbed a napkin and wrote something on it with a pen that Prompto didn't know he had. He held it out to Prompto, "It's my number. I enjoyed talking with you, even if it was only a minute or two. Drop me a call or text when you have time."
"I'm sorry, Cibus, but I'm here with someone and we're kind of involved." It wasn't a lie. They weren't dating but they were definitely closer than normal friends. Way closer.
Cibus's smile left his face, "Oh," He glanced at the ground before smiling again, "Take it anyway. I still enjoyed talking to you. Maybe we can be friends." He placed the napkin in Prompto's pocket before grabbing his tray and turning to leave. "It was nice to meet you. Good luck with your relationship."
Prompto watched Cibus leave before the man at the counter called for him again, snapping his attention back to his food. He placed the drinks on the tray and made his way over to Noctis, taking the seat across from him. "Here you go, one diet water because it's good for your elderly bones and one pizza because it's good for… well, it's just good." He placed the pizza and drink in front of Noctis and grabbed his own. When Noctis didn't say anything in return, Prompto looked up at him. Noctis had his arms crossed over his chest, frown evident on his face. Prompto frowned himself, "Noct, what's wrong?"
Noctis' eyes shifted to focus on Prompto, "Who was that?"
"Cibus? I don't know, just some guy that started talking to me." Prompto gave him a one-shouldered shrug.
"What did he want?"
Prompto shrugged again, "I don't know. He just wanted to talk I guess. He asked if I was from around here and then he gave me his number so we could talk some more." He watched as Noctis said nothing more on the matter and turned to his food, frown still on his face. Was Noctis jealous? Prompto shook the thought away. Noctis had no reason to be jealous. Prompto was here for him, not some guy he had just met. But the unsaid reassurance did not lighten the mood that had settled between them, hanging in the air like heavy fog on the sea. Prompto didn't like it. He needed to say something and quick.
"Did you hear about the cactuar that had to go to the hospital"? Noctis looked at Prompto, confused. He had heard no news about any sort of creature going to a hospital. Prompto spook again, "He kept insisting he didn't needle any help." Noctis tried to keep a straight face but couldn't hold it for very long He laughed, trying to cover his mouth to muffle his laughter.
"That was terrible. I can't believe you actually said that," Noctis smiled at the thought of Prompto's bad joke. "That reminds me of this one joke my friend told that was so bad, nobody talked to him for the rest of the day." He laughed again at the memory.
Prompto laughed along with Noctis. He was glad that they were able to go back to normal. He didn't like the tension that was between them. He much preferred the times where they were joking around with one another, laughing at nothing in particular as they enjoyed the other's presence. The tension made him feel awkward and uncomfortable as he pondered if he should do anything or just let things stay as they were.
When they finished eating, Noctis stood and pulled Prompto up from his seat, arm going to its natural place around Prompto's waist. They walked from store to store, browsing and buying anything that caught their eye- or rather, Noctis buying whatever caught Prompto's eye. Eventually, Noctis brought Prompto into one of the many clothing stores that occupied the mall. Clothing was one of Noctis' favorite things to buy Prompto. Buying him the latest technology or some fancy antique was fun, but there is nothing that compares to buying clothes. All the different designs, colors, accessories that can be matched with it; there are so many possibilities. Having Prompto wear the clothes he bought was pleasing, but there was also the satisfaction of being able to take the clothes off of Prompto piece by piece. Noctis never would have thought that he would have been so interested in clothes.
The store they had entered had almost every type of wearable item ever thought of. Racks of clothing lined throughout the entire store and shelves were lined with shoes. An entire jewelry section was placed in one if the corners right next to the dressing rooms. Everything was jumping out at him, desperate for his attention and money. Prompto's pretty sure he just saw a fluorescent green jumpsuit covered with polka dots.
But Noctis seemed to know what he came looking for because he guided Prompto through the rows of racks until they were standing in front of a rack, shifting through the clothes on it. Noctis would pull one out, look at it for a few seconds, and then put it back on the rack. The next pieces of clothing he pulled from the rack were good enough for him so he handed them to Prompto before pushing him to the dressing rooms with nothing more than an urgent, "Go try them." When Prompto got inside the dressing room and took a look at the clothes, he groaned and glared at Noctis through the door, hoping his feelings would be able to somehow convey to Noctis that he was indeed glaring at him.
Noctis was waiting for him outside of the dressing room, smile already on his face. When Prompto stepped out of the room, Noctis could not hold it in anymore and began to laugh.
Prompto glared again, "Of course you would pick this out." Noctis had given him a pair of black joggers and a white tank top. "I feel like a dude bro."
"Put these on too," Noctis handed him a snapback and a pair of sunglasses.
"Oh wow, thanks." Prompto put them on, "Now I feel even more like a dude bro." He stuck his hands in the joggers' pockets and leaned back against the wall to complete his look. Noctis laughed again, making some of the other shoppers give him looks at his loudness. He wiped a tear from his eye and turned his attention back to the clothes Prompto was wearing.
He hummed in thought. "The more I look at it, the more I like it. You look good in those clothes."
Prompto looked at him from over the rim of the sunglasses, playful smile appearing on his lips, "Hey babe, you come here often? Why don't you give me a hug and we'll see where things go from there." He winked at Noctis, causing the older man to go into another fit of laughter.
"Never mind. You ruined it. Go take those off."
Prompto winked again, "Sexy."
"You've already ruined it. Stop talking and get out of those clothes." Noctis pushed more clothes into Prompto's hands before he could wink again. "Try these on next." Prompto laughed before disappearing into the dressing room again. A few minutes later, he reappeared wearing a plain white tee and overalls. Noctis looked him up and down, "You look cute in those. Like, country Eos farmer cute." He smiled at the light blush that appeared on Prompto's face from the compliment. "Take them off and give them to me, we're getting them." Once again, Prompto entered the dressing room to change. He exited in his normal clothes, handing off the overalls and tee to Noctis. Noctis smiled at him again before leading him back to the clothing racks. His hands passed over different articles of clothing before settling on a pair of pants. He inspected them briefly before passing them to Prompto, who also looked them over. The label read 'Ultra Skinny Jeans' which made Prompto chuckle.
"If you wanted to see my butt, all you had to do was say so." Prompto joked.
"I want to see your butt in these jeans." Noctis replied without missing a beat.
Prompto's face became red at Noctis' bluntness. "I was kidding! Jeez, you really know what you want, huh?"
"And I'm not afraid to let people know it." Noctis grabbed Prompto's rear as he passed him to the dressing room, grinning when Prompto half-heartedly glared at him.
Prompto entered the dressing room, locked the door behind him, and took his pants off to replace them with the new jeans. Now Prompto has worn skinny jeans before but these were a struggle to put on. It might be due to the fact that they were 'Ultra' skinny jeans but it was still a struggle. Prompto wondered how girls wore these jeans all the time when just putting them on was a work out.
In the end, victory was his as he looked at himself in the mirror, jeans hugging him in all the right places. He had to admit: they weren't that bad. In fact, he actually liked them. He wouldn't mind the everyday struggle of putting them on when they felt so good on him.
Eager to show Noctis and get the same reaction from him, Prompto left the dressing room. He expected Noctis to be outside of the room like the other times but he was nowhere to be seen. Knowing that he was probably still looking for outfits to put him into, Prompto went searching for him among the racks, slightly worrying about leaving his phone and wallet in the dressing room with his other pair of pants. He quickly found Noctis and was about to call out to him until he saw that he was having a conversation with a couple of girls. Prompto was more than content to wait to show Noctis the jeans, but then he saw one of the girls grab Noctis' arm with enthusiasm. His stomach tied itself into a knot but he managed to will the feeling away. That was nothing. She was probably just excited to see the king. He would have left it at that if Noctis didn't laugh at what the girls had said. Laughing at a joke? Nothing bad. But the laugh that Noctis just did wasn't a regular laugh; his eyes were closed tightly and his laugh came from his center, as if he was really enjoying being in their company.
Prompto's stomach tied itself into knots again but he shooed the feeling away. He had nothing to worry about, really. Noctis was not going to leave him for these girls. He was his boyfriend.
Realization hit Prompto like a bolt of lightning.
Noctis was not his boyfriend. He was his sugar daddy. And they were in a relationship that wasn't really a relationship at all. What they have going is a series of no-strings-attached activities. There was nothing tying Noctis down to him. Certainly not any sort of feelings that he might have like Prompto does.
Another bolt of realization hit him.
He had feelings for Noctis. Actual feelings. The kind of feelings that him want to hold Noctis' hand and not care who was looking because he was so utterly in love with him. The kind that made him want to kiss Noctis and not have an ounce of caring because this was his moment and he was so in love with this man.
But his feelings were irrelevant in this relationship. His feelings weren't even supposed to have become feelings. Yet here he was: watching Noctis, the man he had grown feelings for, flirt with two girls. Two girls who would probably be a better choice for Noctis than he would be. Noctis deserved someone who he would actually want by his side. Someone who could give him a family. A queen to stand beside him no matter what.
The knots in his stomach returned but this time Prompto did nothing about them. He stared at Noctis and the girls for a few more seconds before turning away to retreat back to the dressing room to change out of the jeans, concern for his phone and wallet the last thing on his mind.
Noctis, on the other hand, stared at the two girls in front of him with shock and amusement. "Wow. You girls really know what you're talking about."
The blonde girl spoke up, "Yes, sir. We're just really passionate about the government that Lucis has. And we know that there are certain ways to improve it and make it flourish to its full potential."
"With all the things you told me, no kidding." Noctis chuckled. "You said that you're both political science majors?" They nodded, "Tell you what," Noctis pulled a business card out of his wallet and handed it to one of the girls. "That's the card for my hiring manager in the government. Call him when you two graduate and tell him that I recommended you two. You'll have a meeting to see if he thinks you're as good as I do."
The girls stared down at the card, shock obvious on their faces. They looked at each other and smiled, shaking in excitement. They looked back up at Noctis, "Thank you so much, sir. This is such an honor, you have no idea. Thank you so much." They both shook his hand before turning away to leave.
"And congratulations on the marriage. Send me an invite when the wedding rolls around." Noctis watched as they looked at each other again, smiles bigger and love in their eyes. They left the store and Noctis turned to find the one of his affection. Prompto had to be out of the dressing room by this point, right? He met again with Prompto right as he was putting the jeans back on the rack they were found on.
"What's wrong with them?" Prompto jumped as Noctis suddenly appeared behind him.
He glanced at the jeans before looking at Noctis, "They, uh, they didn't fit that well. I didn't like the way they looked either." He cast his eyes down to the floor, hoping that the feeling he felt in his chest would go away if he avoided eye contact with Noctis.
Noctis felt as if he was experiencing déjà vu. Prompto was clearly upset with something and Noctis was confused about what. He already knew he was his sugar daddy and he had already found out he was the king. What else was there to be upset over? It was a little concerning though. Noctis hated seeing Prompto the opposite of his cheery, life-brightening self. He wanted to know what the cause of his problem and throw it away. But he knows that confronting Prompto about it in public is not going to get him anywhere. He needs to wait until they were alone behind the comfort and safety of his hotel room. So all he needed to do was wait.
Noctis smiled, trying to catch Prompto's gaze. "Alright then. Let's see if we can find something else that would look great on you then."
"Actually, Noct, I think that just the overalls are good. I still have clothes you bought me last week that I haven't worn."
"Are you sure? We have an entire store just begging to be bought." But Prompto nodded and Noctis knew that nothing would change his mind. "Alright then. Let's pay for this then browse through the mall some more, yeah?"
Prompto desperately wanted nothing more than to leave and go home. Go somewhere he could let his negative feelings swallow him. But he wanted Noctis to continue to enjoy the time he was having, even if he was with Prompto.
Prompto tried to give him his best smile and nodded. He followed Noctis up to the register, staring out the store's entrance to try and take his mind off of everything. They left the store and wondered through the mall, excitement that was with them at the beginning no longer there. They entered a few more stores and outlets before deciding that it was time to leave the mall. They were greeted at the entrance of the mall by an employee who was holding all of the bags they would have received in the stores. He followed them to the Regalia and put their bags into the trunk for them before leaving. The ride back to the hotel wasn't any better. It was silent except for the music playing in the background. Prompto stared out the window while Noctis glanced at him every few minutes to see if there was any change in his mood. But there was none so Noctis did his best to focus on the road.
When they arrived at the hotel, they were greeted by Edwin and a younger man standing next to him. Prompto gave them both a polite smile before making his way into the hotel. Noctis handed his keys to the young man, "There are some bags in the trunk that needs to be brought up to my room." The young man nodded and Noctis entered the hotel, standing next to Prompto as they waited for the elevator to reach them. The elevator ride was quiet as well but the silence was no longer welcomed as they entered their room.
"Prompto," Noctis called out to him as soon as the door closed. Prompto, already seated on the couch, glanced through his lashes at Noctis. Noctis made his way over to Prompto and stood in front of him, "Tell me what's wrong. And don't give me any excuses this time." Prompto looked away from him. Noctis' gaze softened, "Please."
Prompto didn't know what to do. Should he try to give Noctis an excuse or tell him the truth? If he told him the truth then everything would fall apart. Noctis would be repulsed by him and would cut off all contact they had. Prompto doesn't think he would be able to handle that. But if he doesn't tell him the truth then he might stop seeing him anyway. All of his options were bad and ended with disaster.
'I simply do not want you to fall into an unrequited love.'
Ignis' words came back to him and before he could stop himself, his mouth had started moving.
"Do you enjoy stringing people along?"
Noctis was confused. "What?"
Prompto looked up at Noctis, "Does this sort of thing give you enjoyment?"
"Prompto, I don't understand what you're saying." Noctis shook his head in confusion.
"You know what I'm talking about!" Prompto stood up from the couch, anger starting to build up inside of him. "Do you ever think about other people's feelings when you do things? Have you ever thought about that what you do might hurt me?" Prompto didn't give him any time to answer, "Of course not, this relationship is just something for you to entertain yourself with while you're here. But did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, someone might develop feelings while in a relationship like this?" Prompto felt tears come to his eyes but he continued to speak. "And I know that I'm not supposed to. I was even warned about making sure this doesn't happen but I couldn't stop myself. Every touch and every whispered sweet nothing made my heart skip a beat and before I knew it I was in too deep. And I know that this relationship is nothing serious but," Tears were starting to fall, "I can't stop myself from falling even more every day. I love you and I know that I shouldn't but every second I spend with you makes me so happy and I can't risk losing you to someone else."
Prompto went to say something else but was silenced by Noctis rushing forward and capturing him in a kiss. Prompto, still caught up in his emotions from his speech, stood wide eyed as Noctis held him close. Noctis pulled away after a few seconds and Prompto desperately wanted him back.
Noctis breathed out a laugh, "You have no idea how long I have been waiting for those words." He smiled at Prompto, "I love you too."
"What?" Prompto was shocked and was having trouble grasping everything at the moment.
"I love you and I have been wanting to tell you that for the longest time. I was scared that if I told you then you would be creeped out and would leave me. I've wanted to tell you since we first met." Noctis laughed at Prompto's confused face, "Why do you think I approached you in the bar? You're absolutely beautiful but there was something pulling me to you and hanging out with you just made me fall in love."
Prompto's face slowly broke out into a big smile. He wished this wasn't some sort of dream and that this was in fact his actual life. "You love me. You, honest to Gods, love me." Prompto's smile got bigger when Noctis nodded. He leaned forward and kissed Noctis, letting his hands get tangled in Noctis' hair so he could hold him closer. He pulled away and laughed softly, still in disbelief that this was happening.
Then a thought hit him. He pulled back to look at Noctis, "What about those girls in the store? Weren't you flirting with them?"
"Girls?" Noctis thought about it for a second before laughing, "In the clothing store? Prompto, they were political science majors who were interested in showing me that the government could use some changes. They were impressing me with all the knowledge they had. Besides, they're getting married in the spring."
Prompto felt his whole face flush in embarrassment. He buried his head in Noctis' shoulder and groaned. "Oh man. I'm sorry. About everything. Getting mad at you, yelling at you, and accusing you. I was just scared of losing you."
"That's alright." Noctis shifted their positions so he could pick Prompto up. Prompto wrapped his arms around Noctis' neck. "You can make it up to me."
"What about your knee?" Prompto was worried that the extra weight on it would cause something to happen.
But Noctis just smiled at him, "I would risk having my knee get even more messed up if it meant taking you into that bedroom and loving you the way I have wanted too for months." Noctis gave Prompto a quick kiss, "I love you, Prompto."
Prompto returned his kiss, "I love you too, Noctis."
Happy one year anniversary of Pour Some Sugar On Me!
Can y'all believe that one year ago today I started this fic? Time really flies. Seems that only yesterday I was screaming at my best friend because I wrote a sugar daddy fic.
On a more serious note, I really want to thank everyone who has read this fic. It means so much to me that y'all actually like this. Without y'all this fic wouldn't have lived to see chapter 2. Y'all have been so patient for every new chapter and I cannot thank you enough for that. Everyone who left a kudo or a comment made me so happy and encouraged me to continue working on this. This fic started out as something for me to indulge in but it quickly turned into something to bring y'all enjoyment. I want nothing more than for y'all to see the next chapter and have fun with reading it. So I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much! Y'all are the best audience I ever could have hoped for! I love you all so very much!