Housemates, a Final Fantasy XV fanfic by Raberba girl

Part 8 (rough draft)

As soon as Noct came home from class and had time to unwind, he put down the game controller and said decisively to Prompto, "Okay, we're sharing a room now. Let's move your stuff."

Prompto blinked at him. "What? Oh, no, it's fine, I'm already taking up half your bed-"

"Let's get your stuff, come on," Noct said, already getting up and heading for the door.

Prompto hurried after him. As soon as Noct stepped off the staircase, Prompto wildly scrambled past him to the broom closet and snatched up his duffel bag in a weirdly protective way. Then, red-faced and at a more normal pace, he dragged out his suitcase. "This is most of it, anyway."

"Okay," Noct said, frowning a little at his friend's odd behavior. He watched Prompto go back upstairs, then picked up Prompto's backpack and slung it over his shoulders so it would be easier to carry.

Up in the bedroom, they worked together to unpack Prompto's stuff. Noct, really noticing the mess for the first time, felt a little embarrassed as he shoved crap off the desk and shelves to make room, piling a lot of it on the heap of junk already on the otherwise-unused box spring. "Sorry," he muttered, "I've been meaning to clean up." He hadn't, but now it seemed like a good idea to pick up the room a bit. He should have thought of that and tidied the place up before inviting Prompto into it.

Prompto didn't seem bothered, though, just happily busied himself with setting up his stuff and even helping deal with Noct's stuff. Noct put on some music and they worked in harmony for a while, occasionally making comments or taking quick trips downstairs to fetch garbage bags and cleaning supplies.

Prompto was hanging up clothes in the closet when Noct caught sight of yellow fake fur peeking out of the duffel bag. Curious, he pulled it out, and was charmed to see a well-loved chocobo plushie. "Aw, cute. What's its name?"

Prompto turned, then made a weird gasping noise. Noct looked up and frowned to see that his face had gone white. "That's...not...mine," Prompto choked.

"Uh...it was in your stuff, though...?"

They stared at each other for a minute. Prompto looked...very distressed. Noct, now, feeling uncomfortable, looked back at the chocobo, then impulsively hugged it. It felt nice. "I left mine at home," he said awkwardly, unable to think of anything else to say. "Carbuncle. I named the cat after him because they look so much alike."

He dug out his phone and tapped at it until he'd pulled up a photo of his favorite childhood plushie, as lovingly battered as Prompto's chocobo. "See? Weird, right? They have the same fur and everything. Carbuncle the cat even has a mark on his forehead right where the plushie has a horn."

Prompto slunk close like a nervous wild animal and peered at the phone for a moment. "That's...yours?" he ventured in the barest whisper.

"Yeah." Noct looked at the photo. "Now I kinda miss him. Maybe I'll have Mom and Dad send him over so he can keep yours company." He joggled the chocobo in his other arm.

Prompto swallowed, then offered tremulously, "Her name is Fluffy. I've...I've had her since I was a baby."

"Oh." Noct looked at the chocobo. "Hi, Fluffy. It's nice to meet you."

Prompto made another choked, almost sobbing noise, but he was tentatively smiling now. He made the barest movement with his hand, not quite reaching. Noct silently offered to hand the toy over. Prompto's fingers twitched, then he snatched the chocobo back and hugged her tightly. "Um. Um...thank you."

Noct raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

Prompto smiled weakly. "For not giving me crap about bringing a baby toy to college...?"

Noct straightened. "No one should give you crap for that. If Ignis or Gladio ever do, tell me and I'll fight them for you."

Prompto barked out a laugh. "Thanks, Noct."

"No problem. You want to put her on the shelf?"

Prompto winced. "Maybe the closet would be better. If Ignis or Gladio look in...I know you'll, um, defend me, but I just..."

Noct felt a sudden surge of protective anger. Forgetting to say anything to Prompto, he marched out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen, where Ignis was cooking. "Hey, Ignis," he said forcefully. "Prompto has a stuffed animal. You got a problem with that?"

Ignis peered at him suspiciously. "What are you going on about?"

"Prom's stuffed chocobo. If you say anything mean to him about it, I'll hit you."

"Prompto's belongings are not any business of mine as long as he keeps them tidied up and out of my way."

"So you're fine with it?"

"Pass along any necessary reassurances, and think twice before you ever try to raise a hand against me."

Noct turned away and called Gladio.

"Whaddaya need, pipsqueak?"

"Prompto has a stuffed animal, and if you tease him about it, I'll fight you."

Gladio snorted. "You can try. Why are you calling me about a plushie? What do you actually want?"

"Nothing. You know what Prom's like. He can have a stuffed chocobo and still be a manly man, got it?"

"You're about as threatening as a wet kitten, but yeah, I know what Prom's like. Tell him it's all good here."

"Good." Noct hung up and marched back upstairs. He paused when he saw Prompto kneeling just outside the bedroom, slumped against the banister, looking horrified. "You told them?!" he hissed frantically.

"Yeah. You heard Ignis, right? He was fine with it. Gladio was, too. So you don't have to hide Fluffy in the closet; just put her on the shelf."

Prompto buried his head in his hands. "How is this my life...?!"

Eventually, Prompto managed to pull himself together and help Noct finish getting their room in order. It looked good - odd with the mattress and entertainment setup on the floor and the box spring being used as storage space, but comfortably full and lived-in and more-or-less tidy. "This is better," Noct said decisively. "Now you have places for your stuff and you won't hurt your back sleeping on that couch every night."

"Thank you," Prompto said softly. "And it's fine if it ends up not working out, feel free to kick me out again if-"

"I'm not gonna kick you out," Noct assured him. "Come on, let's see if dinner's ready yet."

"Oh, I was actually gonna go for a walk and run a couple of errands," Prompto said. "I already ate on campus. I'll see you later tonight, though?"

"Yeah," Noct said slowly. "See you."

They went downstairs together, and Gladio arrived home as Prompto was putting his shoes on. "Oh, hey, Prom," Gladio said, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

Gladio looked as startled as Noct felt when Prompto jerked away as if he thought it was an attack. Then he smiled brightly and said, "Hi, Gladio! Welcome back! Just gonna head out for a bit, see you later!" even as he edged away and practically fled out the door.

Gladio stared after him for a while. "I need to talk to you while we eat," Noct said coldly.

Gladio turned and looked at him. "I wasn't going to hurt him," he murmured.

"There were bruises on his arms this morning," Noct said, and Gladio winced. Noct nodded. "Yeah. We need to talk."

He waited until the three of them were gathered around the table and the food had been served and they'd all started eating. Then he said, "Tell me exactly what happened with you guys and Prompto this morning."

Ignis and Gladio glared at each other and said almost in unison, "It's his fault."

"My fault?" Gladio echoed incredulously. "You're the one who interrupted-!"

"It's you who started it with your outrageous-!"

"Enough," Noct thundered, and surprisingly, they both fell silent. "I don't care about assigning blame; I care about Prompto. What happened, and how the hell did he get caught up in it? You first, Ignis."

Ignis exhaled. "Gladiolus and I had a disagreement that escalated. When we agreed to a resolution via physical combat, we needed someone to supervise, and Prompto was an ideal candidate due to his neutrality and availability. I confess that we were both too caught up in our own anger to spare any thought for his perspective on the situation, and I sincerely regret causing him distress."

"Gladio?"

"That's pretty much it," Gladio mumbled. "Knew Prom could referee, but I wasn't...thinking straight. I just kind of grabbed him and dragged him after us, I didn't really think about explaining what was happening or what we wanted him to do. He actually did a good job, despite everything."

Noct took a moment to digest this. "You grabbed him?" he finally said, his voice stony.

"Yes, I did, it was an accident, and I'm sorry," Gladio said roughly. "I shouldn't have gotten physical with him, I absolutely didn't mean to hurt him, I'm sorry he got scared. Ignis and I plan to make it up to him."

"Oh, you're going to make it up to him," Noct scoffed.

"We were hoping you might help with that, actually," Ignis said, uncharacteristically diffident. "Unless you have any better ideas, we thought that Prompto might appreciate us sponsoring him for that video game convention you've been talking about recently, and accompanying him if he is amenable. I am under the impression that such events are best enjoyed as a group, and Gladiolus and I intend to be actively supportive."

Noct frowned as he considered this, toying with his food. "Sponsoring him? Like paying his entry fee and stuff?"

"Yes, and providing a costume of his choice. According to my research, that sort of thing is customary for events like these."

"Yeah," Noct said slowly. "Does he want you guys to come along, though?"

"We will respect his wishes either way, of course. The point of this is to make reparations."

Noct tapped his fork against his plate. "And you are gonna apologize, right?"

"Of course," Gladio said. "Just haven't had a chance yet. He didn't stick around long enough when I came home for me to say much to him."

"Can't imagine why," Noct said darkly. "Look, I'm glad you guys are sorry, but I'm pissed at you. There's no way Prompto did anything to deserve what you did to him. He goes out of his way to not step on anyone's toes, and he's such a nervous wreck about it that it has to be because he's been hurt in the past. The last thing he needs is you guys hurting him even more."

Both Ignis and Gladio were tense and subdued as they weathered the scolding, making no effort to defend themselves. It was slightly creepy, but also a good sign. "Yes," Ignis said softly.

"I care about him," Noct went on. "He's a good person, and he'll never stand up for himself, so I'll do it for him. He deserves better. You're both gonna apologize, and I'll talk to him about the convention."

"Thank you," Ignis said stiffly.

"Yeah, thanks," Gladio mumbled, looking uncomfortable as he took another bite.

There was a moment of silence, then Ignis cleared his throat and said, "There is another matter we ought to discuss while the three of us are here and Prompto is not." Gladio looked up, and Noct narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "It's about our current meal arrangement," Ignis said.

Gladio groaned. "What's the problem this time?"

"As far as the three of us are concerned, it's working just fine," Ignis said. "But, tell me, have either of you seen Prompto eat?"

Noct snorted. "Uh, yeah?"

"He drinks the protein shakes I make him," Gladio said slowly. "I guess I don't really see him do it, though. Has he been throwing them out?"

"No, I have witnessed him consuming those concoctions. Noctis?"

"We're always eating when we play video games, chips and popcorn and pizza and stuff."

"Which you provide, I assume."

Noct paused. "Yeah." He shook his head. "There's all that food he brings home from the restaurant, too."

"Yes, and portions of food I offer him as compensation for cooking assistance. Let me rephrase: have either of you ever personally witnessed Prompto eating any food that was not explicitly offered to him?"

There was a long silence.

"Crap," Gladio said.

"Wait...wait a minute," Noct said faintly. "Are you saying that Prompto doesn't eat unless we literally feed him?"

"I'm saying that his lack of money, body image issues, low self-esteem, and neuroses make for a potentially dangerous combination, and we need a better plan than what we have now."

Noct tapped his fingers against the tabletop in distress, remembering all those nights when he'd helped himself to the takeout boxes Prompto brought home from work. He'd thought- Now he wasn't sure what he'd thought. It had never occurred to him that those takeout boxes might be Prompto's actual meals, not just leftovers to snack on. Unlike Ignis, Prompto had never said anything, never complained or looked the slightest bit resentful about Noct stealing his food.

'Went off on Ignis and Gladio for being mean to him,' Noct thought in self-disgust, 'and here I've been doing the same thing all along.'

"We can just chip in extra grocery money, right?" Gladio was saying. "You don't mind cooking for one more?"

"The problem is how to go about bringing Prompto into the meal arrangement without damaging his pride," Ignis said. "He worries about the future and is not going to contribute funds without anxiety, but he also seems to feel ashamed about accepting what he sees as charity."

"You're saying...what, we need to con him?" Noct floundered.

"Essentially, yes."

They brainstormed a bit and eventually came up with a plan.

TBC