Chapter 2

The day that Prompto showed up in Noctis's life changed everything. It was like he finally had something to look forward to everyday in his lonely gloomy world. He knew that he had Ignis and Gladio, his brothers who he had known for years, but they were also his retainers. They were loyal to him as brothers should be, but that was the base mold that started all of it. Then there was his father, he knew his father cared but over the years they had just become distant while politics became more and more complicated.

There were days where Noctis felt like he was utterly alone with no one to talk to, no one to find comfort in. No one that wasn't already ready to help him because that was their job to attend to him as a prince. That was what he thought until he met Prompto, or technically met him again. He did remember when they were in middle school and talked that one day, but they never spoke face to face again until high school.

Now here they were and Noctis couldn't stop staring at Prompto. His face was like sunshine itself and it made Noctis feel warm inside. He finally had a friend who saw him as a person first and not a prince, and that meant the world to him. He had a friend he could just goof around with and not have to worry about being princely.

Plus Prompto was impeccably adorable and Noctis could never get that cute smile out of his head. But of course Noctis got carried away with his feelings. He hadn't realized it at first but after many months of spending time with Prompto, he had developed feelings for him. Feelings that were more than just 'let's be friends' type of feelings.

He hoped it wasn't as bad as he thought, but he couldn't help but let worrisome thoughts plague his mind. He was a prince after all, why on all of Eos would Prompto love him? Sure they were friends and hung out as much as possible, but love? Noctis couldn't see it. Prompto was a bubbly person in general and was friendly to just about everyone, and there were many times when girls swapped them both he would be so kind and charismatic to them. Sure he was in love with one of them, after all they had all these fan girls doting after them.

"Yeah… he probably has some girl in one of our classes that he likes. Never really asked him before but I bet he has a crush on one of them. Maybe it's the one with the dyed blue hair, or the one with the red curls…"

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his chest and he began to cough. He covered his mouth until he felt something hit his hand. Pulling his hand away he stared with wide eyes what now rested in his palm. He touched it with his other hand, just to make sure he was actually seeing it, and his hand flinched back when he felt the texture brush up against his fingers.

Red rose petals.

There were red rose petals in his palm.

"Shit…" Noctis cursed quietly.

He had worried about this. But after all of this time he assumed maybe it would never happen to him. Maybe he could just be lucky with his Lucian blood and hope that it somehow meant he could never get the Hanahaki Disease. But the flower petals in his palm were proving him otherwise. It had just taken him this long to finally think deeply on those feelings and now the flowers decided to show up.

Right away he called forth a small bit of magic, burning the petals in his hand. He couldn't let anyone know about this, not even Prompto. The last thing Noctis wanted was to ruin their friendship with his own stupid feelings. He hated the fact that he could just ruin the first real friendship he had just because he stupidly decided to fall in love. But on the other hand he had fallen in love with a wonderful person. A person that made him feel whole inside.

But that was what made it so complicated. He loved Prompto so much yet he knew he could never express these feelings aloud, but he knew he would never give up Prompto for anything. That meant he wasn't going to go for the surgery. If giving up his feelings and memories of Prompto meant he could live, then life wouldn't be worth living.

While he knew for a sure fact that Prompto didn't feel the same way, he knew it would break his heart to know his best friend forgot all about him because of the Hanahaki Disease. He couldn't do that to Prompto, because forgetting the memories and feelings he felt would totally let Prompto figure out it was him who he was in love with.

On the other hand dying from the disease was just as hurtful. Either method would leave Prompto all alone and Noctis felt awful for thinking it. But if he died of the disease without telling anyone who he loved, then Prompto wouldn't have to feel guilty. The last thing he wanted to come from his was Prompto to feel bad that he didn't feel the same way that Noctis did for him.

He cursed internally again as he coughed up a couple more petals, knowing there was no fair way out of it. Well there was, but he already crossed confessing out of his mind the first moment he realized he was in love. Again he was not going to ruin his perfect friendship over some stupid, selfish feelings he had. Stupid… but happy feelings that he would take to the grave.

He sighed after his coughing fit, wishing things could be different. But he knew that they couldn't. Prompto could never love him but at least he was his best friend.

So I am trying something a little different with this story with the switching of perspectives. Hope you all enjoy!