"The sad thing is," she said, "the moment you start to miss someone, it means they're already gone." –L.L.
20160 – 336
Being a young prince gave Noctis more freedom. With more freedom, there was more time. He'd remember how he rebelled, trying to avoid his duties and the issues of becoming the next king. Everything was difficult when all he ever wanted was to be normal. Normalcy meant having friends. Someone who'd accept him for who he was and not the crown that was waiting for him at the throne. Ignis and Gladiolus were different because they were also his royal retainers. Despite their friendship, their royal duties served first.
Noctis kept a lot of things bottled up and struggled trying to figure out who he could be, but as he grew up he realized that there was only one position for him, and he could never run away from it. He feared having to cater to the demands of his people, as his dad often left and made him feel alone. But things like that can't change. Sacrifices had to be made. And Noctis had no choice but to understand and move on.
But then, Prompto came along.
Prompto, the man that used to be his sunshine.
Unbelievably bright, crazy, and full of warmth. The kind of light that he thought would never exist.
Prompto came and changed the feelings he suppressed. Noctis never thought it was possible, but Prompto flipped his world downside up like it was nothing. He became more confident with Prompto's encouragement and eventually, he found his resolve. He took his studies seriously and became less withdrawn, taking his royal responsibilities without objections.
But from one stage of their relationship to the next, the path that started off so innocent and fun has taken them into facing reality.
And like most, they started off as strangers.
The two of them met thanks to a shoelace.
Almost graduating from senior year, Prompto had made up his mind about losing weight. Every early morning, Prompto would run around the park next to the apartment structures. Earphones were on blast and adrenaline rushed through their veins. While Prompto ran down the trail, Noctis did the same, cursing Gladio while he ran. Let's build up from your scrawny body. Gladio told him the day before.
Prompto ran in front of him, unaware of Noctis' presence.
He was crazy fast, Noctis thought as he caught up to the runner and grabbed him gently by the shoulder. "U-Uh, excuse me!" Noctis ran next to him and pointed at his shoes. "Your shoelace is untied."
Sweat dripping from the side of his face, Prompto turned and removed one of the buds from his ears. "O-Oh, oh! Thanks!"
Noctis jogged a few distance away from him as he tied his shoelace. He slowly turned to reply breathlessly after running around the block twice with two more rounds to go. "No problem, wouldn't want you to— shit!" He cursed as he fell forward over an uneven tile.
The runner quickly finished tying his shoelace and got up, rushing towards Noctis to help. He let out a small laugh. "Oh em gee, you okay there buddy?"
But Noctis wanted to save his embarrassment and jumped up, rubbing his dirtied hands on his black shirt. He nodded as the blonde made his way towards him and laughed along.
"Yeah," Noctis gasped. "I'm good."
Noctis couldn't have played it better even if he tried. Those were one of the days Noctis was thankful for Gladio and his dad for not fixing the park trails. They ran together that morning, and Noctis never told him that he was the prince. Noctis also didn't tell him that it was his first time running in five months and that Gladio was punishing him from eating too much junk food. Somehow, they ended up running for almost four miles that day.
"You new around here?"
"Yup! How'd you know?"
"Dunno. Guess you carry yourself differently."
"Oh... Well, my parents and I just moved in about a year ago. How 'bout you?"
"Born and raised here."
"Forreal?"
"Yours truly."
"Niceee. The city's great though! I love it."
"Me too. Now that you're here."
"Hm? What was that?"
"No-Nothing."
He felt pathetic and weak, but it was funny how he worked so hard to do just about anything for Prompto's attention.
When the blonde said his goodbye, Noctis waved back and let his body drop against the green grass, breathing rapidly. He figured his body was going to be sore for days and he was going to be tired the next time he spars with Gladio, but it was worth it.
Noctis blacked out for a few minutes. But when he opened his eyes, a wave of accomplishment ran through him. He must have left a good impression.
Because on his hand was a small white paper with a cellphone number and Prompto's name written on it.
2880
One of the concerns Noctis addressed were his clothes; he hadn't brought any seeing as how he wasn't planning on sticking around for more than a few hours after getting the divorce papers signed. When he told Prompto of his dilemma, Prompto smiled and told him not to worry about it. As the time came around to retire for another night, he had taken Noctis to a guest room near what was once their bedroom. Prompto left for a moment, but came back a little while later with three shirts in his arms while Cindy, who was following closely behind him, had plenty more t-shirts including pajama pants, shorts, boxers, and jackets.
"I couldn't carry them all," Prompto explained apologetically. "They're too heavy for me."
Noctis looked at the small pile in Prompto's hand compared to what Cindy had carried and watched as they both set it on his bed. "They don't look that heavy…"
"Well they weigh like a ton to me…" Prompto said quietly.
When Prompto left after Cindy, bidding Noctis goodnight, he recited a sequence of numbers before leaving. Unable to understand the binary, Noctis moved on. He had deleted the app he once had on his phone to translate those messages. He didn't want to waste his time to do it.
But the more he stood there alone in his room, another curiosity ate him as his eyes drifted back to the stack. He moved over to the bed, gathered everything they had brought and lifted it up.
It wasn't heavy.
Despite the circumstances of his situation and the enraged messages he received from Lunafreya the night before, Noctis woke up with a peaceful calm. He couldn't figure out why that was so. Maybe it was because he wasn't in the city, and for once, he had sleep that didn't involve the background noises of sirens and cars, or the surprised knocking of Lunafreya outside his apartment door. Or maybe it was the house itself. Prompto didn't miss a detail in making every room in the house comfortable and warm.
He took a quick shower and slipped into the clothes that Noctis had given him. It wasn't until he looked in the mirror that he saw his appearance and realized something: Prompto had given him the clothes he had left behind. It was his dark gray shirt with skull prints and black cropped trousers. No gloves like he used to, no buckled boots with red soles, no jacket. Just the past clinging tightly and trying to scar his conscience.
Bitterness washed over him as he stared at his black shirt. He didn't know whether Prompto did it on purpose, which Noctis knew he possibly couldn't. There were questions flowing in his mind as to why Prompto still had them. They were old. He hadn't worn these clothes in years. He left them behind.
Why hasn't Prompto gotten rid of them?
The more he looked into the mirror, the more Noctis realized he looked the way he used to be. His hair had grown a little longer and he had forgotten to shave his beard, but that's nothing a razor couldn't fix. He groomed himself in the bathroom and studied himself. After many years, his complexion and become rough. The clothes he wore didn't look quite right on him as his attire turned more formal and sophisticated that befitted his regal standing, like the one his father wore.
Finding scissors in the drawer, Noctis attempted to bring his boyish appearance back with his bangs, but he stopped and put the equipment back to where it came from. He wasn't going back to how everything was. Prompto had made it clear to him that everything was pretend and he didn't consider changing his looks.
Noctis reminded himself that it was just two weeks.
Just two weeks.