Goood evening, I started posting this fic early enough so that I'd be done by bedtime but then while editing it right in the AO3 text box I accidentally started adding to it so now I gotta rush so I don't lose too much sleep ;_;

No. 9: "Learning everything ain't what it seems, that's the thing about these days."
Polaroid | Mistaken Identity | "You're a liar."

Warnings: Implied Eating Disorder/General Unhealthy Relationship with Food

Noct's never managed to go to Prompto's house before. It's not like he hasn't tried before, even asked Ignis to get the place cleared so he could visit, but Prompto, while never outright rejecting the idea, always managed to distract Noct enough that they just ended up hanging out at his own apartment again.

So when he finally gets his chance - he may or may not have started a small fire while trying to make himself a midnight snack and now his kitchen has to be repainted, so they can't do their school project at his place - he's dying of curiosity. He's not even sure why he's so excited. Maybe it's just that he's never had the experience of visiting a friend at home, excluding Ignis and Gladio of course, which is different because he's known them both from birth so they might as well be his brothers.

Noct is fascinated by the neighbourhood alone, the little gardens, the old lady waving at Prompto when they walk by, the cat staring at him from someone's window. It's… nice, and so full of life, especially compared to the almost sterile atmosphere of the Citadel and even Noct's apartment building.

When Prompto opens the front door and lets Noct into his house, it's immediately clear why he's always tried so hard to prevent Noct from coming over. It's not that the house is ugly, or dirty or anything. It's just a house, small with well-loved furniture and a fine layer of dust on the shelves. A normal house, or at least what Noct imagines to be a normal house. But that's exactly the problem seems to have. He thinks Noct will be, what, disgusted? Offended that there is no red carpet for him? It's stupid, and Noct's not about to let Prompto beat himself up over it.

So he beelines for the couch where he spies two game controllers and plops down onto it, snatching one of the controllers before he sinks back into the couch.

"Now that Specs isn't here to nag, wanna get your ass kicked before we do our stuff?"

As he hoped, Prompto grins and throws himself onto the couch as well.

"No way, dude, you're gonna get your ass kicked!"

When they finally do reluctantly move over to the big table to get started on their project, Noct asks if he can get himself something to drink because like hell he's going to have Prompto wait on him in his own house.

He's already by the fridge when he hears Prompto jump up from the couch and shout, "Shit, no, wait-" but Noct has already seen what Prompto's trying to prevent him from seeing.

There's a photo taped to the fridge door, surrounded by sticky notes containing Prompto's handwriting. The photo is of a boy, around twelve years old, and Noct recognises him immediately, but the sticky notes are the real shock here - they're... they're just so mean, why would Prompto write these things about himself?

He doesn't manage to catch much more than a glimpse of the self-deprecating words on the sticky notes before Prompto's hand catches his shoulder and pulls him away from the kitchen entirely.

"I'll get it, you just go sit down, our fridge is weird, it gets stuck sometimes, just tell me what you want dude and I'll get it for you." he rambles, fake smile plastered on as he all but manhandles Noct back onto the couch.

"Prompto-" Noct tries, but Prompto pretends he doesn't hear him as he rummages around the kitchen. He tries again, louder, but when that too goes ignored, he stands again and tentatively pads back to the kitchen.

Prompto's torn the photo off the fridge and is just pulling off the last of the sticky notes, and when he turns around, his eyes, Noct notices with horror, are red and his expression crumbles.

"You… weren't supposed to see that," he says weakly. He's clearly trying not to cry, and he refuses to meet Noct's eye.

"What, the photo?" Noct says stupidly, because of course he means the photo, but Prompto shakes his head.

"Me," he says, miserably, and suddenly everything clicks into place.

Prompto's weird around food. He'll eat junk food with Noct, but he'll whine about how he'll have to make up for it, and make up for it he does - they're friends on that fitness app Gladio makes Noct use and he sees the insane routes Prompto runs.

When Noct refuses to eat his veggies, Prompto rescues them from his plate and then claims he's too full to eat the carbs remaining on his plate. And more than once, Noct has watched him reading the small writing on food packaging just a little too intensely.

"Prompto, did you think I didn't know that about you?" he asks, very slowly, because surely Prompto can't be that much of an idiot.

Apparently, though, he is, because he gapes at Noct for a good few seconds because he manages a high-pitched, "You knew?!"

"Of course I knew!" Noct snaps, confused and feeling out of his depth. "We met back then, don't you remember?"

"Well, yeah! That's when I decided I needed to lose weight if I wanted to befriend you!"

Noct freezes. "What?"

"Dude, you wouldn't have looked at me twice back then!"

That… shit, that hurts more than Noct could have expected, and to his utter horror, when he reaches up to rub his suddenly itchy eyes, his hand comes away wet.

He quickly turns, but it's too late - Prompto has seen it.

"Noct-" he says, but Noct strides out of the door without looking back, only barely managing to snatch his bag on the way out.

Prompto doesn't follow him.

They don't talk the next day at school, and then it's the weekend and for the first time in weeks, Prompto doesn't spend it at Noct's apartment.

More than once, Noct reaches for his phone, only to remember how much it stung, the implication that he's so shallow that he wouldn't be friends with someone based on their appearance.

Ignis tries to talk to him but Noct shuts him out until he gives up, leaving him alone with a quiet promise to listen if he finds he does want to talk about whatever has occurred.

For most of the weekend, Noct allows himself to wallow in his misery, but by Sunday evening, he's both sick of being mad at Prompto and dreading the next school day without his best friend to spend it with.

His best friend. That's who Prompto is, and wouldn't it be stupid to throw it all away, just because he got his feelings hurt? His first friend who isn't an employee of his father's, who spends time with him because he wants to and not because he's stuck with him.

He… he doesn't want to lose that.

So finally, he opens his messenger app and starts typing.

You [20:13]: can we talk?

He tries not to be relieved when his phone vibrates with a reply barely a minute later.

Prompto [20:14]: probably a good idea yeah

Prompto [20:14]: can i come over?

You [20:15]: yeah

Prompto [20:15] gimme 30 mins

It barely takes Prompto 20 minutes. He rings the doorbell instead of barging in like he usually does, and when Noct goes to open it, Prompto gives him a crooked smile.

"Hey," Noct says and awkwardly gestures at the couch. "Let's just get it over with?"

Prompto nods and follows him to the couch, and once he's sitting, he says, "Noct"

"Prompto," Noct says at the same time, and then they pause and say simultaneously, "You first."

Ironically, that breaks the tension immediately and they both start grinning.

"Okay, but really," Noct says, "Wanna go first?"

"Sure." Prompto studies his hands for a while before he takes a deep breath and starts talking.

Noct listens, really listens, and then he talks, and then Prompto kind of cries a little and Noct tries very hard not to cry, and then it's close to midnight when they both fall asleep on the couch, legs entangled and sort of leaning against each other.

They've got school tomorrow and Noct knows he's gonna wake up with one hell of a backache, but the relief over not having lost his best friend drowns out everything else.

I hope you enjoyed! They're just dumb teenage boys with a lot of (valid) feelings okay, but they love each other very much. I didn't wanna actually write awkward teenage boys trying to have a heartfelt conversation, especially because I'm trying to keep these short and somewhat sweet so I didn't want too much dialogue, so you can just fill in the blanks yourself ^^

Tomorrow it's Iggy's turn (Ignis whump my beloved, and oh man do you see how I've been holding back with Iggy so far? But fear not, I've got some things in store for him yet).

Good night, and see you tomorrow 3