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Noctis spends the better part of two hours staring into the abyss—that is, the pile of clothes on his bed he's deemed maybe acceptable , and the worse part of those two hours freaking out. He can't just throw on a t-shirt like they're hanging out on the weekend, and while his uniform is on the nicer end of the clothes he keeps in his apartment, they're still school clothes. Stiff, uninviting, more awkward than Noctis feels while trying to find a shirt that doesn't make him feel like an idiot. He's gone through the entire pile probably five times now, and nothing seems to become any more reasonable than it had in the twenty minutes before.
Distracted by his closet-themed dilemma, Noctis doesn't even hear the lock of his front door. Ignis lets himself in with his usual lack of fanfare, and Noctis freezes when he suddenly hears a voice behind him ask what he's doing. There aren't a whole lot of things he can say, not many excuses he could give even if Ignis wouldn't see right through him."I," Noctis croaks, "have a date."
Ignis takes half a glance at the pile accumulating wrinkles on the bed. It takes him mere seconds to throw Noctis' two hour decision directly out the window, pressing a button-up shirt with a studded collar to Noctis' chest and hunting down a pair of dark jeans.
Once Noctis is dressed, Ignis takes one look at him before straightening Noctis' collar, unfastening the topmost button of Noctis' shirt, and running his fingers through Noctis' gelled hair in an attempt to relax some of the overplaying Noct's done to it. Ignis takes a step back."Perfect," he murmurs.
Despite his incredible powers of time-wasting under duress, Noctis makes it to the park near Prompto's house with at least twenty minutes to spare. Being early ends up useless anyway, because Prompto's already there. He sits on a bench nearby, frayed edges of his ripped black jeans bouncing along with his legs on the ground. At the familiar sight of his rolled-up sleeves, Noctis smiles. It gives Noctis a sense of normalcy, mixed in with his nerves.
It's a welcome feeling, to know that even though everything's changed, it really... hasn't. Noctis is still Noctis, and Prompto is still Prompto , even though they're trying something new.
"Noct!" Prompto chirps, face brightening when he happens to turn his head and see Noctis approaching.
"Hey," Noctis says, "you're early."
As if he himself isn't.
Prompto laughs and jumps to his feet. He shoves his phone in his pocket, fidgeting with the hem of his flannel.
"Okay, so, where are we going?" he asks, joining his arm with Noctis', which Noctis readily accepts, nervous his hands will be too sweaty if Prompto had tried to hold them.
Noctis leads the way. It's not quite a hike, but they're plenty used to traversing the city for hours on end. A slight breeze makes its way through the crowded city streets of the heart of Insomnia, but the day is comfortable enough despite the added chill. Noctis takes the time in between glancing at street signs to watch his companion. The wind fluffs up Prompto's hair, and Noctis has to remind himself that it'd be weird to start petting his Maybe Possible Boyfriend in the middle of a crosswalk.
When they're within a block of their destination, Noctis asks Prompto to close his eyes.
"I won't let you fall!" he insists, dragging a stumbling Prompto to a door splattered in bright colors of paint. Energetic rock music blares from the building's speakers, and they're suddenly surrounded by the chimes and fanfares of arcade machines.
"I know it's not really the most standard... date thing, but..." Noctis trails off, heart thundering. "Open your eyes."
"Dude, are you literally telling me we're having a laser tag date?" Prompto asks, before he breaks out the sunshine in a massive grin. "Oh, hell yes, Noct!"
The next round doesn't start for another ten minutes, so Prompto kicks Noctis' ass at a dancing game. Groaning and shaking out his awkward leg, Noctis accuses him of cheating, earning a cheerful smile and a stuck-out tongue. Prompto bounces on the balls of his feet when their group is called up. It's not a particularly busy day, so the room isn't overly full as the rules are explained. When they're released into the room to pick teams, Noctis goes for the color blue, and Prompto follows.
It's easy to get lost in the darkness. Once they're set free, Noctis has to use Prompto's lighter hair as a beacon under the blacklights. They sneak through the halls, both of them ready to strike.
Noctis isn't overly familiar with firearms, but a lasergun is a lasergun, and there's not much more than point and shoot. It's easy enough with his trained reflexes snapping at any movement he can see. Noctis feels he's fairly competent, but both of them end up deactivated a few times, taking hits from others in the arena. Prompto has to hide behind Noctis' body once or twice to avenge him.
They both end up taking hits when Noctis swoons, sighing "oh, my hero," loud enough to be heard over the music, and Prompto can't help but break into laughter.At the end of the round, they're each handed a little slip with the game's rankings. Noctis is pleased to find himself in the upper end, even if his overall aim was... not great. He leans over Prompto's shoulder, asking what Prompto's nickname for the game was.
"Mercurial," Prompto says as Noctis' eyes scan the list, "Are you Nightlight? C'mon, Noct, boooooo."
Prompto's still grinning though, so Noctis takes it as a win.
And then he sees Prompto's name--taking second place. Noctis' eyebrows shoot upwards.
"Damn, Prom, how'd you do that?" he asks, and Prompto shrugs Noctis off his shoulder, a pleased flush on his cheeks.
"I dunno, Noct. Rematch?"
"You're on," Noctis grins, already approaching the counter to buy another game. Prompto thoroughly kicks his ass in every round, and Noct can't wait for the never-ending gloating that will come, just so he can see that triumphant glimmer in Prompto's eye.
They end up grabbing dinner a few blocks from Prompto's house, having accidentally whiled away the entire afternoon, as well as half the evening. Prompto scarfs down some sort of spicy meat dish Noctis isn't familiar with, and it hits Noctis that it feels like any other evening together. Prompto's animated as they speak, making big gestures with his hands in his excitement.
A comfortable ache sits in Noctis' bones as he walks Prompto home, and this time he even has the courage to grab Prompto's hand. It's warm in his own, and this time he's not even worried about hand sweat. He glances over to Prompto, and the little smile on his face sends a rush through Noctis' pulse.
When they reach Prompto's house, Noctis bites his lip and steels his will as Prompto fishes for his keys.
"Hey," Noct says, voice soft. "I had a great time with you."
Prompto looks up, meets his gaze. "Me too, Noct. Y’know… I wouldn't be against trying this again, if you want," he offers, and Noctis lets out a breath of relief.
"Definitely."
Prompto gets his door unlocked, and Noctis knows it's now or never, at least for tonight.
He takes a breath to steady himself, and only gets as far as, "Hey, Prom--" before Prompto's whipping around and pressing their lips together. His lips are a little chapped, and Noctis tastes the slight burn from Prompto's dinner when he licks his lips. Prompto's gone in a blink, leaving Noctis stunned, suddenly on the other side of the cracked-open door.
"Night, Noct."
And then Prompto's gone with the click of the door. Noctis can feel his face warming, and he can't stop the smile from bursting onto his lips.
"Night," he whispers into the evening air.