#inscmnus

The snow cascaded around them , gloved digits sliding between his as they wandered through the festive markets. Stalls lining either side , twinkling lights dangling from the precipice of each. A smile 'pon the Prince's face , heart light -- clearly enjoying himself. A gentle tug off to one side , hidden slightly between two of the stalls. Hand coming to rest gently at his cheek , bringing his lips to meet his. "Just in case I haven't told you today. I love you." -- @inscmnus

𝐈𝐃𝐋𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 glee, and excitement at the new year's markets as snow falls. The air was crisp and cold, but not quite as bitter as it had been in December. With the royal in tow, bright blue eyes glance across the attendees. "Oh, man! Look!" Catching sight of something in particular, he was about to take off in excitement in his usual manner.

   ”Happy new year, Prompto.” Leaning in to kiss him softly. “I love you.”  from, @inscmnus​

        𝐹𝐼𝑅𝐸𝑊𝑂𝑅𝐾𝑆 𝐿𝐼𝑇 𝑈𝑃 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝑆𝐾𝑌 𝐴𝑇 𝑀𝐼𝐷𝑁𝐼𝐺𝐻𝑇, bright and colorful, bringing hope and wishes for a prosperous new year. What does Prompto hope to accomplish this year? It hadn't even occurred to him to consider it since no one had asked him yet. Perhaps he would strive to complete his training, continue to keep up his studies, and spend time with Noctis.

              Noctis..

As vividly as yesterday, he remembered the features of the prince beside him, one who looked at the kingdom with hope. It was inevitable that Noctis would own all of this one day, but he did not expect it to be so soon. Prompto could not have imagined how influential the royal would be. The most prominent person in almost everything he did for years to come, even from that first 'new year' they spent together.

And how many 'New Years' then would pass since the royal was crystallized? As if a new year was nothing but another year of survival. That had to suffice. Prompto refused to give up -- even when the red glow, flashing eyes of MT'S, the terrors of his nightmares, taunted him.

             a gift from @inscmnus​

“Close your eyes.” He smiles, standing in front of him and holding his hands. Only once he did would Noctis guide him then to the roof where he’d spent most of the day trying to aim for as romantic a setting as possible. Though he couldn’t take credit for the food in the basket, that was Ignis. (A reminder from the advisor the last time Noct had tried to make anything he’d nearly poisoned poor Prompto.)

set off to one side was a cake — with a chocobo topper candle and a few gifts. A new lens for his camera, (chocobo charm to dangle from the strap), the new game he’d been saying he wanted forever and something else. A small envelope which held inside the promise of a weekend away for just the two of them. A chance to reconnect and be themselves.

“happy birthday Prompto.” He smiles, placing a kiss to his lips.

                                                    For  one  with  such  precision  and  aim,  asking  him  to  close  his  eyes  and  walk  into  the  unknown  proved  to  be  more  of  a  task  than  one  would  think.  In  spite  of  his  carefree  nature,  his  body  struggled  to  keep  up  with  Noctis'  guidance.  His  trust  in  him  was  rewarded  with  the  sharpshooter  occasionally  tripping  over  his  own  feet.  Prompto  sensed  the  gentle  breeze  outside,  and  his  eyelashes  fluttering,  opened  to  reveal  bright  blue  eyes.

He  exuded  a  noise  of  happiness  with  his  smile,  his  feet  flew  forward  as  he  took  in  the  view.      "    Noct!?  You  did  all  this?    "    (    For  me  ?  )      --  remained  unspoken,  but  he  knew  the  response  he  would  get  should  those  words  be  uttered.  Each  gift  is  received  with  grateful  thanks,  expressing  a  sincere  appreciation  for  the  gift.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Noctis  was  his  partner,  he  treasured  moments  like  this  with  his  best  friend  -  making  time  for    '    this  loser    '    on  this  particular  day  was  the  most  significant  thing  to  him.

                                            "        Wuh-wuh-wuh-wuh-wait!  You  expect  ME...  to  go    (  dramatic  finger  pointing  towards  the  dark  cave  )    in  there  ....  to  look  for  something  that  may  or  may  not  even  be  --  Oh  dude,  if  we  get  out  of  this  --  you  SO  owe  me!    "

   His  best  friend  received  a  knowing  glance  before  expressing  a  clear  disdain  for  the  adventure  ahead.  As  the  damp  smell  impaled  his  nostrils,  he  upturned  his  lips  in  a  visible  display  of  discomfort.  Boots  tread  cautiously  into  the  dark  territory  of  the  bounty  hunt,  and  in  hushed  tones,       "    You  ever  considered  why  nobody  has  managed  to  fight  off  these  nasties?    "    A  pause,  question  rhetorical.  "    I've  got  a  feeling,  y'know,  that  people  might  --  oh  I  don't  know  --  WANT  to  live!    "    Palms  sweating  underneath  leather,  arms  tense,  quicksilver  tight  in  his  grasp,  failing  to  relax  and  every  hair  was  standing  at  attention,  as  if  something  might  appear  at  any  moment.

Maybe Prompted Ask? I Don't Remember, LMFAO - [ ALWAYS ACCEPTING ] ;;

Noctis' timing was strangely IMPECCABLE, in moments where he wasn't trying to make it so. Ignis could feel the persistent grip of EXHAUSTION beginning to weigh him down, that feeling of SLUGGISHNESS that he so loathed, yet was unhealthily accustomed to, making it increasingly difficult to remain focused. Yet, the hefty stack of paperwork just afront him appeared imposing, to a point he felt more overwhelmed than USUAL with the limited timeframe he was expected to meet.

" Good afternoon, Noct. " Ignis doesn't even look up from the text on the page, always reading every document, every sheet of paper, in FULL, despite it only requiring a signature at the very end. Negligence, after all, was a surefire way of running the risk of relinquishing one's soul and assets to the wrong person, one day, and Ignis was a well known stickler for detail.

                                           ↳   @inscmnus​

It was no secret that Noctis knew Prompto better than anyone else, sometimes better than he knew  himself -- When he stayed silent and let his thoughts dictate his actions, Noctis pulled him out of that abyss of self-pity. And unfortunately, this was another such occasion.

“  𝑖 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒. 𝑖 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢. ”      [◉"]  @inscmnus​  ；

  "  Yeah, yeah… I know, Noct….  "   Nevertheless, he needed to hear it. Gently, a gloved hand reached out to squeeze Noct's, and with a small smile,   "  Thanks.  "  A gentle kiss brushed against his cheek—a brief pause.

  "  C'mon, let's… go join the others; I'm so hungry I could eat a  whole behemoth!  "  Slightly avoiding the subject. Prompto knew Noctis wouldn't let him off so easily, but for now, in any case.

         “ It’s a...well, it’s like a best friend but more. It’s the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else. It’s someone who makes you a better person. Actually, they don’t make you a better person, you do that yourself. -- because they inspire you...”