The first time Prompto reached out for Noctis’ hand, it was at that dumb haunted hospital they were visiting with their classmates during a field trip. It was just a silly amusement park attraction, but even Noctis had to admit that they had managed to create a believably creepy atmosphere. And, really, it wasn’t that Prompto wasn’t brave or anything - Noctis had seen him stand up to some guys who were bullying a younger student a few weeks earlier, and he was sure that if any of those zombies were really trying to attack them, Prompto would put up a decent fight.

However, Prompto hated jumpscares - and this place was full of them.

“Stay with me?” Prompto had whispered, stepping close to Noctis and grabbing his hand tightly.

As if Noctis would go on ahead and leave his best friend behind. He wasn’t an asshole - and besides, they only had one flashlight between the two of them. They made it through the maze of dark halls and rooms, Prompto’s hand squeezing his own whenever one of the fake zombies jumped out from behind a door and started moaning.

When Prompto released his hand as they stepped outside, Noctis realized he really missed the warmth.

**

Noctis would never admit it, but the reason he had suggested they watch a horror movie that night was that the haunted hospital experience had left him curious. He kept glancing sideways at Prompto, who was currently hugging his knees, his whole body jolting every time there was a jumpscare on screen.

Frowning a little, Noctis made a move to stand up. “Gonna get some food,” he mumbled.

Before he knew it, Prompto’s hand had grabbed his own and Noctis had been pulled back down onto the couch.

“Stay with me?” Prompto said, his voice wavering just a little bit.

Noctis squeezed Prompto’s hand briefly and scooted closer. If Prompto sometimes hid his face against Noctis’ arm as they watched the end of the movie, Noctis didn’t complain.

**

Prompto didn’t like thunderstorms; Noctis knew that much, even though he had never been with him during one yet. His friend couldn’t explain why - maybe it was some forgotten childhood memory - but there was just something about the sudden noise and the flashes of electricity that made his whole body shake with irrational fear.

This time, however, they were at Noctis’ place playing video games when the first boom of thunder was heard. Noctis immediately saw his best friend’s body tense up.

“You okay?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, I…” Prompto trailed off, then jumped when thunder rumbled again. He set his controller on the table and reached out for Noctis’ hand. “Stay with me?” he asked, without looking at Noctis.

Noctis smiled, put his own controller down with his free hand, and reached for the remote so that they could watch something instead of playing. When Prompto’s body jolted again, Noctis untangled their hands so he could wrap his arm around his best friend’s trembling frame.

“Sure,” Noctis whispered, and Prompto snuggled in closer.

Noctis was just grateful for the sound of the pouring rain, because he was certain that the sound of his heartbeat was deafening.

**

It really wasn’t a big deal. Hell, Noctis had done it a few months earlier - but Prompto hated the dentist, so Noctis had come with him for moral support before he got his wisdom teeth pulled out. While in the waiting room, Noctis could see how Prompto’s leg was bouncing up and down, and how his fingers were fidgeting non-stop.

“You’ll be fine,” Noctis whispered, leaning in a bit closer.

Prompto shot him a worried look, then tried to brush it off with a very forced smile. “Yeah, I know,” he said, then stared pensively at the floor for a moment. “Hey, Noct, just…” Prompto trailed off, then reached out for Noctis’ hand. “Stay with me?” he breathed, still not looking up.

Noctis smiled softly and squeezed his best friend’s hand. “You know I can’t come with you in there, right?”

Prompto chuckled and finally looked up. “Yeah, well. Until they call me?”

“Of course,” Noctis said, his hold on Prompto’s hand tightening. Prompto smiled and took a deep, shuddering breath, before resting his head on Noctis’ shoulder.

Maybe a few people were staring at the Prince of Lucis being a bit more than friendly with some guy - but if Noctis noticed them, he really didn’t give a damn.

**

They were walking to the arcade after school like always - except it wasn’t exactly like always, because school was over, for good. They would go back for the graduation ceremony, but that was it. While most students seemed happy about it, Noctis had seen his best friend’s face grow somber as the day went by; and now the silence between them was anything but comfortable.

“Hey,” Noctis asked, placing his hand on Prompto’s shoulder to stop him. “What’s going on?”

“It’s stupid,” Prompto breathed out, his hands in his pocket, and for some reason, that fact alone made Noctis more anxious than anything.

“Tell me anyway.”

“Well, I just… Guess I’m just scared that we won’t see each other much now that there’s no school anymore, you know? I mean, you’ll probably have plenty of royal stuff to do, and I should find a part time job and… I don’t know,” Prompto said, looking dejected.

Noctis would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about that either. But he knew he would always make time for Prompto no matter what, so he wasn’t too afraid.

“You worry too much,” Noctis said, in what he hoped was a soothing voice. “Just because we don’t have classes together anymore doesn’t mean you’ll stop being my best friend.”

Prompto eventually raised his eyes, and Noctis hated that his friend looked so unsure.

“Just… Stay with me? Today? Please?” Prompto asked in a small voice.

Noctis wanted to say a million things, that Prompto didn’t even have to ask, that of course he’d stay with him, and not just today, even - and he really wanted to hold his friend’s hand but for some reason they were still buried inside his pockets. So, he stepped forward, fully intending to hug his best friend; except his heart decided to short-circuit his brain at the last second and he found himself kissing Prompto.

And when Prompto wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him back, Noctis thought that maybe this time it was a good thing that Prompto’s hand hadn’t reached out for his.

**

There was magic, and Gods, and his friends, and then everything went to hell. Pain, death, blood - and one moment Prompto was with him, the next he was not. More pain, some weird crystal magic - Noctis was lost in blue light, alone, so very much alone. And when he got out everything was dark, and he looked old, and Prompto looked old, and tired, and so, so sad - and the next thing he knew, he was sitting on the throne when a sword ran through him at full speed.

“Noct!”

He opened his eyes upon hearing his boyfriend’s voice, and blinked a few times as he tried to adjust to reality. Prompto had turned the bedside lamp on, and Noctis could make out the familiar walls of his room, as well as Prompto’s worried face hovering over him. There was a warm hand on his arm, and Noctis realized he was in his bed, in his world, where there was no magic or crystals to claim his life and separate him from Prompto.

It had all just been a nightmare. A vivid, disturbingly realistic nightmare.

Prompto was still staring at him, and there was a distinct hint of panic in his eyes. Rolling over onto his side, Noctis wrapped his arms around Prompto’s waist, pulling his boyfriend down to snuggle against his chest.

“You’re young,” Noctis said, his voice hoarse.

Prompto chuckled nervously. “Don’t tell me your nightmare was that I was old?”

“I hurt you. We got separated. You were sad. I… died,” Noctis muttered quickly, his body tensing at the memory.

Prompto’s arms tightened around him, one of his hands rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“I’m here. You’re fine. We’re fine,” Prompto whispered in Noctis’ hair.

“Stay with me,” Noctis said, holding on tightly to his boyfriend. “Please.”

Stay Shakespears Sister

If this world is wearing thin And you're thinking of escape I'll go anywhere with you Just wrap me up in chains But if you try to go alone Don't think I'll understand

Stay with me, stay with me

In the silence of your room In the darkness of your dreams You must only think of me There can be no in between When your pride is on the floor I'll make you beg for more

Stay with me, stay with me

You'd better hope and pray That you make it safe Back to your own world You'd better hope and pray That you'll wake one day in your own world 'Cause when you sleep at night They don't hear your cries in your own world Only time will tell if you can break the spell Back in your own world

Stay with me, stay with me Stay, stay with me Stay, stay, stay, stay, stay Stay with me

" ...Bring back what once was mine… What once was mine... "

He should be dead.

He had been disintegrated into atoms, just to be put together on another version of the throne where Luna had been waiting for him. He remembered thinking, 'Ah, so that's that... I'm dead now, reunited with Luna in the afterlife to live on as a ghost to wait until everyone we once knew eventually joins us. I can't wait to hear about the life they lived without me.'

Then there was pain and he cried out, even as Luna smiled at him as she seemed to disappear from his side. He looked at her bewildered, but she smiled where she stood, taking slow steps back as she mouthed, 'go back to your friends. They need you.' There was a man in Kingsglaive uniform standing behind her and the last thing he saw was how Luna leaned against him, her hand reaching out for his.

Then there was light and pain - so much pain! - and familiar voices, shouting, crying and... singing ?

It was hard to breathe, but Noctis slowly came back to, his eyes widening as he felt wet lips on his own. It took all of the strength that he had left to raise his hand from the sword, finding Prompto's cheek - so wet, so many tears - and whispering hoarsely, "Hey..."

He tried to smile, but that only managed to make Prompto cry harder. Suddenly, there were arms around his neck and he was pulled into a tight hug, even as he could feel another pair of hands working on his chest, Ignis' familiar voice giving gentle orders and then there was movement, more pain, a pressure released from his chest and he felt himself falling forward into Prompto's arms. He felt heavy then, his eyes closed and a second later, he had passed out from exhaustion, pain and blood loss.

Noctis Lucis Caelum, the King of Light, slept for a whole week, seven sunrises and seven sunsets that were celebrated by the people of Eos. He even slept through the eighth sunrise and looked like he was going to sleep through the next sunset just as well.

"You have to eat, you know?" A gentle voice said softly as he came back to, but they were obviously not talking to them.

"I'll eat later. Just leave it here, I... will eat it," Prompto's familiar voice said, although he sounded so old, so tired, so exhausted.

"Just... do it, okay? Not like the other day," Ignis said, taking a moment longer before he took his leave.

"...you should be eating," Noctis tried to say, but it came out like the screech of something dying. He made a face and tried to clear his throat before he tried again, just like he tried to open his eyes. He was trying a lot of these things, but none of them worked out. However, it seemed to be enough to bring the message across and he found himself hugged again, the scent of leather strong in his nose.

'Funny,' he thought, 'how that is the first thing I notice about Prompto. The heavy smell of leather of his uniform.'

"Hey," he tried again and this time, it was just a mild screech, but he got the word across. A sob wrecked Prompto's body, which then turned into a laugh as he buried his face in Noctis' shoulder.

"You're alive!" Prompto sobbed, his fingers finding the hair on the back of his head as he squeezed gently. Even Noctis could tell from the way the other was touching him, he was painfully aware of where Noctis was hurt, that he was avoiding his chest at all costs and when Prompto finally gave him space to breathe, he almost expected to see his father's sword in his chest.

But there was nothing. Just sunshine and a gentle breeze playing in the curtains hanging in front of the window behind Prompto.

"Where am I?" Noctis asked, not because he didn't know where he was, he was just curious where exactly he was. The last he remembered was a world at the brink of an apocalypse, no gentle breezes, no sunlight.

"The Citadel... Your old room? That's what Ignis said, although both he and Gladio weren't exactly sure. It was the room with the most comfy looking bed," Prompto explained, although he looked like was exploding with a thousand words on the tip of his tongue.

Noctis smiled faintly as he looked around, remembering almost nothing of this room. Then again, it had been destroyed quite thoroughly. The tapestries ripped from the walls, furniture broken from what looked like being thrown around, even though Ignis and Prompto had probably tried to tidy as much as he could. At least the bed felt familiar and he turned his head to the other side, his eyes widening as he recognized a few things.

"These... are the king's chambers," he said, feeling a pang of pain in his chest that had nothing to do with his physical injury.

"Well, yes and no. When we found this room the wall separating them had been torn down. So we... moved the bed a little more to the middle of the new room so that you could have a nicer view onto the city when you... you'd wake up," Prompto explained and nodded towards the large windows with even heavy looking curtains being drawn open.

He blinked to focus his gaze, and when he looked out he saw a city left in ruins and it hurt his heart.

"It's not much yet," Prompto said as if he had read Noctis' thoughts. "But trust me, people are working on making Insomnia the place they want it to be again. Same with Lestallum and everywhere else that has survived. It's... it's been only a week ever since the light returned, but I've never seen people so full of energy."

The blond's words managed to draw a weak smile from Noctis that died the moment the king turned back to look at him.

"...except for you," he noted and saw Prompto avert his gaze and worry his lip, on the left side, where Noctis remembered a scar from before the Long Night. He knew that Prompto sported more scars now, back from those ten years that Noctis had been in the crystal.

"...I'm not that important to life on Eos," Prompto said in weak protest.

Noctis lifted his hand that felt heavier than a ton, letting it come to rest on top of Prompto's on the side of the bed. "You are important to me," he said, just before he lost consciousness again, falling back asleep.

"And you are my reason to live," were the words that followed him into his dreams.

Noctis made a rather swift recovery, considering the severity of his injuries and the state of the world. Prompto stayed by his side all the time, held his hand, helped him learn how to walk again and did everything that Noctis could ever ask for. Sometimes, he felt like Ignis was secretly jealous of their new connection, but whenever he asked him, his advisor only shook his head and smiled enigmatically, saying that this was probably more for Prompto's sake than Noctis' alone.

They went on trips, travelled around the lands of Eos again, to visit those who survived the long night and made sure that everyone would get the help they needed. Noctis was stubborn about this. He wanted to make this right, he wanted the people to know that he would listen to them, that he cared more about them than himself.

Prompto, Ignis and Gladio thought it was weird, because he had sacrificed himself, but Noctis wanted to listen to all the stories. He said that after he had missed those ten years himself, he wanted to understand what it was like, that he needed to feel what it was like himself.

Prompto had declared himself his personal bodyguard, since he had accumulated the most combat experiences, since his skills as a gunman and sniper were the most useful to protect the king from any kinds of assassins. No one said that they knew he wanted to stay by Noctis' side because he didn't want to let him out of his sight, but everyone knew.

Noctis thought it was adorable, and he was most grateful for it. It allowed him to talk, it allowed him to observe his best friend and how much he had changed the last ten years.

From everyone he knew, Prompto had probably changed the most. He had grown wider, gained more muscle where Noctis had lost some of his own during the Long Night; and he wasn't fidgeting every two seconds anymore. He didn't wear his wristbands anymore, showed off his tattoo like it was just another part of his body. The last thing Noctis remembered was Prompto beating himself up over it, thinking he was the enemy when all that he had ever been was his own person. It made him happy, made him relax and then wonder if more clones like Prompto had survived. But everywhere they went, they found no one who was left from Nifelheim. It was scary, but to think that an entire people had been erased by the experiment of one madman and a mad immortal soul and what Prompto had told him was more or less an accident even before he had gone into the crystal...

Noctis didn't quite understand it, but it seemed like Prompto and Aranea had set free powers that the world were not able to handle and while they did their best to keep the damage to a minimum, no one knew what had really gotten out of that factory deep in Nifelheim. Thus, Prompto seemed to be the least surprised to learn that there wasn't much left of Nifelheim at all.

It also made him to be the last survivor, which kind of put him on the same level as Noctis, who was the last in the long line of the Lucis.

"Prom," he said as they lay in his bed one night, around a year after all magic had disappeared from Eos. They had held hands until that had turned into kisses, which had then turned into something else and now they were there, buck naked after Prompto had gone to find them a cloth to wipe them off before he snuggled right back against Noctis side.

"Mhm?" Prompto hummed, his voice heavy with sleep.

"I've been thinking," Noctis said and he half expected Prompto to shoot back 'that's a new one.' It might be because Noctis had done a whole lot of thinking in the past year that had served to turn the world into a better place.

"What is it?" Prompto asked instead, snuggled against Noctis shoulder, his arm draped over his chest to cover the big scar there.

"If... you're the last known survivor from Nifelheim," he started, earning himself a slight tightening of the hold around his middle. "If you're the last one from Nifelheim, that... automatically makes you the ruler, right?"

"There's no one to rule over though."

"Hm... doesn't matter, in this case. Just trying to say that... there's no better way to show Lucis' will to bring peace to Eos than our... friendship ," Noctis said, because that's what they were officially. Friends. Mostly because Noctis hadn't figured out a way to change that yet. But he had an idea.

"Friendship, yeah," Prompto snorted and Noctis could hear the pout.

He sighed, because he had chosen his words wrong. He was able to argue with people from all over the world, but when it came to Prompto, the one person in his life that he really wanted to matter to, he was as clumsy as a teenager still. While that was frustrating on the one hand, it was also something that kept him grounded, that kept him striving to be better. For Prompto.

"You know what I mean," Noctis sighed. "What I want to say is... for the sake of publicity and the public image of Nifelheim in the heads of the people... Would you be willing to share your origins with the world?"

There was a long moment of silence and Noctis already opened his mouth to tell Prompto that he didn't have to do that, that they would find another way, because he understood how much he was really asking from his lover.

"...I guess it's a good idea," Prompto sighed and Noctis shifted, turning around to look into his eyes.

"...you're really okay with that?" he asked, gently running his hand over his lover's cheek.

"For you... I am," Prompto confirmed as he leaned into the touch, violet blue eyes closing.

"I love you," Noctis whispered as he leaned in to seal those words with a kiss, meaning them in an entirely different context than the one that he was sure Prompto thought he did, but that didn't matter. He would tell him sooner or later. Hopefully sooner.

~*~

With the reestablishment of radio and TV, Noctis saw himself in the focus of various cameras and faced with microphones many times a day. It was okay though, he wanted Eos to know that he was there, that we was speaking to all of them.

The day he revealed Prompto's origins to them, also marked the day that his father had died. The day that Nifelheim had attacked Insomnia. The day that almost all of them had lost their homes and most of them their hopes, just to wait until the long night started.

Noctis had prepared a long speech, intending to clear up all those misunderstandings, to end the rumors that were going around and to confirm a few others.

One was the real intent of Nifelheim's call for a peace treaty. Another was his engagement to Luna and what exactly had happened in Altissia. Among many others, one of the last topics was identity of those MT soldiers, how they had come to life and what had happened to Nifelheim during the long night.

Ultimately that would lead him to Prompto's origins and lastly, to what was most precious to him.

He stood behind the doors to the balcony on which he would hold his speech in a few moments. However, there was one thing that he needed to do before he stepped outside.

Prompto, in his self-assigned role as his bodyguard, eyed the crowd suspiciously through a nearby window as Noctis took his hand and pulled him back inside.

"Noct, I need to..." the blond started, just to stare wide-eyed at Noctis as the king sank to his knees. For a few seconds, his eyes flickered to Ignis and Gladio who stood on the other sides of the room, but they were grinning and nodding, as if they knew what was to come.

"Prom," Noctis started, the words almost getting caught in his throat.

'Come on,' he told himself, 'you didn't feel nervous about talking to a crowd of people as far as your eyes could see, this is much easier! It's just Prom!'

But it wasn't easy, because a lot of things could go wrong.

"Prompto Argentum, you know that I love you, right?" Noctis started again, because this was something formal, something important that deserved a full name use. "We've known each other for a long time and... through those years, you've become my most important friend. When... when I said that I'd made my peace, it was because I wanted to give you a world to live in and I... I didn't think that I, Noctis Lucis Caelum, was important. But you proved me wrong. 'A world without you wasn't worth living in,' that was something that you showed me over and over again. And yet you did, because you knew I'd come back," Noctis said, squeezing Prompto's hand as he inhaled shakily, trying to hold back the tears that Noctis could see so very clearly.

"And I, I didn't want to live in a world that was so cruel to you. I didn't want to rule over a kingdom that condemned people for where they came from or made them feel uncomfortable like you did when you found out where you came from. I've loved you, even back then, because you were you. You managed to make me smile when I felt the most down in my life and I... I couldn't imagine living without you. Yet, it was my fate to fight alone, to save this world all on my own. But you stayed by my side," Noctis said and he could see Prompto's eyes flicker back to Ignis and Gladio again.

Yes, these two had been with him as well, but Prompto had stayed with him even afterwards.

"And I want to stay by yours. So, I'm asking you to stay with me, forever, if you want to and if the Astrals allow us to. Prompto Argentum, do you want to marry me?"

Prompto sobbed and choked back a laugh. "Holy shit, man, my heart hurts from that speech! But did you really think that through? We're both the last in our line, we will not be able to create any offsprings and-"

"Yes, I've thought about that. I was destined to sacrifice myself back then, I was supposed to be the last in the long line of Lucis anyway and you... you were lucky to survive as well as the last in your line," Noctis rationalized, feeling his own nerves slowly getting the better of him. "So, I am quite aware what I'm asking of you. Will you... continue to be by my side?"

Prompto worried his lip, his hand cold in Noctis' hold. For a moment he looked conflicted until he huffed a breath and then looked up with a tear-stained smile. "I didn't plan anything else with my life other than to stay by your side... so yes. Yes, I want to marry you! I-if that's okay with the protocol and... you know."

"Prom, I'm making the protocol up as we go, and I say it's fine. Don't worry," Noctis said as he got up, hearing Gladio scoff behind him. Ignis shrugged, putting his hands up because he stopped caring about the protocol once Noctis had taken over.

The king finally got the small, velvet box out of his pocket. "I've got this for you as a token of my promise," he said to his fiance and opened the box, revealing a simple silver band with lines carved into it that made it look like a chocobo feather, yellow gemstones that might just be diamonds placed all around it. "I hope you like it..."

"You know you could have gotten me a plastic ring and I'd've been fine," Prompto laughed, carefully lifting the ring to look at it. "It's beautiful..." Prompto smiled as he handed the ring back to Noctis, offering his hand wordless for Noctis to put it on, which he did with a grin.

"It is," Noctis smiled, looking at the other's hand in his. "Looks even better on you."

"Nerd," Prompto laughed and leaned in for a small, awkward kiss. "I love you. More than anything in this world."

"I know," Noctis smiled as he looked up and leaned back in, returning Prompto's kiss with a gentle one on his own. "Come on... I want to tell the world."

"E-eh? Right now?"

"Yes, right now . After that speech we had planned anyway," Noctis grinned, stepping forward to go out on the balcony. He smiled at the cheering people, slipping his hand free of Prompto's hold to wave at them before he stepped forward and started his speech.

His voice was hoarse by the time he asked Prompto to stand by his side and he was exhausted. However, that didn't stop him from taking Prompto's hand and squeeze it reassuringly. His fiance looked nervous, but as Noctis smiled at him, he seemed to relax himself and let Noctis praise him. At least as long as he didn't have to get anywhere near the microphone and talk himself, but they had rehearsed even that part.

Once Noctis had vowed to work out a lasting peace treaty between all countries of Eos, he took Prompto's hand again, pulling him to his side.

"To ensure the stability of this treaty between Lucis and Nifelheim, between royalty and the common folk, I hereby announce that on the day before the coming year's Light Festival, a royal wedding will be held," Noctis said, feeling that his voice was close to failing him.

"I, Noctis Lucis Caelum, announce my engagement to one Prompto Argentum and am delighted to tell you that he accepted my request!"

There was a moment of stunned silence in the crowd and Noctis felt a bout of anxiety grow in the pit of his tummy. Then, he heard Gladio start clapping to his left behind him, Ignis joining in and when Gladio cheered, the people seemed to wake up from their silence and they started cheering for them.

"Man, I thought they'd hate it for a second there," Prompto gasped as he wiped a lone tear from his eye. He started waving when people started calling his name, his other hand tight in Noctis'.

"It wouldn't have mattered, I would have married you anyway," Noctis said, beaming down as he started to wave himself. "Let someone else become king, I just want to be with you."

"...Good thing we can have both," Prompto smiled, but it soon turned into a grin. "You've got a few promises to fulfill."

"And I will break down the borders. All of them. There will be peace and happiness for everyone, because that's all that matters. And you are my peace and happiness."

"Man, ever since you've become king, you've become all sappy and stubborn," Prompto laughed.

"I've always been sappy and stubborn. Never got the chance to show it though," Noctis grinned and then pulled on Prompto's arm to pulled his surprised fiance over into a kiss. The crowd cheered a little louder and he grinned at Prompto.

"I love you."

Notes: Thank you for reading all the way to here! I hope you had as much fun reading my stories for Promptis Fan Week 2017 as I had writing them!