#sun shield

Prompto found himself humming the tune again and quickly silenced himself. He glanced guiltily over at his best friend to find Noctis giving him a half amused, half annoyed look. Prompto ducked his head and shrugged, “Sorry, guess I can’t help it.”

“Would it help if you wrote it out?” Noctis had suggested it before but when Prompto had tried, it had slipped away. He wasn’t even sure where he’d heard it before, but it’d been stuck in his head ever since. He’d been randomly humming it for the better part of a month now.

He shook his head, “I tried, the melody just, fled, when I tried to get it on paper.”

Noctis tilted his head, “It doesn’t have anything to do with Professor Scientia’s new assistant does it?”

Prompto gave him a confused look, “Which new assistant?”

Noctis shook his head in dismay, “Seriously? The one you called a ‘hunk’?”

Bright red spots bloomed on Prompto’s cheeks, “Oh. Him. Um, I don’t think so? I mean, I don’t recall it being something he played or anything.”

His best friend gave him a look, “You ever consider that he might be your soulmate?”

Prompto thudded back into the couch in their shared living room, “Dude, we’ve been over this. I’m pretty sure ‘clones’ don’t get soulmates. I mean, sure, I’m nothing like the crazy man I was cloned from, but still. I’m not... I’m not a ‘real’ person.”

A pillow depriving him of air was the start of Noctis’ answer to that, “We’ve had this conversation before as well. You. Are. A. PERSON. Prompto. For crying out loud, just because you are also classified as an experiment doesn’t make you LESS of a person. The whole point of said ‘experiment’ was to make a ‘PERSON’.”

Every emphasis was a chance for Prompto to breathe before Noctis smothered him again. He began spluttering out ‘okay’s and ‘I get it’s and after a few moments of Noctis leaning his full weight onto Prompto’s face via throw pillow, he relented. Noctis sat back and watched as Prompto drew in great breathes of air and rubbed his nose. The blonde turned to look at him with a pout on his face, “You don’t have to be so mean about it.”

Noctis’ eyes narrowed, “I’m not the one being mean about it. You are. Honestly, how can be so hard on yourself when you’re so perfect at everything?”

“I am not!” Prompto blushed again, the compliment warming him to his toes even as he tried to wave it off.

“You are too.” Noctis gave him an indulgent nod, “You said you hated anything remotely dangerous. But you taught me to ride a skateboard and drive a motorcycle. Both of which had my father freaking out until, oh wait, he found out, YOU were the one teaching me and riding beside me.”

“I...” Yeah, he didn’t have an answer to that, “That still confuses me to this day, you know that? Like, all I was, was cloned. I wasn’t given any special abilities or anything, wasn’t made better or different from the original. Granted, my ‘dad’ is super smart, but his coordination is nil. I doubt he could find his shoes in the morning without Dr. Izunia to point them out and keep him from falling over as he puts them on.”

Noctis chuckled, “Dude, that’s so true. I didn’t believe you until he came to graduation and literally tripped and fell every few minutes until Ardyn grabbed him by the arm and began hauling him about. Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask...” Prompto raised an eyebrow at him and he continued, “Dr. Izunia’s the one who helped figure out the cloning process right? Made it so you don’t degrade like the previous attempts?”

Prompto nodded, “Yeah, without his help, dad probably never would have figured it out. Why?”

Noctis bit his lip for a moment before blurting, “Does that make him your ‘dad’ too?”

Prompto blinked at him, his mouth hanging open but nothing forthcoming. He snapped it shut, looked off to the side, and got a wicked grin on his face before looking back at Noctis. “I don’t know, but probably. I’m gonna text him and ask.”

“Oh geez!” Noctis rubbed a hand over his face as Prompto quickly sent his message.

The response was prompt and had Prompto falling off the couch he was laughing so hard. : Yes. You can all me Papa, just don’t tell your Dad, he may have an aneurysm. : “Oh man,” Prompto snorted as he crawled back up onto the couch and handed his phone over to Noctis.

Noctis quickly read the text over and then closed his eyes, laughter bubbling up his throat. They both tried their best to hold it in, but when Noctis handed the phone back their eyes met, and it was all over. When they finally calmed down, Noctis brought them back to the original topic, “So, about this tune you’re obsessed with.”

Prompto flopped back along the couch cushions, “I dunno dude. Like I said, I’m not sure where I heard it.”

“I know, but, that’s my point.” Prompto looked at him like he was crazy. Noctis giggled and continued, “You know that song I wrote after I started dating Ignis?” Prompto nodded, “Well, I only started hearing the tune after I met him.”

Prompto sat up slowly, “Wait, what?”

Noctis blushed and ducked his head to look at his lap, his fingers fiddling with the promise ring on his pinky finger. “Um, yeah. I started hearing it after we were introduced when I joined Mr. Scientia’s class. Ignis was his original assistant.”

Prompto’s eyes narrowed, “Why’d he quit?”

Noctis shrugged, “Said it was too much pressure on his relationship with is dad if he had to be both father and employer. So, Ignis switched out with Aranea and works for Mrs. Amicitia now.”

“Oh. Wait, Amicitia? She’s the band instructor right?” Prompto asked.

Noctis grinned, “She is yeah, she’s also your hunk’s mother.”

Prompto’s eyes grew big as saucers and his mouth half-opened in shock, “Well, damn, no wonder he’s so hot. She is SUPER pretty.”

Noctis’ eyes fell closed as he chuckled at him. He leaned back into the couch and then turned his head back to look at Prompto, “Anyway, my point was that the next time you see Gladiolus... does the music get louder?”

“Louder?” Prompto squinted and tilted his head to the side, giving Noctis a lingering once over, “Noctis Lucis Caelum, did you ask Ignis out because you think he’s your soulmate and didn’t want Aranea to snatch him up?”