His demeanor has changed as of late. He is noticeably quieter, more distant. She does not pry, nor does she judge him; she merely waits for him to return to her side, smiling as he always had. Today she lingers near him, presenting him with a gift. Her voice is quiet, inviting but not pressuring: "I would like for you to have this. I thought of you when I saw it." In her hands was a velour chocobo plushie, with nondescript features. Simple, but she hoped still cute.
mind is in TURMOIL, a disheartening feeling in his chest that he can’t seem to quell, though gods above know he’s tried. a distinct reminder of his own LACK of ability, when compared to everyone around him, serves a greater reminder that he doesn’t BELONG here, that no matter how hard he might try, he’s a fraud. it’s something that’s been with him since childhood, a sharp understanding that he was never going to be anything more than a defector. the idea of GRANDIOSE lost on him.
altissia has made it worse; once, he might have been able to hide it, stand behind the others and keep the smile plastered on his face as they celebrated their TRIUMPHS, even though all he could see was his own mistakes, but here, it seemed harder and harder to hide. for all the kindness he’s been shown, he feels UNWORTHY of it, and it’s obvious in the way he AVOIDS the others.
but the oracle, her eyes are KEEN, they see what he hopes to hide: a distance he’s put between himself, a wall built up in the hopes that he might not bring the others down with him. and it’s how she finds him, sitting on a windowsill, looking out at the world that didn’t need him, with his knees to his chest.
her voice is always soft, as though meant only for prompto, and the air between them; he might not admit it, but it never fails to take his breath away, as he finds himself scrambling for a moment in her presence. at the back of his head, he wonders if he’ll ever kick the habit with her, as he did with noctis – to just be himself, rather than be FORMAL the way ignis, and all the others around here, hoped he’d be.
but his eyes catch the flash of yellow as it’s presented to him, the plush of what could be considered his favorite thing in the world. for a moment, he’s motionless, staring at it in her cupped hands with confusion – he doesn’t understand it, why her kindness is placed in someone like HIM. and even as he moves closer, shaking hands cupping hers to take the small toy from her, he feels a weight in his chest give in.
the tears sting as they brim his eyes, the plush pulled to his chest as he held it tight, clutched it, like a child with his favorite stuffed bear who fought the nightmares away. it wasn’t something special, nothing grand or overtly magnificent about it – it was a simple thing, something an ordinary eye would glance over without a passing thought. but she hadn’t. to luna, she had seen prompto in it, whether because of the obvious cowlicks in his hair, or something more, he didn’t question it; he simply held it, as tears stained his cheeks.
❝ sheesh – ❞ a soft, sheepish chuckle leaves him, as a palm quickly comes up to wipe the tears away, UNCERTAIN of what had brought them on in the first place. he might have been annoyed with himself, were it not for her presence, and his fear of her reaction were he to talk down about himself. so when prompto looked to her again, his eyes were glossy, but the smile on his face was soft and genuine.
❝ thank you, luna … i really, really love it. ❞
