Broke 12k words on the next Borrower!AU part last night so here’s a little teaser of some good good Prom and Noct tenderness from the next chapter;v;
Noctis blinked sharply, seemingly snapping back into himself. Though he still seemed to shy away from meeting his eye.
“Prom-” he licked his lips nervously- “you sure you’re ok?”
Prompto leant back, not expecting the question at all. He had kind of thought they had covered all that already. But when he looked a little closer, noting the tense lines of his brow, the dense shadows beneath his sleepy eyes, the pallid tint to his skin, he felt a swell of sadness ripple throughout his chest.
Noctis didn’t exactly look convinced. Prompto frowned, shuffling gingerly around (his butt had sort of started to go to sleep after so long sat on the hard wood) until he could fumble his way to his feet. Silently, he gestured for him to come closer.
Noctis’ eyebrows rose slightly, before he was carefully lifting a hand towards him, slow and wary, like they were both back in the apartment with a bomb ticking away beside them. But they weren’t, and unlike then, Prompto didn’t feel even a hint of fear as his friend drew nearer. Noctis hesitated, his hand freezing mere centimetres away. Prompto smiled softly, closing the last of the distance to lay his hand on one of his friend’s giant knuckles.
Noctis smiled gently, a deep warmth in his eyes, before his gaze fell away, expression falling into something deeply troubled once again. Prompto tilted his head, trying to catch his eye again.
“I-” Noctis stopped, swallowed tightly, still not meeting his eye, his voice barely above a murmur- “I’m sorry, Prom I- I broke my promise, I told Ignis and Gladio about you, I just- I didn’t know what else to do, you were so sick and I-”
“-I understand if you can’t forgive me for it, especially after you literally woke up on top of Ignis, shit I wouldn’t either-
Noctis jumped, startled eyes finally returning to his.
“Ignis explained everything to me, and- it’s alright-” he scratched idly through his hair, now dry from his earlier bath and extraordinarily fluffy- “uh, don’t get me wrong dude, I was super scared when I woke up and realised where I was, and like, well, obviously I knew it must have been you that had given me up to him, but when Ignis told me what had happened and- how bad things had been, I couldn’t be mad at you about it-”
Prompto hesitated, wetting his lips.
“-I’m pretty sure you saved my life…”
Noctis’ eyes widened, only a little, and only for a moment, but it was hard not to notice on a face so big. His lips parted for a moment, like he was about to say something, but seemed to think better of it and instead shifted on the balls of his feet, pulling his hand slowly out from under his, moving it instead to cup slowly around him. Questioningly. Letting him decide whether to pull back or not. Prompto watched him curiously, not nervous in the slightest, though a little bemused as to what he was up to.
He blinked, a small, confused noise leaving his lips as the giant fingers curled delicately around him, warmth blanketing his side and back. It was so, so close to the memory of an embrace. Prompto felt his lips part, a sharp breath all but crushed from his lungs. This was…
Noctis scooped his hand forward, taking his legs out from under him in one clean sweep, sending him tumbling backwards with a choked squeal to sprawl across the human’s palm. The large fingers twitched upwards immediately, ensuring he didn’t roll right off in all his confused squirming. After a moment, realising he wasn’t actually in danger of falling any further, he stilled and shot a glare up at his now snickering friend.
“Dude,” he groaned, smacking lightly at the nearest digit, “not funny.”
Noctis gave a lopsided grin, a teasing glimmer in his eye. “It’s kinda funny.”
Prompto glowered up at his dumb face, fully aware the pout on his lips reduced his already abysmal intimidation factor probably down to the negatives. “Once upon a time you promised me you’d never so much as touch me without my permission,” he muttered. Noctis’ grin didn’t dim in the slightest, in fact, it only grew more shit-eating.
“Do you want me to put you down?”
Prompto considered how uncomfortable the windowsill had grown, his muscles still half asleep and aching with the memory, considered how warm Noct’s hand was pressed against him, soft yet stable. How tired he had already grown once more, the spacey feeling in his brain promising another pounding headache if he didn’t take another nap soon.
“No,” he grumbled, slumping as the indignation bled from him.
