Noctis/Prompto; 919w, GâProm.â Noctis was annoyed. For once, he wasactually trying to do what Ignis always seemed to bother him aboutdoing, and read through some papers heâd been given, somethingimportant and political and in aid to further his knowledge andunderstanding, as Ignis had informed him. And yet, for the past tenminutes, all of the words on the pages had fuzzed into anincomprehensible blur of black ink, meaningless, in the face ofPrompto, and how utterly distracting he could be.To be fair,it wasnât actually Promptoâs fault this time, although Noctis wasnâtprone to being fair just then. When told that Noctis had someimportant stuff to look over before they could relax and play videogames, Prompto had said âokey dokeyâ - and who even said okeydokey like that, as if it wasnormal, Noct wondered â and busied himself looking through photoson his camera. Heâd left Noctis to get done what he needed to do, andyet Noctis found the reports in front of him the last thing he couldactually focus on.Not when Prompto was there, sittingcomfortable on Noctâs couch as if he belonged there â he did,Noctis thought â and the setting sun was pouring through his windowat just the right angle to flow over Prompto and set his hair ablazewith warmth and light. Noctis found himself vaguely wishing he had acamera, because Prompto, in this moment, was an image heâd like tocapture and keep, look over and over whenever the mood took him. Itmight seem unusual, to some people who knew Prompto, to see him soquiet and still; he usually gave off this air of never ending chatterand energy and pure joy. But, Prompto was his best friend, and Noctishad spent enough time with him over the years, to see the quieter,thoughtful side to his friend too. Sometimes, it felt as if this sideof Prompto was Noctâs and Noctâs alone to see and witness, andsomething about that thought made his heart swell.And thatwas exactly why he found himself not reading the boring politicalreport, and instead his mind wandering and waxing lyrical over hisbest friend. A much more interesting subject, Noctis had to admit tohimself. But, he was really trying here, and Promptoâs quiet,gorgeous presence wasnât helping.âHuh? Whatâs up, man?âPrompto asked, raising his head to look over at Noctis. Dammit, buthe couldnât let his thoughts wander in that direction, and especiallynot now. âYouâre distracting me.âPromptoâsexpression turned into one of confusion, before looking a littleoffended. âHey, Iâm just sitting here quietly, minding my ownbusiness.ââYeah, and thatâs distracting me.ââTheonly thing distracting you is yourself. Just sit there and read it,then we can hang out.âNoctis offered Prompto a semi-glare,before sighing, because he knew Prompto was right, really. It wasnâtas if it was Promptoâs fault that Noctis found his own thoughtsflowing so easily towards his friend. Squaring his shouldersand hunching closer over the papers, as if that would help, Noctistried to get his mind back on what it was he had to read. But momentslater a soft chuckle, quickly smothered, pulled his attention awayagain.âPrompto,â he groaned, only to look over and seePrompto trying to stifle his laughter.âSorry, Iâm sorry, Iswear!â Prompto pleaded, looking over at Noctis, his eyes wide andfull of amusement.âWhat is it?âPrompto looked asif he didnât want to say, but he quickly grumbled under the weight ofNoctisâ grumpy glare, a powerful tool the prince enjoyed wielding.âFine,â Prompto mumbled, looking abashed. âItâsjustâŠme and Gladio had a bet, on how long before youâd give uptrying to read those papers.âNoctis felt vaguely annoyed athis friendâs betting over this. But alsoâŠâWhoâswinning?âFuck it, he thought, he was curious.âMe,âPrompto said, a little proudly. âGladio said you wouldnât last fiveminutes. I said twenty, and youâve been at it for fifteen now. Ohman, I think Iâll treat myself to a nice meal with Gladioâs money.âHis gaze wandered away, along with his thoughts, it seemed, asPrompto contemplated what tasty dishes he could buy for himself andeat. âHope heâs paying enough for two, then.âPromptoâseyes quickly focused back on Noctisâ face, confused.âWhat?ââY'know, for the both of us,â Noctis said,leaning back a little, allowing himself a small smile. âYou guyswere betting on me, and youâre the one distracting me, afterall.ââButâŠââI have to finish reading this.âNoctis ducked his head back over the papers spread before him, butnot before letting himself enjoy the sight of Promptoâs sweetlyconfused face. âBut I didnât do anything to distract you,âNoctis heard Prompto mumble to himself, and had to hide a small smilebehind his hand. There was no way Noctis was going to letPrompto know that just his mere presence was a terrible distractionto him. The havoc Prompto could wreak, knowing this power he suddenlyseemed to hold over Noctis. No, this was a secret best kept tohimself. Still, he couldnât help but allow himself a few small,sneaky glances towards his friend, once again preoccupied with hiscamera. Instead of reading through the reports and notes fora council meeting Noctis had missed, he spent his time instead,thinking about where he and Prompto could go to dinner.
