Author's Note:

Just a little 'what if' that popped into my head after watching the Brotherhood anime again. Please let me know what you guys think and if you think I should continue with it.

Noctis Lucis Caelum, crown prince of the kingdom of Lucis, was bored.

And not just normal bored either... out of his mind bored to the point where he'd honestly rather be doing literally anything else. Training with Gladio for instance... being beaten to a pulp by his Shield in training was always a laugh riot. Or maybe one of those afternoons in his apartment with Ignis when his advisor insisted he learn at least the very basics of cooking. Hell... attending another of the endless series of state dinners his rank required him to attend. Anything. Anything at all would have been better than this.

That said, judging by the expressions on the faces of his fellow students around him he wasn't alone in feeling so; it was very obviously a sentiment shared by many in the small room. Numerous blank stares were directed at the video they watched in the darkened room from the majority of students in the class; the girl seated at the desk to his right – Millie, he thought her name was – had fallen asleep, slumped in her seat; head propped a little precariously on her hand. The entire class was the same, all in various stages of boredom with one very notable exception.

He'd seen him around of course, the tall blonde kid. He was a hard guy to ignore with his blonde good looks and larger than life personality; almost constantly surrounded by a group of fluttery girls and equally rowdy guys he didn't think he'd ever seen the guy alone. At least not since he'd appeared on their first day of high school, striding into their homeroom with confidence and the quick flash of a smile.

It had been quite the astonishing transformation of course, because he remembered seeing the kid around in their earlier school years. The memory now was faint, faded with time, but he had a vague recollection of a chubby kid holding a small camera and looking very much as if he wanted to fade right into the background.

Once upon a time quite shy and timid, the opposite seemed to be true now, and the tall, lean blonde was presently entertaining himself in the dull class with a low laughter-filled conversation with the girl sitting beside him. Judging by the sparkle in her dark eyes and the brilliant smile on her face she was enjoying the attention.

And why not; the blonde had grown into quite the attractive guy. Chubby arms and a round stomach had turned into lean limbs and a slender athletic build; even from here Noctis could see the wiry muscles in the guy's arms where he'd rolled his sleeves up as he leaned across the aisle to whisper something into the girl's ear. Whatever he'd said had her giggling madly, a flush rising up her neck to colour her cheeks.

"Mr Argentum!"

Obviously the guy's name, because the blonde turned his attention from the girl beside him to the teacher standing furiously at the head of the class.

"If you can't pay attention perhaps you'd prefer to visit the headmaster's office?"

The threat, one that might have quelled even the most determined troublemaker – their headmaster was some kind of tyrant – had the blonde, Argentum, scrambling to his feet. "Oh Six yes. Any excuse not to sit through any more of this shit."

Quiet laughter rustled through the room at the irreverent response and Noctis watched – stunned – as the other guy made his way through the classroom to the door, the teacher staring at him in equal amazement. After a moment the man recovered slightly and, just as the blonde reached the door, snapped at him with, "Detention, Argentum. See me after school."

The only acknowledgment he received was a lazy wave over his shoulder as the blonde disappeared through the door.

For a long moment the quiet laughter continued and soft murmurings filled the room until the teacher turned to face the rest of the class with a dark scowl. "Anyone else care to join him?"

Silence fell and however well liked the other guy was it was clear no one else was willing to risk detention with any further show of support or appreciation for his behaviour.

Eventually the teacher turned away, moving to take a seat once again at the head of the class and, brief excitement over, Noctis found himself falling back into the realm of the barely conscious.

It was impossible not to notice the flashy blonde after that. He was sure it was all in his head and probably due to the fact that he'd drawn so much attention to himself in class, but the guy seemed to be everywhere he went; always surrounded by others, always with a smile on his face and a flash in those clear blue eyes.

Still, obvious popularity aside, there was something about the guy that just... He didn't know what it was and didn't have any proof at all that might support his theory, but he seemed... lonely.

A ridiculous notion really; the guy had more friends than he would even know what to do with. He'd never even had one real friend before... at least no one outside of the Citadel who wasn't duty-bound to spend time with him, and it seemed that the blonde had more than his fair share. How a guy like that could possibly be lonely he had no idea.

Sure, back in the day he might have given the feeling greater credence. Back when the blonde had always been alone; always walking head down, eyes riveted on the small camera he carried with him everywhere he went. In some ways he could relate to that little boy. He'd felt them similar back then. Felt alone, left out, apart from everyone; he'd felt a connection to the lonely boy the young Argentum had obviously been.

Unlike himself however, the blonde had obviously done something to alter his situation.

He wondered what the trigger had been, what it was that had made the young man determined to change himself, and change he did; the tall, lean length of him proof enough of the work he'd put into it and people everywhere had responded. Instead of their eyes drifting past him as if he didn't exist people started to take notice and very quickly his ready smile and irreverent personality made him one of the most popular guys in their high school.

Recognising the feeling that was slowly easing its way through his stomach as jealousy, Noctis pushed it all once again to the back of his head, readjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder as he made his way down the hall to the school's front doors.

When he heard the blonde's voice again – Seriously! The guy was everywhere! – he refused to give in to the temptation to look over as he heard the now familiar voice rise over the chatter of students in the hall. He appeared to be regaling those standing with him – those students who were, like him, awaiting detention – with some story that had them all sniggering. His blonde hair, so well-styled before had now fallen out of its carefully crafted strands; now falling over his face and into his eyes where every so often he'd flick his head to move it, only to have it fall back again a moment later. Still, it didn't seem to be bothering the guy too much. In fact, he barely seemed to notice…

He felt a cold flush sweep through him when those blue eyes shifted ever so slightly to meet his own, and Noctis' eyes darted quickly away, feeling his cheeks colour a little in embarrassment at being caught looking at him.

As he hurried down the hall and pushed his way through the front doors of the school, the small group's laughter followed him out.

"How was your day?"

The words greeted him as he entered his apartment and his blue eyes lifted to find Ignis in the kitchen preparing dinner, the other guy watching him steadily as he moved wearily through the apartment to flop on the couch.

"Don't wanna talk about it."

Ignis just nodded, pausing in his prep to study him a moment before returning his attention to the food. "Tomorrow will be better. A new day."

He snorted his response to that. Tomorrow would be exactly the same as today, which had been exactly like each and every single day of his schooling to date. He still didn't know why he bothered going to school; Ignis had suggested on more than one occasion that he could always have a tutor called in but he'd disliked the idea of not being able to escape the confines of the Citadel. Now, living outside it in his own apartment, and especially after his day today the idea was definitely becoming more appealing.

Still, refusing to go back to the school, regardless of his reasons felt like giving in. And from what he remembered of his earlier years when he'd been recuperating from the attack that had almost taken his life, private tutors weren't anything special.

Besides... it was a hell of a lot easier to not pay attention if he wasn't the only student in the class.

"What're you making?"

Ignis didn't react to the question and for a moment Noctis wondered if he'd heard him when the guy kept working steadily away on the meal. It was when he'd opened him mouth to repeat the question when Ignis finally responded with, "It's a surprise."

Which of course was Ignis-speak for 'something with vegetables'; because of course there were vegetables. Ignis was always trying to get him to eat healthier. He had a feeling that it was this fact alone that kept him coming back to make him dinner three times a week when he could have been using the time to do one of the many things that kept his advisor busy.

Sighing quietly to himself, Noctis settled down further into the soft folds of the couch and let himself drift off to sleep.