A/N: This one-shot is inspired by the song I Won't Say I'm in Love from the Disney movie Hercules. I was feeling nostalgic and decided to reminisce and watch the movies I have seen when I was child. I don't know why this wild idea suddenly popped into my head out of nowhere. xD You could listen to the song while reading this, I guess. [Just a suggestion. xD ^_^]

And I've twisted the roles of the lead characters from the actual story. Here, Prompto is Stella's half-brother. I'm sure everyone's aware that his complete name is Prompto Argentum, so that's why I made him Stella's half-brother instead of giving him the role of full-blooded brother. Otherwise, he would inherit the throne; not Stella. I don't know. I wanted to make them relatives for a change. I've had the former idea for 'Pretenses,' but decided against it.

Anyways, I hope you like this...

Disclaimers: The Final Fantasy XV characters aren't mine. Noctis, Stella/Luna, Prompto etc all belong to Square-Enix.

I Won't Say I'm in Love

After all the trials and challenges that she had been through in her young life, she had come to terms with the fact that she had learned from each experience that left memorable imprints in her being. She had experienced the joys of having special friends, endured the hardships pressed upon by grief when her mother passed away, suffered because of the war, had felt elation when the battles had ceased and every nation called for peace, basked in the bliss of first love, and crumpled in despair when that love had been dashed to nothing but mere unrecognizable pieces of what could have been.

The lesson about love was the worst of the lessons in life that she had to learn. All those ridiculous ideas of 'first love never dies' was nothing but a sorry excuse for the hopeless romantic—in her opinion anyway. She wasn't one to make prejudiced comments, but she figured she had earned the right to say such things; she had experienced it first hand after all. She had been a naive teenager—a sixteen-year old when it had happened.

Just like any other teen who was hopelessly in love, she had rushed mindlessly into the relationship. The bastard's courtship had only lasted for a week before she had shared her first kiss with him. He was the type of man who was absolutely charming, had an easy smile, and almost every lady would stop just to stare at the powerful aura that he exuded. He had a build that was considered just right, naturally tanned skin, and a well-sculpted body and facial features.

She had felt so elated when she had realized that he had a special affection for her. Her brother had rolled his eyes when she gushed about him endlessly. Yes, she had been truly, madly, deeply in love with the man that had snared her heart so completely. But fate had been cruel, and she soon found herself sitting alone in her bed, shrouded in darkness as she cried her sorrow out. Her heart had been crushed, and yes, she had to agree that the pain of being abandoned by a first love was indeed close to unbearable.

That particular incident in her life had changed a little of her outlook for the better. She had been more careful since that incident. After her grief had abated, she returned to her normal self; friendly and sensible. Other women might have shied away from men forever after that kind of heartache, but she didn't. She had no trouble associating with the opposite sex, but as mentioned before, she had been warier of their motives and their interaction towards her.

She hadn't been in another relationship after that, not because she was worried about another heartache—that was part of it, but the real reason was because she didn't have the time. Rumors of war had risen when she was eighteen, and threats of an open revolt and the forming of a resistance had occupied her thoughts and most of her time during those very days.

The thirteenth world peace conference held within the walls of Lucis had sparked the start of Niflheim's rebellion and the war. The momentous event was usually held in the span of an entire week. Stately visits were made out of necessity, so she and her brother had arrived within the walls of the crown city of Insomnia a day early so they could properly prepare for the conference and have themselves settled in. A stately dinner was held in honor of the aristocratic guests that had arrived. Associating with the other guests hadn't been a problem for her. She even had the chance to speak with one of the hosts—Lucis' Crown Prince, Noctis Lucis Caelum.

The peace accord had fallen apart during the signing ceremony held in the last day of the week-long celebration. War had broken out with Niflheim in the lead. It was during the time of world war that she had learned of her brother's association with the Lucian Prince. The very thought wouldn't have bothered her in the slightest if Prince Noctis had been one of their allies, but he wasn't.

Her brother had told her that he would never fight against the Prince because he was his friend. Prompto was not exactly her full-blooded brother. Before she was born, her father had succumbed to a temptation that had cost him his reputation. He had lain with a woman—as her mother had told her—who was from another kingdom and the King of Tenebrae only realized his mistake when the woman had given birth and presented to him his son outside of the matrimonial union with his queen. Circumstance had arose among the people. They had been ashamed that the king had a bastard son and even had the gall to call him a Prince. But it was against the law to have a bastard inherit the throne, so when her mother had given birth to her, she had automatically been declared as the Crown Princess of Tenebrae.

The people considered him a rival to the throne that she would inherit, and though no one had dared to speak the masses' opinion aloud, she and her father knew that the bastard Prince was considered a threat. When she had come of an understanding age, she had worried about that too, but Prompto was not who the people had thought him to be. He was her protective older brother who stood up for her whenever some noble lord's son would have the balls to cause her distress and trouble. In turn, she had been swift to tell on anyone who even dared to insinuate that he wasn't a rightful Prince in the Fleuret household. When she had asked him what he thought about the future that was before them, he had smiled at her and said:

"You would make a great queen to rule over Tenebrae. Besides, I hate responsibility. If I were king, I would just make a mess. I'm not cut out for it, Stell, but I know you are. I'll always be there to support you and offer you my rare help..."

So of course, it had broken her heart when Prompto had intentionally confessed his allegiance to their father. It was treachery. She knew her father loved his son, but the king had no other choice. To be ruler meant being a righteous judge. As a result, her brother had been exiled and he had been considered a fugitive.

It had been a hard blow. Even more so when she had confronted Prince Noctis in the battlefield. Her brother had been with the Lucian Prince, and it had sparked her anger. She blamed the Prince; accusing him of stealing her brother's loyalty. Their fight had been an uncertain one. In the end, Prince Noctis had spared her life.

Being so close to him as his blood red eyes slowly shifted to a bright blazing blue, she soon found herself falling once again into a strange void of senseless thoughts and illogical emotions.

When the war had ended, she had seen more and more of the Prince through the course of many state visits and conferences. Her brother had been welcomed back home by her father, but Prompto had graciously declined the kind offer. He was going to stay in the service of his new lord and liege.

The increase of having the chances to engage the noble Prince in a conversation had been rampant, and the more she had gotten to know him and observe him up close, the more she felt as if she was being thrown back into the past; into the body of that sixteen-year old Princess who had given her heart so willingly and recklessly.

She felt even warier when the Prince had revealed himself to be dreadfully charming, and she had found herself looking at him longer than what would be considered polite. She had soon realized that she wasn't just looking; she was staring. He had gorgeous eyes whose irises changed colors along with the rise and fall of his emotions. He had a handsome face, and an enthralling smile. His complexion was impossibly fair. He had a build that was just right. His manners were that of a noble upbringing. He had a sharp wit and keen intuition—she had learned from their conversations. He exuded an air of power and dominance—the trait of a future king, and the quality that she found to be the most striking of all: the aura of dark seduction that constantly surrounded him.

Prince Noctis bore the slight resemblance to the image of the man who had broken her young and fragile heart four years ago. Of course, they both had differences. Their manner of dress and choice of clothes, for one.

She thought her heart had learned its valuable lesson. She had been wary of men and their motives since that incident, but it was only then did she come to the realization that she had been most wary of those types of men who had strong and overwhelming personalities all along. The very types of men who would be considered legible husbands for a soon-to-be reigning queen like her.

Prince Noctis himself had made it worse when she noticed that he wasn't even bothering to hide the fact that he was shamelessly flirting with her in a way that would be unnoticeable to others, but would be perfectly clear to her. So yes, he had implied that he fancied her.

Fortune had been cruel to allow a tragic experience in her teenaged life to affect the decisions and choices that she would have to make in the future years to come.

The idea of being in love. She had not entertained that thought until now. The idea was inconceivable; absolutely absurd. She really had no idea why her ever sensible mind even took it into consideration. She wouldn't even have acknowledged the thought if it hadn't been insinuated by her ever subtle brother.

"You've got it bad for Noct, Sis. Just admit it."

"I haven't 'got it bad' for anybody."

Prompto had rolled his eyes. "Sure you don't. Just so you know, you two flirt worse than bunnies in heat."

"I did not need to hear that!" She had protested at the outrageous comment.

Yes, if there was a prize for rotten judgment, she knew she would have already won that. No man was worth the aggravation. Her complicated feelings for Noctis wasn't worth bothering in the slightest. In the first place, she shouldn't even be thinking of such things. She had to help her father run the kingdom.

After all, she had been in the same situation before. She had been there. She had done that. She had kissed a boy and dated him, and she got nothing but heartache in return.

These contemplative thoughts and imaginings were what assaulted her in her enchanting summer night. If she had known that her brother was talking about spending it with his friends, she should have declined the offer, but Prompto had been sneaky and he managed to get her to agree. So that was how Stella found herself in this situation right now. She should have known outright that all of this was her brother's ploy into getting her to realize her 'nonexistent' feelings for the Crown Prince of Lucis. Prompto—ever the matchmaker.

'Get a grip, Stella.' She reminded herself yet again as she lowered herself into the refreshingly cool swimming pool waters for a night swim.

The moon was not out tonight, and nothing lit up the night sky but the glittering stars dusted across the ever expansive darkness. She closed her eyes as she remained in slightly submerged in the water, her back pressed against the walls of the swimming pool. She could hear footsteps behind her, and didn't really pay attention; didn't really care if somebody else from the resort decided they wanted a night swim too. It wasn't her private pool, so she shouldn't complain.

She heard the tell-tale splash that signaled another body's presence in the pool, but she didn't open her eyes. Whoever that was, there was plenty of space, so she should get a moment's peace sooner than later.

Her eyes flew open in shock when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her bare waist and nudge her away from the safety of the pool's edge. Unfortunately, only one person came to mind. Only he had the guts to invade her personal space like that because she knew that he knew that her resolve was slipping. She had slipped once, and she vowed to never let it happen again.

"Noctis!" She shrieked out loud and suppressed a shudder of pleasure when she felt his lips skim across her bare back, starting from the dip of her lower back as he worked his way up to her nape.

Even in water, his touch was so palpable to her that she recognized it immediately. A faint blush rose on her pale cheeks at that realization. It just couldn't be. She angled her head slightly and she could see a head of midnight black spiky hair rise out of the water as he trailed hot open-mouthed kisses on her bare skin. Now she regretted wearing a bikini for her night swim. Perhaps a one-piece bathing suit would have been more of a shield against Noctis' dangerously enthralling touch.

"Stop it." She hissed through gritted teeth as she tried to wrestle herself out of his grip.

"Your brother was right. You do have it bad." He whispered huskily into her ear as his hands glided over her sides, most likely savoring the feel of all that bare flesh.

"I'll scream if you don't stop." She threatened, steeling herself from caving in at the heat of each kiss laid on her skin.

To her relief, Noctis reluctantly released her from his hold. The warmth left immediately to be replaced with the refreshing coolness of the water. She was grateful for it. It would serve to quell her suddenly rising body heat. Maybe taking a night swim wasn't a very good idea after all.

"What are you doing here exactly?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow, making sure to keep a considerable distance from him.

A smirk adorned his lips as he floated. "Having a swim."

Her eyes narrowed. "And why?"

He blinked at her; having the nerve to claim innocence. "Oh I'm sorry." He snickered. "I hadn't realized the swimming pool was off limits to men during the night hours."

She turned her back on him, huffing as she miserably tried to hide the fierce blush that colored her cheeks once again.

"Stella, why won't you be with me?" He asked, his tone sincere.

She sighed, still refusing to look at him for fear of coming undone. "I can't."

She did not see the frown that marred his features at that. "No. You won't. There's a difference."

She could feel him coming closer and she stiffened uncontrollably when his arms slid around her waist again and she could feel her back pressing against a firm chest.

"What are you so afraid of? Stop lying to yourself." He mumbled into the skin of her shoulder, his voice soft and pleading. "I know you love me too."

He punctuated his statement with a nip on her earlobe, slowly taking the tender flesh between his teeth. He was close; she could feel him draped all over her back. She shuddered pleasantly and didn't even bother to suppress the small moan that elicited from her lips.

"You can't even lie to yourself." Noctis purred in her ear, slowly lapping his tongue across the skin of her neck. "How do you expect to lie to me?" He whispered, his hands stroking her abdomen.

"Noctis..." She sighed his name.

"Just say it." He murmured, pressing the issue.

"It's too cliched." She protested even as he turned her body towards him so her forehead was resting against his. "I won't say it." She insisted.

"Because you're too afraid and saying it would be acknowledging it." He nuzzled his nose with hers as his lips brushed against hers with every word he spoke.

"No chance." She murmured against his lips. "No way."

He kissed her then, prying her mouth open with his lips as his tongue entered the hot and wet cavern of that delicious mouth. She groaned against his insistent tongue that brushed against hers as this kiss deepened. Her arms subconsciously wound around his neck, her hands tangling into the deep recesses of his wet mass of black spiky hair, pulling him closer. She could feel the smirk that crossed his lips as her own body molded itself into the shape of his; fitting every dip and curve like jigsaw pieces.

He pulled away after a few seconds, his forehead still against hers as they both caught their breaths, mouths slightly open. Her lips were only half an inch away from his and she relished each hot breath that fell on her famished mouth.

"At least, out loud, I won't say I'm in love."

She didn't protest when he kissed her again.

A/N: Reviews are very appreciated. xD Thank you for reading! :)