Doubt, sudden and unexpected, overshadowed Prompto's determination, and he slowed his stride. Prince Noctis hadn't seen him yet. He could still turn back, abort this attempt and try again another day.

Inwardly sighing, Prompto halted altogether, watching Noctis continue on down the hall.

Why was this still so hard?

After all his preparation, he hadn't considered this anxiety would still plague him. He'd lost weight, gotten in shape, started interacting with his classmates more so that he wasn't quite so socially stunted, but it still didn't feel like enough.

He nearly turned away, but then he heard the whispers of the other high schoolers in the hallway. They giggled and buzzed with excitement over the celebrity in their midst. So many eyes were fixed on the prince, but no one approached him.

Just like every other time Prompto had seen Noctis, the Prince walked alone, his expression a mixture of weariness and boredom.

Resolve returning, Prompto quickly set himself into action. Noctis needed a friend, and if no one else was going to step forward, well then…

Sprinting up to the prince, Prompto gave him a swift slap on the back. Using his most chipper tone, he called out, "Hey there, Prince Noctis."

"Huh?" Noctis uttered with a wide-eyed look of surprise.

"My name's Prompto. It's nice to meet you!"

There was a moment of silence as the Prince studied him.

Holding his grin in place, trying desperately not to fidget under that royal gaze, Prompto's mind began to race. He'd messed up–he was sure of it. Everything he said was wrong, and he should not have slapped Noctis on the back. This was all a mistake. He shouldn't have…

"Don't I know you?" Noctis asked, his voice soft, friendly.

Why yes. You've probably seen me lurking and watching you for over a year now as I tried to gain enough courage to start a conversation. Also, I used to be fat.

Nope. Prompto certainly wasn't going with that explanation. Was there any way to make it sound a lot less creepy and desperate? Probably not.

Unsure of how to respond, Prompto gave a tense laugh and started moving slowly down the hall in the direction Noctis had been heading. Without hesitation, the Prince gave a low chuckle and followed.

Tension still filled Prompto though–until he felt that sharp, friendly slap on his own back. Looking over his shoulder, he found Noctis grinning back at him, and suddenly everything felt alright.

His first day of high school–Noctis had been dreading this day. He'd feigned sickness at first, much to Ignis' annoyance, but, with no real ailment, that ploy could only last so long.

School in general wasn't that bad. The lessons were easier than the ones Ignis set him through at home, and the physical education was a laugh compared to Gladio's training sessions.

School days did, however, hold a certain crushing boredom and loneliness. He'd never admit it, but Noctis found himself missing the company of both Ignis and Gladio when he was at school. Though they often frustrated him to no end, they still understood him. He could be himself around them. He was more than just Prince Noctis to them. He was a person.

To the general public though, that was not the case. Here, he was a symbol, a position, a being held to a different standard.

He'd known the transition to the high school would be difficult.

There were so many new faces, so many more people to openly stare at him as he made his way from class to class. He's learned, long ago, to ignore the gazes, but that didn't mean they didn't bother him still.

Eventually, a few would gain the courage to talk to him, but, predictably, they would ask about the Citadel or his lavish lifestyle. He would be as cordial as possible, listening and responding, but, at the first chance he got, he'd excuse himself. They never cared about meeting him. They only cared about meeting a prince.

Given enough time, if he let them get close to him, if he befriended them, they would start asking more and more of him. A few times, he'd let a classmate get close enough to be considered a friend. False though they were, Noctis had been starved for friendship. He let them enjoy the perks of his lifestyle, gain prestige for their family names, attend lavish functions, but, in the end, when he could no longer look past their intentions, their deceitful friendship only deepened his loneliness.

That flicker of hope at finding companionship was slowly dying. He was sure no one would see him as anything more than a symbol, than a prince.

Until…

The slap on the back and exuberant greeting had been a jolting surprise. Few dared talk with Noctis let alone touch him. At least the cheerful greeting following the contact put the prince at ease.

Noctis turned, finding a lanky blond boy with a beaming grin staring back at him.

"My name's Prompto. It's nice to meet you!" The boy exclaimed, his smile never faltering.

For a moment, the Prince studied the newcomer carefully, his memories drifting back to the chubby youth who'd tried to befriend him over a year ago. It was hard to believe this was the same person, but Noctis was sure it was.

After that first encounter, the plump boy had obviously started avoiding Noctis. There were several times the Prince had seen the boy slinking away after school, his shoulders hunched, his pudgy hands clutching his tiny camera close to his chest.

It had all been rather odd, and a tad interesting, but, with his busy schedule, Noctis hadn't given the boy much thought, until now.

"Don't I know you?" He asked, surprised to see the blond flinch ever so slightly at the question.

Prompto gave a nervous laugh and took a few strides forward, away from Noctis, but the pace was slow, inviting, and the Prince fell in step beside him.

It was quite clear the blond didn't want to talk about their previous encounters, or that fact that he had made an incredible transformation from plump to lean. That was fine. Noctis could respect that wish, but he could see the tension still hanging around the other boy, and, for some reason, he felt the need to do something about it.

Before he realized what he was doing, Noctis reached out and gave Prompto a quick slap on the back. The blond turned and fixed his eyes on the Prince. Finding Noctis smiling back at him, Prompto's face lit up with the most magnificent, sincere smile.

As they continued down the hall, heading for their next classes, Prompto started to rattle off his class schedule, speckling the list with humorous commentary about each subject that he was going to be forced to endure. It seemed he was not a fan of math, or literature, or history. Truthfully, it sounded as if weren't really a fan of school in general.

They compared their classes and found they had several together. Though they had to separate for their next class, Prompto was quick to point out a place they could meet in the hall afterwards.

For Noctis, the day became a blur of teachers, textbooks, and Prompto.

In one of the classes they had together, Prompto and Noctis exchanged looks of dismay as the monotone history professor prattled on in a never ending lecture. The Prince had to stifle his laughter as Prompto, on several occasions during the class, did an impression of the sour-faced man so bleakly and dully explaining the history of the Lucian Kingdom to them.

During their breaks, Prompto and Noctis animatedly discussed video games and comic books.

Somehow, Prompto got Noctis to start talking about fishing, and how he'd always wanted to travel the country, trying out all the different fishing holes.

Prompto, in turn, told Noctis about his photography and how there was something so thrilling about capturing the most rare, beautiful moments in life. Also, the guy had one heck of an obsession with Chocobos. He prattled on about Chocobos for most of their lunch period. The funny thing was that Noctis didn't find it boring at all. Yeah, it was odd, but Prompto's infectious exuberance and awkward child-like wonder made his ramblings rather enduring.

Talking with Prompto was so easy. No expectations were held over Noctis' head. He could bring up whatever came to him and the blond would wholeheartedly sink into the conversation. Also, Prompto didn't seem to be guarded with his words. He spoke so freely and animatedly. It was a refreshing change of pace for Noctis.

And suddenly, the day was over.

On the school's front steps, Prompto offered a quick goodbye, explaining that he had to hurry home, but promising he'd meet Noctis outside the school in the morning. Though Ignis had yet to pull up, Noctis tried to offer the blond a ride, but Prompto insisted the jog home would be good for him, and, with one last flash of a lopsided grin, he sprinted off.

A few minutes later, Iggy pulled up.

"How was your first day of high school?" Ignis asked as Noctis slid into the backseat.

"Fine," Noct replied as he buckled his seatbelt, but then, thinking the matter over further, he corrected himself. "It was really good."

Ignis used the rearview mirror to gaze back at Noct. Raising a brow, voice vibrating with a touch of doubt, he asked, "Really? I apologize, but you had so been dreading this day only just this morning. I'm surprised it went so well after your earlier trepidation."

"I made a friend," Noct answered quietly. He kept his gaze on the school as Ignis pulled the car away.

"I see." Ignis' tone was laced with worry and disapproval. "That was rather fast. I hate to be so blunt, but you do not typically make friends very easily."

Noctis couldn't argue with that. It was the truth, but suddenly, he felt something new, something strange stirring inside him. He'd made mistakes with other false friendships in the past, ones that ended up hurting him in the long run, and he knew Ignis and Gladio were rather protective of him now, but Prompto was different. Of course, it would take a lot of convincing for Ignis and Gladio to see that, and a small part of Noctis feared the two might scare his new friend away.

With this new worry settling over him, Noctis remained fairly silent for the rest of the ride to the Citadel.

The silent ride would have been uncomfortable, if it had not been their accustomed way of transportation. Ignis had not yet mastered the art of getting the younger man to fully engage in conversation, and he had, perhaps, pushed the topic a little too far. Friendships were a sore subject with the young prince.

Still, it was not unreasonable for Ignis to be concerned. Past instances of companionship for Noctis had not ended well. One, unbeknownst to the prince, had ended in a kidnapping attempt. Attempt was the key word. If not for Gladio's vigilance, it would have been successful.

Ignis had wanted to present the full truth of the fraudulent friendship to Noctis, but King Regis asked that they spare his son that added heartache. After all, he already lost what he though was a friend. That grief alone was enough.

Any classmate who started to get close with the prince after that incident was heavily vetted, scrutinized and, sometimes, put under surveillance.

The precautions, in Ignis' option, were well worth the prince's safety though. So, he found it incredible frustrating that the prince was currently not being forthcoming with the name of his new friend.

Ignis had tried to break the silence of their ride on three separate occasions. He'd directly inquired about this high school peer of Noctis', but the prince merely replied vaguely that the boy was 'nice' or that he was 'odd' or that he 'really like Chocobos.' There was no information of value.

Finally, as they pulled up to the Citadel, Ignis let out a low sigh. "Noctis, just tell me his name."

They both knew the extensive research Ignis had ahead of him. School records, family history, medical reports–all of it would be within his reach within the next few hours. He just needed a name.

Door open, one foot on solid ground, Noctis looked up at Ignis. A jumble of worry and anger clouded the young man's expression.

"Prompto Argentum."

Noctis slipped quickly out of the car and made his way up the Citadel steps. An air of defeat hung about the young prince, and Ignis felt a stab of guilt, but that would not halt him from his duty.

Soon, he would know everything he could about Prompto Argentum.

Gladio made his way to the study, feeling quite confident that was where he'd find Ignis.

During his training with the prince, Noct had reluctantly admitted that he'd made a friend at school, and though the news probably should have been good, Gladio only felt a protective stab of duty. Immediately after sharing this new information, Noctis had become quiet and sullen.

As soon as their training had ended, Gladio knew he needed to track down Ignis and see what information he'd managed to find on this Prompto character.

Just as he predicted, he found Ignis reviewing various files in the large study.

"Anything I should know?" Gladio asked.

Ignis held up a finger, his eyes darting over the report in front of him. When he had finished reading, his gaze flickered over to Gladio.

"He was adopted as an infant, no information on his birth parents. His adoptive parents travel a lot on business…" Ignis paused, a faint frown pulling at his mouth. "…that could mean they have ties to unsavory characters outside of the city."

"It could," Gladio agreed. "We'll have to reach out and get some more information on their travel arrangements."

"Other than that, the boy has average grades, he's been involved in several after school clubs, both the photography club and video game club, and he has a paper route. His medical record is clean, and there really isn't anything else noteworthy in his files."

"Nothing noteworthy," Gladio muttered, "is exactly the kind of kid I'd pick if I wanted to try and get close to the prince. This could be another kidnapping ploy."

"Or," Ignis replied, "The prince could have made an actual friend."

They were silent a moment, mulling over that thought, and, for as much as Gladio hoped that was the case, they simply couldn't let their guards down. He refused to fail in protecting his prince.

"I'll reach out to my contacts outside of the city and see if I can get some eyes on Prompto's parents." He turned away, knowing Ignis would remain in the study for at least a few more hours as he reviewed all the paperwork once again. The man wouldn't rest until he was sure he'd gleaned all he could from the files. "Let me know if you find anything else of importance, and, I'll speak with Noctis about the…" he paused, searching for the right wording, "…rules of this new friendship. I don't want him hanging out with this kid outside of school unless either you or I are present."

"You'll have no argument from me, but Noctis…"

"I know," Gladio replied, cutting Ignis off. "He'll be livid about the whole situation, but the kid really doesn't get a say in the matter. Not on this."

"He'll get over it," Ignis offered, "with time."

Gladio gave a huffed reply and exited the room. He could handle the prince being mad at him. What he couldn't handle was the prince being kidnapped…or dead.