Five Years Later

As the morning sun rose over Cape Caem, the light poured through the window of the modest house on the cliff and onto the slumbering forms curled up together in their bed.

The warm light gently roused Prompto from his sleep, he yawned quietly and snuggled into the warmth of the arms around him. Noctis remained asleep, breathing softly, unbothered by the light of the rising sun, allowing Prompto a moment to look at him with a tiny, undeniably fond smile on his face.

Over the years Prompto had slowly stopped waking up expecting Ardyn to be there, stopped thinking his time with Noct and the others was nothing but a dream, and started believing it was real. He didn't pull away from Noctis anymore, didn't feel the need to immediately go read Ardyn's letter every morning either, he knew where he was, and he knew it was where he was meant to be. There were of course still times he woke from nightmares and fully expected Ardyn to be there, like he never left- but now, rather than being disappointed he wasn't, Prompto felt relief and cried in happiness as Noctis hugged him tightly and told him everything was okay.

The best part was, Prompto actually started to believed that.

Once he stopped feeling the need to re-read Ardyn's letter every morning to reaffirm his reality, he allowed himself to stay comfortably wrapped in Noct's arms, watching him continue to sleep peacefully, and remembering everything he said to Prompto that finally made him want to try to live.

Not just exist, waiting for the end, but to actually try and live for himself.

Prompto laughed softly to himself, unintentionally waking Noctis. "What could possibly be so funny this gods awful early in the morning?" Noctis groaned, tucking his face into Prompto's chest to hide from the sun. Prompto lightly ran his fingers through Noctis' hair, "Oh nothing really, I was just thinking about how amazing it is that we're all still here after everything that happened."

Noctis peeked one eye up at him, "And that's good right?"

Prompto smiled, "It's fantastic Noct, it's more than I could have ever hoped for."

Noctis tucked his face back down and mumbled fondly into Prompto's chest, "Good, now let's go back to sleep for a while before we have to get ready for the party."

Prompto huffed at him, even after all this time, Noct hadn't changed at all when it came to sleeping, "Alright Noct, I suppose we can afford to sleep a little bit longer." Prompto murmured, closing his eyes and falling back into a comfortable doze.

The second half of the first year, after finally coming to terms that Ardyn was gone, had continued to be difficult for Prompto as he struggled to get back his sense of self; to reclaim some of who he once was; to be who he wanted to be. It was hard, but he realized now that he had people beside him who would help him when he needed them and that made all the difference in the world. They made him want to try, even when he couldn't see the point; even when he felt worthless and broken, they never stopped supporting him. So he kept trying, every single day, no matter how hard it sometimes was to even get out of bed in the morning, he didn't give up.

After the talk with Noctis, something changed in Prompto, something sparked back to life in him that the others had believed to have long since been extinguished. As the days and weeks passed, Prompto slowly started getting better. It wasn't all at once of course, but it was undeniable that Prompto was improving; that he wanted to get better.

He knew he would never be who he was before Ardyn had taken him, but he could be something different, maybe not better, but something new. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the person he once was dead, but Prompto was still there against all the odds, and he was going to make the most of it.

There were still times where Prompto would glance down at the words on his arm or at the bar code on his wrist and wonder why his friends still wanted him, wonder why they cared- wonder when they were going to leave him again, but Noctis and the others had gotten pretty good at noticing when his thoughts strayed to unpleasant things, and did their best to reassure him. It tended to work more often than not.

A soft knock at the door roused them from their sleep about an hour later. Noctis groaned as the door opened and Ignis popped his head in, "It's time to wake up Noct." Ignis said in his best no nonsense voice before addressing Prompto, "Good morning Prompto, are you feeling okay? It's not like you to sleep so late."

Prompto laughed at the incredulous look on Noctis' face at that, "Good morning Iggy, I'm fine, I just decided to indulge Noct here and sleep in a bit."

"Ah, of course." Ignis sighed. Noctis glared at him, "Don't you 'ah of course' him, I'm the King you know, where's my good morning?"

Ignis rolled his eyes and looked to the heavens, a gesture made even more insulting with him being blind, "Perhaps if you started acting like a King I would treat you in kind, but until that day..." Ignis trailed off, leaving the obvious unsaid, Prompto giggled, Ignis smiled, they both knew Noct wasn't going to change any time soon. "I just came to let you know that lunch will be ready soon, so you both should get up, there are still quite a few things we need to prepare for tonight." Ignis told them, before closing the door and going back downstairs.

Noctis turned his glare on Prompto, but it faded away into a fond smile as Prompto continued to giggle happily. "I guess we're getting up then." Noctis sighed, stretching out on the bed before standing up. Prompto sat up and Noctis held his hand out to him, Prompto took it and allowed Noctis to help him out of bed and lightly kiss the bar code on the back of Prompto's wrist as he had done every morning for the past few years. Prompto blushed faintly and smiled at him, remembering the first time Noctis had done this.

It had been a not so great day a few weeks into the second 'Post Ardyn' year and Prompto couldn't help how worthless and broken he was feeling, he had been woken up by a nightmare and everything that the others tried to do for him only made him feel worse. They devoted so much time just trying to make him feel like a person, and he just couldn't help but feel like he was bringing them down with how much effort was wasted on him. Even before Ardyn, he was no good, he was just a science experiment gone wrong; nothing unique about him, just one of thousands.

Forever branded and broken.

He said as much to Noctis when it all became too much and he couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "I'm nothing more than one of those things, created by a monster, to be a monster, so that the people who actually mattered weren't killed. I don't matter, I never mattered." He cried, wishing desperately for the arm he lost if only so that he could once again attempt to scratch away the tattoo on his wrist.

"Prompto, look at me." Noctis growled, grabbing his wrist, he sounded almost angry, but when Prompto looked at him, all he saw was concern and guilt on his face. "Prompto, I am so sorry." Noctis told him, and Prompto couldn't help but notice how his voice cracked when he spoke, but he didn't know what he was apologizing for. Prompto should be the one apologizing, not Noct.

"Why would you-" he started, but Noctis cut him off, "I'm sorry I put this off for so long."

"Put what-?" he tried again.

"I'm sorry I told that thing wearing your face before I told you." Noctis said and looked away from Prompto in shame. Prompto couldn't say anything to that, it had been a while since anyone had brought up MT intentionally, and no one ever mentioned what happened at Zegnautus twelve years ago if they could help it.

"Prompto, I don't care where you're from, I don't care what you were made for or who you were supposed to be. None of that matters, all I care about is that you're here and that you are you. Hell if I had the chance I would probably thank that asshole Besithia for what he did, and then I would kill him because what he did was monstrous, but it also gave me my best friend; it gave me the love of my life and I would sooner die than live without you. I would have chosen to die if not for you Prompto." Tears were falling down both of their faces by this point, but neither of them cared, Noctis held Prompto's hand delicately in his, "You mean everything to me Prompto, you matter more to me than everyone else on Eos combined, and I would have gladly allowed the world to live in eternal darkness if that was the only way to save you." Noctis looked deep into Prompto's eyes and held Prompto's wrist up, Prompto couldn't believe what he was hearing, but the conviction in Noctis' eyes left little room for doubt. "This tattoo isn't who you are Prom, but it is a part of you, and I love it because of that; because I love you, and nothing will ever make me feel any different." Noctis finished and before Prompto even knew what was happening, Noctis brought his wrist up to his lips and kissed his tattoo all the while maintaining eye contact with Prompto.

Prompto felt his cheeks burn, the heat of Noctis' lips feeling more like a brand on his skin than the barcode ever did, he was breathless by the time Noctis pulled away.

"Got it?" Noctis asked him.

"Yup." Prompto squeaked.

Noctis smiled at him, "Good, but just in case, I'll have to remind you every day."

And he did. Every morning Noctis would kiss the barcode on Prompto's wrist, and every morning Prompto would remember he was loved.

They got dressed- Noctis with his usual black on black color scheme, and Prompto with a long sleeve shirt that was pinned up on the left sleeve, and went downstairs for lunch. Iggy was still in the kitchen, working to prepare the food for the party that night, but he paused what he was doing to sit and have lunch with them. Gladio came through the front door moments later and joined them as well.

"I feel like we've been working non-stop on this party for months." Noctis sighed taking a bite of his sandwich. "No need to be so dramatic Noct, but it is a rather important celebration, five year anniversary of darkness being dispelled from the world and all." Ignis drolled. Gladio snorted, "Noctis not being dramatic, ha, that'll be the day."

Noctis looked like he was getting geared up for a bit of a rant in the face of all the amused disrespect, and while that may have been amusing, Prompto was looking forward to a calm and peaceful day with his friends, so he cut Noct off by placing his hand on Noct's and when he had his attention, Prompto smiled at him. Noctis blinked, irritation fading from his face and smiled dopily back at him.

Gladio laughed at how easily Prompto gained the King's attention and shook his head fondly, some things really never changed.

"How much is still left to do?" Prompto asked, steering the conversation back to more relevant matters.

"The food, aside from a few finishing touches is all but complete." Ignis said.

"Yeah, and everything is pretty much set up outside, the bonfire is all ready to go. All that's really left is for everyone to arrive." Gladio told them, "Oh and Prom, your kids were looking for you, I told them you were still sleeping, but I don't think they appreciated the wait." Gladio said, smirking when Prompto jumped up from his chair.

"My babies!" Prompto cried, leaving his half finished sandwich behind as he ran out the door, ignoring Noctis calling out to him to at least finish his lunch first.

There were tables and chairs all set up around a large pile of wood outside, but Prompto only had eyes for one thing, or really, two very important someones who 'kweh-ed' happily at him as he ran over to them. The two adolescent chocobos nuzzled their beaks against him when he reached them and patiently waited their turn to receive a one armed hug from Prompto as he cooed lovingly at them. "Who's my good girl?" Prompto asked scritching golden feathers, the chocobo kweh-ed, "That's right Queen Gumdrop, it's you!" Gumdrop preened at the praise. "And who's my best boy?" Prompto asked turning to the other eagerly awaiting chocobo who kweh-ed in excitement when Prompto turned to him, "Yes Professor Marshmallow, of course it's you! Daddy is so sorry he was late to come see you this morning, can you ever forgive me?" If the resulting cuddle pile of feathers was anything to go by, then Prompto would have to assume they forgave him.

They were his babies, and he loved them to bits, and not a day went by in the past two years that he wasn't incredibly happy to have them.

What had started out as a lovely day, with the sun shining, and the sea wind blowing a pleasantly cool breeze across the cape; a day that had enticed Prompto to head out for a pleasant afternoon jog, quickly turned dark and stormy when he was around three miles away from home. Prompto huffed in annoyance, and tried to ignore the fear that bubbled up in the back of his mind with the loud crashes and flashes of thunder and lightning overhead.

He knew Noctis would be worried if he didn't return soon in light of this new development, but when he looked back the way he came and saw the path quickly becoming slick with rain, he figured the safest thing to do would be to hunker down among the trees and wait it out, rather than slide to his death down the side of the cape.

He was making his way into a little cluster of trees to try and get out of the rain a bit when he tripped on a branch and felt his ankle twist painfully, he caught himself with his arm the best he could and managed to just avoid getting a face full of mud, but even with that silver lining, the situation had just gone from a minor annoyance to a full blown shit fest. Prompto tried to get up and walk on the injured foot but the pain nearly had him crashing back to the ground. He couldn't help but laugh, amazing how quickly you lose your pain tolerance when you don't spend your days being tortured.

"Fantastic." Prompto sighed, now he was stuck here whether he liked it or not, and to make matters worse, he had left his phone back at the house... Noct was probably freaking out by this point, but Prompto had had the foresight to tell him where he was running so he would just have to wait till Noct inevitably came looking for him, Prompto just hopped he was smart enough to wait for the rain to slow down a bit before rushing out to look for him. If he wasn't, Prompto was sure Ignis would make him see sense, or just have Gladio hold him down if it came to it. It was rather lucky they were visiting this week all things considered.

Prompto hobbled a bit father into the trees and found a spot that was relatively dry and settled in to wait out the storm.

An hour later and the storm showed no signs of slowing down, if the thunder and lightning were anything to go by, it was only getting more intense. As if it spite him, thunder clapped across the sky making him flinch, he had never liked storms, but after everything loud noises and sudden bright lights were almost guaranteed to send him into a panic. It had gotten slightly better over time, but without Noctis there it was increasingly difficult to keep his cool.

Lightning flashed in the sky and Prompto couldn't help the tiny whimper he made in response, he wanted to go home. He wanted Noct to hold him while the hid under the covers of their bed until the storm passed. He wanted to be stronger, he wanted to stop acting like a scared little boy waiting for someone to save him. It was just a freaking thunderstorm, why did he have to be this way, he was trying so hard to be better, but he couldn't help thinking at times like this, that he was still the same broken doll that he had always been.

Something nuzzled against his side and startled him out of his self-recrimination. He nearly yelped in fright before he caught sight of baby chocobo cuddled up against him. Something rubbed up against his other side as well and he looked over- okay, make that two baby chocobos cuddled up against him.

Prompto did start crying then, but not because of storm, the storm was nothing, who has time to worry about some stupid storm when there are two baby chocobos who needed his protection; who needed cuddles, cause they were the best little babies in the whole wide world.

He was still crying hours later when Noctis found him, rushing up to him and seeing the tears, frantically asking if he was okay. "Noct!" Prompto sobbed and Noctis looked like he was seconds away from a heart attack, "What's wrong Prom!?"

"They are the cutest things I've ever seeing in my entire life! They cuddled me through the storm, and I would literally die for them!" Prompto hugged the two chicks, that Noctis had only just noticed, the best he could and looked up at him, "They are my babies Noct." Prompto told him, leaving no room for arguments. Noctis just panted out a relieved laugh once he realized Prompto was okay, "Of course Prom, they're beautiful, just like their dad."

The smile Prompto bestowed on him in response was breathtaking.

The moment was only slightly ruined when Prompto told Noctis about his ankle.

Gladio's laughter when Noctis arrived back at the house carrying Prompto and two baby chocobos in his arms was heard from miles around.

All in all, Prompto would say the day ended as lovely as it began.

Prompto was still feeding Gumdrop and Marshmallow when Noctis came out to join him, "How are the kids doing?" Noctis asked with a smiled.

"Wonderful as ever." Prompto gushed, giving them the rest of their food and turning to Noctis, "They just grow up so fast you know?" He pretended to wipe a tear from his eye, "One day they fit comfortably in bed with you, the next, they're bigger and taller than you."

Noctis laughed, "You say that like you don't still try and bring them to bed with you."

Prompto paused, "...Fair, but still, you know what I mean, my babies are almost all grown up!"

"And you've raised them to be such fine adults, you should be proud."

Prompto couldn't help but preen at that, Gumdrop and Marshmallow followed suit, and Noctis almost fell over in laughter at the sight of three ridiculous chocobos looking so proud of themselves. Prompto pouted at him, but it quickly turned into a smile.

"What's so funny boys?" Asked a voice, making Prompto spin around and run towards the woman standing at the top of the hill. "Cindy!" He cheered, all but leaping into her arms. "Hello little bird, it's good to see you too, although you did see me just last week if I recall correctly." Cindy said with a smile hugging Prompto tightly.

"I know but it feels like forever." Prompto sighed, tucking his face into her neck and basking in the attention, something he never quite got over, and something no one bothered to try and stop him from doing- everyone was all too willing to shower Prompto with any and all the affection he could ever want.

"Hey Cindy." Noctis waved.

"Howdy Prince. I figured I would get here a little early to spend some time with Prom here since I haven't seen him in forever." She sassed, smirking over at Prompto who grinned right back.

Over the last five years, Prompto and Cindy had grown close, according to Cindy, they were closer than even her and MT had been and no one had the knowledge or desire to dispute such a thing. Prompto was aware, from what the others had told him, that he had known her before Zegnautus, but he had no memory of that so they both decided to start fresh after their talk at Caem.

Cindy was wonderful, and honestly, if asked, Prompto would probably say she was his favorite person (aside from Noct) on Eos. She was just so nice, and endlessly patient with him, but she wouldn't put up with anyone's nonsense, and Prompto adored her. She was his family the same way the guys were.

She would come by the lighthouse every so often and take him out on little adventures, driving around Lucis, just the two of them. Noctis had tagged along on the first few trips, but over time, Prompto realized that he needed to have his own life, and Noctis did too, even if it was only for little things like going out with his friend. Prompto needed to live for himself, needed to be able to make choices and do things without Noctis around. It was scary at first, terrifying in fact, as the car took them farther and farther away from Noctis, and the lighthouse became nothing but a blip on the horizon, but Prompto reminded himself that he was free to go where he wanted, and that he was loved by all his friends, and that no matter where he went- or how far, they would be waiting for him when he came back.

On one such occasion, Cindy decided they should head over to Galdin Quay, to lay out on the beach and get some sun, and maybe take a dip in the water if they felt like it.

The world was slowly pulling itself back together, the damage done by the daemons in the decade of darkness was daunting, but the people who survived were determined, and already, only a few years after everything, progress could be seen as they drove down the road. Towns were cleared of debris and rebuilt, people were able to move out of the crowded city of Lestallum and into newly built houses all over the country. Many stores started to re-open as well, people continued to trade rather than go back to using gil, but over time that would likely change too.

The Crown City was still mostly avoided other than for scavengers looking for materials that could help with the rebuilding efforts, it just felt wrong to everyone to go back there so soon after all that happened. It would happen eventually of course, but it was an almost unspoken agreement that everyone wanted to put it off for as long as possible. It was still unclear as to whether Noctis ever planned to take his place on the throne, but no one felt the need to rush him, they had survived a time of war and darkness without a king, they could survive a time of peace just a well. He had already given them everything they could have asked for by bringing back the light to Eos. People still called him 'Your Majesty' when they saw him around, but they let him live his life and never asked for more.

Galdin Quay was one of the lesser re-built locations, the debris was cleared, but it had become less of a resort, and more of just a pleasant place to spend the day, swimming in the warm waters of the ocean, and taking a break from the horrors that had ravaged the land. Which was exactly what Cindy wanted, just a nice day with her friend at the beach.

When they arrived, Prompto helped Cindy set up a few chairs and an umbrella they had brought with them, then they changed into their swim suits and applied an excessive amount of sunscreen, before laying out to enjoy the sun. Prompto decided to keep his shirt on, it wasn't that he was necessarily ashamed of his scars, and he knew Cindy wouldn't judge him either- she had seen them multiple times already- he just didn't want to ruin their day, and he knew seeing his damaged body always made her sad. She gave him a look when he left it on, but didn't argue against it. Prompto went swimming a few times over the course of the day, dragging Cindy along to splash around in the warm shallow waters of the ocean and laugh together in pure joy at how amazing it was that they could be here like this together, with the sun shining bright in the sky. The rest of the day was spent peacefully basking in the warm glow of the sun.

It was only when the sky turned a brilliant orange with the setting of the sun that Cindy broke the companionably silence. "So how have things been going Prom?"

Prompto glanced over at her, "Things have been going good... or well, as good as can be expected."

"Still happy you're here then?" She asked.

Prompto smiled, "Yeah Cindy, I almost can't believe it myself, but yeah, I'm really happy to still be here."

"And you..." Cindy bit her lip, "Does it still hurt? Do you still hurt?"

Prompto sighed looking out at the ocean, "Yeah, sometimes... Sometimes I look at the guys and wonder how much longer they'll stick around for. Sometimes I forget how to speak, like the words are all trapped up inside my chest, like I'm trapped and it gets hard to breathe. Sometimes I feel empty, like whatever it was that made me, me is just gone and I'm nothing but a broken relic from a bygone era. And sometimes everything hurts so bad it feels like I'm dying but the end never comes and I'm just stuck in an eternity of pain that never ends and I wonder, if this is how he felt..." Cindy put a hand on his back to let him know she was there, Prompto took a deep breath to try and calm himself before speaking the words that he couldn't bring himself to say to Noctis. "Sometimes I miss him, and I hate myself for it, because I know it's stupid, and I know he was awful, but I think- in his own way, he cared about me, and I... cared about him too. For ten years, it was like were the only two people in the world, and he hurt me- ruined me, and I hate him I do, but sometimes I can't help but miss having him with me." Prompto laughed brokenly and put his hand over his eyes, "Gods I'm so messed up. I'm sorry."

Cindy pulled his hand away from his face and made him look at her, "Little bird, listen to me, you never have to say sorry to me for how you feel. No matter how messed up you think it is, I'm not here to judge you, I'm here to be your friend and to listen when you need me and let you know that there is nothing wrong with the way you are or how you feel. Hell, I sometimes feel the same about that clone of yours." Prompto looked away in shame at that, but Cindy pulled him back, "That wasn't meant to make you feel bad baby, it's just the truth. Even knowing that it was all a lie, doesn't change the fact that that thing pretended to be my friend for a decade. We have each other now and you have Noct, and maybe it's stupid to miss people who only ever wanted to hurt us, but those assholes wormed their way into our lives like parasites for ten years, that's not exactly something that's easy to forget."

Prompto felt tears slide down his cheeks, Cindy smiled softly and wiped them away. "It's okay to miss him Prom, as long as you remember, at the end of the day that you're still here, that you deserve to be; that you're alive not because of or for him, but in spite of him. You're Prompto Argentum, you survived ten years with the accursed and built yourself back up. You get to live now Prom, you get to be happy, and no one deserves it more than you."

Cindy pulled him into a hug and Prompto held on to her like his life depended on it, he cried messily onto her shoulder but she didn't complain, just held him close, like he was the most precious thing in the world, until he was ready to let go.

They held hands and watched the sun set over the horizon.

"Thank you Cindy." Prompto said to her quietly when he felt he could once again speak without breaking down.

"Any time Prom." Cindy promised.

Then they packed up and headed back to Hammerhead where they stayed up late and talked about boys and gossip they'd heard, and anything else they wanted to, just two friends having fun without a care in the world.

Cindy threw her arm around Prompto's shoulders, "So what all still needs doing?" she asked, Prompto looked over to Noctis who just shrugged and said, "Nothing much really, just need to wait for the guests to arrive I suppose."

"Great! Paw-paw said he was catching a ride with the Marshall, I think Iris said she'd pick up Monica and Dustin on her way down, and Talcott said he was on his way when I spoke to him a little bit ago, so he should be here soon." Cindy smiled at them, "Y'all excited to see everyone?"

"Yeah, I don't think we've all managed to be in the same place since we left for Altissia." Noctis laughed. Prompto didn't remember that, but Noctis had shown him the group photo a while back and even before he had been re-introduced to all of them, it had become one of Prompto's favorites, everyone just looked so happy, it was nice. Prompto smiled, "It'll definitely be nice to have everyone here to celebrate together."

"You bet it will!" Cindy hugged him happily, and looked over at Noctis, "Since there's nothing that needs doing, mind if I steal him from you for a bit?" She asked sweetly.

"He's all yours." Noctis laughed and started walking back to the house.

The two of them started walking back down the hill, not with any real destination in mind, it was just something nice to do on such a beautiful day.

"So did you make up your mind?" Cindy asked him, as easy as one would ask about the weather, as opposed to something that Prompto had been stressing over for almost a whole year. He knew she was going to bring it up too, especially after their talk last week, but it still didn't make him any less nervous.

"Yeah I... I think so." He told her quietly.

"And?"

Prompto took a deep breath, "I think I'm ready... to be with Noct." There, he said it, it was out there, it was real.

"That's great Prom!" Cindy said in excitement.

Prompto stopped walking and looked at the ground, "Is it?" Was it? Cause he honestly wasn't sure, he had been obsessing over this for months and he still didn't know if it was the right thing to do. He knew Noct loved him, he had known for years, he barely even questioned it anymore, and he knew he loved Noct too... But what if he had it all wrong? What if what he felt wasn't actually love? He thought it was, but what the hell did he know? He could only fleetingly remember how he felt about him before everything, but he knew that the person he was before truly believed he was in love with Noctis. Was that enough to base such a major decision on? Could he even trust those memories? He just didn't know.

What he felt now was everything, it was a major part of what helped him get up every morning, and get through each day with a smile. But was that love, or was that just an intense feeling of gratitude for someone who cared about him so much that they threw away their destiny to be with him?

He didn't want to hurt Noctis, but more selfishly, he didn't want to get hurt himself. What they had now was good, was it worth the possibility it all might fall apart, just because sometimes he looked at Noct and his heart would feel like it was going to beat right out of his chest? Was it worth the risk of losing Noct all together just because in the mornings when Noct would kiss his wrist, it was all Prompto could do not to tackle him to the bed in a shower of kisses and never let him go?

What if Noctis changed his mind? Prompto didn't think he could handle another heartbreak.

He felt hands on his cheeks turning his face back up, and he stared into Cindy's green eyes, "You got that look on your face again little bird, the face I know means you ain't thinking nothing good." She frowned at him, "Listen to me, and listen good, I don't know what's going on in that head of yours, but you need to quit it, it's great you want to be with the Prince, that boy has been pining after you for as long as I've known him, if you feel the same, how could that be anything but great?"

Prompto sighed, "I don't know, what if I'm wrong, what if we get together and he realizes I'm not what he wants?"

"Prompto," Cindy said seriously, "you are all he wants, he would give you the whole world if he could. If you tell him you want to be with him, no force in the universe would get him to let you go unless it was what you wanted. No matter what happens, Noctis isn't going anywhere without you, so what do you want Prom?"

Prompto thought about the last five years, and how every moment with Noctis felt almost too good to be true. He thought about waking up in the mornings with the warmth of Noct wrapped around him and the press of lips on his skin as Noct told him without words every day that he loved him. He thought about how even in the beginning when Prompto was hardly able to function by himself, Noct was always there when he needed him and how he stayed even when Prompto screamed at him to go. He thought of fragmented memories from his childhood where all he wanted was to be good enough to be friends with someone like Noct, and realizing that for Noct, all he needed to be was Prompto- that he was always good enough, and always would be.

"I want Noct." Prompto said.

Cindy smiled, "That's great Prom!"

Prompto laughed, "Yeah, it is."

They walked around the Cape for a little while after that, talking about little things that had been going on in their lives, and spending some time playing with Gumdrop and Marshmallow- who were very happy to see Cindy- until it was about the time that everyone else was due to arrive and they started walking back.

When they were in sight of the house Prompto pulled Cindy to a stop, she looked at him questioningly, "There's just one other thing..." He started, feeling himself flush.

"And what's that?" She asked kindly, sensing his discomfort.

"I don't think I'm ready to... you know-" He did an awkward little gesture with his body that may have included a hip thrust, Cindy snorted. "Well I'm sure the Prince won't mind waiting until you are."

Prompto looked away, squeezing his eyes shut in shame, "That's the thing... I don't think I'll ever be ready... After everything with-" He hunched his shoulders and wrapped his arm around his stomach and tried not to think about Ardyn, "After everything... I don't think I want to." He peeked up at her, "I don't think I can."

Cindy made to reach out to him, but stopped before touching him and let her hand fall back to her side, "Prom-" she said sadly, "What you went through was awful beyond words, but only you get to decide how you deal with the trauma in whatever way you need to, to be okay. You don't-" Cindy stopped, bit her lip and looked like she was struggling with what to say, "You don't need to prove anything to anyone. If one day you feel different, that's fine; if you never feel any different, that's perfectly fine too. No one that matters is going to hold it against you, and I know for a fact that Noctis would sooner take his own life than force you to do something that made you uncomfortable." She did reach out then, touching his shoulder lightly, "You aren't broken Prompto, I know that's what you always like to think, but it's okay to feel this way. Just trust me on this one alright?"

Prompto sniffed, uncurling a bit and rubbed the tears from his eyes with the back of his arm, he still felt like he was being stupid, like maybe if he was just stronger he could get over his fear of sexual intimacy, but every time he thought of having sex- even with Noct, all he could think about was how it was with Ardyn; how he had been driven to the brink of insanity in that room and how his fraying mind had reached out to the only other person there; how he was never truly all there mentally when they had sex. Even when he had started to crave the other mans touch, he knew it was wrong and he hated himself. He had been like a neglected animal, desperately seeking affection and willing to do whatever it took to get it. He never wanted to be like that again, out of control, and begging for sex when all he really wanted was someone to hold him and to care about him. There was a part of him that knew it would be different with Noct, but an even bigger part had no desire to try. He couldn't help the niggling felling of inadequacy for being like this, but Cindy's words had made him feel slightly better, and she had never lied to him before, so he nodded and told her, "Alright, I trust you."

"Good. Now before we go inside, are there any more deep emotional land mines we need to navigate?" Cindy asked his seriously but with a smile on her face.

Prompto huffed out a laugh, "No, I think I'm good for now. I'll let you know as soon as that changes though."

Cindy laughed, "You better! Now come on let's go see what the boys have been up to."

When they got back inside, Noctis was, predictably, taking a nap on the couch that had been pushed up under the stairs in an effort to make the house feel a bit more homey. The walls had also been decorated with framed photos Prompto had taken as well as various knickknacks that had been picked up over the years that they had lived there.

Ignis and Gladio were nowhere to be seen, so Prompto assumed they were probably taking a break in their rooms. Ignis had claimed the room downstairs by the kitchen early on, and Gladio snatched up the one with the balcony shortly after. They had all but moved in, still making frequent trips to Lestallum to help out in the restoration of Lucis, but Prompto figured it was only a matter of time before they made it official. He wasn't even going to try to pretend it wasn't nice having them all living together again. It was infinitely reassuring on days he woke up and felt so lonely he couldn't breathe.

"I guess, they got everything finished then huh?" Prompto said to Cindy, slightly louder than necessary, smilingly fondly at Noct as he grumbled at the noise and opened one eye to glare at Prompto.

"Rude."

Prompto and Cindy laughed, "Come on Noct, you've been sleeping all day. Everyone is going to be showing up soon, time to wake up and be sociable!" Prompto enthused.

Noctis groaned but sat up with a yawn, "Fine, I'm up, I'm up."

Ignis walked out of his room right at that moment, "Fantastic, you're up, come help me plate these hors d'oeuvres and bring them outside, I just received word from the Marshal, that him and Cid are almost here." Gladio leaned over the railing, having walked out of his room while Ignis was talking, "Yeah, Iris said the same."

Noctis looked at them all wide eyed, "What is this? You all leave to do your own thing, but as soon as Prom comes back, you start popping out of nowhere."

"Don't get all offended Noct, we just like him better than you." Gladio smirked down at him, "Hey Cindy."

"Ah yes, my apologies," Ignis started, ignoring Noctis' offended whining, "Hello Miss Cindy."

Cindy smiled and gave them a little wave, "Hey guys. I could help carry the food if ya want."

"Nonsense, you are a guest, Noct can handle it. Please make yourself at home."

Noctis scoffed, but apparently decided it wasn't worth the argument and got up to help Ignis, Gladio walked downstairs to lend a hand as well.

Cindy and Prompto were just about to claim the couch, when a knock on the door had Prompto going over to answer it. The door was barely even opened all the way, before the person behind it practically burst into the room and wrapped Prompto in a tight hug. "Prompto!" Talcott laughed, lifting Prompto off the ground and spinning him around.

"It's good to see you too Talcott!" Prompto said, laughing as Talcott set him down. A chorus of 'Hey Talcott!' echoed around the room, Talcott looked at them all and grinned, "Hey everyone!"

"The guys were just going to bring the food outside, come sit with me and Cindy until everyone else arrives." Prompto smiled, pulling Talcott over the couch while Noct and the others got the food ready.

"So what have you been up to Talcott? Still out trying to save the world?" Cindy asked with a kind smile.

Talcott flushed, "Nah, I'm just trying to do my part; helping out where I can, same as always- but oh! Before I forget, I got something for you Prompto." He said suddenly and pulled something out of his bag.

"For me?" Prompto asked surprised.

"Yeah, I know you've been needing a new holster, and when I saw this one, I knew it was perfect for you." Talcott said, handing over a gun holster that looked to be in almost perfect condition. Prompto noticed the tiny chocobo design etched into the leather and smiled at him. "Thank you Talcott, it's wonderful, just what I needed." Prompto told him warmly, pulling the boy into another hug.

"I'm so glad you like it." Talcott said cheerfully as he returned the hug, and Prompto was suddenly struck with the intense feeling of happiness that he was able to have all this, that after all the pain and hardship, he was able to be here with his friends and just be happy.

He had almost missed having that with Talcott.

It had been around two and a half years since the light had been returned to the world and Prompto could probably count the times he had hung out with Talcott on one hand- which was good because he only had the one, he chuckled and said as much to Noct, but he just frowned at him (Noct never appreciated his jokes)- but today they were doing just that.

Talcott had called asking for assistance investigating some old ruins, so the four of them had piled into their tiny car and headed out to meet him.

Everything was pretty by the book for the first hour or so, they met Talcott at the entrance to the ruins and went inside, looking for anything interesting or stuff that might be useful, it was actually kind of fun- like old times, until they rounded a corner and came face to face with a large pack of voretooths.

Prompto hung back while the others pulled out their weapons, Noctis once again brandishing Prompto's old gun as he had so often done. They were dispatching the monsters with relative ease, but the real problem was the numbers, there were just too many, and they were quickly overwhelmed.

They were considering a strategic retreat, when there was a rumble from above Noct and Ignis, and it was all Gladio could do to tackle them out the way before the decayed ceiling collapsed on top of them, effectively separating the group- Noct, Ignis, and Gladio on one side; Prompto, Talcott, and a pack of voretooths on the other. Luckily the gun had been knocked out of Noctis' hand in the scuffle, sliding across the stone floor and landing in front of Talcott, who quickly snatched it up in favor of his sword and continued trying to fend off the horde of monsters from a distance, all the while trying to protect Prompto the best he could. The sound of Noctis' panicked shouts echoed around the chamber, only slightly muffled by the rubble. Prompto felt his mind start to fog as he huddled in the corner, unable to do anything as shot after shot was fired with piercingly loud bangs in the small room. Talcott was trying the best he could, but Prompto knew it was only a matter of time before the monsters got the best of him and they were both ripped apart.

Probably better to mentally check out now, rather than live through that.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, than Talcott yelped in pain and was knocked to the floor, dropping the gun and clutching his bleeding arm. The sight of blood jolted Prompto into action, before he had even made the conscious decision to move, his gun was in his hand and he was firing on the enemy.

All Prompto saw was targets; creatures wearing his face; enemies that needed to be eliminated, that was his purpose, he had to kill. He glanced quickly back at Talcott, still on the ground, and something clicked in his brain- no, not kill... Protect. He narrowed his eyes and let his trained battle instincts take over, picking off creature after creature with precise shots to the head. If any got too close, he kicked them back and took them out. Some of the monsters got in a few good hits on him, but he barely even felt the sting of their claws, he just kept firing his gun until all the voretooths were dead.

Talcott watched in awe as Prompto expertly dispatched the monsters, Talcott wasn't modest about his own skills, he knew he was a good fighter, he hadn't spent ten years fighting daemons with nothing to show for it, but Prompto was next level- it was honestly kind of frightening. Talcott didn't think he had seen Prompto blink once since he started shooting, and even when it was finally over and they had miraculously managed to survive, Prompto still looked ready to fight. He was breathing heavily and covered in blood, but he refused to let his guard down.

Talcott wasn't sure what he should do, but if he didn't do something, King Noctis would be upset when he found them, so without any other options, he hesitantly went over to Prompto and tried to get his attention.

"Prompto?"

Silence.

Talcott reached out and lightly touched Prompto's arm, Prompto immediately whipped around and locked his eyes on Talcott- and for a second, Talcott was scared because those were the eyes of a killer, empty, and deadly. Then Prompto blinked and it was like the light suddenly returned to his eyes, followed by concern as he saw the blood on Talcott.

"Oh my gods Talcott, are you okay!?" Prompto exclaimed, dropping the gun and fussing over the small wound on Talcott's arm, completely unconcerned by his own injuries.

Talcott couldn't help but smile, because this was the first time he really felt like he was seeing Prompto after everything, and finally truly accepted that this really was Prompto. It still hurt to think about the other Prompto- it probably always would. That Prompto was like an older brother to him, and he missed him every day. Talcott knew it was awful of him, but there were days he wished he had him back; days that he looked at Prompto and all he saw was a distorted image of his real friend.

Looking at Prompto now though, all cut up, but fussing over Talcott's little scratch, and looking at him with such genuine concern, Talcott realized that he didn't need to miss Prompto anymore. Prompto was right there, he was a little broken sure, but who wasn't these days right?

Talcott smiled at Prompto, eyes tearing up as he finally let himself feel relief for the fact that Prompto was still there, and the grief over not having been able to do anything to save him when he needed him most.

"I'm fine Prom, and I'm sorry." Talcott told him, and Prompto was confused, "I'm sorry that you had to go through everything alone, and I'm sorry I couldn't help, but I'm here now, and if you ever need help, just let me know okay?" Prompto wasn't sure where all of this had come from, especially because Talcott didn't really talk to him all that much when they were together, and when he did, he avoided looking him in the eyes, but Talcott looked sincere, and while Prompto wasn't entirely sure whether Talcott was talking about the fight just now or not, he appreciated the sentiment all the same.

"Okay." he smiled.

Not even a minute later, Noctis came barreling into the room, Ignis and Gladio right behind him. Noctis was clearly panicking, and it only seemed to get worse when he caught sight of Prompto.

"Gods Prompto are you okay!?" Noctis practically screeched, Prompto just raised an amused eyebrow at him before looking over himself. Ah, that was quite a lot of blood wasn't it?

Prompto looked back up at Noctis with a shrug, "Ow?" Then he bent down and picked up his gun and started making his way out of the ruins, he figured they were probably done for the day. "Come on you slow pokes, I want to go home and have a bath." He called back to them when it seemed Noctis had been stunned into immobility again- he really needed to work on that.

Talcott caught up to him with a smile on his face, "Think you can teach me how to shoot like that?"

Prompto let out a surprised laugh and did his best to push away any unpleasant thoughts at the request, "Sure, I don't see why not."

Talcott and Prompto continued to grow closer from there on out.

Prompto also decided to keep his gun.

Prompto never really found out what exactly made Talcott change his mind about him, and whenever he asked, Talcott would just say, "I figured something out that's all, it just took me a little while." Prompto figured if he pestered him enough he could probably get Talcott to talk, but he didn't feel the need. Whatever Talcott's reason, Prompto was happy with the way things turned out, Talcott was like the little brother he never had, and he was incredibly grateful to have him in his life.

The three of them only sat around talking for about fifteen minutes before voices outside signaled the arrival of the rest of the guests, so they all got up and made their way outside.

Iris was hanging off Noctis when they came out, she turned to them with a cheerful smile and ran over to greet them, "Cindy, Prom, Talcott! It's so good to see you!" She said, throwing her arms out wide and pulling them all into a big group hug. "I'm so happy we're all finally together again, it's been too long!"

Prompto grinned at her while Talcott and Cindy laughed happily beside him, he saw Noctis smile fondly at him from where he stood next to Dustin and Monica, and his heart fluttered in his chest, "I'm happy too." He told Iris softly, and was amazed at how true the words felt.

Everyone else greeted him just as warmly, if a bit more reserved, but he appreciated it all the same. Cor even praised him for his work in taking down a pair of coeurls that were wrecking havoc on a neighboring town. It was wonderful.

They all spent the next several hours eating the snacks Ignis prepared, while they caught up and reminisced about the years gone by, and how different all their lives were since the last time they had all been together; the friends they lost, and those they made alone the way. They discussed the rebuilding efforts, and how all around Lucis, people were getting together to celebrate with friends and family, the five year anniversary of the day the Chosen King rid the world of darkness and brought light back to Eos.

The sun was just beginning to sink low in the sky, lighting casting a warm glow over the cape, when Prompto was hit with a sudden burst of inspiration. He stood up from his chair, and ran back to the house, shouting a quick, "I'll be right back!" as he went.

Once he got inside, he practically flew up the stairs to his and Noct's room in his haste. He was buzzing with excitement as he snatched up his camera from its spot on the dresser, hanging it around his neck before grabbing his tripod and rushing back outside- only slightly slower now that he carried precious cargo.

Placing the tripod down, he held his camera up triumphantly to his amused audience and grinned, "It's picture time!"

There were moments in Prompto's new 'Post Ardyn' life that he didn't think he would ever forget for as long as he lived, moments he didn't think even Ardyn would be able to take from him. There weren't many, because he had been taught- rather painfully, that everything was fleeting, cherished memories very much included. But there were some moments he felt were practically engraved onto his very soul.

Holding his camera for the first time in almost eleven years was one of those moments.

It was like a piece of him clicked back into place, it was like an extension of himself; a missing limb finally returned to him, and he laughed at the irony that Ardyn had gone through all that effort to give him another arm, when all Prompto really needed was his camera.

He knew the others would likely find it upsetting that he cared more about losing an inanimate object than he did about losing his arm, but Prompto never claimed to be the most sensible person, and by this point he was pretty much over the trauma of losing his arm.

His camera though, was an integral part of his identity, a part that had been ripped away from him over a decade ago. If being a photographer was something that could be encoded into a person's DNA, then Prompto's genes must look like film strips.

Prompto had taken the camera from a hesitantly hopeful looking Noctis with shaking fingers, hardly believing it to be real, his fingers ran over the familiar surface as he clutched the camera reverently to his chest, and he felt like himself for the first time in years.

"I thought you might like to have that back." Noctis said softly, and Prompto felt the impending tears prickle behind his eyes, he could do no more than breathe out a sincere "thank you" before he sank to the ground, and sobbed in relief.

In the following months he may have gone a bit overboard on the photos, taking pictures of anything and everything. Noctis was nothing but supportive, encouraging him to take all the pictures he wanted, he even posed in various photo shoots Prompto decided to have. Ignis and Gladio indulged him quite frequently as well. He had to set the camera to auto when he wasn't using the tripod- only being able to do so much with one hand- which was a bit upsetting, but all in all, it was wonderful.

In the years that followed, his picture taking had leveled out to a more reasonable volume, other than the sharp spike around two years ago after finding Gumdrop and Marshmallow- the amount of pictures he had of his babies was bordering on obsessive, but that didn't deter him in the slightest.

Pictures lined the walls of their house, smiling, happy faces peeking out from their frames, and lighting up every corner of the house. Noctis even had a framed selfie of the two of them, sitting on his bedside table that Prompto would often find him smiling fondly at- Prompto may have snapped a photo of him doing exactly that before Noctis realized he was there. It was one of his favorites.

Prompto was never far from his camera these days if he could help it, always either having it hang securely from his neck, or safe in his room just a few doors away.

Prompto had wanted to live in the moment today, so he had left the camera in his room that morning, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.

Everyone grouped up without complaint (aside from a grumble or two from Cid about how 'he was too damn old for this'), they smiled fondly at him as he directed them all where to stand. When they were all posed in a similar fashion to the original group shot (with the addition of Cindy), Prompto set the timer and ran to his place where Noctis wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close; Prompto smiled a shy, happy smile just as the shutter clicked.

The picture was perfect, and he knew just the spot to hang it once he got it developed.

"You better make enough copies for everyone this time Prom!" Iris told him and he laughed, "You bet!"

Goal accomplished, he quickly returned the camera to his room for safe keeping before going back out.

The sun had almost completely dipped below the horizon, so Gladio went about getting the bonfire lit, it was only slightly larger than their average campfire so it took almost no time at all. Once that was done, Ignis- with help from Noctis, Gladio, Talcott, and Prompto- brought out dinner for everyone.

They sat and ate, talking quietly around the fire for the next couple of hours, just enjoying each other's company until it was about the time that everyone needed to head home.

Noctis stood up from his seat next to Prompto and addressed the group.

"Before you go, I just wanted to thank you all for being here today, not only at Caem, but for surviving the world of ruin and waiting for me to get back. I know not everyone was so lucky, and I'm sorry I made you all wait so long, but I'm just so thankful that you're all still here. I know it wasn't easy, and I know these last few years haven't exactly been a walk in the park either, but I can't even express how grateful I am that I get to be here with you all after everything. You've all done so much to put Lucis back together, and I've put off saying this for as long as I could, but..." Noctis took a deep breath and continued, "I can't help but feel like I've let you all down by not returning to Insomnia.

I think I made a lot of promises I couldn't keep over the years, but I always tried to do what was right for everyone. It wasn't until after I came back that I realized I couldn't do that anymore; and maybe it was selfish of me, but I realized that I needed to do by right by me and the people that I loved before I worried about the rest of the world. Because I love you all, I really do, and you are all my family, but I cannot in good conscience continue to call myself your king." Noctis held up a hand to forestall any arguments, "The time of kings has passed, you know it as well as I do, the past fifteen years have been long and difficult, but the people persevered, you persevered, and you did that all without me. The line of Lucis was always supposed to end with me, I just went about it in a slightly different way than the gods had prophesied, but because I did, I get to be here with all of you today, I get to choose how I live my life, and I choose to live it with you." Noctis was speaking to all of them, but as he said that last line, he locked eyes with Prompto and didn't look away.

"I don't want to be His Royal Majesty King Noctis Lucis Caelum 114th King of Lucis, I just want to be Noct." Noctis finished, and then as an afterthought added, "I hope that's okay with you all."

There was a moment of silence where they all absorbed the words, then Ignis spoke what everyone was almost certainly thinking, "You will always be our king, Noctis, even if it is nothing more than an honorary title, that shall never change. However, we were all very much aware that you would not be reclaiming the throne any time soon- if ever. Gladio and I knew from the moment you stood in that room and turned down the gods, I'm sure the others figured it out rather soon after." There were nods from all around as Ignis spoke, "None of us begrudge you the decision to live your life how you choose Noctis, you deserve to be happy, we're just grateful that we get to be a part of it."

Noctis looked around at all of them, likely looking for any sign that what Ignis said was false, but found none. He also looked like he was about to cry, so Prompto slipped his hand into Noct's to try and comfort him and let him know he was there. Noctis gripped his hand back tightly, and sniffed, "Thanks guys."

"Any time your majesty." Cid said completely deadpan, and then smirked at him. Noctis barked out a surprised laugh, Prompto giggled, and soon the cape was full of the sounds of laughter as they all broke down and laughed like they hadn't in years.

Not long after, they were all saying their goodbyes, making plans to meet up in the near future, and once again extolled how great it was to see everyone.

Cid pulled Prompto aside as they all made their way down the hill to the cars. "Hey kid." Cid smirked, Prompto grinned back, "Hey Pawpaw." Cid glared at him on principle, but Prompto knew he wasn't serious. Cid sighed and Prompto looked at him in curiosity.

"Alright look," Cid grumbled suddenly, "with Reggie not around anymore, I feel like in some backwards kind of way, I got an obligation to at least make a bit of an effort to watch out for his kid." Cid huffed, "That being said, that boy thinks the sun shines outta your ass you know that? Cindy sings your praises every time I see her, but your little prince there is on a whole other level." Prompto raised an amused eyebrow at the older man, he did actually know that yes, but it was nice to hear confirmation from an unbiased source. He was about to say as much when Cid continued, "I remember Reggie used to look at Aulea that way too, and it's honestly doing my head in seeing the fool make the same damn pathetic lovesick face as his daddy."

Prompto couldn't help the tiny amused chuckle at that mental picture, Cid looked at him seriously then, and the smile dropped from Prompto's face. "Look kid, I know you've been through a lot, way more than most of us- and that's saying something, but I think you're good for him, and I think he'd be good for you too." Cid shot him a small smile before he continued, "I wasn't around as much as I should have been after he was born, but I care about the kid; I care about you too, and I think the both of you deserve to be happy. Just... remember that and try not to push him away if things ever get hard alright? Don't need you going and making the same mistakes I did."

Cid reached over and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, "You're a good kid Prompto, the world is a brighter place with you in it."

Prompto gave him a watery smile in return and didn't even try to fight the desire to hug the man, Cid grumbled but didn't push him away, "Thanks Pawpaw."

"You're welcome, now get off me." Cid said with faux annoyance in his voice. "See ya later kid." He waved, as he started walking down the rest of the hill.

"See ya later old man." Prompto grinned and made his way back up to the house.

When he got there, the guys were all still sitting back around the fire, so he reclaimed his own seat. It was just like old times, the four of them around the fire, no pressing need to fill the silence with idle chatter, just comfortable being together.

It hadn't been like this before, it had taken awhile after he got back for all of them to really start acting normal around him again.

Noctis, unsurprisingly, was the one that managed to put the past behind him and stop tip-toeing around Prompto the fastest. Prompto knew he hadn't forgotten, and he knew the guilt he felt often kept Noctis up at night, but he did his best to treat Prompto like Prompto. It was greatly appreciated too, especially on the days where even Prompto didn't feel much like himself- which for the first year or so, happened quite often.

Ignis and Gladio on the other hand, could barely look at him or interact with him like they used to without the guilt and hesitance pouring off them in waves. Ignis just kept making his favorite foods, and never once scolded him on his manners. Gladio never joked around him anymore, he hardly even talked above a whisper when Prompto was in the room, like he thought it might frighten him. Prompto appreciated not being yelled at, but this was taking it way too far. They weren't acting like themselves at all, and Prompto hated it, it was like they weren't even there. What good was getting his friends back, if they weren't really back?

He knew they felt bad, they had told him how they felt, and he understood- as much as he was able to, but he tried to tell them it was okay, he didn't blame them, but they didn't listen. He had missed them for decade. He had missed them even when he had forgotten almost everything but their names. So why did he still have to miss them when they were right in front of him?

Eventually enough was enough, he had put it off for as long as he could handle, he had been back for almost a year, and Ignis and Gladio were still acting like strangers. So one morning, while Noctis was still asleep, he cornered them downstairs and gave them a piece of his mind.

"This needs to stop." Prompto told them firmly, he was admittedly a little nervous confronting them like this, but it had to be done. He wanted to get better, and he needed them to be able to do that.

"Have we done something to upset you Prompto?" Ignis asked him softly, and Prompto could already see the guilt seeping onto both of their faces.

Prompto sighed, "No, you've done absolutely nothing at all that could have possibly upset me."

"Then what's the problem?" Gladio asked.

"That's the problem!" Prompto cried, "That's what's upsetting! You both are constantly walking on eggshells around me; you hardly even talk to me. It's like you both think that the slightest little thing is going to break me- well newsflash, I'm already broken, and nothing you could possibly do to me could ever be worse than what I've already been through." He wasn't saying it to hurt them, it was just the truth. Unfortunately that didn't make a difference to them, based on the twin looks of guilt they aimed at him.

Prompto groaned, he didn't want to do this, he was supposed to be the messed up one, why was he stuck fixing their problems again?

Because they were his friends, and he wanted them to start acting like it.

"Look..." Prompto began softly, knowing that he was going to have to explain a lot to them, in hopes that they would understand. "I know you feel guilty about everything that happened, and I know you feel like it's somehow your fault what happened to me, but I need you to understand that I don't blame you okay?"

"How can you just-" Gladio started, sounding angry.

Prompto cut him off, "It hurt." Gladio's mouth snapped closed.

"It hurt worse than anything I'd ever felt before, when you all left me in that place; when you couldn't tell the difference. I'm not going to lie and say it didn't. It hurt hoping one day you would notice and come save me... and realizing you never would."

Ignis had bowed his head in shame as Prompto spoke, Gladio looked like he was two seconds away from trying to destroy everything in a five mile radius.

Prompto didn't like making them hurt, but if they were going to understand, they needed to know the truth. He looked at them, and took a deep breath. "But no matter how much it hurt, I never for one second, blamed you."

The both gaped at him, stunned into silence by the statement, even having already heard it many times before. Prompto figured that probably meant they believed him, but that they still couldn't understand why.

"If you want forgiveness, you can have it, but you don't need it. It wasn't your fault. For awhile, I thought it was mine... I guess I kind of still do."

Gladio growled at that, but Prompto just waved him off, "Logically, I know it's not- that, and Noct has done his best to drill that fact into my head every chance he gets, but while I was there, it was hard to believe anything else." Prompto went to sit at the table, and put his face in his hand. He knew he needed to do this, but talking about it was still difficult. Ignis and Gladio followed him and sat as well, waiting patiently for him to continue.

"When you... took MT with you over me; when you didn't notice the difference, I figured it was because you didn't care. I never really felt good enough to be your friends, so when you couldn't tell the difference, I though it just proved that I was right. One Prompto is just as good as another, and he isn't good for much in the first place, so what's the difference right?" Prompto rested his hand on the table and smiled at their stricken expressions- it felt wrong on his face, broken and cracked... just like him.

"I know you never thought that, I do, you're not those kind of people; you're good. It was just hard you know?"

"We are so sorry Prompto, not a day goes by where I don't wish we had done better by you." Ignis said, hesitantly reaching out and placing his hand over Prompto's.

"I think... Ardyn wanted me to blame you, to hate you for leaving me, but I never could. Even after ten years, I never once blamed you, because no matter how much it hurt... more than anything, I just wanted to see you again." The smile he gave them at that felt more real, a bit wobbly, but genuine.

"So please, just be yourselves around me okay? I don't need you to treat me like a delicate flower, I just need you to be you; I need you to be Iggy and Gladio. I need you to be my friends."

Gladio, sniffed and tried to inconspicuously wipe away the tears from his eyes, "Alright Prom, no need to get so worked up, you could of just told us to knock it off." He huffed, and while it was still said without the usual gruffness, Prompto smiled at the effort.

Ignis patted his hand, "Gladio is quite right, we will do our best to 'just be us' as it were."

"I missed you guys a lot." Prompto told them fondly.

"And we are incredibly pleased to have you back."

"Hell yeah we are." Gladio affirmed with a grin.

Things got better from then on, there were still times where they all (including Noctis) handled him with kid gloves, but for the most part, things went back to normal. Prompto got back to healing, content in the knowledge that his friends would be there for him every step of the way.

They sat around the fire, until the flames weren't much more than dying embers.

"I think I'm gonna call it a night." Gladio said with a yawn a little while later, getting up and kicking sand over the remains of the bonfire.

Ignis stood up with him, "Yes, I believe I will as well. Don't stay up too late you two."

Then it was just the two of them, and Prompto figured now was as good a time as any.

"Walk with me?" Prompto asked, getting up and holding his hand out to Noctis.

Noctis took his hand, "Of course." He smiled.

They followed the well worn path that lead up near the crop field, until they reached the ledge of the cliff- not too far away from the house, that had the best unobstructed view of the ocean. There was a small bench there that Gladio and Noct had built one day when they noticed Prompto liked to spend a lot of time there looking out at the horizon. It was beautiful there, with the reflected moon light glittering like diamonds on the water.

Prompto pulled Noctis down to sit next to him.

"That was quite a speech back there." Prompto mused looking out over the horizon.

"Yeah, well it needed to be said. It was the truth." Noctis grumbled, Prompto snuck a peak at him, and smiled at the blush he saw creeping over Noctis' cheeks.

Prompto hummed, "Even the part where you said you wanted to live your life with me in front of all our friends?" he teased.

Noctis choked on air, Prompto smirked.

"I'm sorry."

Prompto blinked, and turned to look at Noctis in confusion, he looked flustered and guilty and Prompto wasn't sure why.

Noctis stared at him with wide eyes, "I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to do that- in front of all our friends I mean." Noctis clarified quickly, "I mean, I'm not ashamed of how I feel, but I-" he stopped and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "What I'm trying to say is that, yes, of course that part- especially that part was true. I want to spend every lifetime I have with you Prompto. You know this, I've made sure you know how much you are loved every day, in every way I could, but I-"

Prompto watched in fond amazement as Noctis grew increasingly more flustered with each word.

"I didn't mean to just blurt it out in front of everyone like that though. How I feel about you isn't for them, it's for you, but I couldn't help myself. I looked at you, and in that second, I forgot that everyone else was there." Noctis smiled shyly at him, Prompto smiled back.

"But-" Noctis said, once again with an almost frantic look on his face, "I'm not trying to put any kind of pressure on you to return my feelings or be with me before you're ready. I'll make sure the others don't bother you about it either. You've been through so much Prom, and I would completely understand if you were never ready to be with me." Noctis took Prompto's hand and held it delicately in both of his, "I love you Prompto, and just being able to have you in my life is more than enough."

"Oh Noct." Prompto sighed and with butterflies fluttering wildly in his stomach, he decided to put his poor, dumb friend out of his misery by leaning in and pressing his lips softly to Noct's. The kiss was chaste, but it was everything Prompto had hoped for. He wasn't worried Noct would take it the wrong way, or scared he would take it too far; it didn't make him think of his time with Ardyn or lose touch with reality.

It was just a wonderfully simple kiss shared with the person he loved.

Prompto pulled back and smiled sweetly at Noctis.

Noctis looked shell-shocked for almost a full minute before he blinked rapidly and stared in awe at Prompto. "Are you sure?"

"Mmmhm" Prompto hummed, smile growing wider on his face and Noctis lit up.

"Gods I love you so much Prom." Noctis breathed, cupping Prompto's face in his hands and showering it all over with little kisses.

Prompto giggled, "I love you too."

Noctis looked at Prompto like he had just given him the whole world. There were tears in both of their eyes, and Prompto didn't think he'd ever been this happy in his entire life.

They leaned against each other, holding hands in the moonlight, until it was time to head in. Noctis kissed Prompto's knuckles as they stood.

"There's just one thing I have to do." Prompto said, and Noctis nodded at him, knowing full well what he needed to do, "I'll wait for you by the house." Noctis told him, kissing him softly and walking back toward the house.

Prompto turned, and walked in the opposite direction, walking along the fence lining the cliff of the cape until he reached the little nook with a tree behind the crop field. It was there that he found the modest grave site created for one Ardyn Lucis Caelum.

Prompto had stopped wearing Ardyn's coat shortly after realizing that he needed to start trying to live his life again, because the man in question wasn't ever going to return. He started wearing mostly long sleeve shirts as well, in an effort to cover up and the scars and the words on his arm. It was difficult, but he knew that if he wanted to have any chance in getting better, he needed to try and let Ardyn go.

The first step was the coat and the photo album. He couldn't just bring himself to throw them away, so he bundled them up and shoved them in the wardrobe. They stayed there for nearly two years, and only came out once on the anniversary of the man's death, where Prompto cried confused, angry tears into the folds of fabric and screamed in frustration at the man until his voice was hoarse.

The letter and the picture were more difficult to deal with.

The letter was a tether to reality he was unsure he would ever be able to part with, and the photo was a painful reminder that even with all the pain and horror, there were still moments where Ardyn showed him genuine affection- or as close to it as he possibly could. But that was a whole other issue, he shouldn't want to remember the good times with the man who literally tortured and imprisoned him for ten years. It was all kinds of messed up, and even he knew it.

That didn't change how he felt though, no matter how much he wished it did.

So for a while, the letter and the photo stayed locked up in the drawer of his bedside table. The letter only coming out when he needed a reminder that the life he was currently living was in fact real, and the photo only coming out when he was feeling particularly worthless and needed comfort, but didn't want to bother Noctis with his problems.

It was eight months into the second year 'Post Ardyn', that Prompto finally decided to bury the man.

He told Noctis as much one morning as they laid in bed.

"Okay." Noctis said hesitantly, "What do you want to do... how can I help?"

"Help me dig a grave." Prompto said simply.

"Excuse me?"

"I want to have a funeral." There was a part of Prompto that wanted to do this alone, but he wasn't too proud to admit when he needed help, also having Noctis there would make him feel better.

Noctis seemed like he wanted to say something, but he must have seen something in Prompto's expression that stopped him, "Okay. You just let me know when and where and I'll be there."

Prompto spent the rest of that day looking for the perfect spot, somewhere out of the way and far enough from the house that he wouldn't have to see it every day, but also somewhere deserving of being the final resting place for a king- body or no.

He eventually found the spot, where the land behind the crop field met the side of the cliff that held the lighthouse. He almost didn't even notice the little nook, as it was practically hidden behind a tree, but when he found it, he knew it was the perfect spot. And he was sure Ardyn would appreciate the ocean view.

The next day was spent digging a modest hole, and picking out a nice rock for the grave stone- Gladio grumbled the entire time about being forced to carry a boulder from one side of the cape to the other, no one bothered to remind him that he had offered to help of his own accord.

Noctis helped him carve the inscription into the stone, saying nothing about the words Prompto chose.

Prompto also requested a small solar lantern be installed, so that Ardyn never had to live in darkness again. The others had shared a look at that- Ignis had a slight frown on his face- but they did as he asked, and by sunset that day, everything was ready. Prompto couldn't help but appreciate the symbolism in that.

The others stood aside, as he carried what was left of Ardyn- a coat, a photo album, and a small box containing his last words, and a glimpse of the man he once was. Prompto was still struggling with the decision to bury the photo and the letter along with the rest of it, but as he gently places the items into the grave, he knew it was the right decision.

He had to let Ardyn go. The good and the bad.

He needed to move on, and Ardyn needed to be put to rest.

Prompto cried as the dirt covered the pieces of his past. He cried in sadness, and relief, and happiness, feeling a sense of closure wash over him as the sun fell below the horizon and welcomed in the night.

"Goodbye Ardyn." He whispered before turning and calmly walking away.

Over the years, Prompto only ever went back there on the anniversary of the man's death, to tell him about his life, and to let the Ardyn know- where ever he was, that he wasn't forgotten.

"Hey Ardyn." Prompto said softly as he knelt by the grave.

"I been awhile huh?" Prompto chuckled, "Five whole years since you've been gone, and I'm still here, who would of guessed it? Certainly not me, but here I am. I'm still alive, and against all odds, I'm actually happy." He managed a small smile at that.

"I don't know if you'd be proud of me for not giving up or not. I'd like to think you would be, but I didn't do it for you, I did it for me. I did it to try and reclaim a bit of what you took away from me; to try and be my own person again; to remember how to live without you by my side."

Prompto traced the letters on the grave stone with his finger, "I still miss you sometimes, against my better judgment of course, but you were a part of my life for so long- you were the only part of my life for ten years. Even for me, it's hard to forget something like that." Prompto sighed, " I know you expected me to hate you for what you did to me, but I never quite managed that. I tried to, sometimes I even thought I might, but I never did, not really. Because I realized that in the end, you were just a lonely man who felt abandoned and forgotten by everyone you cared about... Just like me."

Prompto knew he wasn't alone anymore, but it didn't change the fact that he had been, for a large part of his life he had no one. His parents were hardly ever around, and he was never very good at making friends. It wasn't until high school that he was able to work up the courage to really talk to Noct, and then that was gone just a few short years later, leaving him alone again with no one but Ardyn for company. Prompto knew what loneliness did to a person, how it grew inside you little by little until it consumed you whole. Prompto didn't blame Ardyn for the cruel, vindictive person he had become after nearly 2000 years of solitude, if anything, it surprised him that the man retained even a semblance of sanity.

"Don't get me wrong though," Prompto said, wanting to clarify, "I hate what you did to me, and what you turned me into, but I don't hate you. Because even with all the pain and trauma you put me through, you're still the man who held me through the night to chase the nightmares away, and who whispered soft words to me in the mornings. You're still the man who, against all odds and all evidence to the contrary, seemed to actually come to care about me in the end."

Prompto took a deep breath, "You're still the man who set me free. We both know you didn't have to do that. Killing me would have been so simple, it would have hurt Noct more too. But you didn't, you let me live, you gave me a second chance. Even if it only stemmed from the desire to be remembered, I'll always be grateful for that."

In the end, Ardyn had been right when he carved the words into Prompto's arm, no one had come to save him, but over the years he had worked hard every single day to put the broken pieces of himself back together. His friends had stood by him every step of the way, cheering him on every time he felt like giving up, and after years of struggle, he had managed to come out the other side and be himself again. And even though he covered them most days, the words didn't bother him much anymore, they were just a reminder that he hadn't gone down without a fight. They were proof that even through all the hardship, he had survived, and he couldn't help the swell of pride he felt when he looked down at them.

Prompto stood and stared down at the grave, reading the familiar words carved into the stone

Ardyn Lucis Caelum

Gone but never forgotten

"I hope you finally found peace, wherever you are." Prompto said sincerely before walking back to the house.

Noctis was waiting for him outside when he got there, Prompto greeted him with a kiss, still thrilled that he was able to do that now. If Noctis' smile was any indication, he felt the same.

"You okay?" Noctis asked reaching out to hold Prompto's hand in his.

Prompto considered that for a moment, he thought about his life over the past five years; he thought about how far he had come and all the friends he made. He thought about Queen Gumdrop and Professor Marshmallow and how much he adored them. He thought about spending the day with all the people he loved and who loved him in return.

He thought about kissing Noctis in the moonlight.

Yes there were still days that were hard, and he knew there always would be, but that was okay. Because there were also days like today that made him glad he decided to stick around.

Prompto laced his fingers together with Noct's and smiled brightly at him, "Yeah, you know, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I really think I am."