Chapter Text
Prompto hated that he stopped here nearly every single day without buying anything, but he just couldn’t bring himself to make a decision. He sometimes wished there were only two choices - then it might be easier.
He first thought black, because it was the Royal color.
Then, maybe purple because it reminded him of the crystal and it’s magic.
On his last visit, he saw a leather one, strapping around it and a slightly worn look. It reminded him of the notebook Noctis wrote in to Lady Lunafreya, just bigger.
No way he was ever picking that one.
He knew that, in the end, it really didn’t matter. Noctis wasn’t going to look at it, not in the way someone else would. But he knew it would be sitting on the shelf of his Royal Highness’s bookcase. Someday, it might even be moved to the Citadel once Noctis was forced to make that his home.
And Prompto felt self conscious knowing it was his gift. His life.
His art inside.
Prompto loved taking pictures ever since he was young. With his parents gone so much, photography helped him relate to the world. With the camera around his neck, no one harassed him for being somewhere without his parents. He felt able to explore from behind the lens. See things other people didn’t see, or things they looked at all the time, but failed to really see.
He was secretly very glad Noctis was enthusiastic and supportive of his photography. When he finally got up the nerve to approach him, after all the stolen looks and times they’d both been caught staring, he figured his camera would get in the way. It seemed - pedestrian. A flash going off in his face was nothing new to a Prince. Prompto was sure that part of himself would be off-limits, or worse, he would be treated like paparazzi and his camera confiscated at the door.
Instead, Noctis agreed to look at the photos Prompto took on their first official date eagerly, almost as if he had been curious but afraid to ask.
Prompto had saved all his favorites since. Even if Prompto would never have included them, he remembered the ones Noctis liked. He had them stored away on a drive, idly waiting for a reason to see the light of day.
And now, here Prompto was for the eighth? Nineth? He lost count how many times he had been in this shop in recent weeks. He was here to find a photo album to put the photos in.
He hoped to answer the question of 'what do you get the Prince who has everything?' His birthdays were easy. Items in King’s Knight or another video game that his father or Ignis wouldn’t know about always made Noct smile.
This was their first Valentine’s day though, and Prompto felt the heavy weight of expectation. He knew it was stupid. They could get each other nothing and it wouldn’t change their feelings. He knew Noctis would get him something, though, or rather Ignis would get Noctis something to give him. Prompto shook his head at the absurdity of it for a moment, but that was how it worked for Noctis Lucis Caelum. Prompto didn’t have advisors, shields or retainers though, so he had to come here and sweat it out all by himself.
Black. Purple. The dark blue one with a bit of silver pattern that glinted when you turned the book just right. A leather one or just go with red to match the holiday? Prompto nearly jumped when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“Can I help you?”
“Um, maybe?” Prompto looked at the selection he’d gathered in front of him again, but still it yielded no answers.
“Family?” The shop girl hovered, waiting for him to figure out what to say.
“Valentine’s present,” Prompto replied nervously, running a hand through his undoubtedly destroyed hair.
“Ah, well, these are strong colors...”
Prompto looked up at her when she stopped speaking, nodding and blushing at her subtle question.
“Okay, well, lucky guy,” she smiled. “Any particular reason for any of these?”
Prompto looked over each of them in turn. There were reasons, but they varied wildly and in some cases, Prompto just didn’t want to reveal what they were. ‘I’m buying for the Prince’ wasn’t something he was going to let slip no matter how casual about Noctis he was when they were together.
“Several,” Prompto settled on, which he knew was a whole heap of no help.
“Any of those reasons stronger than the others?” She reached a hand over to feel the covers and left a couple of them. “These aren’t all quite the same size/shape either, so do you have an idea of how many photos you’re going to be placing in there?”
Prompto let her fall into full sales mode as she opened them in turn, noting how they could be expanded, but some would ultimately hold more than others.
“Is this something you um, expect to have for awhile?”
Prompto looked at her and she must have been confused, because she immediately laughed lightly, trying to diffuse the situation she imagined creating.
“You never said what Valentine’s, if you are looking to add to it later for future years…”
Prompto immediately jumped to one of his favorite daydreams. He never told anyone about it. Despite how long he’d actually known Noctis, it seemed preemptive. They were sitting together in the royal gardens, years from now. Prompto imagined what an older, Kingly-er Noctis would look like, all draped in his royal robes. Prompto always put himself in a Crownsguard uniform. He couldn’t imagine himself in much else, honestly.
They were watching some children playing, just sitting there in the warmth of the sun that streamed through the glass, holding hands. It was, domestic.
Prompto never wanted anything more in his life.
“Uh, yeah, I mean, I would like to expand it.” Prompto offered. “I’m a photographer, these will be my photos I’m putting in there.”
“Oh, how special!”
“Yeah, I hope so,” Prompto grinned.
“Well, then you definitely want something that reflects the both of you. I assume these photos will be of you two? Your life, dates, and stuff?”
“Yeah,” Prompto agreed, eyes taking in the choices again, willing the Astrals to give him a sign. “Some are of us with friends, some just us, some of him only.” Prompto blushed. They weren’t anything that couldn’t sit on a shelf of course, those he had on a thumbdrive, in a box, in his closet. One couldn’t be too careful.
“Sounds fun, then,” the girl mused. “Probably not black, then. Too formal.”
Prompto nodded, not stopping her when she moved it aside, leaving the other four.
“Red is very bold, does that describe your man or your relationship?”
Prompto had to contain the eruption of laughter that threatened to escape. “That was really just because of the holiday. We’re pretty laid back guys.”
“No red then,” she declared, tossing it aside with the black.
“That leaves, leather, blue, and purple.”
“Toss the leather,” Prompto directed. He’d already told himself he wasn’t going to have their album the same as Noct's other important one.
“Well, that leaves blue and purple, then.”
“Thanks,” Prompto sighed. “I’ve been coming in here for weeks and there were just…too many choices.”
“No worries. That’s my job.” Just then the little bell jangled, alerting that a customer had just walked in.
“Think you can handle this from here?”
“Yeah,” Prompto laughed, “I think I can handle two options.”
“Great, just see me when you’re ready to check out.”
Prompto waved as she walked away, then his eyes fell back to the two choices left. They were quite similar in size and shape. Both would hold more pages than initially provided. Prompto closed his eyes and pictured the scene in his mind. Pictured Noctis opening the box, seeing the album sitting there, neatly wrapped.
One stuck out in Prompto’s mind, no matter how many times he tried to envision something else. Grabbing the chosen one, he headed for the checkout. It was going to take him the rest of the week to set the album up and print the photos. At least now he had somewhere to put them.
He couldn’t wait for Noct to see it.