[With that attractive, not-quite-awake grunt, Prompto snuggles away from Noct's voice deeper into whatever nice, soft thing it is he's holding. Buddy, why. Why this betrayal. What has he ever done to ykdslrlpfldsfklsd okay haha never mind that question, we know so many stupid things Prompto's shaken Noct awake for at dawn.]
[Boys. Some of us are actually light sleepers, on account of that one time when she wasn't and the village where her group was staying got attacked and she got the shit kicked out of her by a troll because she decided to oversleep that morning.
First impulse: oh fuck oh fuck who's in the room kill it kill it Second impulse: hey it smells like Prompto in here Third impulse: oh that's right because that is Prompto, isn't it Fourth impulse: okay, never mind, walk it back, if Prompto's here then she's safe Fifth impulse: who the fuck —
With that little foray into instantaneous subconscious reaction completed, Summer half-sits up, with her dull brown hair in a wild mess that makes her look a little like Swamp Thing from how it's covering most of her face, and grumbles.]
oh, oh. Girl in bed, girl in Prompto's bed! How did he not notice the girl in Prompto's bed up until now? Noctis jerks back, startled and wide-eyed. Okay, are they naked? Did he walk in on them after having nookie? Probably not, because it doesn't look like they were up to anything, but one can never be sure, really. ]
Uh... breakfast is gonna be ready? And, um. Happy birthday, Prompto?
[ Okay, so it was supposed to be way more assertive than it is, but he's just witnessed a girl in his best friend's bed, so. ]
[There is decidedly a wheat-yellow hoodie visible, once things shift around a little more — which they do, because Summer is more awake now than not awake, and grumbling as a result — so there's a good chance that Noct hasn't walked in on anything questionable here. Probably.]
[Prompto whines again because Warm Soft Cuddles is moving, and talking, and oh, fine, he'll wake up in a second. He rolls over onto his back, then further over onto his front, hugging his pillow instead of his traitor girlfriend who's more interested in food than him.]
Yeah, you too, Noct.
[...
Wait. His head shoots up.]
It's my birthday. [Prompto sits up, fully awake now, his hair sticking up in crazy, fluffy tufts and a big grin on his face. He paws excitedly at Summer's arm.] Hey! It's my birthday! What're you doing awake this early, buddy?
[The last is to Noct. Luckily, Prompto's pretty much decent as he launches out of bed. He just needs to put some pants on over his shorts. Annoyed, Sparky makes a creaky noise and trundles right into Summer's arms. If Prompto's not gonna appreciate sleepy bae in bed, he will.]
[ Ignis' call from the kitchen reminds him of the gift he's dtuck in his pocket, but he's still pleased that at least he got to greet him first, which is such a tiny thing but whatever.
He had a dream, and he went for it. So he nods at Summer, too. ]
Hey, Flora.
[ Then to Prompto: ] I'm gonna take a real long nap later, mind. But I've got something for you. And get up, Iggy made you your favourite.
[Where is she going to dump this armful of chocobo in order to indulge this bigger, more excited chocoboy. So much is happening right now that something almost doesn't occur to her, until she blinks enough hair out of her eyes for the connection to be made what color it is to begin with.]
Oh, um — shit, hang on, lemme put my face on.
[She abandons the chocobaby on the mattress and rolls onto her side facing away from them for a handful of moments, as a tiny whisper of magic flares. When she rolls back over, her hair is as red as always, and she's grinning.]
[ Summer is definitely weird as hell, and it doesn't escape his notice, the ripple of magic in the air that signals that something isn't quite right. Rather, not a lot is right with her, and Noctis frowns, leaning against the doorjamb.
While he might let it go under different circumstances, this time it's different-- this time it involves his best friend, and he tilts his head at her, gaze shifting from Prompto to Summer herself.
Come to think of it, Summer has never really been forthcoming with much. ]
[Uh-oh. Prompto's head snaps up--oh, no, Noct, don't. He's aware of Summer at his back, on his back, having slept here because he promised he could, that she'd be safe.
Noct, buddy. Not on his birthday. He looks upset and pleading for a second, then shakes his head, going for mock-chiding, jovial, to hide how genuinely, fiercely protective he's become of her over this short a time.]
You don't ask girls about makeup and stuff, dude! Bet Iris would break your jaw for that kind of thing.
[Whatever that wisp of magic's about, Prompto's apparently in the loop, at least.]
[Oddly enough, it isn't the challenge in Noct's words that makes her freeze up, ultimately — it's the fact that in the very next moment, before she can even get her mouth open, Prompto is leaping in to defend her. And she of all people can spot exactly what he's doing; she's no stranger to that sort of verbal parry, that seemingly effortless deflection of a conversation's trajectory away from a raw subject and onto a safer one. Of course she knows how that works. She does it herself, all the time.
No, the part that makes it feel as though a block of ice has just dropped into her stomach is the fact that she's heard Prompto talk about Noctis before. She's heard how great he is, how loyal he is, how brave he is, what a dork he is. He's a prince. He's the best. He's everything.
And Prompto is siding with her. Shielding her.
She's used the name Kallisti before, in a place where only she knew what it meant, where it was funny because of how it gave away her plans, her schemes, her ultimate endgame. This time it isn't funny, and it isn't fun, and it makes her swallow hard.]
...It's okay.
[That's intended for Prompto, probably, even if she's not looking at either of them when she says it.]
No. No, it's okay — it's your birthday, don't — I'll just show him. And then it won't be, y'know, a Thing all day or be weird or. It's fine. It's okay, I'll just show him.
[ Don't start with him, Prompto -- they both know you would've done the same if positions are reversed. It's not that Noctis doesn't like her, he does. She might be weird and not forthcoming, but there's a sort of curious vulnerability he finds in her. Noctis is surprised when he leaps immediately to her defense, like he's protective of her, and he's coming to the same bittersweet conclusion as Summer does.
Prompto likes her -- like, really likes her, and more than anything Noctis wants to know that Summer won't hurt him for it. His best friend has the softest, biggest heart, and the last thing Noctis wants for Prompto is for him to be hurt. He softens, just a little, but he doesn't back down. ]
Okay.
[ Noctis says softly, hands in his pockets. He can't back down, he has to make sure Prompto is safe with her. Himself, and most importantly, his heart. ]
[Noctis will feel it, surely, when her magic works again — she lifts a hand up close to her head and brings her fingers together in a sort of pulling motion, and as she does her bright red hair abruptly loses its luster, fading back into the dull, boring brown it had been when she'd first rolled over in bed. Magic, evidently, is what goes into making it that hue most of the time; without the benefits of whatever spell she uses to color it, her hair is plain and average. Unremarkable. Ordinary.
She's more hesitant about enacting her second move, the second spell she pulls off of her face. She glances away to do it, turning her face down and to the side, and when she slowly brings it back to face Noctis straight-on, her reason for that becomes clear.
Half of her face is exactly the same as it'd been before — soft curves, smooth skin, paleish complexion. The other half, though, is anything but.
Though the eye on the right side of her face is mercifully fine, the skin is battered and red with old scarring, from her forehead to her jawline and across her cheek. There's a slight nick in her eyebrow, as well, that isn't there in her illusion — a hint of a vertical scar, like something had cut down her face and the brow had never recovered from it. Something burned her once, perhaps, or at the very least scarred her horribly, and though eerily her eyes still seem to be completely fine, the rest of it makes for an unsettling duality — one half intact, the other half destroyed.
She swallows hard, forcing a smile onto her lips, and makes her voice go nonchalant when in fact she feels anything but.]
This is why I need to do that.
[She keeps her chin up, as she swallows hard again.]
Having people, y'know, ask questions — it, uh, it gets old, after awhile. So I just. Don't...give them a reason to ask.
[Prompto's shoulders slump as the bomb--and that's what the question feels like--is taken deftly out of his hands and detonated elsewhere, above his shoulder. Summer doesn't need to do that for him, and shouldn't have to, and he doesn't understand right now why Noct asked in the first place. Prompto just wishes he hadn't, knows Noct's going to feel like a jerk in an instant and Summer's already feeling bad, and this isn't what he wants for his birthday at all.
The warning goes out of his tone. Its absence is the clearest sign it was there in the first place.]
It's nothing bad.
[He says it without looking at either of them, meaning it for both. It's nothing for Summer to be ashamed of. It wasn't her fault, it's not a fault that she wants to hide it. It's nothing for Noct to take cautiously into account. Nothing that'll hurt Prompto.
His right arm's tucked under her, helping balance her weight on his back. Even now, after he's told Noct and Ignis the truth, he still wears the wristband over his barcode.
Finally, he sighs, and looks up at Noct faintly reprovingly through his bedhead.]
[ Prompto's right -- Noctis does feel like a jerk. He visibly softens when he sees what Summer shows her, and a part of him regrets pushing her for it (the more stubborn part is doggedly attached to the fact that at least he now knows, at least he knows Summer would be safe for Prompto).
He bites his lip briefly, not in dismay but in understanding. It's terrible, sure, but now he at least has an explanation for the magic, even if he's pretty sure these are not the circumstances that Summer's wanted to reveal them to. ]
I'm sorry.
[ He says softly, because he knows when he's fucked up and this is probably one of them, and now the mood's... well, the mood's dampened. But he understands now why Prompto's so protective, why he cares for her like this. In her, maybe, he finds a kindred spirit of a sort. He doesn't look away, because he's pretty sure she might have had more than her fair share of people cringing and turning from her. It might be unsettling, but it also means that someone's hurt her, too, and he finally nods.
He hopes whoever it was got whatever was coming to them. ]
We're good. C'mon, let's go, or Iggy will get cranky.
[ Nyx, for one, is chill as hell -- he'll be a good counterbalance to Ignis fussing about in the kitchen, and he's not looking forward to telling Ignis how he might have messed up later. ]
Oh, jeez, we can't have that. If Iggy gets cranky then none of us eat.
[She leans a little bit heavy into the deadpan, maybe, but the tension of the moment breaks when Noctis releases it, and she's quick to bring her hand back up and flick magic back into her hair, over her face. In a few seconds she's normal again, secure behind the illusion that even she sometimes forgets she wears every day, and once it's restored she settles back down against Prompto's back, draping onto him like she's trying to convey her okayness with body language alone.]
Birthday breakfaaaaaaaaast!
[Sometimes faking it 'till you make it is the best thing you can do.]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2018-10-26 07:38 pm (UTC)[With that attractive, not-quite-awake grunt, Prompto snuggles away from Noct's voice deeper into whatever nice, soft thing it is he's holding. Buddy, why. Why this betrayal. What has he ever done to ykdslrlpfldsfklsd okay haha never mind that question, we know so many stupid things Prompto's shaken Noct awake for at dawn.]
no subject
Date: 2018-10-27 02:00 pm (UTC)First impulse: oh fuck oh fuck who's in the room kill it kill it
Second impulse: hey it smells like Prompto in here
Third impulse: oh that's right because that is Prompto, isn't it
Fourth impulse: okay, never mind, walk it back, if Prompto's here then she's safe
Fifth impulse: who the fuck —
With that little foray into instantaneous subconscious reaction completed, Summer half-sits up, with her dull brown hair in a wild mess that makes her look a little like Swamp Thing from how it's covering most of her face, and grumbles.]
The hell — it's still dark out —
no subject
Date: 2018-10-27 02:34 pm (UTC)oh, oh. Girl in bed, girl in Prompto's bed! How did he not notice the girl in Prompto's bed up until now? Noctis jerks back, startled and wide-eyed. Okay, are they naked? Did he walk in on them after having nookie? Probably not, because it doesn't look like they were up to anything, but one can never be sure, really. ]
Uh... breakfast is gonna be ready? And, um. Happy birthday, Prompto?
[ Okay, so it was supposed to be way more assertive than it is, but he's just witnessed a girl in his best friend's bed, so. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-10-27 03:10 pm (UTC)...Breakfast?
[Oh, boy, her favorite subject. Food.]
no subject
Date: 2018-10-27 03:28 pm (UTC)Yeah, you too, Noct.
[...
Wait. His head shoots up.]
It's my birthday. [Prompto sits up, fully awake now, his hair sticking up in crazy, fluffy tufts and a big grin on his face. He paws excitedly at Summer's arm.] Hey! It's my birthday! What're you doing awake this early, buddy?
[The last is to Noct. Luckily, Prompto's pretty much decent as he launches out of bed. He just needs to put some pants on over his shorts. Annoyed, Sparky makes a creaky noise and trundles right into Summer's arms. If Prompto's not gonna appreciate sleepy bae in bed, he will.]
no subject
Date: 2018-10-27 03:56 pm (UTC)[Thus comes a call from a few rooms over, perfectly moderated to be audible without the necessity of shouting all across the house.]
You've fifteen minutes until breakfast is served. And happy birthday, Prompto!
no subject
Date: 2018-10-27 11:09 pm (UTC)He had a dream, and he went for it. So he nods at Summer, too. ]
Hey, Flora.
[ Then to Prompto: ] I'm gonna take a real long nap later, mind. But I've got something for you. And get up, Iggy made you your favourite.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-27 11:20 pm (UTC)My favorite! C'mon, let's go, I'm up!
[He zips back over to Summer, pants on but feet bare, and lowers himself enough so she can jump on his back.]
Birthday breakfast, let's gooooo!
[Sorry, literally everyone else in this house. It's birthday.]
no subject
Date: 2018-10-27 11:27 pm (UTC)Oh, um — shit, hang on, lemme put my face on.
[She abandons the chocobaby on the mattress and rolls onto her side facing away from them for a handful of moments, as a tiny whisper of magic flares. When she rolls back over, her hair is as red as always, and she's grinning.]
So what is your favorite? Are there potatoes?
[She elbows him as she clambers on, laughing.]
no subject
Date: 2018-10-28 12:08 am (UTC)[ Summer is definitely weird as hell, and it doesn't escape his notice, the ripple of magic in the air that signals that something isn't quite right. Rather, not a lot is right with her, and Noctis frowns, leaning against the doorjamb.
While he might let it go under different circumstances, this time it's different-- this time it involves his best friend, and he tilts his head at her, gaze shifting from Prompto to Summer herself.
Come to think of it, Summer has never really been forthcoming with much. ]
Why do you need to do that?
no subject
Date: 2018-10-28 12:21 am (UTC)Noct, buddy. Not on his birthday. He looks upset and pleading for a second, then shakes his head, going for mock-chiding, jovial, to hide how genuinely, fiercely protective he's become of her over this short a time.]
You don't ask girls about makeup and stuff, dude! Bet Iris would break your jaw for that kind of thing.
[Whatever that wisp of magic's about, Prompto's apparently in the loop, at least.]
no subject
Date: 2018-10-28 12:40 am (UTC)No, the part that makes it feel as though a block of ice has just dropped into her stomach is the fact that she's heard Prompto talk about Noctis before. She's heard how great he is, how loyal he is, how brave he is, what a dork he is. He's a prince. He's the best. He's everything.
And Prompto is siding with her. Shielding her.
She's used the name Kallisti before, in a place where only she knew what it meant, where it was funny because of how it gave away her plans, her schemes, her ultimate endgame. This time it isn't funny, and it isn't fun, and it makes her swallow hard.]
...It's okay.
[That's intended for Prompto, probably, even if she's not looking at either of them when she says it.]
No. No, it's okay — it's your birthday, don't — I'll just show him. And then it won't be, y'know, a Thing all day or be weird or. It's fine. It's okay, I'll just show him.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-28 02:08 am (UTC)Prompto likes her -- like, really likes her, and more than anything Noctis wants to know that Summer won't hurt him for it. His best friend has the softest, biggest heart, and the last thing Noctis wants for Prompto is for him to be hurt. He softens, just a little, but he doesn't back down. ]
Okay.
[ Noctis says softly, hands in his pockets. He can't back down, he has to make sure Prompto is safe with her. Himself, and most importantly, his heart. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-10-28 02:30 am (UTC)She's more hesitant about enacting her second move, the second spell she pulls off of her face. She glances away to do it, turning her face down and to the side, and when she slowly brings it back to face Noctis straight-on, her reason for that becomes clear.
Half of her face is exactly the same as it'd been before — soft curves, smooth skin, paleish complexion. The other half, though, is anything but.
Though the eye on the right side of her face is mercifully fine, the skin is battered and red with old scarring, from her forehead to her jawline and across her cheek. There's a slight nick in her eyebrow, as well, that isn't there in her illusion — a hint of a vertical scar, like something had cut down her face and the brow had never recovered from it. Something burned her once, perhaps, or at the very least scarred her horribly, and though eerily her eyes still seem to be completely fine, the rest of it makes for an unsettling duality — one half intact, the other half destroyed.
She swallows hard, forcing a smile onto her lips, and makes her voice go nonchalant when in fact she feels anything but.]
This is why I need to do that.
[She keeps her chin up, as she swallows hard again.]
Having people, y'know, ask questions — it, uh, it gets old, after awhile. So I just. Don't...give them a reason to ask.
no subject
Date: 2018-10-28 02:44 am (UTC)The warning goes out of his tone. Its absence is the clearest sign it was there in the first place.]
It's nothing bad.
[He says it without looking at either of them, meaning it for both. It's nothing for Summer to be ashamed of. It wasn't her fault, it's not a fault that she wants to hide it. It's nothing for Noct to take cautiously into account. Nothing that'll hurt Prompto.
His right arm's tucked under her, helping balance her weight on his back. Even now, after he's told Noct and Ignis the truth, he still wears the wristband over his barcode.
Finally, he sighs, and looks up at Noct faintly reprovingly through his bedhead.]
Okay? We good here?
no subject
Date: 2018-10-28 03:37 am (UTC)He bites his lip briefly, not in dismay but in understanding. It's terrible, sure, but now he at least has an explanation for the magic, even if he's pretty sure these are not the circumstances that Summer's wanted to reveal them to. ]
I'm sorry.
[ He says softly, because he knows when he's fucked up and this is probably one of them, and now the mood's... well, the mood's dampened. But he understands now why Prompto's so protective, why he cares for her like this. In her, maybe, he finds a kindred spirit of a sort. He doesn't look away, because he's pretty sure she might have had more than her fair share of people cringing and turning from her. It might be unsettling, but it also means that someone's hurt her, too, and he finally nods.
He hopes whoever it was got whatever was coming to them. ]
We're good. C'mon, let's go, or Iggy will get cranky.
[ Nyx, for one, is chill as hell -- he'll be a good counterbalance to Ignis fussing about in the kitchen, and he's not looking forward to telling Ignis how he might have messed up later. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-10-28 03:46 am (UTC)[She leans a little bit heavy into the deadpan, maybe, but the tension of the moment breaks when Noctis releases it, and she's quick to bring her hand back up and flick magic back into her hair, over her face. In a few seconds she's normal again, secure behind the illusion that even she sometimes forgets she wears every day, and once it's restored she settles back down against Prompto's back, draping onto him like she's trying to convey her okayness with body language alone.]
Birthday breakfaaaaaaaaast!
[Sometimes faking it 'till you make it is the best thing you can do.]