adelphoi | (no subject)

(no subject)

[ being in insomnia again is.. strange. the city is the same as she had remembered, and yet so different, so strange after so many long years in tenebrae. this city seems so enormous and sprawling, sharp and stark in comparison, bright and chrome and full of people. though she remembers her time here, her earliest years, she was still quite young when her parents swept she and her brother back to the motherland, and those tender years of growth had been spent in a city very different, a home that she had grown used to, settled into.

and now they are here again, political tensions spurring her father to emigrate here, to lucis again. the empire has been still and quiet, and there have even been talks of treatise, but alisaie trusts her father's judgment, for all his political involvement. more than national pride, he hopes for his family to be safe and secure, and short of living in the bush, insomnia had seemed to him the ideal location. with the wall so strong, such a city must be impenetrable, yes?

alisaie does not know the details of it all, her father would disclose only so much - she and her brother were to focus solely on their studies, bettering themselves, and not to worry about such things outside of their control. lucis might not be a large nation, but insomnia is safe, and secure. it suits their needs just fine.

still, settling in, for alisaie, is not necessarily easy. unlike the rest of her family, smooth-talkers with political savvy, she has a hard enough time simply getting along with her own peers. her friends in tenebrae had been few and distant, their relationships thin and civil but little more. to have to start over again is.. a nightmare. but she is not here to make friends, she is here to finish her schooling, to graduate and prepare for university and beyond. there's nothing to be afraid of.

yet her knuckles are white around the books clutched to her chest as she climbs the stairs that first day, eyes forward, chin high, and it takes less than a week's time for her to earn a reputation as a haughty, conceited little snob, the little rich girl sort who is far too good to waste her time with those she deems beneath her - everyone, apparently. this is not entirely the case of course, but it suits alisaie's needs just fine. let them think what they want, so long as it affords her a wide berth and quiet time to herself, without the terrifying distraction of working her way into, and maintaining her place within, a social circle.

the weekend seems to take an eon to arrive, but friday is here at last. alisaie sits outside at a table on campus, alone, peeling the crusts distractedly from her sandwich, her advanced chemistry textbook open in front of her. three afternoon classes, and this horrible week will be over.. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Having Alisaie back in his life has been, in a word, wonderful.

Even despite their rocky start, since they reconciled that night at the tire park, Prompto and Alisaie have been thick as thieves. In fact, the only person Prompto possibly spends more time with is Noctis, and even that is a close call. Noctis probably wishes Prompto spent a little less time with him, considering how much of their time together is spent in Prompto waxing poetic about Alisaie at every opportunity. But who can blame him? He feels like the luckiest guy in Insomnia to have two such wonderful friends. And Alisaie, she's...

She's something else. Of course, he knew that before, but it's only been further cemented in his mind after all these months. It hadn't taken him long at all to realize his feelings for her were not strictly platonic, though the revelation was hardly surprising. She's smart, clever, witty, bold, beautiful, fun to be around...she's everything he's ever thought he'd want in a girl. Not that - he'd asked her out. Not...in a million years, though once he'd realized the depth of his feelings for her, he had been a bit more awkward and jumpy around her than usual. It took a little time for things to even out again, but regardless of his heart, he knows how things have to be. She's...great, but he's him, and there's no way she'd ever go for him as more than a friend. And he won't risk jeopardizing that friendship for anything. If he lost her now, he wouldn't know what he would do with himself.

No, they're just friends. And...he's okay with that. Of course he is. He's happy. Her friendship alone is more than he deserves. How can he possibly even think of wanting for more? Ha.

Besides, it's tough enough just being her friend, with the way her family is. More specifically...her dad. He can barely step foot around her house without getting a look that could kill from her old man, and he knows he would prefer it if Alisaie spent less time with him. While Prompto doesn't want to go deliberately pissing off the guy, he also...doesn't necessarily have those strong familial relationships himself that might make him more inclined to abide by these particular rules. No, when they're not hanging out at his house, they have to be sneaky, and he goes along with that, even if he does feel a bit guilty.

Tonight he's sneaking over to help her study for her upcoming chemistry exam. He's no science buff himself, but he can read and hold flash cards, which is about all she needs from him. Of course, he can't just go waltzing up through the front door and then proceed to the bedroom without alerting her father, so instead, Prompto crosses behind the house quietly before he begins to throw pebbles at her second story window.

Tap, tap, tap... ]

[ when first she'd heard that they would be returning to insomnia, alisaie had been.. apprehensive. she had not settled well into the city when first she had lived there, but then, she had not exactly settled back into tenebrae, either. while it might have felt more like home, more comfortable, she had not really made friends there any more readily than she had in insomnia.

still, being uprooted again, halfway through her high school career, was a daunting idea, and frustrating to work through, once the move began. she missed classes, exams, study time that all needed to be made up, and she faced the ever intimidating task of assimilating once more. even worse, assimilating somewhere she would be seen as strange not only for her behavior, but for her heritage. what a nightmare.

but prompto has been her unexpected salvation. alisaie does not put much stock in the opinions and judgments of her peers, but no girl is an island, and to be so.. isolated, so out of place, was not a comfortable feeling. prompto has been warm and kind and welcoming, he had been forgiving and understanding; he had been the only friend she had ever had, and now he is her only friend once more. she needs no more than that. his company is uplifting, and while it might cause some.. familial strife, well, alisaie is quite used to frustrating and disappointing her parents, anyway. she will not have her friendships policed.

of course, she remains blissfully unaware of the nature of prompto's feelings for her. though romance is all but expected to be on the mind of a girl her age, alisaie has hardly given it a thought. she has work to do, after all, to keep her studies on track to graduate early, several universities already breathing down her neck, and an equally prodigious brother to keep up with. she may not give a damn about her peers, but she certainly gives a damn about alphinaud, and not allowing him to show her up too easily. so if prompto's smiles make her skin feel warm, if his attentions squeeze her heart a certain way, she certainly does not see it for what it is. prompto is sweet with everyone. he's a kind, generous soul, sensitive and giving and helpful, he gives this sort of love to anyone who might want it.

she enjoys every second of it, nonetheless, and the breath of fresh air that his presence beside her brings.

at the tap tap on her window alisaie starts, her brow creasing, but when the noise does not stop she climbs off of her bed, away from her spread open books and notes and workbooks, to investigate. it takes her only a moment to recognize that ridiculous hair, and alisaie is quick to pull her window open. ]

Prompto! What in the world are you doing?

[ she whispers harshly, though her smile betrays her heart. ]

I thought you weren't available tonight?

[ When she opens the window, he can't help a bright, buoyant smile that lights up his face. It's always good to see her, especially when it's sort of unplanned and unexpected like this. Normally he wouldn't be so presumptuous as to just come over unannounced, but since he knew she would be studying tonight and she had extended an invitation, he figures it's a safe enough bet that he can show up even if it's a change in plans. He promises he won't be too distracting! He's here to help, after all. ]

Change of plans! Noct had to go do some...royal thing. Princes, am I right?

[ He takes a step closer, sizing up the side of the house. It shouldn't be too hard... ]

You still want a hand with your flash cards?

[ Literally? ]

[ i'm so depressed atm it's hard to write a happy tag but here's trying anyway. because alisaie, at least, is thrilled by this change of plans, which is evident enough in her bright, beaming smile. with her hands on the sill, she leans to look down on him, knowing exactly what it is that he's planning - it's not as if her father would allow prompto into her room right now, and alisaie isn't the obedient daughter that she should be. ]

I do.

[ standing back a little, alisaie pushes the window until it is fully up. ]

Please do try not to break your neck on the way up.

[ he's gonna need a ladder like that clarissa explains it all kid. ]

[ As soon as she stands back, Prompto grins wide, taking a few steps back himself. ]

It's not breaking it on the way up I'm worried about!

[ It's only if he falls that it becomes a problem. But a moment later he's breaking into a quick run towards the side of her house, jumping and grabbing ahold of a conveniently placed drain gutter...here he comes!! ]

[ here's hoping he doesn't break his neck on the way down too, then..

anyway, he's comin' in hot, so alisaie steps back from the window to give him whatever room he might need, holding the curtains back with one hand. hopefully he isn't making too much noise, enough to alert the sensitive ears of her father.. but prompto is light on his feet. ]

Be careful!

[ Spoilers: he'll break his neck somehow while safely inside her room. I wouldn't put it past him.

But for now, at least, he is nimble and quick, ascending the side of the house and grabbing onto the lip of the window sill once he is close enough to reach it. He pulls himself over and inside, but doesn't quite stick the landing, tumbling over into a heap...

...and taking Alisaie down with him. He's not quite quick enough turn himself to break her fall, but instead, he winds his arms quickly around her, to at least catch her beneath him to cushion the fall somewhat.

Nailed it... ]

[ this boy girl fall together trope..

alisaie certainly doesn't expect it, and she has to bite her tongue to not cry out when he drags her down with him, both of them tumbling onto the floor in a heap, though thankfully he breaks her fall, which really, was his duty, considering it was his fault to begin with.

she's not thinking about that though, she's only thinking about the fact that he is here beneath her, warm and smelling good and with his arms around her. um, this is highly inappropriate!! having a boy in her room is one thing, but this -

to her horror, there comes a knock at her door, and the sound of her father's voice through it - thank the gods her parents respect their privacy. alisaie? are you all right? her face red as a beet, alisaie freezes like a deer in the headlights. ]

Y-yes, father - I.. only knocked over my textbooks, I'm fine.

[ Please, don't act like you're surprised...

For his part, Prompto barely has a moment to gather himself before that knock comes at the door. Instinctively he freezes up, his arms only tightening around her as his face pales, but Alisaie manages an answer to save them both. Her father seems to accept that answer and his footfalls take him away a moment later, but even then, it's several seconds longer before Prompto dares to breath again, dares to think about anything besides what deep shit they'll both be in if they catch him in here, like this.

Like...........this.

It seems to dawn on him at last that he is lying on the floor with Alisaie on top of him, and he goes catatonic, his pale face erupting into a volcanic red, and he suddenly feels warm all over. Maybe that's just her body up against his, soft and comfortable, the scent of her skin lingering so close to him, his own reflection in her dark eyes, the feeling of her in his arms...it's wonderful and suffocating all at once, but at least he manages to release himself from the spell, releasing his hold on her so they can scramble apart.

Very far apart. He's over on this side of the room now. ]

S-s-sorry...

[ is his nose bleeding ]

[ the entire universe comes to a standstill in those few seconds before relief, before she hears her father's footsteps retreating and at last she can breathe again - though no sooner does she exhale then prompto darts away like a bat out of hell, putting literally as much distance between them as he possibly can.

well.

um.

ahem. alisaie clears her throat and climbs to her foot, smoothing down her skirt, and also whatever dignity she can, though her ears are flushed a hot red. she's never been.. held by anyone before. that was.. it was nice. but gods, she doesn't need to be thinking about that!! alisaie turns to shut the window to have something to do with her hands, before she's carefully sitting on the edge of her bed again. ]

Are you - all right?

[ physically, she means. psychologically he's obviously exploding. ]

[ Prompto can't come to the phone right now. Why? Because he's dead. (I've made this joke so many times but I'm not even sorry.)

But sure, he's physically alright, but he is still curled up and perched across the room from her, his arms around his knees, watching her with his eyes wide as saucers. He can't quite shake the memory of her warm body pressed against his, which isn't helping matters, but he can't just stay like this! Say something, idiot! ]

...Mmmmmhmmmmmm!

[ Close enough. Slowly, like he's moving through molasses, Prompto starts to unwind, inching towards her once more. ]

[ prompto stop making this weirder!! it'll be much easier to just completely forget that the last two minutes even happened, okay. prompto is important to her, and her only friend, she could not possibly let any strange awkwardness come between them. they fell, on top of each other, and there's nothing more to it!! his fluster only serves to magnify hers ten fold, until she has to simply.. look away, at everything but him.

clearing her throat, alisaie begins to shift her notes and books around, to make room for him to sit more easily, but also to give her hands something to do. she doesn't really need to be moving them around this much. or at all. ]

S-so, um. The flash cards -

[ prompto please start behaving like a human again, it would really help her out.. ]

[ "Stop making this weirder" is the opposite of what he's going to do, but okay. Alisaie is attempting to move things along and at least focusing on the flash cards is much, much easier than...talking about what just happened. Alisaie knows full well how Prompto is about girls, how he fawns and crows but never, ever makes a move (though she may have also noticed he hasn't talked about any girls in particular for months now). Touching someone like that is completely new and foreign, but that it had been her...

What would it be like, if he could hold her in his arms anytime he liked?

But he pushes the thought down. Such things are not for him. It doesn't matter how in love with her he might be.

Okay. They're fine. This is fine.

He swallows, moving a bit more quickly before stopping to sit next to her again. ]

R-right. The - the flash cards. L-let's do some flashing!

[ ............ ]

[ of course she knows full well that he's a romantic sap possessing the incredible ability to crush on any girl who so much as passes a glance his way, but look, she had thought that their relationship was different. they're friends, good friends, close enough that she would think that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable with her after something so.. so silly.

but here we are!! and prompto is talking about flashing. alisaie levels him with an incredibly weary stare, sighs, and ignores it. ]

A-all right, well --

[ AHEM. her pile of cards is beneath a folder, and she seizes them like a parched woman grabbing for water, stacking them into a neat pile and handing them his way. ]

Let's begin.

[ and then we probably timeskip, because i don't feel like looking up actual chemistry factlets and you probably don't either. ]

[ No, I really don't, and even if I did, they probably wouldn't get any kind of reaction. /fingerguns

But okay, timeskip it is. The flashcards are a welcome distraction, and soon enough, Prompto is relaxing into his skin once again, far more comfortable than he was after the window...incident. It isn't that he has forgotten about it - oh, no, it's very much still on his mind - but he has at least...calmed down from it, no longer singularly thinking about how warm she had been, how comfortable her weight against him was. How he could feel her heart racing against his own...

Instead, he loses himself in the sound of her voice, at times only half-listening to her answers as he spends far too much time watching her mouth move, the shape of her lips as she talks. Occasionally as he passes cards over to her, their fingers touch, and it's almost electrical, zapping him right to his heart, their eyes meeting in a brief moment that both of them seem all too aware of, for how small it is. Just a simple touch, and he is melting all over again.

But for as distracted as this study session might be, they manage to get through all the flash cards eventually, a substantial pile on the floor next to them. Thank gods. ]

Nice work, Alisaie! Guess you could say all these cards Argon. You're gonna kick ass on your test.

[ He holds out the final card for her to take. ]

[ at the very least things settle back into place, the status quo in place again, and while prompto's thoughts might still be lingering, alisaie seems to have moved on. it was an accident. an embarrassing one, surely, but those moments have passed, and it is not easy for her to be embarrassed around him. not anymore. once alisaie is comfortable with someone, it's easy enough for her to let her hair down, and refreshing to boot - it's not as if she has very many people she can truly relax around.

the flash cards keep her busy enough, and really, she knows the material, but it feels good nonetheless to recite it anyway. practice makes perfect. when he hands out the card, she takes it and piles it with the rest. ]

Yes, well as they say, hard work pays off, cheaters never phosphor.

[ Her pun wins an easy laugh out of him, loud and raucous. ]

Oh, Alisaie, you're a real -

[ But a moment later, Prompto claps a hand over his mouth so as to not be overheard. It's rather late, and it would be a reaaaally bad time to get caught in here. To his utter dread, however, in the silence that follows, he hears approaching footsteps.

He shoots a look of complete panic towards Alisaie. What do they do??? ]

[ ah. the sound of those footsteps may as well be loud as hammers, for how they strike fear into her heart. oh noooooo. alisaie looks stricken for a moment, before she's surging forward to clutch at prompto's shoulders, all but bodily shoving him off of the bed. ]

Under!

[ she hisses through her teeth, gesturing wildly to the dust ruffle. don't worry prompto, she keeps her under the bed clean.. mostly.. ]

Hurry!

[ She better!! But no, even if it's dirty, he's flying like the wind under her bed, easily folding beneath the press of her hands to tuck himself away from sight. Please, please don't let anyone think to look under the bed...

Not a moment after Prompto slips beneath the bed does the door open. It's the moment of truth. ]

[ not a moment too soon indeed. alisaie has just enough time to scramble upright again, and smooth out her papers before her father steps in, his brow furrowed with concern. he was so sure that he had heard voices.

but alisaie is quick to find the fib. she was speaking with prompto. it isn't exactly a lie. that they were not speaking via speakerphone is simply.. a stretch, of course. a half lie that makes it much easier to tell, considering alisaie is not particularly gifted in the art of deception.

thankfully, her father does not question it. his expression eases, and with a smile he nods at last, wishing her a good night before he too is off to bed, and the door shuts, though first he of course reminds her to get some rest soon, it's getting late!! once the door clicks shut, alisaie waits several moments, following the sound of her father's retreating footsteps - not until she hears her parents' bedroom door close does she breathe again at last, shifting on the bed to lean upside down to peer under the dust ruffle, her braid falling, her smile curling. still, she keeps her voice soft. ]

The coast is clear.

[ From his vantage point beneath the bed, Prompto hears the door open, hears the exchange between Alisaie and her father, and hears the door click shut and footsteps moving away again. Even then, he doesn't quite dare to breathe until Alisaie peeks beneath the bed and tells him the coast is clear.

He breathes out a gusty sigh of relief as he starts to pull himself - quietly - out from beneath the bed. ]

Boy, that was a close call, huh? [ He keeps his voice quiet, a low hum, as he moves. ] For a minute there I thought we were busted for sure. Good thinking on the voice...chat....

[ He lets the last two words trail off, the warmth of a laugh still in them, as he catches himself looking into her eyes once more. It's not like before, where the sudden heat of embarrassment beset him because they had fallen together. This time...a different sort of heat sparks beneath his skin. He has wound up close to her on the floor, without even thinking about it, his knees touching hers, fingertips just brushing at their sides. The realization has heart kicking up into his throat, but he...doesn't feel paralyzed in place like he did the last time.

What if he...moved closer? He can't, he won't, but...what if he did? ]

[ safe indeed, and alisaie has a smile for him when he at last climbs out from beneath the bed, like some cryptid from the darkness. there's dust clinging to his shirt, which she begins to pick off with a soft laugh - at least until his voice is trailing off noticeably.

curiously, she lifts her eyes to his and finds -

well, she isn't sure. he's looking into her face so closely, she can see the warmth in his face, and - gods, he isn't thinking about earlier again, is he? alisaie feels a gentle prickle beneath her skin, a tightening in her throat that is.. so foreign to her. she doesn't understand it, can't really parse it, but she feels it like a tug in her heart. ]

.. what?

[ w-why is he looking at her like.. that.. ]

[ Her mouth forms that simple word, that complex question, and Prompto watches her lips move, his gaze lingering there a moment longer, two moments longer, three...

He breathes in sharply, unsteadily - but he does doesn't move away or nearer. He remains where he is, close enough to feel the little rush of her breath against his skin. ]

I...

[ But he doesn't know what to say. His tongue feels heavy and useless in his mouth, and he swallows against a tight throat, his eyes lifting to meet hers again.

Why doesn't she pull away? Why is she still so close?

Quieter still: ]

Um - w-we...should...

[ Gods, he doesn't even know. ]

[ she certainly doesn't know either, especially considering she doesn't know what this is to begin with. what it means. what he is telling her with his eyes that linger on her mouth. all at once alisaie's heart hops up into her throat.

she's never.. considered anything like this for herself. she's never even thought about what it might be like to have a.. a boyfriend or girlfriend, to have someone interested in her in that way. but he isn't.. he isn't interested, is he? he can't be. they're friends, they've always been friends, he's never flirted with her, or made a pass, or.. well, anything.? ]

.. should what?

[ she's helping. ]

[ Yes, that is so very helpful. But the longer his sits there, lingering so close, the more his stomach twists up into knots, driving him to do something. But he...he can't do what he wants to do. He barely even lets himself entertain the idea, of closing the gap between them, of confessing to her with his actions, of showing her the nature of his feelings for her.

But he can't. The only way it wouldn't ruin their friendship would be if she reciprocated, and...she won't. He knows she won't. He's unlovable. Something like this...was not meant for someone like him.

He can't.

The spell breaks, and he stumbles for words again as he straightens, looking aside, above - anywhere but to her. ]

W-we should probably...it's late, I...

[ He should get going, is what he doesn't quite manage to say. ]