adelphoi | (no subject)

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[ 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.. ]

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[ 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. ]

[ oh.

the moment breaks, and alisaie is left staring into the space where his eyes had been locked on hers, but soon she quickly leans away. he hadn't been.. no - what a ridiculous idea. if prompto had feelings for her, surely he would have acted on them by now, yes?

gods, what is she even thinking? this is ridiculous. he pulls back from her, and she drops her gaze to her lap, then at last begins to climb to her feet. ]

Aye, I suppose you should be off.

[ He stands as she does, still not quite meeting her eyes, his hands fidgeting and restless at his sides. Gods. He really...he really thought about...should he have? She doesn't look...disappointed. It most certainly was for the best.

But he feels suddenly bereft, the space between them strangely unwelcome. This isn't going to be how it is from now on, is it? Is he going to be forever thinking about all the chances he isn't taking, paralyzed by losing her but wanting her all the same?

He bites his lower lip, stepping back to the window. ]

Y-yeah. Probably should. You've got that test to nail tomorrow!

[ He smiles softly, but genuinely for her, slipping one leg over the window sill before he asks quietly a moment later: ]

...Hey, Alisaie?

[ alisaie is aloof by nature, but not necessarily awkward - still, she certainly feels awkward now, standing here not knowing what to do with herself, not knowing what to think. but then prompto is moving, and she lifts her eyes to watch him go, following him toward the window out of rote and politeness.

she meets his eyes again only when he says her name? ]

Yes?

[ I'm Ron Burgundy?

He hesitates, swallows thickly before blurting out the words he wants to say before he can think better of it. ]

Will you go to prom with me?

[ ...Oh, gods above. He didn't plan this at all. It just...surged right on up, thoughtlessly, born right out of the night's frustrations without preamble. Of course, he had thought about it before...but he hadn't intended to ask her like this, if he even asked up the nerve to ask her at all.

But there it is, and in the quiet aftermath, Prompto is staring at her like a deer caught in the headlights. ]

[ oh.

he.

did he just.. did she hear him right? alisaie flushes warm all but immediately, her surprise writ clear upon her face. ]

[ ah, but that shock gives way soon to a warmth that floods and surrounds her heart. she has.. so many things to think about, to consider, to unravel about herself and her own heart, but there's no denying that him having asked her at all pleases her. she'd not even given a passing thought to prom, but now..

alisaie drops her eyes shyly away, but her smile is obvious. ]

Yes, I will.

I-it's okay, th-that was sudden, I understand if you don't —

[ Wait.

She said...yes?

Color flares up in his cheeks anew, and he nearly falls backwards out of the window. Sure, he had asked that without thinking, but he hardly expected her to accept. It's just - he's - and they -

...If she knew better, she wouldn't have said yes.

But he swallows the thought down, too elated to give it its due just now. She said yes.

A laugh spills out of him, warm and elated. ] G-great! That's - that's great. I, um - the details. We can - figure those out. Later.

[ But...holy shit. He can't believe he has a date for prom, and it's Alisaie.

He feels like the luckiest guy on Eos right now. ]

[ alisaie can't keep the smile from her face, so broad that it's making her cheeks ache, her heart so light in her chest she's sure it must be floating.

honestly, it's gross, and concerning, because she's never felt this way before, and never particularly wanted to - were she to look in on this scene from somewhere else she would gag at herself for being so.. ugh.

yet here she is, still doing it. folding her hands in front of her, alisaie bites her lower lip in an attempt to wrangle her relentless smile, her gaze flicking up toward him again. ]

Goodnight, Prompto.

[ just go before you say something too stupid. ]

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