"Judging from the way you spoke about Gladio, I take it you know His Highness' royal retinue on a personal level?" Dave asked curiously, looking between you and the boys. Prompto was secretly dreading this part of seeing you again. It stressed him out wondering what you were going to say your connection to Noctis was. As far as he was concerned, the only reason why you had gotten close to the others was that the two of you were an item.
"I dated one of them Dave," Your casual reply took everyone off guard. Holy shit...
"And you're not going to specify who?" Dave raised an eyebrow curiously.
"I'll give you a hint," You laughed, shaking your head, "I didn't date His Highness. Since you immediately looked at him," That's a lie and you know it. Prompto knew you had picked up who Dave actually looked at after stating you dated one of them.
"That would be quite the royal scandal mind you," Ignis sighed, frowning a little.
"It definitely would make the headlines. Glaive by day, Royal Romance by night," You continued, making Prompto feel a little downtrodden. Why is this making me feel like I'm not even here?
"That dark humor of yours sure hasn't changed over the years (Your Name)," Gladio teased.
"I'll take that as a compliment Gladio," You huffed, "Well I'm going to freshen up,"
"Wait a minute. His Highness and everyone else has been waiting for you to come back. They have been helping us in the meantime for the past three weeks," Dave wasn't the kind of man to yell, so his slightly raised voice and stern tone was quite frightening. You had only taken three strides away from the group, who were seated at their breakfast table. You turned to face Dave, your expression completely different from the gleeful one prior.
"I imagine the conversation will be a lengthy one. Being on the road for the past six weeks is quite exhausting. I lack proper sleep, but surely I can at least enjoy a warm shower?" You were successful in making your point, leaving Dave looking like a very guilty man.
"I have to say. That is probably the first time she has spoken to me like that," Dave admitted, swallowing hard, "She's used to be such a bubbly and fiery young woman,"
"Now she's just fiery?" Gladio guessed.
"Yes... She just hasn't been the same since half a year ago,"
As per usual, Ignis was quick on the uptake. "What happened to (Your Name) six months prior?"
"Ah!" Dave gasped suddenly. "I've said too much," Prompto heard him mutter.
Ignis didn't get a chance to use his superior investigation skills. Marcus began chatting with the boys with a couple of other hunters joining in. Prompto zoned out a little as the hunters were singing praises of Noctis' work thus far with his companions. Prompto wasn't as observant as Ignis or intuitive like Gladio, but even he didn't fail to notice the way Dave's eyes would change whenever he looked or interacted with him. In fact, now that Prompto thought about it, it was the same with everyone living in Meldacio; Marcus, the shopkeepers, even Aimee the waitress. The emotion best to describe their uniform expression was sympathy. As far as he was concerned, he had potentially made a huge mistake by not believing you or at least hearing you out. Despite Gladio's advice to try not to think about their past relationship too much - as Prompto said, it was easier said than done. His mind wandered to your shared memories, wishing once again he was back in that time, rather than now. However, he found it hard to believe everyone would sympathize with him, when he may have misunderstood the situation. What if you hadn't been lying and it was all just a setup? Loving photography as a hobby, there were programs you could use to digitally edit a photo - it would have been easy to replace him in a photo with someone else. The very thought sent a shiver down his spine, and yet again, regret weighed heavy on his heart.
Prompto didn't know how much time had passed as he got lost in his thoughts again. It was when Gladio called him loudly did he come back to reality. Raising his eyebrow in curiosity, Prompto took Gladio's nudge of his head as a suggestion to look behind him, which happened to be where Dave and Ezma's cottage was. There you were, leaning against the wooden railing of the cottage verandah, fresh from the shower, waving at them to come to the cottage. Prompto felt warmth pool in his cheeks, remembering the times he had the luxury of seeing you fresh and relaxed from a shower or being in the shower with you. He felt like he took those times for granted and that he should have indulged more in holding you close to him. If it was indeed his mistake confronting you and in the end breaking your heart beyond repair, he would take this as a sign that he was never made to experience the happiness you gave him. A man of his word, he would accept that and never show his face to you again.
"Looks like (Your Name) is done," Noctis wasn't usually the one pointing out the obvious. However, the all-knowing smirk on his face told Prompto his best friend had an inkling feeling what went through his mind in that small moment.
"If I may Prompto," Ignis began. Prompto drew his eyes away from Noctis to see Ignis looked rather pleased about something.
"What is it Iggy?" Prompto asked curiously.
"I don't think you have anything to fear in regards to the discussion coming up," Ignis' words were quite reassuring. "From experience and comments from her superiors, (Your Name) was always the type to get down to business when it was necessary. So whatever personal matters there are between the two of you, they will be addressed when the time is right and most likely privately,"
"Thanks, Iggy," Prompto thanked genuinely with a smile. "It's exactly what I needed,"
"Of course," Ignis returned the smile with a nod. Satisfied with the conclusion of the brief conversation, the group got up from their table and headed into the cottage.
Not that Prompto didn't know already, but Ignis was not wrong in saying you were serious about your work. Prompto had seen you train for your missions as a glaive. But he never had the privilege of hearing you during mission discussions. The magnitude of information you had stored in your clever brain had Prompto staring at you in complete awe. Only to notice one detail that made his heart sink. The golden necklace with a chocobo charm that you were hardly ever seen without, was no longer gracing your beautiful neck. Prompto averted his gaze to look around the main room of the cottage, admiring the rustic, woodlands theme instead. The advantages of having such a consistent theme throughout the room, and most likely the entire cottage, was that it was easy to spot out things that didn't quite fit. Like the absence of some photo frames on the walls; there were outlines of a few different sized frames on the wooden walls. Having the eye for photo arrangement, he knew for a fact the very same thing would get on your nerves if it wasn't done correctly. Unless they are hiding something important. Hearing Ignis speak reminded Prompto what was said earlier.
"... whatever personal matters there are between the two of you, will be addressed when the time is right,"
Deciding to zone back into the conversation, knowing he'd be kicked for not paying attention later, Prompto drew his attention to the table, where a new map had been rolled out, marked with many red 'X's.
"So you are saying that due to your extension here, you were able to uncover a rebellion group's activity? And you believe they are linked to the many young women and children reported missing from Insomnia alone?" Gladio looked absolutely baffled.
"Yes," You replied. Prompto blinked a few times realizing he was completely out of it. You were no longer standing at the dining table. You were in the kitchen area of the room, pouring hot water into mugs. Prompto glanced at the wall clock, baffled that almost two hours had passed and he couldn't remember hearing any of the conversation - only the beginning and Gladio's summarization.
"This is a lot for someone working on their own," Ignis was impressed.
"I haven't been alone in this. His Majesty wouldn't send a single glaive on their own for a mission like this. I understand the length of it was meant to go for less than a year. But some other things came along the way that had Charlie and myself believe staying would be more beneficial," Prompto looked up at you in surprise at the mention of another person. Charlie? Without batting an eyelash you placed a mug of hot coffee in front of Prompto before moving back to the kitchen where the other remaining mugs were. It seemed Dave, Noctis and he were the only ones who had been served so far. "How do you like your coffee Ignis? Gladio?"
As the other two gave their preferences, Prompto took a sip of his coffee, the warmth spreading throughout his body, putting a nostalgic smile on his face. Exactly how I like it. You remembered... didn't you (Your Name)? Prompto met with your gaze as you served Gladio's coffee, seeing satisfaction dancing in your eyes when he gave a small nod in thanks. You closed your eyes and nodded your head response, the smile on your face indicating you were relieved. Yet, the moment you opened your eyes again and locked with Prompto's, another emotion circled before you quickly turned your attention elsewhere. Prompto continued to watch you as you walked back to your spot at the dining table.
That was something else though. Prompto couldn't exactly pinpoint what emotion behind your expression was. But he was more than determined to figure it out. Like you were able to read him, he was sure that something else happened to you. It potentially had something to do with him, but not your relationship.
I wish... I wish you would tell me what's wrong. Just like you used to.