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It’s a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon in Insomnia. You and your best friend are huddled together on the soft leather couch in the Ebony Roasters café, drinking hot tea. You’re scrolling through Mooglebook, laughing at memes or screenshots of funny Twitter statuses, when suddenly she’s jamming a pointy elbow into your plushy side and whispering loudly.
“Ow, hey! What, what?” You look up from your phone and face her.
“That guy keeps looking over here,” she hisses.
“Wha....what gu-guy?” You look out into the crowded tables of the café. Mostly everyone is doing what you’re doing, engrossed in their smartphones, or typing away at laptops, or in animated conversations with friends. You don’t notice anyone looking in your direction. “Who, Stella?”
Stella huffs and cups your double chin in her long, thin fingers and moves your head in the direction of the accused.
Sure enough—a guy does keep looking over to the couch intermittently—but once he sees that Stella has pointed you in his direction, he turns beet red and ducks his head back down low, almost folded in half, looking back at his phone.
“Him?”
“Yeah,” says Stella. “You think he likes what he sees over here?”
You laugh a little bitterly, even without meaning to. “Sure, he’s looking at you.” Stella’s five nine, a hundred and twenty pounds, with platinum blonde hair and soft green eyes that everyone falls in love with instantly. You are...not that. Very decidedly not any of that.
Stella sighs. “Nah, he was looking at you. I saw him. Would I lie?”
“Dude, we’re practically on top of each other. If...he’s looking at one of us, of course it’ll look like he could be looking at either of us.”
“Think he thinks we’re a thing?” Stella teases as she plants a big sloppy kiss on your cheek.
“I mean, we aren’t?” You laugh as you wipe your cheek and reach for her hand to hold.
“I mean, yeah we are, but...I have a guy. You deserve one too. I mean, if you want.” Stella squeezes your hand. “I wouldn’t lie to you, _____________. He was looking at you. He met my eyes for like two seconds but he kept looking at you. You should go say hi.”
“You know...why I physically cannot do...do that.”
“Want me to do it for you?”
“Ugh then it looks like I’m a...co-coward,” you sigh. You look back at your phone and take another sip of your tea.
A minute later, Stella rises from the couch and glides in the man’s direction before you can stop her.
___________
Thirty minutes earlier...
Prompto’s done with Crownsguard training for the day, so he runs home to shower and change, deciding to get some tea at Ebony Roasters and see if anyone is on local play on King’s Knight so he can get some co-op missions in for the new seasonal event. He gets butterflies in his stomach as he orders from the handsome barista but he manages to get a venti half iced tea-half lemonade without stumbling over his words, so, progress. Once he picks up his order, he looks for an empty seat—the only chair left is a lounge chair not far from the large black couch, which is regretfully occupied. Prompto settles into the chair and brings out his phone—and then he hears a quiet giggle from the couch, which causes him to look again.
The two girls on the couch are unabashedly beautiful, sitting with knees touching, arms around each other—Prompto thinks they must be very good friends, like he and Noct are. One is a taller, slender blonde, who has dimples when she laughs; but the other one, with radically different features, is the one who make Prompto’s heart skip a beat. She’s round-faced, with bright eyes and a wide smile. Prompto swallows nervously as he logs into the mobile game and goes through the motions of reading daily announcements, updates, and etc.; he looks up again and the second girl is shifting positions against her friend, and Prompto takes a few seconds to appreciate her thick thighs, the curve of her ass, her soft-looking stomach, her ample breasts—but then her friend is whispering and pointing and now the girl is looking at him—and Prompto feels the heat rush to his head and he bows over his phone, immersing himself in his game. His heart is beating as fast as it possibly can, skipping beats and stuttering rhythms and fluttering warmth deep in his chest.
___________
“Hey.”
Prompto looks from leveling up his party and blinks. It’s one of the girls from the couch, the friend. Not her. Prompto swallows, still nervous. “Uh, hi, hey, can I...help you?” he squeaks.
She laughs and jerks her head backwards to the other girl, who’s blushing hard. “Caught ya lookin’ at my friend.”
“Oh, I, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...I mean I’m not trying to like...be a creeper, heh, I just...”
“You think she’s pretty?”
Prompto’s heart stutters again. He swallows thickly and nods, finally forcing out a “Yeah, really pretty.”
“Cool. You should talk to her. She’s single.”
“Oh-oh, I, uh...I’m not sure if I could, uh...I get nervous around...pretty people...” Prompto casts his eyes down. “Not that you’re not pretty too, ‘cause you totally are, but...”
“Flattered, but I’m taken,” the blonde says gently. “Seriously. Talk to her.”
“She didn’t want to...I mean if she’s not interested...” Prompto tries again. “Did she send you?”
“Nah, I came over on my own. She was convinced you were lookin’ at me.”
Prompto looks back up at the woman in front of him, brows furrowed slightly. “I mean, why...why would she, uh, think that?”
The woman shrugs. “She’s just not used to attention.”
Prompto’s eyes go wide. “Really? But why?”
“You should ask her yourself, sunshine. She’ll believe it if you say you were interested in her, rather than hearing it from me.”
Prompto nods numbly. The girl on the couch...not used to getting attention? In what alternate universe was he living in? “Uh, I’m gonna fuck this up, but...I’ll try...”
The blonde smiles. “Cool, thanks. By the way. I’m Stella.”
“Prompto, uh. Prompto Argentum,” says Prompto, holding out his hand, smiling gently when the woman takes it and firmly shakes it.
“One more thing,” says Stella as she drops her hand.
“Yeah?” says Prompto.
“She stutters.”
“Huh?”
“She has a speech impediment. Repeats the sounds of words, or whole words. Just a heads up. She got laughed at all through school for it, and people still point it out now.”
Prompto feels a surge of rage. “Why would...who does that? It’s not people can help stuff like that?”
“She’s taken years of speech therapy in order to function. But she orders at restaurants, she works, has friends. But people are just...ableist. And sometimes, it’s a major thing. When she goes out on dates.”
“Are you kidding?” Prompto catches his heart skipping even more beats, beating wildly out of his chest as he sees red, getting mad over this cute stranger. He rises quickly, causing Stella to take a step back. “If it’s alright with you,” says Prompto. “I’m going to ask out your friend.”
Stella nods. “She can speak for herself. Just...try not to finish her sentences, okay?”
___________
You look up from social media when you sense a presence in front of you, and a quiet cough. In front of you is the guy that Stella pointed to. Up close, you can really get a good look at him— gods, he’s cute. He’s got spikey blond hair, violet-blue eyes, gorgeous freckles across his pale, angular face. He's blushing, which only adds to the appeal. He’s slender but built, and you take a few shameless seconds to appreciate how handsome he is.
“Hi, hey, uh...you don’t know me but I...” the man chokes and looks down. “Shit. I’m sorry, I’m nervous, I...”
“I’m ___-___________,” you manage to quickly get out, taking advantage of the man’s distraction. “Would you...like a seat?” You pat the couch.
“Thanks...” He sits, wringing his anxious hands.
You glance over to Stella, who’s seated in his former lounge chair. She shoots you a thumbs-up. You nod, swallowing hard.
“I’m Prompto,” he finally gets out. “And I, uh. Thought you were cute,” he mumbles. “So I had to come say hi, at...at least.”
You feel your face heat up in a bright blush. “You...you really were looking at muh-me?”
Prompto nods, finally gathering his courage and meeting your wide-eyed gaze. “Can I buy you...a drink? Obviously you have a drink,” he rambles, motioning to your lidded cup. “Would you like...like a drink drink. Uh. At a restaurant. Or something. Sometime. Maybe. With me?”
“You want to go out?”
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, if that’s cool with you.”
“Yeah, uh...yeah. Sounds great.” You close out of your apps and bring up a New Contact slot. “Why don’t you...phone,” you finish, the middle of the sentence failing you.
“Oh, right, yeah, cool,” says Prompto, taking your phone—he feels his heart skip a beat when his fingers brush against yours.
You look back up at Stella, who’s taking a picture of the two of you with her phone. You stick your tongue out at her and she laughs.
“Here, uh, all my info,” says Prompto, handing your phone back. “I put my King’s Knight code in the company line, if you play, it’s okay if you don’t, you can just erase that...”
“I play,” you interject. “I’m a casual gamer, but it’s pretty fun. I don’t have...a lot of people to play with, so I’m not it every da...day. So this’ll be good, I’ll play more, with you, if you want.”
“Yeah dude!” laughs Prompto. “Please play with me.”
He smiles, and you feel your own heart thud loudly against your ribs.
“I’m sorry,” you say. “I’m not good at—small talk, fuck, I’m so awkward...”
“I’m the king of awkward,” says Prompto. “But hey—we can be awkward together. That cool?”
You nod and smile. “Yeah, if you...don’t mind people like me...”
“What, cute people?” Prompto blurts before he can stop himself.
You look down and away, clearing your throat. “I mean...girls who...who stutter...who are fat...”
Prompto shrugs. “I’m not superficial like that,” he says gently. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I only just met you, but I really like you. Who cares about that stuff? It’s what makes you you. You have a really good friend over there,” Prompto says as he cocks his head in the direction of his old chair. “So you have lots of cool things in your life. Who cares if you sometimes repeat words or sounds? And as for like, size...” Prompto shrugs. “You’re super attractive, okay? Don’t fight it.”
You nod dumbly, almost wondering if this is some wonderful dream that you’re going to wake up from. You grab your cup, shaking it. “I’m, uh...out of tea.”
Prompto blinks, then scrambles to his feet. “Oh, uh, did you want to, I mean, I don’t wanna impose on you and your friend...”
“You can have her!” Stella shouts.
You shoot your best friend the bird as you get up and gather your purse, following Prompto out into the street. You text Stella, sharing your location as you walk under a shared umbrella with Prompto to a nearby sit-down restaurant to have your date.
You feel your heart—and your mouth—stuttering the whole way there, but Prompto doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest.