A/N: *sighs*

Endings are hard, yo...

My goal was Saturday, my backup goal was Sunday, and my way backup goal was Monday. All of which I failed to meet. But then yesterday was Valentine's, and I thought that that was forgivable. But when I finished it, I realized the original ending didn't fit the story anymore and was too...mean. (You know. Kind of like my original head-draft was. Glad I didn't go with my original summary.) So I spent my lunch break thinking up how to fix it. It probably really shouldn't have taken me half as long to figure out, though.

In any case, yay it's finally over! Thanks for reading! :D

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Noct is leaning against the hood of the Regalia, arms crossed, when Prompto arrives at the garage.

"All set?" The prince asks.

"All set," the blond confirms. His glasses have been stowed back away into the side pocket of his camera case, and the case that had housed his new set of contacts is tucked away in his pants pocket. He waves the piece of paper he's holding. "He went ahead and called it in to his buddy in Lestallum. Got his name and address here. It should all be ready for me by the time we finally get there. So how's the car?"

Noct shrugs. "Who knows? She hasn't come back out to nag at me about the way we've treated it, yet."

"Hey, don't talk about her like that!" Prompto chides. "Besides, Cindy doesn't nag. She—" he pauses there, uncertain of how to change it for the better, and Noct smirks at him in return. He's pretty proud of himself when he finally does come up with a suitable substitute "—advises."

"Isn't that what I just said?"

Prompto opens his mouth to refute his friend's words, what with, he doesn't really know, but he's distracted when the woman in question strides out of the garage, marking away at the clipboard in her hand. He can't keep a dopey grin from spreading over his face as he watches her approach them.

Cindy halts in front of Prompto, looks up from whatever it is she's scribbling down, and reaches up to pat him on the cheek. "Good ta see ya smilin' again," she tells him before she continues on over to where Ignis and Gladio stand several yards away. The younger blond swoons, and he catches sight of Noct's very exaggerated eye roll.

"Shut up," he says, voice cheerful, as he moves to stand next to the brunet. He nudges his friend in the arm. "We can't all be arranged to marry the girl of our dreams, you know. Some of us actually have to try."

At this, Noct glances over at him. He only hesitates for a moment before asking, "Do I even want to know what went on between you two last night?"

"Nothing happened, man. We just talked."

Noct looks skeptical, though, and Prompto teases, "Or have you changed your tune and decided I might actually stand a chance with her, after all?"

"Have you?"

The question catches Prompto off guard, because, if he's honest with himself, he doesn't know how to answer it. Of course he wants to think he stands a chance, but whether or not he truly believes he does is another story altogether. His eyes flit uncertainly to where Cindy is going over whatever maintenance she'd performed on the Regalia with Ignis, but as soon as her own lift and meet them, his gaze nervously ducks away.

"I...don't know," Prompto confesses. It kind of sucks, since he remembers feeling so optimistic the night before when he'd had to urge her to keep her retainer in ("You can't cheapen the lesson here by putting it away!") and then lure her back into the kitchen for cards. They'd sat so closely then, too, and while part of it had been due to necessity, it had felt far too comfortable to be that alone. But this morning has dawned a brand new day, and last night's memories feel more like a rapidly fading dream than anything else. The next time they're in town, he'll probably be right back to square one, unable to do much more than stutter out broken sentence fragments. When he finds the courage to look up again, she's engrossed herself in the paperwork once more.

Noct hums his acknowledgement. Then he surprises Prompto by saying, "Well, that's better than outright feeling like you don't, isn't it?"

"I guess," the blond responds, but he's unconvinced.

He waits until Cindy has wished them all well and vanished back inside the building before going to his bag. He can feel Noct's eyes on him as he digs through it.

"Oh, hey!" He says as he pulls out Cindy's food container. "I almost forgot!"

Prompto grins brightly over at his friend as he tilts it side to side it between his two open palms. Noct doesn't buy his innocent act, of course, and a knowing smirk curls it's way to his lips when his sarcastic voice remarks, "Yeah, what a coincidence. She's just gone back inside. Alone."

"Cover for me a few minutes while I go return it?" Prompto lilts, his eyes pleading. "Pretty please? Oh, broiest of bros, bestest bro of mine?"

Noct snorts. "You're so ridiculous sometimes," he says fondly, clapping the blond on the shoulder as he passes by him. "I'll keep those two occupied. Go get your two minutes alone with your girlfriend."

Prompto's eyes dart over to the garage at Noct's girlfriend comment, just to make sure that Cindy hadn't come out and gotten close enough to hear it, but she's still hidden from view somewhere inside. "Aww, I only get two minutes?"

"Not everyone is as easily distractible as you are, Prompto."

"Boo. Asshole."

The prince just laughs.

Prompto fumbles with the container anxiously as he steps into the garage. He stops when he's far enough inside to be out of the guys' line of sight, but not quite far enough inside for his presence to catch Cindy's attention yet. He'd kind of wanted the chance to say goodbye to her alone, but now that he's here, he isn't sure if it'll be weird or not since she's already said her own.

The mechanic is filing some paperwork away at the far wall. She plucks another clipboard from her workbench, but before she can begin to busy herself with the new project, Prompto takes the moment to clear his throat. She spins around, startled, and her expression is concerned when she catches sight of him.

"Oh, hey, Prompto," she says. Her gaze travels to the lot beyond the open door and then back to him. "I forget somethin'?"

He smiles and shakes his head. "Nah. But I almost did."

With that, he brandishes the plastic container and holds it up in front of him. Cindy smiles, too, when she recognizes it, and her eyes follow him the entire time as he makes his way to where she stands. The attention makes his heart pound in his chest.

"Cleaned it and everything!" Prompto enthuses.

"Well, ain't you just the sweetest," the older blonde chuckles as she takes the container from him and sets it down with the papers scattered across the bench.

He stands next to her and leans against the table, tucking his thumbs in his belt. He lets out a small, wavering breath. "It really was amazing. Sorry if I made it seem otherwise after all the trouble you went through."

"It wasn't any trouble," Cindy tells him. Then she nudges his arm with her own. "Any of it."

Prompto glances over at her, and her sincere smile spurs him on. "Thanks," he says, though his voice is still a little more timid than he'd hoped it would be. "For everything. It was...nice not being told I was being stupid or dramatic for once." Cindy's smile falters a bit, but he's quick to defend, "We're guys. We show our love by being total dicks to one another."

"If you say so," she offers with a shrug. "Remember they ain't yer only friends, though. You know how ta reach me if you need someone else to talk to."

It makes Prompto grin, because if that isn't an invitation for him to call her, he doesn't know what is. He might be the last of them to actually get her number into his phone, but he knows he's the first one to get it on personal terms rather than business terms. Or by just-stealing-it-from-Noct's-phone terms ("Wouldn't that be creepy?" He'd asked after admitting he didn't have her number. But Cindy had only laughed before taking his phone out of his hands and sending the picture to herself. "You worry too much," she'd told him.). She's right, but he thinks he prefers it working out this way.

Feeling lighter than he had even a minute ago, Prompto asks her, "So what'll it take to get Ignis a copy of ol' Maw Maw's legendary recipe, in the end, huh? That is, if he hasn't already started trying to pick it apart on his own."

Cindy taps a finger to her lips in thought a couple of times. "Well," she begins slowly, "I would like to see the old girl brought back in one piece more often. Do that a few more times and maybe we can start talkin'."

He gawks, because almost everything has to do with the Regalia when it comes to her and the four of them. Prompto kind of can't help but to adore her for it anyways, though, and he's unable to keep the fondness out of his voice when he asks, "Are you ever going to like us as much as the car?"

When Cindy sits back against the workbench and smiles up at him, her eyes are shining. "Who says I don't?"

Prompto doesn't even turn away to hide the broad grin that splits across his face, because now he really does feel like he has a proper answer to Noct's question.

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"What're you looking at?"

Prompto looks up from his phone and over to Noct. They're both sitting in the back this time, which doesn't happen very often and gets a little cramped with how far back Gladio has to push the passenger seat, but it's a nice change every now and then.

Well. He actually thinks it may be the older man's form of retaliation for when Prompto had made Noct stop the car too quickly yesterday. He feels like he has less leg room than he usually does when they end up this way. But he is way too happy this morning to complain about it.

"Oh. Um," he answers, his eyes falling back down to the picture of him and Cindy that he hadn't been able to keep himself from staring at since they'd pulled out of Hammerhead. "It's just..." He taps the edge of his phone while he debates whether or not it's something he should share. But what the hell. It's just Noct. It's not like he hadn't had the opportunity to notice it last night. So Prompto's cheeks pull into yet another impossibly wide grin, and he shoves the screen into his best friend's face. "I finally got my picture!" He gushes ecstatically.

It's so close that Noct has to move back and blink a few times before he finally takes it. When he gets a proper look, he squints and says, "Is she wearing a—?"

"Yup! I did tell her you wouldn't even notice."

"The retainer?" Ignis speaks up.

The blond hums in affirmation, and he moves up to the gap between the two front seats, resting an elbow on each.

"Kind of cute, wasn't it?" Gladio adds, though he's still gazing down at the book in his lap and doesn't look like he's really paying attention.

"I imagine that was what elevated your mood so drastically? You seemed to be unduly—"

"Cozy?" Gladio offers.

"—relaxed," Ignis finishes. "Although, that also works."

"Good thing you two finally came back when you did. Cid was looking kinda antsy. Who knows what would have happened if he'd had to drag you back himself?"

"Aw, I didn't know you cared, big guy."

"I don't," Gladio assures him as he flips a page. "Personally, I already miss the peace and quiet we had during your sulking fit yesterday. Iggy's just being polite."

"I didn't even start talking until a minute ago," Prompto huffs.

"Yeah..." Gladio says, following the word with a wistful sigh.

An indignant whine escapes Prompto's throat, and he scowls. Well, fine, if that's what he wants.

"Well, if you must know," the blond spouts as obnoxiously as he can, and he feels pretty satisfied at the irritated look that pops up on the shield's face, "Cindy and I had a moment."

He throws himself backward into his cramped little corner of the Regalia, and is getting ready to start up a very long, very rambling, very annoying declaration of love and devotion for his grease monkey goddess, but Gladio beats him to the punch. He let's out a derisive snort and says, "Only lasted for a moment, did it? Guess I'm not all that surprised with you, though. Poor Cindy."

"H-Hey!" Prompto splutters, and he can feel his face and neck burn in response to Gladio's uncanny ability to turn practically anything and everything into an innuendo of some kind. He usually finds it hilarious. It's usually aimed towards Noct. "I-I w-wouldn't...Th-That's not what—" But even if he could talk, every word he tries to speak is being drown out by laughter.

Once the snickering dies down a bit and Prompto feels slightly less embarrassed, he digs his knee into the back of the seat in front of him, much to its passenger's displeasure. "Don't turn it into something crude," he admonishes. "It wasn't like that. We just discovered that we had more in common than we thought."

"What, you mean other than being blond?" Noct quips, eyes glinting in amusement.

"Or your bubbly dispositions?" Ignis adds, his voice equally humorous.

Prompto sighs. Those are all his fault, really, for having once told the guys that he and Cindy matched. He hadn't planned on them calling him out on it, though, and he hadn't had all that much to work with, either. He really had said those things. He can only imagine what Gladio will inject into the mix.

"Or that you both have vaginas?"

It sets the other two off again, and Prompto crams his knee into what he hopes is Gladio's lower back. He probably should have expected it when the seat falls back on him and smooshes him into the cushy, leather interior.

"Ah, that's better," Gladio remarks gleefully.

"Ow! Ignis! Noct! He's crushing me!"

He tries to shove against the seat, but it's no use. Neither it nor the beast-man occupying it are going anywhere.

"Gladio, please," Ignis begins in an exasperated tone that suggests he might be rubbing a hand at his temples. "We've a long drive ahead of us, and it's barely just begun."

"Yeah, Gladio, you're gonna ruin the car."

The blond stops his flailing long enough to cast betrayed eyes at Noct. "Really? That's where you're going with it? No 'You're killing my BFF.'? It's all about the car?"

"You're not dying," the prince points out.

"But I am," Prompto protests with one final, helpless push. "And everyone I love loves the damn car more!"

Noct just shakes his head, because he probably realizes that the blond's outburst really isn't something to be taken seriously, and the action is followed by a silence where Gladio still doesn't righten his seat and Prompto no longer fights against it. He thinks he hears another page turn.

"Really, though, guys," Prompto says, and now he's prodding Gladio everywhere he can reach in the hopes that he gets fed up with it and lets him free. Bonus points if he doesn't decide to break the younger man's fingers in the process. "This is starting to get super uncomfortable."

It takes a few more pokes, but eventually Gladio relents and raises the seat, and Prompto glowers at him through the headrest. He just wants to go back to admiring his one nice friend—slash-hopefully-one-day-maybe-girlfriend—but his newly relegated ex best friend still has his phone and says, "More in common than you thought, huh?"

At first, Prompto thinks he's being made fun of again. He's about to snatch his phone back and turn his glower onto Noct, but the brunet is studying the screen with a thoughtful expression. He seems to decide on something, too, because he nods before he passes it over to the blond.

"You know," Noct begins, and he looks kind of resigned, like he can't believe he's actually saying it. "You guys do kind of match."

Prompto mentally reinstates Noct to his previous best friend status and forgives all past transgressions. It really is about time that someone else noticed.

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A/N: It was fun to have all the guys together again. I missed them.