Making camp with the rented camping gear at Emmelle Haven proved to be no issue. Noctis and Prompto were still upset that they wouldn't be sleeping in a bed tonight and expressed their disdain as they helped set up the chairs around the campfire. Gladiolus had snapped at the two for complaining before continuing to set up the tents.

Makina was helping Ignis with the portable kitchenette and ingredients he had bought for dinner. She was cutting up the vegetables for the dry-aged tender roast stew he would be preparing while he started the stove, warmed the pot, and added the broth.

Once the vegetables were sliced, the princess added them to the broth. She then proceeded to slice up the meat before submerging it into the pot. She added a few seasonings before Ignis stirred everything together.

The two were too absorbed in preparing dinner that they didn't notice Noctis staring intently at them. He sat in one of the chairs around the campfire with his eyes boring into the backs of his advisor and girlfriend. He couldn't help but remember a memory from when they were in high school.

༻──── ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ────༺

On the eve of Prompto's seventeenth birthday, Noctis was lounging in his apartment with Ignis and Makina. He sat at the counter, arms folded across the top with his head resting on them. His azure eyes watched closely as his advisor and the princess baked a cake together for Prompto's birthday.

He saw how good they looked together and tried to push himself between them to help with the cake, but he wound up burning the batter twice and adding too much sugar to the frosting. He was then escorted to where he sat now by Ignis so he wouldn't interfere any longer to waste more ingredients.

Grumpily, Noctis watched Makina and Ignis stand side by side while they started making the frosting. He heard them talking and felt jealousy bubbling in his veins. His lips were slowly curving downward into a frown as he heard Makina giggle at one of Ignis' cooking puns.

With an angry and disheartened sigh, the prince sluggishly dragged himself off the stool and meandered into the living room. He inelegantly tossed himself onto the couch with a huff, burying his face into the pillow. He closed his eyes and took a short nap.

He awoke from his fifteen-minute nap when he smelled the delicious cake and heard the 'ding' of the oven. Lazily, he pushed himself up and peered into the kitchen. Ignis was pulling the cake out of the oven while Makina seemed to be putting the frosting on something. His grumpy demeanor from before returned as he looked away from his friends. He started at the black screen of the tv, trying to figure out a way he could separate the two.

Noctis was torn from his scheming thoughts when he heard Makina's gentle voice. "Hey."

He blinked a few times and noticed she was sitting beside him on the couch. He didn't even notice she left the kitchen until he heard her voice. "The cake finished?"

"Not yet, but..." She held up a cupcake decorated with yellow frosting and blue and white sprinkles. "Look!"

Noctis glanced between the cupcake and the snowy-haired girl. "It's a cupcake," he blandly replied. He was aware of her obsession with the dessert and pastries, but didn't entirely understand why she loved them so much. "What's so special about it?"

She asked in feign horror. "What's so special?" She parroted. "It's a cupcake-the food of the gods!"

He scoffed. "Doubt the gods like cupcakes."

She purses her lips. "How do you know? You've never met them."

He raised a brow. "Then how do you know they like cupcakes? Have you met them?"

"Because not even the gods could refuse such a delicacy!" She retorted.

"Cupcakes are not a delicacy."

"They definitely are and you can't change my mind." She took a clump of frosting with her finger and wiped it on the prince's nose. "Never disrespect my cupcakes again."

Noctis blinked owlishly at the sensation of the frosting on his nose. He used his finger to wipe it off. He debates whether to eat it or give her a taste of her own medicine. He, of course, did the latter. He smeared the glop of frosting across her cheek with a smirk. "Payback."

Makina was surprised by his actions. She wiped the frosting off her cheek and licked it off her finger. She hummed in contentment, satisfied with the taste. With a mischievous smirk, she said, "Taste pretty good. You should try." She shoved the entire cupcake against Noctis' face, smearing the frosting across his nose, lips, and cheeks. She ruptured at the seams with laughter.

Noctis listened to her melodic laughter as he licked the frosting and some sprinkles off his lips. He analyzed the taste and acknowledged how good it was. "You're right. It does taste pretty good. You and Specs make more than one by chance?"

"You know who you're talking too, right?" she laughed. "Of course we made an entire batch of cupcakes." She wiped some of the frosting off his cheeks.

The sensation of her soft, gentle fingers brushing against his skin resulted in his cheeks turning crimson. His heart thundered in his chest and he quickly looked away from the princess.

Having failed to notice the state of Noctis, Makina stood up. "I'll grab two more cupcakes so we can enjoy them properly." She hopped up from the couch and left the living room.

The prince glanced at her for a split second before looking away in embarrassment. His crush on her was growing even more.

༻──── ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ────༺

Noctis was brought back to the real world when Prompto nudged his chair with his foot. "Yo, you good, buddy?"

The raven-haired boy quickly looked away from Ignis and Makina. "Yeah, fine. Couldn't be better."

Gladiolus, having caught the prince staring at the tactician and the princess, grinned. "Your jealousy is showing, Prince Charmless."

Noctis' head snapped in the shield's direction. Glaring, he said, "I'm not jealous."

"Yeah, and I'm a chocobo," he scoffed. "You're jealous your girlfriend is cooking with Iggy. You only want her to pay attention to you."

"No!" he vehemently denied.

Gladiolus continued to tease the prince. "You 'fraid Specs is gonna take her from you?"

Before he could bite back, Makina intervened. "No one's taking me from anyone." She handed one bowl of stew to the brute and the other to Prompto. "Feel free to try yourself, big guy, but you'll fail, and probably find yourself in another dimension." She grabbed her own bowl of stew while Ignis served himself and Noctis. She sat down in the empty chair beside the prince.

Gladiolus questioned the girl. "You can't tell me there hasn't been at least one other guy you've been interested in."

"There hasn't," she boringly responded.

"Not even a crush?" He pried further.

"No." Her eyes narrowed as she met the shield's gaze. "Why are you so interested in my love life?"

"It's not every day someone is friends with a princess from another world."

"Even though I'm from Iona, I still function as a normal human, Gladio," she sighed.

"Yeah, but normal human girls usually develop crushes."

She rolled her eyes with a groan. "If you think I'm trying to lie because I'm embarrassed, you're sorely mistaken. Between my studies and training, I didn't grow up like a normal girl. I didn't have girl friends to gossip with or a crush to fawn over. I was, in the literal sense, too busy. But if you want to know something interesting, there was a marriage proposal set forth by House Scientia."

Noctis choked on a piece of meat. He pounded his chest and coughed, managing to dislodge the food in his throat. Prompto almost dropped his bowl in shock at the revelation. Gladiolus was also surprised but was able to keep from dropping or choking on anything.

Makina glanced over at the advisor. "And here I thought you told them everything, Iggy."

"It appears it had slipped my mind at the time," he calmly replied before enjoying dinner.

Gladiolus released his fork. It clattered against the bowl. "When the hell was this?"

"A year before graduation," the princess answered. "Remember that list of suitors I mentioned? Iggy's name was one of the men on the list. My father did consider the offer and even consulted me. In the end, he said no."

Noctis was still in utter shock. He abandoned the stew and stared at her. "Your dad really considered it?"

"Yeah." She met his bewildered gaze and wanted to tease him. "Who knows? Maybe Iggy and I would've been engaged if we weren't dating."

"Come now, Makina," Ignis sighed. He knew she was teasing the prince, but he felt as if it was too much for him to handle.

"Too far?" She asked.

"Perhaps a little."

"Sorry." She started to eat her dinner as did the others. It was silent and suffocating. She finished the vegetables but there was still a small portion of garula sirloin. She gave it to Noctis, who had yet to say anything. She then excused herself and crawled into the smaller tent.

Makina zipped the flap shut before peeling off her damp clothes. She carefully splayed them across the floor of the tent. She slipped on the black tank top and white shorts she had bought herself while the boys had rented the camping equipment. She tugged her long hair free of the black ribbon. Her ponytail came undone, her snowy locks cascading down her back and reaching a little past her tailbone.

With her hair being dried, she used her fingers as a brush and combed out the knots. Once there were no tangles, she started to braid her hair. Amid braiding, she heard the zipper to her tent being opened. There was only one person who would attempt to enter her tent without asking for her permission first-Noctis.

Pretending the prince wasn't trying to enter her tent, she continued braiding her hair. She listened carefully as he zipped the flap behind him. As she tied the black ribbon around the base of her braid, she addressed him. "You trying to sneak into my tent?" Turning around, she faced him with a playful smile. "That's not very gentlemanly of you, Noct. What if I was changing?"

"Like I would make that mistake twice," he grumbled, cheeks turning slightly red as he recalled another memory.

༻──── ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ────༺

A week before exams, Noctis had invited Prompto and Makina over for a study date. The two boys wound up playing video games for hours while the princess focused on her schoolwork. They had ordered pizza for dinner and lost track of time. It was well past midnight when they realized how late it was.

Prompto had quickly excused himself and ran back home in the dark before Noctis could offer him to spend the night. He watched his best friend storm out of his apartment as if he were being chased by daemons. Hearing Makina packing her things up to leave, he quickly intervened to stop her. There was no way he would let her walk home this late at night. He believed she was a force to be reckoned with, but the streets at night weren't safe no matter how strong anyone was. "Where do you think you're going?"

She ceased zipping her bag up. "Home. Where else would I be going this late?"

"Oh, I don't think so." Noctis confiscated her school bag. "Like hell I'm letting you walk back home this late. It's not safe."

"Then I'll just make a rift." She lunged forward to reclaim her bag.

Alas, Noctis dodged. He saw the bags under her eyes. "Not happening."

"Noct, I really-"

"Just spend the night. You've done it plenty of times before."

"When I had my stuff," she remarked. "I don't have anything with me."

The raven-haired boy tried his best to keep his cool. "You can borrow some of my clothes i-if..." He cleared his throat, slapping himself mentally for stuttering. "If you want to."

"Fine." She held out her hand. "Give me back my bag."

He looked at her hands. "You're not gonna take off behind my back, are you?"

"No," she mumbled. "I think I brought my spare pe shorts with me today. I can use those as sleepwear. All I'll need is a shirt."

"Can do." He gave back her school bag. "I'll get that shirt for you."

"Just leave it on the bed. I want to take a quick shower before we call it a night." She vanished into the bathroom, which was located in his bedroom.

Noctis was about to grab a shirt for Makina when his phone went off. He pulled it out of his pocket to see Prompto texting him. He got distracted with texting the blonde that he forgot about the shirt. It wasn't until his best friend mentioned the princess did he remember what he was doing. "Shit. Almost forgot." He put his phone away and headed to his bedroom.

When he opened the door, his mouth fell agape at the sight of the topless Makina. He hadn't realized how hard and long he was staring at her half-naked form until she scrambled for her towel and covered her chest. She glared daggers at the prince. "I thought you were going to leave a shirt out for me!"

He turned his back to her to hide his reddened cheeks. "I-I got distracted!"

She grabbed a pillow from his bed and threw it at him. "Or maybe you're just a pervert!"

"I swear to the gods, I did NOT plan this!"

"Just get me a shirt, dammit!"

"R-Right..." He stumbled over to his dresser and pulled out a shirt. He blindly tossed it in her direction. "You take the bed. I-I'll take the couch." He made a prompt exit so she could change. Leaning against the wall beside the door, he slid down to the floor. Legs crossed, he placed his elbows on his knees. His head slumped against his hands and he yanked at a few strands. His heart was racing with excitement and embarrassment. Taking a few deep breaths, he was able to calm his thundering heart and rid himself of his embarrassment. He was too busy trying to erase the naked image of Makina from his mind that he doesn't hear the bedroom door open.

The princess, now dressed in one of his t-shirts and her own pe shorts, poked her head out the door. She looked down at her friend. "I am not taking your bed away from you. I can sleep on the couch."

He lifted his head from his hands and looked up at her. "This is gonna turn into an argument, isn't it?"

"Probably," she laughed. Stepping out of the room, she joined him on the floor. "And just for the record, I don't think you're a pervert. I should've locked the door. Sorry about that."

Noctis leaned his back against the wall. "I shouldn't have gotten distracted. I also should've knocked."

"Let's just forget about it," she said.

His eyes darted away from her. "I'm...trying very hard to forget..."

She lightly elbowed him in the side. "Sorry for scarring you."

"More like blessed," he mumbled for only him to hear.

Having not heard him, she stood up. "I'm calling it a night on the couch. Next time I'll take your bed."

Noctis watched her retreat into the living room before he too got up and went to bed.

༻──── ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ────༺

"I'm a little surprised that was your first time seeing a girl naked," Makina commented.

He was puzzled at her statement. "Why's that?"

"You're a prince, after all. Girls were throwing themselves at you in high school. None of them caught your attention?"

"I was too busy crushing on you to notice any other girls," he replied honestly. "And what about you? Didn't you see all the guys staring at you? Or what about the ones that flirted with you?"

She sighed. "None of those guys knew me like you did. All they saw was a princess, nothing more. Even if I had given one of them a chance, I doubt our relationship would've lasted. And trying to explain exactly who I was and what I can do to a random boy I've only met a handful of times would be really difficult. I also doubt he would understand."

"You could say the same goes for me. The only people who didn't see a prince were you and Prompto. And there's no way in hell I'm having a fling with a random girl." He then curiously glanced at her as he sat down in front of her. "But what about Specs?"

The princess groaned. "This is all Gladio's fault..." She pushed herself to her knees and crawled forward. She situated herself between his legs and sat up on her knees to tower over him a little. She cupped his cheeks in her hands and tilted his face upward. She gazed deeply into his azure eyes. "Ignis does understand me, but he's not you. He isn't the boy who played with me in the garden or the one who asked me to prom. My father only considered the marriage proposal because he wasn't sure if I liked you or not. After I told him I didn't want to marry Ignis, he turned the offer down. No one in this world could take me away from you. I'm yours, Noctis."

Noctis felt pure joy as he gazed into her lilac pools. Her words made his heart flutter. Slowly, he wound his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. When her body was flush against his, he felt her wrap her arms around his head. He held her tighter and buried his face into her chest as she stroked his hair.

Makina kissed the top of his head before resting her own against his. She continued to thread her fingers through his hair until she suddenly felt their bodies tipping. She gasped in shock when their bodies fell to the floor. Now laying on her side with Noctis still clinging to her, she moved her fingers out of his hair. "Noct, what're you doing?"

"Going to sleep," he mumbled tiredly. He nuzzled his nose against her chest and refused to let go of her. "I'm too tired to head to the other tent. I also rather sleep with you..."

She glanced over at her wet clothes. She had wanted to place them by the campfire so they would dry. "Can I at least go put my clothes by the fire before we go to bed?"

"No." Noctis closed his eyes and fell asleep within minutes.

Makina was shocked at how quickly he fell asleep. She sighed, knowing it would be impossible to break free from the prince without disturbing him. She glanced one last time at her clothes before deciding to give up and fall asleep.