A/n: A request from WynterSnowflake. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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~3rd Person POV~

Noctis tapped his fingers against his knee in eagerness. Prompto turned around in his seat and glanced at his best friend. "Dude, chill. You'll see her in a few minutes."

"I know. It's just... been six long years since (Y/n) left the Crown City," the prince replied.

"Thanks to her teachings, you have become quite a prince," Ignis said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Noctis asked with a hint of annoyance.

"It means without her help, you'd still be ignorant of the world around you," Gladio answers.

"Yeah, and neither of us would've passed high school without the books she gave us," Prompto adds.

"A brilliant girl, nonetheless. At such a young age to become a highly profitable and knowledgeable scholar," Ignis states with a small amount of surprise.

"She never did tell us why she left," Prompto exclaimed. Noctis faced the blonde and told him about her sudden departure. "She was asked to help research the Astrals and the Starscourge. Her work took her all the way to Lestallum. They also asked for her knowledge to help around the power plant. That's why she had to leave."

"I remember when you'd text her in the middle of class to see how she was doing," Prompto grins. Noctis felt embarrassed and turned away from him.

"Fourteen years old and already smarter than most of Eos. That's pretty damn impressive," Gladio said, freeing Noctis of his embarrassment.

"Can't believe that was six years ago. It feels as if she's been gone much longer than that," Prompto sighed.

"Hope she hasn't changed much since she was fourteen," Noctis comments. Prompto laughed with a smile. "Knowing (Y/n), I seriously doubt it."

Noctis couldn't hold back his smile. It grew even wider when Ignis parked the car in Lestallum. The prince was the first to hop out of the Regalia, looking around for the girl with (e/c) eyes and
(h/c) hair he loved dearly. "Did you tell her we were coming?" Gladio asked, cutting through the prince's thoughts. "... No..."

Gladio groaned in disbelief at the answer he received. "We want to surprise her, big guy," Prompto joined in. Another incoherent grumble came from the shield's throat. Ignoring the others, Noctis ran up the stairs and glanced at his new surroundings, hoping he would be able to spot
(Y/n) in the throng of people.

Not paying attention, Noctis ran into someone. Something heavy hits his head as he goes to check on the person. "Sorry 'bout that. Wasn't paying attention," he hastily apologizes. When he picked up what had hit him on the head, he realized the person was carrying a stack of books. "It's fine. Can you help me pick these up?" The person sweetly asked. Hearing the voice, Noctis dropped the book he had picked up. Snapping his head towards the person who he ran into, his eyes widened. Without skipping a beat, the prince threw his arms around the girl he missed for six long years.

"Ugh... Noct, you're making my bones creak..." She groans. He eased up on the hugging but kept his arms around her small frame. "I wanted to surprise you, but it seems I'm the one who was taken by surprise," he chuckles. The prince felt (Y/n) place her small hands on his back, hugging him in return.

"Six years since I last saw you and the last thing I saw was your crying face. Y'know, I was hoping you would send me off with a smile," she giggles.

"You try watching the one person who you care deeply about walk away," Noctis fires back. She patted him on the head like a child. "Well, since you're here, you must've had company," she points out.

"Smart as ever," Noctis chuckles.

"You know it," she winks at him with a grin. He helped her off the ground and took the books, knowing Prompto would tackle her once he saw her. (Y/n) tried to take the books from Noctis, but he refused to hand over a single one. "You're gonna want me to hold these," he said. Connecting the pieces, she lets her hands fall to her sides. "Ah, I see Prompto is with you."

"So... prepare yourself."

"I'll try."

The two laughed in unison as they walked through the streets of Lestallum in search of the other three party members. Just their luck, they ran into Prompto first. He let out a loud squeal and did exactly what Noctis was expecting. "I missed you too, Prom, but... could I keep my bones in my body?" She asked, completely out of breath. The blonde released her and began to blush at how beautiful she had become in the last six years.

"S-sorry, got too excited," he stutters. She pats him on the shoulder and beams into his blue eyes. "Glad to see both of you are safe. I'm assuming Gladio and Ignis are with you in this little exploration as well?"

Noctis and Prompto nod in unison. She placed a hand on her hip and glanced at the prince. "Well, how about we head to my place and you can call them to tell where we are? They can join us shortly." Agreeing, the two young men follow (Y/n) to a building not far from the main road. Entering the building, the three climb up a few flights of stairs to reach the third floor.

(Y/n) pulled a key out of her pocket and opened one of the many doors. "Sorry if it's a little messy," she said as they walked in. Noctis sat the books down on a desk that wasn't far from the entrance. Tons of books and papers were scattered across the desk, coffee table, and kitchen table. The floors, on the other hand, were completely spotless.

"So, how has things been these past six years?" Noctis questioned, trying to start up a conversation. "Good, but it's been slow lately. I've been helping researchers at the plant to help stabilize the core. Luckily, we were able to stop it from overheating and causing a massive explosion that could've wiped Lestallum off the map. After that, I've just been helping around at the plant with small things and teaching all the workers how to handle certain situations."

"Wow, that... uh, that sounds like a lot of work," Prompto states.

"It has, but the perks are worth it."

Noctis was listening closely until he remembered he had to call Ignis. The prince gave his royal advisor directions to (Y/n)'s apartment. Once done, the three sat on the couch and caught up.

A knock came from the door an hour later. (Y/n) got up and opened the door to greet Gladio and Ignis. She smiled and earned theirs in return. "A pleasure to see you again, (Y/n)," Ignis said, polite as always. "To you as well, Ignis."

"Someone's been busy," Gladio chuckles. (Y/n) elbows him lightly and lets the two men inside. "How are your studies faring?" Ignis asked.

"Slow but effective. We've avoided tons of accidents in the plant thanks to my and other researchers' problem solving."

"I hope you will share a little knowledge with me later," he responds.

"Gladly, especially since you've got these two to worry about," (Y/n) laughs, pointing to Noctis and Prompto. "Hey!" The two holler in unison. The three laughed at the two on the couch. The group of men asked the young girl countless of questions about her studies. She answered each one without hesitating.

Hours passed and the moon had already taken the place of the sun. Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto got up from their seats, knowing it was time to leave for the day. "I'll be down in a minute," Noctis announces, confusing (Y/n). The three said their goodbyes while smirking at the prince.

"Did you need to talk to me in private?" She asked.

"Yeah. I was hoping to tell you this before you left the Citadel, but I couldn't bring myself to say it."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me," she beamed up at him. Hearing those words made Noctis relax and his resolve even stronger. His hands gravitated towards her shoulders, pulling her closer. Praying that she wouldn't punch him, Noctis bent down to her height and pushed his lips against hers. It took only a few seconds for (Y/n) to kiss him back. Noctis moved his hands to her cheeks and deepened the kiss.

Noctis ended the kiss when he and (Y/n) needed air. Completely out of breath, (Y/n) collapses against Noctis' chest. "You were always more of a "show" person than a "tell"," she murmurs. Noctis trailed a hand through her (h/c) hair and smiled. "Glad I didn't get punched."

"We can arrange that."

"I'd rather not."