Chapter Text
Prompto Argentum isn't normal.
The barcode he has on his wrist, the nightmares of being in a vat of cold liquid, his Nifelheim origins, all of it points toward the fact that he doesn't belong.
Although, that's not all there is to it.
Prompto remembers being someone else. He remembers wielding a sword, driving a motorcycle, creating a delivery service, saving the planet.
He remembers Jenova.
He remembers mako.
He remembers Zack.
Prompto Argentum remembers everything.
He doesn't understand what to do with all this information. The blonde is living a different life now. He's friends with the crowned prince, he's just graduated high school, and he has a part-time job at a local arcade.
By all means, Cloud Strife should no longer exist. He should be gone and forgotten in a universe that's moved on without him.
But; if Prompto is no longer Cloud then why does he still have the scars?
Why does he have an itch to practice with a blade?
Why is he saving up money to buy a custom bike that'll be a spitting image of Fenrir?
Why does he still have mako?
Why is he getting his ears pierced at three in the morning?
Prompto stares at the needle in a mix of anxiety and anticipation. He didn't mean to get his ears pierced, and quite honestly the thought has never really crossed his mind.
The young adult was taking a jog around his neighborhood, blowing off some steam from his nightmare of Hojo. (And, wasn't that funny? How in both lives he got fucked over by old men in white lab coats). When he spotted a small piercing and tattoo shop that was open twenty-four-seven. The freckled man didn't think anything of it at first, until he spotted an eerily familiar pair of wolf earrings on display.
Next thing he knew, Prompto was chatting up one of the workers on the cost for a piercing while taking out his wallet.
"Y'know, we have a special sale going on this week, darling. If you get two ear piercings, you get another one for free." The piercer states as she takes out a pen.
The lady then draws dots on his ears, showing him a mirror to confirm the placement.
"It's perfect!" Prompto reassures, before biting his lower lip in contemplation.
"You said there was a special, right? The free piercing, can it be done anywhere on the body or does it specifically need to be somewhere? He asks, barely flinching when the needle goes through his skin.
The lady smiles at him as she disinfects the slightly bleeding ear, before putting in the earring.
"No, it can go anywhere ya want, sweetpea! Why? Is your piercing going to be somewhere...mischievous?" The woman teases, lowering her gaze to look at his chest.
Prompto snorts, "Astrals, no! Nipple piercings aren't my thing! But—“
The reincarnated hero sticks out his tongue at the lady,
“I wouldn’t mind getting my tongue done though.”
The worker laughs at him in glee as she pierces his other ear.
"Sure, honey. Let me just finish this one first and then we can get started on your tongue piercing. Let me tell you in advance, your talking might be slurred for a little while."
Prompto shrugs off her warning, knowing that with his mako enhancements it shouldn't even be a problem.
By the time he gets home, the sun is already shining and Insomnia is finally beginning to bustle with life. The blue-eyed teen doesn't care though, he was still too giddy about the wolf-like studs he was currently sporting on his ears.
"Maybe, this whole reincarnation thing isn't so bad after all?" Prompto whispers while snuggling into his bed sheets.
The teen then quickly snorts at his optimistic words, taking the statement back in a heartbeat.
"Oh, who am I kidding? I'm totally fucked."