The following day seemed quieter than usual. Omen left Prompto alone and focused more on his homework. Apart from his occasional glare, he left him alone most of the day. He wasn't sure if Noctis had anything to do with it, but whenever he brought it up, the Prince shook his head and kept trying to convince Prompto he'd done nothing.
During lunchtime, Noctis had dragged him to the cafeteria to buy some cup a noodles. Prompto was far from hungry, but came along anyway. They had some small talk but ate the last 10 minutes of lunchbreak in silence.
Prompto wasn't sure what to believe. He seemed a different person than he had expected and he certainly didn't seem the person he was when he talked to other people at college. He was more at ease and genuinely seemed to enjoy Prompto's presence. He mentally shook his head, he was still afraid to become close to the Prince.
"-to, hey, Prompto? You listening?" Prompto jumped up, touching the back of his neck.
"E-eh yeah, sorry, what was that?" He asked hoping it wasn't too important. Noctis just sighed.
"Did you want to play the new God of War at mine later today?" The blond took a minute and finally replied.
"I-I can't, homework. M-maybe this weekend?" He mentally slapped himself by suggesting to hang out. Noctis' frown turned into a soft smile.
"Sounds great. Iggy will be making dinner again. I should probably start studying for our exams too. The upcoming tests will be on our exams too." Prompto just nodded and gave him a smile back.
On his way to Science, he met up with Noctis again. They apparently had Science together. The Prince grinned and sat down next to Prompto, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Class ended after what felt like hours, Noctis had slept through it as usual and Prompto just played around with his camera. He hadn't taken any pictures for months now. He was just so busy with college, that he didn't go out of his way to go for a walk and photograph the scenery like he usually did.
The last bell of the day rang and they all made their way to the hallways. It was loud and busy, something Prompto hated. But the Prince walked behind him and watched him push himself through the crowd to get to his locker. He hated the location of his locker, it was always crowded around this time of the day.
"You sure you don't want to hang? You seem stressed out." The Prince said. The blond flinched, not expecting him to speak up.
"I'm fine, I just have a lot of homework to do." He replied, but Noctis didn't seem to buy it.
"I can help you with that, I may sleep a lot during class but I'm clever enough in many subjects." He faked Ignis' voice and accent. Prompto let out a chuckle.
"Well, I-I guess I could use some help?"
Ignis had arrived to pick them both up and drop them off at Prompto's. He pushed back his glasses and looked at the blond in his rear view mirror.
"You alright there, Prompto?" The blond said nothing, he just stared outside the window, debating whether or not he should cancel the night with Noctis. He wanted to back out, but the Prince seemed eager to hang out with him. It was probably because he was his first real friend.
"Take care, give me a call when I have to come pick you up." With that, the tall man left.
They dropped down onto the couch in Prompto's living room, both grabbing their assignments for tomorrow.
"So, where are your parents?" He asked innocently, tapping the table with his pen.
"Away, work probably." He answered a little too fast, with a hint of sadness as well as relief. Noctis decided to not ask any further and started scribbling in his notebook.
After two hours of studying and writing, Prompto's stomach started the growl. He was getting hungry, after all, it was 7 pm. His fridge though, was empty. There were a few cup a noodles in the cupboards, but most likely expired. He didn't have too much money, since his parents only send him money once a month, which was barely enough to survive. Except this month, he needed a new pair of shoes and a lens for his camera.
"Did you want to grab something to eat?" Noctis said, ready to get up.
"No it's fine, I eh, I'll order some pizza later." Noctis raised an eyebrow and made his way out of his room.
"Noct, where are you going?" Panic rose within him as he slowly got on his feet. He went down the stairs and saw Noctis stand in his kitchen, going through his cupboards and fridge.
"Where is your food? Are your parents actually working?" He crossed his arms, mostly showing concern on his face.
"I'm low on money, no biggie. My parents should be sending some more money soon-" Noctis interrupted him.
"AH! So you're parents are nowhere near!" Prompto bit his lip, totally forgetting about what he told him. He sighed and wiped his hair out of his face.
"No, I live alone. I have been for a while. My parents uhm, work far away." He scratched the back of his head.
"Okay, that's it. You're coming with me. We're going out to eat." Prompto's cheeks flushed red in response as he was embarrassed.
Noctis grabbed him by the arm which again, made Prompto flinch.
"Prompto?" He loosened his grip.
"I'm sorry, does it still hurt? Here, let me take a lo-" Prompto yanked his hand back, which had shifted the wristband slightly out of place. Noctis looked down and noticed red marks sticking out above it. He was about to ask Prompto about it when he held his wrist against his arm, shivering.
"You should leave." He closed his mouth as he kept eyeing the blond, but decided it was best to not provoke him.
He took his backpack and left the apartment. Walking down the stairs to the ground floor, several thoughts went through his head.
Maybe an accident? Did his bully do this? Was it an old scar? Did he fall?
The Prince groaned and met up with his driver, Ignis. He bowed a bit as the Prince arrived and they both got in the car.
"How was your night, Prince Noctis?" He huffed.
"Don't call me that dude." He replied, huffing again. He stared out the window, slightly worried after what happened. He saw something he probably wasn't meant to see. Prompto had no food at his place and he lived by himself.
"So I take it that your night didn't go well?" He not once took his eyes off the road.
"I think he might be in trouble, Ignis."
"What kind of trouble, if I may ask?" Noctis rolled his eyes and threw his arms in the air. He wasn't even sure himself, what was going on with his friend.
"I don't know. It's just, he had no food in his fridge, nor cupboard. He apparently lives by himself after lying that his parents were just 'working a lot.'" He crossed his arms again. "It also seems like he'd much rather avoid me than hang out with me. Did I do something wrong?"
Ignis shoved back his glasses. "He must have a reason for it. He seems like a genuine and kind young man. Don't try and pry into his life. Communication is key."
"That's what I've been trying, but he doesn't really care to talk to me at all." He was worried about his first actual friend, well, he saw Prompto as his friends. He was not so sure if the feeling was mutual. The rest of the drive home, they remained silent.
Prompto shut his bedroom door, pacing around the room. He groaned and held onto his hair. He was slowly losing himself, afraid what the Prince might have seen. He was looking, he saw the marks. He hoped Noctis didn't think anything of it, but he knew that was far from true.
He slid off his wristband, revealing thin lines across his wrist, covering a small part of the ink he was marked with. The tattoo still stood out, and seemed branded deep in his bones and it didn't fade. There were old and new scars. Most lines had faded a little, but still clearly visible. He didn't want to be different, he also, wanted to be normal. But he never would, even he knew that much. Awoken in a lab, half-human and half-MT. Made to kill, made to destroy.
Noctis knew what MT's were, Insomnia had been at war with Niflheim for years. If he'd find out what Prompto was, his hope on a normal life would shatter. He's a filty Niff, born yet not completely human.
He clawed at his wrist, re-opening old wounds, wanting to get rid of the ugly tattoo that defined him for the rest of his life. The barcode he didn't know the meaning of.
And he would.
He sighed and tried to collect himself.
It was time he'd find out about his past.
It was time to find out what actually happened to him and who he actually was.
