Noctis gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove, knuckles going white from the effort, arms shaking slightly with nerves. He tried his best to keep his eyes on the road like his driving instructor had said, but more often than he'd have liked, he found himself staring through his rearview mirror to look at the Astral that was sitting along the back seat. This was real life. This wasn't a dream. Noctis had a real life motherfucking Astral in the backseat of his car. It was leaving him more than a little nervous.

Through the slightly tinted windows of Noctis' car, the man's scales barely shined anymore, leaving them looking pure white, unlike any fish he'd ever seen or read about. They stood out beautifully along his pale skin as he sat, face and hands pressed firmly against the window, looking outside at everything around him. Like a dog, he'd move his head to follow the trees and other cars with his eyes as they drove past them. His very skin appeared to glow dimly still, giving off an ethereal hum of a promised plethora of magical energy stored deep inside. Those vibrant eyes were as large as dinner plates as they scanned over the landscape outside, taking in all the world had to offer. Truly, he was just as gorgeous as he was curious.

Noctis returned his eyes to the road once more and tried desperately to focus on his breathing, trying to remain as calm as possible, but he could feel himself beginning to unravel at a rapid pace. Whichever Astral this man was, it wasn't any one he'd known about; definitely not any of the ones they were used to praying to. Was the creature lying to him? But what about that storm earlier? What about that bright light? No normal creature could control the weather to such a magnitude in a matter of seconds; and it was daylight, so he couldn't be a daemon. 'He has to be telling the truth. But why is he here? What does he want?'

Noctis thought back to how the man had pointed directly at him earlier, at the dock. Had told him that he was the reason he was here. He shuddered.

'Why me? Why am I so special?' The prince wished the creature knew how to talk; maybe then, he'd be able to get some answers. But what would he do from here? Sure, telling the Astral that he could stay with him until he figured out how to return seemed like something easy to accomplish, but realistically that was better said than done. How would he explain this to his father? To the council? There'd be no hiding him; not with the way he looked and acted. How should they be treating the man? Should they be bowing low, kissing his feet, throwing out praises? Would he prefer to be treated like a normal person?

Noctis contemplated all of this silently, flitting his eyes frantically between the road and his passenger. "…Hey.", he offered, and watched as the Astral perked up and snapped his head towards him at the sound of his voice, eyes wide and smiling fondly. "…I told you my name. You remember it, right? It's Noctis." He watched as the man nodded excitedly. "…Do you… I know you can't tell me your name yet but, like, do you even have one?" Noctis watched as the man nodded once more. "Okay." Seemingly pleased with Noctis' reaction, the man returned his attention out the window.

'Okay. It has a name. Cool.' Noctis swallowed the lump in his throat and relaxed his grip on the steering wheel just a bit. He began to wonder if the man knew how to write it out so that maybe he'd finally be able to know it, but his thoughts were ripped away from him as the Astral gasped and pointed out the window, pressing himself even closer against it. Noctis' gaze cut to where the blonde was looking, and saw a herd of Garulessa, Garulet, and Garula roaming slowly through the green of Duscae. The Astral's mouth opened and before Noctis could say anything to stop it, that sound was filling his senses once more; the sound of static, nails on a chalkboard, a high-pitched ringing, distorted whispers and screams- all meshed together and splitting his head open.

"What's that over there?! What are those things?! They're so big!"

He couldn't make out the words still. Noctis screamed and couldn't stop himself from screwing his eyes shut as his body jerked involuntarily, causing the car to swerve halfway off the road. The jerk of motion caused the Astral to slide from one window to the next, shutting him up with a none-too-gentle bang of his skull against it.

Noctis slammed on the breaks and the ache in his head caused by the inhuman sound was immediately replaced by an actual, physical ache as his head slammed against the steering wheel. Vaguely, through the pounding in his skull, he registered another thump! Against the back of his own chair; most likely the man in the back slamming into it. Stars danced along Noctis' vision, white along the edges, and he blinked rapidly, trying to bring the world into focus.

"Ow… Shit… You okay?" He turned around in his seat to search for the Astral, and he found him along the floor of the car, smothered between the back seat and his driver seat in a position that had to be immensely uncomfortable. The creature stared up at him with furrowed brows and a frown, an upset look of confusion. He didn't seem to have any injuries, but Noctis couldn't be certain unless he examined him. "Ugh. What did I tell you about talking?! It hurts, ok? And it's dangerous to do that while I'm driving!", the prince scolded, and the man frowned deeper, breaking eye contact and looking away.

Noctis turned back around in his seat and dug the palms of his hands into his eyes. He sighed in frustration. 'Ugh… I didn't mean to make him sad… This is like taking care of a toddler…' There was no way the man would be able to stay in the back seat any longer. He had to be able to be monitored and secured better. Otherwise, there'd only be more accidents and the possible outcome of being damned for all eternity for mistreating a holy being.

"Here. Let me help you up…" Noctis unbuckled himself and opened his car door before stepping out and opening the back-passenger door. The Astral looked up and whined at him from his uncomfortable position on the floor and Noctis sighed once more. "Here- I got you." The prince grasped the man from under his arms and pulled him up before holding him properly and lifting him out of the car. "You're going to sit up here with me now. You won't slide around as much that way…" The man nodded as he listened, blue-violet eyes roaming over Noctis' face intently and arms clinging around his neck.

The man still felt incredibly cold to the touch, and as he snuggled closer to Noctis while being carried a small shiver raced down the prince's spine. Was this common in Astrals, or just this one? Maybe it was because he had been in the ocean for so long, out of direct sunlight.

Noctis had a little difficulty opening the front-passenger door while carrying the blonde, but after struggling for a moment, he finally managed, depositing him into the seat carefully and buckling him in. The Astral watched as Noctis made sure the seatbelt was secure and tugged on it a few times himself, smiling. Despite his earlier frustrations Noctis gave a reassuring smile back.

"All good?" The man nodded. "Good. Hold on, I'll be back." Noctis walked to the trunk, not missing the way the blonde twisted in his seat, leaning his head outside the car's interior to watch his every move, eyes alit with wonder. He popped open the trunk and grabbed a blanket out of it before closing it back. The blanket used to be for picnics on the beach with his dad, but nowadays it just gathered dust. The Astral would get better use from it.

When he was back at the man's side, he unfolded it and slung it loosely over his lap. The Astral looked at it, running his fingertips over the soft fabric and smiling up at Noctis. "Can't have your junk out all day, now, can we? It'll draw too much attention and it's kinda… weird… having a naked guy in my car." Noctis blushed as the Astral just continued to stare up at him, no clear emotion written on his face. Maybe he didn't understand.

Noctis sighed and turned to walk back to his own side of the car, but a cold hand stopped him suddenly, grasping his wrist and tugging gently. "…Yeah?", he called, turning to meet that vibrant gaze. The blonde was frowning, looking up at the prince with a worried expression before pointing a finger at his forehead, just beneath his blonde fringe. "Your head…?", Noctis asked, perturbed. There didn't seem to be a single scratch on him. 'Did he get hurt after all?'

Noctis knelt down next to him and reached out to brush his blonde hair out of his forehead, but the Astral whined and shook his head vigorously. Noctis let out a little disgruntled sound at wrongly interpreting the man once more. He never imagined communicating with someone who couldn't talk would be this hard. He lowered his hand and frowned. "Then what?"

Noctis stayed still as the Astral stared at him a moment, seemingly contemplating something, before slowly reaching his hand out to touch Noctis' own forehead, just below his hair line. Noctis hissed in a pained breath as those icy fingers made contact with his skin, and when the hand retracted, there was blood on the blonde's fingertips. The Astral looked at the blood for a moment, sliding it between his fingertips before licking them and making a face of disgust.

"Hey- no! Don't do that! Gross." Was blood something an Astral lived off of? Probably not, judging from his reaction. At least, Noctis hoped not. That would create a whole new slew of issues he wasn't prepared to face. Noctis hurriedly took the Astral's hand from his mouth and wiped the pale fingers off on his own black shirt. "So, I'm hurt? No big deal." He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I can just take a potion when I get home and it'll be fine." The prince's eyes met the man's once more, and the sadness and worry that showed clearly in those sparkling eyes made his chest tighten.

He was about to stand back up, but the blonde whined and pulled him back in place, shaking his head. "What, then?" Noctis' brows furrowed, and his head ached a little from the effort, but he couldn't care much over his frustration. The Astral swallowed and hesitated once more before gently grasping Noctis' face in his hands. He leaned in, fingers dancing along his cheekbones, and closed his eyes before delivering a kiss to Noctis' wound. Not expecting a kiss, Noctis blushed and squirmed in place a bit, unsure of how to react. "W-wait! What are you-"

The blonde's lips were just as cold as the tips of his fingers had been, but in no time at all they were radiating a pulsing warmth against his busted skin. The wound hurt under the contact, and Noctis grunted in discomfort, but before long the area began to tingle under those lips, a golden glow emanated, and then soon enough the pain disappeared altogether. Noctis' eyes widened at the realization that he was being healed without a potion, and when the Astral retracted, hands still cupping the prince's face, he was looking over him fondly and smiling. Noctis couldn't help but smile back, albeit still a little surprised and taken off-guard

"Um… T-thanks...", he mumbled out, that same blush spreading further. His gaze flitted to the man's lips, and they were smeared with trace amounts of blood. "Here, let me just…" He swiped along the blonde's lips with a thumb until all red was gone, and this time it was the Astral's turn to blush. Noctis pretended not to notice, but there was no ignoring the way his heartrate increased significantly at seeing the lovely shade on him.

This time when Noctis stood up, the man didn't stop him. He made his way back to his driver's seat, closing the car doors behind them, and started the engine up once more. "Okay... Let's try this again. I need you to behave, got it?" It felt weird commanding a holy being to do what he was told, but it was all for the greater good. Noctis just hoped he wouldn't be damned by doing so.

…

Prompto made sure to behave, just as he was told. Noctis had already been physically hurt because of him once, and it wasn't something Prompto cared to repeat if he could help it. He made himself promise not to forget about his Astral voice this time, no matter what excited him. And Gods it was so hard because everything was exciting! All the green; the vast, seemingly never-ending expanse of it that disappeared under a bright blue sky. Giant plants with large branches and plentiful leaves that shot out of the ground and reached the heavens. So many different creatures- both like Noctis and also not like Noctis at all- wandering around, living their lives. Everything was so new and so exciting, and it was hard to retain the questions and exclamations to mere gasps and points of his finger.

At one point they approached a large concrete creature and Noctis drove right into it's open mouth, and Prompto had to clasp both hands over his mouth to stop a scream from erupting. When they were inside of the creature, Noctis's eyebrows raised before he laughed loudly.

"We're okay! It's just a tunnel. There's lights in here, see?"

A tunnel? Oh.

Prompto lowered his hands hesitantly but kept his lips firmly between his teeth, just in case, as he watched the lights fly by overhead. A bright light approached and then in the next moment the tunnel ended, opening the world around them back up once more.

Noctis looked over to him and smiled. "See? We're okay. No big deal." Prompto smiled back.

They drove for hours and hours. Noctis would sometimes tell Prompto what the things he pointed at were, and it was nice. But, after a while, his throat began to grow dry and rough, until eventually it felt as though someone had stabbed him there. Every time he swallowed, a jolt of pain shot through him, and he winced.

"Hey… you okay? You're sounding like something's hurting you…" Prompto looked to Noctis and pointed at his throat. "Oh, are you thirsty?" Prompto nodded. He was losing hydration much faster than he thought he would. He could already feel his skin becoming dry and rough and the feeling made his skin crawl. Noctis seemed to make a thoughtful face, pondering something. "…Are you hungry, too?" Prompto thought about this. Was he hungry? As an Astral, there was no need for anything like food or drinks. No need for bathrooms or sleep or anything other than his job. He didn't know what 'hungry' felt like, nor did he think he'd know it if he did feel it. Coming up with no answer, he just shook his head in response. "Ok. Well. We can stop somewhere, but…" Noctis' eyes drifted down to the blanket covering Prompto's lap before flitting back to the road. Prompto thought the pink along his cheeks was lovely. "…You can't exactly be seen like that. You're going to need clothes. Preferably something with sleeves, to cover up as much of your scales as possible."

Prompto frowned and traced over some scales along his forearm with the tips of his fingers. Were his scales… bad? Were they ugly? Did Noctis not like them? Noctis noticed the sad look on Prompto's face and quickly added on, "Only because they'll attract a lot of attention! You know? You don't want a big crowd of people looking at you and trying to touch you, right?" No. He didn't want that at all. It they weren't Noctis, they didn't need to touch him. Prompto grimaced and shook his head vigorously, pulling his arms close to his body as if to protect his scales. The image made Noctis laugh again, and it was lovely and infectious, causing Prompto's heart to stutter a bit in his chest before a warm smile spread to his lips. "Didn't think so.

Noctis sat quietly for a moment, just smiling towards the road as he continued to drive. "I have an idea of where to get some clothes and water, but you're going to have to promise me you won't try to talk, okay? We don't need the media all over you. It's best to hide what you are, at least until I talk to my dad and Clarus… Okay?"

Prompto nodded and tried to ignore the way his throat stung. The inside of his nose felt dry and crusty as well, and it made him wish he didn't have to breathe.

After another hour of driving, the green turned into oranges and browns, the ground cracked here and there. The trees turned into large rock formations. Everything became a desert, and it only made Prompto feel even dryer and more desperate for water. He whined.

"Don't worry. We're almost there…" Noctis placed a hand on his shoulder and the warmth of it made Prompto want to lean into the contact, but it was gone all too soon. "Ah- there it is! Look, we're here." Noctis pulled into a large space of concrete and asphalt, other cars lining along the edge of it. There were three large buildings, each vastly different from one another. Noctis parked in front of the middle building and shut the car off. "I'll be back soon, okay? Don't move. I'm bringing someone to you. She's a friend, so don't worry. She'll keep quiet about you. I trust her.

Prompto listened to Noctis and nodded, and without another word, the man exited the car and walked inside of the building to the right.

…

"Hey! Cindy!" Noctis called as he entered the auto shop, walking quickly and light of his feet.

"What bills you payin' to run 'round my place of work and yell into these old ears, boy?" Cid's gravelly voice rumbled from a chair by the back corner, from where he was seemingly tinkering with a small scrap of machine parts; putting together some new invention, Noctis was sure. He peered up from beneath his ball cap to look at the prince, irritation evident. This didn't surprise Noctis. Cindy's grandfather was always grump. He supposed it just came with getting old.

"Sorry, Cid. How's the shop going?"

Cid grumbled out a small chuckle and fixed his attention back to the scraps of metal in his hands. "You don't care one lick 'bout this place, boy. You can't fool this old man."

"Oh, Pawpaw, don't be so rude to the prince! He's your friend's son after all!" Cindy appeared, grease splotched over he face at random as she stood up from where she had been bent over the motor of one of the cars in the shop, wrench in hand. She shot her grandfather a stern, yet playful look and the old man laughed.

"Reggie needs to teach 'im some manners!"

Cindy rolled her eyes at his jab, knowing full well Cid loved Noctis just as much as she did, and that he'd do anything for him. Their families had been friends for ages, and it wasn't about to stop here all because of a raised voice. She wiped the sweat from her brow before closing the hood of the car and brushing her hands along her shorts. "Well, that'll have to do for now. Pawpaw, I'm takin' a break!" Cid waved dismissively in response, and she approached Noctis.

Noctis smiled as she came closer. Her curly blonde hair and mostly exposed breasts bounced with every energized step she took. "Hey, Cindy.", he greeted, this time in his inside voice.

"Well, howdy, Prince! What brings you here?" Her southern twang sounded lovely on her lips.

"Oh, I needed you to look at something really quick for me. It's in my car." Noctis stepped in closer to her and lowered his voice to a whisper, not wanting Cid to overhear. "And try not to freak out when you see it. No one else can know."

The blonde looked him over with curiosity but smiled wide as she nodded and winked. "You got it! Lead the way!"

Noctis turned on his heels and walked out of the building, waving goodbye to Cid he left, the woman following him close behind.

"Don't take 'er fer too long, Noct! We're backed up today!"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it!"

They walked across the parking lot, towards the gas pumps where Noctis had parked, and Cindy placed her hands on her hips. The car seemed to be picture perfect, so she didn't see what the problem could be. Then again, he had said the problem was inside. "So, what's the secret?" She couldn't see the inside too well through the tinted windows as she attempted to peer into the back seats.

Noctis placed his hand on the handle of the front-passenger door and turned to her. "Okay. So. This is gonna sound crazy, but I need to borrow some of your clothes."

The southern quirked a brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "'Scuse me?"

Noctis pressed on, ignoring her for now. "Preferably something that… covers… everything? Turtleneck. Long sleeves. Long jeans. Maybe a pair of shoes? A hat?"

Cindy shook her head and looked at Noctis as if he'd grown a second head. "What's this all 'bout, Hun? You into cross-dressin' or somethin'?"

Noctis scoffed. "What?! No!"

"'Cause if you are, I aint gon' judge you. I think you'd make a very pretty-"

"Cindy, no! I'm not cross-dressing! Geez!" The prince waved his arms frantically in front of him, physically dismissing the idea. "Look, it's not for me, it's for." He let out a frustrated breath. "Just- here. I'll show you. But don't make any loud noises. I'm trying to keep him a secret, okay?"

Cindy didn't miss the way Noctis said 'him', but she rested her hands on her hips and nodded. "Okay, don't keep a girl waitin', then. Open 'er up!"

Noctis steeled himself and did as he was told. Once the car door opened, Cindy gasped, bringing both hands to her mouth as the Astral was revealed.

He looked up at them with large eyes, darting between the two. With the door opened and the sun shining in, his scales began to reflect rainbows again. He curled into himself under the blanket in his lap, seemingly a little scared and apprehensive about the new person with Noctis. The prince smiled down at the man. "Don't worry, she's a friend. This is Cindy." Upon hearing the prince's words, the man uncurled a bit and leaned forward a bit, regarding the woman more closely.

Cindy didn't know what to think as she stared down at the man. He was gorgeous, seemingly glowing, and those scales were new and wonderful. The color of his eyes were unlike any she'd ever seen, and as he looked her over, she began to smile, despite her confusion and amazement. In normal Cindy fashion, she extended a hand to him. "Howdy there! The name's Cindy!" The Astral jumped a bit at the unexpected gesture, but after a moment of consideration, he took her hand in his. She was surprised to feel how icy cold his skin was. "Noct… hat is he?"

Noctis shrugged. "He can't exactly talk… At least, not like normal people do… So I'm not entirely sure, but I think he's and Astral. In hand gestures, he told me he came from the sky and then the ocean."

Cindy's eyes widened further and she retracted her hand from the man and turned to fully face her friend. "Noct. Did you, per chance, meet this fella in Cape Caem?"

Noctis nodded. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Noct, it's all over the news! That strange shift in weather and the bright light could be seen for miles and miles! People are scared of what it means, and scientists have began flocking to that beach to try and find something to explain it!"

"What? …Really?"

"You bet! You'd better stay away from there for a while. I don't want those guys getting' to the little guy…"

Noctis looked to the Astral, who looked up at the two of them confusedly. He thought about having strangers poking and prodding the man against his will, scared and alone, and It made the prince's heart ache. "Okay… Gotcha. We won't go there for a while. I promise… Anyways, he's really thirsty, but I can't take him to Takka's for a drink unless he's, you know, dressed."

Cindy looked over the man once more, taking his measurements into consideration. "Hmm… He seems like he'll be about my size, but as for clothes that cover, I'll see what I can do… Doesn't get cold very often in the desert, y'know?"

"Thanks, Cindy. I owe you one."

Cindy smiled down at the other blonde. "Gimme one sec. I'll be right back."

Noctis closed the door to shield the blonde from everyone once more as he awaited his friend to return. It didn't take too long, thank the Gods. When she was back at his side, she handed him a pile of folded clothes. "Got some white cargo pants, some boots, and a red tank top. As for long sleeves and a hat…" She took off her own cropped, yellow jacket and ball cap with the auto shop logo along them and placed them on top of the pile. "…This'll have to do, I'm 'fraid. I'll be fine without 'em for a while, at least long 'nuff to get something in his belly."

Noctis took the clothes gratefully, trying and failing not to stare at her breasts, confined only to the small pink bikini top she wore. "T-thanks, Cindy. I'll be sure to get them back to you as soon as we're done."

She winked at him before opening the door to speak to the Astral. "You'll look cute as a button in these, Hun! Be sure to come visit me some time, and don't go making trouble, you hear?" The astral stared at her a long moment, processing her words, before smiling and nodding. Cindy closed the door once more and leaned in close to Noctis, her voice just above a whisper. "As for underwear, it's tucked inside one of the boots. Sorry, I don't wear men's underpants, so it's all I got to lend."

Noctis blushed slightly and nodded. "Um, y-yeah. Thanks."

Cindy patted the prince on his shoulder before making her way back to the garage. "See ya!"

Noctis looked down at the clothes and sighed heavily. This… was gong to be a hastle.