Prompto watched, face and hands pressed against the tinted window once more as Cindy leaned in close and whispered something to Noctis. He frowned, sticking out his bottom lip and furrowing his brows, when the prince blushed and looked down at her breasts for a moment. 'What's so good about those things, anyways? It's just two lumps of fat!'

The blonde woman seemed sweet enough, and her voice was different and just as lovely as the rest of her was, but the thought of Cindy being so close to Noctis like that still made Prompto feel a hot surge of jealousy settle in his gut. He pried himself away from the window as she walked away and slumped forward in his seat. 'Does Noctis like those things on her chest?' He looked down to his own chest, sighing. He was as flat as a board. 'I don't have those…' He took his hands and covered himself, the palms of his hands resting over his nipples. 'Does Noctis not like my chest? Is it strange?' Sure, he had some scales here and there, but they weren't ugly, were they? They surely weren't gross, right? He hoped not.

"Ummmmmm…. What are you doing?"

Prompto's head snapped over to the seat next to him, where Noctis was now leaning in from the outside of the car, clothes still resting in his arms. He blushed furiously and lowered his hands back to his lap, shaking his head furiously. Noctis still looked him over warily for a moment before sliding fully into the driver's seat and shutting the door behind him. "Here. Cindy's letting us borrow some of her clothes for now. Once you put them on you can finally get some water, okay?" Noctis' smile was soft and reassuring, making Prompto feel a little less dumb after being caught in an awkward situation. Despite the way his cheeks burned, he looked up shyly and smiled, nodding.

His lips felt dry and cracked as he did so, and he immediately reeled the smile in, wincing a bit. Noctis noticed it and frowned. "Here. We'll start from the top and make our way to the bottom. Okay?" Without waiting for a response, Noctis took the red tank top out of the pile, opening it for the Astral with his hands. "Stick your head in here."

Prompto peered at Noctis playfully through the body hole of the shirt before doing as he was told. Once his head was all the way through, Noctis slid the rest of the fabric down his torso for him. "There. Now put your arms through those holes on the sides." The blonde struggled a bit, the shirt fitting a little tightly along the mass of his swallowed arms, but eventually got his hands through. He ran his fingers along the material of the shirt, enjoying the soft, thin fabric. "Next will be the jacket. It's a little short in the middle area, but the main goal is to cover your arms, so I guess it'll be okay. Here." Noctis wrapped the jacket around Prompto's back, resting over his shoulders. "Just like before. Stick your arms through these." Prompto did so, and when he was done, Noctis zipped the jacket up for him, all the way to his neck, successfully covering up his upper half.

The prince placed the hat upon his blonde hair before sitting back and looking him over. "Hmm… The hat doesn't shade the scales on your face too well… But I guess it'll have to do. Just keep your head down and I think we'll be fine."

Prompto tried to look up at his hat, fingers dancing along it as it rested atop his blonde locks, and when he looked back at Noctis the man was blushing heavily, hands clasped loosely around a scrap of milky pink fabric. Prompto smiled confidently, ignoring the way his lips cracked painfully again. If the other clothes taught him anything, all he had to do was stick his arms through the holes, right? Right. He thought as much at least, taking the little pink panties from Noctis and sliding his arms through the leg holes.

"W-What?! No!" Noctis tried not to laugh as he snatched the panties back, pulling them off his arms. He placed them back in Prompto's hands correctly before looking away, embarrassment and amusement tinging his face deeply. "This time your legs go through those. C-can you… move your legs yet?"

Prompto quirked his head. He hadn't thought about trying that yet. He looked down at his feet poking out from underneath the blanket on his lap and watched curiously as he wriggled his toes. Upon seeing them move, he looked back to Noctis and grinned, nodding. He smiled back. "Ok, that's good! You'll be able to walk now, finally. That'll make things so much easier. Okay. I'll look away while you put them on. Um… T-the side with the little pink bow goes in the front…" Noctis turned around in his seat but Prompto could still see the pink on the tips of his ears. Doing as Noctis said, he threw the blanked off of himself and slid the panties up his legs after putting one foot through each hole. Once they sat snugly on his hips, he tapped Noctis on the shoulder to let him know he was done. "Okay. Next are these. Same as before, put your feet through these. The side with the zipper and button go in the front." The prince still didn't turn around as he offered the jeans to Prompto and the Astral did as he was told, noticing how one side was definitely different than the other side and those little metal things must have been what Noctis had talked about. The jeans gave Prompto a little more trouble than expected, but when they were finally completely on him, he tapped Noctis' shoulder once more. Only then did the man turn back to face him.

Noctis smiled. "Good job!", he praised, before doing up the zipper and the button for Prompto. "Finally, the socks and boots. Just slide these up your feet and I'll do up the laces and we can get something in our stomachs. Okay?" Prompto took the items from Noctis and nodded before doing as he was told. Noctis got out of the car once he was done and opened the front-passenger door, unbuckling Prompto's seat belt and allowing the blonde to stick his feet out of the car in order to tie the laces.

Finally dressed completely, Noctis offered his hands to Prompto and the Astral gripped them tightly, allowing himself to be helped into standing. His legs trembled slightly, straining the muscles and shifting his weight around on them for the first time, but there was no pain and his feet felt comfortable enough in Cindy's shoes. He continued to grip Noctis' hands as he stood, though, experimentally placing one foot in front of the other, testing out walking for himself.

…

Noctis smiled as the Astral held his hands tightly, taking a few steps here and there around him in the parking lot to test his new ability. He stumbled a bit, but otherwise seemed to be doing okay and relief washed over him like a cool breeze. He watched the way the scales on the blonde's cheekbones glistened in the sunlight and couldn't help but wonder what Prompto had once looked like in the water. Did he have a tail? Or did he just appear as an oversized, secret rainbow fish? He wondered briefly if he would have tried to catch Prompto, if he were to see him like that; just a regular fish in the water.

Probably.

He dashed that thought away quickly after feeling a bubble of guilt beginning to rise. "Ready to get some water?" He watched and chuckled under his breath as Prompto nodded, a weak look of desperation on his face. He must really be thirsty. How much water would they need, anyways? He'd have to stop at the shop before setting off and buy some in bulk. "Okay. Follow me. And remember to keep your head down as much as possible."

Noctis tried to pull his hands away, but the Astral didn't let go, seeming not to understand that he hadn't planned on holding hands the entire way to the diner to begin with. The man looked at him with glittering eyes and Noctis just sighed, unable to deny him and his adorable actions. Were Astrals supposed to be so cute? Probably not. "You want to hold my hand?", he asked, and watched as the blonde nodded, hesitantly but hopefully. "Okay, but just one. You can't hold both of them, it'll be hard to walk that way." The man let go of one of his hands obediently and they began making their way to Takka's, the prince pointedly ignoring the stares of the patrons as they passed by.

'Just a guy holding hands with an undercover Astral. No big deal. Nothing to see there. Move along, citizens.'

The restaurant was bustling with people, chatting idly and paying the two of them little to no attention as they ate, and Noctis felt himself become less tense with the realization, breathing a sigh of relief. Stopping a moment to scan over the area, his eyes landed on a booth seat by the windows and he smiled before making his way to it, Astral in tow. It was the perfect location; far away from the middle so that they wouldn't be noticed as easily, and the light that spilled into the booth would make the blonde's glowing skin seem like merely a trick of the light.

Once they were seated, he pulled a menu out and placed it between them. He glanced at the blonde and smiled, resting his chin in his hand as he observed the man look around at the décor and other people in amazement. The blonde sniffed the air, turning his head in every which direction, turning around in his seat a little, and when their eyes met he settled down and looked down with a blush, causing the prince to laugh. "It's okay. This is all new to you. Look all you want, just remember not to talk… Okay?"

The blonde nodded before focusing his attention on the menu that rested on top of the table. His vibrant eyes glossed over as his fingertips skimmed over the pictures of food and drinks. Noctis hummed thoughtfully. Did he understand the letters or the words? "Can you read?", he asked, voice barely above a whisper. The Astral's ear twitched as he said it, catching the barely-audible question, and he met his eyes once more before giving a little smile and nodding. Noctis' eyebrows rose, not expecting that response. There was so much about the blonde that was a mystery, and he wanted very much to find out everything he could. "Oh! Okay then… Mind telling me your name? I'd like to know what to call you." The Astral furrowed his brows in confusion before pointing at the menu, seemingly asking if he could use it. "Yeah! Use the menu. Spell it out by pointing at the letters." The blonde placed the menu back on the table and Noctis gave him an encouraging smile, which was returned shyly.

The man did as he was told, slowly and carefully skimming over the menu for a few moments before pointing at various letters, which the prince repeated aloud. "P…R…O…M…P…T…O..." When the blonde stopped pointing at the letters, he looked up at Noctis, pink glowing along pale scaled cheeks.

Noctis smiled at him, butterflies making his stomach feel like jelly as the name fell from his lips for the first time. The name was truly unique, unlike any he'd heard in Insomnia. "…Prompto?" The blonde nodded shyly, his hands fidgeting with the ends of his jacket sleeves, and Noctis couldn't help himself from saying it again, finally having a name for the creature. "Prompto…" Knowing that they could finally communicate better this way, he began growing excited, leaning forward in his seat slightly. "…Who gave you that name? Did you pick it yourself?" Prompto shook his head before bringing an arm up, imitating the motion of a wave, gliding it up and down between them. "The Hydraean picked it for you?" Prompto nodded.

There was no time for further questions as a waitress waltzed up to them, smiling brightly. "Are you ready to order now, fellas?"

Prompto looked down towards the table, letting his hat shield his face from her view as much as possible, trying his best to hide his scales just as Noctis had instructed. Noctis cleared his throat and glanced over his menu quickly. "Um- yeah! I'll take a burger and fries, along with a large soda please. And my friend will take a large ice water."

The waitress nodded before scribbling the order down on her notepad. "I'll give Takka your order and be right back with your drinks, 'kay? Don't go anywhere!" She winked at Noctis before disappearing behind the bar towards the kitchen.

With the woman gone once more, Prompto raised his head. Noctis continued his questioning. "How do you know how to spell and read?" Prompto shrugged before pointing at letters once more. "A…L…W…A…Y…S… You've always known? No one had to teach you?" Prompto nodded. "Huh."

They stopped talking once more as their waitress returned with their drinks, placing each one on the table in front of them. "Here you go, boys! Enjoy!" This time she winked at Prompto, eyes lingering questioningly just a second before she shook her thoughts away and bounced away. Noctis watched as Prompto grasped his cup desperately, bringing it to his lips and gulping it down in large swallows. Noctis' eyes widened as the Astral downed the entire thing in mere seconds, leaving only the ice behind. Prompto took him large breaths of air after the final swallow, setting the glass down with a clink!.

"Wow… you were thirsty." The prince exclaimed, voice laced with amazement, and Prompto smiled sheepishly before pointing at the empty cup and raising his fingers to form the number two. "You want another one?" He nodded. "Alright. I'll ask for a refill when the waitress comes back with our food." The man seemed pleased with that response, and Noctis resumed his questioning.

"So, earlier… You said you were here because of me? …Why?" Prompto took the menu and began spelling. "I…N…T…E…R…E…S…T…I…N…G… I'm interesting?" Prompto nodded and began spelling again. "B…E…A…U…T…I…F…U…L…" Noctis's head snapped up to look at Prompto, but the blonde wouldn't meet his eyes, continuing to stare hard at the menu with a heavy blush. He was still spelling. "Watched… you… for… years…?" Noctis' head snapped up again, but before he could ask the Astral anything else, the waitress was back a third time, this time with his burger and fries.

"A-ah. Thanks."

"No problem, Sweetheart. Anything else?"

"Uh, yeah, actually. A refill on my friend's drink?"

Upon seeing the empty glass the waitress's eyebrows raised, a mildly shocked expression painting her face before she smiled, placing her hands on her hips and directing her attention to the blonde. "Well! Someone sure was thirsty, weren't they?" Prompto chanced a small loot at her from around his hat and offered a sheepish smile, shrugging. She giggled. "No problem, Sweetheart. I'll get right on it." She took Prompto's glass away, refilled it, and set it back in front of him before disappearing once more.

Noctis decided to stop the interrogating for now, the word 'beautiful' repeating over and over in his mind as he bit into his burger and watched Prompto down his second glass. 'I didn't know Astrals could think of humans as being beautiful… Do they even have sexual preferences? Are they even sexual at all?' He shook his head before his mind was allowed to wander much further from that thought, the feeling of Prompto's cold lips against his forehead resonating on his skin. He finished his meal quickly and paid for it up at the register, offering a small greeting to Takka as he did so. Prompto was downing his fourth glass as he approached their table to collect the blonde. "Ready to go?"

Prompto nodded and stood up from the table, following Noctis outside and back into the car. Once properly in his passenger's seat, Noctis helped him out of Cindy's jacket and hat. "I'm gonna go return these to Cindy. Stay here for a bit. Okay?" He watched as Prompto nodded and he closed the door, locking him safely inside.

When Noctis entered the auto shop once more, he minded his manners and used his inside voice, this time greeting Cid first. "Hey, Cid. I'm about to hit the road. Just wanted to drop these off to Cindy."

Cid looked up from the car he was working on and at his granddaughter's clothes suspiciously. "Why'd Cindy give you her clothes? You ain't got no jacket, boy?"

Cindy waltzed up to the prince from her own job, shooting Cid a look. "It was for a friend, Pawpaw." She took the clothes out of Noctis' arms and placed them back on her body, smiling at the snug familiarity of them.

Cid merely snickered and looked back to his work. "Noct's got a friend? Never thought I'd see the day."

Cindy rolled her eyes playfully. "And what am I? Hammerhead roadkill?"

Noctis chuckled at their antics. "I'm on my way back to the Citadel. Want me to relay anything to my dad for you?"

"Yeah. Tell Reggie to come down and see us once in a while! Let him know his son has gone up imaginin' friends and that I'm worried 'bout his mental health."

Noctis smirked. "Suuuureee… I'll do that... See ya, Cindy." He turned on his heels, exiting the building.

"See ya, Prince! Come back and see us soon! Ad bring that new friend of yours, too! He was awfully cute!"

Noctis resisted the heat that tried to rush to his cheeks and smiled back at her over his shoulder. "Absolutely!"

…

Prompto leaned back in his seat, feeling so much better after getting water back into his body. His skin wasn't dry anymore, his lips smooth instead of cracked, and he could now swallow without feeling like he was being stabbed. It was a good sensation, the leather of the seat cradling his head, the soft clothes against his skin, and he couldn't stop himself from letting his eyes flutter closed momentarily. His mind wandered back to the things he had confessed to Noctis, and his cheeks flushed. There was still so much to tell, so much to talk about, but it was still too early. He had to wait until he could get a feel for his new vocal chords and learn how to work them, but knew he'd finally be able to actually talk to Noctis soon enough. When he opened his eyes, Noctis was just opening his door, sliding inside and starting the engine.

The prince looked to him questionably. "…You sleepy?" Prompto sat up straighter and shook his head. "Okay. Don't worry, the Citadel isn't too much further." He watched as Noctis buckled the two of them back in before starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot and back onto the road.

The remainder of the drive was incredibly short, and much quieter than it had originally been. They were only on the road for about an hour or so before they approached a large white wall, towering high above them. Men and woman in intricate, hooded uniforms and carrying weapons walked along the top of it and by the entrance, watching the car like a hawk as it crept up towards the large door of the entrance. Noctis stopped as one of them approached the window, and he rolled it down to greet the man.

"They still have you on Wall Duty, Ulric?", Noctis teased, and the man scolded him lightly with a look. "What did you do to earn it this time?"

Ulric chose to ignore the playful jab. "Off to go fishing again, Highness?"

"You know it. It's Dad's birthday today. Thought I'd catch his favorite."

The man's gaze shifted to Prompto, peering at him before quirking an eyebrow and glancing back at the prince. "You've been gone a lot longer than usual… Anything you wanna tell me?"

Noctis played off a scoff. "Not really. Just hanging out with a friend. Grabbed some lunch."

Prompto leaned in his seat to look at the man better, the light from outside falling along his scales, causing them to glitter. The man outside stared at him, eyes widening slightly, before he regained his professional composure once more and turned his attention back to the prince.

"Well… Best be careful… I've heard Cape Caem had some strange weather patterns this morning…"

"…Really?"

"…Yeah… You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, now, would you?"

Prompto settled himself back into his seat and focused his attention to the other people roaming, keeping watch along the wall.

"Do I look like a weatherman?"

"Oh, please... You barely even look like a prince." They both laughed an indulgent moment before the man stepped away from the car. "Go ahead, Highness. Don't keep the King waiting."

"Will do. Thanks." Noctis waved the man off and rolled up the window as the large metal doors slowly opened, revealing a large bridge leading to a sprawling city. As they drove by the barrier, Noctis glanced at Prompto. "That's Nyx. He's part of the Kingsglaive. They protect Insomnia and patrol the walls."

Prompto nodded, barely listening to him over his own excitement. He looked down the bridge towards the rapidly-approaching city. His heart hammered in his chest as his eyes roamed over tall skyscrapers and buildings. The roads were covered in other cars, people walked in all directions, and everything was glowing and alight with sound, smells, and lights. It was all so new and so confusing and so wonderful.

Noctis pointed up at the tallest building, far-off in the distance and seemingly in the very center of the city. "That's where I live. It's the Citadel."

Prompto swallowed before nodded excitedly.

"…I'm going to have to let my dad know what you are. It'll be impossible to keep you hidden…" Prompto met Noctis' eyes hesitantly and nodded. It was understandable. "Don't worry. He's a good man. You'll be safe here. We'll find a way to return you to the Astral Real soon."

Prompto licked his lips and looked away, hoping Noctis wouldn't catch his frown. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay on land with Noctis for as long as he could.

…

"King Ardyn! I come baring great news!" Verstael approached the throne room as fast as he could, manila folder tightly in hand, eyeing the king triumphantly with a wolfish grin.

Ardyn didn't move not one inch from where he sat upon his throne lazily, one leg slung over the other, head resting atop the back of his hand. He peered down at his Research Chief through wavy, red-violet wisps of hair. "…And what, pray tell, would that be, Verstael…?"

The chief grinned as he bowed low, greeting his king. "My researchers have witnessed a great atmospherical pressure along the shore of Cape Caem just moments ago; captured in pictures through one of our many satellites…" The elder man extended his arm, offering the folder to his king, which was snatched none-too-gently from his wrinkled hand. "Incredible weather changes, and a bright light that extended to the Heavens!" At the sound of that information, Ardyn sat up a little straighter in his chair. He flipped the folder open, scanning it's contents quickly as the man continued to talk. "There isn't but a rare few things that could cause this…"

Ardyn flipped through the pages of reports before stilling as he was met with pictures of the phenomenon. He raised his brows and spared a brief glance at Verstael. "An Astral?"

The older man grinned. "Yes."

Ardyn's body began to tingle, his heartrate increasing as he fingered through the pictures. Each one was more intriguing than the last. What started off as long-distance shots of the storm and the light turned into close-ups, which then turned into a picture of a singular hand sticking out from the ocean, gripping the dock. "The Hydraean?", the King questioned, fingers gliding over the image.

Verstael shook his head, clasping his hands behind his back. "I'm afraid not. Although not The Tide Mother herself, it's magic levels are through the roof. I have no doubt that it is a higher being, possibly created by her."

Ardyn observed more reports; graphs and charts of the sheer amount of magic the being seemed to hold. As he flipped through more, he stopped on a picture of a man pulling the creature from the sea. "…Who is this man with it?"

"That would be Prince Noctis, of Insomnia. Regis' child. It seems the boy happened to be there as the Astral appeared."

Ardyn sneered at the picture of Noctis before flipping through once more. Each picture afterwards focused on only the two of them. "…Is the creature still with him?"

"Undoubtedly. They were seen driving towards Insomnia shortly after the event."

The king's eyes lingered over the astral, roaming over every ethereal feature as if it was a treat for his eyes only. He smiled at the chief wickedly. "…If this is an Astral, as you suspect, what are we speaking of, in terms of… power?"

Verstael returned the look in kind. "Oh, vast amounts. Endless amounts! If we were to harness its abilities, the results could be infinite! I have no doubt in my mind that, with a little experimentation, we could control the elements, heal without the use of potions, perhaps even live forever- just as you've been seeking."

"Wonderous… Thank you, Chief." At that, Ardyn closed the folder and snapped his fingers. "Loqi!"

A man stepped forth, dressed from neck to toe in ornate silver armor, a red cape trailing heavily behind him as he approached. He bowed low, blonde hair falling gently across his face. "Yes, my King?"

"I want you to deliver a message for me… Do be sure that our dear Noctis receives it personally…"

Loqi stood up straight, nodding. "Yes, Sir!"