Noctis warily approached the male masseuse, who had already been engaged in chitchat and curious queries by Prompto. Glancing down at the bed, he chewed his lip at the idea of leaving himself so exposed at the hands of a stranger, but quickly shook the thought away, reminding himself that Prompto's job was to protect him, after all. Even from potential massage therapists/assassins. Years of instruction had taught him to first and foremost weigh up the threats in any given situation, no matter how unlikely or trivial they may seem.

The masseuse had managed to extricate himself from Prompto's incessant ramblings, and politely gestured to Noctis to lay down.

"Uh…I don't have to…get undressed do I?" The Prince asked, scowling when his nervous question was met with a scoff of laughter from his friend.

"No no, we prefer you to remain clothed," the man nodded. "Is there any particular area you'd like me to work on, or would you just like me to give you a general massage?"

Noct's pale face was flaming, and his arms were crossed as he tried to decide whether to stall, run, or get it over with as quickly as possible.

"…Uh…general, I guess? My back kinda hurts though."

Over the masseuse's shoulder, Noctis saw Prompto raise an eyebrow, looking surprised, and also somehow peeved that he had not been privy to this information.

"Very well. Please, lay down and get comfortable. It's best to fold your arms under your head, and turn your head to one side. Breathe slowly and deeply, and try and relax completely."

Noctis stared at the bed, a sharp breeze carried in from the undulating dark sea giving him cause to shiver reactively. After a tense few seconds, he finally nodded and acquiesced, clambering onto the bed and feeling supremely inelegant as he struggled to arrange all his limbs in the right places. Once he was laying down, he felt about as far from comfortable as it was possible to be without actually having an Anak standing on you.

"Looking good," he heard Prompto drawl playfully somewhere behind him, and rolled his eyes, though he was irrationally grateful for the reminder that he was still nearby.

He choked out a strangled noise of shock as two heavy hands alighted without warning upon his lower back, above his kidneys. Squirming, he fought not to panic.

"My apologies, sir. I'll continue?"

Without waiting for a reply, the unseen masseuse began to push down with his palms, either side of his spine, and smoothing out towards his sides.

"No, no no, sorry, I can't do this," Noctis muttered frantically, stumbling off of the bed and scratching distractedly at his torso before striding away, making a bee-line for the lonely dark jetty at the back of the building.

"Noct? Wait!" Prompto was yelling behind him, and soon the tell-tale sound of his heavy boots were catching up to him.

The Prince marched to the end of the shadowy jetty, quickly lowering himself to sit on the damp edge and folding his arms defensively as he stared out across crystal-clear ocean. It was a matter of seconds before his friend plonked down at his side, legs hanging over the water and swinging nervously.

"Did he…hurt you? Sorry, I shouldn't have forced you…" Prompto apologised anxiously, resting one hand tenderly upon Noct's shoulder.

Noctis glanced sidelong at his distressed companion. "It didn't hurt, it's okay…it's just…" He stared intently at the easily-visible fish just yards from them, and wondered how to word his response. "…I'm not used to people touching me. I don't…know how I feel about it."

Prompto's mouth fell open, and he quickly withdrew his hand. "Sorry, I didn't know!"

Noctis grinned. "I like it. I mean, I like you." His eyes widened and he groaned, placing both hands over his face in embarrassment. "I mean, I trust you," he mumbled through his palms.

"…Or maybe even all three," Prompto replied awkwardly, with a small chuckle.

"Maybe," Noctis shrugged playfully, uncovering his face and taking a breath of cold, ocean-tasting air, sighing it out slowly.

"I didn't know. I mean, I'm always touching you!"

"Like I said…I find it hard to trust people. Strangers especially, for obvious reasons. People have always been…distant with me, physically. My parents weren't cuddly, and no siblings to play around with. And the people who dressed me or nursed me or whatever didn't do it out of kindness. It was their job. I was just a kid they were paid to look after. And then, at school…"

Prompto nodded, and tried to remember the last time he had heard Noctis talk so intimately or extensively. He rarely opened up about his personal feelings. Prompto hoped he would continue.

Noctis did, after a slight pause. "At school I was alone for…a long time. And then it was you. And that's it," he huffed, smiling crookedly.

"I feel like I must've, like, psychologically scarred you or something," Prompto said, only half-joking.

"Nah, it was nice."

The blonde wondered if the Prince's unusual eloquence was all used up for the time being.

"Well, that's…good, then."

"Mm."

They sat in companionable silence for a long while, just enjoying the soothing ebb and flow of lagoon-blue water, and the cloudless cascade of stars overhead.

"Why can't I just stay here and be a fisherman?" Noctis asked airily, finally laying back upon the damp decking of the jetty and closing his eyes, listening to the sea.

Prompto grinned and then followed suit, hugging his bare arms to himself, which were goose-pimpled with the nocturnal chill. He stared up at the sky happily, speaking aloud to it.

"Cos they have to get up at like, 4am. You'd never survive."

"…Oh. That sucks."

"Yeah. You'll just have to stay a Prince."

"Ugh."

They turned their heads on the hard planking to look at each other, and both disintegrated into snuffling laughter.