Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When he returned to the Galdin Quay resort that evening, after some time had passed out on the sea, Prompto didn’t even so much as manage a friendly smile to the doorman, instead sliding the cardkey into the scanner of his hotel room door, too exhausted to do much else. His nerves were in a frenzy, and his fingers twitched, feeling around for his camera that he no longer possessed. He paced, and he paced, until eventually he sat at the edge of his company-paid-for bed and glanced out his window at the setting sun over the horizon.

It was real, right? It wasn’t just some heat vision brought on by the sun? The moment he flexed his wrist, he was reminded how very real it was. Looking down, he discovered that the pain he felt when moving came from two circular bruises with small - were those suction cup markings? - around each wrist. He was willing to bet that if he looked down at his legs he’d find similar bruising.

Sighing, he leaned back on the bed until he could reach his charging cell phone on the nightstand, pulling it off of its cord to check his messages. Two missed calls from Vyv - not that it was surprising: his boss never gave him a day’s peace. “Shit, Vyv. How am I gonna tell him I lost the camera?” Prompto groaned at the same time that his stomach gurgled in hunger. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Food.” Deciding that Vyv could wait, Prompto rolled off of the bed and trudged to his suitcase, pulling out a change of clothes that might better cover up his new marks. The last thing he needed was to be accused of being in some sex cult or something.

Next was a trip to the bathroom to change. But, as Prompto peeled his shirt off over his head, he felt dried salt flake off of his scalp. Glancing in the mirror, he realized just what a mess he actually was; dark circles encompassed his eyes, and the bruises stood out even more against his pale skin under the fluorescent bulbs. His eyes traveled over to the oversized, jet-powered bathtub, and with a nod of his head, he wiggled out of his pants, socks, and underwear, deciding that he’d earned himself a dip in an expensive tub, just the once.

He turned on the tap and plugged the stopper, watching the bath fill with crystal clear water, so much different from the seawater he’d been underneath just hours before. Is it possible? Do mer-creatures actually exist? What the Hell would I call that thing, anyway? Definitely not a fin on his lower half…

When the water filled to the top, Prompto turned the faucet off and sunk into the water with a groan, already enjoying the warmth on his aching muscles. He’d been sure he was going to die, being dragged beneath the water by that unknown force. Thinking back on it...could it have been another one of...whatever that thing was? Shit - were there more of those creatures lurking in the sea? That was a dumb question. Why would there only be one ? Of course, there would be more…

The animal lover in him took over for half a moment as he thought of those midnight purple tentacles which matched the scales that traveled sparingly on the man’s upper body. Even if he was frightening, the thought of such a creature was interesting. What would something half-human eat? Was it even half-human? Or did it just look human? Prompto thought back to those strange sounds that had come out of its mouth, deducing that it must speak some sort of language. But that definitely wasn’t any language Prompto had heard before.

And those eyes...those eyes were so tame compared to the rest of him. A wild beast with inquisitive expressions and a human face...but did it think like a human?

With a deep gulp of air, Prompto closed his eyes and submerged himself under the water, trying to spark his memory. He listened to the sound of water moving against his ears, the small drum of his heart pulsing away...in the darkness of his mind, he could see him again, the moment their eyes had locked. That wave. The strong but thin chin, the way his midnight hair floated in the water like it was part of the current...so angelic . So...pretty. Even if he was some beast, Prompto couldn’t deny that it was a physically appealing beast - at least, the human part of him. And the way he’d carried himself in the water with such confidence...Prompto could only wish for that kind of self-assured nature.

He came up for air a few seconds later, back into the reality of his air-consuming world. Inwardly, he scolded himself for thinking like some weird pervert about a wild creature. The rest of the bath he spent trying to rid his mind of the thoughts, scrubbing his hair with soap and water before reaching for a towel.

A quick wardrobe change later, and Prompto was on his way to the bar for some grub, fidgeting with his phone for something to do. He’d just loaded the King’s Knight app when he took a seat at one of the stools at the bar top, half-smiling for the first time tonight at the pretty bartender again.

“Coctura, right?” he asked.

“Prompto. How was the view of the reef?”

Prompto grimaced, turning the screen off of his phone to give her the time of day she deserved; she was probably one of the nicer people in this establishment who didn’t look at him like he didn’t belong here, even though he knew he didn’t . “Uh, it was beautiful. But I lost my camera.” He gave a timid laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh no! Can you replace it?”

“Not sure yet.”

An awkward silence filled between them, but Coctura was quick to activate her people skills. “Menu?”

“That’d be great.” Prompto reached for one as it was offered out to him, but that was a mistake, because the quick-thinking bartender noticed the bruising peeking out from underneath his sleeve immediately.

“That looks like it hurt.”

“Huh?” It took him a moment to register, but when he did, he shyly looked away. “O-Oh. That’s not what it...it’s not a sex thing.” Oh, great going, Prom. Why would you say something like that? “I-I mean...not that I’m vanilla or anything like - but I’m not - I...er...forget it.” He hung his head, embarrassed beyond all measure. “Can I order something to-go?”

Coctura merely smiled politely. “Of course. - If I’m not too bold, did you get those bruises while out at the reef?”

Prompto’s interest was peaked, and he leaned forward, glancing around the bar as if to check for eavesdroppers. “You’ve seen these kind of bruises before?” He didn’t want to ask a question that was too leading, but he wanted answers. And if she knew nothing, he could quickly pass it off as whatever she thought they might have come from. Simple. Vyv had taught him a few tricks in the journalism industry…

With a small nod, Coctura reached over to a notepad near the register, scribbled something down, and slid it over to Prompto. “I get off work at eleven. Meet me here?”

Now he was definitely interested in whatever she had to say, though it was hard to tell if this was some smooth way of her coming on to him, or if she legitimately had information to give him. Either way, he was meeting a pretty girl late in the evening, so who was he to complain? “Yeah. Okay.”

Glancing around, Coctura put on another friendly smile and said, “Great. What would you like this evening?”

“Um...the salmon?”

“Wonderful choice.”

The note summoned Prompto to a small alcove along the shoreline, ‘A half-mile beyond the fishing dock.’ If Coctura was secretly a dominatrix or black-widow murderess, she sure picked a wonderful place to lure Prompto to his doom he surmised, waiting for her while removing his boots to dip his toes in the sand. The moon hung heavy over the sea, which glistened with starlight. Pretty , he thought. Almost romantic…

“Prompto?”

Prompto nearly jumped out of his skin, turning in place and throwing his hands up in some half-assed unknown martial arts move, prepared to strike - until he realized it was Coctura, still in her bartending attire, though her hair laid flat down her shoulders. “Oh. Hi.” He lamely dropped his arms and gave her a wave. “Sorry, didn’t hear you walk up.”

“I’ve been told I’m too quiet,” Coctura said thoughtfully. “Maybe everyone is right.”

Not able to stand the disheartened look on her face, Prompto waved his hands around. “N-No. It isn’t that! I’m just really unobservant, sometimes. My boss says I’m a walking contradiction. I say it’s ‘cause I’m not paying attention to everything else that I’m able to see things through a lens differently.” He kicked some sand and bashfully added, “Man, I sound pretentious.”

“I think it’s sweet.” She came to stand beside him, staring out at the gently rolling waves. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? The cove?”

“Yeah,” Prompto agreed, not quite sure where this conversation was heading.

“I’d like to tell you a story. Is that alright?”

“I love stories!” he said, maybe a bit too cheerful. If it was, Coctura didn’t seem to mind.

“When I was ten, my brother took me fishing here, just beyond the drop off there.” She pointed out toward the water. “I wasn’t very good at it, but I wanted to try, because it made him happy. So out we were, early morning, just the two of us, and I caught a fish that nearly weighed as much as me.”

“Your first time?”

“I was just as surprised!” she exclaimed, fondly remembering. But her face turned sour a moment later. “Especially when I fell out of the boat and was dragged into the water. I don’t know what I was thinking. I knew that I should let go of the fishing line, but I was so frightened…” Her voice trailed off momentarily before she found it again. “When I washed up on shore, I had those same markings that you bare. No one believed me when I told them what I saw.” She paused, gauging Prompto’s reaction, which was to say he didn’t give a reaction at all. He was too stunned for one. “Forgive me. I might have been too bold.”

“Bold? Nah.” He tried playing it cool. “Out of curiosity, what did you see?”

“The same thing as you, I imagine. Or should I say someone. ” Her eyes met his, and for a moment, there was an underlying secret between them, hovering just out of reach of words. Then, she added, “Or have I been mistaken?”

Prompto fidgeted nervously with the band around his wrist, staring at the bruising. Could he trust her? “No, I think you’re the only person who’d actually believe me at this point. - So...why tell me?”

“Because you weren’t so eager to tell me what happened...which means you hold no ill will toward them, right?”

“ Them ? There’s more than one?” he squeaked as his suspicions were confirmed. The thought constricted Prompto’s throat like an allergic reaction. “I gu-guess that makes sense.”

“I also thought I would ask you…” Coctura’s voice wavered. “Please don’t make them a spectacle in your article!” The rise in her voice stumped Prompto, who could only gape in awe at the mousy bartender who had finally found enough courage to speak her mind. “I don’t know much about them, but I know they don’t mean harm to anyone.”

Prompto put two and two together. “Is that why you work here? To make sure they stay a secret?”

“I work for the resort because I owe the sea my life. I feel comfortable knowing it’s always in my sight. And for years, I haven’t heard a word about them. I’d almost begun to believe maybe I had imagined the whole thing. But lately, so many strange occurrences have surfaced...I fear something is bringing them closer to the shoreline. You and I both know what would happen if word got out.”

“Strange occurrences?”

Coctura pursed her lips. “I won’t say another word about it. But please - promise me you won’t betray what I ask of you.” And with that, the timid bartender set off on her way back toward the resort, leaving Prompto where he stood with his head swimming in mixed feelings and uncertainty. How was he supposed to absorb any of what just happened? And even more complexing - what would he do about it?

Prompto pulled his phone out from his back pocket and clicked open his messages. If there was one person he could look to for advice, he knew just who to seek out.

“Thanks for meeting me, Luna.”

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret took a sip from her mug across the patio table from Prompto, a gentle smile on her face. The object of many an envy, Luna carried herself with poise and grace, as was expected from the Fleuret family - after all, their status was well known in Eos. Her brother, Ravus, was the vice president of Niflheim Industries. Still, Prompto never felt intimidated by her; if anything, she might be considered his only friend. They’d grown up together, and because of the blonde hair, everyone around them assumed they were siblings. However, one look at the way they carried themselves and one could deduce that they were not cut from the same cloth. Luna’s brother, Ravus, was an intimidating sight to behold and shut down any assumptions made that Prompto could have been family.

Still, Luna must have gone against her brother’s wishes today by meeting Prompto here in Lestallum underneath the canopy outside a local cafe. She was as rebellious as she was self-assured; in short, even Prompto wasn’t immune to envy in her presence. He watched his friend set her cup of tea down on the metal table between them.

“That’s what friends are for, yes?”

Prompto nodded gingerly. “How’s Pryna?”

“Active as ever. Umbra, too. You should come by and visit sometime.”

“You know Ravus would kick my ass if he saw us anywhere near each other,” he replied, shrugging off her offer.

“Perhaps,” she mused, “But then again, you both are grown men - hardly those boys who scuffled in the school yard.”

“Scuffled’s putting it nicely. - Look, um, did you happen to be able to-”

Quickly, Luna reached into the bag near her feet and delicately set an object on the table; a high-quality, but not waterproof, camera Prompto had kept in storage. The moment he laid eyes on it, his body relaxed. “I think I love you.” His eyes widened at his own words, and his blush became a deep crimson along his cheeks. “I-I mean...you’re like a sister to me - I, uh, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s alright, Prompto,” Luna laughed, folding a hand over his own at the table as he reached for the camera. Her eyes sparkled. “Besides, I think we both know I’m not exactly your type.”

Was Prompto blushing before? Because now he knew he was going to die from lack of blood; it all rushed to his face. “I dunno if I really have a type,” he admitted shyly, finding the courage to stick out his tongue at her. “And just so ya know, the last person I went on a date with was a girl. ”

“Cindy?” she asked, cocking a well-groomed eyebrow.

“Yeah, Cindy. Who else would it be?”

“Well, she’d hardly a girl. More of a fully-developed woman…” Luna gave his hand a small squeeze and reached for her cup again, taking a gentle sip. “Am I right in assuming you didn’t ask her on a second date?”

“I wanted to...but...I dunno. I’m not good at those kinda things, you know?” He pulled the camera across the table to him, switching it on and checking the settings. “I’m not like you. I don’t ooze charm and personality.”

“I don’t believe I ooze anything,” Luna laughed.

“You know what I mean. Look at Nyx; he’s as hot as Lestallum on a summer’s night, and you’ve got him wrapped around your little finger.”

“The key is confidence, Prompto. Anyone, woman or man, would be lucky to have you.”

Prompto snorted into his shoulder, rolling his eyes.

“Remember when we were children? How the girls would titter over you?”

He stopped fidgeting with the camera, a serious expression crossing his face. “I was a fat kid with glasses, Luna. We both know the only reason any girl talked to me back then was because of who I was.”

“And look how you turned out. Smart. Handsome. Riddled in freckles. They’re so cute, I could pinch them.” Luna leaned across the table and did, indeed, pinch at Prompto’s cheek. He swiped her hand away playfully and brought the camera up to his eyeline.

“Strike a pose?”

Just as Luna brought her hand up to her face in the shape of a gun, Prompto snapped a picture and checked the image. “Ha. I dig it. Love the lighting.” He extended the camera out to show her.

“Will you tell Vyv about the camera?”

“Of course. I’m not an idiot - on most days.” He shrugged. “But after I get my story.”

“Which is…?”

A wide grin spread across his face. “That’s for me to know, and you to find out, pretty lady.”

“Such a charmer,” she replied dryly, but with a smile.

“Yeah. ‘Cause geek-chique gets all the ladies to drop their panties.”

“Even the men,” Luna winked.

“Ha, right.” He laughed nervously. “Even the men.”

Determined, Prompto found his way back to Galdin Quay in time for his phone to ring. “Right on schedule,” he muttered, pressing the answer button. “Vyv, my man!” His voice was way too excited to be convincing, but Vyv doesn’t seem to care.

“ There’s my favorite photographer. Been tryin’ to reach you since last night. Got some good shots for me?”

Shit, the shots of the resort were due by tonight. “I”ll...have them ready to go by nine. That okay?”

“Sure, sure. Just make sure you get some good pictures of their menu items, too. Tourists go crazy for that jazz.”

“Will do.” He promptly hung up the phone, frustrated. The better part of his afternoon was not setting up his next move on finding his weird sea-creature acquaintance again, but snapping shots of the resort and making up for lost time. Along the way, he’d captured the attention of Dino, who leaned against the bar as the shutter of Prompto’s camera clicked, capturing the image of freshly grilled seafood.

“You hangin’ in there alright? That a new camera?”

“Uh, yeah,” Prompto replied, distracted.

“Ain’t as nice as the first one.”

“That’s because the first one’s at the bottom of the reef.”

“Shame.”

“Hey, Dino. While I got you here, think I could rent out your boat again?”

“You lookin’ to lose two cameras?”

Prompto turned the camera on Dino and switched on the flash right before hitting the shutter button, blinding the other man momentarily. With a satisfied smirk, he said, “Whoops. My hand slipped. Sorry about that. - Now, about that boat…”

Dino reached for the counter to lean on, temporarily lost for vision, and he accidentally brushed his fingers over Prompto’s bruised wrists. The blond hissed in pain, drawing his arm back and massaging the skin, which, of course, was a stupid thing to do. Dino blinked a few times and caught sight of Prompto’s agitated face and the way he rubbed at his wrists. “Somethin’ the matter with ya, sharp shooter?”

Coctura leaned across the bartop counter between the men. “It’s a sex thing, Dino.”

Oddly enough, Prompto had never been so relieved to be thoroughly embarrassed before. Especially when it came to a complete lie. He glanced over at the bartender and shot her a quick, thankful expression - one he hoped Dino would miss - before turning his attention back to the other man. “Er, yeah. You know. Kinky stuff.” Shit, did that sound as lame as it felt coming out of his mouth?

“Yeah...I s’pose you look like the type,” Dino muttered, eyes still fixed on Prompto’s wrist. Still, whatever was going on his head, he didn’t comment further. Instead he asked, “You got the gil?”

Prompto’s eyebrows creased together. “About that...I was hoping you’d let me pay you back when my paycheck comes in?”

“No can do.” Dino shook his head, finally meeting Prompto’s gaze again. “My boat. My surcharge. If you’re outta gil, you got something valuable to offer as collateral?”

Prompto opened his mouth, tempted to remind Dino that he knew Prompto was good for it, given his background, but then again, he didn’t want to rely on handouts from anyone in his past, especially his dad . No, he’d have to make this money the honest way. He tapped his foot on the floor, thinking. Did he own anything of value besides the camera in his hand? He needed that… “I...er…”

“Tell you what. I lend you the boat, you do me a favor. Capisce?”

“...What sort of favor?”

“Just a little scavenger hunt for some jewels. You can worry about that later. We got a deal?”

A hunt for some jewels? Well, Prompto wasn’t a man of many gifts, but that didn’t sound too terrible. “As long as I’m not going into some marlboro’s nest or something like that…”

Dino clapped his hand on Prompto’s back. “Nah, nothin’ like that.”

“O-Okay…”

“Sounds like we got ourselves a deal, then. We can meet up first thing in the mornin’ to discuss details.”

And indeed, they would. Though Prompto wasn’t sure how much he could trust Dino, his boat was a reliable source to the biggest scoop of his life.

“Maaaaan. I’m so bored!” Prompto gave a hearty stretch as he stared at the last of the sun’s rays over the horizon, the waves beneath his boat rocking him gently back and forth. He was exhausted from photographing all evening, but he’d found a new spark within him the moment he’d gathered buckets of Coctura’s leftover uncooked fish and set out to sea, just beyond the reef - not that Coctura knew he’d taken them in the first place. One nice thing about being agile was sneaking past people unnoticed, especially in tight spaces like the kitchens. He knew she’d never willingly agree to him trying to bait the octo-man again, but he had to try.

Careful with his new (or old, depending on how he looked at it) camera, he inhaled deeply before pinching his nose, uncapping the tops of the fish-gut filled bucket, and dumping it overboard. “Yech! Blegh!” He stifled the urge to vomit and sat back down, patiently waiting. He found, through some research on his phone, that regular octopi liked to eat other fish, so this might have been his best approach into luring one in.  

But as the minutes dragged on, Prompto wasn’t so sure about his sound plan anymore. Maybe it was really unsound. Shit.

Would this be a dud?

Was he just fooling himself?

Frustrated, he reached for his camera and looked back on the photos he’d taken earlier in the day. He’d already sent off copies to Vyv via email, but he always loved looking back on his work. Too bad his insecurities got the best of him. He could see every flaw, every bad angle haunting him from the photos. It wasn’t like he had done shoddy work, but his heart hadn’t been in it like it usually was. His heart - his determination was here, on this boat, wanting nothing more than to prove to himself he wasn’t crazy.

A particularly hard chop of waves hit the boat, startling Prompto. His finger slipped over and pressed the shutter button.

FLASH.

“SHIT!”

Prompto was startled by the light against the darkness; he suddenly felt guilty for blinding Dino earlier. Okay, maybe not that guilty...still. Damn. That hurt his eyes. A white halo engulfed his vision as small black dots formed in the middle. It took nearly thirty seconds for the halo to disappear.

He looked down at the screen and saw a blurry image of his foot. Ha. That’d make a good one to send to Vyv as a joke.

Rubbing the corners of his eyes, Prompto heaved a heavy sigh. “This plan looks like a bust.” He was on the cusp of leaving when a soft splash hit the side of the boat behind him.

Prompto’s back tensed. No. Way.

He took a deep breath in, trying his best not to let fear overtake him as he carefully turned in place to glance behind him.

Nothing. Not a damn thing.

“Damn it.”

Prompto turned back around, ready to accept defeat, when he noticed something slithering down by his foot. Something purple and slimy looking and - gods, oh gods...he craned his head upwards as the boat shifted its weight, rocking to compensate for the weight as two human hands curled around the edge. Prompto heard something move behind him, and the boat leaned back, adjusting so that it wouldn’t flip over as those hands tugged and yanked up a familiar just over rim. Prompto didn’t have time to register that it was tentacles holding the boat in place to keep it from flipping as the octo-man from his previous encounter leaned his elbows casually along the edge of the boat, a mere foot away from Prompto.

Blue eyes stared into blue. Neither one dared pry their attention away.

“Er...hello,” Prompto eked out, terrified to say much else.

The man tilted his head to the side like he had the first time they’d met, examining Prompto’s face with interest. Under the light of the moon, he glowed in the water’s reflection.

Something splashed in the water behind him, and Prompto flinched, pinching his eyes shut. “Please, don’t eat me!”

The man in front of him made a sound - almost like laughter. But it held two tones, low and high at once. Then, Prompto heard a clunk as something heavy hit the boat’s floor. He pinched his eyes open, expecting to see a severed head or something, but what he saw instead was his waterlogged camera lost from the day before.

“My camera.” Cautiously, he gauged the creature’s reaction, forcing eye contact. The man looked at him almost expectantly. Prompto assessed the situation, trying to figure out what exactly the thing wanted. Was this fetch? Or had he meant to bring him back his camera out of generosity? What was this guy’s motivation? - If he could be called a guy at all. “Erm...th-thank you.”

And then, Prompto witnessed the beautiful creature in front of him do something he never would have expected; his lips curled back, and he smiled -that’s when he revealed two rows of small, razor sharp teeth.

“Oh gods...and you...and that...and…” Prompto scooted back out of instinct, and he fell off the seat of his boat, hitting his head against the edge. “Owww…”

“Apologies,” came a dignified voice from behind him. “While he might seem like a hooligan, I assure you Prince Noctis has been taught manners .” Another man, this one with hair the color of wet sand and a pair of thin glasses hanging from the tip of his nose, leaned over Prompto, tentacles slipping over the side of the boat to brush against Prompto’s knee. “Although, he tends to ignore them from time to time.”