Chapter Text
“There’s supposed to be a natural hot spring,” the restaurant owner said, “About a mile north of here. But it’s in coeurl territory.”
Prompto perked up at the man’s words. He’d never been to a hot spring before, though he’d always wanted to try it. The few back in Insomnia were for the wealthy and being just a regular citizen, he never had the chance.
“Coeurls aren’t that bad, just gotta keep moving,” he heard Noctis say and Prompto was drawn to his voice. He could hear the excitement in the prince’s voice as he said, “You guys wanna check it out?”
Prompto really did. Soaking away his aches and relieving the tension in his tired muscles, it sounded like an amazing idea. Just relaxing and not having to worry about anything, even for just a little while, would be awesome.
Prompto toyed with the leather band around his right wrist. There was a drawback, though. If they found the hot spring, of course they’d all want to use it. He didn’t mind hanging out with the other guys, he actually really enjoyed it. It made him feel like he was a part of the team, like he was actually worth something.
His thoughts flitted to Noctis’s words a few days ago. “You’re good enough for me,” he had said.
Prompto felt awkward having confessed like that, but he had been glad to get it off his chest. Since then, he felt more at ease with the group.
He honestly enjoyed being with the guys.
But soaking in a hot spring kind of made sense to do it naked, or at least in their boxers. It’d be silly to do it with clothes on and he was pretty sure none of them had bathing suits. This trip hadn’t exactly been a vacation for them.
Nudity that wasn’t exactly the problem.
His finger trailed over the metal studs on one of the straps of his bracelet.
It was the writing underneath that bracelet that scared him.
“You coming, Prompto?” Gladio called over his shoulder from the entrance of the restaurant.
Prompto blinked several times, realizing he’d missed part of the conversation. Rather, he’d missed the whole conversation because apparently they’d agreed to find the hot spring. He scrambled off the barstool, “Wait for me!” Just as he made it outside, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder.
Noctis stood there, staring at the blond with his brows furrowed. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, man,” Prompto grinned through the lie.
His friend seemed to sense that something was wrong. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Noctis suggested.
“Huh?” Prompto’s eyes widened. “No, I really do wanna go,” he waved his hands, smiling more naturally. That wasn’t a lie, because he did want to check out the hot spring. He just wanted to use it by himself, without prying eyes.
Seeming satisfied, Noctis dropped his hand and nodded, leading the group north of town.
If it weren’t for this stupid Soulmate thing, Prompto wouldn’t be having this problem. He could enjoy soaking in the hot springs with his friends without having to worry about them discovering his secret. Especially Noctis. Because that would be awkward as hell.
Noctis would never look at Prompto the same way again. Not without feeling sympathy for the blond.
Why did Noctis have to be his Soulmate?
Not that Prompto wasn’t happy to have Noctis as his Soulmate. But the likelihood of Prompto being Noctis’s Soulmate in return was slim. It happened all the time, really. Well, maybe not all the time. But he’d heard stories of it.
And he knew for a fact that Noctis didn’t have Prompto’s name written on his body. The one time Prompto had asked him about it, back when they were in high school, Noctis said he hadn’t met his Soulmate yet. He hadn’t gotten the mark.
When asked if Prompto had found his, he lied. “Not yet,” Prompto had told him, the words leaving a bad taste in his mouth.
Marks only appeared when someone met their Soulmate for the first time. The name would appear like a tattoo on that person’s body. They could show up anywhere, but were generally in easily hidden spots. On the tops of a person’s feet, down their sides, along their shoulder blades. Prompto had even heard stories of someone’s mark appearing on their face, though he hadn’t seen it himself.
Prompto’s mark was on the back of his wrist. Noctis’s name written elegantly, matching the prince’s handwriting perfectly, had appeared so many years ago. Back in middle school, when Prompto had been too shy to introduce himself, the mark had formed. The one time he had worked up the courage, after receiving a letter from Lunafreya, he’d been shot down. He was too heavy and Prompto had been mortified.
Looking back, he knew Noctis hadn’t meant anything malicious by it. But it had been enough to motivate Prompto to change his lifestyle. No more burgers and fries, no more sitting at home alone and moping. He wanted to become someone that Noctis could be proud of.
He worked hard, running every day and trying to eat healthier. It had paid off by high school and he’d finally had the courage, the confidence to face his Soulmate.
Finding out that Noctis hadn’t met his Soulmate hurt, but Prompto pushed on. When he found out that Noctis would be marrying Luna, he pretended to be happy. He told himself that he would be happy if he could stay by the prince’s side.
After the attack on Insomnia, Prompto had been conflicted. He was miserable, finding out that his home had been destroyed, that so many people, including the King—Noctis’s father—had been killed. Then they’d found out that Luna was alive and safe, working to help Noctis gain the power of The Six. With the peace treaty no longer an option, the wedding had been canceled and Prompto had been relieved.
He’d be able to remain by the prince’s side for a little bit longer while they searched for the hidden tombs of previous Kings.
He stumbled over a rock, catching his balance before he fell face first. Prompto groaned. He really should watch where he’s going.
“We should be getting closer,” Ignis said, mistaking Prompto’s groan of frustration as impatience.
That wasn’t exactly what Prompto wanted to hear. He wondered if he could pretend to be exhausted while they used the hot spring, then later sneak and use it while everyone was asleep.
Plan in mind, he pushed forward with more confidence, taking the lead of the group as he searched the area for hot springs and coeurls.
Pain pierced his back and his breath caught in his throat as he was shoved to the ground. Found the coeurls, he thought as he struggled to fight back against the large feline creature.
“Prompto!” Noctis shouted as he spotted the blond pinned under the coeurl. He flung his sword at the creature and warped, sending the coeurl flying several feet and away from Prompto. “You okay?” he asked as he knelt down, handing over a potion.
“Thanks, man,” Prompto grinned up at him.
Noctis helped him to his feet and they both charged.
It was the biggest pack they’d ever faced and by the time the last coeurl fell to the ground, Noctis was exhausted. He spotted Gladio picking up some coeurl whiskers, mumbling, “These could be handy for spells.”
Ignis was wiping his glasses off. “It’ll be dark soon. We had better move quickly to find that hot spring.”
Noctis nodded his head, “Yeah, let’s get moving.” He glanced around, looking for Prompto. His breath caught as he spotted the blond, sitting on the ground and leaning back on his hands. Eyes closed and faced upturned, chest heaving to catch his breath, sweat sliding down his temple with his lips parted to suck more air in.
For what felt like the millionth time, Noctis told himself to ignore the captivating blond. You’re not his Soulmate, Noctis thought bitterly. “You alright?”
Bright blue eyes locked with his as Prompto grinned, “Thanks to you, man. That first one came outta nowhere.”
Noctis held out his hand to help Prompto up, trying not to think about the warmth of the blond’s hand in his.
“I think we may have found the hot spring,” came Ignis’s voice.
They followed the direction of the older man’s voice, stepping through some shrubs before coming to a halt.
A large boulder jutted out, overlooking two natural springs. The springs were surrounded by smooth slabs of stone and steam drifted above the water. Each pool was large, could fit a dozen or so people comfortably. The water was clear enough to see to the bottom, though they looked to be fairly deep in the middle.
He could feel excitement bubble up in him. Though there were hot springs back in Insomnia, Noctis had never taken advantage of them. He’d been too young at first, then he had moved to his own studio once he started high school. He’d never had the time to just sit and relax, always having a test to study for or documents that needed to be reviewed with Ignis or combat training with Gladio.
“Looks like there’s a haven just over there,” Ignis pointed to the wisps of blue magic that drifted just north of the springs.
“I’ll go set up camp,” Prompto volunteered.
Gladio frowned, eying the water with longing. “It’s close enough, we can just relax for a bit before setting up the tent.”
“It’s no problem!” Prompto shrugged. “Besides, it’d be harder to set up camp after relaxing.”
“Prompto does have a point,” Ignis said. “Let’s get the camp in place first.”
The blond blinked and held up his arms, “I can do it! You guys just go ahead and relax.”
Noctis stared at his friend. It wasn’t like him to volunteer to set up camp, especially by himself. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Oh, yeah,” Prompto smiled weakly. “Guess I’m just really tired.”
“I’ll help you, then we can come back,” Noctis suggested.
He turned to head towards the camp but Prompto stopped him, “That’s okay! I think I might just crash anyway.”
The brief flash of panic in those blue eyes surprised Noctis. What was Prompto so worried about?
Gladio huffed, putting his hands on his hips. “You can’t swim, can you?”
At the flush dusting Prompto’s cheeks, a realization dawned. Prompto hadn’t gone swimming with them at the beach, back in Galdin Quay, claiming to be tired then too.
Prompto grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.
“Very well,” Ignis said. “We won’t force you.”
Relief flooded his features and he nodded. Noctis watched as he turned and headed off towards the haven.
“Now this,” Gladio said, stripped to his boxers and sliding into the hot spring. “This was worth fighting a pack of coeurls.”
Noctis followed suit, joining his friends and groaning as he sunk into water. The warmth leeched away the aches from traveling and fighting all day. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the smooth stone. He let Ignis and Gladio’s voices drift over him as hundreds of thoughts raced through his mind.
A flash of blond hair and blue eyes drifted in his mind and he sighed. Of course his thoughts would turn to Prompto right away. He wondered if he could convince Prompto to come back out here later, just the two of them. The water wasn’t too deep, the ability to swim wouldn’t be necessary. Maybe he was self conscious about Gladio teasing him?
Noctis rubbed at his neck, easing the tension there and fingers brushing against the name that hid under his hairline. He couldn’t see the name, but he knew it was there. It had been there since the day he met Prompto, way back in middle school. He hadn’t known about it until high school, when everyone was talking about their marks. Even Prompto had been curious, but neither of the two boys had marks like many of their classmates had.
At least, Noctis hadn’t thought he’d had one at the time. Not until he’d gone to get his hair cut, only trusting one of the palace retainers to do the job.
“I’ve always wondered who Prompto is,” the older woman had said fondly as she combed through his hair. “He’s a sweet boy.”
Her words had confused him. She had only met Prompto a few days ago, so how had she known who he was? “What do you mean?”
“Your mark,” she said. “It’s been here for years and I’ve always wondered about it. You never mention him.”
“My mark?” Noctis asked, turning in his chair to meet her eyes.
“You didn’t know?”
When Noctis shook his head, she pulled out her phone, taking a picture of the back of his neck. She handed the device over and Noctis stared in shock. Just below his hairline, always covered by his dark locks, was the name Prompto in a messy scrawl.
He had a Soulmate! Butterflies flitted in his stomach and he couldn’t stop the smile on his face while the retainer trimmed his hair. It was still long enough to cover the mark, but Noctis didn’t care. He knew it was there now, he knew he had a Soulmate.
But then he remembered Prompto’s words. “Not yet,” he had said, regarding his Soulmate. Prompto didn’t have a Soulmate. Noctis wasn’t his Soulmate.
His smile fell at the thought and his heart twisted in his chest.
“Well, we had better get back,” Ignis said while stepping out of the spring, startling Noctis from his reverie.
Night had fallen and there was a chill in the air. He didn’t really want to get out but his fingers had shriveled and Prompto was probably wondering about them. With a sigh, he climbed out of the hot spring.