Chapter Text
He was falling, of that, Noctis was certain. Or perhaps, he was floating? On days like this, they felt like the same thing. Water clung to his raven hair in droplets where it wasn't currently holding him in a loving embrace. Noctis was resting on his back, moving his arms and legs only as necessary to keep him moving along slowly. His mind was much farther away, his midnight blue eyes not particularly focused on anything. A noise from somewhere in the room made Noct acutely aware he wasn't the only one with access to the pool room in the mornings. Blue eyes darted around to see who had just opened the door. Was it a teammate? He wasn't wholly surprised to see a tall and lanky blonde standing there. After all, Prompto was a common face around the pool. He was the only member of the school's journalism division that he didn't detest for pressing him with eighteen million questions about how he takes care of his abs.
''What's up?'' Noctis asked in a calm tone. His voice reverberated around the walls of the pool room so it did all the work carrying his voice for him.
''Hey, bud. Was gonna ask if you were ready to take some shots for that last article we did?'' Prompto waved his camera with a shy smile. Not much for verbal communication, Noct nodded and swam to the side of the pool.
''This good? Or you need full body?''
''It would be a shame for me to insist a merman climb out of his Ocean for a lowly human.'' Prompto gave a good natured chuckle as he sat down in a very awkward position to get a good angle. Noctis shook his head but he couldn't deny the way the corners of his mouth were turning up ever so slightly.
''You are such a dork.'' The swimmer teased, folding his arms together over the side of the pool. Prompto stuck his tongue out.
''That's a nice pose! Now, give me a smile, Captain!'' He chirped in a sing-song voice, the one that always made Noct laugh. Prompto knew there was something wrong when Noct didn't laugh, just gave a soft smile. The blonde snapped a few photos, but the look in Noct's eyes drowned out everything else. He finally gave up and set aside his camera.
''Something bad happen today?''
''Can I swim now?'' The dark haired man completely skirted around the question, itching to be mostly submerged once again.
''On one condition!'' Prompto slid his hands to his hips, ''you've gotta tell me what's got you looking like someone just caught you in their net.''
''More fish references?'' He scoffed disapprovingly and had half a mind to splash the blonde. He looked too cozy for his own good. However, the expensive camera resting beside him told Noctis to hold back for now.
Prompto was absolutely serious this time, ''Stop avoiding the subject, Captain. Something's bugging you. If you don't wanna tell me, that's cool. Seriously, though? It's obvious you like to brood on stuff. If you won't tell me, you should at least tell your friends.''
It stung a little, that Prompto didn't consider himself one of Noct's friends. Though, after giving it a moment of thought Noctis decided perhaps that was rational on his end. He never asked Prompto to hang out. They just talked on these mornings where Prompto was eager for photos and news and Noctis desperately wanted to communicate.
''Alright, alright. It's not a big deal.''
''If it's bothering you visibly this much, I'd say it's a pretty big deal, dude.'' Prompto sat cross legged, giving Noctis his full attention. Noct absentmindedly began to swim. He always thought better with water coursing over his skin.
''Well, you know we've got that big swim meet in Altissia, right?''
''The four-way competition? Yeah!''
''We've been working our asses off the last two years to even get a chance to compete there. Now, I've got shit going on back home ontop of my teammates fighting.''
''Oh, boy! Lemme guess who started it this time!''
''Ardyn.'' Both boys said in unison, which made Prompto snort.
''Seriously though,'' Prompto leaned back on his elbows, watching Noctis lazily swim around, ''why do you even keep that guy around? All he ever does is whine about how good things were in Nifleheim.''
''He's a dickhead, yeah. But he's an incredible swimmer. Not many people here enjoy swimming enough to compete. Most people get a taste of how hard it is and give up. He's basically our only option. Unless a certain camera man is holding out on me and he's a national champion.''
''Who would that be?'' Noctis gave the blonde a pointed look as if to say, 'you're joking me right now.'
''Oh!!! Me!? Hell no. I haven't been in a pool since I was like...nine? And that was cause my Mom insisted I needed a hobby.'' Prompto shook his head and made a sour face.
''I think you should give it a try. You never know, you might like it.''
''I'd sink like a rock, but thank you for your unwavering support.'' He snickered, still shaking his head. Noctis laughed (a real laugh) and returned to his swimming.
''You should join us for practice today, Prompto.'' The words were out before he could really stop himself.
''Wh-me? Why me?''
''Ah, you could get some really good shots of us swimming for the next article. Orrrr you could check out our regimen and decide if you want to join?''
''I'll pass on the joining, but watching might not be so bad.'' Prompto stuck his tongue out and Noctis rolled his eyes playfully.
''You're missing out!''
''On swimming half naked with a bunch of other dudes?'' He pointed out Noct's black jammers lined around the hips with electric blue. Prompto quickly checked the time and realized he had spent much more time here than he thought. He shot up and snatched his camera.
''Gotta run! I have to get these shots back to Mrs. Caulfield!''
''Excuses, excuses! One day, I'll get you in this pool Argentum!''
''You'll have to catch me first!'' Prompto laughed, shooting him a sly wink and making his exit. Noctis laughed, shaking his head. For a moment, he had forgotten about the heaviness of his responsibilities.
The day was fairly normal, nothing unusual in the life of a college student at Sidereum Nox. Prompto breezed through the classes he had that day, and he made the decision to at least take Noct up on his offer to join his team for practice. Prompto enjoyed watching Noct swim, after all. There was something graceful and beautiful about it. His form was incredible. Not that Prompto studied swimming well enough to know the difference between what was normal and what was incredible, but there was something otherworldly about watching Noctis swim. It was captivating in a way Prompto couldn't explain.
As Prompto entered the pool room, he could hear raised voices. The guys were cheering, it seemed. That was nothing unusual, as most of the team was normally very supportive of each other. Ignis and Gladio, (his other teammates) were there on the sidelines cheering as Noctis and Ardyn were having a race, so it seemed. Noct was practically gliding through the water with ease, his powerful arms extending outwards as if he were reaching toward something far off in the distance. The muscles in his back rippled and flexed, a long white scar visible along the mid section of his back. Prompto had seen the scar so many times before, but never had an explanation for it. He assumed it wasn't his place to ask about something so potentially traumatic, so he kept his questions to himself. Prompto set his camera bag aside on a nearby table to watch the action. Ardyn was a powerful swimmer, his stroke a lot more aggressive. Where Noctis moved gracefully and seamlessly through the water like he was meant to be there, there was something violent about the way Ardyn ripped through the water. He cut into it with his hands, creating space for himself as he tore through and surged onward. It was as effective as it was intimidating. Prompto felt his pulse quicken as Noctis reached his turn and kicked off the wall. His legs were powerful, the energy he gained in that propulsion guiding him forward. Noct was one with the water like this. Prompto had little doubts the swim Captain was a mermaid as he watched him shoot ahead of Ardyn's lane. Noctis slid his hands onto the wall and came up for air, yanking his swim cap off and letting his wet hair settle back down. Moments later, Ardyn touched his wall and all but ripped off his cap. Hazel eyes were on fire as he glared venomously at the lane beside him. Humiliation burned in his cheeks as he gulped in air. Prompto could tell Ardyn had really given every ounce of himself for this race. The room suddenly went eerily silent. Noctis didn't move a muscle as Ardyn climbed out of the pool, droplets raining down onto the cool tile floor.
''You know what I think? I think you've let all of this get to your head. A medley relay would require immense training, and you have no idea how much work would go into it. We should all continue to work on our individual talents, but you'd rather us expend them to combine into a ridiculous team effort sport that we've never done before.'' Ardyn's tone was dangerously even, the rich sound like poisoned honey.
''This is a swim team, Ardyn. From day one, it's always been an idea of mine to do a medley. You lost the race, that means you're doing medley.'' Noctis said as calmly as he could, still halfway submerged in the water. Ardyn laughed, shaking his head. The sound filled the pool room in a haunting manner.
''No. You're doing the medley. I quit.'' The finality in those words as Ardyn tossed his swim cap and goggles aside left a bone chilling feeling in the air. Ignis and Gladio watched in shock. What had gone from a friendly race over a differing opinion was now a deafening mistake that Noctis knew he couldn't fix. Ignis cleared his throat, folding his arms softly. The man with the plan, as it were. Prompto wasn't too worried. Ignis would help them figure this out. He had to. Once Ardyn left the room, Ignis spoke up.
''Well, that takes care of that, I suppose.''
''Shit. Guys, I'm sorry. I might've just fucked our chances at going to the meet in Altissia...'' Noctis hauled himself out of the water, save for letting his legs dangle off the edge as he stared into the bright blue depths.
''Nonsense. Not to worry, we'll get right on recruiting a new team member.''
''Training could take a long time.'' Noctis huffed a sigh, running a hand over his face.
''Come on, Iggy was a shit swimmer when we recruited him and look at him now! We can whip anyone into shape.'' Gladiolus insisted, patting his friend's shoulder. Ignis made a sour face and exhaled deeply.
''His example stands. Besides, this isn't so much about winning as it is the experience, yes? We just need one more member.''
''Ah, not to chime in at a bad time, but...I could help.'' Prompto suggested. The swimmers all turned their heads to look at him. Noctis felt guilty that Prompto's first swim practice attendance had to bear witness to that awful mess.
''You're gonna join?'' Noctis kicked his feet in the water, holding onto the sides of the pool.
''No way! In your dreams. But I can do announcements for you? Lots of students read the paper. I can do articles with interviews, take snapshots of some really cool moves.''
''That'll take a lot of time away from your other projects, won't it?'' Gladio asked curiously, folding his arms. The kid was small, that was for sure. But he had nice biceps, meaning the thought of him actually joining the team wasn't too far of a stretch. He also knew Prompto jogged frequently, so that meant his legs had to be built pretty decent as well.
''Maybe, but I can handle some extra work.'' Prompto laughed, rubbing the back of his neck shyly.
''I'll take your help anyway I can get it, blondie.'' Noctis teased, but he was seriously grateful to the other man. He really didn't have to help.
''Sweet! It's a deal. I'll be here whenever you guys have practice, then.''
''Thanks, Prompto,'' Noctis leaned back, feeling a little less stressed over this, ''but seriously, I'm gonna get your ass in the water at some point.''
''Good luck with that!'' Prompto shook his head, getting his camera out. Ignis and Gladio exchanged glances in the background. This was going to be an interesting season.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the end of it all, Noctis was glad to be home. He missed the water already, but he would be swimming much more in the coming weeks. Especially if he had to train someone new. Everytime he went back to it, his mind felt heavy. Noct just hoped things would work themselves out at this point. In a way, he was glad not to have Ardyn on the team anymore. Noctis had never been one for placing competition above the team itself. Ardyn was the type who was in it to win it, all or nothing. With that attitude, he would do better on one of the Nifleheim teams. Noct's apartment was silent as always. He checked his phone for voice mails as he wandered the empty hall. Today, he didn't have the motivation to clean so he just did what he could and made himself a microwave meal. Ignis would likely be coming over to help him cook and clean again, anyhow. He flipped on the TV and attempted to find something to watch to keep his mind off the itching underneath his skin and the longing he felt for the water.
Prompto stepped into his little dorm room and hung up his camera bag before shrugging off his jacket.
''Stop leaving your camera there. I've almost smashed it several times with the door when I come in.'' His roommate's voice startled him. Prompto jumped and made a small, ''eep!'' sound before collecting himself.
''Well, maybe don't open the door with the force of Hercules and she'll be safe.'' Prompto affectionately patted his camera.
''Or, and here's a crazy idea....move it.'' Nyx insisted with a laugh, gently lifting the camera bag off the coat rack.
''I can't believe you're going to shut her away like that.'' Prompto pouted.
''Better than her getting smashed, isn't it? You're unusually late today. What kept you?'' Nyx set the camera under Prompto's bed, rising back up and flopping onto his own mess of blankets.
''Noct asked me to hang out with the swim team while they practiced.''
''Really now? That dude has it so bad for you.'' Nyx teased, grinning. Prompto rolled his eyes playfully, but his face was purely pink. He chose to forgo the coat rack and just whipped his jacket at Nyx. It landed right on his roommate's face.
''Does not.''
''Uh huh. Nice shot, by the way.''
''Thanks. You give me lots of practice, dude.'' Prompto snorted, stealing his jacket back and hanging it up properly.
''Happy to be of service. We doing takeout tonight?''
''Pizza, yes please.''
''You paying, or am I?''
''I gotcha covered.''
''I thought things were going slow for your freelance stuff?''
''Yeah, but I photographed that couple's wedding last week, remember? They gave me a nice chunk of change for it.'' He snatched the menu for their favorite pizza place off the fridge and dialed in. Prompto's night went by as if nothing unusual had happened. However, when he sat in the bath that night, he stared down at the water and skimmed the surface of the bubbles with a finger lightly. Noctis seemed so desperate and determined to get Prompto to swim with him. As he hugged his legs in the tub, he wondered if maybe someday he might actually give it a try.