~3rd Person POV~

Separated from his friends, Prompto ran through the underground lab that was hidden under an imperial base. With his pistol at the ready, he shot round after round as Magiteks tried to block his path. The boy began to feel as if they were keeping him away from something they were trying to hide.

The sound of the machines' bodies clanking against the ground filled the air as Prompto delved deeper into the hidden lab. He slowed his pace when entering a room that was brimming with blood and dead bodies. Placing a hand over his nose and mouth, Prompto stopped himself from gagging on the horrid stench that tainted the air around him.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Whatever had hit him wasn't enough to knock him unconscious, but it was enough to result in a massive bump and headache. He spun on his heels with a hand draped over the targeted spot to see who was the culprit behind the weak blow. Once his eyes laid upon the person who was behind him, they widened in shock. A girl who was only a few inches shorter than him stood with a broken piece of wood grasped between her shaking hands. Her (e/c) eyes were overflowing with fear as she realized he didn't fall unconscious from her attack.

"Y-you're not one of them," he mumbled, his eyes staring at her small, shaking form. When he spoke, the girl jumped in fright and dropped her shattered weapon. Prompto noticed her skittish nature and dispelled his pistol, placing his hands where she could see them. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Why're you down here?" Prompto's eyes traveled up and down her form, taking in the plethora amount of blood and tears in her white dress.

"W-why do you care? How d-do I know you don't work for them and are j-just here to torture me even more?" She asked, pointing to a dead scientist.

"Trust me, I'm not with the empire. I wouldn't be killin' their forces if I was," Prompto explains.

"Then, you aren't here to perform more test on me?" She puzzled.

Prompto quickly shook his head. "N-no, I would never do such a thing!"

The girl's fear soon vanished once hearing Prompto's words. She stepped back, leaning against the wall behind her. What caught Prompto's attention was when she covered her left side with her arm. Worry blossomed within him and he grabbed her gently to reveal a deep gash in her side. A gasp escaped her at his sudden warm touch, but she didn't protest.

Removing his gaze from her wound, he stared into her beautiful eyes. "What's your name?"

The girl hesitated before meekly sharing her name. "(Y/n)."

When he heard what she said, a bell was rung within his head. "Wait, you're (Y/n)? I just saw..."

"A document with my name on it? Yes, you'll find tons of them in this lab."

"Then, you're the test subject?"

A pained expression flashed across her face as she nods. Prompto couldn't believe it. The empire was desperate and was now resulting to kidnapping civilians and testing dangerous concoctions on them. The paper he found earlier had a list of painful and terrible experiments and what the side effects were. He clenched his hands into fists, his anger for the empire growing even larger.

Noticing his sudden silence, (Y/n) reached out with a frail hand to touch his arm. She realized what she was doing and hastily dropped her arm. Prompto's expression filled with determination as he outstretched a hand towards her. "I'm gonna get you out of here and that's a promise!"

(Y/n)'s eyes widened at his proclamation. This was the first kind person she had met in years and he was putting his life on the line to help her escape this hellhole. She eyed his hand before gently sliding hers into his. Prompto smiled warmly at her acceptance of him and held her small hand tightly. "Let's get you out of here."

With an unwavering grip, Prompto led (Y/n) out of the underground lab with little effort. Reaching the outside, the bright sun greeted them warmly. (Y/n) flinched at the sudden brightness, but she kept her hold on Prompto's hand.

"Prompto!"

The sharpshooter glances towards the figure who hollered his name. Noctis, along with Gladio and Ignis, ran to their blonde friend in relief to see he was uninjured. He waved with his free hand and suddenly felt a tug on his other one. He peered over his shoulder to see (Y/n) hiding behind him in fear with his hand still around hers. Seeing her appear so weak and fragile shattered his heart. No one deserves to be treated like she has.

Prompto spun to face her and grabbed both of her hands within his. "They're my friends. They won't hurt you, (Y/n)." His soft and calm voice comforted her enough to show herself to the others. The trio's eyes flew to her and widened as big as saucers. The first one to speak was Gladio. "Hittin' on chicks in the middle of battle, eh?"

Prompto glared daggers at the shield. "I did NOT hit on her! She's the reason why the underground lab was so heavily guarded."

"Why the hell would the empire need a hidden lab?" Ncotis questioned.

"To hide innocent people and use them as test subjects," (Y/n) spoke sadly. Prompto unconsciously held her hand tighter at the response.

"Don't tell me... you're one of them?" Noctis asked with a shaky voice. (Y/n) nods, moving to be closer to Prompto. The cameraman noticed, welcoming her closeness with open arms. "We should take her with us. She has a deep cut on her left side and I don't have any potions left."

"May I?" Ignis steps forward, asking permission from (Y/n). She hesitantly nods, signaling the tactician to approach her. With a potion in hand, he gingerly held it over the wound and shattered it. The cut healed miraculously without leaving a scar behind. "Thank you," She beams at him. Ignis politely returns the gesture with his own smile before returning to Noctis' side.

"We've got enough room in the backseat for her," Gladio said.

"Oh, no way! I'll sit in the back. She can take the front seat," Prompto declares.

"It'll be cramped with you in the middle," Noctis groans.

"You three can survive 'til we reach a haven," Ignis said, taking Prompto's side. The prince and his shield groaned in disbelief at whose side Ignis took in this small debate.

"Alright! Let's go!" Prompto cheers, guiding (Y/n) to the Regalia. Once safely in the car, Ignis drove to the nearest haven for the night. With everything set up and their stomachs full, the five called it a night.

-Three Weeks Later-

Since rescuing (Y/n) from the imperial lab, Prompto has fallen head over heels for the girl. Seeing that she was much healthier than when he found her brought great joy to him and the others. He refused to leave her side ever since she had joined. Noctis forcibly had to drag him away from her a few times so she could spend some time with Iris in Lestallum.

It had only been three weeks since she had been freed, but it felt as if Prompto knew her for much longer. The two grew fond of each other, but Prompto was the only one who showed it as if it were a beacon slicing through the dark night. (Y/n), on the other hand, hid her feelings unless the two were alone together.

One day in Galdin Quay, the two broke from the group to swim in the crystalline ocean. (Y/n), becoming embarrassed in her swimsuit, stood at the water's edge while Prompto jumped into the cool and crisp water. He noticed her hesitation and decided to pretend to drown. He heard (Y/n) call out to him as she trudged through the water to 'rescue' him. Once she was close enough, Prompto jumped to his feet and grabbed the girl by her waist. His laughter rang out as he pulled her body close to his.

"P-Prompto, you gave me a heart attack!" She playfully shoved him away, but he didn't go far because of his grip around her waist.

"Couldn't help it! You look beautiful in this swimsuit and it'd be a waste if you didn't swim," he smiles down at her. (Y/n) tries to pout, but her smile burst forth and replaced it. She could feel her cheeks igniting with a red hue at his compliment. "You're too sweet, Prom."

"And you're too adorable," he said, leaning his forehead against hers. She giggles with red cheeks, making Prompto melt from the melodic sound. When silence blossomed between them, the blonde swallowed hard and built up his courage to do the one thing he has been wanting to do for weeks now. He leaned in closer and sealed her lips with his own in a passionate kiss.

Prompto was caught a little by surprise when (Y/n) began kissing him back with the same intensity. The smell of the salt from the ocean mixed with the intoxication of the kiss made both them completely weak. Their bodies felt as if they were on fire even with the cool water surrounding them. Deepening the kiss, Prompto moved one hand to the back of (Y/n)'s neck. His other arm remained around her waist to keep her close.

The need for oxygen arises, forcing them to break the blissful contact. Both were breathing heavily as they stared into each other's eyes with love. Prompto began to smile like he had never smiled before while (Y/n) wrapped her arms around him with her own genuine smile plastered on her face.

"I'm so happy you're the one who saved me that day," (Y/n) softly said.

Prompto nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck at hearing her words. "I love you, (Y/n)."

"I love you too, Prompto."

Floating on the waters surface with their arms wrapped around each other, the two lovers basked in the warmth of the sun and let the gentle current carry them.