#It'd just be a missed opportunity if I didn't make him a leviathan

[mothhue]

A hat under waters: Subcon seas!

Planning to edit snatcher's design in the future because I'm not that proud of it & already have something in mind, but have this for now :) (...aaand I now realize that most of the text might be hard to read! whoops I'll make it clearer on the next one, apologies)

[angelrider13]

Are you still working on your SI!Leviathan verse? Asking, cause recently I have wondered - you wrote a seaborne!Regis au but what about a seaborne!Noctis?

Like, my initial idea was that maybe it was during the Marilith Incident when he was 8. I don't recall any canon info about the precise location (besides between Insomnia and Galdin Quay), but there could be a river or maybe it was near a seashore.

Either way, bb Noctis is thrown into the water during the attack, too injured to swim, maybe even doesn't know how to yet. And Thalassa, well, she's not heartless, she's not gonna leave a little kid dead. (And maybe there's a small voice at the back of her head that points out that it could help her derail the prophecy, if the newest Chosen King was her sea-child.) She turns him into one of her seaborne.

Noctis stays with his Tidemother only long enough to get hang on his transformation (so 1-2 weeks, tops) because Thalassa doesn't want to draw attention to this. Not yet. And then she puts on a vaguely human shape, kinda like Shiva's Messanger form, and takes Noctis back to Insomnia, to his father.

(Regis was Panicking and Raging the entire time Noctis was missing, and thinking that Nilfheim grabbed his baby boy. He Refuses to contemplate the other option.)

No idea what would happen next, exactly, but it would involve a major bsod on Regis and Co's part when they realise Leviathan helped a Lucis Caelum and Much Research into both prophecy and the Astrals, and merfolk legends.

Also, Ignis and Gladio Despairing because Noctis no longer hides from his lessons under the bed, oh no. Now he hides at the bottom of a pond in Citadel's gardens.

While this is a fabulous idea, it doesn't work with the lore I've built for the verse.

Don't get me wrong, Thalassa would 100% be ready and willing to adopt Noctis (especially after she decides that Regis is Her Person), Bahamut already laid claim to Noctis the moment he was born and once and Astral has done so, they've pretty much declared them off limits to their siblings. And while Bahamut has already bent and broken quite a few Laws, Leviathan will not cross that line.

BUT! FOR FUNSIES!

It is absolutely in character for Thalassa to fuck with the prophecy at every available opportunity so, of course, when smol, baby, heavily injured Chosen King crashes into her waters, she's going to snatch him up. (Bahamut: YOU DARE - Thalassa: Well I didn't see you stepping in. What was I supposed to do let him die???)

It'd be longer than 2 weeks, more like 6-12 months. Thalassa isn't gonna rush her new baby's induction just because he's a prince. That title doesn't mean anything to her anyway - he's not her prince. He's her newest son.

So please imagine, Regis absolutely losing his mind over his missing boy. Refusing to believe the worst even though there is no evidence Noctis survived. Nilfheim could have taken him, could have spirited him away into some laboratory - no. No. He will not stop looking until he finds his son or he finds a body. And if he finds a body, Nilfheim will be reminded what happens when a Lucis Caelum takes the field.

As it is, Regis takes a far more active role in the actual warfare - in a way he hasn't ever. In way his father hadn't either. He runs missions himself, draws up plans, and starts pushing Nilfheim back in a way Lucis hasn't managed in years.

AND THEN.

Even with the positive turn of the war, months have passed. Regis is a widowed king with a missing heir. His counsel is making noises about him remarrying, about securing the line of succession. Regis won't hear of it. Despite being no closer to finding his son, he refuses to consider the alternative, refuses to even contemplate replacing him.

And it is in the middle of such an argument with the counsel when there is the sudden crystal fracture sound of a warp mixed with the crashing of a wave as a small whirlwind of water condenses in the room.

The woman that emerges from it is ethereal and inhuman and dangerous. Long sea green hair done up in braids with sea glass and shells and driftwood. She's dressed in sheer layers of cloth that shimmer in the light like rippling water. Her golden eyes flicker over his counsel dismissively before landing on Regis, a grin tugging on her lips revealing pointed teeth.

"King of Lucis," she greets with a nod of her head, "I believe you are missing something."

"Dad!"

His eyes jerk down and that's his son. His Noctis, whole and hale and alive, holding this strange woman's hand and he's here -

Regis doesn't even realized he's warped across the room until he and Noctis are crashing into each other, clinging desperately to any part of each other they can reach.

"How-?" he gasps out around his tears.

Noctis pulls back and Regis can't help the way his grips tightens. His son doesn't let go though, just looks up at him with eyes that are the wrong color and says, "Mother rescued me!"

Regis blinks. "...Mother?"

The woman hums, startling him. "And now he has been returned home, safe and sound," she says, smoothing a hand over his son's hair. "Different than before, but no less loved for it, hmm?"

It sounds almost like a threat but Regis isn't given any time to reply to that before Noctis is blinking up at her.

"You're leaving?" he asks.

The woman nods, leaning down to place a tender kiss on his son's forehead. "This place is not for me. But I will visit from time to time should you wish."

"Yes!" Noctis demands instantly.

She chuckles. "Very well, Sweet Prince. Until next time."

And between one blink and the next, she is gone. She is gone and Regis has no answers and no explanation, but his son is in his arms, safe and alive, and that is all he ever wanted.