The first time he saw the man, Prompto was jogging through the park at his usual time like he did most days. The blond smiled in passing, and the man sat up straighter, running his fingers through his short spiked black hair. With the way he was built, the stranger reminded Prompto a little of Gladio, especially with the large pink scar that ran from just below his left eye to his jaw. The man waved as his face brightened a little, and Prompto nodded in greeting, slowing down just a tad. His lungs burned, and his legs ached, but he knew if he stopped he would never finish his run. So he continued on, leaving the tall muscular man behind him. After that, Prompto started seeing him on the same bench every day, rain or shine. Prompto being the kind person he was would smile at him, occasionally calling out a hello as he passed, but on one warm sunny morning Prompto decided to stop in front of the bench. His lungs were burning, and his legs desperately needed a break.

"Hi," he said, smiling at the man who was staring up at him. He placed his hands on his knees as he gasped for air and brushed a few stray pieces of hair out of his face. "Mind if I sit there?" he asked pointing to the spot next to the man.

The stranger immediately slid over to give him a little more room, and Prompto plopped down next to him, breathing deeply as he tried to catch his breath.

"Good run?" the man asked. His eyes nervously flicked to Prompto's face then back down to the ground. Prompto smiled slightly at him, seeing a little of his own nervousness reflected in the mannerisms of the stranger.

"Yeah. My legs hurt so bad right now. It's a good kind of pain, I guess." He paused for a second as he placed his hands behind his head and leaned back. "I've seen you around here a lot. Do you live close by?" Prompto asked. The man simply nodded.

They sat in silence for a few moments while Prompto waited for his breathing to return to normal. He glanced at his phone and saw it was later than he thought.

"I should probably get going. I'll see you around." He jogged off, taking the quickest way home. As he approached the door of his apartment building, he slowed a little until he stopped. He glanced behind him, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he felt the odd sensation that someone was watching him. He looked all around him but found no one. He shrugged it off as his usual unease and greeted Mrs. Prudens, the elderly lady at the front desk, before he rushed up to his second floor apartment. He fumbled with his keys as he hastily unlocked the door, and he didn't let himself relax until he locked the door and slid the deadbolt across. He darted over to his window and peered out, eyes searching the street for anything odd. He saw nothing, but he pulled the curtains closed anyway, just to make himself feel better. He jumped as the shrill ring of his cell phone sliced through the air, but he relaxed as he saw the caller ID.

"Hey, Noct," he said, his voice a little shaky.

"You okay?" Noctis asked, hearing the uneasiness in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The phone just startled me a little. What's up?" He ran his fingers through his hair as he took a deep calming breath.

"Oh, I'm headed to the arcade, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with," Noctis replied. Prompto only thought about it for a second.

"Sure!" he exclaimed.

"Great, I'll tell Ignis to stop by your house on the way. We'll be over in about a half hour."

Prompto hung up and quickly showered, getting all the sweat and grime from his morning run off before changing into a fresh pair of clothes. Soon a loud knock sounded from his door, and he opened it to see Noctis leaning casually against the door frame.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Prompto nodded and closed the door, turning the handle to make sure the door was locked. As the two walked to the car, Prompto stopped and stared down the street, eyes widening as he spotted a man in a black hoodie a few blocks down. He couldn't make out much, but he got the odd feeling that the man was watching him.

"Come on, Prompto," Noctis said. Prompto turned the prince for a second to let him know he heard him, but when he looked back down the street, the hooded man was gone. His shoulders tensed as he searched the street for the man, but there was no sign of him. Prompto hopped in the car and gave a half-hearted hello to Ignis who was in the driver's seat.

"You okay, man? You look like you've seen a ghost," Noctis studied his friend's pale face.

"Uh, yeah I'm fine. Just a little tired is all," he lied, glancing out the back window of the car.

It wasn't long before Ignis was parking the car in front of the arcade. He informed them that he would come back when they were ready and sped off down the street. Prompto and Noctis rushed in the arcade and quickly spotted their favorite game.

Prompto cheered as Noctis mashed the buttons, his character slaying every monster that came his way.

"I'm going to check out some of the other games," Prompto told the prince. Noctis simply nodded, his focus solely on the game. The blond turned to look at the games and frowned, seeing every single game was in use, and more people were waiting in line to use them. Prompto glanced over at the concessions stand in the corner of the building.

"Actually I'm going to get some food. You want anything?" he asked the prince.

"Uh, sure, just get me some candy or something," he replied, sticking his tongue out as he concentrated. Prompto rolled his eyes as he strolled over to the stand. He purchased two boxes of candy and handed the money to the cashier. He popped a couple pieces in and smiled as he savored the flavor.

His smile faltered as the feeling of eyes on him suddenly returned, and Prompto whipped his head around, his eyes scanning the crowd for anyone watching him. Everyone seemed to be wrapped up in their own little world, and he let his eyes search for a few seconds longer before he made his way back to Noctis who was now on the next level. Get it together, man. What is wrong with you today? You're just being paranoid, he told himself. Noctis cursed as the screen flashed the large words GAME OVER. Prompto handed him his box of candy and gently shoved him as took his place in front of the consol, cracking his knuckles as he smirked at the game. As his fingers flew across the controls, Prompto decided to ignore the nagging feeling that something wasn't right until it finally went away.

"Woohoo!" he cheered as his score bumped the first place person down. "Take that!" Noctis simply rolled his eyes as he placed his hand on the buttons, ready to try again.

They only stayed at the arcade for a couple hours, but when they exited the building, the sky was dark and the stars shined brightly in the night sky. Noctis called Ignis to tell him they were done, and soon the advisor was pulling up next to the curb.

"Thanks for going with me. Ignis doesn't appreciate arcade games as much as you do," Noctis said as Ignis pulled the car over in front of Prompto's apartment.

"Yeah, no problem. I never miss an opportunity to go to the arcade, especially with you," Prompto replied.

The blond waved to the prince and his advisor as the car sped off down the street, and he trudged up to his apartment. He pulled his keys out and went to open the door, but he found the door to be unlocked already. That's weird. I could have sworn I locked it when I left, he thought to himself as he cautiously walked in. He glanced around the apartment to see it just as he had left it; nothing seemed to be missing or disturbed. A cold chill filled the air, sending shivers down his spine. He looked to the curtains which were blowing gently in the wind, and he pulled them back to see the window wide open. I know that wasn't open when I left. He slammed it shut, and summoned his gun as his heart raced. A slight buzzing filled his ears as they listened for any sound out of the ordinary, but all he heard was the distant honking of cars driving by.

He shoved the door to his bedroom open, pointing his gun, his fingers clenched tightly around it, ready to pull the trigger. Nothing. He slowly tiptoed over to his closet and ripped it open, but again he found nothing. He checked every room and every closet, but no one was in the apartment. He sighed in relief as he dismissed the gun.

He pulled his desk drawer open and reached for the journal he'd started a few months ago and froze. Where his journal should have been, a large white envelope sat with Prompto's name scrawled in large black letters on the front. Prompto gulped as he grabbed it, his shaking hands struggling to open the envelope. He pulled out the contents and suddenly all the air in the room disappeared. He gasped for air as panic set in, and his heart pounded painfully against his chest as the papers slipped to the floor. His fingers felt numb, and his lips began to tingle. He was hyperventilating. He knew he needed to slow his breathing, but his panicked mind wouldn't let him. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he grabbed the papers off the floor and read them again. One was a picture of him jogging through the park, oblivious to the fact that someone was taking his picture. The other was a plain sheet of paper with a short yet chilling message: I'M WATCHING YOU.