Work Text:
Noctis was tired and dizzy. The humid heat and trudging for hours wasn’t helping. The Regalia was also far away, left behind as they were working hard hunting to earn some more money.
The prince sighed in annoyance to his unwell. Someone suddenly bumped his shoulder with so much force that it made him totter. It could only be Gladio.
“Step it up, Noct!” The Shield indeed told him. Noctis produced a groan of complaint.
Ignis and Prompto stopped walking when the other two did. They exchanged a look of helpless resignation as their friends inevitably argued again.
“What was that?” Gladio asked him, shoving Noctis a little again.
“Get off my case!” The prince muttered, scowling and grimacing.
Gladio continued walking, angrily muttering to himself. The other two approached him, taking notice of how pale he looked.
“You okay?” Prompto put a hand on Noctis’ shoulder.
Although gently, he pushed him away. The blond frowned, but he knew it was better to leave him alone when he got stubborn like that.
The world, however, was spinning around Noctis. He was out of breath. Nauseous, tired and sweaty. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by darkness.
“Noct!” Ignis exclaimed when Noctis fell, not being fast enough to catch him. The prince landed on the ground with a thud.
Gladio and Prompto rushed to his side when they saw, but Ignis was already kneeling down and checking Noctis’ pulse. It was faint and weak.
“Iggy?” Prompto’s voice shook. “What’s wrong, is he okay?”
Ignis pressed his hand against the prince’s forehead. He was burning up.
“He has a fever” He explained, trying to remain calm. “Hopefully, he is only fatigued”
To serene himself, Ignis tried to think logically. They had been trudging under the hot sun for hours, spending days of endless hunting. They were all tired, but it seemed like Noctis had pushed himself further than the rest.
Glancing up, he saw Prompto and Gladio watching them. The latter was frozen in place, his amber eyes fixed on the unconscious Noctis.
“W-What do we do?” The blond piped up, fidgeting to make up for Gladio’s stillness.
“Uh, well…” Ignis’ fingers trembled as he went to adjust his glasses. “Let’s see…”
“Will he be okay?” Gladio suddenly mumbled, snapping Ignis out of his daze as well as himself.
Ignis nodded his head, taking a deep breath to settle his nerves.
“Prompto, get the car” He tossed him the keys and then turned to the other man. “Gladio, pick him up. We need to get him somewhere shaded and cool”
Without a word, the three men worked to look after their friend. They had to get his fever down. Prompto ran at top speed, causing the keys to jingle in his hand. Gladio carefully propped Noctis up and carried him over his shoulder.
In the meantime, following Gladio to the car that Prompto would bring to them, Ignis quickly went over his first aid knowledge. They had a kit in the trunk of the car. There was a cold compress there that they could use to get his temperature down. Then they would take him somewhere safe where he could rest. Where they could look after him. Heaving a trembling sigh, he nodded to himself. He knew what to do.
-
Noctis woke up, feeling like a long time had passed. His head was spinning. He felt weak, tired and heavy. Slow, confused. Something cold was pressed against his burning forehead. It helped.
When he slowly opened his eyes, a voice immediately received him.
“Noct!” Prompto exclaimed, quickly standing from his chair beside the bed.
“Prompto…” His friend muttered, feeling disoriented as he looked around the room. “What… what happened?”
Last thing he remembered, they were hunting. Running under the burning sun. He remembered feeling very sick, and nothing more after that.
“Guys!” Prompto called out, then facing his friend once more. “You scared us so much, Noct! You were really sick, Iggy said you were exhausted”
“Where are we?”
“Oh, we brought you to this hotel, you needed to rest”
“And where’s everyone?”
“They’re around, we were all so worried about you…”
Uncomfortable with Prompto’s urgent staring, the prince averted his gaze. He had noticed the dark circle under his friend’s eyes, noticed how his hands trembled slightly. Noctis didn’t know how long he was unconscsious for, but it had to be serious for them to be so scared for him.
Just as he thought about it, two restless figures erupted into the room. Watching with the corner of his eye, Noctis saw Ignis approaching his bed. Gladio stood at the threshold, with his arms closed over his chest.
“Noct, you’re awake” Ignis sighed in releif. “How are you feeling, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Specs,,,” He replied, still not making eye contact with anyone.
“You scared the crap out of us” Gladio said behind them. His tone was neutral.
Noctis finally looked up. His Shield lingered in that spot, watching him carefully. Nonetheless, he could read the concern wash out and turn into relief, all hidden beneath his apparent annoyance.
“You were quite sick” Ignis rested a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Everyone was grumpy and tired” He shrugged a little. “I didn’t want to give more trouble”
“Well, you did” Gladio replied from the door. “We haven’t moved from this place in two days because of you”
Noctis stared at him. He knew that dangerous edge in Gladio’s voice, but this time it was different. This time it felt forced, like he wanted to stay mad but couldn’t. Like he was too happy to see Noctis was okay to be annoyed that he pushed himself on the first place.
“The important thing is Noct is okay!” Prompto cheerfully said, breaking the tension that hung in the air.
“Yes” Ignis kindly patted the prince before dropping his hand. “But you need to take it easy, you are still convalescent”
“Sure…” Noctis awkwardly stirred in the bed. “Thanks for looking after me”
Prompto muttered something about being friends as he went to hug him tight, laughing playfully yet in utter glee that Noctis was alright.
Gladio rolled his eyes, insisting that it was their job. Despite his deadpan voice, there was a small smile on his lips. His shoulders relaxed as well.
Ignis, on turn, reminded him that it was their duty. Yet as well, their pleasure.
Noctis sighed, and although he still felt a bit sick, he wasn’t worried. He smiled a little. His friends were there for him, to take care of him. Always had, always would be.