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"We do have quite a while before we head to the suite, is there anything you would like to do, Noct?" Ignis asked, turning the steering wheel to drift smoothly. Noctis glanced at Ignis in the driver's seat, quickly looking down at his feet. He picked at the fabric on his jacket and sighed.
"Well---" He started, "I wanna to go to the market, there's cool stuff we could get!"
"Exactly what I was thinking! We could really cop some treasures there! You know what they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure!" Prompto added, watching the trees passing by as they rode along the overpass.
"Mmm, wise words." Ignis added encouragingly.
"Well---they say that, not me. But you guys know what I mean."
"You're always goin' on and on about treasure." Gladio snorted.
"But it's true. Something someone doesn't want could be the best thing you've ever recieved." Noctis stated.
They fell into a comfortable silence. Noctis began to think about how much fun he'd been having lately. They were eating out, going on walks, taking lots of pictures, and going to festivals.
They hadn't had many daemon encounters, and for that he was thankful. The encounters they had were not bothersome, they were quick. He almost felt a little guilty being proud over the speed of their takedowns. It wasn't like he'd done much on his own during them in the first place. He'd always felt like his crownsgaurds did more than him, the three of them combined. He would barely have time to land combos, for stasis would creep up on him quickly. Though, they would have the threats neutralized quickly.
He looked to his left, admiring the coast. They had just made a trip to the beach a few days back. It was his first time actually enjoying the beach, and his friends made it special for him. They'd played in the water, had a large dinner, played games, and stayed up late watching movies. He'd loved every moment of it.
He looked at Prompto who was turned around in his seat. He had started a conversation with Gladio, and Noctis tuned in late.
"---go there, he'll say yes. You always say that and never follow through." Gladio said in a mocking tone. Prompto frowned, shaking his head.
"You know I'm right, don't be a wuss." Gladio taunted, propping his arm up on top of the door of the Regalia. Prompto went red. He looked in between the two frantically, now noticing Noctis was listening to their conversation.
"It's not that easy!" Prompto defended himself. He looked like he was under attack, like the cute and helpless animals in those wildlife documentaries. Ignis adjusted his glasses, turning left on a fork in the road.
"Prompto, you need to sit correctly in your seat in case we---"
"---Holy sh---"
That was the last exchange Noctis heard before he felt an impact that launched him forward. Of course, his seatbelt stopped it, but it made the situation a thousand times worse. You see, when anyone else wore a seatbelt, it crossed over from the top of their shoulder, onto their chest, and then to the opposite side of their waist; It stayed in that position. When Noctis wore a seatbelt, it crossed over his neck randomly---for no reason. So there he was, jerking forward and being choked by his seatbelt.
The moment they wrecked felt like an hour in a minute. He barely had time to look anywhere. He felt his hand opening as it moved towards his left, and he could see a faint blue in the corner of his vision. The next thing he knew, he was warping and landing on solid ground. He was unable to process what had just happened, so at the moment he was frozen in fear. The only good thing about it was that he wasn't registering pain. His eyes drooped, and he then knew he had been asleep after blinking---what he felt--- was once. When he was consious again, he could feel something tapping him.
"---tis, can you hear me? ---need to show me a sign! Oh Astrals, don't die on us---" He heard. He forced his eyes open, being greeted with the sight of Prompto hunched over him. He was groggy, so he wasn't processing anything correctly. He reached his hand up to him and whimpered, recoiling when he could feel a pain in his throat.
"He's alive!" Prompto exclaimed. Ignis rushed over to him, reluctant to touch him.
"We can't move him in case he has a neck injury. Noctis, dont move." He warned. Gladio appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and immediately began to talk to Ignis about the situation. But Noctis couldn't hear, for he gave in to unconsciousness. The last thing he heard was, "Stay awake!"
----
It was dark. He couldn't see, and everything felt stiff. He wanted to move, but his body was sore. He couldn't muster the strength to open his eyes.
"Do you think he'll be okay Iggy?" Prompto asked, voice shaking. He heard a sigh full of regret. Noctis didn't even know what was wrong with him, but he wanted to reassure his friends. Noctis knew he needed determination. These were his crownsgaurds, but most importantly they were his friends. He needed to be there for them, as they were there for him many times when he needed help. He knew they most likely would focus on blame if he wasn't awake.
He blinked a few times, vision slowly focusing. He made out a dimly lit light above him, on a ceiling; he was inside a room. He tilted his head downwards, and saw Gladio staring back at him in disbelief.
"You're finally awake. Feelin' alright?" He asked. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He moved his hand to rub his sore throat, but it was stuck to something. Or something was stuck to his hand. He looked down, and saw an IV in one of his veins, stuck onto his skin under a water-tight seal. He frowned.
"You took a rough fall after you warped during the accident. I thought you flew forward and got ran over." Gladio explained, obviously relieved. Noctis shuddered, horrified by the fact that he could have ended up seriously injured. He was glad he warped when he did. He couldn't remember what he'd thrown for the life of him, but he was greatful either way.
"The Regalia?" Noctis asked. Gladio shook his head.
"I can't help but feel I am to blame. If I had just saw the other car coming---"
"No, Iggy---we're not playing the blame game, alright? Its nobody's fault." Noctis settled that then and there. He looked at Prompto, who wasn't as optimistic as normal. He had wetness on his face, and his cheeks were red. He had obviously been crying.
"Is there any news about my condition?" Noctis asked. He feared he didn't want to know the answer. After surviving a car crash, he deserved to know.
"You've got a concussion, I'm surprised you even remember anything. You have small scrapes and bruises, but you have a slightly deeper cut on your left cheek."
There was an awkward silence.
"That'll be a cool scar to make up stories for." Gladio chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Prompto gave a small smile.
"Yeah, they'll go, 'Oh Noctis, how'd you get that sick scar?', and you'll be all like, 'I wrestled a shark... and won'!" Prompto joked. Noctis laughed, grimacing slightly from the dryness in his throat.
"I need water, and I don't want to have to wrestle a shark and win to get it." He added, amused.