Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

'It's nothing,' Ignis assured him.

Noctis's brow furrowed, but there wasn't time to question the elder man. Prompto was busy in the distance with three soldiers, Gladiolus was backed with half a dozen of his own, and was swinging around a metal bar that he'd picked up from somewhere. So all Noctis could do was hope that the knock to the head Ignis had taken really hadn't done any more damage than crack his glasses.

With a focused burst of energy Noctis tugged at the threads of the air and drew a large sword from the ether, which he turned in his hands until its weight was comfortable. 'Ready?' he asked his friend.

'Ready,' Ignis confirmed.

His voice sounded strong enough, Noctis thought, so ahead he rushed at the solders while dragging the tip of his sword behind him on the ground. The scrape of metal on dirt vanished as he spun and used his momentum to slice at the soldiers, knocking two of them over. Noctis had to let the sword vanish lest it pull him down too. With two soldiers still in action Noctis sprang into a back flip to avoid a spray of bullets, and fully expected Ignis to leap into action with a flaming katana. That didn't happen. Noctis dropped to the ground and rolled as a soldier fired again, then he turned back to see where his team mate had got to.

Ignis was lying prone on the ground, with one of the soldiers advancing on him. Noctis felt his heart skip a beat, and he wasted no time running back to cover his fallen friend. 'Ignis! Wake up!' The prince begged as he fought off the soldiers alone, while trying to keep them at bay from his unconscious friend.

Noctis summoned forth two short swords and swung them expertly as he flipped in the air to leap over one soldier to get to another that was closer to Ignis. He was out of breath and his arms ached from sword fighting, but he wouldn't give up. He brought back his large sword and used it as a shield to save them from more gunfire, then steeled himself as he swung it around and cut down two soldiers at once. Jolts of pain ran up his arms as the metal of his word connected with armour, flesh and bone, but he couldn't stop fighting. Rage burned within him, the need to kill anyone that got too close. As soon as the sword vanished from his grasp he called forth another, and spun around ready to slice another soldier…and stopped just in time when he realised that it was Gladiolus stood in front of him.

Gladiolus took a step back, his hands in the air. 'Whoa, it's okay, Noct, it's me. We got them all.'

Noctis's breathing was erratic, and his hands still gripped the hilt of his sword tight enough to turn his knuckles white. A hand on his shoulder was the key, and as soon as Prompto's hand reached out for his own his dropped the sword. It shattered into a million fragments as it vanished back into the ether. Noctis dropped to his knees as the adrenaline rush faded, and he was trembling as he world regained its colour and sound. Prompto was there with him, a comforting hand on his back and a soothing voice in his ear telling him it was alright now. But it wasn't alright.

'Ignis?' Noctis asked.

Prompto paused, then sighed. 'Gladiolus is checking him out now. Idiot got himself a concussion and didn't think to tell us. You know, all the times he warns us about being reckless, then he goes and does something like that. He is in for a world of ridicule when he wakes up.'

'But he will wake up?' Noctis asked, not realising he was holding his breath.

Prompto smiled. 'Course he will.'

Noctis couldn’t help the wave of panic that ran through him, though, and with Prompto's steadying hand on his arm the two made their way over to where Gladiolus was knelt in the grass, and holding Ignis in his arms. A small gash on Ignis's left temple was bleeding sluggishly, and there was blood down his cheek and seeping into the dark pattern of his dress shirt. Ignis's eyes were closed and his skin was pale. He looked younger without his glasses on.

Gladiolus looked up as they approached. 'Need him to wake up before we can get any healing potions into him.'

Noctis dropped to his knees beside his friends. 'I'll heal him.'

'The hell you will,' Gladiolus said gruffly. 'Er, your highness, I mean. But I don't need to have to carry two of you back to the car. You're shaking as is it, prince, you'll exhaust yourself drawing magic in your state.'

'I can handle it, I'm fine,' Noctis said, and lifted his hand to hover over Ignis's forehead. His fingers trembled. He ignored it. Noctis's eyes began to change, from cool blue to crimson red as the magic began to flow through his body. His trembling intensified, and his body felt cold as ice. His energy was fading by the second and suddenly he found himself listing to the side, and he hit into something solid and warm. Or rather someone solid and warm. Prompto was there, holding him steady.

'We get it,' Prompto said sadly. 'It's not nice seeing him hurt. We hate it as much as you do. But you're no help to him if you hurt yourself. You know what he'd say if he saw you trying to cast spells when you're dead on your feet, he'd call you a fool. So I'm appointing myself as the voice of reason of the group while Ignis is out of action, and I'll call you a fool for doing this.'

'God help us if you're the voice of reason,' Gladiolus muttered, but there was a smile on his lips. 'We'll get back to the car and find somewhere with a healer. You can sleep in the car, and if you wake up before we've found somewhere then you can be the one to heal him. Sound fair?'

Noctis nodded reluctantly. A knot of guilt was growing within him that he hadn't probed further into Ignis's injury. The group were always so concerned over him, but he'd failed his friend when he'd been needed most. There was no point in arguing, though, he was physically incapable of casting spells when he was this tired. So he let Prompto help him up, and slung an arm over the blonde's shoulders as they made their way back to the car, with Ignis limp in Gladiolus's arms.

'I'll drive,' Prompto suggested.

'Hell no,' Gladiolus said cheerfully, and after depositing Ignis safely in the back seat with Noctis, the taller man opened up the driver's door and nudged Prompto until the blonde climbed over into the passenger seat.

'Man, you suck,' Prompto said, stretching out his long slender arms with a grin.

But Noctis didn't miss the way the blonde turned slightly, and cast a worried glance back at Ignis. Or the way Gladiolus kept checking on their injured party member in the rear view mirror. Noctis himself couldn't sleep, not with Ignis sat right next to him, breathing slowly and evenly but still unconscious. His head wound had stopped bleeding, but it still looked nasty, and the area around it was beginning to bruise.

'Sleep, prince,' Gladiolus said softly, catching his gaze in the mirror. 'We'll find him a healer in no time, but I want to see you back to full strength too. Imagine how worried he'll be if he wakes up and finds you've worried yourself away to nothing?'

Noctis offered a small smile, and after another longing glance at Ignis settled for reaching out his hand to clasp Ignis's gloved one. Then he let his eyes fall closed. He didn't jump when he felt another hand in his free one; though he wasn't sure if the comfort was meant for himself or Prompto. It helped them both. Noctis fell asleep to the purr of the engine and the rock of the car as they sped along the country lanes to find a healer.

It was few hours later when Noctis finally awoke, when Prompto began shaking his shoulder and calling his name.

'Oi, you need to let go of his hand,' the blonde teased.

Noctis blinked, then realised Gladiolus was trying to lift Ignis from the car, but in sleep Noctis had only held on tighter, fearing someone was trying to take Ignis away. Noctis blushed and let the hand go.

'Sorry,' he muttered, and got out of the car himself to stretch his legs. Stars blinked down from the inky sky, and they were still out in the country, but parked in the little car park beside a homely looking inn. A green cross was painted on the sign, however, and through the window there were a few people inside that looked to be patients.

Gladiolus was carefully carrying Ignis as they made their way inside, and a nurse hurried over to them before the door had even closed.

'Oh my, you'd better bring him this way. You're in luck, we have a spare medical room tonight. With all this activity going on it's been a busy week for us.'

Gladiolus just hummed in acknowledgement. Noctis and Prompto followed them, looking in rooms as they passed. A man with a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Another with burn marks down his face.

They were shown into a small room at the end of the corridor, and the nurse went about setting the bed up so that Gladiolus could set the other man down. The nurse ushered them away after that, and began checking Ignis over, opening his eyes, humming at what she saw, poking at the wound. Noctis wanted to tell her to stop, but finally she ended the torture and began pulling bottles from cupboards. The range of potions was far better than the party carried, and she tipped some clear liquid that smelled strongly onto a cloth and began dabbing at the wound.

'To clean it,' she told them.

'It's already clean, he's always having baths,' Prompto said.

The nurse ignored him, and then moved on to a thick dark yellow paste that she applied to the wound. Then she took a needle and began threading it. Noctis started in alarm, but it was Prompto that spoke up.

'Hey, that's not gonna hurt him, right? What if he wakes up while you're poking at him?'

The nurse smiled sympathetically. 'He won't feel a thing. The paste has anaesthetic properties.'

'Oh,' Prompto said, then exchanged a glance with the other two before backing down. Gladiolus placed a large hand on his shoulder to help calm him, and Noctis moved closer so that their arms brushed each other. Together the group drew strength from each other while they watched the nurse stitch up their friend.

'There. All done. The wound will heal nicely, but we'll keep doing observations on him until he wakes up. If he hasn't opened his eyes by the morning I'll ask the senior nurse to take a look. It may be that he'll require an operation, unfortunately head wounds can be nasty business. Please feel free to stay with him, or they have a few available rooms if you'd like to go and speak to the inn receptionist.'

'We'll stay,' Gladiolus said, and received no argument from the others. 'Thank you, miss…?'

'Helena. I'll be back every thirty minutes to do the observations.'

Gladiolus nodded, then disappeared briefly to find two more chairs so they could all sit down around Ignis's bed. The usually neat man looked dreadful, with his hair messed up and his skin pale, and dried blood clinging to the wound. Dark purple bruising blemished his temple and down to his left eye, and the gash, now that it could be seen past the blood, was at least an inch long.

'He'll be fine,' Gladiolus said, whether to himself or the others even he wasn't sure. Or perhaps it was an order to Ignis.

The group lapsed into silence. Noctis drew the blanket from the bottom of the bed and tucked it around Ignis's slim body, while Prompto untied his shiny shoes and set them under his bed. Gladiolus took a damp cloth and wiped blood from Ignis's cheek, and once they were all satisfied there was nothing more they could do they took each other's hands and drew their chairs close together so that the two smallest party members could lean against each of Gladiolus's shoulders.

The first few times Helena returned they asked questions on how long people were usually unconscious. Then they asked about what she thought his chances were. Then they stopped asking questions, and fell into a broody silence. By early morning all three were fast asleep, and though it was almost time for her shift to end she decided to wait another hour or so, because she wanted to see this case through to the end. She'd never seen four men quite like them; each so unique, but each one so worried about their friend. And the way they held on to each other like they were a lifeline, there was some special bond between these boys. She wanted to make sure their friend woke up, and she wanted to be there to witness the reunion when he did.

The sun was low, bleeding gold in the clear blue sky, and melting the ground frost that clung to the grass. Outside the window a spider's web caught the drops of dew which sparkled like diamonds. But Noctis didn't care about the beauty of the world outside, no, he cared about the beauty of the green eyes he was looking into.

Prompto had been holding Ignis's hand, so it had been the gunner who had raised the alarm. He'd been roused from his sleep by a gentle squeeze of his hand, and when he'd awoken he'd found Ignis groaning softly, with a frown on his face. Noctis and Gladiolus had woken up at Prompto's shouting, and they'd been there as Ignis's eyes slowly blinked once, twice, then fully open. The emerald orbs were clouded from tiredness, and slightly unfocused, but the tall man smiled when he saw his friends.

'Can we afford this inn?' had been his first words. Even injured he was still responsible.

Gladiolus had laughed and sniffed loudly, possibly trying his very best to ignore the tears of relief gathering in his eyes. 'Yeah, we’re giving them Prompto as down payment.'

'Oi oi!' Prompto had said, then playfully shoved the swordsman, who thanks to his weight of muscle remained unmoved.

Noctis had shuffled forward with his head bowed low, ignoring the play fight behind him. He only looked up when Ignis took his hand.

'My prince? Are you well?'

'Am I well?' Noctis asked, his voice thick with disbelief. 'You're the one in a bed, having had medical treatment. I didn't know…you have to understand I didn't realise how badly you were hurt, or I'd have been there when you fell and…'

Ignis squeezed his hand. 'I'm alive, aren't I?'

Noctis felt a tightening in his chest. 'You nearly weren't. The nurse was talking about operations and stuff if you didn't wake up. And I couldn't heal you. I tried, but I couldn't-'

Another squeeze to Noctis's hand. 'We've talked about this. You have limits, my prince. Thank you for trying, but please never exhaust yourself on my account. We don't know what would happen to you if you completely drained yourself. I wouldn't want to be helped if it meant hurting you.'

'That's what I said you'd say,' Prompto said, slinging an arm over Noctis's shoulders. 'But you know how this one gets. Good thing you're so damn adorable or we'd beat you to death out of sheer frustration.'

'That and he is still your prince,' Ignis said, then winced and raised a hand to his head.

'Ignis!' all three men said in unison.

'And this would be my cue,' said Helena from the doorway, pretending that she had only just entered and hadn't been watching the entire exchange. If she found it cute and adorable then she wasn't going to say anything. 'Now shoo, all of you. I get the feeling Noctis isn't the only one who pushes himself past his limits and plays down injuries, so I'd like a few moments alone with Ignis to make sure he really is okay. Go get yourselves showers and breakfasts, I'm sure Ignis will appreciate you better if you smell of soap rather than man sweat.'

'I really would,' Ignis said with a smile.

'Come on, guys, we should have some spare gil after paying his hospital fees. And I don't know about you but I could eat a behemoth!' Gladiolus said, herding the two younger men out of the hospital room and down toward the inn restaurant.

'You can always eat a behemoth,' Prompto muttered. 'Just make sure you don't eat everything in the place, we're hungry too, right Noct? And Ignis will want some breakfast when he's up and about. We can't expect him to cook after he took a knock like that to the head.'

The mood dropped after that, as the three of them dwelled on what had almost happened. They sat down in the fairly busy restaurant, but when the waitress took their orders despite Gladiolus's boasts, he only ordered a standard breakfast. And when it came he ate slowly.

Noctis wasn't eating at all, just pushing things around his plate.

'Hey, come on guys. He's fine,' Prompto said, moving his feet so that he was brushed up against a foot from each man. 'He's tougher than we give him credit, you know? And yeah, we had a scare, but we're on a bit of a dangerous journey here. It just goes to show us that we need to be more careful. We learn from this so it doesn't happen again. Right?'

'Right,' Gladiolus said softly.

'Once more, with less enthusiasm,' Prompto said, rolling his crystal blue eyes. 'We're all alive and kicking and that's how we're gonna stay, yeah? Say it with me; we're going to look out for each other. We'll be more careful. And we won't take stupid risks,' the last part was paired with a meaningful glare in Noctis's direction.

'Right,' Gladiolus and Noctis said, with a bit more effort.

'There we go. We'll get our Ignis back, be back on the road in no time.'

'Of course we will,' said a calm voice behind them. They all sat up straighter, and instantly made a gap for Ignis to draw up a chair.

'Should you be up?' Gladiolus asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

'Clean bill of health. I'm to take it easy for a few days, and no driving I'm afraid, but all being well the only lasting damage will be a small scar. I think Gladiolus still wins in the facial scar section, though.' Ignis still had a slightly unfocused look in his eyes, but he was able to look at each of them in turn when he spoke to them.

Gladiolus grinned. 'Damn right I do. Facial scars are sexy, though, you'll look even prettier.'

'Thank you,' Ignis said dryly, then glanced about their plates. 'I've never seen food go cold from either of you,' he said, looking up at Gladiolus and Prompto. 'You really were worried about me, weren't you?'

'Course we were,' Prompto said in a sad voice. 'You looked so…you were…'

'You looked dead,' Noctis finished, unable to lift his gaze.

Ignis sighed. 'It will always be hard, seeing one of us hurt. But the main thing is that we stick together and help each other. You got me help, I'm alive to sit here and enjoy breakfast with you.' He reached over and snagged Noctis's coffee, and drank a long mouthful. 'So let's just be thankful.'

They all nodded, and when the waitress came for Ignis's order they all ordered fresh, warm food.

And they all made a mental promise that during the next battles they fought, they would take care to look out for each other just that little bit more.

Chapter Text

'I got it!' Prompto called over his shoulder, as he rushed toward the beast with his guns blazing.

Gladiolus had barely felt the elfin man leap over his shoulder to get the momentum required for his acrobatic move, no more than he felt Noctis do the same to him moments later, joining Prompto in the battle against a pack of wolves that had been drawn to their camp site by the temptation of live prey by an open crackling fire.

'Should we help them?' Gladiolus asked, eyeing the great sword he usually took to battle, that was lying by his seat at the fire.

Ignis appraised the situation from his seat, watching the way the two lithe men were playing off each other's strengths to dance about and keep the wolves confused enough to pick off easily. 'No need, there's only four, they'll be fine.' He kept a watchful gaze on the youngest members of their group, though, as Gladiolus sat down heavily beside him and took up the bowl of stew he'd been eating before they'd been interrupted.

'Noctis is comin' along well,' he commented gruffly, watching as the prince launched himself from Prompto's shoulders into a back flip, then on the way down materialised twin guns to fire at a wolf that was aiming for Prompto's throat.

'He is indeed,' Ignis said, without a tone of emotion in his voice.

'What's wrong?'

'He's not supposed to fight like this,' Ignis said after a brief pause. 'He's a prince. He leads battles, he shouldn't fight in the countryside like this. He shouldn't have to live like this at all.' Ignis's hand balled into a fist, and relaxed only when Gladiolus placed a large hand on his shoulder.

'Okay so he wasn't bred for this kind of life, but he's adapting pretty well. Don't beat yourself up; these are the cards life dealt him, and you're doing a great job helping him along.'

Ignis said nothing, just pressed his lips together and watched as Noctis slashed his sword down on the third wolf. He must have noticed them watching, because he turned and nodded to them.

'See? He's even getting over his shyness,' Gladiolus said, offering the prince a little dorky wave.

'That will be Prompto's influence, I'm sure,' Ignis said. 'He always- Prince!' Ignis shot forward at the same time as Gladiolus grabbed for his sword. The fourth wolf had evaded Prompto while the gunner reloaded, and was bounding for Noctis on powerful legs. Noctis turned in time to see the threat, but it was too late for him to summon a weapon to protect himself, and both Ignis and Gladiolus were too far away to be of help, not for lack of trying.

Noctis saw the anger in the glowing red eyes of the wolf as it snarled and foamed at the mouth, ready to tear his throat out. He had just enough time to come to terms with the fact that he was going to die, and raise his hands to at least spare his face any damage. Except the attack never came, not the one he had been expecting, anyway. Something slammed into his side and he went falling through the air to land hard in the grass. A few seconds later something fell on top of him and knocked the air from him.

Then there was nothing. No howling of wolves, no sword slashes or gun shots. Noctis felt his world begin to right itself, and then he looked down at what had landed on him. Or rather who had landed on him. Prompto groaned softly, and slid off him.

'Whoa…oww. Oh god oww. Owww!' Prompto's owws became louder and more panicked as the pain began to set in.

'Oh god, stay still,' Noctis said, gently pushing his friend back to lay in the grass. 'You idiot! What did you do that for?' he asked, hands trembling as he pulled Prompto's torn shirt up to reveal three parallel wounds in his torso. The dark material was soaked with blood, and Prompto's face was ashen.

'I just…y-you were gonna…' Prompto laughed. 'I'm an idiot, I know, but I couldn't let you…'

'Shh,' Noctis said, gently cupping Prompto's cheek with his hand. There was blood on Noctis's fingertips; Prompto's blood. It made the prince feel sick to his stomach. 'Thank you, Prompto. But next time I'll kill you myself if you get yourself hurt because of me.'

Prompt smiled a lopsided grin. 'Gotcha.'

Noctis hurried to take his own jacket off, and began pressing it to the wound to stem the blood loss as Ignis skidded to his knees beside them. 'Gladiolus finished off the wolf, is he…?'

'Bleeding badly. The wolf sliced his chest up pretty bad, I can probably heal the wound but the blood loss I can't do much with.'

Ignis nodded, and took over pressing down on the wound. 'Do what you can.'

Noctis nodded, and bit his lip to help him focus on the task at hand. Magic wasn't easy, and he was still learning how to draw power from the crystal and wield the raw energy into something useful. He'd almost burned Gladiolus to a crisp once when trying to spark a flame for their campfire, and other times he'd barely been able to give a jolt of electricity when trying to restart the car. But while he was learning to control it better, the pressure of having Prompto so battered and injured beneath his hands was almost enough to scare him off even attempting this, in case he went and made things a hundred times worse. It was already his fault that Prompto was hurt.

'Prince?' Ignis asked.

'Sorry,' Noctis muttered, feeling ashamed. Of course he had to try. It was what any of them would do; they were a team. They shared a bond. When one of them was hurt, they all hurt.

Closing his eyes, Noctis called forth on the threads of magic. He pulled a vein toward him, tapped into the raw, liquid power and tried to morph it within himself. He kept in his mind the idea of healing, and the bright white light mellowed into a pale green. He softened it further, distilled it into a healing spell, then let it flow from his core through his arm, down to his hand, where it materialised as pale green light and flowed from his fingertips to Prompto's chest.

Ignis drew the material back to expose the ragged wounds; three deep gouges that nicked the ribs of Prompto's thin chest. The young blonde's breathing was laboured as waves of pain tore through him, soothed only by Ignis's hand that buried itself in his hair, helping him to ride it out.

'It's almost over,' Ignis whispered to Prompto, watching the glow of the healing spell as it worked its magic on the wounds. They began to slough over, the bleeding slowing to nothing. Then slowly the skin began to knit together, new pink skin growing and stitching the wounds back up. They would scar, but there wasn't anything Noctis could do for that. All he could do was speed up the healing process enough to keep Prompto alive long enough to hate him for scarring his body.

'Enough, your highness,' Gladiolus said, appearing behind him and holding him gently, pulling him away from the prone blonde. 'You've healed the worst, any more and you'll exhaust yourself.'

Noctis hated that he couldn't do more, that he was too weak and useless to be able to restore Prompto to full health. Instead the blonde, although breathing a little easier, was still contorted in pain, and curled on his side to protect his ribs.

'At least he won't get an infection,' Ignis said. 'The wounds are closed, the internal damage is healed. He just needs to restore his strength and recover from the blood loss. The pain will start to fade in a few days, and then he'll be fine.'

Noctis nodded, and let Gladiolus help him to his feet. The taller man then bent to gently lift Prompto, and carried the smaller boy over to the car to lay him out across the back seat of the car.

'I'll get the tent set up,' Gladiolus said, and went about removing it from the boot.

He and Ignis set the tent up quickly and efficiently while Noctis sat in the driver's seat and kept watch over Prompto. The gunner had fallen into a fitful sleep, his face set in a deep frown against either the pain or whatever he was dreaming of. He reached out to run his hand through the golden curls and brush them from Prompto's face, but as soon as he touched Prompto's cheek the gunner leaned into his touch, and the frown melted away from his face.

'He's looking a bit more peaceful, at least,' Gladiolus said, leaning against the side of the car.

'He needs lots of rest,' Noctis said.

'You too, using a spell like that will have taken it out of you.'

'I don't feel tired.'

Ignis joined them. 'Do us all a favour and get some sleep anyway, alright? The beds are set up in the tent, no sleeping rough in the car for us tonight. We can't travel as we have been with Prompto injured, so let's take the opportunity to regroup. We passed by a small town a few hours ago, I'll take the car and get some supplies. When he wakes up we'll need to make sure he drinks plenty of healing potions, and we needed to stock up anyway.'

Gladiolus carried Prompto's limp form into the tent, and set the slender man down on one of the futons. With tenderness unbecoming of a man that looked so tough, he tucked the blonde in, making sure he was warm enough.

Noctis took the bed next to his friend, and curled up on his side so that he could watch the steady rise and fall of Prompto's chest. It wasn't long before the soothing sounds of gentle breathing, and the tiredness from spell casting had the prince asleep too.

Ignis and Gladiolus watched them for a few moments longer, then left the tent.

'Be careful,' Gladiolus said.

Ignis smiled. 'It's just a town, I'll be fine. Keep them safe while I'm gone. I won't be long.'

Gladiolus nodded, and dragged a seat close to the tent with his sword close at hand just in case the wolf pack had friends.

-

Darkness was falling when the car lights swept over the campsite. Gladiolus was awake and alert, and had been twitching at every single snap of a twig or tweet of a bird. Nothing was going to injure his friends while they slept. But Ignis was back now, and he got out of the car with two carrier bags of supplies.

'We havin' a party?' Gladiolus teased.

Ignis offered a withering smile. 'Potions mainly, different types. I asked the apothecary for advice on blood loss treatment and she suggested a few more advanced potions that we haven't been carrying. Also some proper food, he'll need to regain his strength.'

'Nothing wrong with nachos,' Gladiolus said defensively.

Ignis pushed his glasses further up his nose. 'There is a lot wrong with nachos. I've been remiss recently, but that ends now.'

Gladiolus hmmph-ed, but followed Ignis into the tent. The light of the fire outside cast a soft glow through the fabric, enough to see by. Noctis stirred as they knelt down beside Prompto's bed, and when he realised that Ignis was back and that it was night time the prince pushed back the covers and joined his friends.

'We'll need to wake him up, try to get him to drink some potions,' Ignis said. He reached out to gently shake Prompto's shoulder, and the gunner stirred almost immediately. After a groan and some shifting, he promptly fell back to sleep.

Gladiolus grinned. 'Oi, rise and shine pretty-boy, we've got something to help.' Gladiolus's shaking was a bit harder to ignore, and finally Prompto's eyes blinked open.

'Wha?'

Ignis held up a glass bottle filled with pale blue liquid. 'Medicine. Not sure how it tastes, but it will help you recover faster.'

Prompto didn't look convinced. 'M'fine,' he said, and tried to sit himself up. There was no strength to him, though, and he just flopped back against the pillows.

'Sure you're fine, just humour us, yeah?' Gladiolus said, and grabbed him under the arms to help him into a sitting position. Then he moved behind Prompto so the blonde could lean against his chest in a sitting up position.

'Here,' Ignis uncapped the bottle, then handed it over.

Prompto took it in his weak grasp, and almost dropped it, so Noctis reached out to help him steady it. The face Prompto made when he took a swig was priceless. He pushed the bottle back, coughing and spluttering. 'That's vile! Ugh, I'd rather be in pain than drink the rest of this.'

Noctis pushed the bottle back to Prompto's lips. 'Please? For me? I don't like seeing you hurt.'

Prompto opened his mouth to argue, then caught sight of the pale purple eyes looking his way. It was an easy guess that the colour meant Noctis was feeling guilty. So with a sigh Prompto drank the rest of the bottle, making faces the whole time and even going so far as to pinch his nose to try and block out the taste.

'You must be feeling better if you're able to make this much fuss,' Ignis observed, when he took the empty bottle back.

'I live to annoy,' Prompto said with a grin.

'Wouldn't have you any other way,' Gladiolus said, hugging the slender boy to his chest.

'Careful of his chest,' Ignis reminded the bigger man, but it was lost as the two of them descended into a play fight with Gladiolus hugging the stuffing out of Prompto and Prompto attempting to beat the larger man off.

'That potion really helped,' Noctis observed, sliding closer to Ignis.

'For the price it should have done,' Ignis said. 'We're running low on gil now. We'll need to be careful.'

Noctis watched as Prompto finally surrendered, and let himself be hugged.

'It was worth every last gil,' Noctis said.

Ignis nodded. 'Indeed it was. He still needs rest, and there are some other potions I'd like him to drink over the next couple of days, but I'd say he's been very lucky.'

'Lucky that he had a friend who knew what potions to get to help him,' Noctis said.

Ignis reached out for his hand. 'Lucky that he knows someone able to channel magic like you do, and healed him on the spot.'

A blush rose up Noctis's cheeks. 'I didn't really…'

'Oi, what are you two looking so sad for?' Prompto asked. 'Come on, I'm an invalid here, I want waiting on hand and foot! Ignis, can you make me something to eat please? Noct? I'd like a foot rub.'

Noctis and Ignis exchanged glances. 'Perhaps I'll hold off on the potions, he seems to be recovering well on his own.' Ignis said.

'Foot~ Rub~' Prompto sang.

'And Gladiolus gets out of this because?' Noctis asked.

'He's my pillow, of course.' Prompto said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 'Come on guys, you don't want me having a relapse now, do you?'

With a collective sigh they admitted that they didn't. And though Ignis did go and make dinner, Noctis managed to get out of the foot rub, and instead broke out the cards and distracted Prompto with a game of poker while they waited.

After dinner Prompto began to flag, though, and leaned heavily against Gladiolus while stifling another yawn.

'Not sleepy,' Prompto said, cutting off whatever Ignis had been about to say.

'Could have fooled me,' Ignis countered. 'It's late, there's no point pushing yourself. As well as you seem, you lost a lot of blood today, and your body had to do a lot of rapid healing. You need to sleep.'

Prompto fought against another yawn, and his eyelids drooped. 'Fine. Sleep. But just for a little bit, alright?'

'Alright,' Ignis said, fully intending to let the younger man sleep as long as his body needed.

Prompto was asleep before his head hit the pillow, and once again Gladiolus gently tucked the blankets around him.

'I'll take first watch,' Noctis said. 'In case there are any more wolves or anything.'

'My prince,' Gladiolus began.

'No. You guys are always looking out for me, saving me in battles, and letting me out of watch duty. But I want to help you, too. We're all in this together, right? I want to be useful.'

'You are useful,' Ignis said.

'Then let me prove it. I'll take first watch.'

'Okay,' Ignis said. 'Wake me in three hours.'

Noctis nodded, then with a small smile took his leave from the tent.

'You sure that's wise?' Gladiolus asked.

'He had a scare seeing Prompto like that, he's growing up. He wants to help us like we help him, and perhaps that's a good virtue in a future king. Perhaps this whole trip will help shape him into the man he needs to be.'

Gladiolus nodded. 'Just wanna protect him, you know?'

Ignis smiled. 'I know, trust me I know. But the world is changing, and it may not be in his best interest if we shelter him from it forever.'

Gladiolus sighed. 'Right. Just wake me when it's my turn, alright?'

'I will,' Ignis said, and settled onto his own futon, falling asleep to the sounds of Noctis pacing outside, Prompto breathing softly, and Gladiolus's snoring loudly. His team. His family.

Chapter Text

The power to teleport was one of the stranger aspects of his magic, Noctis had found. The first time he'd done it had been a complete accident, and his friends had had to drive all the way across the chasm that he'd managed to teleport himself over. Now it was a useful tactic, so wherever he threw his sword he could will his body to dematerialise, then materialise beside it. this meant that he could aid his friends in battle better, and also get out of trouble faster. In theory.

The behemoth was, well, a behemoth. A tall, powerful scaled creature with a short temper and a nasty tail swing. Noctis disappeared just as that tail came thrashing his way, and he materialised a few feet away where he had thrown his sword.

'Nice dodge,' Gladiolus complimented, as his hefted his huge sword into his hands. 'Stand back, I'll take this one.'

'Alone?' Noctis asked in disbelief.

Gladiolus turned and winked. 'Trust me, prince, I'll be fine.'

'Yeah, 'sides he's not alone, he's got us,' Prompto said, suddenly appearing as if he could teleport too. 'Wonder what behemoth steaks taste like?' the blonde said, as he loaded his guns and got ready for battle.

Ignis smiled too. 'It's one behemoth, my prince. There will be many battles; save your strength and don't risk yourself unnecessarily.'

The sword he had been carrying suddenly felt heavy in his hands, so Noctis lowered it to the floor, and let it vaporise and disappear as he watched his friends charge forward and leave him behind. There wasn't much for him to do except stand around awkwardly and feel as useless as a fifth tyre on the car. The three of them were jumping around all over the place, one step ahead of the giant bumbling monster and covering for each other perfectly. They didn't even need his magic; despite the tough hide of the behemoth if you enraged it enough it stood up and exposed the soft underbelly which was easily susceptible to swords and bullets.

Noctis sighed and leaned against the car, looking out across the wilderness landscape for something to do. It hurt to think that his friends didn't want him fighting with them, even if their reasons were meant with good intentions. He was their prince; they didn't want him getting hurt. It made sense, but then again it didn't.

It was a miserable day, really; the sky was overcast grey, there was a drizzle of rain in the air. They'd stopped briefly to stretch their legs from a morning of driving, but a roaming behemoth had spotted them, and bounded over at lightning speed. There was no time to pack away and flee, so they'd opted to fight. Noctis watched a group of deer frolicking in the distance, free to roam as far as they wanted while their usual hunter was preoccupied with humans. Noctis lazily turned back to the fight and froze; the fight was going well, they had sent the beast berserk and were hacking away at it. But in the distance Noctis could see another approaching. A mate? A brother? Who knew, but the beast was charging with fury in its eyes and Noctis's friends were too busy to split their attention now.

Feeling a surge of power Noctis reached out with his hand and tugged at the invisible strings of ether he had learned to control. From the very fabric of space he drew a large, mechanical sword and hefted it up in both hands. This was a trick he had perfected since leaving Lucis, and he was ready to step up to the mark now and help his friends out, where they'd helped him along so far. He let the beast get a bit closer, so that he could aim better. He saw the red glow in its eye, the tell-tale sign of a monster enraged. Only then did Noctis throw his sword with all his might. The effort made his muscles ache, but it was worth it; the sword sailed through the air, and sliced into the beast's left eye. Without missing a heartbeat Noctis drew power from the crystal, and willed himself to dematerialise. Seconds later his hands were on the hilt of the sword again, and he was fifteen feet in the air, clinging on for dear life as the behemoth snarled and flailed, trying desperately to dislodge the sword.

'P-prince!' Ignis called from somewhere below. It was hard to pinpoint exactly where since Noctis was being tossed about so much. He heard a gun firing, then shouting below. Something about careful not to hit him.

Noctis grit his teeth and tried to pull the sword free, but he didn't have the strength. He tried to twist the blade but that just angered the beast more. A paw swiped at him and he almost lost his grip. The stench of its breath turned his stomach.

'Come on,' he muttered, as he tugged at the sword. It was stuck tight. Instead he decided to go for a spell, and drew once again from the crystal to pull power into his body, power that could be melded into whatever he needed. He thought of fire, of burning and of flames. The white energy within him took on an orange tint, and he drew it through his body, down to his hand, then he concentrated hard and let the flames engulf the beast. The behemoth screamed as it's body caught alight, the magical flames burning long and hard, faster and hotter than normal fire. Confused and in pain, the beast flailed harder, and reached up once more to swat at the sword. This time Noctis was weaker, from fatigue and from using his magic, so when the blow came he lost his grip on the sword. He watched as without his concentration the sword simply ceased to be, and disappeared back into the ether. Noctis flew for what felt like hours, then his body slammed hard into the earth. Pain exploded in his body and then darkness took over.

Ignis felt faint. He'd shouted himself hoarse but there was very little he could do from the ground beside stop Prompto from shooting and risking hitting the prince. The behemoth had been staggering around so erratically that any shot could have potentially hit Noctis. Fortunately Noctis was able to bring the beast down, but then he'd been flung off, and his small body had literally bounced off the ground when he'd finally hit.

'Noct…' Prompto said in a shaky voice. Then the blonde was off at a sprint, with Gladiolus hot at his heels.

Ignis wasted no time in following, feeling as if his world had stopped spinning. 'I told him to stay back…I thought he'd be safe…'

Gladiolus was gently turning Noctis over onto his back, careful for any broken bones. 'We had no idea he'd go and do something so damn reckless!' Gladiolus said, his flash of anger masking his concern.

'How do we help him?' Prompto asked, kneeling down and reaching out for his friend. His gloved hand hovered, though, not wanting to cause more damage. 'He's probably broken every bone in his body.'

'Let's just assess the situation calmly,' Ignis said, trying to centre himself too. 'Okay, I can check for broken bones. Can one of you go and get the car? We'll need supplies.'

'I'll go,' both Prompto and Gladiolus said as they got to their feet.

'I'm faster,' Prompto pointed out. Ignis tossed him the keys and he took off at a run.

Gladiolus frowned and crouched down again. 'What can I do?'

'Keep watch for any more of those godforsaken monsters,' Ignis said between gritted teeth. He was slowly rolling back Noctis's clothes, checking first his arms for any breaks. Noctis's skin was pale and cold, and thought there was a scrape and nasty forming bruise on one forearm, nothing seemed broken. Gently he eased the prince out of his short sleeved jacket, then lifted the dark t-shirt to check ribs. He groaned; several felt cracked, and a couple were badly broken and at risk of puncturing a lung if they weren't careful.

Gladiolus turned again, casting a glance at what Ignis was doing. It killed him to see Noctis lying there so deathly still. With great effort he forced himself to turn away and keep watch for anything else that might try to attack them.

Carefully Ignis moved his hands around Noctis's narrow rib cage, mentally apologising for the loss of dignity. They had been running low on food for too long, and Noctis had been fighting hard and using too much energy wielding magic; the boy was leaner than he had been when he left Lucis, though there was thinly defined muscles, too. Ignis gently probed the spine from the base of Noctis's neck down to his tailbone, and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't feel anything out of place.

Next were the legs, and despite the situation Ignis felt a blush rising on his cheeks. He'd need to take off Noctis's trousers for this part. He glanced up quickly; Gladiolus was staring out on guard, Prompto was still getting the car. Now was the best time to spare Noctis the most indignity.

'I'm so sorry, my prince,' Ignis muttered as he undid the belt that held the three quarter length trousers around Noctis's slim hips. He pulled them down and instantly felt that something was wrong; the material was wet and warm. Moving slowly his breath caught in his throat when he saw the damage to Noctis's thigh; the bone had snapped clean in half, and had pierced the skin. The wound was bleeding now that the fabric had been pulled away, so Ignis put it back hoping to stem the blood flow again. He quickly removed Noctis's boots and checked his ankles and lower legs, but nothing else seemed broken, just bruised.

'How is he?' Gladiolus asked, when he didn't hear any movement for a while.

'We're going to need to set his leg,' Ignis said, swallowing hard. 'The sooner the better, if he can stay unconscious it'll be kinder for him.'

Gladiolus felt his heart sink. 'It's bad?'

'Quite bad,' Ignis said, as the hum of the car engine grew louder.

Prompto hopped out and hurried over. 'Is he okay? I've got potions and blankets and stuff.' He deposited his load on the ground. 'I can get more?'

Ignis smiled and shook his head. 'I think that's enough for now. Gladiolus? You're probably going to be his best chance at setting the bone. Are you okay with doing it?'

'Yeah,' Gladiolus said glumly. The thought of purposely causing Noctis pain wasn't a pleasant thought, even if it was going to help him.

'Set? What?' Prompto asked, his head snapping back and forth. 'What's going on?'

'Noctis has broken his leg, it's going to need to be set before we can give him potions. Potions kick start the healing process, so if his bone is out of alignment when it starts mending…'

Prompto nodded. 'Not good.'

'Not good at all. We'll need something to splint it with. And a tourniquet for the bleeding.'

Prompto hurried back to the car. A spare t-shirt was tossed over to Ignis who began tearing it into a thinner strip and wrapping it around Noctis's thigh to stop the bleeding. Then Prompto came back with one of the metal chairs they used to camp in.

'The metal rods might do?' he suggested. With a tug he tried prising them apart, but he wasn’t strong enough.

Gladiolus took it from him and within seconds had twisted the metal away from the fabric and split it into separate poles.

'You're really useful, you know that?' Prompto said.

'He's about to be more useful,' Ignis said grimly, shuffling away from Noctis's leg. He lifted up the trouser leg, to expose the wound just above the right knee. 'Clean and quick.'

Gladiolus winced, Prompto looked away. 'I've never actually done this before.'

'Just take the leg, push the bones together,' Ignis instructed.

Gladiolus swallowed hard, and crouched down beside his prince. The leg seemed so thin and fragile beneath the baggy clothing. Noctis had never been muscle bound, and now it seemed as if it would be so easy to just break him in two. Gently Gladiolus placed his huge hands either side of the break, then looked up at Ignis for consent.

Ignis nodded.

Taking a deep, shaky breath Gladiolus pulled hard. The sickening crack rang out loud, but was drowned out seconds later by an agonised scream. Noctis was awake.

'Oh god, oh god,' he was saying, struggling desperately to sit as panic set it. He had no idea where he was or why he was in so much pain, but he just wanted it all to stop.

'Shh, it's okay, it's okay,' Ignis said, reaching out to smooth Noctis's hair, and to help pin him down.

Prompto took his shoulders, gently holding the dark haired man down to stop him struggling and hurting himself further.

Gladiolus just sat back on his heels, in shock at the blood on his hands. His prince's blood. He'd caused him this pain, he'd sworn to protect him and keep him from harm and he'd gone and caused him blind agony. What kind of bodyguard did that to their charge?

Noctis struggled weakly, sweat forming on his brow as he fought against his restraints. It didn't take long for his energy to fail him, but he didn't fall back to sleep. Instead he became fitful, mumbling incoherently and trembling as if he were cold.

'What do we do?' Prompto asked.

'Pass me the blankets and the potions. Now the leg is set we can start healing him. I think he's going into shock, so the blankets will help. He needs to be kept warm.'

Prompto handed over as many blankets as he could find, as Ignis began wrapping strips of shirt around the wound to bandage it, then wrapped blankets around Noctis, bundling the prince up so that he didn't move around so much and upset his injuries, and to keep him warm. Even once he was covered up against the light chill of the day Noctis was still trying to struggle.

Prompto frowned. 'Why doesn't he just lay still?'

'He's hurt and frightened,' Ignis said, running slender fingers through Noctis's hair. The prince stilled a little at the act, then as soon as it was gone his face screwed up in pain again and he carried on struggling. 'We'll never get him to drink any potions like this. Prince? Can you hear me? Please calm down, we need you to drink something for us. It will help.'

Noctis shook his head, whether he understood the words or not was up for debate.

'I'll hold him still,' Gladiolus offered, settling himself behind the prince and then gently moving him into his arms. As soon as Noctis was settled against Gladiolus's chest, the young man calmed down.

'Well there ya go,' Prompto said, having observed it all. 'He likes to be held and touched. He was calm when Ignis touched his hair and he's calm now he's getting a cuddle.'

Gladiolus blushed, and threw a dirty look at the blonde. 'This is not a cuddle, this is…it's…'

'It's helping him keep still so I can get some potions into him to heal that leg,' Ignis said, unscrewing the cap of a potion and holding it to Noctis's lips. The prince didn’t take it right away, but after a few seconds began drinking it down. After it was gone he coughed and spluttered, then settled again and closed his eyes. His chest was rattly, but his breathing evened out into something resembling a pattern as he fell asleep.

Not wanting to be the only one who hadn't gotten to touch Noctis, Prompto entwined his fingers with his friend's. 'Now what do we do? How long will it take for him to get better?'

'I'm not sure,' Ignis said, replacing the lid on the empty bottle and staring down at it. 'It was a nasty break, and the femur is a thick bone to have to heal. His ribs too, and he's bruised his arm and face.'

'Do we need to find an inn?' Gladiolus asked, his strong arms wrapped gently around the sleeping prince to keep him safe.

'Let's camp here for the night, see how he is in the morning. I'd rather not have to try and get him in the car if possible, the less we have to bend his leg the less chance of it needing to be reset.'

Everyone was in agreement that resetting the bone was not something they'd like to put Noctis through again, so while Gladiolus played pillow to the prince, Ignis and Prompto attempted to get the tent up. Attempt being the operative word.

'You need to push the pegs in harder,' Gladiolus called to them, as the pegs pulled free from the ground and half the tent collapsed on top of Ignis.

'I pushed them in as far as they'd go!' Prompto insisted, as he pulled the fabric off the bespectacled man. 'Sorry Ignis.'

Ignis hmmph-ed, and put the pegs in himself the second time.

'Not my fault the ground is so hard,' Prompto muttered.

Eventually the tent was up, just in the nick of time as the grey skies were darkening and the drizzly rain that had been annoying them all day was starting to fall harder. Gladiolus was covering Noctis as best he could to shelter him from the rain, but in the distance lightning flashed, and promised the heavens would open up soon enough.

'Just how waterproof is the tent?' Prompto asked.

'We'll find out soon enough,' Gladiolus said. 'How do we get the prince inside?'

'Carefully,' Ignis stressed. 'Will you be alright to lift him?'

Gladiolus smiled grimly. 'Not the first time I've had to carry him injured. He's light as a feather, I'm just worried about his leg moving.'

'I'll hold it steady. You lift him. Prompto, hold the tent opening for us.'

The blonde hurried off to the tent while Gladiolus shifted himself from under Noctis, and positioned his arms under the young prince. Ignis knelt beside them and gently held Noctis's legs together to brace them.

'On three,' Ignis said. 'One, two, three.'

They lifted as one, in his sleep Noctis groaned but didn't stir. Slowly they shuffled to the tent, then lowered Noctis onto one of the futons that had been laid out ready. Noctis groaned again, his eyes opened briefly as his leg was jolted. His eyes were no longer their usual cool blue, but rather a sickly green. Prompto was there to brush back his damp bangs from his forehead, which soothed him enough to fall back into a restless sleep.

The other three men sat around him, as the rain began to pelt against the tent. A low rumbling of thunder sounded off in the distance.

'Now we wait, I guess?' Prompto asked, his hand still playing with Noctis's hair.

'We wait,' Ignis agreed. 'We've got potions to help heal the bones, we have enough food and drink to last for a few days. Hopefully by then he'll be back on his feet.'

The rest of the group ate an evening meal, each casting glances over to the pale prince, who was caught in a very restless sleep. Each of them were feeling guilty for letting their prince get hurt, and running through ways that they could have prevented the situation. And how they would stop it happening again in the future.

After tea they settled down in their own futons for sleep, while taking turns keeping watch for monsters. It soon turned out that they needed to keep turns watching Noctis, too, as the prince was plagued with nightmares that had him tossing and turning and crying out in pain whenever he moved. The result was that none of them got much sleep. Prompto was curled around Noctis when dawn finally broke, his shared body warmth enough to calm the prince and laying down meant that he could at least rest even if he was unable to sleep. Ignis entered the tent from his guard duty, and Gladiolus was already awake, having been woken up by Noctis calling out.

Ignis picked up a bottle of healing potion from their supplies. He knelt beside Noctis while Prompto helped the prince sit up.

'Prince?' Ignis asked, gently tapping Noctis's cheek. 'Prince? I need you to open your eyes for me, I need you to drink this. It'll help.'

Noctis ignored his friend and slept on.

Ignis frowned and moved to shake Noctis's thin shoulder. 'Noct? Please open your eyes.'

'Mmmn,' Noctis groaned, but finally his eyes fluttered open.

Ignis was quick to check their colour; still green, but not quite the olive they had been when he'd woken up yesterday. He was starting to heal. That was good. Encouraged, Ignis pressed the bottle to Noctis's lips, and helped the prince drink it all. 'There you go, you'll feel better in no time. How about something to eat? You lost a lot of blood yesterday, and you need to keep your strength up to help the healing process.'

Noctis fell back to sleep.

Prompto smiled. 'I can eat his for him?'

'How exactly will that help the prince?'

'Um…' Prompto considered that for a few moments.

The wind whipped at the tent sides, pulling at the ties binding it to the ground. Gladiolus opened the tent flap a little, letting in some of the rain. He closed it as lightning struck again. 'It's getting bad out there.'

Ignis waved to his soaked clothing. 'I know.'

'Is it safe to stay out here? Should we find better shelter? There's a forest not far from here, we passed it in the car. And the cliff side might have a cave or something we can use for a bit to keep the rain off.'

Ignis pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. 'I'll check his leg again, see if he's alright to be moved yet. I'd have preferred to give him a bit more time to heal.'

The tent flapped again as the wind caught it, and rain battered down on the roof.

'We may not have much time,' Prompto said.

Gladiolus pushed the fabric of Noctis's trousers up over his knee, and pulled the strips of shirt away from the healing wound. It didn't bleed again; thanks to the potions the injury was almost closed. Ignis took over, and began gently probing the bruised skin. Noctis moaned and tried to pull away but was too weak to get very far.

'I think it's doing better. He's probably safe to be moved in the car now. I'd have preferred a few more hours of rest and another potion, but-' he was cut off by another roar of thunder, and the side of the tent began to cave in as the pegs pulled free of the sodden earth.

'But time isn't on our side,' Gladiolus said, kneeling down and taking the prince in his arms, cradling him carefully. 'Prompto, get the car door. I'll get him settled in the back and then we can pack up the tent and supplies.'

Once everything was packed up, being the smallest Prompto crouched in the footwell of the backseat so that Noctis could be laid out flat across the seats. As they drove through the storm the blonde held Noctis's hand and watched as the prince winced at every bump the car took. Noctis was paler than Prompto had ever seen him, and that was saying something. He felt a knot of fear in his chest even though Ignis had promised he was on the mend. Noctis wasn't some big, strong warrior. At least he hadn't started out that way. He'd been a normal human with some very extraordinary powers, and they'd been tasked with protecting him. Guilt burned within him as he lowered his head to rest against Noctis's shoulder. What a fine job they'd done of protecting him, he thought bitterly. If King Regis could see them now he'd have them all executed on the spot.

'Look,' Gladiolus said to Ignis. 'That bit of the cliff hangs out over the rest, and it goes in a bit further too. That would be decent shelter.'

Ignis nodded and turned the car toward it. 'Could be a good place to regroup. Can you check it out?'

As soon as the car stopped Gladiolus was out with his great sword, scouting the area for monsters. Ignis turned back in his seat to the youngest members of their group. 'How is he?'

'Still sleepin', he looks pretty worn out.'

'His leg was healing fast. It may be that his body is unconsciously drawing magic to heal itself, which means that he'll tire out while using it. Once he's rested some more he'll be fine, you'll see. He's stronger than he looks. You of all people should know that looks can be deceiving when it comes to strength.'

Prompto managed a smile at that, then went back to prince-watching, and his game of threading his fingers between Noctis's.

Gladiolus returned and opened up the door to the back of the car. 'It's clear, we'll be fine in there. A bit cold, but we've got blankets. And Ignis can start us up a nice fire and make us some drinks.'

'And something to eat, I'm starving,' Prompto complained.

Gladiolus and Prompto were on Noctis duty, getting the prince out of the car safely and onto a futon wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets, while Ignis got the fire going. Soon the warm glow and crackle of flames filled the small cave area, which was sheltered from the rain and wind.

Noctis woke up just as Ignis was dishing out stew into bowls.

'Aha, sleeping beauty awakens,' Gladiolus teased, to hide the relief in his voice. Seeing Noctis awake and not in obvious agony lifted his spirits a little.

Ignis was by his side instantly, helping the prince to sit up and offering him a bottle of potion. This time Noctis was even able to hold it himself as he drank the clear liquid down.

'Ugh, nasty,' he rasped as he handed the bottle back.

Ignis smiled. 'I'm just happy you're alive to say that, my prince. You had me worried for a bit.'

'You had us all worried,' Prompto said, swirling his fork in the bowl rather than eating, a sure sign of how worried he really had been. 'So get better, yeah?'

Noctis smiled, then winced as he moved and a flare of pain shot through his ribs.

'Careful,' Ignis warned, then accepted the bowl of stew Gladiolus handed him. 'Do you want to try eating?'

The scent of the warm food was tempting, but Noctis was starting to feel his energy fade. He managed a couple of mouthfuls before his head dropped to Ignis's shoulder, and he was asleep again.

'I'll have the rest of his if he's not eating it,' Gladiolus piped up.

'Oi oi, why should you get it?'

Ignis rolled his eyes and lowered Noctis back onto the futon, before having the bowl snatched away from his hands by his hungry friends. They ate in silence for a bit after that, listening to the howl of the wind and the lashing of the rain. Once they were finished futons were brought out and they laid them out close together for warmth.

'I'll take first watch,' Gladiolus offered, and there were no complaints.

The next morning Noctis woke up of his own accord. Ignis was sitting by the mouth of the cave, watching the storm rage on when he heard the rustle of fabric, and he hurried over to Noctis's bedside just as the prince sat himself up.

'Well, you're certainly looking brighter,' Ignis said, crouching down and peering into cool blue eyes, with barely a trace of the green that indicated pain or illness. 'How do you feel? Are you in any pain?'

Noctis considered it for a moment, and moved each of his limbs in turn. 'Leg's a bit sore. Chest hurts a little.'

Ignis nodded, and cupped Noctis's cheek, brushing his thumb against the bruising that had been around Noctis's eye. That was almost faded now, healed by the potions and Noctis's own magic. 'To be expected, you broke your leg badly, and several ribs. We can stay here for a couple of days to let you heal completely and then-'

'But I'm fine now,' Noctis said with a frown.

Ignis drew in a deep breath, counted to ten. This was always going to be the problem; Noctis was the most stubborn man he'd ever met, and as soon as he was well enough to argue then argue he would. 'My prince-'

'I've already held us back for long enough, we should get going.'

'You're kidding, right?' Prompto said, having woken up and heard the exchange. 'Ignis, you didn't mention that his highness knocked his royal head and all his brains fell out. Noct, your bone was sticking out of your skin. Two days ago. You really want to push yourself and risk hurting yourself more?'

'But I'm holding us back-'

'Bull,' Prompto said, leaning forward and poking the dark haired man in the cheek. 'You're not holding us back, you're not inconveniencing us, so you can stop those thoughts right now. If it was me lying there still injured would you let me get up and carry on?'

'…No, but-'

'Well then it's simple. We're your friends, we were worried about you. So let us worry and take care of your royal behind until you're better again, okay?'

Noctis blushed, and hung his head a little. Even still it was easy for the group to see the smile on his lips. 'Thank you. All of you.'

A large hand squeezed his shoulder, Gladiolus was awake too. 'You're welcome, prince. Just promise us next time you won't be so reckless.'

Noctis's blush deepened. 'I'll do my best.'

'I suppose that's the best we can hope for,' Ignis said with a wry smile.

'Can I try getting up a bit though? My legs are stiff,' Noctis said.

Prompto was by his side in an instant. 'I'm closest your height, I can help. Right, Ignis?'

Ignis looked concerned, but the two youngest were already getting awkwardly to their feet, with Gladiolus's help. Once up Noctis seemed steady enough, and he insisted his ribs weren't bothering him too much. With one arm around Prompto's shoulders he used his friend as a crutch to take his weight whenever his right leg was set down, and he did a few laps of the cave before he tired out and Prompto helped him back to the futon.

'See? Better already,' Noctis promised, flashing a smile.

Ignis shook his head, and handed him a potion bottle. 'Drink that, then we'll see. You're still resting for the day, but perhaps tomorrow we'll be able to set out again. Just stop pushing yourself so hard.'

'Okay, okay,' Noctis said, opening the potion and sniffing it. He made a face.

Ignis glared. 'I want it gone. Or you don't get breakfast.'

'I'll have his breakfast if he can't,' Prompto piped up.

Gladiolus shoved the small blonde playfully. 'Hey, you got his stew last night, only fair I get his breakfast. Are we having bacon?'

'Prince Noctis is the one recovering, let's let him choose what we have for breakfast,' Ignis said.

'Please say bacon, please say bacon, please say bacon,' Gladiolus chanted under his breath, edging close to the dark haired man.

'You know I'm going to say toast just to annoy you now,' Noctis said with a grin.

Prompto grinned. 'And he's back. See, Ignis? Don't know what you were worried about!"

Ignis rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at the group as Gladiolus tried desperately to change Noctis's mind, and Prompto was nearly killing himself with laughter. They'd been lucky, but then again Noctis had been stronger than he'd thought. Though his body didn't look very tough, there was a strength and will to survive in their prince that couldn’t be underestimated. Though Ignis was going to make sure his body wasn't tested too much more over the coming weeks, because seeing him as hurt as that made his blood run cold. He wanted Noctis to be healthy and happy, and this time he was going to do a far better job of making sure he stayed that way.

Chapter Text

Fighting a huge group of soldiers was hard enough, but turn out the lights and the task becomes almost impossible. The soldiers had night vision technology goggles, Noctis's party had to rely on their instinct and the light of the moon.

Noctis summoned a small sword in his hand, and by the glow of it materialising he picked out his target. With a single slash he brought the solder crashing down heavily to his knees, and Noctis was able to kick the gun away from the man's grasp and then hurry on to find another target to attack.

Ignis was having a slightly easier time, since his fists were aglow with fire that he was drawing through Noctis. He was being careful not to draw too much, knowing that the price was still learning to control the flow of magic for the party, but the light of the fire was enough to help both himself and Prompto seek out enemies, so they were able to stay a step ahead and pick off a fair number of the ambush.

Gladiolus was hacking and slashing away with his huge sword. Sometimes he hit something, sometimes he didn't. Sometimes that thing was a tree, sometimes it was actually a soldier. His method was working since he was far enough away from the rest of the party not to accidently injure anyone, and since his sword had such a wide range it proved to be a fairly effective if not entirely efficient way of doing things.

The fight went on, with Ignis and Prompto being the most successful of the party since they could actually see where they were aiming. Noctis came over to them to use the light of Ignis's fires to help fight, and together the three of them began ploughing through the soldiers.

'This is crazy,' Prompto grumbled, reloading his gun. 'Where are they coming from? And how did they know we'd be here?'

'I don't know, but the fact is they are here and they did know we'd be here, so we have to keep fighting.'

'Or retreat,' Prompto suggested. 'I'm almost out of bullets.'

'And I'm-' Noctis began, cutting himself off as he stumbled while trying to lift a huge sword. He let it vanish and summoned something lighter. 'I think I'm starting to run dry.'

The fires in Ignis's hands were beginning to dim. They were right; they couldn't keep up against this relentless assault. Ignis made the call: 'Gladiolus, we're falling back. Head to the car.'

There was a grunt of affirmation somewhere in the darkness, so Ignis began leading the younger two men away from the army of soldiers. They were almost there when there was shouting from the same direction Gladiolus had been in before, then a scream of pain.

'What was that?' Noctis asked, spinning around. 'Was that Gladiolus?'

Ignis looked troubled. 'Gladiolus?' He called out. In the darkness there was just the sounds of sword fighting, nobody answered.

Noctis was bouncing on the balls of his feet, ready to go out into the fray, but Ignis could see the light in his hands dimming; their prince was almost out of power, and if he suddenly found himself without the ability to summon weapons or magic or, even worse, collapsed from exhaustion, then he'd only make matters worse being out there. Ignis exchanged a quick glance with Prompto, who reached into his pocket and drew out an extra ammo pack.

'Lucky last, I'll make it count. Keep him reigned in,' Prompto said with a quick grin at the prince. 'I'll bring your knight back, your highness.' With a mock salute Prompto disappeared from the small area of glowing fire, melting into the shadows like an assassin.

'I could have-'

'I know, prince, but you have to remember that this is what we're here for. To keep you safe. Sending you out into a field full of enemies in the dark and half exhausted doesn't count as keeping you safe.'

Noctis had his grumpy face on, but Ignis didn't care. Instead he dampened the flames entirely to cloak the two of them in darkness, then took Noctis by the arm and led him back to the car to wait for their friends.

Prompto was beginning to think this was a really stupid idea. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face let alone find his tall friend. He actually walked right into the back of a soldier, and quickly fired off a couple of rounds to bring him down. In the light of the shots he was able to see the scene; he dodged a spray of bullets that came his way and wove to the left where he was ninety-seven point four percent sure he had seen a flash of long hair and that familiar beard. Since the soldiers were all in armour, that had to be his loveable Gladiolus. Prompto sighed with relief, at finding his friend and also for not being killed in action before he'd managed his task.

With a flash of inspiration Prompto knelt in the dirt and began fumbling over the soldier he had shot, trying to find his head. When he did he grabbed the goggles from his face and put them on. Instantly the world sprang to life; it wasn't perfect vision by any means, but there were shapes he could make out, and movement. At least he could dodge soldiers this way.

Prompto picked his way through the night, not having to worry too much about soldiers as they were all drawn to the commotion Gladiolus was making. The strong man was swinging his sword around and taking people out left and right. Prompto felt a swell of pride that his friend was doing so well even blind, but that also meant there was no way he could get close enough without being sliced in half. He crouched in the dark and considered his options. Gladiolus was getting tired, he could tell, he groaned as he hefted that ridiculously large sword, and when it bit into the ground the taller man would pause briefly to get his breath back before swinging again. That meant that the soldiers were starting to get closer. Too close. One was about to open fire, so Prompto sprang into action, aiming his gun and firing-

Just as Gladiolus spun and slashed the soldier. Taking his place in the line of fire.

Prompto's heart leaped to his throat when he saw his own bullet sink into Gladiolus's shoulder. The man cried out, then went down hard onto his knees, his right hand flying up to press against the wound. Prompto was frozen in shock, but the sight of the soldiers all looking around for the gunman was enough to get him moving. He ran forward, tugged at Gladiolus's arm.

'I'm sorry, oh god I'm sorry, but we need to get moving now,' he said, bending down to get Gladiolus's to put his uninjured arm around his shoulder.

'What the? Prompt? That you?' Gladiolus asked, but seemed to understand what was needed of him. He staggered a little as he got to his feet, and almost had the small blonde over, but they managed to struggle along, with Prompto picking off soldiers that came after them until he ran out of bullets.

'Ignis? Ignis!' Prompto yelled, as he struggled to help Gladiolus through the darkness. He could see the dark shape of the car, and then movement as somebody got out. He hoped to god it was Ignis, he could really use some backup here. Gladiolus was heavy against his side, leaning more and more into him as the man lost blood and became dizzier. Prompto wasn't sure how much longer he could hold him up, his shoulder was burning from the pain of trying to support Gladiolus but there was no way he was going to drop his friend. It wasn't an option; if he dropped him now the soldiers would catch up and kill him. Prompto braced himself and forced his feet on, willing his body not to collapse, to just keep going one more step at a time to get Gladiolus to the safety of the car.

Then suddenly Gladiolus was lighter. Prompto looked to the side; a shape too small to be Ignis was under Gladiolus's other arm, taking some of the man's weight and helping them along. Gladiolus grunted in pain, but better to be in pain and alive, Prompto thought.

'Noct, you were supposed to stay in the car,' Prompto said through gritted teeth as Gladiolus all but collapsed and the two young men had to drag him. 'But thanks.'

'Yeah well, I'm not good at doing what I'm told, you taught me that. So it's kind of your fault.'

Despite the situation Prompto laughed. Perhaps more from emotion than actual humour. Especially when he saw the flames of Ignis's knives in the corner of his eye, as the elder man began fighting off the soldiers that were getting too close for comfort.

'Car's here,' Prompto said, a wave of relief washing through him as he threw open the door and stumbled into the back seat with Gladiolus in tow.

'You stole their night vision goggles?' Noctis realised. 'Cool.'

'Yeah well, my kleptomaniac tendencies had to come in handy one day, right? You okay to drive this thing? I'm a bit stuck under Gladio.'

'No problem,' Noctis said, slipping into the driver's seat and taking a second to bring the seat forward so he could reach the pedals as it was set up for Ignis's longer legs. Ignis had left the keys in the ignition, so with a quick twist of the keys the engine roared to life, and the darkness was shattered by the white light of the headlights. Noctis did a harsh u-turn, then sped into the soldiers as if they were bowling pins. The soldiers hurried to dive out of the way but a few weren't quite so lucky. Noctis screeched to a stop beside Ignis who quickly got himself inside, then Noctis hit the accelerator again, spun the wheels, then sped off across the grassy plane.

'Um, they're not following us, we don't have to go so fast,' Ignis pointed out.

'Just want to put as much of a gap between us as possible, they must have some form of transport to have got here,' Noctis said, swerving at the very last moment when the lights shone on a huge boulder.

'Oh god, we're gonna die,' Prompto moaned, squeezing his eyes shut. 'I just went to all that trouble, and now I'm going to die in a horrific car crash.'

'We're not going to die,' Noctis said through gritted teeth, as they careened into a river and spun as the car lost grip. The engine cut out. Noctis tried to restart it, but a hand on his shoulder gave him pause.

'Might I suggest that I take over?' Ignis said patiently, if not somewhat out of breath. 'I think you're a little wound up, it might be better if I drive us somewhere safe where we can tend to Gladiolus and rest?'

Noctis nodded, much to the relief of Prompto who muttered something about being saved. Noctis and Ignis awkwardly switched seats by climbing past each other rather than getting out and swapping, but eventually they were once again facing the right direction and driving a safe and steady route.

Noctis turned in his seat to face Prompto and Gladiolus; the sun was beginning to rise, lightening the sky to a deep grey, so that he could now see the blood over Gladiolus's chest, and Prompto's face and hands. The blonde had removed his sleeveless jacket and was pressing it to Gladiolus's shoulder. He was pale and trembling, and looked up only when Noctis reached out to brush his fingers against Prompto's cheek.

'He'll be okay,' Noctis assured him.

Prompto just swallowed hard and looked back at the injured man in his arms.

It wasn't long before Ignis found a sheltered spot to set up camp, and he helped Prompto get Gladiolus out of the car and sat in one of the camping seats.

'How are you feeling?' Ignis asked, as he peeled off the shirt Gladiolus wore to reveal the bleeding shoulder wound.

'Feels like I got shot,' Gladiolus said, his face set into a grimace. 'Hope you knocked the damn guy over in your rampage, prince.'

Noctis smiled. 'I got a few of them, I'm sure your shooter was one of them.'

Prompto was silent, and stood beside the car watching as Ignis probed the wound.

'Damn, it's not gone through. I'll have to get the bullet out before you can take any potions to heal it.'

Gladiolus made a face. 'Great. Perfect. Anyone got anything strong to drink?'

A bottle of behemoth brand whiskey was brought out, and Gladiolus took three gulps right from the bottle. Ignis splashed a little on the wound, which made Gladiolus wince. 'Now, I'll need a knife,' Ignis said.

'No need,' Noctis said. 'I've still got a bit of magic in me. I can use electricity, make a magnetic force and pull the bullet out. Less chance of infection that way.'

Ignis looked at him with a mix of scepticism and respect. 'You can do that?'

'I…can try?' Noctis said, suddenly sounding a little less sure of himself.

'Try on something else first,' Gladiolus suggested. 'I trust you with my life, of course, but there's something a bit weird about magic that doesn't sit right with me. That and you nearly set fire to the tent once trying to make a spark.'

'I've got better now,' Noctis protested, but he took the fork Ignis handed to him anyway. He drew power from the crystal, white hot raw magic that he changed within himself to form an electric current. Instead of using it as a spell, he carried on changing it, switching the charge to a magnetic force that he drew down to his fingertips and aimed at the fork. The fork began to tremble, then shake, then flew into Noctis's hand.

There was a few seconds of silence, then Ignis let out a breath. 'Most impressive, my prince. You really are amazing, you know that?'

Noctis blushed. 'Well, if it helps Gladiolus…'

Gladiolus was impressed enough that he let Noctis near his shoulder. Noctis crouched by the chair, and again began drawing raw white hot magic.

'Incredible,' Ignis said, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he observed the phenomenon of the magnetic charge being developed. His glasses began slipping again, and he realised the metal frame was being drawn toward Noctis's hand. He was really doing it again! Ignis was stupidly proud, as if it was a feat of his own. To see his prince being so practical, and having the ability to help his friend in such a unique way was truly inspiring, though. He was going to be an incredible king one day.

Gladiolus wasn't thinking of the future, he was just thinking of the pain of having a bullet ripped through already bruised muscle and skin. He took the whiskey bottle and downed another mouthful to take his mind off the pain, and looked away from the blazing fiery agony of his shoulder to where Prompto was standing, staring at the ground. Gladiolus was about to call out to him when the bullet pulled free with a final tug, and he screamed in pain.

Ignis was there in an instant, with a clean bandage to press against the wound, and a bottle of potion for Gladiolus to drink to kick start the healing process.

Noctis was holding the bullet, which he dropped to the floor with a handful of hot, sticky blood. He felt a bit weak, but the spell had been a complex one, and he'd already been running low anyway. He turned to Prompto, ready to give him the okay signal, but all he saw was a flash of blonde as the gunner ran.

'Prompt?' Noctis said, then turned back to where Ignis was tending Gladiolus. Neither of them had seen Prompto run away. He didn't think twice; Noctis ran after his friend.

He didn't have to go too far, he ran through the trees and was always able to keep the slim form of his friend in sight in the early morning light. Once or twice he tripped on tree roots, or got whacked in the face by a branch, but suddenly he came to a clearing by a babbling river. The sound of rushing water was soothing, but Prompto clearly wasn't here to meditate; the blonde had fallen to his knees in the sand by the water, and was plunging his hands in and scrubbing hard. As Noctis crept closer he could hear racking sobs. He knelt beside Prompto, and placed pale hands on Prompto's, preventing his friend from sticking them in the icy water again.

'Prompt?' Noctis asked uncertainly. 'What's going on?'

Prompto hiccupped a sob, and shook his head furiously. His eyes were red, his face was pale, and he was shaking badly. Noctis pulled him away from the river when he tried to dip his hands again, and held him close as tightly as he could.

'What's going on?' Noctis asked again, more forcefully.

'You don't understand. None of you understand,' Prompto stuttered, his breathing erratic as he tried to pull away. 'Just let me go. Just go back to them, I'll be fine.'

'The hell I'm leaving you like this,' Noctis said, struggling to keep the blonde in his arms. They were pretty evenly matched strength wise, and Prompto seemed desperate to get away from him. Noctis knew that letting Prompto go would be a very bad idea, though. Something was very, very wrong here. 'Prompto, please, talk to me?'

Prompto just knelt there for a moment, trembling, then he finally let his head fall to Noctis's shoulder. His tears soaked Noctis's shirt, but the dark haired boy didn't care. He just sat there holding his friend until the shivering subsided a little.

'You should go back to Gladiolus, he needs you,' Prompto said in a hollow voice that was nothing like his usual cheerful tone.

'Ignis is with him, he's fine. You, however, I think you need someone, and I'm here so why not tell me what's wrong? I've never seen you like this before.'

Prompto sniffled, and turned his head to stare out across the river. The crystal blue water was running fast, beyond the water was a denser forest than they were in now. If he ran he could lose Noctis, get away from the group. They'd forget about him soon enough. 'You don't need me, just go back to them. Help Gladiolus get better, then carry on to Altissia.'

Noctis finally clicked. 'You mean without you?'

Prompto chuckled. 'Yeah without me. I'll just get more people hurt. I can't help anyone. I wanna help you, Noct, but I just make things worse.'

Thoroughly confused Noctis pulled back, but kept his hands on Prompto's shoulders, shaking the blonde gently. 'What are you talking about? Prompto, you're one of my best friends. You're my family. I trust you with my life. I need all of you to do this. I…I can't do this without you.'

'I shot him,' Prompto suddenly burst out. 'I shot Gladiolus. Don't you see? It's better if I just go. When he finds out he'll hate me anyway. I've ruined everything. You'll hate me, he'll hate me, Ignis will think I'm an idiot and hate me.' The sobs began again, but the words kept tumbling out as if a gate had opened. 'I didn't mean to, I was trying to shoot a soldier but the bullet hit him and he fell and oh god…Noctis I shot him. You guys are my best friends, you've helped me so much and I shot Gladiolus. Noctis I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to.'

Noctis was still for a long moment, but it wasn't long before his arms fell and gathered the blonde up in another hug. They were the same height, so it was a bit awkward, but he held Prompto close, as tight as his arms could squeeze. 'You are an idiot.'

Prompto chocked a sob.

'But you're our idiot. It was a frantic battle, Gladiolus was outnumbered. You rushed out to help him without even thinking about your own safety. You got him back and now he's being healed, and he'll be fine in a couple of days. Don't you see what you did? You were amazing.'

Prompto was silent for a moment. 'What?'

'You were a brave idiot who helped your friend get back safely. Accidents happen, you really think we're going to hate you for that? You brought one of my best friends back to me safely, I'm not going to hate you for that, am I?'

Prompto frowned. 'Well, I guess…'

'No guessin' about it,' said a gruff voice behind them. Gladiolus was there, his left arm bound up in a makeshift sling made from a t-shirt. 'I wouldn't have lasted much longer out there with all those soldiers.'

Ignis was beside him, smiling softly. 'Right. We’re a team. As prince Noctis said, accidents happen, but considering the circumstances there was a very high risk of one or both of you getting hurt.'

'And you dragged my heavy butt all the way back to the car, too. You didn't let me go at all, even when I didn't think I could walk another step.'

Prompto swallowed back his tars, and even managed a small smile. 'You are heavy,' he admitted.

'Pure muscle, baby,' Gladiolus said, flexing his uninjured arm so the impressive biceps bulged.

'You going to be okay?' Noctis asked, tightening his arms briefly around Prompto.

The blonde smiled again. 'Yeah.'

'And you're not going to run away from us? You promise? Because we will hunt you down, and when we find you it won't be pretty,' Noctis warned.

'Promise,' Prompto said with a brighter smile.

'Good. Now can we please go back to the car? My butt is getting all sandy sitting out here,' Noctis said. The two of them got to their feet and followed the other back to the camp site.

For the rest of the day the four of them sat closer together, and their arms brushed more often as they reached for drinks and moved about the campsite. Little touches, little reminders that they were a team and a family. And that nothing would ever tear them apart.

'Since I'm injured,' Gladiolus said, watching Ignis cook, 'I get the biggest steak, right?'

'You always do,' Noctis pointed out.

'No way, the other day Prompto definitely got more stew than me.'

'I did not, you greedy pig!' Prompto said, shoving him playfully.

'Ouch, ouch! Wounded!' Gladiolus reminded him.

'Wrong arm, doofus,' Prompto said, shoving again. 'And for that I'm taking the biggest steak.'

'You wouldn't be able to handle it. You're too tiny, little man,' Gladiolus challenged.

'Oh yeah?'

Noctis got up from his seat, and went over to stand by Ignis. 'You think they'll be okay? We could have lost both of them today.'

Ignis flipped a steak, and shook his head. 'Our bonds are too strong. Prompto wouldn't have left. None of us would have let him.'

'And Gladiolus?' Noctis asked.

Ignis sighed, and set the tongs down. He turned to his prince and placed a hand on his shoulder. 'This is a dangerous mission. The world is unstable, and we're we've got a lot of people out after us. People will get hurt, but you need to know that we're all with you by choice. We're all willing to take those risks for you.'

Noctis swallowed hard. 'I don't want to lose any of you. You're my best friends.'

Ignis smiled. 'And we don't want to lose you. That's why we're here protecting you. So long as we all do our best, that's all we can hope for. Now go sit down, dinner will be ready soon.'

Noctis nodded. 'Thanks, Ignis.'

'Any time, my prince. Any time.'

Chapter Text

'So, when you say it's really far away, how far away is that?' Prompto asked. He was bored beyond words, and not really expecting an answer as such.

Ignis looked up across the table from the newspaper he had been reading, his glasses reflecting the soft glow from the light in the train. The skies outside had darkened at some point during their travels, thought it wasn't evening yet. The black clouds and cold temperatures promised more snow, which meant more delays to their already long train journey. They'd been holed up at the last station for over an hour while the tracks were cleared to safe levels.

'Quite far,' Ignis said simply.

'Oh. 'Kay.' Prompto said. 'So, anyone think to bring the cards?'

Gladiolus slapped the pack down on the table. 'Was going to save them for when we got really bored,' he said.

'I am really bored. This is the most bored I've ever been in my life and if I get even the slightest bit more bored I'm just going to explode,' Prompto said.

'That's pretty bored,' Ignis mused.

'What are you up for then?' Gladiolus asked, sliding the cards from the pack and shuffling them. 'Rummy? Sevens?'

'Poker?' Prompto asked hopefully.

'We don't have any chips,' Ignis said distractedly, still reading the financial section.

'We can bet for other things,' Prompto said with a suggestive grin.

'You're hopeless,' Gladiolus said, rolling his eyes. But unable to suppress his grin. 'Tell you what, I'll go buy a bag of raisins or something, and we can use those.'

'Assuming you don't both eat them all,' Ignis said, folding his long legs in so that Gladiolus could get past him. As keeper of their funds, he handed over a few gil for the snacks too.

Gladiolus returned a few minutes later with considerably more than raisins. The change Ignis had expected was nowhere to be found, instead Gladiolus set down raisins, potato chips, chocolates, cookies and a huge bottle of cola.

Ignis raised an elegant eyebrow. 'We needed those, did we?'

'Gotta eat.' Gladiolus shrugged.

Prompto cheered in approval and opened a pack of cookies.

'We're on a budget, you realise? It's not like back in Lucis where we could have anything we wanted from the limitless pockets of the kingdom.'

'Lighten up Ignis, we've been really strict all this time. A few candy bars aren't going to bankrupt us,' Prompto said, around his cookie. 'Now, poker. You in, Ignis, buddy?'

Ignis folded the newspaper and set it aside with a sigh. 'Fine.' Really he'd read the paper three times already and was as desperate for a distraction as the rest of them. He even brought himself to take a cookie.

Gladiolus shuffled the cards again, then turned to the fourth member of their group, who was leaning against the window fast asleep. 'Should we wake him, see if he wants to play?'

'Let him rest,' Ignis said. 'If he can sleep through your banter considering how loud you were, then he must be tired.'

'Still?' Prompto frowned, and leaned over in his seat to Noctis to check he was still breathing. 'He's been asleep since we boarded.'

'Using magic drains him,' Ignis reminded the younger man. 'We still don't know the full effect of what it's doing to his body. And he performed that summon, too, in the last battle. I can only imagine how much energy it took to summon Titan to our aid.'

Prompto shuddered, remembering the huge creature. It had been a nightmare taming it in the first place several weeks ago, but to use magic to summon something so huge, and then to make it bend to your will…Prompto decided that Noctis should sleep as long as he wanted.

'Whoa, really coming down out there,' Prompto said, leaning against Noctis as he watched the snow begin to fall in big fluffy flakes. They spun in the darkness, swirling in flurries caught on the wind. 'Think we'll have to stop while they clear the tracks again?'

'I hope not, we're delayed enough as it is,' Ignis said. The snow battered the window as a harsh gust of wind rattled the train on its tracks. The lights dimmed, then came back.

'Spooky,' Prompto said, scooting closer to Noctis so their arms were brushing against one another.

Gladiolus resumed shuffling, then dealt out the cards and opened up a packet of raisins to use as chips. 'It's just a snowstorm. If we get delayed then we get delayed. Nothing we can do about it.'

'Good point. At least we have food,' Prompto said happily, munching on another cookie.

'Not sure I'd call it food,' Ignis said testily. But didn't resist when Prompto waved the cookies in front of his face to offer him another.

They played a few rounds, but eventually as Ignis predicted the raisins started to get eaten. The train rocked every so often, and the lights cut out once or twice more. Outside the window the sky was as dark as night, and the air was thick with snow. The group gave up playing poker and sat to watch the storm as the train was battered back and forth.

'They'll have to stop soon, right? It can't be safe going on like this,' Prompto said.

Even Ignis didn't seem too concerned about losing time. 'I hope so. I think we're coming up to a long bridge soon, I wouldn't want to be on there with these side winds.'

But the train didn't stop. There weren't many passengers left on, most had stopped off at the last large town. There were only a handful of people left in their carriage, and every time the lights went out mutterings rose. And then came the bridge. The sounds changed, from the familiar solid earth to the more tinny, rattly surface of the thin metal bridge. Prompto leaned again against Noctis to watch the snow outside in the darkness. Below there was nothing except a long plunge into dark freezing waters. He pulled back roughly, hoping to wake Noctis, but the prince slept on.

'Maybe we should have got off?' Prompto said, steadying his nerves by opening up a bar of chocolate to munch on.

'Bit late now,' Ignis said, and picked up his paper again, trying to concentrate on the words to calm his fears. The thought of the long plunging drop was not a nice one, and now they were out in the open of the ocean there was nothing to slow the wind so the train rocked about even harder.

The lights went out again, but this time they didn't come back. The screech of brakes on metal cut through the silence, and the train staggered to a stop. The train carriage was cast in a pale blue glow, from the moon reflecting off the snow outside. People started getting up out of their seats and asking each other what was going on.

Ignis stood up. 'I'll go to the front of the train, see what's happening.'

Most other people seemed to have the same idea, and the carriage emptied quickly. Prompto got up too. 'I don’t just wanna sit around, I'll come with ya.'

Ignis nodded, then shared a look with Gladiolus. The taller man hadn't even got up from his seat, as the only one left it was obvious he was to stay with Noctis. 'Try and keep him asleep, its better not to worry him. I'm sure it's nothing, we've probably just stopped as its too snowy to continue, and the lights are out to conserve power.'

Gladiolus grinned. 'When you say it like that I almost believe you.'

Ignis smiled. 'I can almost fool myself, too.'

The two of them had barely got to the end of the carriage when the train was hammered again with a gust of wind. This time the windows rattled in their frames, and the entire side of the carriage shook until one of the windows exploded inward, raining down diamonds of glass and letting in the snow.

The glass was like a million tiny knives, and under the force of the wind they sliced through Ignis and Prompto as they ducked for cover. Prompto tried to run but slipped on the snow that was beginning to lay on the ground, and hit his head as he fell. Ignis turned back to help him, but another gust of wind pushed him back into the seats, and he fell down into them hard.

Gladiolus was on his feet and racing over to them before he even knew what he was doing.

Noctis finally woke up. The shattering of the glass and commotion had roused him from his deep sleep, and his mind was a foggy wasteland as he clumsily got to his feet and tried to take in what he was seeing. The train was dark and shuddering back and forth in its tracks. The air was freezing, and thick with snow so that he could barely make out the figures down the end of the train. He wouldn't have recognised them if he didn’t know them so well; they were like brothers to him, the people he loved and trusted. And now they were hurt. He could see Prompto on the ground, unconscious. And Ignis was slumped in a seat, he could just see the tip of his hair over the back of the seat and his arm dangling over the side. Gladiolus was struggling to stand in the wind, and when a branch came flying in through the gap in the train the tall man went down in a heap and didn't get up again.

Suddenly Noctis was very, very awake. He held on to the seats as he made his way down the aisle toward his friends, and already he was drawing from the crystal, summoning that raw white magic that he could mould and use to help and heal. Within himself he thought of health and vitality, and drew the magic through his body. His hand trembled from the cold, but he aimed his palm toward the unconscious group before him, and pulled as much energy as he could from the crystal. They were so far away from it that it was tough, but all Noctis could think about was healing his friends. He drew deeper than he ever had before, pulled as much magic as he could and just threw it at his friends. His eyes blazed crimson as the magic used him as a conduit, from crystal to air. The healing glow lit up the carriage, and briefly warmed the room as the magic healed the three men.

And then it stopped. Like a light switch being thrown, Noctis simply had no more magic within him. The energy stopped coming, and he felt winded as he collapsed against the back of a seat, trying to force his body to stay standing, despite the fact his slim body was racked with shivers from the icy wind. He almost made it, and through unfocused eyes was delighted to see Gladiolus starting to get up, and Prompto stirring and rubbing at his eyes. His joy was short lived, though; another window blew out, the one next to him. He barely had time to scream, the force of the wind caught him and pushed him into the opposite window which shattered under the force. Glass shards sliced through his skin as he fell, and then bit into his hands as he managed to grab the window ledge. His fingers were frozen, his muscles ached from drawing the magic, but the dark water roared beneath him, a good forty feet below. There was no option but to hold on and try to pull himself up. Blood was warm and thick in his face; the glass had cut close to one of his eyes and he could barely see let alone try to figure out how to get himself back in through the window. He shivered, and felt a growing sense of terror.

And then someone grabbed his hand. He almost cried in relief, seeing the familiar tattoos of his bodyguard, and then that face shouting something to him. That he was going to be alright? It was hard to hear, Noctis's energy was fading fast and the noise of the wind was blocking everything out. Noctis just gripped the window frame tighter, gasping as shards of glass bit further into his skin. Hot, thick blood oozed between his fingers, but his hands were numb to the pain. He shivered violently; it was so cold…

'…-t go!' Gladiolus was saying.

What was that? Let go? Was he insane? Noctis forced himself to look up through the one eye that wasn't pouring blood. He saw the problem; Gladiolus couldn't get a good grip on his hand while he was clutching the windowsill. He really was going to have to let go, and trust his bodyguard to pull him up. While he trusted Gladiolus without question, fear is a powerful emotion, and the thought of plunging into the icy sea below was too much for Noctis. He clung harder.

'Let go!' Gladiolus yelled, more urgently this time.

In the end Noctis didn't really have much of a choice. He could barely feel his fingers and his body was shaking so violently from the cold that his hands simply let go on their own. Gladiolus grabbed both hands in his strong grip, and for a second there was a look of relief in his eyes. It quickly changed to horror when he realised how slippery the prince's hands were, slick with blood. He squeezed tightly, tried desperately to hold on, but Noctis's slender hands slipped further and further out of his grasp and suddenly he was clutching air. 'No!' he screamed.

That was the last thing Noctis heard. He could feel himself falling, and he was only happy that he wasn't taking Gladiolus with him. At least they didn't both have to die. It was a strange sensation, of being completely weightless as he fell through the darkness with millions of snowflakes all around him. It was like falling through the night sky. It was quiet and calm and peaceful, until he slammed into the water which felt like falling onto concrete. Pain exploded within him as the waves parted to swallow him up and all he could feel was cold; horrible, torturous cold like he had never felt before in his life. Everything was dark and he had no idea which way to swim to the surface. His limbs were clumsy and numb and he couldn't get them to move how he wanted. So he panicked, and he lost his breath of air, and suddenly there was nothing but the dark and the cold.

Ignis slipped and skidded over to the window when he heard Gladiolus's screams. The snow was thick on the floor by now, but he made it to the window and looked down in time to see the splash as Noctis hit the water. It was as if the world went out from under him, Ignis collapsed into a chair and felt light headed. 'Please. Please tell me that wasn't…'

Gladiolus was still hanging out of the window, staring down into the darkness. 'I couldn't…he just…'

Ignis's breath caught in his throat, and he fought back a wave of nausea. 'Oh god. The prince…Noct…he's…'

Prompto finally made his way over, still nursing the half-closed wounds of the first wave of attack. 'What happened? Where's Noctis?' He knew, thought. He knew from their faces and the way Gladiolus looked as if he was about to jump out of the window. And then the strangest thing happened; Gladiolus actually jumped.

'You idiot!' Ignis screamed, getting to his feet and rushing to the window. But all he could do was watch as the large form of his friend was swallowed up by the waves below.

Prompto was by his side seconds later, staring down in amazement. 'What the hell is going on here?'

Ignis shook his head. 'I don't…we've lost them both.' He sat down again, pale and trembling. 'This wasn't supposed to happen.'

With one final look at the water below, Prompto went over to sit beside Ignis, huddling close to the taller man as shivers racked through his thin body. He had no idea what to do, so he asked the first thing that came to his mind. 'Th-think you could make us a little fire?'

'Not without Prince Noctis. We draw magic through him, remember. Without him there's nothing. Without him…we've lost our prince.'

Prompto swallowed hard, and leaned further into Ignis. Ignis opened up his jacket a little, and wrapped it as best he could around Prompto, and held the smaller man close. 'They can't be gone,' Prompto whispered. 'I won't let them be gone.'

What could Ignis say? He just held the other man close and tried to plan out their next move. The cold was gnawing at his mind, though, and the grief at losing two close friends was too much. Tears formed in his eyes and he buried his face against Prompto's neck as he let them fall.

-

Damn but the water was cold. Not that he'd been expecting a hot spring, but this was the kind of cold that froze the blood in your veins. Gladiolus was treading water after surfacing, which took much longer than he'd planned on. It was disorienting being in the dark water, and Noctis hadn't looked entirely lucid when he'd been holding on. If his prince was still underwater somewhere then every second he wasted knocked back the chances of Noctis coming out of this alive. With that thought in mind he took a deep lungful of frigid air and dove under again.

It was hard to see and the water stung his eyes, so he kept them closed where possible. Brief flashes allowed him to take in his dark surroundings; the bright moonlight was his only hope of catching a glimpse. He had no way of knowing exactly where Noctis had fallen, or how deep he might have sunk by now. He was relying on blind luck…and it paid off. He didn't see Noctis, but while swimming his arm hit into something. He opened his eyes and saw darkness; but it was a person-shaped dark form, and it made Gladiolus's heart leap with joy. He clung to the body with one arm, holding the person close, and with the other arm dragged them up toward the light. The muscles in his arm burned from the effort, but when he finally broke air it was so damn worth it when he saw his prince's face. Noctis was pale white, and his lips were blue, but he was there and that was all that mattered. Now he needed to get him out of the water. Gladiolus looked about, and saw a huge cement block that one of the struts for the bridge was connected to. He swam toward it, and lifted Noctis out and laid him down.

'Prince?' He asked, tapping Noctis's cheek gently. Then he leaned down to check his breathing; there was nothing. Panic shot through Gladiolus, but he tried to stay calm. Tried to remember his training. Then he placed his huge hands on Noctis's thin chest, and began pressing down hard and rhythmically. After several pushes he checked for breath again, then pressed his mouth to Noctis's while pinching the delicate nose, and breathed life into the young man.

Still nothing. Shivering violently from the cold, Gladiolus went back to work pumping Noctis's chest. He pushed harder this time, trying to force air into the lungs. Something crackled beneath his hands and he sprang away as if he'd been burned; he knew fractured ribs were a risk, but to actually hurt his prince was a horrible feeling. He switched to breathing again, trying desperately to get air into Noctis.

'Please Noct. Please,' he begged, his eyes damp with more than sea water. Tentatively he placed his hands back over Noctis's chest, and after a couple more pushes Noctis burst back to life, as if he'd been revived by magic.

Noctis coughed and choked, so Gladiolus moved him to his side so that he could vomit up water and bile. Once he was done the dark haired man went limp in Gladiolus's arms, but his eyes blinked open.

'Wh-what?'

'It's okay. You're okay,' Gladiolus said. 'Now we need to get back up there.' He nodded all the way up to the track suspended above them. 'It's going to be a bit of a climb, and I don't think you're up to it, so I'll carry you on my back, okay? Do you think you can hold on?'

Noctis shivered violently, but through it all he nodded. He didn't really have much of a choice.

It was hard work standing up, Gladiolus found, since his muscles were starting to seize up from the cold of the ocean. But he forced himself up, and then crouched down so that Noctis could climb onto his back. It took the prince a while to do so, being exhausted from using the healing magic earlier, and from drowning. His hands were numb and sore from where he'd held on to the windowsill and he was sliced and diced from falling through the window. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep, but Gladiolus was going to save his life and was only asking one thing of him, so he forced his body to comply. His aching arms went about Gladiolus's neck, and his legs around the man's waist where he hooked his feet together for extra security. Once he was on Gladiolus stood to his full height, and Noctis felt strange being so high up.

'A-are you okay c-carrying me?' Noctis stuttered in the cold.

' Y-you kidding me? You're light as anything. J-just hold on, okay?'

'Okay,' Noctis said, and clung as tightly as he could.

The metal strut was a lattice frame, which offered plenty of footholds. Gladiolus was quick to find purchase, and then began pulling himself up one rung at a time. Noctis was light, but it was still awkward having another person on your back, screwing with your centre of gravity. The metal was slippery from the snow, too, and freezing cold to touch. The winds kept trying to knock him off and he was terrified that at any moment Noctis might pass out. But Gladiolus worked as best as he could, reminding himself that Noctis was counting on him. That was enough to keep his body moving, when all it wanted to do was shut down.

-

'So cold,' Prompto said, shivering and tucking himself further against Ignis.

Even Ignis was freezing cold, and he'd thought to wear more appropriate clothing; two long sleeved garments. Poor Prompto wore two sleeveless shirts, which were fine when you were running around fighting, but not so good when you were sat still in the middle of a snowstorm. Finally Ignis drew back from the blonde man. 'I'll go and see if I can find something to use as a blanket.' He slipped out of his outer jacket and placed it over Prompto's shoulders, who curled up into a ball on the seat as soon as he lost the warmth of Ignis's body.

Ignis skidded down the aisle between the seats, trying to find anything that might provide a bit of warmth. The people that had left had left their luggage, so he began digging through it and found a couple of blankets, a few coats and a pashmina shawl. No time to worry about fashion, he took them all and went back to Prompto, settling down next to the blonde who curled up beside him leeching his heat. Ignis began to tuck the various blankets around them, to protect them from the snow and the wind.

'When morning comes we'll try and find a way out,' he said softly. 'Just hold on until then. When it's light we'll be safer. For now just rest.'

'Okay,' Prompto said, in a small, sad voice. 'But what about Noct and Gladiolus?'

Ignis swallowed hard. 'We never forget them. Noctis used a healing spell on us before he fell, he may very well have saved our lives. He died saving us, so we have to go on for him.'

Prompto sniffled, though he tried to disguise it as a cough. 'I wish he was here. I miss them both.'

'Me too.' Ignis said simply, and stared out into the darkness as his heart began to fracture. The thought of losing his prince and Gladiolus was too much to bear. He held Prompto tighter to him, as if trying to keep the last thing he cared about safe. Sadly he reached out a hand, and watched the silver of his glove shine in the moonlight. He wished Noctis was here. That the four of them were sat around joking as usual, warm and happy. He clicked his fingers to bring a spark, like he would any other time…and almost jumped out of his seat when a small wisp of smoke curled up from his finger tips.

'Ignis?' Prompto asked, sleepily.

'I…sorry, Prompto. Just try and sleep,' he said, and felt the blonde settle against him again. But Ignis couldn't sleep. He had to try it again. He clicked his fingers; once, twice. Nothing. Sadness weighed heavily in his chest, and he clicked once more, thinking perhaps he was going insane. But then there was a spark. A tiny glow that was gone as soon as it came, but dammit he had seen it! It had been there. Ignis shot to his feet, startling Prompto, and went over to the window from which Noctis and Gladiolus had fallen.

'What are you doing?' Prompto asked. 'Oh god, don't you jump too!'

'I'm not going to jump,' Ignis said impatiently, looking down into the water. The waves roared below, but he couldn't see anything. And then he heard it; knocking on metal. He leaned out further and caught a glimpse of something clinging to the metal of the bridge. 'Oh my god. Prompto, they're alive. They're here. They're…we need to help them. Do we have any rope or anything?'

'Rope? What are you on about?' Prompto asked, thinking his friend had gone insane. Until he looked out too, and saw the flash of Gladiolus's eyes.

'Oi, a little help here?' Gladiolus called up.

'I'll find rope,' Prompto said in disbelief, skidding as he went for the bag that Ignis had been looking in earlier. Nothing useful. He checked the walls, there were fire extinguishers, several of them, and finally a length of rope and a pick axe in a little cupboard by the end of the carriage. Prompto hurried back to the window, and together he and Ignis lowered the rope. Slowly they managed to get Gladiolus and Noctis up and through the window, where they collapsed in a shivering heap. Prompto couldn't help himself, he launched himself at the taller man and clung so hard he could have broken something. 'You jerk! I thought you were dead. I thought…'

Ignis went to Noctis, and helped the boy sit up. Despite the cold and the fact his prince looked half dead, Ignis couldn't keep the smile off his face as he pushed back damp ebony bangs from Noctis's eyes. 'I don't know what to say. I thought you were gone…I can't believe you're here now. Both of you.' He turned to Gladiolus. 'Thank you. For bringing him back, thank you.'

Gladiolus shrugged, and reached out a hand to squeeze Noctis's gently. 'Couldn't let him have all the fun of a mid-winter swim, could I?'

'The two of you are soaking wet, you'll catch pneumonia if you're not careful,' Ignis said, slipping back into mother hen mode. He helped Noctis to his feet, then handed the smaller man over to Prompto so that he was free to help Gladiolus up too. 'I think we need to find a better carriage to wait out the storm in, we should check out the others and see if any have intact windows at least. And we need to get the two of you in dry clothing.'

They picked up the blankets, and then their own luggage bags, and slipped their way through to the next carriage. That one was even worse than their own; all of the windows had blown out and the seats were thick with snow. Noctis buried further into Prompto's side, so the gunner held him tighter as they made their way through the train again. The next carriage was better, with only one window cracked.

'Stay here or go on?' Gladiolus asked through chattering teeth.

'The driver and the other passengers must be somewhere, and it may be warmer where they are,' Ignis pointed out. 'Lets go forward.'

When Ignis tried the door, however, it wouldn't budge. 'Frozen?' he pondered aloud, and drew the tiniest flame from his hand to melt the ice on the door. Almost instantly Noctis collapsed, and the flame in his hand died out.

'Noct!' Prompto cried, as he went down with the other man, trying to break his fall.

Ignis skidded to their side immediately, and helped support Noctis. 'I'm so sorry, I didn't even think…' Ignis trailed off, guilt eating away at him. 'We'll stay here, it's warm enough if we keep close together and use the blankets.'

First came changing the drenched members of their group, though, and while Gladiolus was able to dress himself Noctis was out for the count so it fell upon Ignis and Prompto to change him.

Ignis grabbed Prompto's hands, that had instantly gone for Noctis's belt buckle. 'This is our prince,' Ignis reminded him. 'We need to do this with as much dignity as possible. And we never speak of it again.'

Prompto just looked at him oddly. 'We grew up with him, Ignis. I think we've seen his junk a few times before. Remember the skinny dipping?'

'Thank you for the reminder of that.'

'We'll do it quickly because I'm freezing my ass off, and I'm sure he is too. But seriously, I think we know each other well enough for this not to be too much of a problem.' Prompt said with a smile.

Ignis still wasn't convinced, and felt terrible for stripping Noctis down while he was unconscious, but they soon had fresh clothes ready. It was awkward guiding his slender limbs through the correct holes, but together they managed to get Noctis dressed. Prompto was still wearing Ignis's jacket, so Ignis grabbed a spare for himself and then the group found a sheltered corner of the carriage that was big enough for the four of them to huddle together in, wrapped up in the blankets and coats to keep the cold at bay.

Ignis held the unconscious prince close to him, Noctis's slim body wasn't even shivering anymore and that worried him deeply. Noctis's dark hair was still wet despite having been given a rub that made it fluffy, and when he rested his cheek against Noctis's forehead it was as if the prince were carved from ice he was so cold. Ignis hoped it was just the result of being in the water, and not some side effect of the complete drain of magic.

'Prompto?' he whispered, voice a little hoarse from the cold. 'Come here. Gladiolus too. He's as cold as ice. We all need warmth.'

Prompto came quickly, closing the short gap and wrapping his slender arms around Noctis. He leaned against the prince, who still felt damp, and held him close. There was no warmth to draw from him, but Ignis's arm went around both of them which helped. There was the tang of Noctis's body spray in the air, and that familiar scent helped calm Prompto a little. It was something he'd never thought he'd get to smell again, and the fears of losing Noctis began to melt away as he listened to the soft breathing of the sleeping prince.

Gladiolus was harder to convince, and kept at arms distance even though his teeth were chattering louder than the wind. 'I'm still wet, I'll just make the two of you colder,' he said.

Rolling his eyes Prompto held out a pale hand. 'Come on you giant idiot. Noct is wet too. 'Sides, you'll get drier quicker if you share our body heat. This isn't just for us, you know? Think how mopey Noctis will be if he wakes up and finds you've turned into an ice sculpture overnight.'

The corner of Gladiolus's lips quirked into a smile. 'He'd find another body guard,' he said, but with a groan he forced his frozen body to move, and Ignis made space for him and rearranged blankets and coats so that they were better covered. Closer together they were all warmer, and the coverings went further.

'What are you talking about? Noctis wouldn't just get another bodyguard. You think you're so easily replaceable?' Prompto asked, his shivering beginning to lessen with the addition of Gladiolus's body heat. Despite being damp the guy was like a radiator, and Prompto found himself leaning toward him a little to soak up the warmth.

'Well I'm hardly irreplaceable,' Gladiolus said gruffly, lifting a muscled arm to accept Prompto. 'He could find someone else to swing a sword around for him.'

'B-but not somebody who'd j-jump out of a train into an ocean f-for me,' Noctis stuttered sleepily, his eyes firmly closed.

Warmth spread within Gladiolus's chest as he reached out to gently ruffle the prince's hair. 'Oi, you're meant to be sleepin', your highness.'

Noctis smiled softly, and didn't speak again, just rested against Ignis's shoulder while the older man rubbed warmth into his arm, and Prompto leaned against him.

They made a strange little group, all huddled as close as they could get in the darkness of the train, with the violent snowstorm all around them, but they stayed like that until the first rays of light began to pierce the thick cloud cover. The rocking of the train began to lessen and when Ignis finally looked out of the window it had even stopped snowing.

'Thank god,' he said, resting against the back of the seat. They were all tired as sleep had come to each of them in fitful snatches, and even Noctis had woken several times, often crying out from a nightmare that woke anybody that had been asleep.

'Can we try and leave now?' Prompto asked, sliding out from the group and wrapping a thick coat around his shoulders.

'I'll try the door again, perhaps Noctis has enough energy to unfreeze the handle if it's still stuck. We can find the driver and other passengers then see what plans they have in place. They may have already alerted someone for help, in which case we'll be on our way soon enough,' Ignis said, pushing his glasses further up his nose and then glancing down at Noctis.

The prince blinked slowly up at him. 'I c'n…m'nage fire.'

Ignis frowned, and lifted a hand to Noctis's forehead, gentle pressing his fingertips against a nasty gash just above Noctis's eye. He hadn't seen it in the dark, and the panic of the night. 'Perhaps you should heal yourself, too. I didn't think to bring any potions, we were only going to be on the train a few hours and I didn't expect anything to happen.'

''S'okay,' Noctis said. 'Doesn't…h'rt.'

Another frown, this time from Gladiolus who shifted forward toward Noctis. 'You okay? You don't sound so good.'

'Jus' cold,' Noctis slurred, his voice thick and clumsy.

'Gladiolus, can you get him onto one of the benches?' Ignis asked. He was currently the only thing supporting Noctis, the prince was slumped against him, completely energyless.

'No problem,' Gladiolus said, but as he tried to get to his feet his winced and almost stumbled. 'Ahh, oww. Guys? I don't recommend swimming in the ocean in the middle of a snowstorm. Seizes your muscles up something awful. Oww.'

'Prompto? Can you help Gladiolus get up?' Ignis asked, glancing over to the gunner who was leaning against the back of a seat himself, looking rather worse for wear. He was pale, almost ashen, and the multiple cuts over his body from the broken window glass had only been partially healed by Noctis's spell, so he was still sore from those. Ignis almost wanted to cry. He himself felt terrible; exhausted, cold, aching, hungry. 'What a team we make, huh?'

'Please tell me we have enough gil for a couple of nights at an inn,' Prompto said. 'I could really use a bed. A big huge bed with all you guys there to keep me warm. That sounds good. And room service. I'll order the biggest rack of ribs dripping in barbecue sauce.'

'Oh shut up,' Gladiolus moaned, as his stomach growled. 'First we need to get out of this damn ice chamber. Come on, I'm starting to limber up a bit, I can take Noctis.'

'M'fine,' Noctis muttered, trying to pull away from Ignis but lacking the strength to do so.

Noctis was light in his arms, but completely unhelpful; he just lay like a rag doll, as if his limbs were made of jelly. He sank onto the bench Gladiolus set him onto, and slid to the side to rest against the armrest. Gladiolus crouched down in front of him, ignoring the burning in his thighs at the movement. 'I don't think he slept enough.'

Prompto sat down next to Noctis, kicked his boots up to rest on the table between the benches, and wrapped an arm around Noctis's shoulder to get him sat up straight again. 'He looks different, though. Hey, Noct? You sure you're okay? It's alright if you're not, I mean you did almost die. I'd be a bit knackered too.'

'Uh,' Gladiolus cleared his throat, and hefted himself stiffly into the seat opposite the two younger men. 'He didn't "almost die", he actually did. He drowned last night, I had to use CPR on him.'

Prompto's arm tightened around Noctis, and he held him closer, protectively. All of his fears at losing Noctis rushed back to the surface, and he irrationally thought that perhaps by holding him close it would anchor him to this world and to them. 'Ignis? He's okay, right?' Prompto asked in a small voice.

Ignis sat on the arm rest and reached a hand down to brush dark hair from Noctis's face, and away from the still healing wound. 'I'm worried about hypothermia, and the magic drain. I'll be happier once we can get him somewhere warm, the snow may have stopped but it's still cold here. Camping outside isn't going to do him any good, and if water entered his lungs and he stopped breathing then I'd really like to see him rested up in bed for a bit.' And to see a healer, but Ignis didn't mention that since he could imagine his prince's reaction. 'I think we all need to sleep in real beds for a few days. Last night was trying to say the least, we need to recover.'

'Amen to that,' Gladiolus said. 'I'll make a start, I'll go check out the other carriages and see where the rest of the people in this train are.' He made it to the door, and struggled with the handle as Ignis had. When he went to kick the door down however he paused. There were voices on the other side; loud, authorities voices. And the sounds of heavy boots and things being flung about.

'Sir, they're not here,' a muffled voice called from the carriage beyond. Then the door rattled and Gladiolus jumped back. Whoever was on the other side was having the same trouble opening it as they were, but it gave them time. Because Gladiolus was pretty sure who they were.

'I think we've been boarded,' he said grimly. 'We need to get moving, find somewhere to hide.'

'Boarded?' Prompto asked. 'Oh man, not soldiers? Not here. Not with me looking like this.'

'You look gorgeous,' Gladiolus assured him, blowing the blonde a kiss. 'I'd like to see your butt stay in one piece, though, so get it moving.'

Prompto groaned but pushed his aching body to his feet, and took one of Noctis's arms while Ignis took the other. Together they helped the prince to his feet, though he seemed reluctant to move under his own power.

'Please, prince, we need to find somewhere to hide,' Ignis said.

There was no time. The door was blasted open and in stepped a pair of armour clad soldiers. They raised their guns when they noticed the group.

'There they are! The driver was right, Prince Noctis himself. Your highness, I'm going to have to ask you to come with us.'

Noctis swayed in Ignis's arms, part way between standing and sitting. He was lucid enough to realise what was happening, but not strong enough to do anything about it. Ignis caught him, and with Prompto's help kept him standing.

'I believe you're mistaken, unfortunately none of us is a prince,' Ignis began. 'We're on a bit of a tight schedule, however, so we are going to have to take our leave.'

For a moment the soldiers paused, long enough for Gladiolus to take the opportunity to punch one in the gut, then dodge a fist and snap the other's neck.

'Too easy,' he said gruffly, rolling his shoulders which popped painfully. He grabbed the two bags they had been carrying with them, then turned back to Ignis. 'There's not gonna be anywhere to hide, 'specially after they find these guys. We've gotta keep going. You okay with the prince?'

'Prompto, help him onto my back,' Ignis commanded, crouching slightly so that Prompto could help lift Noctis up to wrap his arms around Ignis's neck. 'I'll be fine. Prompto can you carry the bags? Gladiolus are you well enough to fight?'

Prompto took the bags, Gladiolus cracked his knuckles. 'Feeling a bit rough, but I don't think any of us are at our best right now. I'll live. As soon as we get out of here we can rest.'

Ignis nodded. 'Get us out safety and I'll make sure we spare the gil for a couple of nights in an inn.'

Gladiolus's face split into a grin. 'What an incentive. Keep close, but not too close,' he commanded, and set out into the adjacent carriage. Prompto dug his gun out of one of the bags, then followed the larger man. Ignis picked his way carefully over the dusting of snow that still blanketed the floor, not wanting to slip and hurt Noctis. His prince was limp against his back, breathing shallowly and shivering from time to time. The sky was grey and clouded over so no sunlight could break through to warm them. Their breath came out in little puffs of cold air.

When they came upon the driver's cab, voices could be heard from within. Gladiolus held up a hand to pause the group, then pressed himself close to the door to listen in on the muffled conversation.

'Three more soldiers and a commander. A whole squadron,' Gladiolus muttered. 'They probably came to help the train, but then heard that the prince was on board.'

'Perfect,' Prompto muttered. He turned and squeezed Noctis's hand. 'Don't worry, no way in hell we're letting them get hold of you.'

Gladiolus nodded. 'Damn right. Ignis, I'll distract them, you get Noctis and Prompto off the train.'

Noctis finally perked up a little. 'Wha 'bout you?'

Gladiolus smiled. 'I'll be fine, so long as you are.' He rolled his shoulders again, then took a deep, steadying breath. He really wished he could be in bed right now. Or curled up with his friends again, warm and resting. But there would be time for that; he just had to keep them safe for a little bit longer, then they could all relax in an onsen or something nice, nursing their wounds and eating a hot meal. With that thought fuelling him, he kicked the door down. Instantly attention was on him, but he didn't take time to make snappy comment. He slammed his boot into a soldier's chest, and the guy went stumbling backward and knocked another over like dominoes.

Something hard smacked into the back of his knees, pitching him forward. He stumbled a few steps but managed to catch his balance. A gunshot rang out and he was troubled no more. Prompto grinned at him and waved his gun.

'Got your back, bro.'

With a nod Gladiolus got to his feet again, and caught the punch aimed for Prompto in one huge hand. He twisted the soldier's arm until he heard something crack, the cry the man gave as he fell to his knees was satisfying. But there was still one more; the commander. In the confusion he had grabbed a gun and was heading toward the exit of the train cab, where Ignis had just carried Noctis. Gladiolus leaped forward, grabbing the man's head and trying to twist, but the man pulled free and lost his helmet. Dark eyes stared up at him, and the man head butted him in the face so hard Gladiolus stepped back as pain exploded in his nose, warm blood trickling down his lip.

Prompto sprang over his shoulder, gun firing as he chased the commander out into the freezing air of the bridge. The commander was storming toward Ignis who was hurrying along as best as he could on the slippery path while carrying another man. The train driver and passengers were huddled together in foil blankets, watching in confusion as the events unfolded. Prompto had no sympathy for what they were witnessing; one of them had sold out the prince of Lucis, and thus endangered one of his best friends. Prompto didn't consider himself to have too many virtues, but loyalty was one of them and he would protect Noctis with his life. The dark prince was way too important for him to lose, just the thought of it carved a hollow hole into his heart. So he ran after the commander, who had raised his gun and was aiming it at Noctis's back… Prompto charged, shot his own gun, and then slammed his body into the falling commander to make sure that the shot went completely off target. Despite his slight build he managed to make the commander fall, since the bullet in his shoulder had the man unbalanced anyway. Prompto braced hismelf for the jolt of the fall, but it still knocked the wind from him and reminded him that he had been recently shredded and bruised in the train accident. He lay there for a few moments, letting the pain wash over him, until a tattooed hand was held out to him. He took it with a grateful smile, and Gladiolus lifted him effortlessly to his feet.

'We're out,' Prompto said. 'Now what?'

'We drive,' Ignis said, nodding to the two parked cars with lights and sirens that the soldiers had arrived in. 'Check his pockets for the keys.'

Prompto did just that, grinning as he fished them out and held them up. 'Lets get out of this godforsaken frozen dump.' Then he turned to the frightened passengers. 'And this time, nobody says a word, got it? You didn't see Prince Noctis of Lucis. You have no idea how the soldiers got hurt. Okay?'

Nobody argued with the bloodied blonde man with a crazed look in his baby blue eyes. So Prompto grinned and hurried after his friends, slipping into the back seat alongside Noctis, and wrapping a slim arm around the frozen prince.

Ignis revved the engine, the tyres spun a little on the ice but then found traction and they were away, speeding down the bridge toward the town they had been heading for. Part way there they ditched the car and hitched a ride in a taxi, which took them right to the doorstep of the local inn. No onsen, but a huge king size suite which Ignis gladly handed over the gil for.

Prompto dragged the bags, Gladiolus carried Noctis, and as soon as the door was shut behind them all four sighed in relief.

'Damn, so this is how the other half lives?' Prompto said, slinging the bags onto one of the two double beds in the room. There was an archway connecting another double room. Everything was lavishly decorated, and there were sofas, arm chairs, and even a roaring fire. As soon as Prompto noticed that he began shoving a sofa toward it. 'Little help here, Gladio?'

'You know how the other half lives,' Ignis said, taking Noctis so that Gladiolus could assist with the sofa. 'You live that way now.'

'Yeah, but, only 'cos Noct lets me live with you guys. On my own they'd never let me set foot in a place like this.'

Ignis said nothing, but he brought Noctis over to sit by the fire on the newly moved sofa. Prompto sat down next to him, drew his feet up on the sofa and curled around the dark haired boy. Crouching down, Ignis brushed the hair out of Noctis's eyes, and smiled as the prince blinked his eyes open. 'How are you feeling, Noctis?'

'Better,' the prince said. 'Chest hurts. Hands hurt.'

Gladiolus felt a wave of guilt wash over him for the chest aching; he'd had to be rough when administering CPR. But it had brought the other man back to life so it was a necessary evil.

Ignis took Noctis's hands in his own. 'You're thawing out, it'll hurt as the blood supply returns. When you're a bit warmer I'd suggest a bath. That goes for all of us; we've been cold for too long, we should all take the opportunity to try and use the hot water up.'

'Mind if I go first?' Gladiolus asked, rubbing one of his shoulders. 'Could do with a good soak in a hot bath.'

'Go for it, I'm happy where I am,' Prompto said, his eyes firmly shut as he cuddled up to Noctis.

'It's fine with me,' Ignis said, and shuffled Noctis up a bit so that he could sit at his other side, and offer an arm for Noctis to lean into. The three of them sat like that, basking in the warmth of the cackling fire while Gladiolus stripped down and ran a bath of scalding water to ease the aches of his battered muscles.

Ignis was next, and Gladiolus took his place on the sofa, feeling much more refreshed once he was clean, warm and in the amazing silk pyjamas and fluffy bathrobe that the inn had set out for them.

In the bath Ignis sank into the steaming water and finally let himself relax for the first time since the snowstorm. The room was blurry from steam and his poor vision from removing his glasses, but it was nice to unwind just for a little bit. As the royal advisor it was his job to be the one they turned to when things went wrong, to come up with the brilliant plans, and to get the team out of the many scrapes they always managed to find themselves in. When he'd first realised Noctis had fallen into the ocean and presumed him dead, Ignis had thought a part of him had died with the prince. And then Gladiolus had jumped after him and Ignis had felt his world shatter. The three men meant more to him than words could say, and losing them wasn't an option. Ever. He'd just have to keep on his guard, make sure that he kept them safe. But for now, for five minutes while he knew they were fine by the warmth of the fire, he let himself hurt and feel the pain and sadness that he'd suppressed in order to stay strong for his friends.

'All done,' Ignis said, padding out of the bathroom in his own bathrobe and slippers.

'You leave any water for us?' Prompto asked groggily, as he rubbed at his eyes. He'd been dozing while Ignis spent over an hour in the bathroom.

'It's an inn, they have virtually limitless hot water supplies,' Ignis said with a soft smile. 'Do you want to go next?'

'I could do,' Prompto said, sitting up and wincing.

Ignis was knelt in front of him instantly, gently touching his fingers to one of the half healed cuts on Prompto's neck. 'You should drink a potion before you go in, help heal these cuts and bruises.'

'Ugh, potions taste rank.'

'Perhaps, but you'll feel better for it. Prince Noctis will be drinking one, too.'

'Prince Noctis heard that,' Noctis muttered, his voice muffled by Gladiolus's shoulder.

With a smile Ignis got to his feet and fetched two potions, handing one to each of the younger men. 'Gladiolus?'

'Nope, I'm fine, thanks,' the tattooed man said. 'Just tired muscles. Nothing the bath, some sleep and a giant breakfast won't cure.'

Noctis and Prompto exchanged unhappy looks, but downed their potions as quickly as they could. And made identical disgusted faces.

'Going to go puke up and have a bath,' Prompto said, already moving a little easier with the potion in his system working its magic. Noctis even sat up a little straigher, as Ignis took Prompto's place on the sofa, then began fussing pressing a palm to the young man's forehead.

'You're definitely warmer. Once you've had your bath you'll feel a lot better,' Ignis predicted. 'Then sleep. You're going to need to rest your body after exhausting your magic like that. How many times do we have to tell you?'

'But you were all hurt,' Noctis said. 'I woke up and saw you all lying there so I had to do something.'

Gladiolus laughed, and held the man closer. 'See Ignis? We've just raised him too well. He's a true friend, you know?'

'Yes but future kings shouldn't be so quick to throw away their lives,' Ignis said with a frown.

Noctis reached out to take Ignis's hand, and smirked. 'I wouldn't want to be the kind of king that doesn't do everything he can to protect the people he cares about most.'

Ignis couldn't really find fault with that, as much as he wanted to lecture the prince on being more careful. Instead he let himself relax against the sofa, as they listened to the wind rattling the windows, the fire crackling in the hearth, and the serenade of Prompto singing away happily in the bathtub.

Though he was singing, Prompto wasn't entirely happy. Like Ignis he had been shaken up thinking that his two friends had died, but he was trying to bury those fears. He had his gun, so as long as he was standing he'd protect them all. That was how Prompto did things; he was a take-action kind of guy. That said he didn’t linger as long as the other two had in the bath, despite how nice the warmth was at defrosting his frozen body. Instead as soon as he was clean and he had feeling back in his fingers and toes, he drained the water and dried off, wincing at the dark bruises over his pale, slender body. There was a particularly dark bruise on his hip where he had fallen into the row of seats, which was painful to touch. And the one on his temple that had knocked him out. He slipped into his own pyjamas and then wrapped himself up in the bathrobe before hurrying back out, only really relaxed once he could see his friends all alive and well on the sofa.

'Oi oi, make room will ya?' he teased, as he got closer to the cosy glow of the fire.

Noctis slowly got up, wincing as his muscles protested movement. He swayed only slightly, but then he felt strong enough to start walking on his own, despite the fact both Gladiolus and Ignis were rising to help him. 'I'll be fine, the potion and sitting by the fire have helped, I swear.'

Ignis still looked troubled, but let the prince head to the bathroom. 'Call if you need anything.'

'Yes mother,' Noctis said cheekily, as he closed the door behind him.

'He's feeling better,' Prompto noted with a grin.

'He's lucky he's still not well, or I'd have…'

'What?' Gladiolus said, gently nudging Ignis's foot with his own. 'Let's face it, he could walk all over you and you'd let him do it.'

Ignis's cheeks flushed. 'Not true. It's my job to instil some discipline into him.'

'Can you get him to stop throwing himself in harm's way?' Prompto asked. 'Because that would be awesome. He's like a trouble magnet.'

'When has his not been?' Gladiolus asked. 'Ever since he was a kid he'd be the one climbing the highest tree, or sneaking out after dark, or adventuring deeper into the forest just to see what was there. Cor used to tear his hair out with him.'

'And now it's my job to tear my hair out,' Ignis muttered.

'Aww, don't do that,' Prompto said, leaning against the taller man. 'Your hair is pretty.'

'Thank you for your concern,' Ignis said dryly, but lifted his arm to drape over Prompto's shoulders while they waited for Noctis.

Noctis wasn't going to sing in the bath, that wasn't his thing. Instead he ran the water as hot as he could stand it, and slowly stripped his damp clothing. His chest was badly bruised from being brought back to life, and the ribs were tender when he touched them, but the potion was already healing them up. He still felt cold all the way to his bones, though, and it felt as if he'd never be warm again. Until he stepped into the steaming water and almost burned himself. He forced himself in, though, and then let his body relax. Steam curled up in little white wisps, reminding him of the flurries of snow last night. His friends weren't the only ones to worry about death; his heart had almost stopped when he'd seen the three of them lying so still and injured on the train. Healing them, despite not having much magic left, had been the obvious thing to do, and he'd do it a thousand times over.

Slowly he lifted a hand, and tried to reach out with his mind to the crystal, from which he drew magic. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard, but it was as if there was nothing there when he called. Like a wall had been built between him and his power. He couldn't even feel the warmth of the ether he used to melt and meld spells from the raw magic, and there was no way he'd be able to summon a weapon like this. He let his head fall back against the edge of the tub, and looked up at the ceiling. He couldn't even see the light anymore; the dead souls that plagued him constantly, being one of only two that could see them. He was alone, there was nothing. He'd been drained dry of every drop of magic. And now he really was useless to his friends, a burden on them. Worse than a burden, since he was their link to using magic. By letting himself completely run out of charge he was endangering them all.

There was a knock at the door. 'Noct?' Prompto called. 'You still awake?'

Noctis sighed and opened his eyes. The water had started going cold. 'I'm awake, just soaking.'

'Good. Stay awake, we don't want you drowning again. One time is once too many, got it?'

'Got it,' Noctis said, and closed his eyes again briefly. He'd just have to hope that after some rest and food he could restore the connection. With that knot of worry in his chest, he reluctantly dragged himself out of the bath and got dried off and changed into the pyjamas and bath robe, still feeling cold, but not from the ice anymore. Just from the guilt of letting his friends down.

When he finally left the bathroom it was to find Prompto bouncing off one bed, then striding purposefully over to the next and flinging himself onto it. Noctis raised an eyebrow. 'What is he doing?'

'Testing their bounciness,' Ignis said from the sofa.

'I've got dibs on the comfiest bed,' Prompto explained. 'Sorry, but you were in the bath, so I just assumed you wouldn't mind.'

Despite himself Noctis smiled. 'If you've got the energy to go to the trouble of testing each bed then by all means, have whichever one you want. Is there any particular one you've discarded so I can take?'

'Um, well that one is like rocks compared to this one,' Prompto pointed to the one by the window.

Noctis shuffled over and lowered his battered body slowly onto it. Well, if this one was supposed to feel like rocks then they were heavenly soft rocks. Kicking back the covers Noctis slid underneath them, and let his aching body sink into the mattress, appreciating not shivering violently from cold, or sleeping sitting up.

Ignis was suddenly perched on the side of his bed, checking his forehead again. 'Just making sure you're not coming down with anything. I'm doing the same for Gladiolus. Swimming in the ocean isn't the healthiest choice this time of year.'

Noctis smiled. 'I feel fine now. Just tired.'

'I'm sure you don't feel fine, but you'll get there. Sleep is a good place to start. I think Prompto has picked the bed next to yours, so Gladiolus and I will be in the adjourning room if you need anything during the night. Just call, we'll be there.'

Noctis caught Ignis's hand as he pulled away. 'You rest too. I'll be fine, Ignis, I promise. You need to rest.'

Ignis hesitated slightly, then smiled. 'Of course, prince.'

'I mean it,' Noctis said, giving his advisor a look.

'I promise, Noct,' Ignis said finally.

'Good.'

A few minutes later everyone was settled in bed, and the lights went off. Despite how tired they were, despite the warmth of the room and the softness of the beds, sleep didn't come easily to any of them. Prompto was the first to get up, his silhouette dark in the soft glow of moonlight. He sat on the edge of his ultra-comfy bed and looked longingly over to where Noctis lay; the prince's skin was deathly pale, and it sent a shiver through Prompto's body. He got up and padded across the plush carpet to sit on the edge of the bed, and reached out to gently press the backs of his fingertips against Noctis's cheek, just to make sure the prince was still alive.

Noctis's eyes snapped opened at the touch, almost making Prompto jump out of his skin. 'Could have warned me you were awake,' Prompto whispered.

'Sorry. I couldn't sleep,' Noctis admitted, shifting a bit to ease the pressure on his bruised ribs. 'You?'

'Nah, not after what happened last night. Keep thinkin' 'bout it all.'

Noctis shuffled over in his bed a bit, then lifted up the corner of his covers. Prompto took the hint, and dove under them. 'We can not-sleep together,' Noctis said, smiling at his friend.

'Sounds like a plan. But we don't have to tell the other about this, right?'

'No need to tell us, we can see perfectly well,' Gladiolus said.

Prompto groaned, and turned to see Gladiolus standing there with a huge grin on his face.

'Ignis? Where's the phone. Come on, we need a picture of these two cuties wrapped up in blankets like this.'

'One of those "cuties" is your prince, I'll have you remember,' Ignis said in a haughty voice. Then a camera flash blinded them all, and Ignis smiled. 'Still, it's a lovely photograph. Something for the Lucis portrait wall.'

'Did you come all this way for a reason, or just to tease?' Prompto asked. 'Some of us are trying to sleep here.'

'I thought you couldn't sleep?' Noctis said.

'Dude, trying to be manly here,' Prompto said.

'Then perhaps you should stop brushing your leg up against mine,' Noctis suggested.

'I'm not! Guys I'm not, I swear! He's lying!'

'That could be considered treason, accusing your prince of lying,' Noctis said, in a completely deadpan voice.

'Ignis, help me out here,' Prompto said, turning to the elder man for support.

'He's got a point,' Ignis shrugged.

'Not helping, man!'

Once the laughter finally settled down the atmosphere was a little easier, and Gladiolus and Ignis found themselves dragged onto the bed too. It was a serious squeeze for four grown men, but after a lot of twisting about, they made it work. And finally sleep came easily to them all.

When the sun broke through the cloud cover the group slept on. It was several hours later before anyone finally stirred, Ignis first, and since he was pressed up against Prompto he woke the blonde too.

'Wow, it's like being a teenager again. I miss those sleepovers we had in Noct's room,' Prompto mused. 'Why doesn't he ever do that with us anymore?'

'Because he's twenty-three?' Ignis suggested.

Gladiolus woke next, his stomach growling. 'With the price we paid for this room, please tell me breakfast comes to us?'

'I'll call down an order,' Ignis said, peeling back the covers and braving the chill of the morning air. While he rang for room service he tossed more logs on the burning embers of the fire.

Thankfully the expensive room rate meant their food came quickly, but it didn't stop Gladiolus virtually biting the hand off the lady that brought it. He was digging into bacon while Prompto tried to get a plate of his own, which left Ignis to rouse the prince.

'Noct? Breakfast is here,' Ignis said, shaking Noctis's thin shoulder gently. He was half afraid the man might sleep for several days considering how he'd exhausted himself, but his eyes blinked open sluggishly.

'Wha?'

'Breakfast, before the vultures peck the plates clean.'

'Heard that,' Gladiolus said with his mouth full.

Noctis and Ignis ate with a little more grace, and Noctis was more interested in a cup of coffee. It warmed him inside, almost as much as seeing his friends chatting and joking, carefree again despite the dark shadows that hung over them. Noctis managed another slice of toast before he felt sick with worry, and decided it was time to try a spell again. To see if he'd lost his powers entirely. He waited for the other three to be distracted by a joke that Prompto was telling (it was filthy, and Ignis was face palming), then Noctis concentrated hard on the cup in his hands. He closed his eyes, and concentrated hard on the vision of the crystal. He tried to reach out with his mind, to draw from it the raw white hot power of magic. Nothing happened. His heart sank. He tried again, forcing his mind to focus, to call out. Then there was a spark. The tiniest, faintest glimmer. He snatched it, pulled it, dragged it kicking and screaming into his body, where he fuelled the light until it grew, and changed it into a fire spell. He channelled it through his body, to his hands, and when he looked down the coffee in his cup was boiling. That was when he noticed the room was silent. Noctis looked up sharply and saw his three friends watching him with smiles.

'Good to have you back, prince,' Gladiolus said.

Ignis just nodded and Prompto gave him a thumbs up.

Noctis felt as if a weight had been lifted, and when he looked up he wasn't even unhappy to see the light of departed souls in the air. He could deal with the demons, if it meant he had the power to help his friends.

Chapter Text

'Oh look, there's a beauty pageant,' Gladiolus said, snagging the poster from the wall and brandishing it with a huge grin. 'Five thousand gil prize.'

'Why are you looking at me?' Prompto demanded, narrowing his baby blue eyes. 'Stop it, look somewhere else.'

'The car is running low on petrol, we haven't had a decent meal in days, we need money somehow. This is an easy five grand.' Gladiolus shrugged.

'And why does it have to be me? There are four of us here you know.'

'Take one for the team, pretty-boy. With those gorgeous eyes and that chocobo blonde fluffy hair you'd make the best girl.'

'You're enjoying this way too much. Why can't you do it? You have the longest hair.'

Gladiolus flexed his arm. 'With these muscles? And the tatts?'

Prompto huffed. 'What about Noct, then? He's pretty too. And his cheekbones could cut glass.'

Ignis finally turned from reading the notices pinned to the wall. 'The prince is currently being hunted by half the world. It's probably not wise to throw him on stage where everyone and their wives will recognise him. They'd know instantly he wasn't female.'

'Good point,' Prompto said sadly. 'But hey, no, hear me out. If we put loads of makeup on him, maybe nobody would recognise him? Maybe it would work in our favour; everyone's out looking for a prince, not a princess. It would be easier to disguise him if he wore a dress. His hips are nice and narrow and his butt is-'

'Finish that sentence and I'll make you an anatomically correct female,' Noctis said.

'Just complimenting your small, cute butt,' Prompto said with a wink. Then he grabbed the poster from Gladiolus and tore it in half. 'Oops, all gone.'

'Well its either that or sell a kidney,' Gladiolus said grumpily.

'We do need money,' Noctis agreed, leaning against the wall and folding his arms across his chest. 'I need coffee.'

'You don't need coffee, you want coffee,' Ignis said, still reading the fliers. 'If we hadn't been wasting gil all this time we would have been fine. I'd budgeted for-'

'Let me stop you right there, man,' Prompto said. 'We had medical need for those Doritos.'

'And the fuzzy dice for the car?' Ignis said, finally turning around to give the group the full force of his glare.

Prompto nodded confidently. 'Yup. Needed those too.'

Ignis made an irritated sound and turned away again.

'What? They improve engine performance,' Prompto said defensively when Gladiolus took up the glaring.

'This could be…no,' Ignis said, sighing and stepping away from the wall.

'What?' Noctis asked, brushing up against the taller man's side. He noticed the poster, and frowned. 'Why not?'

'It's too dangerous,' Ignis said, sliding his glasses further up his nose.

'Oh you know that just makes me want to do it more,' Noctis said, peering closer to read the rest of the advert. The local council were asking for volunteers to bring back the pelts of a pack of wolves that were venturing into the town at night and ripping out the throats of humans. The reward was ten thousand gil a wolf. Noctis turned back to Ignis. 'We could bring back the whole pack, we've taken on worse.'

'Out of necessity. We don't go looking for danger,' Ignis reminded him. 'There are other ways to earn gil, we could take up temporary work at an inn, or-'

'I am not cleaning toilets,' Prompto said flatly.

Gladiolus read the advert over Noctis's head. 'Come on, there can't be more than what, half a dozen of them? That's a wolf and a half each. We'll be done by sun down, collecting the gil and eating like kings tonight.'

'Two wolves each,' Ignis corrected, almost smiling at Gladiolus's confusion. 'I'm not risking prince Noctis for a few gil. If we do this, then he waits for us in the town.'

Gladiolus nodded. 'Sounds-'

'Like a rubbish plan,' Noctis interrupted. 'What if you need healing magic?'

'We’ll take potions,' Ignis said.

'What if you need fire magic or something?'

'We have weapons,' Ignis said.

'What if…you…' His ideas ran out, and he slumped against the wall again. 'I'm still coming.'

'You'll sit in the car, then,' Ignis said. 'With the doors locked.'

'So we're doing this?' Gladiolus asked, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet at the thought of having gil to line their pockets with again.

Ignis sighed, and felt a headache building behind his temples. 'Yes. We'll do it.'

'Awesome!' Prompto grinned and slapped a high five with Gladiolus. 'Lets go get killing!'

'You don't have to sound quite so enthusiastic,' Ignis said, but followed the other two back to the car anyway.

They drove to the outskirts of town where the farm land gave way to a strip of grass, then acres of dense, dark forest. Ignis cut the engine far from the tree line.

'Game plan?' Gladiolus asked, peering out through the windscreen, past the newly acquired fuzzy dice, into the dark depths of the woods.

'Whenever I formulate a strategically advantageous plan of attack the three of you disregard it and fight with no sense of direction.'

'It's called winging it, and we're still alive, aren't we? So we must be doing something right,' Prompto said, checking his gun over and making sure he was stocked up with ammo.

'In that case we'll wing it,' Ignis said, catching Noctis's gaze in the rear view mirror. 'We won't be long, my prince. Assuming they're easy to find.'

Noctis said nothing; he was sulking. He watched them check over their weapons, gather supplies of potions, and then bid him farewell. He finally roused himself enough to tell them to be careful, then locked the doors as Ignis had instructed. Which was stupid since wolves couldn't open car doors, could they? And besides, he was perfectly capable of protecting himself. Feeling left out, he watched until his friends disappeared into the forest, then he dug out an old paperback novel and tried to distract himself. And not worry. Because they'd be fine, he was sure of it.

It was several hours later and starting to get dark, but they still hadn't brought back a single wolf. Noctis had abandoned the book, and was watching the trees, hoping to see one of them appear with a grin and a dead wolf slung over their shoulder. He was tempted to turn the headlights on to see if he could see into the forest, but then a pair of headlights swept the area and Noctis sat back in his seat to watch the jeep approaching. As soon as he saw the Niflheim army sigil on the side of the vehicle his heart skipped a beat, and he sank lower in his seat so he was out of sight.

Doors slammed, guns were holstered, and Noctis heard a commanding voice speak up. 'Right boys, locals say there's seven or eight of 'em. You've got guns so use them, I want them cleared out. Got it?'

'Sir!' said a chorus of soldier.

'Move out!'

Noctis peeked up between the seats and watched as a group of soldiers ran across the grass to the forest, all wearing armour and all carrying weapons. So it seemed the town had called in the big guns, which was annoying. Without Noctis the group should be safe from recognition, but with trained professionals on the hunt for the wolves there was less chance of them claiming the prize. Noctis sat back in his seat and continued his watch, worry growing within his chest as the sun dipped below the horizon.

-

It was slow going, as the forest was so thick with trees and the roots so twisted on the ground that it was impossible to move at any real speed. They spent most of their time looking down at the ground trying not to break an ankle, so if a wolf had walked right in front of them they may not even have realised.

'This is impossible,' Gladiolus said, slashing at a fallen branch with his sword. 'It's getting too dark to even see where I'm going. Where the hell are these damn things?'

'Maybe they can hear your complaining?' Ignis suggested, carefully picking his way over a thick log. He had to admit that Gladiolus had a point; it was getting dangerously dark, so that they might not find their way back out of the forest if they stayed much longer. 'Ten more minutes, and if we don't find anything then we'll head back. We can always try again tomorrow.'

Gladiolus's stomach growled in protest. 'You kidding me? I'll waste away if we have soup one more night.'

'A risk we'll have to take, I'm afraid,' Ignis said, wincing as the branch Prompto had swiped away flew back and hit him in the face, displacing his glasses. He rearranged them angrily. 'This is ridiculous, the forest is only so big, and if they hunt at night they have to be within a certain range of the town.'

'Tell that to the wolves,' Gladiolus said.

'If you're not going to say anything helpful,' Ignis began, then frowned. He tugged the other men's arms, and raised a finger to his lips, which they barely saw in the dim light. He crouched down so the others did the same, just in time as a pair of soldiers walked close by.

'The townspeople are probably making up stories,' one of them was saying. 'There's no wolves here. No tracks even.'

'Boss said to look, though, we have to keep searching until he calls us off.'

'Yeah and when's that gonna be? I've got a kid to put to bed, she never sees me. I promised Maria I'd be on bath duty tonight, and now I'm stuck out here. She's gonna divorce me, man.'

A low chuckle. 'She should have divorced you years ago, you lazy bum. You're lucky to- what's that?' The second soldier aimed his gun above the group's head. They froze, trying to keep their breathing under control.

'What's wrong?' the other soldier asked.

'Thought I saw something.'

'Wolf?' the soldier asked, raising his own gun.

'Not sure,' the soldier took a few steps closer, still looking far above their heads. 'Perhaps I'm going crazy.'

'Could be, man. Been a long day. We really didn't need this dog hunt. Come on, the more area we cover the sooner the boss will call it quits.'

There was a beep, and the second soldier tapped something on his helmet. 'Sir? …Understood.' He turned to the other soldier. 'Boss wants us back, we're done. Looks like you're in luck, we'll be back in time for you to put your kid to bed.'

'Awesome, what's the change of heart?' the soldier asked as they began to walk away out of earshot.

'Not a clue, he sounded pretty fired up though, told us to get there quickly. Apparently they found a car, something about the war or something, and the crystal. Can't say I understand half of it.'

And then they were gone. But Ignis had already heard enough, and he was fairly certain his heart had stopped.

'Noctis…' Prompto said, feeling dizzy with fear for his friend.

Gladiolus was first to his feet. 'We've got to get moving, it might not be too late. If we follow the soldiers we can use them to get out of here faster.'

Ignis nodded and got shakily to his feet. 'I thought he'd be safe in the car.'

Gladiolus clapped him on the shoulder. 'You couldn't have known. But we need to get to him. Come on.'

That was all it took to get Ignis moving, faster even than Prompto as the three of them raced through the trees, keeping the soldiers in sight as they hurried through the darkness. Now they didn't care about tree roots or falling; the only thing that mattered to any of them was getting to Noctis. All three of them were entertaining nightmare visions of returning to find their prince lying slumped in the car with a bullet wound in his head…

Finally the trees began to thin, and then they were out in the open. The cold night air chilled them, but they were focused on where the soldiers were running to; there were already soldiers around the black car, shooting, slashing with swords. And in the midst of it all a smaller dark figure, lit up as fire exploded from his fingertips and set the ground briefly ablaze.

'Noctis,' Ignis breathed, feeling a glimmer of hope within him since the prince was alive and fighting. They weren't too late. 'Come on, no time to lose,' Ignis said, but the other two were way ahead of him, sprinting across the grass to join the fray.

Any hope was shattered, however, as the group got closer. Noctis was fighting bravely, summoning swords to aid him, teleporting out of the way of attacks, using magic to heal his wounds and to fight off soldiers, but he was outnumbered by several highly trained soldiers. The commander managed to grab him by the hair and pull him back, then drew out a taser and rammed it against the base of Noctis's spine. His three friends could only watch in horror while the prince's body spasmed in pain as the volts tore through his body. The electricity lit up the area, so they could see the agony on Noctis's face as pain racked his body and finally he passed out.

The commander dropped him to the ground and turned away. 'Tie him up, get him in the back. I can't believe this, of all the places to find him. I'm going to get promoted for sure. Maybe I'll even make general?'

Gladiolus was first to reach the commander, and didn't even bother with his sword. He simply punched the guy in the face so hard his nose broke since he'd taken his helmet off. The man went down hard on his knees with a scream of pain that alerted the soldiers to the group.

There weren't many soldiers, they'd handled worse, so Ignis was confident the situation could be resolved quickly. He only hoped that whatever they'd shocked the prince with hadn't hurt him too badly. Spinning his twin blades around he tried to draw fire from Noctis, but there was nothing. The prince was unconscious. Cursing Ignis fought without magic, going up against a soldier armed with a pole axe, and a manic laugh that was rather unnerving in the dark.

Bullets rang and one of the soldiers cried out as they collapsed to the ground, Prompto grinning above him and walking over the body to get to the next. 'Too easy,' he sang, spinning to dodge a sword that slashed down on him. 'I'll get Noct, you guys clean up here, alright?'

'Sounds good to me,' Gladiolus said, swinging his sword around with a grunt of effort, and knocking a soldier clear off his feet.

Prompto sprinted to the jeep and peered through the tinted glass; Noctis had been tossed onto the back seat, and he looked as if he were sleeping. Prompto grabbed the handle and tugged as hard as he could, but of course it was locked. He cursed and looked about for something to smash the window with but there wasn't much choice. And he wasn't about to shower his friend in glass by shooting the window out. Instead he took the bandana from the top of his arm and wrapped it around the knuckles of his right hand. 'The things I do for you,' he muttered, as he closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain as he punched the window. His fist bounced off the glass. 'What the?' he blinked, then growled and tried again, harder this time. The glass gave way, and shards cut into his forearm as the momentum took him through. 'Oww oww oww. Noct, you better appreciate this. And you better heal me, you got that buddy?' Flexing his bruised and bloodied knuckles, Prompto reached in through the window and unlocked the door. Noctis was completely still so Prompto grabbed him by the waist and began sliding him across the seats. They were pretty evenly matched in height and build, but Prompto was strong enough to support the other man and pulled Noctis's arm over his shoulder, while his other hand went about the dark prince's narrow waist, holding him close. 'Come on, let's get you out of here. You had me worried there for a second, thought we'd lost you. God knows what those freaks would do to you if they had you to themselves.'

'Freeze!' a man shouted.

'Seriously?' Prompto said. 'Most clichéd line ever.'

The man was serious, though. It was the commander, and he was holding a silver orb and wearing his facial mask again. Gladiolus and Ignis had managed to take care of all but two of the soldiers, but when they saw the orb they stopped fighting and held their hands up in surrender.

Ignis stepped forward. 'I think there's been a misunderstanding.'

'No misunderstanding,' the commander's voice was distorted from the mask he wore and from the broken nose. He waved a gloved hand at the prince. 'This is prince Noctis of Lucis, right?'

'Well…'

'It is. I know it is. He's famous enough, and his face has been plastered up all over the news for weeks. There are some people that are very interested in meeting him. And it's my job as a commander of the Niflheim army to bring him back. No hard feelings, eh? If you stop fighting we'll even let you just walk away.'

'Uh, why would we do that?' Prompto asked, shifting Noctis in his arms. 'We're winning.'

'No, you're not,' the commander said, and pressed a button on the orb. A red light flashed, a beep sounded.

'Get down!' Ignis yelled, running toward Prompto and Noctis, intending to shield them with his body. Gladiolus had the same idea, but neither of them were fast enough. The bomb exploded and gas swept the area quickly. The silver smoke burned their throats and eyes, and soon all three were collapsed on the floor, coughing and struggling to breathe. The commander and the two remaining soldiers were wearing their face masks, so simply waved the smoke aside and picked the prince up again, slinging him back in the jeep.

Then they drove off into the darkness, leaving the three friends unconscious, and to wake up to a nasty surprise.

-

Noctis wasn't a morning person by nature. Until his second cup of coffee it was best not to approach him, really. So when he woke up on a thin mattress on the floor of a freezing cold cell, with his hands bound behind his back and pain in his spine and every muscle of his body, Noctis was not happy. Twisting around he tried to get a good view of his cell; small, square, grey stone. A tiny window with bars that had no glass explained why it was so cold that his body was racked with shivers. To his left was a metal door with a small postbox hole that was currently covered by a metal flap.

He struggled a little against his restraints, but it only made them rub against his wrists all the more, so he lay still again. He decided to try shouting, for what it was worth. At least he could possibly get some answers.

'Hey? Hey!' he called, realising that his voice was hoarse from the cold. 'Anybody out there? Hey!'

The postbox hole opened and a pair of green-blue eyes appeared. For a heart-stopping moment Noctis thought it was Ignis, but the man wasn't wearing glasses. And then he was gone.

'Come back!' Noctis yelled, but he was alone again.

He shivered as a gust of wind blew into his cell, and he twisted around again to see what else he had been provided with. Nothing. No pillow even, or blanket. No food or water. There was nothing besides the dirty mattress and some metal handcuffs chained to the wall and caked with dried blood. Noctis shivered again, but not from cold.

The postbox shutter clicked open again and Noctis turned to see amber eyes watching him this time.

'Who are you?' Noctis called out, praying that this person wouldn't run away too.

'My name is no concern of yours,' the man said in a deep, accented voice. 'If I come in, do you promise to be still? There are armed guards with me, you'd be ill advised to attack me with magic.'

Noctis considered this, but the man was right. Wherever he had been imprisoned was probably heavily guarded, and alone and bound he wouldn't get very far, especially as he had no idea where he was. 'I won't hurt you.'

The postbox shut again, then heavy metal locks in the door slowly clicked open. A few seconds later the door swung open on squeaky hinges and a tall, broad man entered the room, wearing full military officer uniform. He looked down on the prince and smirked. 'Well well, you're an elusive boy, Noctis Lucis Caelum. You did well to evade Niflheim forces for as long as you did, it's almost a pity that a fool like Commander Sharra was the one to finally track you down. By blind luck on his part. And bad luck on yours.'

Noctis glared. 'What about my friends? Are they alright? If you've hurt them I swear-'

'The three that were with you were gassed, but should be awake by now. There was no need to harm them, the commander felt. If it had been me I'd have done away with them to be sure, but then I just hate loose ends. Call it a character flaw.'

With a smirk Noctis awkwardly sat up. 'You're going to regret it, they'll come after me. They'll kill you all.'

The man laughed, a deep, dark sound. 'You do know where you are?'

Noctis said nothing, pretending that he did.

The man wasn't convinced, and his smirk grew wider, revealing a gold tooth. 'You're currently residing within his majesty Emperor Idola Aldercapt's royal palace. I believe you've been here before, with your father? Although you may not have been given the tour of the dungeons.'

Noctis's stomach clenched. 'No…' How had this happened? How could he have been imprisoned in the castle at Niflheim? They'd been travelling close to the Niflheim border, but he'd never dreamed he would end up in the enemy country. The castle was huge and heavily guarded by the royal army. His three friends would be no match for this.

More laughter, the man crouched down, clearly enjoying the look of despair in Noctis's eyes. 'Don't worry, you'll be treated as befitting a prince of Lucis. Oh no, wait. We're at war. Oh dear, that is rather unfortunate for you.'

'Go to hell,' Noctis said.

'You're already here,' the man whispered darkly, then stood up to his full height. 'Don't worry too much. We're not just going to leave you here to rot. The Emperor has been fascinated by the artefact that was recovered from your kingdom, but unfortunately we can't seem to make it work. He's got plans for you, tests if you will. You're going to help him unlock the secrets of the crystal, so that Niflheim can return to its former glory.'

'I'll never help Idola,' Noctis spat.

The officer moved quickly, and slammed his boot into Noctis's chest, sending the younger man sprawling. 'Show some respect. We would have killed you on the spot, but the Emperor is showing you mercy. So long as you prove to be useful, that is.'

Noctis spat blood. 'I don't care about being useful. Do what you want to me, you will anyway.'

'You might want to care about being useful. I've put out an arrest warrant for your friends. Once you've got adjacent cells, and you hear their tortured screams, perhaps you'll be more amenable.'

Noctis's blood froze, but he forced himself up to his knees again. 'But until that day, I'm not giving you a weapon that could kill millions.'

'We'll see,' the man said. 'We'll see. No cooperation, no food. Today you've been rather difficult, so tonight's rations will be withheld. We'll try this again tomorrow. If you decide to obey, you'll get some food. If not, you'll go hungry again. You'll learn. Even dogs of Lucis can learn.'

The metal door slammed shut loudly, then there was silence. Noctis was alone. He let himself collapse to the mattress again, feeling every ache in his body. And the fear. Not for himself, but for his friends. He was a prince; he'd been trained to withstand torture. But if his friends were tortured Noctis wasn't sure what he'd do. Hearing Prompto and Ignis and Gladiolus being hurt because of him…he'd give in. He'd help them activate the crystal and use its power.

Noctis curled up as best as he could, with the metal of his handcuffs rubbing his skin raw. Sleep didn't come easily.

-

'Oh man,' Prompto groaned, as he began coming around. All he was aware of was a dull ache in his head, and a sharp pain in his hand. And his throat was as dry as a desert. Slowly the fog in his mind began to lift and he turned onto his back, realising that he had passed out in the grass. It was wet now, and he was wet too. He'd been rained on. Where the hell were his friends? What kind of friends let you pass out on a lawn and stay there to get rained on, no matter how drunk you were? Oh, maybe he'd picked up some wild chick or something? He didn't remember that, and could imagine the glares he'd get from the others when they found out…

Except his friends were laying a few feet away, unconscious in the grass. Prompto crawled over slowly; Gladiolus was half awake, blinking warm amber eyes up at the cloudy sky, but Ignis required a shake to awaken.

'Guys?' Prompto asked. 'What happened? What time is it? What day is it even?'

Ignis sat up, rubbing his head. Everything was blurry, and he realised his glasses had fallen off at some point. He noticed Prompto was holding them out for him, and he took them with slightly trembling hands. It was cold, and he was wet. 'I don't…recall.' He frowned. Then the frown deepened as he saw the state of Prompto's hand, sliced up and dirty with dried blood. He held the hand gently and began probing the wounds.

'Hey oww,' Prompto said, trying to draw his hand back but unable to.

'Hold still, there's a shard of glass in there. I'll get it out.'

'Oww! I'd rather it stayed in there if it hurts this much to get it out.'

'You wouldn't say that if you knew the risk of infection, and of complications. It's nearly…there you go.'

Prompto clutched his freshly bleeding hand to his chest, and groaned again. 'This sucks. I don't even remember how I did it, I hope the guy I punched got off worse than me.'

'More likely you punched a window or something to get glass in the wound like that,' Ignis mused. 'Gladiolus, are you alright?'

The bigger man was just sitting up, and his eyes were wide in confusion. 'Where's Noctis?'

The world stopped. Ignis sat up straighter, and looked around furiously. They were out in the countryside, on a patch of grass near a forest. The car was parked a little way away, but they were the only living souls for miles. Shakily Ignis got to his feet, and stumbled over to the car with the others at his heels. Under his breath he prayed that he'd find Noctis curled up in the backseat, but his heart sank when he found the car empty. He slumped against the side of the vehicle, shaking from more than cold.

'Does anyone remember what happened?' Gladiolus asked angrily, frustrated and scared at not knowing where Noctis was. He was the prince's bodyguard, losing him simply wasn't an option.

'I don't…' Prompto began, biting his lower lip and turning around, as if expecting to see Noctis come walking out of the forest with a smile. 'He can't have gone far, right? Maybe he's waiting for us somewhere?'

'Can't hurt to check out any nearby towns, see if he's there,' Gladiolus pointed out. 'We've got the car, so I doubt waiting around here for him will do much good. We've probably left him somewhere safe and then…something happened.'

'I'd quite like to know what that something was, though,' Ignis said, getting to his feet again and trying to qualm the rising panic within him. 'We'll drive to the nearest town, it’s the best plan we've got.'

So they did just that. For a week they travelled from town to town, staying at inns and trying to make the last of their gil go further as they searched for Prince Noctis. It was as if the man had simply vanished; nobody had seen the dark haired youth.

They eventually came upon a small town close to the Niflheim border, with soldiers roaming the streets in pairs ensuring peace was kept. The war was really stepping up again. As they had done in other towns the group went round each of the inns and hotels discreetly asking receptionists if a dark haired young man had checked in recently. They asked at restaurants and pubs, even the cinema. But nobody had seen anyone of Noctis's description.

Finally they broke for lunch, and Ignis allowed them to spend a little of the remaining gil on buying a hot meal in a small café. They were sitting down to the cooked meal, with Gladiolus tucking in as if he hadn't eaten in days, when the talk show on the television ended and switched to the news.

Ignis found himself wondering how far Noctis could have gone in their absence, and was pondering contacting Lucis to see if the prince had somehow returned home when something caught his attention on the television screen. He dropped his fork with a loud clatter, and felt his heart stop in his chest, as if someone had reached in and squeezed his heart.

'Ignis?' Prompto asked, nudging his friend's arm. 'You okay?'

'Noct…' Ignis breathed, rising to his feet so that he could see the television better. The other two finally turned to look at what the tall man was seeing.

'No,' Prompto said, slumping back in his seat as the energy fled from his body. 'No it can't be…'

Gladiolus suddenly felt sick to his stomach, and rose to stand beside Ignis as the emperor of Niflheim began his speech. With his hand on Noctis's shoulder. The prince looked dreadful; he'd lost weight, so his clothes hung off his thin frame, and his eyes had dark shadows under them.

'Today is a glorious day for our country,' Idola said. 'The end of the war is within our grasp. And we will win. No longer will Niflheim be trodden over, we will rise to be the greatest nation once more.' The old man pushed Noctis forward a little; the prince stumbled a little, but remained on his feet. 'I present to you the mighty prince of Lucis. With his help we can activate the crystal and make it work for us. We will be the country that everybody looks up to. We will advance in leaps and bounds, in technology and medicine. Niflheim will rule above all others.' His hand gripped Noctis's shoulder tightly, and a brief flash of pain rippled across Noctis's face. 'And those who oppose us will be crushed.'

The screen switched to a reporter, who was babbling excitedly about the official footage that Niflehim had just broadcast to each nation. Ignis found himself swaying, though, and Gladiolus had already sat down. Prompto had drawn his legs up so that he was hugging his knees, and was rocking gently back and forth.

'What do we do?' Gladiolus said. 'We have to get him, but…'

'He'll be heavily guarded,' Ignis said, swallowing hard. 'They have to know that by capturing the prince of Lucis they've made things very personal, and that Lucis will send troops to bring him back. They'll be prepared for a large scale attack, so three people will barely make it up to the castle gates.'

'But wait, if they're expecting a huge army, then maybe three people have an advantage?' Prompto said, uncurling his legs a little. 'I mean, there's a huge difference. Perhaps they're over preparing? They won't be expecting anyone so soon, since the Lucis army would have to march. And they won't be expecting just three people. So maybe if we strike now, we'll have the element of surprise?' He looked between Gladiolus and Ignis. 'Maybe? I don't know, it's just a thought. I can't sit here knowing that freak has Noct. What are they going to do to him? He won't help them use the crystal so what will they do?'

Ignis shuddered to think. He knew well what went on in the Lucis dungeons for prisoners of war that refused to cooperate. But Prompto's idea had merit. Ignis sat down, and took a sip of his cooled coffee. 'You may be on to something, though. I've got an idea…'

-

It had been at least a week, as far as Noctis could tell. It was getting hard to focus. His body was numb from the cold, though at least his handcuffs had been taken off. The man with the amber eyes had kept his word, and every day that Noctis had been disobedient he'd been denied food and given only a small amount of water. So far he'd received no food. Noctis wasn't one to comply with enemies, but the weakness was starting to warp his mind. The pain of hunger refused to leave him be, and the dryness of his throat was torture.

The door opened and Noctis didn't even bother to sit up. Whatever they wanted they could go to hell. Someone kicked him and he rolled onto his back, knowing that there'd be another bruise there in a few hours. But he couldn't heal himself; the crystal would activate and they'd start studying him like a lab rat.

'Up,' the amber eyed man said. 'You're in luck, the emperor wants to dine with you.'

Noctis's ears pricked at that, but he refused to let himself be led on. 'Not hungry,' he said.

The man grinned. 'Really? Your ribs say otherwise.'

Noctis said nothing, just lay there. He still wore his thin black t-shirt so the man couldn't possibly see the ribs sticking out. Thanks to their lack of funds he'd already been skipping meals before his capture, so now he was starting to look rather dreadful. But he couldn't let himself be swayed by the promise of food. He couldn't.

'You can either get up now, or wait until tomorrow. Another twenty-four hours. Think you can last that long? You're looking rather pale, prince. And those dark shadows under your eyes can't be healthy. His highness just wants to talk to you. No strings attached. You can't even manage that?'

Well if it was just talking, Noctis thought. He wouldn't have to do anything or say anything. Just listen and ignore. And get a meal. Slowly and shakily he pushed his aching body up, then got to his feet, swaying dangerously. The man grabbed him roughly by the arm and dragged him out of his cell.

'There we go, that wasn't so hard, was it? You'll be dining down here, as filthy as you are right now you're not fit to be seen in the royal palace. Best to keep rats like you out of sight.'

Noctis didn't care where he ate, his stomach was threatening to eat itself if he didn't have something soon. He was dragged in that iron like grip (more bruises to look forward to) into a small room at the end of the corridor. Tables had been pushed together to make a sort of dining table, and the chairs were the metal ones the guards used to sit around and play poker while on duty. Noctis was roughly pushed into one, and the amber eyed guard who refused to tell Noctis his name stood behind him.

'Where is he?' Noctis asked, resisting the urge to pillow his arms on the table and take a quick nap.

'His highness will be here soon.'

'So long as I get something decent to eat,' Noctis said, and slumped back in his chair.

And perhaps he did sleep, because the next thing he knew the emperor himself was sweeping into the room, and the warm scent of gravy and vegetables and meat was following after him. Noctis's stomach growled as the plate was set down in front of the emperor. Idola caught his gaze briefly, then took the knife and fork offered him and began cutting into the beef. He chewed slowly, closed his eyes and sighed in delight.

'Simply delicious,' he said with a smile. 'Apologies, welcome prince Noctis.'

Noctis looked over his shoulder, expecting his own plate to be brought in. 'Uh, do I get dinner?'

Idola blinked in confusion but Noctis could see the light of amusement in his eyes. 'I'm afraid only one plate was prepared. This is most embarrassing, Colonel Nero, could you please see to it that our guest is brought dinner. Poor boy looks like a skeleton.'

Nero - so the amber eyed officer had a name - disappeared from the room.

Noctis found it hard to concentrate on anything but the food in front of Idola.

'So, I'm most pleased that you've decided to join me in these discussions. You'll find things will work much smoother if you agree to cooperate.'

'Yeah,' Noctis said distractedly, as the emperor forked up fluffy mashed potato and oh god was there butter in that?

Idola laughed. 'You do know what I want, don't you Noct? May I call you Noct?'

'I prefer Noctis,' Noctis said. Well actually he preferred Noct, but only when it was a friend calling him it. And Idola was most certainly not a friend.

'Apologies, Noctis it is. Well Noctis, as you know Niflheim recently came into possession of the last crystal.'

You stole it from Lucis, Noctis thought, but said nothing. His hands clenched into fists in his lap, his nails digging painfully into the skin of his palms.

'Unfortunately since we brought it home it's been little more than an obscenely large paperweight. I've had scientists and geologists and even priests take a look at it, but nobody can activate the damn thing. Do you know how frustrating it is? To have gone to the trouble of acquiring it, and then to find it doesn't work? Well, on command, anyway. Strangest thing; occasionally it will activate all on its own. It will glow and emit heat, then it goes dormant again. We think that somebody is drawing power from it. We think that somebody may be you. So we'd like to learn from you, young Noctis. Learn how to harness the power of the crystal. Can you help us do that?'

No, no and a thousand times no you bastard, Noctis thought, but the scent of the food stopped his lips from forming the words. Almost he agreed. Then he caught himself. He thought of his father, his friends, the people in the kingdom of Lucis. If Niflheim could use the crystal all the other nations would be destroyed. It took a lot of effort, but Noctis raised his gaze to meet Idola's. 'No. I won't help you.'

Idola's smile faded, and he dabbed at his lips with a napkin. 'Pity. You're still young, Noctis, you haven't learned the ways of the world yet. When one person does another a favour, they can usually expect to be returned in kind.'

Nero returned with a plate hidden by an ornate metal cloche, which was placed on the table in front of Noctis. Noctis wanted to tear into it there and then, but Nero's hand remained firmly on the lid.

Idola continued. 'You're hungry, you're tired, and I've put you on the spot asking a lot from you so suddenly. I'll give you this evening to consider my offer. This meal is free, however future favours will depend on your cooperation. You'll soon learn the etiquette your father has been remiss in teaching you.'

The cloche was removed and Noctis stared down at his meal; a single bread roll. He wolfed it down anyway, tearing into it hungrily.

Idola rose, and his personal bodyguards followed him. 'I'll see you in the morning prince, in the labs. I have some scientists very interested in meeting you.'

Noctis felt hungrier than before after the roll was eaten, and he was dragged back to his cell and locked away before he could even think to ask for more. Not that they would have given it to him. He went to the window and stood on his tiptoes so that he could see out of the high opening. It looked out across the sea, almost at sea level. The sun was dipping low into the water, the sky was aflame with gold. Noctis wondered where his friends were. If they were even truly still alive. With that unhappy thought he lay back against his thin mattress, trying to find a comfortable position.

The metal door banged open the next morning, and Nero was there in a freshly pressed uniform. Noctis was starting to feel filthy, having not been given the chance to bathe since arriving, and wearing the clothes he had been brought in with. The officer strode forward and pulled Noctis up by the arm, a new favourite habit that had Noctis gasping in pain when the bruises on his upper arm were aggravated.

'The emperor was gracious with you yesterday, but his patience will wear thin soon. I suggest you start thinking twice about your behaviour.'

Noctis refused to answer, but he had no choice other than stagger after the man down hallways, outside and through a cold courtyard, then across to a huge, bustling building. Inside men and women hurried about, talking in what felt like another language. A few gave Noctis a passing glance, but none stopped to speak to him. He was taken to a central chamber, the largest room of the building by necessity; the last remaining crystal in the world was sat right in the middle, with dozens of scientists around it, taking readings, making notes, chatting excitedly. When they saw him they hurried over and dragged him to the crystal and bombarded him with a thousand questions on how it worked.

'Enough,' called a deep voice, and everybody fell silent. Emperor Idola stepped into the room, flanked by bodyguards, and made his way to the crystal. 'Beautiful, isn't it? I can see why your family protected it so vehemently.'

'We protected it to keep it from the wrong hands,' Noctis said.

'Who is to say which set of hands are the right ones? You've killed with the power the crystal has granted you.'

'Out of necessity, because I've been attacked by your soldiers,' Noctis said.

'Perhaps. The war will be over soon, though. With the power of the crystal behind us Niflheim will rise above and offer protection to the countries that swear loyalty to us.'

'And those that don't?' Noctis challenged.

Idola smiled. 'The crystal's power will also come in handy for that eventuality.'

'And you think that I'll help you use it?' Noctis asked. 'You're out of your mind.'

'Perhaps I am, but you're not in a very strong bargaining position, Prince Noctis. You're weak, you're injured, and I can make both of those ailments so much worse. Or I can help you. I can offer you food. Water to quench your thirst. Potions for your bruises. All I ask is for a little help unlocking the mystery of the crystal.'

'I'd rather die,' Noctis said. If he helped Idola harness the crystal's power he was dead anyway. Along with everyone that he cared about and thousands of innocent people.

'While that can be arranged I'd prefer for it not to come that that. So dramatic, it must be your age. I remember in my youth I was as passionate and defiant as you are.' Idola sighed. 'I had hoped it wouldn't come to petty threats, but I feel obligated to warn you.'

Noctis tried not to sound interested. 'About what?'

'Your friends. Your tattooed brute of a bodyguard, the intelligent man with glasses, and the…ah, ruffian you do so like to keep around. I've upped the bounty on them considerably. Hunters and soldiers across the lands will be searching for them in full force and once they find them and bring them here, well…let's just say they're more expendable than you are. You may be willing to die for your cause, but are you willing to let them die for it?'

Noctis felt faint, and held on tightly to the rail around the crystal as the blood rushed from his face.

Idola had seen what he'd needed to see, though. Had seen how terrified the prince had been, how strong the bond between the men was. They weren't just his friends, they were so much more. Idola smiled. 'We'll talk more soon, there's still time for you to make your decision on whether you're willing to assist or not. For today, however, there are a few tests I'd like to run that don't require your cooperation. Professor Simms, he's all yours.'

Idola swept away, but in his place was a thin, blonde bespectacled man, grinning widely. 'If you'll come with me,' he said in a strangely high voice.

'No,' Noctis said, stepping backward. He bumped into Nero, though, and the huge man grabbed him by the waist and slung him over his shoulder. Noctis was too weak to do much more than pound his fists on the officer's back, which seemed to be of no use whatsoever. Then he was dumped onto a bed and straps shackled to his arms and legs. Struggling was no good, they were far too strong. Instead Noctis tried to calm his breathing and twisted his neck so that he could see what the professor was doing.

The man had a needle in his hand, and a grin on his face. 'Don't worry, prince. Just a few tests. We'd like to understand what makes you biologically different so that you'd be able to control the crystal. Simple tests, but, um, let's just say it will be kinder for you if you're not awake to enjoy them. Goodnight, prince.'

The needle was injected into his neck, and Noctis started struggling again. He swore, he twisted, but it was no use. The world became cloudy, the sounds faded to nothing. And he fell asleep, at the mercy of his deranged captors.

-

The plan was brilliant in its simplicity. The three friends had simply attacked soldiers when the streets were clear, and stolen their uniforms. All that remained was to walk right into the palace, find Noctis and break him out. They were striding with purpose across the huge drawbridge leading into the castle when they were stopped by the guards at the door.

'Password?' the leftmost guard asked in a bored tone.

Ignis thought fast. 'Crystal,' he said simply.

The guard frowned. 'That's not today's password.'

'Ah, I'm terrible with these, I keep forgetting,' Ignis said, slapping a hand to his forehead. 'Do either of you remember today's password?'

Gladiolus shrugged. 'Don't ask me, it's your job to get it. Last I heard it was Emperor.'

Prompto huffed and swung his gun over his shoulder. 'Come on guys, we've got to report in before we can go home. We've been patrolling since six this morning, my feet ache. I just wanna go home and grab a beer. For crying out loud who else would we be, wearing this stuff? You think we went to the trouble of stealing it just so we could go have a nose around the castle? I've got better things to do with my time.'

The guard laughed, and stood aside. 'Sorry, you know the rules are crazy right now with the prince here. Go on, get in. This once. But start writing it down on your hand or something, that's what I do.'

'Excellent idea,' Ignis said, nodding. 'Thank you, my wife will be most happy when I get back in time for tea.'

Once the doors were closed behind them Gladiolus nudged Ignis. 'Wife? Come on, we were going for realism here. Nobody will ever believe you have a wife.'

Slightly offended Ignis was about to ask why that was so when they heard footsteps. More guards. So they fell into step and pretended to be doing something actually useful, and pretended to know where they were going.

'He'll be in the dungeons, I imagine,' Ignis said in a hushed whisper. 'So aim down.'

They passed by the huge ballroom being set up for an event that evening, and the throne room which was empty. The kitchens were bustling as cooks prepared for whatever feast was accompanying the event. Finally they passed by a small guard room, empty bar a cold cup of tea. Ignis stopped so suddenly that Prompto walked right into him.

'Now what?' the blonde grumbled.

'We're famous,' Ignis said in disbelief, pointing to the television. Mug shots of the three of them were displayed on the news bulletin, along with the text "wanted fugitives - five hundred thousand gil reward".

'Wow. We're worth a lot. I almost feel like turning us in myself,' Prompto said. 'They could have used a nicer photo, though, I look really tired.'

The images turned to a picture of Idola speaking to the camera in front of the crystal. 'We've learned much from the prince of Lucis, our research into the crystal is progressing smoothly. It seems our estimations were modest, and the crystal's potential has far exceeded our expectations. Soon the power will be ours to use. The time of war will soon be passed.'

However the three men weren't listening to the old man. In the background they could just make out Noctis, looking even worse than before. Noctis's dark clothing hung off his skinny frame, and there was a thick bandage on his right arm, and around his neck. His eyes were dark and hollow, and looked out at nothing as if his mind had been wiped clean.

'He looks…damn,' Prompto said, holding his gun close to his chest. 'What have they done to him?'

'He's a prisoner of war, and a prince of an enemy kingdom,' Ignis said softly. 'They're keeping him alive because he has something they want, but as soon as they've got what they need from him…'

'We need to get moving,' Gladiolus said. There were no arguments. They resumed their search and found the treasury, and were backtracking to the ballroom when they heard commotion. Soldiers ran past them, and encouraged them on so that they had to run too. Back to the foyer, to the huge doors at the entrance of the castle. The doors were wide open, hanging off their hinges, and fighting had broken out between the guards and a single opponent.

'Oh no,' Ignis said.

'Where is he?' roared the fighter, slamming a fist into the jaw of a guard. 'What have you done with Prince Noctis? The Kingdom of Lucis will not stand for this, you will pay with your blood.'

'Should we help him?' Prompto asked with a sigh.

'We'll blow our cover,' Gladiolus pointed out.

The decision was made for them when a guard recognised them. 'Hey! Hey! It's the prince's friends, the ones with the bounty.'

The man in the midst of the fighting looked up, and caught Ignis's gaze. 'You're here?' the man said.

'We are, Cor. We were going to save the prince, but I think we've screwed up.'

Cor Leonis of the royal guard nodded. 'Damn right you have. Give me a hand here?'

Ignis nodded. 'Well boys, let's get moving.'

The fight was over fairly quickly with the aid of one of Lucis's best fighters. Between Cor and Gladiolus there was very little for Ignis and Prompto to do except pick off the few stragglers that were trying to run away and alert others to the fighting. Once the area was clear Cor turned on them.

'You had one job. You were entrusted to look after the prince, and then we find him paraded in the news like a common criminal, at the hands of Idola. Do you have any idea what you've done? Where were you when he was captured? I expected to find the three of you dead, it was the only explanation I could think of that you'd have allowed this to happen.'

'Hey, listen-' Prompto began, but Ignis placed a hand on his shoulder.

'We failed. We were knocked out, he was taken. We're trying to get him back. What more can we do?'

Cor looked him in the eye for a long moment, then nodded gruffly. 'S'just seeing him on that screen. He's a prince. He shouldn't have to suffer this indignity.'

'I think he's probably more worried about staying alive right now,' Gladiolus said. 'You gonna help us, Cor?'

The older man sighed. 'Well you're not going to do it alone.'

'We got in here undetected, unlike you,' Prompto pointed out.

'You're also plastered all over the news with a huge bounty on your heads,' Cor pointed out in return. 'Have you found where he's being held?'

Ignis flushed. 'Ah, no.'

'Excellent. So your plan was just to wander around and hope you stumbled upon him?'

Prompto flushed. 'Kinda?'

Cor sighed again, and rubbed at his temples. He was like an older version of Ignis. 'Ignis, I'm surprised at you. You've been here before.'

'Not to the dungeons,' Ignis pointed out.

'Me either, but I'll find them. Because Prince Noctis needs me to. Come on, I might find some use for you.'

Angry and ashamed the three followed Cor, on guard for more soldiers, but feeling safer knowing the older man was with them. He might have been an ass, but with his training and experience he was a deadly addition to the team.

-

'Use a spell,' Idola demanded.

Noctis snorted. 'No.'

They'd been at it for what felt like hours. When Noctis had woken up the next day it was to find his body covered in bandages, and so stiff and sore he could barely move. The crook of his right arm was a mass of bruises and puncture wounds where they'd drawn blood roughly, good deals of it if the dizziness was anything to go by. Now they had samples of his blood and scans of his body that the scientists were having a field day analysing.

'We can do this the easy way or the hard way. A simple healing spell will suffice. You have enough bruises and cuts that you must be desperate to heal a few of them?'

'Not really,' Noctis repeated.

The emperor's eyes narrowed, he took a gun from a soldier and shot Noctis in the leg. 'Now use your magic.'

Noctis screamed, and collapsed to the floor clutching his leg. The pain was sharp, and the warmth of the blood soaking the leg of his trousers was worrying. He'd lost blood from their tests so to lose more, while he was weakened anyway, was bad news. He tried to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.

'Heal yourself, or you'll die,' the emperor said.

With a determined shake of his head Noctis clutched at the wound and curled up in a ball. The message was clear; he'd rather die.

Idola finally gave in. 'Force a potion into him. We'll try again tomorrow. No rations tonight, minimal water. Noctis, if you don't hurry up and tell me what I need to know there's not going to be anything left for your friends to rescue.'

Noctis perked up at that, but the emperor had already gone. That meant his friends were still alive. The thought spurred him on as he was dragged back to his cell. Nero forced his mouth open and made sure he drank the damn potion to heal the bullet wound before locking the door behind him as he left Noctis alone again.

-

They stole Cor a uniform. He'd grudgingly admitted it was a decent plan, though he made the others wear the helmets so they weren't so easily identified as they moved through the castle, heading for the dungeons. They descended a set of stone steps and the temperature dropped as they entered the carved hallways. Doors lined the corridor, some were swung open with the cells obviously empty, others were shut tight. Behind one a strange banging could be heard.

'Do we check each of them?' Prompto asked, going up to one of the closed doors.

'If somebody sees us randomly checking prison cells it's going to trigger alarm bells,' Cor said. 'Ignis, you were always best with magic. Can you feel the prince or anything? Perhaps if you draw a spell through him you could figure out where he is?'

Ignis had never thought of it like that before, but using the prince's magic did give them a certain bond. Noctis had always been right by his side whenever he'd drawn magic, but it made sense that he would be more aware of the other man while using it. 'I can try.'

'Then try,' Cor said, turning around to keep watch down the corridor. 'Try hard; they'll find those soldiers soon and they'll know we're here.'

'No pressure,' Ignis muttered, but clenched his fist and thought of fire. It was always the easiest spell for him to draw, the other elements simply didn't come as easily, if at all. Healing was something that he could draw fantastically well when pumped up on adrenaline in a fight, but not so well when there was no reason to use it. So he closed his eyes and reached out with his mind, trying to connect with Noctis, and use the man as a conduit to the crystal to tap into the magic. It took a long while, as if Noctis had put up barriers to stop him, but eventually he felt the essence of his prince. Instead of trying to actually form a fire spell though he concentrated on the direction of the feeling. It was coming from the left. His feet began moving of their own accord, and the hum in his heart grew stronger with every step he took. He was definitely going in the right direction.

Footsteps behind him told him that the others were following, so he just concentrated on Noctis. Pictured his prince in his mind and desperately tried to work his way through the maze of the dungeons to find him. The footsteps behind him grew louder, faster, and that was when he realised they weren't his friends. Soldiers ran past, yelling to them to hurry up.

'What's going on?' Cor asked.

'I don't-' Ignis began.

They hurried after the soldiers, to where a large group was waiting outside a single cell. A tall man with amber eyes was opening up the door, and disappeared inside just as they arrived.

'You don't suppose this is…you know?' Prompto whispered.

'It is,' Ignis said. The lingering traces of magic were thick in the air. 'He's here.'

They weren't kept waiting long; seconds later the amber eyed man came back out, with Noctis draped over his shoulder. The prince looked half dead, hanging as limp as a rag doll. He was carried down the corridor and soldiers scrambled to follow. The only sign of life in the prince was when his gaze briefly came across Cor. There was a moment of recognition, then the light faded from his eyes again, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing so his exhausted mind rejected it.

'At least he's still alive,' Ignis said calmly.

'That's not alive,' Prompto said in a small voice. 'We need to get him the hell out of here. And we need to kick ass too, to make them pay for what they did to him.'

For once Cor seemed to be in agreement. 'Come on. We'll follow them wherever they're going.'

'And then?' Gladiolus asked.

'Then we give 'em hell,' Cor said, cracking his knuckles.

Nobody found fault with the plan.

-

Noctis was losing his mind. That was the one thing he'd had left, he mused sadly, as he was dropped to the floor at Emperor Idola's feet. His body was broken and battered, but he'd kept his sharp mind. His ability to resist. But when he'd been carried from his cell he could have sworn he'd seen Cor Leonis, his father's personal guard. How crazy was that? What would Cor be doing amid the soldiers deep inside Niflheim's castle?

'It's taken longer than I'd thought,' Idola began, 'but you've finally seen sense. It didn't have to be this way; you are royalty, after all, and I feel terrible for what you've put yourself through. Thankfully we can progress things in a much more dignified manner from now on.'

What? Okay, Noctis was now a hundred and eleven percent sure that he's finally cracked. What was the emperor banging on about? As exhausted and thirsty and hungry as he was Noctis could only manage a word: 'Huh?'

'The crystal activated a few minutes ago. You drew magic, I assume?'

'No.' A lie, sort of. He'd felt something as he'd lain on the mattress, halfway between consciousness and sleep. But he was pretty sure he hadn't intentionally drawn magic. He'd been so careful not to, as much as his body had been crying out for a healing spell.

The emperor didn't look convinced. 'The crystal didn't just activate itself. You're the only…' the emperor paused. His head snapped up. 'Search the dungeons. The fugitives might be here.' Then he crouched down to Noctis. 'If it wasn't you, then I think we may have intruders.'

Noctis's stomach twisted painfully. That had been the feeling; second hand magic. Someone had tried to use magic through him. The idiots, what had they come here for? They were going to get themselves killed!

'It was me,' Noctis croaked, trying to get to his knees. His muscles ached, his leg ached from being shot.

Idola looked at him through narrowed eyes. 'First it wasn't you, now it was you. I have to wonder about this change of heart.'

'No point in lying, you're too smart for that,' Noctis said, hoping to appeal to the emperor's ego.

For a moment it seemed to work, then the old man just smiled. 'They're definitely here. Find them. Bring them to me. With them I'll make Noctis tell me every last damn secret this crystal has.'

-

Cor led the way, down the corridor that the soldiers had disappeared down. What he wasn't expecting was to find them coming back toward them. He paused, then looked back at the other three. 'We have a problem,' the older man said.

'There they are!' shouted a voice from behind him.

'A big problem,' he amended. 'Change of plan; run.'

Unfortunately the layout of the dungeons was unknown to them, and as soon as they backtracked they met with another group of soldiers. Prompto shot one, while Gladiolus smashed his fist into the stomach of another, but there were just too many. Soldiers grabbed each of them and shoved them roughly back down the corridor, across a courtyard and then into a large building. They went through several rooms, past people staring openly at them, until they came to a huge chamber. The stolen crystal loomed large and pale, completely inert. But none of them were interested in that; their gazes all fell upon Noctis, collapsed on the floor in a heap by Idola's feet.

Idola grinned and crouched down. He grabbed Noctis's hair and forced the prince too look over at the group.

'Take their helmets off,' Idola ordered. Soldiers pulled at the helmets and revealed Prompto, Ignis and Gladiolus beside Cor.

Noctis felt his heart sink. This couldn't be real; it was his worst nightmare. Seeing his friends captured too, knowing what fate awaited them.

'I wonder. Which one is most important to you? I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Start shooting them one at a time. The faster you start talking, Noctis, the more of them you'll save.'

Through unfocused eyes Noctis took in the sight of his friends, and the soldiers aiming guns. These men had come all this way to save him, risked their lives. He loved them more than brothers. The thought of any one of them dying for him was unbearable. More than the hunger, more than the thirst, more than the pain at being beaten and the dread of being left to die in his cell, this was what finally broke him.

'No…' Noctis said, feeling his heart shatter into a thousand pieces. He was going to condemn thousands to death. But if there was even the smallest chance of saving his friends then he had to do it. 'I'll make it work. The crystal, I'll make it work.' It was as if he wasn't saying the words. He felt dissociated from his body, as if he was watching someone else speak for him.

'No, your highness,' Gladiolus said.

Idola ignored the tattooed man, however, and concentrated on Noctis. 'Activate it.'

Blinded by tears, Noctis struggled to his knees and closed his eyes. He was running low on energy, there was barely anything left inside him, but he had to do this. To save them. He called to the crystal, begged it to activate. To bathe them in its glow and shower magic all around. To shut the damn emperor up and give him what he wanted. But when Noctis opened his eyes nothing had happened. The crystal was cold. Why wasn't it working? Why wouldn't it activate for him? Didn't he want to save his friends? He started to panic, reached out further, screamed in his mind to make the crystal work.

'I'm waiting, Noctis,' Idola said impatiently.

'I…don't know what…'

'Shoot one, maybe that will speed things up,' Idola said. 'Go for the blonde, I don't like his eyes.'

Prompto! Noctis felt a flash of fear run through him, and that was when it happened. The crystal began to glow, softly at first but burning brighter by the second. So struck by the phenomenon fortunately the soldier never got around to shooting Prompto. They were all transfixed by the glow of the crystal.

Idola smiled. ' With this I can rule the world. Quick, you fools, start taking readings on it.'

Noctis knew what he had to do. He kept the energy burning, kept the glow moving, but he turned back to his friends. Weakly he raised his hand to his face and covered his eyes in warning. Ignis was the one to realise what he meant, and urged the others to put on their helmets. As soon as they were on Noctis drew power with everything that he had. He reached out to the crystal, drew the energy, stoked it like a flame, and overloaded the damn thing. Brighter and brighter it glowed, until the emperor finally realised the danger.

'Everybody out! Now!' he cried, shielding his eyes as the light began to burn their eyes. People began shouting, screaming as they stumbled over one another. The crystal sang a high pitched song as the power within it grew exponentially.

Noctis felt something grab his arm and he twisted away, thinking it was Nero, but the voice that spoke his name was softer, kinder. Gladiolus. With a sob of relief, Noctis allowed himself to fall into his bodyguard's arms, and then he knew no more.

With the connection to the prince broken the crystal began to calm, but the group used the resulting panic to escape. Gladiolus held Noctis's body close, frightened by how frail the prince felt in his arms. He followed the group as they ran from the room, but of course it was never going to be that easy. When did they ever catch a break? Idola was there, outside in the courtyard, with twenty or more armed soldiers waiting for them.

Cor cursed, and tore his helmet off. 'Lucis will never forget this,' he promised.

Idola smiled. 'I wouldn't expect them to. But we're not done yet, Noctis hasn't told me a single thing about the crystal. I still need him, I'm afraid, and it seems he works best when his friends are threatened so you're all going to become honoured guests.'

'Screw that,' Prompto said, raising his gun. 'We're outta here, right guys?'

'Right,' Cor said in a gruff voice. He cracked his knuckles then looked about his team; the strongest was currently carrying the prince and while he'd have preferred Gladiolus to fight alongside him protecting Noctis was paramount. Instead he'd have to make do with the advisor and the maverick watching his back. Not a happy thought. But the situation was rather an unusual one, so he threw caution to the wind and charged at the soldiers, screaming a war cry as he let his fists do the talking.

Prompto was right behind him, whooping with joy as he got a chance to have some fun. He had a new partner to co-op with, and Cor proved to be even better to use as a springboard for acrobatic attacks that Gladiolus was. Ignis moved quickly and precisely, dodging bullets and slashes from swords and striking hard and fast.

Gladiolus wished he could help, but he had his arms full. The temptation to set Noctis down and join the fray was high, but if someone were to recapture the prince while he was distracted he'd never forgive himself. So all he could do was hold Noctis close and try to shield him and keep him safe from stray bullets, or soldiers that got too close. He was able to kick the legs out from one, but that was as active as he got.

Cor was on fire. He grabbed weapons from soldiers that he took down, and used axes, swords and guns with practiced ease, mowing through the seemingly endless supply of troops. Finally they were almost alone, and Idola was backed up against a wall, looking decidedly less confident. Cor grabbed a sword and aimed the blade at the man. 'Like I said; Lucis will not forget this.' He drove the sword toward Idola who screamed, only to have the blade slam into the wall beside his head. Idola crumpled to the floor as his legs gave out beneath him.

After that it was a simple exercise of fighting back through the castle. The corridors were thin which meant that the small group couldn't be overwhelmed, and were able to fight one to one most of the time while forcing their way forward. Once they were out of the castle, thought the doors that were still rocking on broken hinges from Cor's dramatic entrance, it was an easy thing to slip into the crowds of the town, acting like soldiers that had simply found a wounded civilian and were carrying him to a healer.

Once they arrived back at the car, parked on the outskirts of the town, they changed back into normal clothing and ditched the soldier uniforms. Cor borrowed from Gladiolus, and looked rather fetching with a bare chest of rippling muscle. Even Gladiolus had to admit he was impressed.

'Considering the circumstances it would be wise for you to return to Lucis and regroup,' Cor said, leaning against the car as Gladiolus got the prince settled into the backseat.

Sliding his glasses further up his nose Ignis watched the prince through the tinted window of the car. 'As you've pointed out on many occasions, we're not known for being wise. If Prince Noctis were to wake up and find that we'd brought him all the way home after what we've been through I can assure you life would not be worth living for any of us.'

The corner of Cor's lips twitched into something that may have been an attempt at a smile. 'Stubborn. A Caelum family trait.'

'Indeed,' Ignis said.

Cor sighed. 'I'll return and let them know the prince is safe, and continuing his journey. But make sure he-'

'We'll find an inn far enough away for safety. We'll stay under assumed name, he'll never leave the room to be recognised. We'll nurse him back to health and only then will we continue,' Ignis promised.

'Good. Good,' Cor said, and sighed again. 'Nothin' more for me to do, then. Take care of him.'

'It's our job to take care of him,' Ignis said, as Cor left the group. 'And our duty, as friends,' he amended, under his breath. Not a single one of them felt it a chore to look after the prince, it was simply how things were. If he was hurt, they helped him. And they did it with love. End of story.

Prompto was already in the backseat, with Noctis's head on his shoulder as the prince slept. Prompto had an arm around the other man, and was running slim fingers through Noctis's hair while he idly stared ahead at nothing.

Gladiolus was leaning against the passenger side door, watching him with serious brown eyes. 'Heard you talking to Cor. Is an inn safe?'

'Probably not,' Ignis said with a sigh, feeling tired all the way to his bones. 'But look at him. He needs a proper bed he needs food and drink and he needs to rest.'

'Inns are full of people, though. And we've all made the news recently as wanted criminals.'

'Well what else would you suggest?' Ignis asked, feeling frustration rise within him. The fear of losing Noctis, of finding him half dead and of the hopeless situation was getting to him. He felt like an elastic band ready to snap.

Gladiolus held his hands up in surrender. 'Hey, just a thought. Why don't we rent a cottage or something? Somewhere out in the sticks, where people might not have heard of us. That way we limit the amount of people that see us, while Noct has time to get back on his feet.'

For a moment Ignis said nothing, then he began to smile. 'That is a truly fantastic idea. With one drawback; we don't even really have the money for an inn. Where are we going to find the money for a cottage?'

Gladiolus grinned and held up a plastic card. 'Cor's leaving gift. Unmarked, nobody will know its Lucis property, but it has no limit. No limit. We can have behemoth burgers every night of the week, baby.'

Ignis could have kissed Cor if he were still there. They had everything they needed, they could really do this. 'Get in. We'll find somewhere.'

And somewhere they found. It was getting dark when they happened upon a small cluster of cottages in a little hamlet two hundred miles from Niflheim. A nice, safe distance, Ignis felt, as he made contact with a lovely little old couple who rented him the outmost cottage. It was fairly sizeable, with three bedrooms and a sofabed in the lounge. The first thing was to set a fire going, and with the warm crackling glow the group began settling in. Ignis went back to the elderly couple to ask the direction of the nearest shop, and was told that it was far too late for him to be driving around and so he left their home with a huge tub of leftover soup and a batch of fresh rolls. Ignis was in charge of heating it all up in the little kitchen while Gladiolus and Prompto sorted Noctis out.

Noctis was set on the bed in the largest room, and his two friends perched on the sides of the bed either side of him. Prompto brushed back greasy hair from Noctis's sunken eyes, his fingers trailing across Noctis's cheek and he drew his hand back.

'He looks like hell,' Prompto breathed.

Gladiolus took Noctis's hand in his own; the thin fingers were dwarfed by his larger hand. 'He's been through hell. God knows what they did to him to get him to teach them the secrets of the crystal. He withstood it all, though. He didn't tell them a thing.'

'Think he needs a bath, though. Maybe we should…? He's not going to be strong enough to do it himself for a while. It might be nicer for him to feel clean.'

Gladiolus nodded. 'I'll run a bath. We can check out his injuries too.' The tattooed man left to the large bathroom and set the bath running. Thankfully the cottage came with basic toiletries so they didn't have to go out to buy anything that night. Once the water was ready Gladiolus returned to the bedroom to find Prompto lying on the bed with Noctis, pressed up against his side.

'He was calling out,' Prompto explained.

Gladiolus smiled softly. 'He'll figure out he's safe and sound soon. Let's get him clean, yeah?'

Prompto reluctantly pulled back, and helped Gladiolus remove the prince's filthy clothing. The black cloth was soiled with blood in places, and ripped in others. The garments were ruined, but Noctis had other clothes he could wear. None of which would fit particularly well after his ordeal, but they'd have to do.

Noctis was thinner than they'd ever seen him, and bruised beyond belief. His ribs were a mass of dark purple, fading to green and pale yellow where they'd been allowed to heal. Once the filthy bandages had been removed a hand-shaped bruise on Noctis's upper arm stood out against pale flesh, and the crook of his right elbow was covered in dried blood from various puncture wounds from needles taking blood.

Prompto left the room with his hand clapped over his mouth, leaving Gladiolus to gently smooth his prince's hair back. 'We'll make them pay, your highness. One day soon the kingdom of Niflheim will pay for everything they've done to you and Lucis. I swear on my life.'

'And for what?' Prompto asked, suddenly reappearing in the doorway. His bright blue eyes shone with unshed tears and his small hand was balled into a tight fist. 'What the hell is any of this for? Why did they start a war in the first place? Why did they do this to Noctis? For a damn crystal? What the hell? How is that worth any of this? Look what they've done to him! Just because he wouldn't tell them how to use a damn crystal. This world is insane.'

Arms wrapped around Prompto and pulled ham back into a hug. Ignis held the smaller man for a moment until he was calmer, then let him go. 'None of it makes sense, but the world isn't a sensible place. The crystal has the potential for unimaginable power, and Idola is a mad old man who craves power. And Noctis is the key to all. He'd never have killed the prince, Noctis is too valuable to him.'

Prompto still didn't look happy, but he calmed down a bit after that and helped Gladiolus wash the unconscious man and get him dressed in fresh clothes with bandages reapplied and then tucked up in bed, just as the scent of soup wafted in from the kitchen.

Ignis reappeared in the doorway and folded his arms across his chest. 'I don't suppose Noctis has woken?'

'Not yet,' Gladiolus said. 'I'm guessing he didn't get much sleep while a guest of Niflheim.'

Ignis nodded. 'He needs to eat, though. I think we need to wake him.'

Nobody was particularly enthusiastic about the task, since Noctis needed his sleep, but Noctis had started tossing and turning as if having a bad dream, so Prompto gently shook him awake. It didn't take much before Noctis's eyes flew open and he gasped as if he'd been holding his breath.

'Whoa, take it easy,' Gladiolus said, gently pressing Noctis back against the bed. 'You don't need to be jumping around like that, save your strength.'

Prompto was quick to set Noctis's pillows behind him so the dark haired man could sit up. Noctis sank into them, looking pale and washed out, but a little brighter now that he was clean.

'Where are we?' he asked in a weak voice.

'We've rented a cottage, we're going to stay here for a little bit while you recover, prince,' Ignis said.

'Yup. Sleep and eat and sleep. That's kind of all you have to do for a while,' Prompto said. 'Lots of both, no offence, you kind of look terrible. Adorable, but terrible.'

'Thirsty,' Noctis said.

Ignis was barely gone two seconds before a glass of cool water was pressed to Noctis's lips. The prince's hand shook so badly he couldn't hold it himself, so allowed Ignis to steady the glass for him while he drank half of it in one.

'Not too much at once, you'll make yourself sick,' Ignis said softly. 'Go slowly, we've got plenty of time for you to heal.'

Noctis swallowed and licked his dry, cracked lips.

'How about a little soup? You need something inside you before you fade away to nothing. And a potion to help heal those bruises.'

Noctis nodded again, not really taking in any of it. His crystal blue eyes were staring unfocused at the wall in front of him.

Ignis returned with three bowls of soup and a stack of rolls. He handed bowls to the other two, then sat down on the bed before Noctis. 'Soup is probably best tonight, to go easy on your stomach,' Ignis said, swirling the spoon in the blitzed, smooth soup. It smelled tasty, homemade. 'Do you want to do it yourself?' Ignis asked, holding the bowl out to Noctis.

Moving slowly and stiffly Noctis raised his left arm to take the spoon; the right arm had been re-covered in thick bandages around the elbow. He awkwardly spooned up some soup, and ate painstakingly slowly. Ignis had only filled the bowl part way, but Noctis ate only half of it before he let go of the spoon. His gaze was fixed on the roll in Prompto's hand, which the blonde was chewing while he spoke to Gladiolus.

'We'll try you on solid food tomorrow. We'll see how your body does with soup first,' Ignis promised, mistaking Noctis's gaze for longing.

No, Noctis just felt sick looking at the roll. It had been the meal Idola had offered him. Pushing the memory aside forcefully Noctis collapsed back against the pillows while Ignis went off to get himself some of the soup. He fell asleep listening to Prompto's punch line to a terrible, dirty joke, and Gladiolus's roaring laughter.

He dreamed vividly. Of Idola, of Nero, of the cell he had been in. He dreamed of missing his friends, and he dreamed of them being tossed into cells next to his. He woke screaming.

It was dark but he was warm, and the bed beneath him was soft. This wasn’t the cell, he wasn't still in Niflheim. He had to remind himself of that several times, though. The light switched on, and Prompto's panicked face appeared beside him. Had he been there watching over him? He must have been; there was a chair beside the bed.

'What? What's wrong?' Prompto asked, fear in his eyes. 'Are you okay? Are you hurting?'

Noctis felt silly for worrying his friend, and reached out to rest a hand on Prompto's arm. 'Sorry, just a dream.'

Prompto settled down a little. 'Sounded more like a nightmare. You're sure you're alright?'

Noctis nodded. He wasn't, but there was no point in worrying his friend over things that couldn't be controlled. How did you wipe memories from your mind? How did you stop the nightmares coming?

There was a long pause, then Prompto got up from his seat. 'Don't believe you, your highness,' he said with a sad smile. 'Permission to invade your personal space.'

'Since when have you asked?'

'Since you got taken away from me and almost killed,' Prompto answered, but took the answer as positive and lay himself down on the bed next to his friend.

'He wasn't going to kill me,' Noctis said, turning on to his side so he could see Prompto properly. 'He needed me too much. He wants the crystal's power.'

Prompto slipped an arm around Noctis's waist and held the other man close. 'He'll just have to go without. No way he's gettin' you back. No way in hell. I promise, Noct, I'll never let him get his filthy hands on you again.'

Noctis smiled. 'Thanks, Prom.'

'And we'll get the crystal back, too. It belongs to you and Lucis.'

Noctis smiled again, and his eyes began to droop. 'We will,' he said softly, feeling safer now that his friend was close. He'd been alone for so long, cold and terrified. With Prompto there to chase away his fears, sleep came easily.

'And we'll get you better too,' Prompto continued, unaware that Noctis was dropping off. 'We'll all look after you. We love you.'

Noctis hummed, already asleep.

He was stuck on bed rest the next day, as per Ignis's orders. Noctis felt well enough to get up and stretch his legs, but his advisor reminded him of the nature of his role, and advised him that letting his body rest in bed for another day would help him regain his strength faster. So while Ignis and Prompto took the car and went shopping, Gladiolus was left to entertain him.

'It's not that I don't want to play strip poker,' Gladiolus said carefully. 'It's just that I'm at a bit of a disadvantage.'

'You should wear more clothes,' Noctis pointed out. 'Okay fine, what am I allowed to do then? I've spent the last week just lying around doing nothing, I can't just sit in bed like this. I need to be doing something. I need to be useful.'

'I know, your highness,' Gladiolus said with a sigh. 'But right now the best thing you can do for us is relax and get better.'

'I am better,' Noctis snapped. 'I'm here, I'm alive, what more do you want?' For a few seconds neither man spoke, then Noctis's pale cheeks heated up and he looked away. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you.' Noctis choked out a laugh and ran a shaky hand through his hair. 'I just feel all messed up. I want to be doing something to end this damn war.'

'You've been through a lot. But this is what Ignis means when he's telling you to slow down for a few days. The war isn't going anywhere, and if you rush in headfirst feeling like you do now you'll end up hurting yourself, or worse. There's no shame in taking time out, Noct. You may be ready but your body isn't. And I'm not sure your mind is quite there yet either, if your nightmares are anything to go by. I know what you're going to say, but maybe you should try taking a nap? See if you can get some proper, undisturbed sleep.'

Noctis wanted to protest, to try and pretend the nightmares didn't happen. That he wasn't afraid to close his eyes in case he saw Idola. But he could see the worry in Gladiolus's eyes, the softness in his voice as if Noctis might shatter if he spoke too loudly. So Noctis tried to sleep, even though his heart pounded against his chest as he closed his eyes. Sleep came easily, but so did the dreams.

Ignis and Prompto returned an hour later with bags full to bursting.

'Did you leave anything in the store?' Gladiolus asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ignis shrugged. 'I don't think so. Prompto insisted we needed it all, that it would aid the prince's recovery. I'm not sure how therapeutic cookie dough is, but Dr Argentum prescribes two tubes daily, apparently.'

Prompto was nodding along sagely. 'Along with various other things. The cookie dough enhances the healing properties of the chocolate cheesecake, you see.'

'Uhuh,' Gladiolus said. 'I think I read that somewhere. We have cheesecake?'

'We have cheesecake, chips, frozen pizza, four flavours of ice cream, some weird biscuit things with cream and jam in them-'

'Basically we stocked up on the essentials,' Prompto explained, holding up a packet of marshmallows. 'We've been camping all this time and haven't toasted a single one of these bad boys. We've been doing things horribly wrong.'

'Clearly,' Gladiolus said, smirking at Ignis. 'As great as this stuff looks, you did buy actual food, right?'

Ignis held up two bags of his own.

Gladiolus sighed in relief. 'Good, because Prompto on a sugar rush is never a good thing.'

'It's for Noctis, you dumbass. He needs junk food to help him get better. Ignis was the one that suggested ice cream in the first place.'

Ignis could feel his headache returning. 'I was thinking of simpler foods for him while he gets used to eating proper meals. Ice cream was one of the suggestions, but I firstly stressed soups and yoghurts. You just heard ice cream and went rushing off for the frozen section.'

Prompto frowned. 'Who wants soup when you can have chocolate caramel swirl ice cream?'

'Boy's got a point,' Gladiolus said, fishing it out and opening the lid before searching for a spoon to try it with. 'Though getting Noctis to agree to soft foods will be a challenge. His highness thinks there's nothing wrong. We're gonna have a fight to get him resting, and if he's got the energy to protest this much then maybe he should be up? If he's doing stuff then at least he's not thinking over what happened.'

For a moment Ignis said nothing, just began unpacking the things from his own bags. Then he sighed, and rested his hands on the table. 'I try to protect him and do what's best for him. Why can't he see that?'

'Because he's twenty-three years old, and a prince, and can use kickass magic and make weapons out of thin air, so thinks he's invincible?' Prompto guessed.

'He's also human, so using kickass magic and summoning weapons and dealing with the demands of being a prince are rather taxing,' Ignis said, rather more angrily than he usually would have.

'I can handle it fine,' came a small voice from the doorway. Noctis was leaning against the frame, looking pale with dark circles under his eyes, and younger than ever with his clothes hanging loose. But there was a determined, hard look to his eyes. 'I want to take Idola down. Until I do that I won't sleep at night. He'll always be there when I close my eyes so long as he has that crystal. The sooner I get it back, the sooner I can relax. The sooner the whole world can relax. Because if Idola figures out how to use the crystal then we're all screwed.'

The room fell silent, but Ignis held Noctis's gaze. Gladiolus was the one to break the tension, by walking over to Noctis and placing a hand gently on his shoulder. 'He's stubborn. Cor said that King Regis was too, especially when he was younger. Guess this is our rite of passage, trying to keep him from killing himself.'

'Fine. But we're staying here for a few days, call it a vacation. We'll plan our next move, and you can gather your strength, then we'll start out again. Does that sound fair?'

'Sounds fair,' Noctis said. 'Did you get coffee?'

Ignis held up the jar with a small smile. 'I knew you'd never let me hear the last of it if I didn't. But you can't survive just on coffee, you need regular sleep and proper food too.'

'Duh, that's why we bought the cookie dough,' Prompto said with an eye roll.

That night after another evening of soup, the group were sat on the large sofa watching a terrible western movie and passing the various flavoured tubs of ice cream between themselves. Even Ignis brought himself to have some, reasoning that the raspberry ripple at least contained traces of fruit.

'Thank you,' Noctis said randomly, swirling his spoon in his ice cream, not really hungry anymore.

Ignis was sat next to him, and the arm wrapped around his prince's shoulders tightened briefly, pulling Noctis closer. 'Nothing to thank us for.'

'There's so much to thank you for that I don't even know where to begin,' Noctis said with a snort of laughter. 'You're all idiots for sneaking into the Niflheim castle for starters, then you put up with me being moody.'

'We always have to do that,' Prompto pointed out.

Noctis kicked him, since his feet were lying in Prompto's lap. 'I know I'm not the easiest person to look out for, but you guys always come through for me. So thank you.'

Gladiolus grinned. 'S'what we're here for. We wouldn't have it any other way. You're our prince, and our best friend. Losing you ain't an option.'

'Damn right, even if you do physically abuse us,' Prompto said, making a show of rubbing his leg where he'd been kicked. After he realised he wasn't getting any sympathy he went back to running his hand up and down Noctis's leg.

Ignis nodded. 'You can be infuriating, but we all have our moments. We love you, that's why we do it. And that's why we don't need thanking. You'd do the same for us.'

'I would,' Noctis said, setting the ice cream container down before he dropped it. He was starting to get sleepy now, sitting in front of the fire, surrounded by the company of his friends.

'Well there you go,' Ignis said, resting his cheek against the top of Noctis's head.

'Do you think if I held the ice cream tub above the fire it would make it go all melty faster?' Prompto mused.

'No, I think it would make a horrible mess,' Ignis said.

And that was the last thing Noctis heard, as he fell asleep feeling warm and loved, and more determined than ever to get the crystal back and end the war to silence his nightmares and keep everyone he loved safe.

Chapter Text

As the sun dipped low in the far off horizon, the sizzle of burgers cooking on the grill was the only sound to be heard in the camp. Ignis was keeping an eye on dinner, while sat in his chair and reading from his tablet. Gladiolus was drinking a can of beer and watching a herd of fenrir gallop across the grassy plains , Prompto was playing a game on his phone, and Noctis had nodded off as usual, with his head on Prompto's shoulder.

For once the group was at peace, perfectly content.

The peace was disturbed by Gladiolus crushing the can in his hand and tossing it over to the rubbish bag, which it missed and nosily fell to the floor. Ignis looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow, but Gladiolus wasn't even looking his way.

'Aren't you going to pick that up?' Ignis asked.

'Later,' Gladiolus said with a yawn, stretching his muscled arms up high above his head.

Unable to bear seeing it sat there, Ignis made the effort of going over and placing it neatly in the bag, then returned to his seat to resume reading after flipping the burgers.

Gladiolus couldn't help a grin. 'Did it really bother you that much?'

'Yes, it bothered me that much,' Ignis said, trying to concentrate on his book.

'You have issues, Ignis,' Prompto said, not looking up from his phone.

'Yes, and two of them are keeping me from my novel,' Ignis said through gritted teeth.

Prompto finally looked up, and exchanged a mischievous look with Gladiolus. 'How on earth are you surviving on the road with three guys like this? It must be driving you nuts.'

Giving up on his book Ignis switched the tablet off and set it down in his lap. 'Sometimes. But I know that you all try to purposely annoy me, so I can look past it. Despite the fact you can be frustrating as hell, you're my friends.'

'Aww, now I feel bad for teasing you,' Prompto said.

Ignis smiled. 'No you don't.'

'No, but I wish I did,' Prompto said, and blew his friend a kiss. 'Love ya, man.'

Ignis rolled his eyes and checked the burgers. 'Dinner will be ready soon, do either of you want to wake the prince?'

'Not especially,' Prompto said, gently moving the dark haired man off his shoulder. 'Last time I was on Noctis wake up duty he slapped me in the face.'

'He has vivid dreams sometimes, I'm sure it wasn't intentional,' Ignis said.

'I swear he was smirking,' Prompto said, but since Gladiolus was conveniently busy looking through the cooler for another beer, Prompto was the only one left. With a sigh the blonde gently reached out to shake Noctis's narrow shoulder. 'Hey? Noct? Come on, time to get up.'

Noctis made a soft, sleeping sound, then slipped to the side of his chair. Prompto was quick to stop him falling and hitting his head on the arm, but the jolt shook the prince awake with a start. 'Uh?'

'Morning, princess,' Prompto said with a grin. 'Or evening, rather.'

Gladiolus got to his feet, and looked out across the dusky grassland. 'Ignis? Those fenrir are getting a bit close.'

Ignis left the grill to stand beside his taller friend, and followed his line of gaze. The wolf-like creatures were definitely coming their way. With a sigh Ignis went to his chair and picked up his katana. 'Let's dispatch of them quickly, we don't want them sneaking up on us while we're eating.'

With a grunt of effort Gladiolus hefted his huge sword into his hands, and slung it over his shoulder as he started off after the other man. He turned back briefly when he saw the others start to get up. 'Keep an eye on the food, we won't be long.'

Noctis frowned. 'They're always telling me not to be reckless, and now they're going off to battle alone.'

'Do as they say, not as they do, I guess?' Prompto said, going over to the grill. 'Besides, if they're late then we get more food.'

'You're hopeless,' Noctis said, rolling his eyes and watching the fight. He itched to be out there, testing his newfound skills. The magic he could call upon hummed inside him, as if telling him it was ready. And Noctis was desperate to summon a weapon and join the fray, using his acrobatic skills to dodge and attack.

A hand squeezed his shoulder. 'You'll get plenty of opportunities to risk your butt in battle. Let them take these things down, they're perfectly capable.'

Noctis settled back in his chair, not entirely satisfied but if Prompto wasn't upset about being left out then there was no reason for him to be either.

On the battlefield Ignis paused from his attack to reach out for Noctis. It had taken a long time to learn how to channel magic through his prince, but now he was getting used to it the spells came faster. It involved forming a mental link to his friend, and once the bond was established the magic was there to be taken. It filled his body with power, and the heat of the spell could be concentrated in his hands, where the flames licked the blades in his hands as he slashed furiously. The fire scared the fenrir, and gave an extra strength to his attacks that brought the pack down faster.

Gladiolus was going for the brute strength approach, and simply knocking the wolves off their feet as he swept his sword close to the ground. It kept them at arms length, but unless the blade caught them they'd just get up again after the stun effect wore off. And once stunned they were angry.

'Why don't you add magic to your attacks?' Ignis asked, in a brief period of respite as they caught their breath standing back to back, with the remaining wolves circling.

'Nah, not my thing. Too delicate and fiddly.'

Ignis spared a smile to his friend. 'Your healing spells are much appreciated, though.'

'Yeah well, different thing. That just kind of happens, you know?' Gladiolus said, hefting his sword up and slashing at a wolf. 'When you see someone you care about bleeding the magic seems to come to you without any effort. It's just there. It's kind of- Watch out!' Gladiolus's eyes widened as he saw a fenrir bounding up to Ignis from behind while his friend was busy with another. He wasn't fast enough to stop the damn beast swiping at the thinner man, but Gladiolus got revenge by bringing his sword down hard and fast to end the miserable creature.

Ignis had fallen to his knees and dropped his weapons as he held a hand to his arm. Three parallel slices had been made in his leather jacket, crimson blood ran hot and thick beneath his fingers. 'Ah, sorry, didn't see him.'

'Don't be sorry,' Gladiolus said gruffly as he fought off another opportunistic fenrir. 'All that matters is are you alright?'

'Fine, just feeling foolish,' Ignis said. But he still hadn't got to his feet.

Gladiolus cast a worried glance back, but there were more fenrir coming. And a huge armoured shelled creature that was slow, but sluggishly heading their way, attracted to the commotion and the prospects of a meal. 'Prompto? Noctis? Think we might need a little help,' he called.

'We don't-' Ignis said, but as he tried to stand he fell back down.

'The hell we don't,' Gladiolus muttered. 'Sit this one out, we'll finish it.'

The two smaller men were battle ready in no time; Noctis materialised a sword in his hand and formed a battle stance as the monsters approached, and Prompto aimed his gun high. They stood in front of Ignis, protecting him from the approaching wolves. Because Ignis had yet to move.

'Ignis?' Noctis asked, worried. He cast a quick glance behind him; Ignis was crouched on the floor, his face screwed up in pain. 'Go back to the camp, grab a potion. I'll come and heal you in a sec,' Noctis said. From a far away glance the wound didn't look particularly bad, but there was something wrong. Maybe it was deeper than it looked? Something didn't sit right with Noctis, so after slicing through the nearest fenrir Noctis turned back to his advisor and crouched beside him. 'Let me take a look.'

Ignis pulled his arm away and growled. Actually growled. 'It's fine,' he snapped.

Noctis's hand hovered where Ignis's arm had been, his eyes wide. In all the years they'd spent together Ignis had never snapped at him before. Even when he'd been doing something really stupid or dangerous, or Ignis had been stressed to breaking point, his taller friend had never been anything but kind. 'Okay. But it's bleeding, and I'm worried. So just take your jacket off quickly and I'll heal it right up. Won't even scar,' Noctis said, reaching out again, this time to help Ignis remove the jacket.

Ignis's hand shot out and slapped Noctis's away. 'It's fine,' he said again, raising his emerald gaze. There was a dark light in his eyes, something that left no room for argument.

Noctis had never taken notice of that look in anybody else and he wasn't about to start now. Not when Ignis was hurt. 'Ignis, I'm just trying to help,' Noctis said, confused. 'Come on, I know it stings, but it could get infected if I don't close the wound up. It'll only take a sec, once I've healed it-'

Ignis growled again and leaped forward, slamming his hands into Noctis's chest and pushing the smaller man over. Noctis was so shocked that he fell easily, landing hard on his back. Ignis was on top of him, straddling his narrow waist and pressing his larger body down onto Noctis. 'I said leave me alone,' he snarled, then shoved Noctis hard so that the prince's head bounced off the ground, and then he sprang to his feet.

'What the hell?' Prompto said, skidding to a stop beside the two just as Ignis shoved past him. Prompto knelt beside Noctis and helped the dazed prince sit up, gently probing the back of his head for bumps. 'You okay?'

'I'm fine, but Ignis…' Noctis said, frowning as he watched Ignis pick up his swords and resume fighting wolves, hacking away almost like Gladiolus, with no regard to tactics. Just slashing and spraying blood everywhere. He hissed as Prompto's fingers brushed against a bump on his head.

'Sorry,' Prompto said softly. 'Here, let me heal you,' Prompto said, drawing magic through Noctis to the tips of his fingers.

Noctis shook his head. 'Save it for Ignis, I think something's seriously wrong with him.'

'Yeah, he caught jerk-itis,' Prompto said with a frown. 'What's up with jumping you like that? He could have knocked you out, he's bigger than you. He could have really hurt you with that stupid trick. What did you even do to him?'

'I offered to heal him,' Noctis said, watching as Ignis tore through the wolves and started on the shelled creature that had finally made its slow way over. The creature curled up and presented its outer armour so that Ignis's swords simply bounced off, but that didn't deter the man. He just kept chipping away angrily.

'What's he doing now?' Prompto asked. 'You can't just attack an armoured monster like that, you wait for it to expose skin, or use a piercing weapon. He's just gonna break his arms if he carried on like that.'

Gladiolus's sword was perfect for creatures like that, so he rushed forward to assist. 'Ignis? Use magic, buddy, or wait for me to open it up, okay?'

'Piss off,' Ignis growled, and continued slashing away, the metal of his blades skimming the surface with each hit. After a particularly tough hit one flew out of his hand. Angrily Ignis flung the other to the floor and began tearing at the rough husk with his bare hands.

'Whoa, whoa, what the hell are you doing?' Gladiolus asked, as he brought his sword down with a hard crack that damaged the shell. 'You're gonna hurt yourself, go back to the camp.'

'Don't tell me what to do, you idiot,' Ignis hissed, hands beating against the shell, bloodied and bruised. Skin was scraped raw, and the flesh of his palms was sliced by the rough edges of the shell. But still Ignis continued, raging and screaming as he kicked and clawed in a frenzy.

Prompto came over helping the prince walk steady with an arm around his shoulders. 'Gladiolus? Can't you finish it off faster?'

'I would if this damn idiot would stop rushing about like a lunatic, I keep nearly hitting him. Can you get him away? He's just gonna hurt himself more.'

'Your wish is my command,' Prompto said, gently removing Noctis's arm from his shoulder. 'You okay to walk?'

'I'm fine, just a bump,' Noctis said. 'More worried about him…'

Prompto watched as Ignis flew at the beast again, beating his fists and leaving smears of blood. '…Me too.'

'I'll help,' Noctis said.

The two of them hovered by Ignis, trying to work out the best way to approach him. After exchanging glances they nodded to each other and leaped forward, grabbing an arm each and pulling the older man back away from the monster. Ignis reacted as they expected; by throwing a hissy fit. He snarled and shook his body, trying to dislodge them. When they held tight he struggled harder, and kicked out, striking Prompto in the shin. Then he turned and bit Noctis in the arm, sinking his teeth into the prince's wrist.

'Jeez, when did he get so strong?' Prompto asked through gritted teeth. It was taking all his strength to keep Ignis's arm held tight.

'No idea…' Noctis said, having the same issue. 'I think he…oww!' Noctis cried out as Ignis finally got his hand free and used it to punch him in the eye. Noctis fell to the floor in an heap, and Ignis used his free hand to shove Prompto away. The blonde went stumbling back and would have fallen too but Gladiolus was there to catch him.

'Right, this ends now,' Gladiolus said, dropping his sword and going over to Ignis. 'Monsters are gone now, you can relax,' Gladiolus said, approaching Ignis as he had the wild animals.

The manic glint in Ignis's eyes as he turned from one member of the group to the next darted about frantically and he looked ready to fight at the barest provocation.

Noctis was back on his feet, but kept his distance this time. 'What's going on with him?'

Gladiolus shook his head with a frown. 'I don't know, it's like he's lost his mind. Stay back, prince, he's already hurt you twice, I don't want to have to hurt him if he goes for you again. I don't think he knows what he's doing.'

It all suddenly clicked, and Noctis gasped. 'Berserk. He's gone berserk.'

'You're telling me,' Prompto said, his hand on his gun. He wouldn't use it, he told himself, not on Ignis. Never on Ignis.

'No, it's an ailment that fenrir monsters can inflict. It must have happened when he got scratched, he must have got infected. It screws with your mind and makes you delusional, makes you see everyone as an enemy. And you're stronger than you normally would be because of the adrenaline dumped into your blood.'

'Oh,' Gladiolus said. 'Makes sense. How do we stop it?'

'Um, that would be where I'd refer to Ignis,' Noctis said. 'But I don't think he's really going to tell us right now.'

Ignis was trembling, looking frantically between each of them like a cornered animal. Deciding that he didn't like the situation he lashed out at his favourite target; Noctis. Ignis was much faster when infected, and Gladiolus wasn't able to get to him before his body slammed into Noctis and knocked them both to the ground again. After yet another head injury Noctis's body gave out and the prince fell unconscious, but Ignis wasn't finished. He grabbed the prince by the front of his shirt and slammed his head down against the ground. He pulled him up again and was about to repeat it when Gladiolus grabbed him from behind, bodily hauling him to his feet and holding him by the throat to his chest with a huge, muscled arm. Even super powered, Ignis was no match for Gladiolus.

'I get that you're not thinking straight, but anyone that attacks the prince answers to me, got it?' Gladiolus says. 'That includes you. Now let's get you healed and sorted out, okay?'

Ignis scratched at Gladiolus's arm, kicked his shins and tried to bite him like he had Noctis. Gladiolus just ignored him, and dragged him back to the camp.

'How's the prince?' Gladiolus called over his shoulder, his heart growing heavy as he looked over to find Noctis's eyes still closed.

Prompto was by the prince's side, though, and lifted Noctis's head into his lap as he gently tapped his cheek. 'Think he's coming round. You sort out Ignis, I'll get Noctis back to camp.'

Gladiolus nodded grimly. 'Fine night this is turnin' out to be.'

Bound by Gladiolus's arms Ignis struggled for all he was worth. The usually mild-mannered man cursed and screamed and threatened, but Gladiolus simply set him down by the campfire and held him tightly while looking around for something to bind his flailing limbs with. There was some rope in the car, but he had to drag Ignis kicking and screaming to the boot while he fished around for it, and then it took all his strength to keep Ignis still enough to tie his hands and feet. Once that was done he rolled out a futon and lay Ignis down so he didn't hurt himself as he writhed against his restraints. Gladiolus sighed sadly as he watched Ignis struggle; this wasn't dignified, and it was hard to watch. But it was the only way to keep all of them safe. He knelt down and placed hands on Ignis's shoulders, trying to calm the other man.

'Get off me!' Ignis screamed, his back arching as he tried to get himself up.

Gladiolus pressed him back against the futon gently. 'Not happening, I'm afraid. You're gonna hurt yourself if you keep twisting around like that. Just try and keep calm, Noctis will be here soon, maybe he can heal you if you haven't knocked him senseless.'

Ignis's face didn't even change at the mention of hurting Noctis, and that more than anything worried Gladiolus. If he were in his right mind Ignis would have been horrified, but instead the man just struggled all the more. Gladiolus glanced up and let out a breath of relief when he saw Prompto helping Noctis over to them.

'You're sure you're okay?' Prompto asked worriedly.

'For the fiftieth time, yes,' Noctis said, with a small smile. It was nice to know they cared, but also slightly frustrating when they hovered quite so much. That said he probably wouldn't have made it back to the camp if his arm hadn't been around Prompto's shoulders, with the blonde leading the way. Noctis's gaze was unfocused from the blow to the head, and when they finally reached camp his hand reached out blindly for the chair arm, of which he could see double. Prompto helped him ease down onto it so he didn't fall on his butt.

'I present his highness prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, the disorientated,' Prompto said, waving a gloved hand at the dark haired man. 'How's our other patient?'

'Not much better, he's not letting up. How long does this last, anyway?' Gladiolus asked.

'I'm really not sure,' Noctis said, his words slightly slurred. 'I can try and heal him?'

'Worth a shot, if you think you're up to it?' Gladiolus said.

Noctis nodded, then winced as the movement sent a flash of pain through his skull. Prompto was by his side, hovering again, and Noctis allowed him to help him off the chair and over to kneel by Ignis. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the crystal, reaching out to it with his mind. He felt the warmth of the flow of magic connect with his body, and was about to tap into the stream of magic when Ignis growled and snapped forward, breaking free from Gladiolus's grasp and nearly dislocating his shoulders trying to get his arms free from the rope.

'Damn!' Prompto yelped, grabbing Noctis and pulling him back just in case Ignis broke free. 'Whatever this is it's really making him strong.'

'Adrenaline, remember?' Noctis said, after the wave of nausea at moving so fast passed. His head dulled to a throb and he sat up again on his own. 'Think about the extra boost of energy you get when you see someone hurt, or you've got a powerful enemy in front of you. Your body gives you an adrenaline rush to deal with it. But Ignis's body is going into overdrive…I have to help him,' Noctis said softly, lifting a hand to gently brush back the sweat soaked hair from Ignis's forehead. His advisor turned away from the touch, and squirmed, once again held down by Gladiolus.

'I'll hold him better this time,' Gladiolus promised solemnly. 'Please try and help him.'

Noctis nodded, and closed his eyes again, re-establishing the connection with the crystal. It came easier, as if the threads of magic had been waiting for him to call them again. They wove together, flowing through his body as Noctis turned the raw power into healing energy, which he passed from his hands and forced down into Ignis. The taller man cried out in pain, and twisted painfully as he fought against the magic being thrust upon him. It took both Gladiolus and Prompto to keep him from hitting out again at Noctis as the man tried to heal him, but once his magic was spent and the spell was cast, Ignis was no better off. In fact he was mumbling incoherently, feverish from madness as he fought against those holding him down.

'I need to…need to…' he muttered.

'You need to what?' Prompto asked.

'I just…' Ignis swallowed hard, moaned, then fell back, shivering violently. 'I can't…I have to…let go…let me go…'

Noctis gently ran a hand through Ignis's hair, trying to soothe the older man as Ignis had done so many times for him. It was his turn to be strong. 'I don't think my magic worked, this might not be something that can be healed. I guess we just have to wait it out, however long that takes. And make sure he doesn't hurt himself. I'm so sorry, Ignis. I wish I could help…you have to be strong, and hold on. Just for a bit. It'll be over soon.'

'We hope…' Prompto amended under his breath, as another spasm of pain racked Ignis's body and the man balled his fists and arched his back as he tried to get up.

It was a long night, and nobody got any sleep. Ignis alternated between crying out in agony as the infection swept through his body, and muttering as the fever rendered him delirious. During those times his body was calmer, but he would gaze up at the sky with glassy, unfocused eyes and slur out words as if talking to somebody only he could see. When he was active, though, his strength rivalled Gladiolus's as he fought to free himself. The rope rubbed his skin raw, and by the time morning broke his wrists were slick with blood.

He had been quiet for a long while, his eyes finally closed, with his three friends holding him down gently, ready to spring into action if he tried to struggle and hurt himself further. His green eyes blinked open slowly, and he shivered as the cool morning air chilled his skin, still damn from the fever. He licked his dry lips, and turned his aching head slowly to the side, where Noctis was watching him cautiously. Ignis frowned; his prince looked terrible. He had a black eye, and his face was pale and drawn as if he'd been up fighting all night.

'Wha-' Ignis coughed, his throat was raw.

The weight at his ankles disappeared and a few seconds later Prompto was beside him, offering him a bottle of water. 'Here, try drinking this.'

Someone helped him sit up, and that was when he noticed his hands were bound. He also began to register the aches and pains; his wrists and ankles stung badly, and every muscle in his body ached as if he'd been beaten. Prompto uncapped the water bottle and held it to his lips, and he drank greedily as if he hadn't tasted a drop in days.

'What's…going on?' he tried again. His throat still hurt, but it was easier to talk after the water.

'Are you you?' Prompto asked, as he screwed the cap back on the half full bottle.

Ignis frowned. 'Who else would I be?'

Noctis smiled. 'I think you're back to normal now. You've been…uh…sick. Gladiolus?'

'Huh? Oh,' Gladiolus guessed Noctis meant the restraints, which he cut loose with a hunting knife.

'Ahh, ouch. Why was I…?' Ignis asked.

'You don't want to know. Trust me,' Prompto said.

Noctis took Ignis's battered hands in his own, and drew a small healing spell to help close the wounds and soothe the pain. While working he healed the slices in Ignis's arm that the fenrir had made.

Once he was done Ignis reached up to gently brush his fingertips at Noctis's black eye. 'How did you do this?'

Noctis paused briefly, taking in the worry in his friend's eyes. Ignis had been injured helping him, none of this had been his fault. And he knew that if he told Ignis that he'd been the one to injure him, to try and kill him, he'd feel guilty forevermore. There was no point. So Noctis smiled, and shook his head. 'It was one hell of a battle.'

Ignis just nodded and drew his hand back gently. 'Did we have dinner last night? I'm famished.'

Gladiolus grinned. 'Now you sound like me! And I couldn't agree more. How are those burgers doing? They must be done by now.'

Once the charred remains had been scraped off the grill and a new fire lit, Gladiolus took charge of cooking, with Prompto's assistance. Lots of arguing drifted over as they debated the best way to cook breakfast, and Noctis helped Ignis into a chair, then collapsed into the one next to him.

'You're okay?' Noctis asked worriedly, catching Ignis's gaze.

'I feel a bit shaky, but if I was injured in battle it's only to be expected. I'll be fine, no need to worry,' Ignis said, with a reassuring smile.

Noctis relaxed back in his chair, trying to calm his racing heart. It had been too scary seeing Ignis like that, so out of control. It was good to have him back.

'What are those idiots doing? They'll set themselves on fire,' Ignis grumbled.

Noctis glanced over at his friend. Perhaps the effects hadn't quite worn off just yet.

Chapter Text

'What is that?' Prompto asked, slinging his gun over his shoulder and looking at the small plant with a look of contempt.

'A Full Bloom,' Ignis said, adjusting his glasses and reciting the entry from the bestiary tome that sat pride of place in his personal library back in Lucis. 'Typically found in the wildlands of Duscae, and usually appearing alone. It prefers direct sunlight and is happy to bask all day long, retreating to find shelter as night draws in.'

'Fascinating,' Gladiolus said, stabbing his sword into the ground and leaning against the hilt. 'So do we attack it, or what?'

'They're usually harmless and can be left alone. It won't chase us. Even if it did, the roots on which it moves are poor modes of transport and can only reach speeds of up to 0.2 miles per hour.'

Prompto looked at Ignis with a mixture of respect and astonishment. 'How the hell can you remember that? Do you know stuff like that for all the monsters in the world?'

Ignis shrugged, thought the corner of his lips drew up into a pleased smirk. 'I spend a good deal of time reading, it's my job to be able to advise the prince.'

'Which is very much appreciated. But right now that thing is kind of blocking the way, so how strong is it?' Noctis asked, the air around his hand shimmering as he summoned a sword ready for battle.

'Not particularly difficult to take down, but before we strike it-'

Too late. The sword had materialised in Noctis's hand and the prince rushed forward with agile speed. The sword sliced through the roots, and the Full Bloom shrieked in pain.

'Nice one,' Prompto said, firing off a couple of shots to add to the mix.

Ignis looked panicked. 'Really, finish it quickly because-'

'I got it,' Gladiolus said, swinging his broad sword high above his head and slamming down hard into the plant. 'One more whack should do it.'

'Hurry!' Ignis urged, finding his own swords ready to join the fray.

But it was too late. In its death throes the plant emitted a puff of noxious green smoke. Noctis and Gladiolus were able to jump back fast enough, but the toxic gas caught Prompto full force. The blonde dropped to his knees in a coughing fit, then as dizziness overcame him he listed to the side. Ignis was there to catch him, though, and grabbed under his arms to pull him away from the dying plant, the gunner's boots dragging in the dirt as Ignis hurried backward, trying not to breathe in any of the fumes himself.

Gladiolus was there in an instant, taking Prompto from Ignis and lifting him easily into his arms. 'What the hell was that?'

'The poison gas I was trying to warn you about,' Ignis said through gritted teeth. 'We need to get further away.'

They staggered across the grass, and Gladiolus finally collapsed, clutching Prompto close to his chest as he fell. He set the blonde down, then coughed the thick smoke from his lungs. 'Damn that stuff is potent.'

Ignis was by their side, gently pulling Prompto free from the stronger man's arms, and Noctis hovered fretfully, unsure what he could do to help. Prompto was laid out on the grass, but he curled on his side and coughed weakly, trying to rid his throat of the irritant smog.

'I didn't know that would happen, I swear,' Noctis said, swallowing hard. 'Is he going to be alright?'

'That's why we don't rush into fights,' Ignis said distractedly, trying to get Prompto to lay flat so he could examine him. The blonde just curled up tighter as coughs racked his slim body. Ignis rubbed his back gently to help him through the worst of it, until eventually Prompto fell still and his breathing evened out.

'He breathed in a lot of that stuff.' Gladiolus said, watching the blonde with concern.

Ignis nodded. 'He did, I imagine a fever will set in soon as the toxin works its way into his body.'

'Dammit. This is all my fault.' Noctis reached out for Prompto's hand, and squeezed it gently. 'He'll be alright?'

'An antidote would be his best chance at a full recovery. We can treat the fever and symptoms, keep him comfortable.'

Noctis sat up straighter. 'Don't we have an antidote?'

'Each monster's toxins are unique, so must be created from the monster breed itself. One of us could drive to a town and see if they have the correct antidote, but monster toxins degrade so quickly they don't usually stock antidotes on the shelf of pharmacies.'

'We haven't passed a town all day, anyway,' Gladiolus said glumly, his arms folded across his bare chest.

'Couldn't we make one?' Noctis asked. 'It's just chemistry, right? If we can get some of this toxin we can make an antidote?'

Ignis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and regarded the prince. 'Possibly. But we'd need a live specimen; the dead plant will already be degraded beyond use. And then we'd need a host for the toxin. To create an antidote I'd need to give small quantities of the poison to someone, then use their blood as an antidote. We'd be risking another person falling ill.'

Noctis was already on his feet. 'We've got to try.' He cast a glance down at Prompto, whose face was already starting to pale. 'I'll go and find another one of those monsters and bring it back to you. Then we can work on extracting the toxin and helping Prompto.'

'Your highness-' Ignis began.

Gladiolus stood up too, and clapped a hand on the dark haired man's shoulder. 'You really think you can tell him no? Look at him, he's not backing down. You should know that look.'

Ignis sighed, and looked Noctis hard in the eyes. 'Please be careful. The Full Bloom isn't particularly strong, but it's quick to release its poison when threatened.'

'Now I know that I'll be more careful,' Noctis said with a shrug. 'Will you be alright with him?'

'I'll be fine. I'll get him settled and treat the symptoms as they appear.'

'Thank you, Ignis,' Noctis said, offering the older man a small smile. 'I know you'll take care of him. We'll be back before you can miss us.'

'I doubt that,' Ignis said softly, as he watched the two of them hurry off. With a sigh he gently stroked Prompto's hair, and watched as the blonde sighed in his sleep and leaned toward the touch. He was peaceful for now, but Ignis knew it wouldn't last long. First came the fever, then the racking cough. If they couldn’t get him an antidote soon then the chances of permanent scarring of the lungs were serious. But Noctis was nothing if not determined, and Ignis knew that if he was sick he wouldn't want to be counting on anyone else. When it came to his friends Noctis would do anything.

-

'It kind of looks the same?' Gladiolus said, as they watched the plant swaying gently in the breeze.

'No, it's moving too fast. And the markings are more blue than silver. The Full Bloom was definitely silver.'

Gladiolus shouldered his sword again, and turned away. 'Okay then, we keep searching. If there was one then there must be others, right?'

'Right,' Noctis agreed, hurrying to catch up but hampered by his shorter legs. The sun was starting the dip in the sky. The clear blue darkening to mauve and the clouds taking on a golden appearance. 'They retreat and hide away at night though, right? That's what Ignis said. So we need to hurry.'

'Damn, hadn't thought of that,' Gladiolus said, quickening his pace. 'I was more worried about how we were going to get it back to Ignis in one piece without it spraying us with that gas. You've got a plan, right?'

'Kind of.'

Gladiolus raised an eyebrow, and let the prince catch up with him. 'Kind of? How much of a plan do you have?'

'Fifty percent?'

'You have half a plan?' Gladiolus said, shaking his head. Without Ignis about to chastise him he grabbed the prince in a headlock like he would Prompto, and mussed up the soft dark hair. 'We are so screwed.'

'Not screwed,' Noctis grumbled, trying to get away and rearrange his hair. 'I've got the important bit figured out.'

'Oh yeah?' Gladiolus challenged, letting the prince go and draping an arm across his shoulders to draw him close. 'Run me through it then.'

'Okay, well, first we find the Full Bloom.'

'I could have figured that part out myself,' Gladiolus said.

'Then we surprise it. Coming from behind so it can't spray us.'

'Sounds good. Then what?'

'We uh, grab it and run. See, I had an entire plan, I just didn't realise it.'

'Riiight,' Gladiolus said. 'The gas cloud was pretty epic, though, even from behind if it discharges then chances are we'll get a mouthful of it.'

Noctis frowned. 'Okay then. We'll cover our mouths.'

'You're willing to chance on that actually working?' Gladiolus asked.

'Yes,' Noctis said simply. 'Prompto's going to get sick, if we can get him back this plant then he won't have to suffer so much. I'm definitely willing to take the risk.'

Gladiolus beamed. 'Spoken like a true Caelum. My old man used to say that none of you have a shred of survival instinct, but a permanent death wish.'

'I don't wish for death, but it seems to have an obsession with me.'

'You're a trouble magnet, I'll give you that,' Gladiolus said. 'You got worse after you met Prompto.'

Noctis rolled his eyes as they continued on their way. 'Cor tells me that all the time. He's a bad influence, I get it. But I love him, he helped me learn to bend the rules.'

Gladiolus chuckled. 'I never said it was a bad thing. It was just an observation. He was good for you; he helped you come out of your shell a bit. You were always so polite and nervous, Ignis and I used to worry about you all the time.'

'You did?'

'Still do. Every day. But not because of lack of self confidence anymore. Prom fixed that one for us.'

'He fixed a lot of things,' Noctis said. 'He was the final piece of our puzzle.'

'Yup. The loud, obnoxious piece,' Gladiolus said, then stopped abruptly. He held out a huge hand, gently pushing Noctis in the chest to get him to back up a step. 'Over there. Silver markings, think we've found a Full Bloom.'

Noctis peered through the semi-darkness, and nodded. 'Looks like it. Just in time, too.'

'Okay then, so run me through that brilliant plan of your again, I'm hazy on the details.'

'Ignis is the strategist, not me,' Noctis pointed out. 'Just cover your mouth.'

'With what?'

'I don't know…' Noctis glanced around, as if expecting a pair of face marks to conveniently appear. When nothing obvious was forthcoming, Noctis removed his short sleeved jacket and handed it to Gladiolus. 'Tear it in two, we'll take half each and tie it around our mouths.'

Gladiolus took the thin leather in his hands, and marvelled at the beautiful stitching pattern. 'Do I want to know how much this cost?'

'I have loads.'

'Course you do. You're a prince,' Gladiolus said to himself, trying not to think of the small house he could probably buy with the expensive clothing he was about to ruin. It tore easily, despite its quality, and soon they were tying the leather around the lower halves of their faces.

In the dying light of the sun Noctis nodded to Gladiolus, and the two of them crept over slowly, behind the Full Bloom. The strange creature was moving at a snail's pace, but it was its top speed as it raced to find shelter from the night. It never saw the two men approach but it definitely felt it when strong arms wrapped around it and pulled it from the ground. It's roots were partly attached, and it held on tightly, squealing loudly in a high pitched tone. When it became apparent that it was under attack it deployed its defence mechanism; a cloud of green, toxic smoke.

Both men squeezed their eyes shut and braced themselves as the smoke clouded their vision, but the leather proved effective enough, and besides a minor irritation in their throats they remained conscious. Gladiolus hefted the surprisingly heavy plant in his arms, and Noctis dragged his heavy sword behind him as they took the screaming plant back to Ignis, their hearts lighter at the thought of being able to help Prompto.

-

Ignis wasn't feeling particularly light hearted. The fever had come on quickly, and was raging through Prompto's slender body as the blonde tossed and turned on the futon. Dipping the flannel into the bowl of cool water, Ignis wrung it out then gently dabbed at Prompto's fevered skin, trying to cool the poor boy.

'It's alright, Prom,' Ignis said softly. 'Noctis has gone to get something to help you.

'Noct?' Prompto moaned in his sleep, and began shivering. He'd kicked off the blankets earlier when he'd been too hot, and Ignis had even eased the younger man out of his sleeveless jacket and top so that his pale chest had been exposed. Now that he was going through a cold phase Ignis drew the blankets back up, tucking them around Prompto's shoulders.

'Yes, Noctis,' Ignis said softly, watching as Prompto frowned and groaned again. Whatever was raging through his body was making him uncomfortable and achy, and disturbing his sleep so that he couldn't fight it off as easily. Ignis pressed a cool hand to Prompto's burning forehead. He'd done the same so many times before for Noctis. When the prince had been younger he'd run fevers all the time, as the crystal wreaked havoc with his young body. It was never easy seeing someone you loved in pain and being unable to do a damn thing to help.

With a sigh Ignis went to the supply pack he had taken from the boot of the car, and brought it to Prompto's bedside so that he could watch over his friend while he searched. If Noctis and Gladiolus were successful it would fall to him to create an antidote, and while he knew the theory behind it and was confident of his ability to create it in a lab, out in the wilderness miles from civilisation was an entirely different story. He felt the pressure of the situation crash down on him as Prompto called out again and flung his thin hand out, searching for something.

'Ig…nis…?' he panted.

Swallowing back a lump in his throat Ignis reached out to thread his fingers with Prompto's. The blonde settled slightly, and a soft smile curved his lips. He definitely had to figure out a way to do this. There was no alternative. Who knew how long the poison would run through Prompto, and if the blonde would even survive? It wasn't a risk he was willing to take. With his free hand Ignis rummaged through the supplies. Cor had given them plenty of provisions, survival gear and medical equipment. And in a little plastic box was set of two needles. Ignis felt sick himself; he knew what needed to be done, but he needed to stay healthy to conduct the procedure. Which meant that he'd need to risk one of his two friends.

'Ignis?'

Ignis's head snapped up; there in the distance was Noctis, running ahead of a larger figure. The voice had sounded somewhat muffled and Ignis was worried until the prince came into view and Ignis saw the makeshift mask he wore. Good thinking. The man was sensible; a good trait in a future king. In any other situation Ignis would have felt proud, but right now he was just sick with worry. 'You found one?'

'Gladio's got it. It's still alive. What do we need to do?'

'We need to expose someone,' Ignis said grimly. 'In a small quantity, but still. Somebody needs to breath in the toxin and then I can take a blood sample, then extract the antibodies to inject into Prompto.'

'You can do that?' Gladiolus asked, sounding as if Ignis had just informed them he could turn into a double headed dragon.

Ignis held up the little plastic box. 'The kit does it for me, really, I just take the blood and place it in the little centrifuge.'

'Okay then,' Noctis said, removing the strip of jacket from around his mouth. 'How much do I need to breathe in?'

'Whoa whoa, hang on there, Noct,' Gladiolus said, setting the Full Bloom down and storming over, tearing off his own mask. 'You're not doing this. Ignis needs to be the one to stay sane so he can give the antidote to Prompto, so that leaves me to play guinea pig. You're not expendable.'

'Neither are you,' Noctis challenged. 'None of you are. And this is my fault for attacking without listening to Ignis.'

'I don't care, it's my job to look after your royal behind, so I'll be breathing in that junk and Ignis can take my blood, and we'll be back on the road before you know it. Right, Ignis?'

Both men turned to the bespectacled man. Ignis was looking down at Prompto, whose face had turned ashen as the illness tore through him. He squeezed the limp hand in his, then looked up sadly. 'It should be Noctis,' he said in a dry voice.

'Exactly. I'll- Wait what? Noctis?' Gladiolus spluttered. 'Are you out of your mind? We're supposed to protect him, not infect him with a potentially lethal poison.'

Ignis's thumb gently ran over Prompto's hand. 'Unfortunately it's a matter of biology. Noctis is smaller, it'll take less of the poison to affect him and will act faster. The sooner we get an antidote the better Prompto's chances are. The poison is really taking it out of him, I've never seen anything act so fast or so hard. He needs this antidote.'

Noctis nodded. 'Then tell me what to do.'

'B-but prince-' Gladiolus said helplessly, turning to Ignis for support. 'You can't mean it?'

'We're not going to properly expose him, just allow him to have enough toxin to develop an immune response. He'll be safe,' Ignis said, trying to sound confident. In reality he was terrified. Noctis wasn't as strong as he liked to boast, and his body was constantly being pulled about by the crystal that sapped his energy. It was a dangerous move, but the most logical one for saving Prompto. 'Get close to the Full Bloom, and provoke it. Wait until the toxin is released, then breathe in a little. Three seconds should be enough, then get as far away as possible. We'll leave it twenty minutes or so; based on the rate of reaction in Prompto that should be long enough for you to develop an immune response. Then I'll take a sample of blood and run it through the machine to extract the antibodies.'

'Got it,' Noctis said, drawing forth a sword in his hand, materialising it from the air as the strings of ether formed a solid weapon in his hand. He moved forward cautiously toward the plant, and gave it an experimental poke with the tip of the sword.

Gladiolus crossed his arms. 'Can't believe we even have this stuff,' he nodded at the kit.

'Cor was prepared. He's survived in the wild before, he was able to predict what we'd need. It's a single use kit, though, we'll need to restock at the next town. It's a useful device.'

'Useful when you're not killing the prince of your kingdom.'

'He's not going to die,' Ignis said, watching as Noctis poked the plant again with a bit more force. 'He's too stubborn to die.'

Gladiolus hmmphed. 'One day he won't be.'

'And on that day we'll be there to fight off the hounds of hell from taking him,' Ignis said. 'But that day isn't today. Be ready; if he doesn't get away fast enough you'll need to pull him away.'

As it turned out Gladiolus wasn't needed. After the third sword poke the Full Bloom uttered a high pitched shriek and released the poison gas cloud, fearful it was under attack. Noctis made sure to count slowly to three, then stumbled back as his vision began to unfocus. He fell to his knees, coughing, but as the immediate effects began to wear off his vision returned and he was able to sit up even without Gladiolus's aid.

'Are you alright?' Gladiolus asked urgently, shaking him gently. Clearly it wasn't the first time he'd asked.

'I'm fine, I think,' Noctis said, as the world came back to him. He glanced up into Ignis's worried eyes, and smiled. 'Yeah, I'm okay. So twenty minutes? Then you can take my blood.'

'Twenty minutes,' Ignis confirmed.

They were the longest twenty minutes of Noctis's life. The three of them sat by Prompto's bedside, while the gunner tossed and turned in his restless sleep. Once or twice his baby blue eyes flew open, and he'd mutter something incomprehensible before falling limp against his pillows again. His hair was damp with sweat, and Noctis gently brushed it back, his fingers ghosting across Prompto's pale skin.

After fifteen minutes, however, the world was beginning to swim in front of his vision. And when his hand went to brush back the blonde spikes of hair his fingers missed.

'Noctis?' Ignis asked, looking up in concern.

'M'okay,' Noctis, swallowing hard. His throat was sore, from the gas he presumed.

Ignis leaned over and pressed the back of his hand to Noctis's forehead. 'You're warm.'

'I'm fine,' Noctis said with a shake of his head.

'The hell you are. Told you it was a horrible plan,' Gladiolus said.

'Only a few more minutes and then I'll take the blood,' Ignis said. 'Why don't we get another bed set out and you can have a quick lay down?'

'M'fine,' Noctis repeated.

Gladiolus got the bed out anyway, and gently picked up the prince and laid him down flat next to Prompto. 'And now we have two patients,' Gladiolus said, frustration lacing his voice.

Ignis touched his hand to Noctis's forehead again. 'He's not as warm as Prompto was at this stage, his body should be able to fight off the smaller amount of toxin.'

'Should?' Gladiolus clarified.

Ignis said nothing, but began preparing one of the needles. 'It'll just feel like a scratch, Noct.' He rubbed an iodine swab in the crook of Noctis's thin arm, then expertly pressed the needle in, holding down a cotton swab to the injection site. 'Hold the cotton tight,' he instructed, and tore off a strip of tape to fix the pad to Noctis's elbow while the dark haired man held it tightly.

Noctis tried to sit up, but he was starting to feel light headed. 'How long?'

'Just a couple of minutes, it's only a small blood sample,' Ignis said, as he place the vial into the miniature centrifuge. The machine whirred as it spun, and the three of them sat watching it, while Prompto slept on, mumbling feverish nonsense.

As soon as it was ready Ignis placed the vial in the second needle, and took Prompto's pale, lifeless arm in his hands. He swabbed the area with iodine then injected the serum into Prompto's arm.

'Now we wait I guess?' Gladiolus said.

'We wait,' Ignis confirmed.

If Noctis had been about to say anything it was cut off as his head fell back against the pillows, when his body finally gave in to sleep now that he was satisfied they had done all they could for Prompto.

The night lasted forever. Prompto's fever burned on and he alternated between shoving the blankets away and shivering violently. His friends were on hand to help; and Gladiolus sponged his body with cool water to help during the waves of heat, and tucked him up in blankets again as soon as the shivers wracked through his body.

Ignis was torn between the two younger members of the group, and despite his assurances to Gladiolus he was worried about Noctis. The pale prince always had a slightly haggard look about him, since the crystal drained his energy, but now he looked positively exhausted despite being in a sleep as deep as a coma. It scared him to see the young man so still; it reminded him of the time during his childhood when Noctis had slept for a month, when the crystal first connected with him and granted the prince the power to see the light, and to use magic. A blessing and a curse.

As morning light came Noctis was the first to awaken, however, and after a thorough check over from Ignis was declared healthy enough to sit up and watch over Prompto with the others.

It was several hours later, when the sun was high in the sky that Prompto's eyes began to flutter. He'd been settled for a while, his rough breathing smoothing to something more normal, and the flush to his cheeks had begun to fade as the fever broke. His eyes were still slightly glassy as he turned from one friend to the other, then he offered them a lopsided grin.

'Well this is awkward, I don't usually wake up to find three guys watching me.'

'Dumbass,' Gladiolus teased, but he was grinning.

'How are you feeling?' Ignis asked, pressing a hand to his forehead. It was much cooler.

'Like I got sat on by a behemoth,' Prompto said with a groan. Every muscle in his body ached. 'Did I get sat on by a behemoth?'

Noctis smiled. 'Not quite. You were bested by a flower.'

'Oh man, you're kidding right? Please tell me he's kidding.'

'Nope. It was a very pretty flower, though,' Gladiolus said helpfully.

'You guys suck, how about a little sympathy for the guy who feels like death warmed up?' Prompto pleaded, turning his gaze to Noctis. 'Now I know how you feel all the time. So tired I can barely move.'

'Welcome to my world,' Noctis said, running his fingers through Prompto's hair. 'But you're not supposed to feel that way, so get some more sleep, okay?'

Prompto yawned, and let his eyes fall closed. 'No arguments here.' He opened a single eye. 'You guys will wake me up for breakfast though, right?'

Ignis smiled. 'Right.'

'Good. Don't let Gladio eat mine…' Prompto said, his voice trailing off as sleep claimed him again.

Gladiolus laughed. 'Okay, you got me. You guys clearly knew what you were doing.'

Ignis and Noctis exchanged a nervous glance. 'Actually I had no idea it would really work,' Ignis said.

'And I had no idea what I was doing with the Full Bloom,' Noctis admitted. 'But it worked out fine,' he added quickly, when he saw the horror on his bodyguard's face. 'Lucky break, huh? I'll just go help Ignis with breakfast…' And he left Gladiolus to dwell on the fact he had been reckless, yet again, and got away with it safely.

Perhaps death did court the prince, but at least death was on their side.

For now.

Chapter Text

'Now, I'm not saying I'm a pessimist, but I think it's unlikely we're going to get the car across that,' Prompto said, leaning forward in his seat as the group looked out over the huge gorge looming deep in front of them.

They were on one side; the cave they wanted to explore for supplies was on the other. The two were connected by a rather fragile looking rope bridge.

'Screw the car, not sure I'll be able to cross it,' Gladiolus said with a frown as he leaned between the front seats to get a better view. 'Can't we go around?'

After a quick glance to the clock on the dashboard, Ignis shook his head. 'Finding a way around could take hours. I'm tired, I want to rest, and I don't want to try to pitch a tent in this rain. It's not that far once we cross the bridge, the most logical thing to do would be to make the journey on foot.'

Gladiolus watched as the rain beat down on the windscreen, and as if to make the choice for them a fork of lightning split the dull early afternoon sky. 'Fine. Running for it is probably the best option. We can camp out in the cave, maybe explore it a bit and see if there's anything we can hunt for dinner.'

The decision was made, so Ignis cut the engine. The low rumble of thunder in the distance spurred them on as they grabbed a few supplies and woke Noctis to tell him of their plan. The prince helped carry a bag full of bedding so that they could spend the night in the shelter, then they all sat still in their seats, watching the rain.

'So, like on the count of three, maybe?' Prompto hazarded.

'Yes, that would suffice,' Ignis said, suddenly less enthusiastic about leaving the car. The rain hadn't let up at all, and the sky was darkening, promising only more to come. 'Oh come on, it's not going to get any better. On three. One, two, three.'

Ignis opened his door and hopped out, slamming the door behind him as he squelched through the muddy grass toward the bridge. It was a few seconds later before anyone was brave enough to follow, and Ignis was almost out of range for the locking remote. Despite his head start Prompto overtook him before the bridge; the gunner was the fastest of the group even laden down with cooking equipment.

'Oi Ignis, you're gonna get soaked if you walk!' he teased with a grin.

Ignis grumbled. Even more so when Noctis overtook him too, being only slightly slower than Prompto. The prince didn't gloat, thankfully, but rather nodded to his advisor and ran ahead, his boots making little smacks as he stepped onto the bridge.

'Careful,' Ignis called after them. 'It might be slippery, and it might not be safe so go slowly in case a board breaks.'

Gladiolus laughed. 'You think they're listening?'

'I like to think that Prince Noctis will at least consider that he's the sole heir to the greatest kingdom in the world before allowing himself to slip off a wooden bridge to certain death.'

'They seem okay, look they're halfway across already.'

It was true; the smallest members of the party were having no problems at all with the bridge, as rickety and old as it was. They ran with ease, and then crossed the short patch of grass and disappeared into the cave mouth. Which left Ignis and Gladiolus slowing to a walk to get past the bridge. The wind rocked it back and forth and neither had the speed or balance of their younger friends. The wooden planks groaned beneath Gladiolus's feet, and one really did break when he stepped on it.

'Are you alright?' Ignis asked, turning back.

'Fine, just fine,' Gladiolus said through gritted teeth, but one of the bags he had been carrying slipped from his grasp. They didn't even hear it hit the ground; the gorge was so deep they couldn't even see the bottom, just clouds of mist. Rain ran off their clothes, thunder rumbled, and Ignis helped Gladiolus back to his feet.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to-'

Ignis shook his head. 'Don't be stupid. Supplies can be replaced, you can't.'

They continued on cautiously, and finally reached the end of the bridge as the wind shook it violently, almost tearing the rope from the pegs.

'Ever get a really bad feeling about something?' Gladiolus asked, as they watched the bridge rattling in the storm.

'It's been standing for decades, I imagine, what are the chances of it coming down tonight? Highly remote. Come on, let's go and get a fire started so we can dry off.'

'What took you so long? Stop for takeout?' Prompto asked, grinning over at the drenched men. 'Look what Noctis did, isn't that cool?' The blonde pointed excitedly to the fire they had set up; the crackling flames were warm and comforting, but a strange shade of cobalt blue.

Gladiolus knelt beside the fire, warming his chilled body. 'Weird. Why blue?'

Noctis shrugged, sat by the fire himself for warmth. 'Just wanted to see what I could do. Blue was the first colour that came to mind.'

Prompto sat down next to him, leaning against the prince's shoulder. 'Make it change colour. Do green!'

Noctis raised his hand, and reached out for the flames with his mind. The spell had already been cast so he didn't need to tap into the crystal this time, he just had to manipulate the properties of the magical flames in front of him. He morphed them within his mind, and the flames slowly turned from icy blue to vibrant green, casting the cave in a an acid glow. While performing the magic Noctis's eyes made their customary change from blue to red.

'Wish my eyes changed colour,' Prompto said, not looking at the flames anymore but rather Noctis's eyes. 'Do mine change when I use magic through you? Because I have to say red eyes are awesome. And you have such intense, pretty eyes anyway. So unfair.'

Noctis blinked in confusion. 'What's wrong with your eyes?'

'Well they're pretty, I'll admit,' Prompto said modestly. 'But yours are insane. So blue, and they change colour. That's so cool.'

At the compliment Noctis's eyes changed to a warm amber.

Prompto laughed and pointed at them. 'Aww, cute! Now you're all embarrassed, your eyes have gone yellow. Damn, you'd be terrible at poker.'

'I'd wear sunglasses,' Noctis said stubbornly, turning away from his friend out of embarrassment at being caught out. His eyes were really the window to his soul, and it was impossible to hide how he was feeling from his friends when his own body betrayed him like that. An arm slipped around his shoulders and pulled him close.

'I'm just teasing, Noct,' Prompto promised. 'You're too easy.'

Noctis tried to struggle, but Prompto held him close until the dark haired man finally smiled a little. 'I hate you sometimes.'

'You love me,' Prompto corrected. 'So now what? We actually got anything to eat?'

Ignis was sorting through the bags, and shook his head. 'Some vegetables, no meat. So unless you'd like a vegetarian meal we'll need to try and hunt something in these caves.'

'Great, I love all this survivalist stuff,' Prompto said, squeezing Noctis close to his side. 'We'll go find something, yeah?'

'Sure,' Noctis said, getting to his feet awkwardly with Prompto's arm still slung over his shoulders.

'Perhaps myself and Gladiolus should go?' Ignis said. 'Somebody should stay with the supplies.'

'I'd like to stretch my legs a bit, I've been sleeping in the car for hours,' Noctis said.

'I wanna go too,' Prompto said, clearly having energy to spare that day.

With a pained expression Ignis turned to Gladiolus. 'Keep them safe?'

'Always do,' Gladiolus said with a grin. 'Come on guys, let's go make Ignis proud.'

Ignis watched them grab their weapons before venturing deeper into the darkness. The sounds of footsteps and voices echoed for a long time, and then Ignis was left alone with only the distant sounds of the storm raging outside for company. For some reason he had caught Gladiolus's feeling of foreboding, and he couldn't shake it.

The party of three made their way through increasingly tight tunnels, which sloped downward rather steeply in places. The grey rock was cool, and the air was damp, making all of them shiver. The white light of their torches helped them stay on their feet, but once or twice they'd slip on the rocks as they climbed over debris, or scurried down slopes.

'What if the caves are empty?' Prompto asked suddenly.

'Then we have cabbage soup,' Noctis said.

'Ugh, I'm starving, we need something decent. It's been ages since we were able to have a proper meal,' Prompto said.

'Pickings have been a bit slim lately,' Gladiolus said. 'Don't worry, we'll find something in here.'

'Argh!' Prompto screamed, stumbling back into Gladiolus.

'What, what's wrong?' Noctis asked, spinning around and calling forth a sword into his hand ready to attack.

The gunner pointed at the wall, and shone his torch at a dark spot. 'It moved. It's gross.'

'It's a spider,' Noctis said, walking over to it. 'Prom, you've got to get over this.'

'I hate things sneaking up on me,' Prompto said defensively, peeling himself away from Gladiolus.

Leading the group Noctis slipped on a damp rock, and went down hard on one knee. Hands reached out for him but he shook his head. 'It's okay, I'm okay. Just watch your step, this place is dangerous. Even if we do find something we're never going to be able to fight it properly. I'll attack it with magic.'

'Just don't char grill it,' Gladiolus said. 'I like my meat a bit more rare than your magic can produce, your highness.'

They made their way deeper into the cave, to places where Gladiolus had to pass sideways to fit through. Finally they happened upon a huge cavern, with a rocky path that led to a cave mouth on the other side, and a sheer drop below.

'Is the ceiling moving?' Prompto asked, shining his torch upward. The huge dark cavern swallowed up the light, but the sounds of shuffling could be heard far above their heads. Even in the darkness it seemed as if the ceiling of the cave shimmered with motion.

'Bats,' Gladiolus said with a groan. 'Brilliant. Try not to scare 'em, I don't want them tangled in my hair.'

Prompto shivered. 'I don't like bats.'

Noctis turned back and smirked. 'For someone who wanted to go hunting, you're making a lot of fuss.'

'I thought I was over my cave hatred. Apparently not, so sue me,' Prompto said, shouldering his gun. 'My stomach ruled over my head, I wanted something nice for dinner.'

'Well-' Whatever Noctis had been about to say was lost as a bat swooped down from its perch and knocked into him on its way out through the passage they had just entered through. In his surprise Noctis toppled, and almost overbalanced over the edge but Prompto and Gladiolus grabbed an arm each and pulled him back upright.

'See?' Prompto said, his voice rising. 'This is why I hate caves.'

'Just a bat,' Noctis said, turning back around. 'The sooner we get across-' He was cut off again as more bats broke away from their perch, disturbed by the sounds of voices in their cave. The three batted them away as the frightened bats took off, shooting past them as fast as arrows.

'Just keep moving,' Gladiolus called over the flapping of wings. But as his raised voice echoed from the walls, a hundred screeches cut through the air. The group clapped hands over their ears to block out the sound, but the rush of bats was harder to ignore. The damn things were everywhere, dive-bombing and bumping into each other as they tried to flee in such great numbers.

'Oh man, not the hair,' Prompto groaned as he frantically tried to dislodge one of the creatures that had managed to get a claw stuck in his blonde locks. The bat struggled frantically, and scratched Prompto's face just below his eye as it managed to free itself.

The bats weren't happy with the intruders, and those that couldn't find a way out started to actively attack them. The supersonic noises they made were disorientating, and when Prompto fired a shot his bullet went wide.

'So hard to aim at them,' he complained, trying for another and missing. His bullet didn't hit a thing, just disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

'You think you have problems? Can't hit a damn thing, they're too flighty,' Gladiolus grumbled, slashing his sword down and meeting nothing but air as the bats flew around so quickly. 'Noct? We're leaving. Sorry Prom but dinner ain't worth all this.'

'No complaints here,' Prompto said, firing off more rounds and cheering as he finally hit something. 'Come on Noct, stop playing with your new friends.'

'Actually I think this one is your friend,' Noctis said, taking a step back toward the party. The bats had begun to part, flying away in a whir of activity. Noctis had wanted to believe it was out of terror of their weapons, but when he'd shone his torch forward any hope of that was shattered. The spider Prompto had freaked out over earlier had a mother. A big, huge mother.

'Holy shit,' Prompto said, skipping back a step. 'Noct get the hell away from that thing, it'll swallow you whole.'

Noctis still had his sword in his hand, but he wasn't stupid enough to try fighting something so big on such a thin ledge. The thing had hidden in the shadows somewhere; it's dark body the perfect camouflage. Lit up by the bright light, though, the beast was bathed in an eerie silver glow and cast long shadows making it look even more horrifying. Noctis backed up slowly, trying to keep his steps light. The eyes were all watching him, and saliva dropped from the spider's jaws as it watched the prince retreat.

'Just a bit further,' Gladiolus whispered encouragingly, reaching out his hand. 'It's too big to follow us through the tunnels, as soon as we get out of this cavern we'll be safe.'

'Okay,' Noctis whispered, trying to calm his racing heart.

The spider twitched and Noctis felt his stomach clench painfully. The spider moved slowly, each one of its thick hairy legs dragging the huge body closer to the party as the spider considered its meal. Noctis's foot tripped on a rock, and he stumbled a little. Stupidly he broke his gaze with the spider to look down at what he'd tripped on, and that was when it happened. The spider felt it had the upper hand, and charged.

'Noct!' Gladiolus and Prompto called together, as the younger man found himself in battle with the huge spider.

It wasn't much of a battle really, Noctis barely had time to materialise a sword when the spider screeched and spat something in his face. At first it was cold but soon the thick, sticky substance began to burn. There was another scream and at first Noctis thought it was the spider again, but it was him. He was screaming as he dropped his sword and rubbed at his face. The sword disappeared before it hit the ground, but Noctis didn't. He was on his knees now, rubbing his eyes, trying to get the gunk away from his face.

Gladiolus grabbed his sword and rushed forward, slashing into the spider. It screamed again, the high pitched sound mixing with Noctis's agonised cries. Gladiolus struck again, knocking the beast off the high ledge into the darkness below. Before he could count his victory, however, the spider's leg caught Noctis as it fell. The prince was already weakened and disoriented, and Gladiolus could only watch as his friend toppled off the ledge too, and vanished.

Prompto had rushed over, reaching out as far as he could to grab Noctis's hand, but the other man was long gone. The blonde's breathing was shaky as he shone his torch down into the darkness, desperately searching for a glimpse of his friend. 'No…no this can't be happening. That did not just happen. Tell me it's a dream or a nightmare or something.'

Gladiolus fell to his knees heavily beside the smaller man, and added his torch to the light. The ledge wasn't a sheer drop, it seemed, but rather a long slope. Perhaps there was a chance Noctis had survived? 'Noct?' he called, his voice strong in the emptiness of the cave. 'Noct? Come on, talk to me.'

Both men sat in silence for a long minute, waiting for an answer. There was nothing.

'We should go down there,' Prompto said, holstering his gun and preparing to do just that until a heavy hand clapped his shoulder.

'We need to think it through. Our torches don't even reach the floor, what if we get stuck down there? What if the drop is too far?'

'Noct is down there!' Prompto hissed. 'I don't care if there's a giant spider army waiting for me, if he fell down there then I'm going down to save his royal butt. Are you with me?'

'Of course,' Gladiolus said without hesitation. 'Of course I am, I just think we need to think a little more about it before we go charging in. I get that you wanna help him, but we're no help to him if we're hurt too.'

Prompto frowned, but sat back on his heels. 'Okay then, we think up a plan. But if we haven't got one in five minutes I'm charging down there.'

'Deal,' Gladiolus said.

-

The slope wasn't that steep, Noctis could have told them. There had been a bit of a fall, but then his body had slammed hard into rock and tumbled down several metres until he'd rolled to a stop in a shallow pool of water. For a moment he'd laid there, while the urge to vomit faded, and the aches and pains of his body settled. Once he came to his senses he realised his eyes still stung badly, and he clumsily got to his knees and washed his eyes out with the water he was kneeling in. His eyes felt a little better, but numb and fuzzy, as if there was a film over them or something. Reaching out blindly he found his fallen torch and began flicking the switch. Nothing. The water must have ruined it. With a sigh Noctis sat back and tried to take in his surroundings, but so far down everything was pitch black. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face, and for all he knew he was surrounded by more spiders. His only hope was that if he couldn't see them, then they couldn't see him. Considering they lived in the dark, though, that wasn't a very reassuring assessment.

'Ahh,' Noctis gasped, as he tried to stand up. His back hurt, where he'd tumbled down the rocky slope. Every part of his body ached, and both elbows stung badly where he'd probably taken the skin off them as he'd fallen. His ankle was twisted, his ribs were sore. All in all it was a pretty rubbish day. He looked upward, hoping to see the flash of a torch from his friends, but there was nothing. Had he really fallen that far?

'Hey?' he called up. 'Gladio? Prom?'

He waited an agonisingly long time, it felt, but then there was the distinct sound of a voice.

'Noct? Are you alright?'

Noctis almost collapsed in relief. 'Yeah, I'm…' he paused. Was he alright? Well, complaining wasn't going to solve anything. 'I'm fine but my torch broke and it's pretty dark down here. I don't know how to get back up.'

Up on the ledge Prompto grinned at Gladiolus, and punched the bigger man in the arm. 'Told you he was fine! Okay, I'll chuck you down my torch, 'kay?' The blonde did just that before Gladiolus could stop him.

'What if it hits him?' Gladiolus said.

'Uh…' Prompto's smile fell. 'Oh god, didn't think of that.'

The sound of plastic hitting rock echoed through the cave, and fortunately the torch didn't actually hit Noctis. The prince crawled across the floor, feeling for the device. Eventually his fingertips felt the smooth plastic and he sighed in relief as he pressed the button. Then frowned. 'This isn't working either. I think it might have broke on the way down. I'm not having much luck with torches.'

'No, you're not,' Gladiolus laughed, just relieved that the prince was alive more than anything. 'Since this is the last one we have, we'll come down to you. If you survived falling like you did, I'm sure we can get down to you in one piece.'

'So basically my original plan,' Prompto said, as the two men began climbing over the edge and searching for footholds. 'Ignis is going to have an aneurysm when he hears about this.'

'Which is why we won't tell him,' Gladiolus said. 'Poor guy worries enough, he doesn't need to know we almost got the prince killed. Again. You know how freaked out he gets over Noctis. We'll get his highness back in one piece and all will be fine. Nobody ever has to know.'

'Good plan,' Prompto said. 'Just glad he's alright. If he is alright. He's not good at telling us when he's not well.'

'He's really not,' Gladiolus said, and turned a little, shining his light down. The pale light hit the bottom this time, and he searched around a little until the white light found Noctis. The prince was crouched on the floor, one hand clutching his ankle, the other rubbing at his eye. Probably tired. The strangest thing was that Noctis didn't look up at them when the light appeared. 'And I think he's lying this time, too. Let's get moving.'

At the thought of his friend hurt Prompto quickened his pace, and the two of them carefully picked their way down until they were on flat ground again. Noctis was still sat on the ground but looked up at the sound of their footsteps. Prompto frowned, and bent to pick up the torch beside Noctis. 'Uh, Noct? Your torch was on.'

Gladiolus held out a hand to Noctis to help him to his feet. 'The slope isn't so steep, we can climb back up it easily enough. Are you hurt at all, your highness?'

Noctis didn't look at the hand, instead his eyes were fixed up at Gladiolus's face as if the hand wasn't even there. 'Just a bit bruised I think, but my ankle's sore.'

Wasting no time Prompto knelt down beside Noctis and began unlacing the boot for the leg Noctis had been holding. Not expecting his friend to be there Noctis flinched back. 'Whoa, hey, it's just me,' Prompto said. 'I'm just gonna check nothing's broken, alright?'

'Okay, sorry,' Noctis said, feeling foolish. He hissed in pain as Prompto removed his boot and began gently manipulating his ankle.

Prompto smiled in relief. 'Doesn't seem broken, probably just sprained. Nothing a potion can't fix, or I can give it a quick heal if you're up to letting me use some magic?' The dark haired man looked rather pale, even taking into account the silvery hue of the light. There was something off about him, and Prompto wasn't sure it was a good idea to try and draw magic through him right now.

Rubbing his eyes a little, Noctis shook his head. 'Think I'll wait for a potion, not feeling quite myself.'

'You got it,' Prompto said, lacing the boot up again, loosely in case the ankle was swollen from the injury. 'You shouldn't walk on that, though. Gladio, you up to playing chariot?'

'Of course. It's not that far, we'll get you back for Ignis to fuss over.'

Prompto grinned and rolled his eyes, squeezing Noctis's hand gently. 'And man is he gonna fuss. I love the guy, but I'm glad I'm not you right now.'

Noctis managed a weak smile, and then fumbled to wrap his arms around Gladiolus's neck as the bigger man bent down to let him onto his back. Once he was up and in the air Noctis had to voice the question that had been bugging him. 'How can you guys even see to do all this?'

Prompto tipped his head to the side in confusion. 'The torches, duh. Your one is even working still, I think maybe you weren't turning it on right. See, it works fine.' Prompto said, shining the light at Noctis's face. Immediately he knew something was wrong; even with the full force of the beam Noctis's pupils didn't react. 'Hang on a sec, Gladio,' Prompto said. 'Sit him down again.'

Confused, Gladiolus set the prince down on the ground carefully, and the two of them crouched in front of him. 'What's wrong?'

'Look at this,' Prompto said, flashing the light in Noctis's eye. Nothing happened. 'And look how pale his eyes are, I've seen them a lot of colours, but they're such a light blue they're virtually white.'

Gladiolus frowned, and waved a hand in front of Noctis's eyes. 'Noct? Can you see that?'

'I can't see anything, it's too dark down here,' Noctis insisted, but there was a nervous tremble to his voice, and his hand lifted to rub at his eyes again. 'You can't have torches on, I swear it's pitch black.'

'We believe you,' Prompto said softly. 'But that's not a good thing, Noct. We’ve definitely got lights on. Are your eyes okay? They look a bit funny, do they hurt or anything?'

The pain of his ankle and the bruises had overtaken the pain in his eyes, but now that he allowed himself to focus on it there was still a burning sensation in his eyes, even after washing the spider gunk from them. He'd almost forgotten about that. 'They feel a bit gritty, like when you're really tired. Like there's a thick film over them that I can't blink away.'

Gently Prompto cupped Noctis's cheek and ran his thumb over the skin to the side of Noctis's eye. 'I think we need Ignis for this one.'

'I think you're right,' Gladiolus said.

Noctis was lifted back onto Gladiolus's back, and the group made their way back up the steep slope to the ledge. A few bats were hanging around, but didn't bother the group. Once they reached the passageways again they moved more slowly, as the ground was uneven. And then they came to the thinnest part of the route, that Gladiolus had had problems with before.

'Dammit, I can't carry you past this bit, your highness, it's too thin for us to go together. Do you think you can walk a few steps until we're past it?'

'Yeah, I'll be fine,' Noctis said in a small voice.

Setting the prince down carefully Prompto was the one to grab Noctis's arm and sling it over his shoulder. 'We're both skinny enough, I'll stick close and you can use me as a crutch, okay?'

'Okay,' Noctis said simply.

Gladiolus reached out for the prince's other hand, and took it in his. 'I'll guide you through, it's not far, and the ground is pretty even. Just take it slowly and you'll be fine.'

Noctis didn't feel particularly fine. His entire world was shut out, a suffocating blanket of darkness that terrified him more than he was willing to let on. To be able to hear everything going on around him but unable to see any of it scared him. Even simple things such as walking made him nervous, in case he tripped or foot his foot wrong. Everything seemed to take an age to do, and he shuffled slowly past the thin passageway of rock, scuffing his already scraped elbows so that flares of pain tore through his arms, but he couldn't see to stop it happening. By the time he was out the other side he was more than happy to let Gladiolus give him another piggy back ride, and he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to pretend to himself that was why it was so dark.

The other two could sense his unease but there wasn't much they could do for the moment until they got him back to the campsite. Prompto reached out to take Noctis's hand for support, but even that didn't seem to help lift the mood, though Noctis held on tightly as if afraid Prompto would disappear.

When the group finally made it back to the small cavern that they had made their camp in Ignis was on his feet in seconds, dropping the book he'd been reading and hurrying over with a pained look on his face.

'What happened?' he asked, helping Noctis down from Gladiolus's back and into one of the folding chairs that he had set up.

'There were bats, and they were swooshing everywhere and I couldn't shoot them because they were moving so fast and it was dark, and then Noctis found this giant spider and it attacked him and he fell a million miles and then when we went down there his ankle was hurt but he wasn't looking at the light and kept saying it was dark and we figured out that there's something wrong with his eyes and now he can't see and you have to fix him right now.'

Ignis blinked at Prompto as his mind tried to absorb the information dump. The blonde looked so unhappy that he smiled reassuringly just to try and put him at ease. 'Don't worry, well help him.' To Noctis he knelt in front of the man, and gently pressed his fingertips to the prince's chin and tilted his head up. Milky blue eyes looked right him, but it was obvious that Noctis wasn't seeing him.

Noctis swallowed. 'I've never seen anything this dark before.'

'It's okay, it looks like there's some kind of coating on the eyes. From the spider attack, I imagine? Lots of spiders can use a modified version of the silk used for webbing for attack purposes.'

With a nod Noctis blinked several times, trying to clear his eyes of whatever traces of debris remained. 'But I rinsed my eyes out after, there was water at the bottom of the cave.'

'Water won't be enough, the material is sticky and slightly acidic so it burns away the layers of the eye. It will still be working now so we need to act quickly. Can someone pass me the bag with the medical supplies?'

Prompto and Gladiolus both began searching the bags they'd brought in.

'It can be fixed, right?' Noctis said hurriedly.

Ignis squeezed his hand reassuringly. 'It can. We'll use eye drops to break down the substance and heal the damage already done. It hasn't been too long so it should be simple to heal. Your sight might not be perfect again for a few days, but if we keep applying the eye drops I can't see why you won't be back to normal soon enough. It's just a nasty scare.'

Noctis sighed in relief. 'You're telling me. I thought maybe…well, I was scared.'

'I know, but it'll be fine, your highness.'

'Um, what do eye drops look like?' Prompto asked nervously, looking up from his bag.

'Small brown bottle,' Ignis answered.

'Huh. I can't find any medical supplies at all, did we bring them in?' Prompto asked.

'I can't find any either,' Gladiolus said, a hint of panic in his voice. 'You don't think…Ignis, that bag I dropped on the bridge…'

Ignis's hand gripped Noctis's tightly as the panic transferred to him. 'They must have been in that bag.'

Gladiolus's face fell. 'I'm so sorry, I didn't realise what I'd dropped.'

'It's okay, we must have more supplies in the car, right?' Prompto said. 'I'll run and get some.'

'Yes. The rest of our supplies are in the boot.' Ignis tossed the keys over. 'Bring some potions too, they might help heal his eyes and fix his scrapes up.'

'Back in a flash,' Prompto promised, disappearing out of the cave.

Noctis laughed, but it came out as more of a choked sob, and he was starting to tremble. 'We have the worst luck.'

Ignis gently ran his hand up and down Noctis's arm; the skin was icy cold to the touch, and now he was starting to worry about the possibility of shock. 'Once he's back and the eye drops start working things will look up, I promise. We'll help you through this, my prince.'

Noctis offered him a small smile, though his sightless gaze was fixed over Ignis's shoulder.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the cave as Prompto returned.

'That was quick,' Gladiolus said, but his mood plummeted when he saw the look of horror on Prompto's face.

'It's gone,' Prompto said between breaths. 'The bridge is gone, it's hanging down on the other side and it's all broken and oh my god could this day suck any more?'

Ignis's stomach twisted painfully. 'The car…'

'Is on the other side, yeah I know,' Prompto took a deep steadying breath and ran his hand through his hair.

Feeling slightly dizzy from the shock, Ignis turned back to Noctis. His heart skipped a beat as he looked into his prince's eyes, normally such a vibrant blue, now growing paler by the minute. 'We need to get him eye drops, and we need to do it fast. We're going to have to go and find a way back to the car on foot.'

'It's still pouring down out there,' Prompto said.

'What choice do we have?' Ignis said, finally realising just how tightly he was holding Noctis's hand. He didn't want to worry the others, but the chances of Noctis remaining permanently blind grew with every second they wasted. 'We’ll take the essentials and leave the rest of our things here to collect later once we have the car.'

The group went about quickly gathering the few essentials; the food and water they'd brought, a few blankets in case they were caught out overnight, and weapons. Once they were ready Noctis was lifted back onto Gladiolus's shoulders as the group cautiously walked to the mouth of the cave. As Prompto had told them the rain was still lashing down, and the storm was still going strong. The ground was waterlogged and slippery, the wind was freezing, but there wasn't anything to be done about it. In the dim light of the grey afternoon they all cast a longing gaze at the black car parked on the other side of the gorge. So near, yet so far.

'Worst day ever,' Prompto said, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder. 'Well, no time like the present, right?'

'Right,' Ignis agreed. 'We'll head east, the ground is sloping down that way so hopefully we'll come across a path that we can use to get down this side and up the other, then backtrack to the car.'

Nobody argued, so they set out into the storm. After only a few steps they were soaked through from the rain, and shivering from the wind, so much so that nobody felt like talking. They just hurried on as quickly as they could, down the gentle slope while Ignis kept close to the edge looking out for a possible path they could climb down this side and go up the other. They walked like that for well over an hour, before Ignis called them over to the rocky caves and they took shelter against the elements.

'God its freezing,' Prompto said, rubbing his numb hands together.

Ignis was quick to check on Noctis as soon as Gladiolus set him down. The dark haired man was shivering violently, and blinking a lot. 'How are you doing?' Ignis asked softly, prising Noctis's hands away from rubbing his eyes.

'They're itchy and sore,' Noctis said with a frown. 'Do you think it's getting worse?' His voice trembled a little as the panic set in.

'They'll be fine,' Ignis assured him, wishing he felt as confident as he sounded. He cupped Noctis's cheek and tipped his face up so he could take a look at the young man's eyes. The blue was whiter than the last time he'd checked them, and the whites were more silver. Whatever substance he had been attacked with was still burning, and destroying the delicate cells. Ignis swallowed hard, trying to qualm the rising panic. He had to be strong for Noctis. 'Prompto, can you pass me a bottle of water? I'll try washing them out again.'

'Here,' Prompto handed over a fresh bottle then knelt down to watch. 'You're gonna be fine, Noct, you don't have a choice in the matter. Just think, you want to see my pretty smile again. So hold on, 'kay?'

'I'm trying,' Noctis said with a shaky smile, and reached out his hand searching for Prompto. The blonde took it and squeezed.

'This might hurt a little bit, but I'll try to be as gentle as I can,' Ignis said, hovering the water bottle over Noctis's face while he tipped it back. 'Try not to blink, let as much of the water in as possible.'

Blinking is of course involuntary, so as soon as the cold water hit his eyes Noctis began blinking rapidly. Far from soothing, the water only seemed to add to his pain, and Noctis began rubbing furiously at his eyes again until Ignis took his hands in his own.

'I know it's hard, but try not to rub them, you'll only make it worse. The water will help.'

'But we need the eye drops, right?' Prompto said watching worriedly. 'How long do we have?'

Gazing into the sightless eyes Ignis felt his heart sink. 'I don't know. The sooner the better.'

'Let's grab something quick to eat then head out again, then,' Gladiolus said, sorting through their bag of supplies.

There wasn't much to be had, they'd been running low for a few days since they hadn't been to any towns recently. They sorted through what they had, though, and were able to pull together sandwiches at least. Ignis sat next to Noctis and helped the man with his food, guiding his hand to the plate and then to the cup of coffee he'd been made. Every action was awkward and slow, as Noctis learned to function minus one of his senses. His slim fingers felt the edges of the sandwiches and picked it up carefully, not realising that the cheese had fallen out the other side. He slowly raised it to his lips and took a bite of bread with a frown. His fingers found the plate again and found the fallen cheese. He sighed in frustration and dropped the bread.

A hand squeezed his shoulder. 'It's not easy, and you're still learning.' Ignis's voice. Noctis could hear the undertones of the accent his advisor had never been able to shake, despite living in Lucis for over fifteen years. There was a smoothness to his voice that Noctis had never noticed, a calmness. Reassuring.

'You'll get the hang of it in no time,' Prompto said. His voice was springy, full of life and optimism. Then he laughed, and the sound was so sweet that it almost brought a smile to Noctis's lips. 'Not that you need to get used to it, we'll get you those eye drops, don't worry. We won't let you down.'

'Damn right, we'll get you back to that car if it’s the last thing we do.' Gladiolus's gruff voice, but the concern was clear if you were listening carefully enough. And there was a tenderness there that Noctis hadn't really noticed before. He'd always knew his friends all cared, but now it was as if he was hearing them all in a different way.

Ignis reassembled his sandwich for him, and instructed him to hold it tighter from the bottom to keep it intact. He fared much better after that, and despite accidentally tipping over half of his coffee the rest of the meal proceeded without incident. Once they were all packed up it was time to brave the elements again, and they carried on as before following the grassland down until Ignis called out.

'I think we might be able to climb down here, there's a path winding to the ground. And we can actually see the ground now, so that's a bonus. We could climb up that other side, then it'll just be a couple of hours back to the car. Not bad at all.'

Gladiolus nodded. 'Yeah, I'd say that it's doable. You're gonna have to hold on tight, your highness, I can't hold your legs if I'm climbing. You feeling up to it?'

'Don't really have much of a choice, do I?' Noctis said. He knew how high up they still had to be, and in truth he'd prefer not to be scaling something of that height clinging to the back of his friend when he felt battered and bruised beyond belief and was exhausted on top of it all. But he reminded himself that his friends were pushing themselves to help him, so he just held on tight as Gladiolus began the descent. As promised he couldn't hold on to Noctis's legs anymore, as he was keeping himself steady while they picked their way down the steep pathway. It had been carved into the side of the rocky face, but years of storms and weathering had made the path treacherous at best.

It was slow going; the rain and wind made the already dangerous descent even more so, and once Prompto slipped and would have fallen further had Ignis not been in time to grab him. Once they were safely at the bottom they took stock of the situation; it was starting to get dark, and the rain wasn't letting up. At the bottom of the gorge was patchy grass and a few trees, but mainly rocks. A small stream flowed through the middle, but nothing that couldn't be crossed. They were already wet enough that wading through it wouldn't make much of a difference.

'I don't think I'll ever feel dry again,' Prompto said, tucking his hands under his arms to try and bring some warmth to his frozen limbs.

'The sooner we get to the car the sooner we'll all feel better,' Ignis said, glancing up at the rocky cliff face they had to climb yet. 'Let's stop for a quick drink, there's an overhang over there we can use to get out of the storm for a few minutes.'

The party was quick to agree and were soon sat around a small fire. Ignis sat in front of Noctis, and in the failing light took another look at his eyes. The blue of his irises had almost leached out, but now the whites were bloodshot from where Noctis had been rubbing them. It was the spots of crimson in the corners that concerned Ignis, though, and he peered closer as his heart leaped to his throat. Noctis's eyes were starting to bleed. Whether it from all the rubbing Noctis had been doing or the irritant the spider has sprayed, Ignis didn't know. But it wasn't good news.

'Everything okay?' Noctis asked nervously.

'Fine,' Ignis said quickly. Too quickly.

Noctis swallowed hard. 'Whatever happens, thank you for trying.'

'We're not stopping yet,' Prompto said. 'Screw the rain. It could be snowing for all I care, we're getting you help. You're gonna be fine.' The blonde slid closer to his friend and wrapped an arm around him.

Noctis was still trying to get used to touch; he felt it all the more now, and it was usually a surprise when it happened. There was the painful touch of when he had scraped his elbows in the cave unable to see the walls, the shock of feeling something fall from your grasp like the coffee cup he'd spilled, and then the warm, loving touch of a friend. All the times his friends had hugged him before paled in comparison to what he felt now. He'd never realised so much could be conveyed by a simple touch, but when his skin met Prompto's suddenly the knot of worry in his stomach began to fade. He had his friends, everything was going to be okay.

Gladiolus took his hands and helped him to his feet, taking his weight to save his ankle. His bodyguard's hands were rough and calloused from years of sword practice, but the gentle way they took his more delicate ones was comforting. He'd never realised how much care Gladiolus took around him to make sure he never unintentionally hurt Noctis with his own strength.

'That's a long way up,' Prompto said, as they stepped back out into the rain. 'We'd better be careful.'

Ignis nodded. 'Yes, and it's getting darker so I'd prefer to do this while there's still some light left. Make sure you've got your torches to hand in case, though.'

They began their ascent, which was much tougher now that they were all so much more tired. Going up was harder, having to keep hold of the rocks to drag themselves up in places where it was too steep to walk normally. The rocks cut into their numbs hands, the rain lashed down on them and soaked them to the bone, and the wind cut through their skin and made them miserable. The rocks were slippery underfoot, and even Ignis who was the most careful of them found his shoes slipping.

'Next town we're in,' he said through gritted teeth. 'I'm buying hiking boots.'

'Yeah, your shoes are very elegant but not exactly cut out for this kind of activity,' Gladiolus said, taking a moment to shift Noctis on his back. 'How are you doing, prince? Still keepin' awake for me?'

'I'm awake,' Noctis said, but his voice wasn't very strong.

The dark haired man usually slept a lot more than the others to recover from the energy the crystal took from him. He'd been awake for a while now, and was injured too. Gladiolus could feel the slim arms around his neck loosening.

'Not much further now, I promise. We'll get you settled in the car and you can dry off and warm up and get some sleep while those eye drops kick in. Maybe we can even try and find an inn somewhere?' he asked hopefully.

Ignis wasted no time in answering. 'I think an inn would be a very good idea. We could all use a warm bath and a soft bed.'

'And room service,' Prompto added. 'I'm gonna order an ice cream cake, just because I can. I'm an adult, I can eat dessert before my main meal.'

'Yeah, and you'll be bouncing on the beds from the sugar rush,' Gladiolus teased.

'Not my problem,' Prompto said.

'No, it's our problem,' Ignis said, removing his glasses for the umpteenth time and wiping them free of raindrops. 'So you're not eating an entire cake on an empty stomach.'

'Boo,' Prompto complained. 'Hey Noct, as reigning prince you'll let me have ice cream cake, right?'

Fortunately attention was suddenly brought to Noctis, who wasn't answering. Gladiolus was about to ask if he was alright when he felt the prince slide from his back, so quickly grabbed hold of him and leaned forward so that Noctis couldn't fall. Noctis jerked awake at the movement.

'Whoa, that was almost a disaster,' Prompto said, helping to rearrange Noctis. 'You okay? Just a few more minutes, we're nearly at the top. You can sleep once we're walking flat, since Gladio can hold you on.'

'Okay. Sorry,' Noctis mumbled, embarrassed.

Without anything to look at or anything to do it had been too easy to fall asleep. He rested his head on Gladiolus's warm shoulder, and listened to the rain to try and occupy his mind. The group had fallen silent as they began the final part of the ascent, which was steeper. He could hear their grunts of effort as they pulled themselves up, and could feel Gladiolus's muscles tightening as he worked to get both himself and Noctis to the top. Thunder rumbled low in the distance but as far as Noctis could tell the storm had almost passed, even though the rain remained. The sound was slightly different now that they weren't deep in the gorge; it was a lighter sound, rather pretty. There was a slight hissing sound as it hit the grass, and everything was much more uniform when the rain hit the even surface of the ground. It was probably because he was listening so intently that he heard it; the unmistakable sound of wings.

'Guys?' Noctis said, sitting up a little straighter. 'Something's coming.'

Something big by the sounds of it. He heard weapons being drawn, and Gladiolus was about to set him down when whatever it was swooped down on them. Gladiolus lost his footing in the mud and fell down hand, landing on Noctis's legs. The prince cried out in shock, but when Gladiolus starting hovering over him he waved him away. 'Go help them.'

'Right, I'm sorry.'

'It's okay,' Noctis said, slowly sitting himself up. The fall had jolted his already aching back, but he could still move his legs so that was a positive sign. Something was squawking and flapping around, there were bullets being fired but no sounds of sword slashes. That meant whatever was attacking them was too far out of range for Ignis and Gladiolus. Another high pitched shriek and flapping of wings, then he heard Ignis cry out and there was a wet thump, presumably as the man fell.

'Ignis!' Noctis cried, getting to his feet slowly, wincing as a stab of pain went through his ankle.

Gladiolus cried out next, a battle charge. Heavy footsteps as he ran, then the loud thunk of a sword biting the ground. The bird never made a sound so it seemed as if his bodyguard had missed; flying creatures were notoriously difficult for swordsmen.

Slowly Noctis limped toward the sounds of the battle. His ankle throbbed but he pressed on, using his sense of hearing to guide him toward the gun shots. He reached out a hand as he moved, terrified the whole time of slipping, or being hit by the bird. Finally his hand met Prompto's shoulder.

The blonde gave a start and turned around. 'What are you doing?! Noct get back, it's not safe.'

'I've got an idea, it's a flying creature right? Ignis and Gladiolus can't help.'

'It's okay, I'll keep chipping away it,' Prompto said, stepping in front of Noctis to make sure the dark haired man was shielded. 'You need to stay safe.'

'How big is it?' Noctis asked.

Prompto faltered as he fired off more rounds into the bird. 'Pretty big.'

'How many bullets do you have?'

'Not that many.'

'Then hear me out,' Noctis said. 'I can't aim my magic like this, but you can use it.'

'I'm not great with magic, especially not the aim and shoot elemental variety. I can heal your royal butt when you need it, but I generally leave all the fancy stuff to you.'

'We're going to work together, so you don't have to aim the magic, just your gun. I have no idea if this will work, but it's kind of the same principle Ignis uses on his katanas when he adds fire to their attack power. Draw fire through me, and channel it down to the gun. Adding magic to the bullets might take it down faster.'

The bird shrieked again and flew down, ramming into Gladiolus and sending the large man flying, rolling in the dirt. Prompto sighed. 'Alright, I'll give it a go. What do I do?'

'Just pull the spell through me,' Noctis, said, placing his hand on Prompto's bare shoulder. The contact would help form the connection. 'Concentrate on fire, and then move it down to your hands and form an attack.'

'Easy for you to say,' Prompto said, but he tried his best.

It was more difficult than a healing spell, but if he concentrated he found that Noctis had already prepared it for him he just had to reach out and take it. The spell was warm within him, and volatile like a flame. It was hard to tame, it wanted to rage then at times faded to a flicker, but he managed to keep it burning as he channelled it to his hand and further to the gun. He took aim at the bird then fired. The shot glowed as it sped across the dark sky, and when it hit the bird the creature shrieked in terror as its wing singed.

'Hah! Alright!' Prompto said, holding his hand up for a high five. It went unanswered as Noctis couldn't see it, so Prompto took his friend's hand and guided it up to slap. 'That was awesome, we need a few more of those and it'll be toast.'

The bird was enraged, though, and dove for them in anger. Prompto pushed his friend aside and they both tumbled to the ground. Noctis yelped in pain as his ankle twisted, but Prompto's body was covering his own to protect him against another attack, so all he could do was lay there and wait. Ignis took the opportunity to slash at the bird and it switched its attention to him.

Prompto sat up and helped Noctis do the same. 'Can I try another one of those fire bullets?'

Feeling a little light headed and disorientated Noctis just nodded. 'Go for it.'

With a triumphant grin Prompto drew more magic from Noctis, holding his hand to get at the stream of magic easier. After a couple more shots he didn't even have to wait for Noctis to prepare the fire spells for him anymore, he was able to draw magic from the crystal through Noctis and make them himself. It was an awesome feeling, and to see his bullets do so much damage was amazing. The last bullet rang out and disappeared into the night. Prompto frowned. It had been the finishing touch for the bird that fell to the earth with a thud, but the bullet hadn't glowed like the others had. The fire spell hadn't caught on. Deflated, Prompto turned to Noctis, and found the prince unconscious on the grass.

'Oh god, Noct!' he said, pulling his friend into his lap. 'Ignis! Gladio! A little help over here?'

Ignis skidded to his knees beside them, and supported Noctis's head while he gently opened an eye. There was blood sticking the lashes together, and when he finally opened the eye it was completely clouded over white, but blood had collected in the waterline and the corner. With the eyelid open a single tear of watery crimson trailed down Noctis's pale cheek. Ignis tried hard to keep himself from panicking, but it was so hard. 'He's exhausted, he shouldn't have been doing magic in his condition.'

'I'm sorry,' Prompto said, pain in his voice. 'He sounded okay, though, it was just a few spells.'

Ignis shook his head. 'He can sleep that off, it’s the eyes I'm more concerned with. We need to get moving again, we can't lose any more time.'

The rain began to let up a little, but the sky had darkened to black so they switched their torches on and moved as fast as they could through the darkness. Noctis was limp against Gladiolus's back so the taller man had to carry him with both arms looped around his legs, and relied on the torch light of the others to ensure he didn't trip over any rocks or anything stupid. He'd already dropped the prince once and he wasn't about to do it again. When the car finally came into view there wasn't a single person that didn't sigh in relief. They all quickened their pace to reach it that little bit faster, and opened the doors as quickly as possible to get out of the wind.

'Whoa,' Prompto said, in the front passenger seat. 'That was one hell of a day.'

'It was,' Ignis said, catching his breath in the back seat beside Noctis. He turned to the front. 'Can someone get the rest of the medical supplies from the boot?'

'On it,' Gladiolus said, letting the wind in as soon as the door opened. He was only gone a few seconds, and then a bag of supplies was being handed to the back seat.

'Heating, heating~' Prompto sang as he leaned over to switch on the ignition and then played with the controls on the dashboard. Soon hot air was blowing around the car, drying their soaked clothes and warming their chilled bodies.

Ignis had finally located a bottle of eye drops, and clamped the bottle between his knees as he turned and gently lifted the lid of one of Noctis's eyes. Even the skin around the eyes was red and irritated, and Ignis had to wipe away the blood that had accumulated to ensure the eye drops would reach the eye and not run down Noctis's cheek like a tear drop. Then he dropped in a pearl of clear liquid and said a little prayer under his breath. The next drop went into the other eye and then there was nothing more he could do except hope they had managed to apply them in time.

Gladiolus was watching him in the rear view mirror, and caught his gaze. 'Shame he's not awake for a potion or two.'

Ignis pulled the younger man against his side and held him close. 'He'll have to sleep off the exhaustion, then we can worry about getting potions into him. We can either sleep here in the car if you're both tired, or we can drive to find an inn.'

'Inn,' Prompto said. 'Ice cream cake, remember? 'Sides, Noct needs a bed. He looks like death warmed up.'

'I can drive,' Gladiolus offered. 'You look pretty cosy back there, and you can keep checking his eyes. Is it worth putting more drops in to kick start the healing?'

'No, too many and the medicine becomes corrosive. Irony at its finest. We have to wait, unfortunately. He can have more every four hours, so we're going to have to take it in turns watching him and administering them.'

'Fine by me,' Prompto said.

Gladiolus hit the accelerator and started them out in the darkness. The main road was a short drive away but the nearest town was miles. They drove so long that Ignis had to administer more drops, after checking that there was no change to Noctis's eyes, and when they finally pulled into the car park of an inn the sun was beginning to rise in the horizon, dying the sky a dusky blue. Ignis booked a family room, and Gladiolus carried Noctis in with a grin at the receptionist and the explanation that their friend couldn't hold his liquor.

The room was huge, with a king size bed and two singles. Their things were set down on one of the smaller beds, and Noctis was laid out on the king size. Neither Prompto or Gladiolus felt up to making the customary joke about Noctis only being a prince and therefore unworthy of a king sized bed.

'So, action plan. Breakfast, then shifts watching him?' Prompto asked.

'That would be best,' Ignis said. 'Sadly I don't think there's room service at this inn.'

Prompto's face crumpled. 'Ugh, I have to walk? After all that climbing and walking I did last night, you want me to walk all the way to the restaurant?'

'Yes,' Ignis said. 'And if you could bring me back a bowl of muesli with milk, some grapefruit segments and a cup of earl grey tea that would be lovely, thank you.'

'Uncool,' Prompto complained, but Gladiolus slung a huge arm across his shoulders and guided the younger man out of the room.

Ignis was smiling as they left, but that faded as he turned back to the prince. He sat down on the side of the bed and tenderly brushed dark hair away from Noctis's abused eyes. With a quick delicate action he pulled back an eyelid to check on them. There was no more blood, which was good, but it was hard to tell if they were any bluer than they had been, since it was his first time seeing the injury in proper light. He busied himself arranging the eye drops and a few bottles of potion on the bedside table. There was no sense draining Noctis by using a healing spell, there was a pharmacy in town where they could resupply, so better to have Noctis drink potions and heal his ankle and other injuries. But that required the man to be awake. Ignis ran a hand idly through his hair.

'I know you're tired, but if you could open your eyes for a moment. Just a moment,' Ignis mumbled. Nothing happened. Ignis sighed and was about to get up and rearrange a few more of their belongings when he heard fabric shift behind him. Noctis was awake. Ignis was back by his side instantly. 'Noct? Are you alright? How are you feeling?'

It was disorientating to wake up to darkness, and for a moment Noctis's heart raced as he struggled to remember why everything was so dark. The memories of what had happened didn't reassure him. If he was still blind then that wasn't a good thing. He was lying on something soft, and the unfamiliarity was unsettling. 'I'm okay, I think. Where are we?'

'We're at an inn, we thought it would be best to spend a few days regrouping.'

Noctis nodded. 'Do you think my sight…'

Ignis took his hand. 'I honestly don't know, Noctis. It took us a long time to get you those eye drops. But whatever happens we're here for you no matter what, we'll help you adjust.'

'Yup, we're here through the good and the bad, you can't get rid of us,' Gladiolus said, entering the room and catching the tail end of the conversation.

'We're not going anywhere,' Prompto agreed. 'Guess what? They had cake! Not ice cream cake, but chocolate cake which works just as good.'

Ignis groaned. 'Please tell me you're not just eating cake for breakfast.'

'No,' Prompto said defensively. 'Got some whipped cream to go with it.'

'Excellent,' Ignis said. 'Did you get my-'

'Rabbit food? Here,' Gladiolus said, setting down a tray next to Ignis. 'Good thing we bought extras, it's nice to see you awake your highness.'

'Nice?' Prompto said incredulously. 'It's brilliant. He looked half dead last night, all small and helpless like that.'

'I'm fine now,' Noctis assured his friend, looking several inches to his left rather than actually at Prompto.

'You're not, but you're getting there,' Prompto said. 'I'll share my cake with you if you want? It might help you feel better?'

'Thanks, Prom,' Noctis said. However Ignis had other ideas and insisted that it would be better for Noctis to have a healthier breakfast of cereal, and some of the grapefruit. Fortunately someone had remembered the coffee, and Noctis happily accepted that to take away the taste of the potion Ignis also insisted upon. The first time he raised it to his lips, however, he gasped in pain as the liquid scalded his tongue.

'Careful,' Gladiolus said too late. 'It's hot.'

Noctis blushed a little at the mistake. 'The cup didn't feel that hot. Guess it's something I'll have to remember to check.'

'How does the ankle feel?' Ignis asked to break the mood. Now that he had a chance to remove Noctis's boots and actually asses the injuries. Noctis's ankle was bruised and puffy, but a quick assessment satisfied Ignis that nothing was broken.

'Sore, but the potion will fix it,' Noctis said confidently. He reached out with one hand for the bedside table, then carefully set his empty cup down and shuffled back to the middle of the bed with his pillows. He was learning, and simple tasks were becoming easier.

After breakfast Prompto then Gladiolus had showers, while Ignis went about tending to Noctis's eyes again. Another set of drops went in and Noctis blinked the liquid around a bit.

'Do they look any different?' he asked hopefully.

Ignis tipped the younger man's head back and checked them. 'I think perhaps they might be slightly darker. It's hard to tell, but there may be some colour returning.'

Noctis tried not to get his hopes up, but he couldn't help the little burst of excitement inside him. Ignis had a bath next, then ran fresh water for Noctis. Gladiolus was the one to help him into it, and once he was finally alone Noctis relaxed in the steaming water, happy to finally be warm. It took a few seconds for his hand to seek out the soap, and then he went about washing himself, a strange experience when you couldn't see what you were doing. Despite being instructed to call when he was ready to get out of the bath, Noctis pulled the plug and slowly climbed to his feet himself. With a lot of grasping about he clumsily climbed out of the bath, his foot knocking the side as he only just lifted his leg up enough and almost tripped. The titles were slippery under his feet, and his ankle was still painful to walk on, but he limped around the room until his hands found the towel rail. He pulled the towel off and slowly began drying himself. That wasn't so hard. Proud of himself he awkwardly tied the towel around his slender waist, then repeated his feeling search for a pile of clothes. After several laps of the room he had to conclude that they hadn't been brought in for him. A knock at the door made him jump.

'Yeah?' he called.

'Are you alright?' Gladiolus asked. 'You're taking longer than Prom does.'

'Oi, I heard that!' called an indignant Prompto from somewhere out in the room.

'Just looking for my clothes,' Noctis said.

'Clothes?' Gladiolus asked, confused. 'Oh, tell me you didn't get out yourself? Noct I swear to god…' the door opened and Gladiolus groaned as he took in the sight of his charge, and friend, crawling about on the floor. He crouched down to him. 'I told you to call me. You could have really hurt yourself if you'd have tripped and hit your head on the sink or something.'

'I had to try doing it myself,' Noctis muttered, hanging his head.

'Why? I'm happy to help, I thought I'd made that pretty clear.'

'Yeah today, because it's only just happened. But what about next week? Next year? Ten years time? I've got to learn to do this stuff on my own. I can't expect you to carry me along forever.'

'You're a royal idiot sometimes, you know that?' Gladiolus said gruffly, but there was that undertone of tenderness Noctis could hear now that he had lost one of his senses. Suddenly he was drawn into a huge bear hug, with strong arms crushing him against a muscled chest. 'I'm all for helping you be independent, but at least give it more than twenty-four hours, alright? Your body's still healing from attack by giant spider, falling off a ledge, wandering about in the cold and rain, and then running itself dry of magic. Give yourself a little bit of a break, yeah?'

Noctis didn't really have an answer to that, he just shivered as the cold air of the main room drifted through the open doorway. Gladiolus held him closer.

'Besides, even in ten years time I'll still be here, ready to look out for you and help you any way you need. I think you're underestimating just how loyal we are. When we say we're with you for life, that's a promise.'

Noctis swallowed back the lump in his throat, and raised his arms to hug his friend back. 'Thank you.'

Gladiolus smiled down at his friend. 'No worries. Now let's get you dressed before you catch pneumonia on top of all this.'

Resting in shifts the group slept the day away, with someone waking Noctis to apply eye drops every four hours. By the evening Ignis was beginning to dare hope that there was a chance they'd got to him in time. The white film over Noctis's eyes was starting to lift, and the blue irises were becoming darker every time he checked. When Noctis awoke the group was debating dinner (or rather who would be the one to have to walk down and fetch it), and as such he was able to sit himself up unnoticed and blink back the soreness from his eyes. And when he did the world came to life. He couldn't make out any shapes, but the darkness was less, well, dark. There was a hint of light from the ceiling, and when he moved his eyes from left to right it wasn't as painful anymore. He waved a hand in front of his face but he still couldn't see movement, which was disappointing, but the light thing was amazing.

'Guys?' he called, and suddenly everyone stopped debating the merits of dessert before the main meal. The three men scrambled over to his bed side and managed to perch themselves around him, all asking a dozen questions of him at the same time.

'Guys, we're scaring him,' Prompto said with a grin. 'Noct? How do you feel? What can you see?'

'Just the light. In the ceiling, it's a bit brighter. That's good, right?'

'It's a definite step in the right direction,' Ignis said, unable to suppress a smile of his own. 'They're definitely getting bluer, so I think the substance is being broken down nicely by the eye drops. I just hope there's no scarring, but only time will tell. Hopefully you got treatment in time.'

-

Two days later Noctis woke up and knew that something was different. His eyes felt cooler, easier to blink. Thought he world was still dark there were different grades of darkness. Blobs that could be shapes of things in the room. When he turned his head there was brightness from the light of the window, and a dark shape blocking his view of it. His friends were still keeping watch over him while he slept, in order to administer the eye drops and to be on hand if Noctis needed anything in the night. Finding the bathroom by touch alone wasn't the easiest thing to do, and even with assistance Noctis had once managed to trip over a pair of shoes that had been left unattended. He lay still for a moment and tested his newly heightened listening skills; the breathing was soft, barely audible, but there was the slight rustle of fabric as the body sitting beside his bed moved about. Ignis would have sat stiller. Gladiolus's breathing was heavier.

'Hey Prom,' Noctis said softly in case the others were asleep.

There was a little yelp, then a snicker of laughter. 'How do you do that?'

'Practice,' Noctis said. 'Wish I couldn't.'

Prompto's hand began brushing his hair back; the touch of fingertips against his forehead was soothing, and he closed his eyes again.

'Bit too early for your drops yet, and the others are sleeping. You can go back to sleep for a while if you want? Or do you need the bathroom? Or I can get you something to eat?'

'Prom,' Noctis said with a smile. 'I'm fine. Not that tired anymore, I think I'm fully charged.'

Prompto smiled. 'That's good. You've been looking a bit peaky. Ignis has been all stressy trying to think of ways to help you get your energy back, but I knew you just needed rest.'

'And coffee,' Noctis said.

'Yeah, and that disgusting junk,' Prompto said. 'Well, if you're not tired, wanna go get coffee now? Leave them to sleep and panic when they wake up and we're not here.'

'Cor was right, you really are a bad influence on me.'

'You were just waiting to be corrupted, baby,' Prompto said with a wink that Noctis couldn't see. 'C'mon, let's get you out of here, you must be going crazy laying around all the time.'

'You know it,' Noctis said, sitting himself up and shuffling to the edge of the bed. Prompto handed over his boots and lacing them up was something of an experience, but once he was completely dressed and ready to go the two youngest of the group slipped out of the room and down the hall. Prompto kept close to Noctis's side, so much so that he could smell the warm spicy scent of his body wash from a recent shower. That meant their arms brushed together so Noctis knew which way to go. Noctis was grateful for the subtle assistance; he wasn't yet up to navigating himself, and Prompto was helping without making him feel helpless.

They left the inn, and Prompto held the door for him and pressed a palm to the flat of his back to let him know it was safe.

'There's a small step,' the blonde murmured.

Noctis took it carefully, then Prompto's arm brushed up against his again as they walked. The air was cool, but the sun shone down and warmed his skin. Noctis smiled, taking in the sounds of the world around him; the singing of birds, the laughter of a group of kids running to catch the school bus, the sounds of machinery on a distant farm.

Prompto stopped them at a small café and bought take out drinks. Coffee for Noctis, hot chocolate for himself, then he led Noctis through the tiny town to a park. It was a weekday morning so there were no kids playing there, the whole place was eerily quiet for Prompto. Noctis could hear the wind rustling the leaves on the ground, a dog snuffling in the trees, and even the soft creak of chains on the swings they were approaching.

'Here, give me your drink,' Prompto said, taking the cardboard cup. He set them down and then moved behind Noctis, placing his hands on the prince's narrow hips. 'Step back, just slowly. One more, perfect.' He took Noctis's hands in his own, then moved them to hold the chains. 'Now sit down, careful, yeah there you go.'

While he'd know they were close to the swings, he hadn't expected to be sitting on one. His drink was pressed back into his hand, then he heard Prompto jump onto the swing next to him, and the un-oiled chains squeaked as Prompto had a few powerful swings then let himself slow down again, his boots dragging in the bark chippings to stop himself.

'You're such a kid,' Noctis said with a grin.

'Oh come on, you never outgrow swings. Even if you're heir to the more powerful kingdom in the world.'

'If Cor could see me on this thing right now he'd have a few things to say.'

'Cor always has a few things to say, especially if it's something I'm involved in,' Prompto said with an eye roll. 'But since he's not here, I challenge you to a swing competition!'

'A what?'

'A swing competition,' Prompto repeated patiently. 'See who can get highest.'

'You're serious?'

'I've never been more serious about anything in my life, Caelum. We're doing this. Put your drink down and get that cute little butt swinging.'

Noctis had no idea what to make of the situation, but with one hand he held tight to the chain and then leaned down to place his coffee in the bark. He sat up again and adjusted his hands on the chains, feeling the links of the cold metal bite into his hands. 'Okay, so we just swing?'

'Pretty much. Thirty seconds to get as high as you can, alright? Winner buys the next round of drinks.'

'We have the same pool of money,' Noctis pointed out, but he could hear that Prompto had already started pushing so there was no point in arguing. He wasn't about to lose. He pushed away with his feet and felt the wind rush past his ears as the momentum caught him. He drew his legs back as he sailed back, then kicked out on the descent to propel himself forward. And he smiled. Properly smiled, because this was the most fun and free he'd felt in a hell of a long time. How long had it been since he'd just done something impulsive and crazy like this? Way too long. The wind rushed in his hair and despite the fact the world was just a mass of light and dark blobs he closed his eyes as he swung, pretending that he was flying.

'Aww man, you've been practicing or something, no fair,' Prompto called.

Noctis just laughed and swung higher still. He opened his eyes again, almost blinded by the light. He must have been looking at the sun, which meant he was almost horizontal. Feeling brave he leaned back from his swing, a rush of vertigo overtaking him as he swung backwards almost upside down.

'Hey hey, don't fall!' Prompto said.

Noctis ignored him. He was having too much fun. It was far longer than thirty seconds when he finally slowed down, and he was breathless with exhilaration as Prompto grabbed his chains and stopped him completely.

'You're a lunatic, you know that?' the blonde said, handing him his coffee. 'But I still swung higher.'

Noctis sipped his warm coffee and frowned. 'Are you sure? You were complaining so much I was convinced I went higher.'

'Nope. I was higher,' Prompto said. 'Come on Noct, don't you trust me?'

'With my life? Yes. At a swinging competition? No way in hell.'

The sound of skin hitting leather, Noctis guessed Prompto was slapping a hand to his heart. 'You wound me, Noct.'

'You'll get over it.'

They sat in silence as they finished their drinks, Noctis gazed out across the park, trying to make out the shapes he was seeing. The big dark thing on the ground was probably a slide. The smaller one to the edge of the park could have been a bench. Or a rubbish bin. Or a bike rack. But things were becoming clearer, their outlines were more defined.

'Thank you,' Noctis said, swirling the dregs of his coffee in the cup.

'Meh, it wasn't that expensive. I owe you another one since you technically won. I'll buy you something fancy next time.'

Noctis shook his head. 'Not for the coffee. Well, thank you for the coffee, but that's not what I meant. For taking me out here, and just helping me feel normal again.'

Prompto kicked his boots in the bark chips and regarded his friend carefully. Noctis still looked pale, but he wasn't doing that frowny thing he did when he was stressed out or upset anymore. He actually looked relaxed, despite the fact he'd been so close to losing his sight. And there was still the chance he'd never get back to normal. 'You're always normal. I'm not going to treat you any differently, no matter what happens. Gladio won't either, well, he might be extra protective, but then how would you ever tell since he's protective anyway. And Ignis…would adjust. He makes it his job to worry enough for all of us, and he's been killing himself with guilt thinking he could have done something more for you.'

Noctis frowned. 'What more could he have done? He got me back as quickly as he could.'

'Yeah but this is Ignis we're talking about. The guy could worry for Lucis.'

Noctis sighed. 'I just wish he'd realise I'm not going to break.'

'Like I said, he's the worrier of our little family. He worries so we don't have to. It's cute.'

'It's nice, but he's going to give himself a stomach ulcer.'

Prompto laughed. 'And then you'll get to reverse the roles and worry and fuss over him!'

'Sounds like a plan to me.'

Ignis was in full worry mode when they returned, and lectured them on the merits of leaving notes to let people know where they'd gone. His irritation settled when he saw how much more relaxed Noctis looked, though, and he mouthed a quick thank you to Prompto that Noctis couldn't see.

-

It was three days later before the next milestone happened. Noctis woke up in the middle of the night alone, having persuaded his poor friends that they needed to start sleeping properly again. He sat up in bed, wondering what had woken him, and idly watching Ignis as the elder man turned in his sleep. Noctis's lips curved into a smile at the frown Ignis wore, and he wondered if somehow his friend knew Noctis was awake and it had disturbed his sleep. Ignis and Gladiolus always seemed to know when something was wrong with him, so it made sense.

It was as he was thinking this that Noctis realised the significance. He could see Ignis's frown. Hell, he could tell the difference between Ignis and Prompto, lying on the other bed. And Gladiolus, draped over the sofa and snoring the inn down. Slowly Noctis got to his feet, trembling with excitement. The room was dark, but bathed in silver light from the moonlight filtering in from a gap in the curtains. The light fell across Ignis as Noctis sat on the side of the smaller bed. Details were still fuzzy, and colours were a bit blurry, but he could see Ignis's face. Urgently he shook his advisor's shoulder, only realising that it was early in the morning as Ignis's eyes blinked open.

Without his glasses on Ignis's vision was as bad as Noctis's, but he could make out the blurry form of his prince, sat on his bed and shaking him. With a snap of panic Ignis shot up and scrambled for his glasses. He dropped them, hurried to pick them up and almost stabbed himself in the eye as he tried to get them on. 'What's wrong? Are you alright? I knew we should have kept watch over you still.' Ignis's hands went to Noctis's upper arms, holding the man steady. 'Are you okay?'

Noctis grinned sheepishly. 'Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I just got a bit excited when I woke up and I could…well…see. A lot better, anyway. Still a bit fuzzy but I can see you.'

For a long moment Ignis was silent, then the biggest smile Noctis had ever seen spread over his face. The hands at his arms dropped and Ignis shot forward to gather him in a hug that Gladiolus or Prompto would have been proud of. Noctis smiled himself, and wrapped his own arms around his friend.

'Thank you for getting me help. And for getting us through the storm back to the car. And for sitting up with me. And…well, for everything.'

'You're more than welcome, Noct. I'm just happy your eyes aren't ruined. I don't know what I'd have done…'

'You'd have gotten over it, because it wasn't your fault,' Noctis said, hugging tighter. 'You did everything you could to help me, so no more beating yourself up, okay? Prince's order.'

Ignis smiled again, a weight lifting from his chest. 'Very well, your highness.'

'Oi!' Prompto called, switching the lights on. The light almost blinding Noctis afresh. 'You guys can't hug without me, that's just cruel. Gladio, get your ass up. They're having a group hug and forgot to invite us.'

Ignis drew back and caught Noctis's gaze. The irises were a strong blue, the whites were pure white. He had had a lucky escape. 'Prepare yourself,' Ignis said seriously.

'For what?' Noctis asked worriedly.

Two bodies slammed into them, the second hugging with almost crushing force.

Sometimes Noctis wondered if it was only the monsters that were out to kill him. But the hug was comforting, and he was too happy to worry about fractured ribs, so just enjoyed the moment while it lasted. Because who knew what fate had in store for them.

Chapter Text

Simple, they'd said. Just follow the river, they'd said. Well it was easy for them to say when they weren't waist deep in water and being laughed at by their supposed guardian and friend. Noctis glared up at Gladiolus with a pout that he had no idea made him look like an adorable wet kitten. Gladiolus laughed all the more.

'Oh man. Sorry your highness but you look-'

'I'm aware of how I look,' Noctis snapped, angrier than he might have been, but he was tired, dammit. They'd been on the road all morning, Prompto had turned the radio up so loud he hadn't been able to nap, and now he had fallen in the river while out hunting for fish for their dinner. With another huff Noctis began wading over to the shore…and his feet went out from under him, slipping on the slimy reeds underfoot. He went down in a flail of limbs and a splash of water, drowned out only by Gladiolus's laughter. 'Oh yes, hilarious.'

'Oh come on, it's kind of funny.'

'It's not even remotely funny. You know Ignis would be over here helping me up.'

'Ignis panders to you way too much, I taught you to be tougher than that. Come on Noct, it's just a little water. Wheres the brave prince that runs headfirst into battle?'

'Piecing back together his wounded pride,' Noctis said, getting to his feet again and wading through the murky water. God only knew what lived in there; there certainly weren't any fish.

'Ah, so we're in spoiled prince mode?' Gladiolus said, finally bestirring himself to help by offering a hand when Noctis was close enough to the bank. With one easy motion he lifted Noctis out of the water and set the smaller man down on dry land.

'I'm not acting spoiled,' Noctis sulked, running his hands through his soaked hair, and wringing out his shirt.

Gladiolus smirked, then slung a huge arm around his shoulders and guided him off, following the river. 'You so are. I love you to death, but you can sulk better than anyone else when you want to. Come on, your royal butt will dry off in no time.'

'There aren't any fish in this river,' Noctis pointed out, but his mood was lifting a little now he wasn't standing in water. 'Trust me, I checked.'

'That was very brave of you, my prince, but it looks like it gets wider and deeper down there, so perhaps we'll have better luck further down. Do you really want to go back empty handed?'

No he didn't. He could imagine the disappointment in Ignis's eyes, and that hurt. And besides, Prompto would never let them hear the last of it. 'Okay, we'll carry on.'

'Good man,' Gladiolus said, and led the way further down the river.

The morning sun dried Noctis's clothing off in no time, and as they walked they kept an eye in the water as it began to clear a little. They could see the reeds at the bottom, but there were still no fish. Eventually the river began too deep even to see the reeds, and so wide that crossing it would have been far too dangerous. There was a foam on the surface as the water began draining away faster, the current becoming stronger. Noctis stopped an wandered close to the edge, crouching down and grabbing a pebble in his hand. He tossed it in but nothing stirred.

'Worst river ever,' he said.

Gladiolus laughed. 'Well, fish might be off the menu, but there's some birds circling over there by the woods. And if not perhaps there's something we can hunt in the forest?'

Noctis pushed himself to his feet and stood by the taller man, following his line of sight. There was a tree line not too far off; the beginnings of a forest in the distance by the looks of it. The trees rose up sharply, and there was a mist that made it look darker than it probably was. 'I guess.'

'It'll be fine,' Gladiolus said, moving his sword so that the blade scraped noisily against the ground. 'We'll drag something back for Ignis to peel.'

'I don't think it's called peeling…' Noctis said, feeling sick to his stomach at the thought.

They had barely taken a few steps when something splashed behind them. Noctis had materialised a weapon in his hand by the time he'd spun around. He hadn't really been expecting to see anything, so almost stumbled back when a huge muddy green frog blinked back at him. The thing came up to his waist, and had probably been lurking in the bottom of the deeper part of the river when he'd thrown the pebble in and disturbed it. Seeing the frog Noctis relaxed a little and let the sword dematerialise. 'Big frog,' he said, unimpressed.

'Seriously big,' Gladiolus said, his hand still tight on the hilt of his sword. 'Do you think we should…' he dragged a finger across his throat to mime murder.

'No, he's not doing any harm. My fault for disturbing him.'

With a nod Gladiolus shouldered his sword again and turned back to the forest. 'Shall we get going?'

'Sure,' Noctis said, but as soon as they took a step the frog croaked loudly. He turned and looked at it; the frog had hopped toward them a few paces. 'Persistent.'

'Maybe you should keep it as a pet?' Gladiolus teased. 'Or tame it as a summon. I mean who needs Titan when you can have this fearsome creature.'

Noctis punched his friend in the arm. 'Oi, no teasing the prince or he'll summon Titan and command him to sit on you.'

'So cruel,' Gladiolus said with a grin, as the frog jumped forward with another croak. Surprised, Gladiolus stepped back and lost his footing, falling down hard on his butt.

It was Noctis's turn to laugh. 'So we were saying something about my grace earlier when I fell in the river?'

'Shut up,' Gladiolus grumbled, rubbing his backside as he sat up. He pointed his sword at the creature. 'Stupid frog, I should cut you down right where you are.'

'You can't blame the frog for your own clumsiness,' Noctis pointed out helpfully.

'I can blame what I want,' Gladiolus said.

The frog, however, had other thoughts. All it could see was the weapon aimed right at him, and it had no idea that Gladiolus was teasing. All it saw was the threat. And in self defence, it sought to neutralise the threat. Adrenaline coursed through its body and with one quick motion it shot forth a spell aimed at its potential attacker. Then it hopped away, slipping back to the safety of the water.

When he'd finished laughing Noctis held out a hand to help his friend up. 'I think you made your point. He ran terrified.'

'Yeah yeah,' Gladiolus said, his voice rough. And when he lifted his hand to take Noctis's his entire arm was stiff and achy. It was cumbersome getting to his feet and he almost stumbled, leaning heavily on the darker haired man to catch his balance.

'Hey, are you alright?' Noctis asked, his smile morphing to a frown as he placed an arm around his friend to steady him.

'I'm fine,' Gladiolus said, finding his own feet. Then his eyes narrowed. 'Get back!' he yelled sharply, pushing Noctis behind him out of harm's way. The frog had returned, and it wasn't alone. There were several of them leaping out of the choppy water, and some of them were a lot bigger than the first had been. Their throats pulsated with each breath of air, and the large group was watching them with yellow eyes.

'What are they doing?' Noctis asked, rematerialising his sword in his hand.

'My guess would be preparing to attack,' Gladiolus said, struggling to lift his sword. 'You up for a battle?'

'Doesn't look like I've got much of a choice,' Noctis said, as the first of the frogs began to attack.

They weren't difficult to kill, but the sheer volume of them made the battle tough. Noctis found himself slicing into one then spinning around to shoot another, then switching to a lance to slice through another two that were getting too close for comfort. In between it all he reached out with his mind for the crystal and drew raw magic to shoot off spells of electricity, and to send healing spells Gladiolus's way. His bodyguard was moving sluggishly as if injured, but no matter how many times he healed it seemed Gladiolus was getting worse rather than better. That worried Noctis, and made him more determined than ever to fight the creatures off.

And then it happened; Noctis had been watching Gladiolus a little too closely, readying himself for another healing spell, when a larger frog came running right at him. He was close to the edge of the water, and the ground was slippery. Gladiolus perked up enough to take the hit for him, and killed the frog in one, but his shoes slipped on the silt, and he fell backward right into Noctis. The prince couldn't catch his weight and slipped back, falling through the air. Noctis closed his eyes and waited for the pain. The water broke their fall but as he slowed down Gladiolus fell on top of him, slamming him hard. Noctis sunk a bit further, hit the bottom of the river with a painful thump to the head, then regained his senses enough to kick as hard as he could as he aimed for the surface. Already the rapids were dragging him down the river against his will though his main concern was breaking the surface for air as Gladiolus had winded him when they landed. Water filled his mouth and he choked as he fought against the current. His lungs burned as he scrambled up toward the light of the sky, and finally he broke the surface, coughing and spluttering, but still being dragged further and further downstream.

'Gladiolus?' he called weakly, between coughs. 'Gladio?' Frantically he looked around for his friend but despite the dizzying speed things were whizzing by at he was sure that Gladiolus wasn't with him. Panic began to set in, as his mind tried to work out how they could have got separated. There was no way. Which meant that Gladiolus was still underwater. Fresh panic gripped his heart, and Noctis frantically peered into the water, made difficult by the foam and the fact everything was moving so goddamn fast and he was struggling to tread water himself. Something red dripped into his eye and Noctis angrily rubbed it away.

'Gladio!' Noctis coughed, as he swallowed another lungful of icy water. His foot hit something underwater and for a heart stopping second he thought it was a reed that would tangle his leg and drag him under, but the thing was moving along with him. Through the foamy surface there was a big dark shape, and Noctis wasted no time reaching under and dragging the figure up, trying to keep Gladiolus's head above water and praying he was still breathing. 'Stay with me, it's okay. I'll get us out of this,' Noctis promised, desperately looking for something to grab hold of. Gladiolus was heavy, though, and the cold water was making his arms numb. The bigger man slipped from his grasp and Noctis had to drag him out again, pulling with all his strength to keep Gladiolus above water with him when the force of nature seemed to be intent on dragging them faster and faster downstream. If he'd gotten out where they'd fallen in it would have been easy, but now the river was wider, deeper and faster moving. All he could do was cling to his friend and pray for a miracle. When nothing was forthcoming he realised he'd have to do it himself.

As tired and under stress as he was it was difficult to summon a sword, it took all of his concentration to reach into the ether and form a sword in his mind and make it appear in his hand. When he did he could see that it wasn't particularly strong, that it could fade from existence at any second. So he'd need to act quickly. Shifting Gladiolus into one arm Noctis grabbed the sword in his right arm and took aim. They were passing by trees, all he had to do was hit one. Noctis felt a bit faint, and the sword began to slip from his grasp. Gladiolus coughed in his arms, and began struggling, and that spurred Noctis on. He had to save them.

With a grunt of effort Noctis aimed the sword again, then threw it as hard as he could. It didn't hit the tree. Didn't reach the trees at all, just clattered to the ground, but that didn't really matter. All that mattered was that it was on the shore. The next part was even trickier and time sensitive. He'd never done this with another person before, so he had no idea if it was going to work but he knew he had to try. He held Gladiolus close and said a little prayer to Etro under his breath as he reached out for the sword again and then imagined himself sliding through the veils between worlds. His body vanished, and reappeared seconds later on the grass. He stayed conscious long enough to check that Gladiolus was with him, then his energy failed him and he passed out cold.

When he woke up the sky was grey and his clothes were damp. For a long moment Noctis just lay in the grass, cataloguing the various aches and pains in his body. It was summed up with a simple conclusion that everything hurt, and everything was tired beyond belief. With a groan he forced himself to sit up, wondering where Gladiolus was and hoping his friend was going to be well enough to maybe carry him back. Because damn he was tired. And his head hurt. He lifted a hand to rub at his temple gently and it came away slick with blood. Not good. Through half lidded eyes he scanned the area, and found his bodyguard unconscious next to him. He crawled over and shook the larger man's shoulder.

'Hey? Gladio? You okay?' Noctis asked, concern seeping into his voice when the other man didn't respond.

Gently Noctis pulled him onto his back, and checked his breathing; slow and shallow. Not good. But what worried him most was how stiff Gladiolus's body was, as if rigor mortis had set in. Noctis tapped Gladiolus on the cheek, shook his shoulders, screamed his name, but his friend simply slept on. Noctis shivered, and it wasn't just the cold. He took Gladiolus's hand in his and tried to rub some life into it; Gladiolus's skin was cold as ice, even considering the dip they'd taken earlier and the chill of the wind.

'It's okay Gladio, it's okay,' Noctis said, voice trembling slightly. 'We'll fix this. We just have to get back to Ignis and then he'll know what to do to make you right. That's all. I don't know how far we got taken, but all we have to do is follow the river and we'll find them, right?'

Noctis paused, as if waiting for Gladiolus to answer.

'Yeah, exactly. We'll just follow the river upstream and they'll be waiting for us.'

With the plan in mind Noctis felt a little better. There was something he could do for his friend, rather than just watch his skin go greyer and greyer, as if death were claiming him a second at a time. There was an issue with his plan; he was average height and slender build. Gladiolus was tall and muscular. Noctis crouched beside him and wrapped one of his friend's tattooed arms around his shoulders, then tried getting to his feet. He managed to lift Gladiolus a few feet off the ground, but the man's legs would have just dragged behind them and Noctis was pretty sure he couldn't walk like that for very long.

Next he tried the piggy back technique. Gladiolus was hard to manoeuvre since his body was so rigid, but after a bit of awkward twisting and turning Noctis managed to settled Gladiolus on his back. The weight was cold and heavy, and Gladiolus's long hair dripped water onto his already soaked shoulder. This close he could smell the familiar spicy scent of body spray and it almost had him breaking down. Almost. He couldn't afford to be scared, though, Gladiolus was counting on him. How many times had Gladiolus saved his life? Or carried him home injured? Or protected him from harm? It was his turn to help and dammit he was going to get Gladiolus help.

'On three,' Noctis warned Gladiolus. 'One, two, three.'

He tried to stand. His legs shook from effort and exhaustion, but he just about managed to stagger to his feet. With a gasp of triumph Noctis stumbled forward a couple of steps, keeping his arms tight around Gladiolus's legs. He felt the man slipping so leaned forward to counter it, and that was when the plan fell through. He overbalanced, and because he had the weight of an adult male on his back there was nothing he could do to stop himself falling forward. He yelped but that was all he had time for as he face planted the ground and got squashed into the bargain. He spat blood from a split lip, and thought there might be an interesting bruise about to appear on his cheek, but he was able to save Gladiolus from any more pain. Not that his friend would have probably felt it.

Sighing, Noctis slid out from under Gladiolus and got the other man turned onto his back again, with his head pillowed in Noctis's lap for comfort.

'This isn't going very well, is it?' Noctis asked. 'No it's not. You'd have got me back by now. We'd be sitting by the fire, Ignis would be fussing and we'd all be together again. What use am I? I can't even help the people I care about most…'

His eyes were hot and wet when he looked down at Gladiolus's peaceful face. The man had a soft smile on his lips, and his brow was free from creases. Noctis let a finger trail down the scar over his friend's eye, remembering how Gladiolus had been injured in the first place. It had been protecting Noctis. All the scars on his body were from protecting Noctis. And he bore them proudly, and even boasted he would gladly have a hundred more if it kept the prince safe. A hot tear finally managed to escape Noctis's eye, and slid down his cheek. He rubbed it away furiously. What good would crying do? It wasn't going to wake Gladiolus up. It sure as hell wasn't going to heal him or get them back to the camp any quicker.

Another drop of water fell, this time on Gladiolus's face. Noctis rubbed his eyes again but another appeared. Then another. Fat pearls of water. When one landed on his hand Noctis realised they weren't tears, but rather that the heavens were opening up.

'Ugh, typical,' Noctis said. 'We seriously have the worst luck, don't we?'

Gladiolus said nothing, but smiled up at the rain.

The rain began to fall harder, and the blood on Noctis's forehead started dripping down faster. Angrily Noctis took off his leather shirt, and tore out the lining from it. It was messy, but it would do. He tied it around his forehead as a makeshift bandage, and it had the added benefit of keeping his hair from his eyes. He turned back to Gladiolus, and for a second his world spun. He fell to his knees again and vomited on the ground, before falling backward and waiting for the world to settle again. Head injuries were really not fun. He tipped his head and the blurry image of Gladiolus came into view. Miserably Noctis reached out his hand, fumbling and searching for Gladiolus's. When he took it it was cold and hard as stone.

'You're gonna be okay, Gladio.' He squeezed the older man's hand, then allowed himself thirty more seconds of rest before he forced himself to his feet again. The nausea had faded, so he used the opportunity to try lifting Gladiolus again. This time he could barely lift his torso, though he tried his best to drag him a few feet before collapsing again, Gladiolus dropping behind him.

'Come on Gladio, you've got to wake up,' Noctis begged, pulling Gladiolus close to his body and holding him tight. 'Please? Just open your eyes for five seconds. Just tell me you're alright.'

There was no answer. The rain fell harder, soaking their clothes anew. Though he knew it was hopeless and probably a waste of the little energy he had left, he drew magic from the crystal. He drew as much as he physically could, morphing it into a healing spell and channelling it into Gladiolus's body as the air around them shimmered with bright white particles of excess magical energy. But as the glow faded Gladiolus was no better off. His skin was ashen, his body stiff, his chest barely rising and falling at all.

Noctis's head was pounding and the world was spinning; he was running on fumes of energy now, but he wasn't going to give up. No way. Then the most miraculous thing happened; Gladiolus spoke.

'You can't carry me, kiddo,' he teased, in a gruff voice.

Noctis almost jumped in shock, then laughed and embraced his friend tightly. 'Oh god, Gladio. I thought you…are you okay?'

'You can't carry me,' Gladiolus said softly, his warm amber eyes glancing up at Noctis from his position cradled against Noctis's chest. He lifted a huge hand to brush tears from Noctis's cheek. 'Go on ahead. Go back to Ignis and Prom. Bbring them back here if you can, but the most important thing is to get yourself to safety, your highness.'

It was as if Gladiolus had just told him to toss his body in the river. The idea was crazy, Noctis just shook his head violently. 'No way am I leaving you here. You can't even walk let alone defend yourself if something attacks.'

'You're exhausted, your highness. And I'm holding you back. If something attacks you'll get yourself hurt trying to protect me.' Those golden eyes softened again. 'Go. Leave me. Please. I'm supposed to look after you. This is the only way I can look after you now.'

A sob caught in Noctis's throat, and he shook his head again, not caring about the pain it caused. He held Gladiolus tight. 'We're going back together, or we die here together. And I don't know about you, but I'm not planning on dying today.'

Gladiolus chuckled. 'So stubborn.'

'Yeah I'm stubborn, but no offence, you're not in a position to tell me what to do. So start helping me think of a way of getting you back or we really are going to die out here. Okay I can't carry you, but there must be another way. What do I do? Just tell me and I'll do it, anything.'

Gladiolus was silent for a moment, and Noctis was terrified he had fallen back into his coma. But then Gladiolus made a soft humming sound. 'We could hitch a ride.'

Noctis frowned. 'On what? Come on, I'm the one with a head injury here, you can't go crazy too. I think I'd have noticed a car laying about, and I'm pretty sure there's no train station close by.'

A rich laugh, and Gladiolus shook his head. 'Not that kind of ride.' He tipped his head to the tree line, and Noctis followed his gaze. There blinking out at them were a group of golden chocobos, regarding them curiously.

'Chocobo…?' Noctis said. 'Wait, you want to ride them?'

Gladiolus shrugged a huge shoulder. 'It's either that or your skinny butt carries me miles in the rain. Your choice, Noct.'

'But they don't have saddles, and they're wild,' Noctis said, watching as the giant birds scratched the ground searching for food.

'You're Noctis Lucis Caelum,' Gladiolus laughed. 'You can do anything, remember? That's what you told me.'

'Yeah but…'

'No buts. Even if you're backing down on your claim now, we still believe you can do anything. You've always come through for us, Noct. Always.'

Noctis glanced up at the group of chocobo again. They were starting to leave, obviously determining that the two men were no threat. Noctis lurched forward. 'Wait! Come back!'

'Better hurry,' Gladiolus said.

Hesitating briefly, Noctis made his mind up. Gently he laid Gladiolus on the floor, and squeezed his hand gently. 'I'll be right back.'

'I'm not goin' anywhere,' Gladiolus pointed out.

Noctis stumbled after the chocobo, which had started to run faster when they realised they were being chased. Noctis was in no condition to race them; they were instinctively fast on their feet, and he was injured and exhausted. After barely a minute his foot caught a tree root and he fell down hard. He lay there panting and letting the world settle as the last of the pounding feet faded away. Angrily he balled his fists and punched the ground, relishing the sharp jolt of pain. Hot tears stung his eyes and he forced himself to sit up, looking down the dark forest trail that the chocobos had disappeared down.

'You assholes!' he screamed, his voice cracking. 'Come back! Please come back. Please. My friend is dying…he's dying…oh god he's gonna die…' The tears came faster, his thin chest racked with sobs as the gravity of the situation set in. Gladiolus was dying. His other friends were miles away. What if they were never found? What if they were attacked? What if Gladiolus was already dead out there?

The weight of failure was heavy in his chest as he stumbled to his feet again, the trees blurry around him through tears and the concussion. He staggered a few steps, then leaned heavily against a tree as the world spun and nausea rose within him again. He took a few steadying breaths then pushed himself upright again.

'Kweh?' a soft call from his left.

Noctis almost jumped a mile in shock. 'Jeez, what the? Oh. A chocobo.' Noctis said, as the golden bird shyly stepped out of the trees. Then it clicked, and Noctis jumped again. 'A chocobo! Oh my god, you're really here!'

The chocobo backed up a step at the outburst, but let Noctis approach, watching him warily.

'Please don't leave too. I need you. My friend needs you. He's not well and I need to get him back to my other friend, and I need you to carry him for me. Will you do that?'

The bird cocked it's head. 'Kweh.'

'I'll take that as a yes. Oh god I'm talking to a chocobo,' Noctis mumbled, as he placed a hand on the bird's beak. It made a happy little "kweh" sound and nuzzled him, almost knocking him over again.

Noctis led the chocobo out of the forest and back over to where Gladiolus was waiting patiently for them. The older man grinned and gave him a thumbs up. 'You made a friend.'

'I did, and my friend is going to get you back to Ignis, so just hold on a little bit longer for me, okay? We'll get you back soon.'

Noctis turned to the chocobo, ready to bring it closer, and then the world just cut out. When he woke up Gladiolus was calling his name and shaking him urgently, and the chocobo was nudging him with his beak and "kweh"-ing desperately.

'Uh?' Noctis said, feeling something warm and sticky on his forehead. He raised a shaky hand and his fingertips came back red. 'Oh. Forgot about that.'

Gladiolus frowned. 'You're pushing yourself too hard, my prince.'

'Gotta,' Noctis mumbled, sitting up. 'We're so close. Just got to get you on the chocobo.'

His friend said nothing, but sighed heavily. 'Stubborn.'

'Stubborn maybe, but it's my stubbornness that's going to save us, so save the lectures for when we're back at the camp. Or an inn. Maybe we can convince Ignis to part with some gil for a warm bed tonight?'

'Heh, sounds good to me,' Gladiolus said as he watched Noctis guide the chocobo over. The golden bird knew what to do, and lowered itself to ground level.

'Right, now you're going to have to help me a bit,' Noctis said.

Gladiolus smiled sadly and shook his head. 'No can do.'

'What?' Noctis asked, dismayed. But it seemed Gladiolus couldn't move his arms or legs at all.

'Sorry Noct.'

'No, it's fine,' Noctis said, trying to summon the last shreds of energy. 'We'll get you on this if it’s the last thing I do.'

'It just might be,' Gladiolus said seriously, as Noctis shouldered his arm and hefted him up.

There was lots of grunting, slipping about in the mud, and almost falling, but eventually Noctis got Gladiolus draped over the chocobo's back. Slowly and painfully Noctis climbed behind Gladiolus, circling his arms around the other man to keep him settled. He patted the chocobo's neck gently and the creature stood up with its new burdens.

Noctis laughed. 'We did it! We actually did it. We're going to be okay Gladio.'

'I never doubted you, your highness.'

'No more talking. Rest now, okay? I'll get us back. Come on chocobo, mush.'

The chocobo understood what was required, and it followed the river instinctively. Noctis barely had to steer with his legs at all, and they moved along at a fast pace, eating up the distance with the chocobo's powerful legs. The sky darkened above them, and though Noctis was desperate to sleep and his heavy eyelids kept trying to close, he forced himself to stay awake. And when he saw the light of the camp fire in the distance he almost burst into fresh tears.

-

'You said until nightfall,' Prompto pointed out, pacing again. 'Night has fallen. We need to go looking for them.'

Ignis sighed and leaned forward in his chair. 'It's not quite dark yet. And by going out searching for them we risk not being here if they do return. They know where this camp is, if we leave now they'll have a harder time finding us.'

'What if one of us stays here?' Prompto suggested.

'Too risky. Alone in the dark isn't safe, what if we were attacked?'

Prompto frowned, hating the older man's logic. 'We can't just sit around, Ignis.'

'I know,' Ignis said, as worried as the other man. His mind was conjuring up worst case scenarios of what could have happened to their friends. He was about to suggest they wait another hour and then set out when he saw the flash of gold in the distance. He stood up and adjusted his glasses. 'Is that…?'

'What? Is it them?' Prompto asked, spinning around. 'Wait, what is that?'

'A chocobo,' Ignis said in disbelief. 'And they're on it!'

'Why do they have a chocobo?' Prompto asked in confusion.

'Not a clue. Come on, let's go find out.'

The two men raced toward the bird, which struggled to a stop before them, and gently lowered itself to the ground.

'Oh my…god…' Ignis said. 'Prompto, help me get them off.'

Stunned, the blonde took a moment to react, then grabbed Noctis's semi-conscious body and gently pulled him to the ground, cradling his bandaged, bloodied head in his lap. 'H-hey? Noct?' he asked nervously. 'You okay there? Come on, speak to me Noct. Please?'

Ignis was having similar trouble with Gladiolus. The man's skin was grey, and his body was stiff as a board. He was barely breathing at all. 'Petrified,' Ignis muttered. 'Dammit. Prompto, look after them a second. I think I might have something to help.' The taller man laid Gladiolus down in the grass then raced back to the camp.

Gently Prompto wiped blood away from Noctis's eyes, and swallowed back a lump in his throat. Noctis was so damn pale, and though his eyes were half lidded it was clear the man wasn't really taking anything in. 'Noct? C-come on. What the hell happened to you guys?'

'Glad...Gladio…?' Noct muttered, his eyes half opened and searching around.

Prompto squeezed him tighter. 'Don't scare me like that. You can't just come stumbling in half dead like this, Noct, what the hell happened?'

'Indeed, what happened?' Ignis asked, returning with a small bottle of pale gold liquid.

Noct woke up a little more, and struggled to sit up. Prompto helped him, so that he could watch as Ignis prised Gladiolus's lips apart and poured some of the liquid into Gladiolus's mouth.

'Attacked. Fell river. Gladio was un…unconscious but then…he was okay. He saw the chocobo. Rode it back.' Noctis leaned heavily against Prompto, feeling sick to his stomach. 'He okay?'

Ignis frowned. 'He's been petrified. The body shuts down, as if death has occurred, leading to premature rigor mortis, hence the stiffness of his body. I think we've caught it just in time before his organs failed, but time will tell. All we can do now is wait and hope the medicine works.'

Noctis nodded. 'He'll be okay.'

Ignis watched the younger man for a few seconds, then reached out to remove the strip of fabric from the wound. He winced as the gash appeared and began bleeding fresh. 'You hit your head pretty hard there, you're going to need potions to heal that, your highness.'

'After I know Gladio is alright,' Noctis insisted, trying to swat Ignis's hand away, but missing as his vision went double.

'Stubborn,' Ignis said.

Noctis smiled. 'Gladio kept saying that.'

Another frown from Ignis. 'He can't have been saying too much. Petrification is fairly instant, and from the level he's suffering he'll have been unresponsive for hours.'

Noctis shook his head. 'No, he was talking to me. He found the chocobos. He kept me going…' Noctis said, his eyes falling closed again, now that there was nothing more for him to do, his body was shutting down itself. 'He saved me.'

Ignis exchanged a glance with Prompto, then squeezed Noctis's hand. 'I think it's you that saved him, your highness. And if you really were talking to Gladiolus, then we need to get that head wound seen to right away.'

Noctis was already unconscious, however. Rather than disturbing the injured men by bringing them to the camp, the camp was moved closer to them. A new fire was set up, and blankets brought out to tuck around them. Ignis disinfected Noctis's wound and rebandaged it. Potions would have to wait for him to wake up, but he kept checking his friend every few minutes, making sure he wasn't slipping into a coma of his own.

As the night drew on Gladiolus's skin became less dusky. The grey gave way to peach, then the deeper tan of his normal skin tone. His body began to lose its deathly chill, and soaked up the warmth of the fire as his arms and legs became easier to bend again. By the time the sun began to rise Ignis was a lot more confident in a recovery.

The fire was burning down to embers and the sun was high when Gladiolus's eyes finally opened. he groaned and stretched his arms, wincing as the joints popped. 'Oh man, I ache,' he said. 'How long was I out?'

Ignis was behind him in seconds, gently kneading his shoulders to help with the deep muscle aching. 'A while. You were petrified, your muscles were dying as they were starved of oxygen, which is why you're so stiff this morning. You were lucky. Very lucky.'

'That's, well, thanks for saving me,' Gladiolus said, with a nervous laugh. Then he sobered up and sat up straighter. 'Noctis! I was supposed to be-'

Ignis's hands tightened briefly on his shoulders. 'The prince is alright, don't worry. He was the one that saved you, actually, he got you back to me just in the nick of time so I could give you the remedy.'

The tone of Ignis's voice didn't do much to calm Gladiolus, however, and he placed his hands on Ignis's and turned around, wincing at the movement. 'Where is he? Is he okay?'

'He had a head injury,' Ignis said carefully, not wanting to stress the other man out when he was still sick. When Gladiolus moved to rise Ignis pushed him back down by the shoulders. 'Prompto drove him to hospital last night after he got worse, he wasn't making much sense at all and kept vomiting. He wore himself out trying to get you back in time, and he was convinced you were talking to him, so I was worried about a concussion.'

'I need to see him,' Gladiolus said, trying to get up again then gasping in pain. His muscles were cramping as life returned to them, and movement was difficult.

'No, you need to rest. Your organs were failing a few hours ago so you need sleep. And potions, so drink up,' Ignis said as he reached over to the medical bag and pressed a bottle of clear liquid into Gladiolus's hand.

'Ugh, do I have to?'

The glare Ignis gave him had him opening the bottle and downing it in one. Ignis nodded. 'Thank you. I nearly lost both of you, at least follow proper medical advice.'

Gladiolus grinned. 'Take more than that to take me down.'

'Well, if the prince hadn't managed to get you back you wouldn't be alive right now to say that.'

That silenced him, and Gladiolus shifted a little. 'I wanna go see him.'

'We don't have a car,' Ignis pointed out. 'We'll have to wait, so you might as well sleep.'

Resigned, Gladiolus lay back against the pillow someone had placed under him, and then did just that.

When he awoke it was to the hum of conversation. He turned his head and saw that the car was back, and that Prompto and Ignis were sat in two of the camping chairs. Noctis looked like he was sleeping in a third, if the limp arm hanging down was any indication. With a groan Gladiolus sat himself up, then got to his feet, stretching his aching muscles. He'd never felt pain so intense all over his body before, but he was determined to stumble over. He made it to the fourth chair and collapsed ungracefully into it, grinning at his friends who were watching him wearily. Even Noctis, who wasn't asleep, but definitely wasn't awake either.

'Miss me?' Gladiolus asked.

Prompto smiled and kicked him gently. 'Idiot, almost getting yourself killed. What would we have done then? We're a team, you can't go dying on us now.'

'Thank you for the unwavering concern,' Gladiolus said dryly.

Prompto grinned, then launched himself up from the chair and flew at him like a flying squirrel, catching the taller man in a hug. 'This better? Seriously, die again and I'll kill you myself.' Prompto said, burying his face into Gladiolus's shoulder and holding on for all he was worth.

Gladiolus awkwardly patted his back. 'I didn't die, Prom.'

'Damn well close enough,' Prompto said angrily, pulling back and punching his friend gently in the chest.

'Noct?' Gladiolus asked, and the dark haired man turned his way. His eyes were glassy and there was a slightly vacant smile on his lips. 'Thank you for saving me. It sounds like you had one hell of a day, so...thank you.'

'It's alright,' Noctis said. 'Even though you kept telling me to leave you, I wasn't ever going to.'

Gladiolus blinked and turned to Ignis. he had no recollection of saying that. Ignis just shook his head. 'Well thank you for not dumping my ass and leaving me then,' Gladiolus said with a grin.

'Very welcome.'

'Are you…alright, your highness?' Gladiolus asked, eyeing the thick white bandage covering Noctis's forehead.

'Yes, lots of potions, it's almost healed now. They have fantastic painkillers though,' Noctis said with a wide grin.

Gladiolus had never seen him so smiley before and it was rather unnerving. 'Excellent, that's always good.'

Prompto snorted. 'You should have heard him on the drive back. He was singing along to the radio and kept proclaiming his undying love for me.'

'I do love you,' Noctis said in confusion.

'Yes, I know,' Prompto said, patting the dark haired man gently on the shoulder. 'And while I appreciate that it's best not to drape yourself over me to tell me it while I'm driving at ninety miles an hour.'

'But I needed to tell you,' Noctis insisted. Then he turned to the other two. 'I love both of you, too.'

'And we love you,' Ignis said, trying very, very hard to conceal his smile. 'But I think now is a good time for a nap, before Prompto decides to start recording this on his phone.'

'Too late,' Prompto said.

'Delete it,' Ignis warned, his glasses flashing dangerously.

'Spoil all my fun,' Prompto grumbled. 'Come on you, let's get your royal butt to bed.' He got Noctis to his feet and guided the other man to a futon where he could sleep off the morphine with as much dignity as possible.

Gladiolus rubbed at one of his shoulders, trying to ease the tension in them.

'Still sore?' Ignis asked.

'Yeah, but I'll be fine. Thanks to Noctis.'

'He really did well. It must have been hard for him, but he survived and he kept you alive. He's going to be an amazing king someday.'

'Yeah, if the idiot doesn't get himself killed before he can be crowned.

Ignis nodded. 'Yes, assuming that. Well, that's what we're here for. Now and forever. We'll protect each other.'

'Amen to that,' Gladiolus said.

Chapter Text

'Ah well,' Gladiolus said, flicking through the rack of puffer jackets. 'The cold never bothered me anyway.'

The vein in Ignis's forehead twitched slightly.

'Yeah, for the first time in forever we've got snow!' Prompto said happily, holding a fleece jacket to his chest and checking himself out in a mirror.

Ignis made an almost inaudible noise of irritation. 'Could we please focus?'

Prompto slid over and leaned his head on the taller man's shoulder. 'Come on Iggy, please don't shut us out. Please don't slam the door.'

Gladiolus appeared at Ignis's other side. 'You don't have to keep your distance anymore.'

'The next person that utters a line from that blasted film…'

Prompto and Gladiolus grinned at each other and decided to busy themselves with the task of clothes shopping.

Noctis squeezed his friends' shoulder gently. 'Relax, they're trying to get a rise from you.'

Ignis sighed, and adjusted his glasses. 'I know, your highness. Apologies.'

'It's okay. Just let it go,' Noctis advised, and stifled a smirk as he wandered off to find something warmer to wear.

Ignis fumed while Prompto collapsed to his knees laughing and Gladiolus slapped Noctis a high five.

They'd been travelling through the mountain region close to Altissa when the snowstorm had hit, and for three days they'd holed up at an inn while the blizzard swept over the already snowy mountains. Despite the innkeepers insistence that travel was impossible, now that there was a break in the storm Ignis had felt it was safe enough for them to pass through the mountains. The next snowstorm was due in just over twenty-four hours, and was predicted to last for a week. Etro only knew what Idola could achieve by then if they didn't get a move on. Time was too precious to sit watching movies (read: that snowy Disney movie) in a hotel room, and their funds were running low again.

So there they were in a cheap department store picking out suitable clothing for a trip through the snowy mountain range. Ignis felt rather smug that his own attire was fairly well suited as it was, but he loved Prompto and Gladiolus too much to let them get frost bite should they find themselves trapped out there.

'What do you think?' Prompto asked, posing dramatically with a weird woollen patterned hat that had ear flaps dangling down to his shoulders.

'You look ridiculous, but at least it hides the mess you call hair,' Gladiolus grinned, pulling the hat off and ruffling the blonde locks.

'Hey hey, that takes a lot of styling!' Prompto complained, making a grab for Gladiolus's wrist and trying to save his hair from being messed up.

'As ridiculous as they look, those hats might be a sensible idea, Ignis said, picking one up from the shelf and trying it on himself. He took another over to Noctis and held it out to the prince.

Noctis looked at it in disgust.

'I know what he's thinking,' Prompto said, finally freeing himself from Gladiolus. 'He's thinking "Does it come in black?" Am I right?'

Noctis glared. 'I wasn't thinking that.'

'Oh you were totally thinking that,' Prompto said. 'Everything you've picked out so far is black. You know, I've never seen you in anything that's not black.'

'I like black,' Noctis said defensively. 'It’s the national colour of my kingdom. And it's flattering.'

'Gotta think of how your butt looks. Priorities; Noctis has them,' Gladiolus said, sneaking up behind the dark haired prince and attacking him with a multicoloured ear flap hat. 'Quick, Prom, snap a pic.'

'Say cheese,' Prompto said, whipping his phone out and swiping to the camera.

Noctis just glared. 'Sleep well tonight, everyone. Don't worry about phantom swords skewering you while you dream or anything.'

Gladiolus snorted and slapped a hand on his shoulder. 'As if you'd stay up later than us.'

'Could we please make our purchases and begin our journey before the next snowstorm strikes?' Ignis asked impatiently.

'Sorry,' the other three mumbled, and went about gathering the warmer clothes, hats, gloves and scarves they'd picked out. They grabbed few special insulated blankets for the car, too. Ignis paid for it all with a little wince at the dent it made to their funds.

'Any other supplies we need?' Gladiolus asked as they changed into the thicker trousers, fleece sweaters and parker jackets in their hotel room.

'We could use a few more potions and antidotes, but after we've settled the bill here and filled up the Regalia we'll have less than fifty gil to our names, which I would prefer to keep for once we reach the other side of the mountains. We should arrive there by tomorrow morning, at which point we'll stop off and buy breakfast, then we'll look to acquire some more funds.'

'Killing and selling, whoo,' Prompto said without enthusiasm. 'We're bringing food today though, right? I hate being stuck in the car hungry.'

'We have some provisions, but we should save them for as long as possible just in case we get stuck in the snow anywhere,' Ignis said. 'You won't go hungry, though.'

The Regalia was filled with petrol, and they were on their way. The sky was thick with light grey clouds, which blended in with the snowy mountains to make everything seem light and overbearing. The mountain road was narrow and slippery, but the winter tyres that Cindy had fitted worked like a charm to keep them glued to the road.

'No reception,' Prompto complained, abandoning the radio and slumping in his chair.

'Can't imagine there would be up here,' Ignis said. 'There are compact discs, if you'd like to listen to music.'

'We've listened to them a hundred times already, I'm bored of them,' Prompto said, twisting in his seat. 'Look at them. That's so unfair.'

Noctis and Gladiolus were fast asleep in the back seat, with Noctis leaning against the taller man's shoulder. They looked cosy, and even had a blanket wrapped around them as they dozed. It had been decided that somebody had to stay awake at all times, to ensure that Ignis didn't fall asleep at the wheel so high up. Prompto had first watch, and so far he'd complained so much that Ignis half wished the blonde would fall asleep too.

'Was that a snowflake?' Prompto asked, sitting forward gain and peering out through the windscreen.

'I don't think so. There's a lot of snow on the mountains and it's fairly windy, so snow gets blown off and it looks like it's falling. We'll be fine,' Ignis said.

'Okay,' Prompto said, and turned his attention to the heater. He pushed it up so warm air blasted from all sides. 'There, much better. Seeing all this snow makes me feel cold.'

'It won't be long before we reach the other side of the mountains, then the snow will be a distant memory.'

'Hope so,' Prompto said, settling back again in his seat and huddling further into his new coat as he watched the sheer drop into the villages below. It was perhaps because he was looking down that he saw it; indentations in the snow in the ledge between the road and the edge of the mountain. 'Er, Ignis? What are those?'

Ignis slowed the car to a stop, then leaned over to take a look. 'Footprints.'

'I can see that, but they're really big. What made them?'

Ignis started the car up again. 'I'm not sure. We'll keep on our guard, but in the Regalia we should be fine.'

They kept driving, but it wasn't long before the white snow on the road became pink, then red. And they finally came across the scattered remains of a deer carcass. Gladiolus had woken up by that point and let out a low whistle. 'Not even anything left to cook on it. Something picked it clean.'

'Yes,' Ignis said, his brow furrowed. 'Let's just hope whatever it is stays hidden. The less drama we have up here the better; the roads are starting to get slippery.'

In truth it was hard to keep the Regalia in a straight line. The snow was thicker nearer the top, and even with the special tyres the build up was such that the going was slow as thick white snow clung to the wheel arches and slowed them down. Finally the car gave a grunt of effort, and though the engine revved as Ignis pressed the accelerator, the car was well and truly stuck in the snow. Ignis cut the engine.

'We should have brought a four-by-four,' Gladiolus said.

'When escaping the capital for our lives we didn't pause to think about our choice of automobile, and whether it would be up to weathering a bad snowstorm in the Altissan mountain range,' Ignis said patiently.

'What do we do?' Prompto asked, glancing up at the sky. The powder-white clouds of a few hours ago had started to darken, heavy with snow. 'Whatever it is we need to do it fast. I think the storm is going to hit us sooner than they predicted.'

'Perfect,' Ignis muttered, tapping long elegant fingers against the steering wheel. 'Well, someone needs to go and clear the snow from the wheels and push us out.'

There was deathly silence. Prompto glanced out of the window as if he hadn't heard the other man speak.

Ignis rolled his eyes. 'Well don't all volunteer at once.'

With a heavy sigh Gladiolus clapped a hand on Prompto's shoulder. 'Come on blondie, the sooner we get the car free the sooner we can get going again.'

'But it's cold out there,' Prompto pointed out.

'You'll warm up when you start shovelling snow,' Gladiolus said, kicking his leg out and catching Noctis as he shifted in his seat. The prince grunted. 'Oh look, his highness is waking up,' Gladiolus said, giving him another discreet kick. 'Noct? Good to see you awake, you can help us with the car.'

'Hng?' Noctis grumbled intelligently, his eyes still firmly closed.

'That's the spirit, let's get you up,' Gladiolus said, grabbing Noctis's arm and pulling him across the seats.

Ignis glanced in the rear view mirror. 'You realise he can summon weapons from thin air? Is it wise to grab him like that when he's half asleep?'

'You're awake, aren't you?' Gladiolus said.

'Hn?' Noctis said, still at the as of yet unopened eyes stage.

'See, he's fine.'

Ignis sighed. 'Be careful with him, he's the only prince we have.'

Gladiolus opened the door and shivered as a rush of icy mountain air sucked out the warmth from the car. He helped Noctis out and steadied the dark prince as he found his feet in the snow. The cold woke him up faster than being slapped usually did. Prompto was out too, hidden under his hat and jumping from foot to foot to try and get warm.

'Right boys, time to clear the snow from the wheel arches. The faster we get it done the sooner we can get back in that nice toasty car, got it? So get scraping,' Gladiolus instructed.

Still not entirely awake Noctis just grumbled and crouched down next to the nearest wheel, using his gloved hands to pull at the snow. It was tightly packed and slow going, and the wind was strong enough to almost knock him over. His fingers were going numb quite quickly, even protected by the leather of his gloves. So much so that after a few minutes his hands hurt from the cold and from catching them on the metal of the car. His legs burned from being crouched, and his body ached from being curled up in the cold, and he was feeling damn miserable as he worked. He just wanted to go back to sleep, dammit.

'I can't feel my fingers,' Prompto called from the other side of the car. 'Or my toes. Or my nose. Could I ever feel my nose? I can't remember. Are you guys normally aware of your nose or is it just kind of…there?'

'I wish you couldn't feel your vocal cords,' Gladiolus grumbled.

'No seriously, I've never thought about it before. Do you feel your nose?'

'Ask Ignis,' Gladiolus said.

'OI, IGNIS,' Prompto called. Some snow fell on him from the ledge above and he cried out.

'Idiot, how do you think avalanches start?' Gladiolus said. 'I really don't wanna be buried alive because of your screaming.'

'Sorry, didn't realise the snow was that loose,' Prompto said.

The car door opened and Ignis peeked his head out. 'You bellowed?'

'Yeah, got a question,' Prompto said, completely ignoring the snow clearing now. 'You know your nose?'

Ignis just gave him a look that made it clear he thought the other man was insane.

'Well, I was wondering-'

Prompto was cut off by a yell and a thud.

'Noct?' Prompto asked, getting to his feet and almost slipping himself. 'You okay over there, buddy?'

'Snow is slippery,' Noctis said simply.

'Someone should make a note of that or something,' Prompto said. 'You okay?'

'I think I bruised my ass and my pride, but I'll live. Have we cleared enough yet?'

'Only one way to find out. Iggy, start her up,' Gladiolus said.

The engine sparked to life and the engine revved as Ignis tried to get the car to move. The rear wheels spun now that the clogged snow had been cleared, but they couldn't get traction on the icy road surface. Ignis leaned out of the open door. 'No good, try giving it a push.'

'Push?' Noctis groaned.

'Come on you two, maybe between you you've got enough muscle to make up a normal sized man,' Gladiolus teased, herding the younger men to the back of the car and instructing them how to best go about the task. Ignis kept working the accelerator, and the car rocked back and forth in the thick slippery snow, but it was well and truly stuck.

'Futile,' Ignis said, switching off the engine and getting out of the car. He held a gloved hand to the side of the Regalia to keep his balance as he slid toward the other men and took a look at the wheels. 'Perhaps we could put down some blankets to add as traction. Churning the wheels has dug a hole in the tightly packed snow, I believe once we're free of the wells we'll be fine to move again. It's just getting out of the dent we’ve made that's the hard part. I'll find some blankets.'

'Uh, guys? I hate to ruin the moment, but we have company,' Prompto said, pointing to the opening of a cave leading into the mountain.

The sky had darkened over, thick with heavy grey clouds. That meant that the goblins were brave enough to risk scavenging, and were peeking out of their cave with beady yellow eyes.

'Nothing we can't handle,' Gladiolus said, materialising a huge sword in his hand. 'So long as we can stay standing on this ice.'

'Agreed. It appears to be only a small group,' Ignis summarised.

But the lead goblin was fast, and dashed across the snow with practiced ease as it leaped into the car.

'What the hell?' Noctis said, going toward it but being held back by a hand on his shoulder.

Gladiolus grinned. 'Let me, prince, it's not the best environment to be fighting in.'

But they were both too slow. The goblin shrieked with something akin to laughter, and dashed back to the cave. The few other goblins began shrieking too and jumping up and down, then they all vanished into the darkness.

'That was weird,' Prompto said.

'Indeed,' Ignis said, his brow furrowed. 'Let's press on. As I was saying I'll find some blankets that we can use for…oh dear.'

'Oh dear?' Noctis asked. 'We should have enough blankets, we bought extra before we set out.'

'It's not the blankets that concern me, but I believe I know what the goblin was doing. Our keys have been stolen. Goblins are attracted to shiny objects, clearly they saw them catch the light and thought it was treasure.'

'…Gotta be kidding me,' Gladiolus said.

'I wish I was,' Ignis said. 'We're going to have to retrieve them.'

'After we deal with that,' Prompto said calmly.

'With…oh dear,' Ignis said again, summoning knives in his hands. 'This may pose more of a threat than a group of goblins.'

The footprints. The butchered deer carcass. It had been a behemoth, and the beast was hungry again and looking for lunch.

Gladiolus was quick to slash his sword down in warning, and stepped in front of Noctis. 'Stay back, Noct, this is gonna get tricky. Heal us from the sidelines, okay? The road isn't very wide and that's not a fall I want any of us to make.'

'But perhaps we can use it to our advantage if we can lure the behemoth over the edge. A quick and dirty win,' Ignis mused.

'Got it. Trick the fugly monster into a swandive,' Prompto said, drawing his gun from the ether and taking aim. 'Want me to do the honours? I'm fastest.'

'Be careful,' Ignis stressed, his worried gaze flicking over the slender blonde man. 'I mean it, Prompto, the road is slippery and it could catch you with its tail as it falls, or you could trip or slip or-'

'Iggy, I love that you care, but I'll be fine. I promise,' Prompto said with a grin. 'Now let's do this.'

Gladiolus turned to Noctis, who had managed to sneak by his side. He frowned. 'Behind me. Close to the mountain, as far away from the ledge as you can get,' the tank insisted.

'But you-'

'But nothing. I don't need to see the man I've spent my life trying to protect go flying off a mountain because he got reckless.'

'Fine,' Noctis muttered, falling back so that he was pressed up against the edge of the mountain, close to the cave entrance the goblins had come out from. If they decided to make an opportunistic attack while they were busy with the behemoth Noctis would at least be on hand to dispatch of them. It made him feel slightly useful, and kept the worry at bay as he watched his friends taking on the fearsome beast while trying to stay standing in the snow.

Prompto was as close to the edge as he dared get. He could feel the icy wind on the back of his neck where the ear flap hat he wore didn't quite reach. He shot at the beast as it went to swipe a paw at Ignis, and the behemoth turned to him and growled. Damn its breath stank. Prompto shivered in the cold as he waited to see what the behemoth would do; it was just sizing him up for the moment, clearly trying to work out which of the group it wanted to go for. It decided Prompto was too dangerous where he was, so it turned back to the mountains…and saw Noctis. It began charging.

'No you don't, you freak!' Prompto yelled, firing more shots at the beast. He ran forward, firing as fast as his frozen hand could manage, but the beast was already in motion and Noctis wasn’t even looking up. What was the idiot doing? 'Noct! Look out!' Prompto called.

Gladiolus leaped forward and slashed his sword down hard into the behemoth, causing snow to fall from the mountain above. The thick snow and the sword strike put the beast off course, and with it disoriented its paws slid on the snow. It went skidding at speed and slammed into the side of the mountain, right where Noctis had been before he'd dove out of the way.

'Shit!' Gladiolus swore, as rocks began falling from the mountain above. There was an ominous grumble from above, and the flash of white as more snow began sliding.

Prompto had already been running for Noctis when the behemoth had been charging, so he kept going. He could see his friend had fallen when he'd leaped out of the way, and he wasn't getting up fast enough. Prompto was quick enough to get by his side and grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. 'We need to move, now. There's…oh god.'

'Avalanche! Your highness, Prompto, run!' Ignis called, but already his voice was fading away.

Prompto still had Noctis's arm around his shoulder, and he started to move forward but a rock slammed into his head. Dazed he stumbled back, and watched as white and grey rained in front of him.

'Oh…man,' Prompto said dizzily, his head pounding. 'We…gotta take cover. In the cave. We gotta…' Prompto collapsed to his knees.

'Prom?' Noctis asked, as rocks rained around them. Another hit Prompto in the head again, and the blonde boy pitched forward into Noctis's arms. 'Don't worry, I'll help you. Come on, work with me here.' Carefully he slid Prompto's arm over his shoulders and then half carried half dragged his friend's unconscious body away from the wreckage. Snow was chasing them in, rocks were falling all around as the cave shook and collapsed around them. Noctis ran as fast as he could while supporting another man, but then the ground started shaking again.

'Avalanche again?' Noctis asked himself, but the noise got louder. And louder. And he recognised the even rhythmic beats as footsteps of a charging behemoth. He tried to flatten himself against a wall to let the injured, frightened monster pass, but the thing was too big and too quick. He pushed Prompto aside but it was too late for himself; the behemoth slammed into his body, stamped on him as it charged through and then delved deeper into the mountain.

Noctis screamed in agony as the beast crushed his shoulder and chest, then as the sounds faded away he lay for a long moment in shock, before the pain took over and he mercifully passed out.

-

Gladiolus rushed forward as the snow and rock fell, but Ignis held him back. He turned to yell at the smaller man, but seconds later a huge boulder slammed into the ground where he would have been, shaking the ground and causing the two men to fall to the ground. They stayed there, huddled together as the avalanche and cave in wore themselves out, and finally they broke apart, surveying the scene.

'Highness…' Ignis breathed, as he shakily got to his feet. 'Prompto…'

Gladiolus starting shifting some of the rocks, pulling them away with effort. As soon as he dug one out another fell in its place. Everything was cemented in tightly with packed snow. 'Noct? Prom?' Gladiolus called, his voice echoing down the mountain. 'Noctis!' he screamed again, then began pulling at the rocks once more.

'Gladiolus, if they're under that…' Ignis began, swallowing hard. He lifted a hand to push his glasses straight, then realised the frame had bent. The left piece of glass had a crack in it, which distorted his view.

'If they're under this, then they need us to get our asses in gear to move it off them,' Gladiolus finished for his friend. 'You gonna help? I'm not stopping until I find them. One way or another I'm gonna find them. If they are alive they're not going to stay that way long, Iggy.'

'Of course,' Ignis said, stepping forward and lifting a smaller rock. 'Even if they've not sustained any injuries, there's the risk of suffocation or crushing as the weight of the snow-'

'Iggy, please,' Gladiolus said in a rough, strained voice. 'For once in your life stop over thinking it, okay? Just believe in them. Trust your heart that they're going to be okay, and ignore the statistics in your head.'

Ignis swallowed hard, then resumed his work tearing away rocks and snow. 'Alright. I'll try to stay positive.'

'Good man. They're counting on us. And until I get proof otherwise, I'm going to act as if they're still alive. You with me?'

'Of course,' Ignis whispered, his tears freezing on his eyelashes as he fought off images of Noctis and Prompto lying frozen and crushed. He wanted to believe they'd be fine. He had to believe they'd be fine. If he lost them then everything was pointless.

-

His head was pounding, a horrible throbbing sensation that made his brain feel like it was trying to explode his skull. Prompto groaned and turned his head, trying to work out where he was and why he was so damn cold. Blindly his hand fumbled for the little torch clipped to his coat, and when white light shone out he closed his eyes in pain. Too bright. He cracked them open again and tried to adjust and take in his surroundings; there was snow on the ground, and his breath came out in little white puffs. The walls were dark and hollow. He was in a cave. Slowly things began to come back to him; the behemoth, the avalanche, diving for Noctis and pushing him into the cave to get way from falling debris. And being smashed in the head by a falling rock. Gently Prompto lifted a hand to the top of his head and his fingers came back slick with red blood. His hair was matted and the blood there was dry, which meant he'd probably been lying unconscious for a while. Why hadn't Noctis woken him? Where was Noctis?

'N-noct?' Prompto asked, his teeth chattering as he tried to speak. There was no answer. 'Ugh. Man, you're gonna make me get up and search for you? What kinda friend are you?'

Slowly Prompto sat himself up, feeling nauseas as he did so. He was definitely concussed, he summarised, if the blurry world around him was anything to go by. He crawled a few feet in the snow, then his torch fell on something dark. It looked like a blanket or a pile of rags or something. He frowned and dragged his aching body over to investigate, but as he got closer he caught the flash of colour; the woollen hat he'd insisted Noctis buy. The urge to vomit rose again, but he fought against it and hurried himself up. When he reached the bundle of material he turned the figure over onto their back.

'Oh…oh god,' Prompto said, his heart hammering against his chest. Noctis's eyes were half open and staring up at him, there was dried blood on his nose and lips, and his body just felt wrong when Prompto cradled him in his lap.

'Noct? Come on, I just went to all that trouble to save you…you can't die now. We've been through so much, you can't…come on, you're not dead. You're not.'

Prompto ripped off a glove and pressed his fingers to the dark haired man's throat. It was hard to tell if there was a pulse since his own pulse was thumping so loudly, but after a few minutes of trying different positions since he really had no idea where the carotid artery was, he thought he felt something fluttering.

'You're alive. I'm going to pretend you're alive anyway, because I'll go crazy otherwise. I mean I'm already talking to you even though you're asleep. Crazy, huh? See, I'm crazy. But that's fine. I don't mind being crazy. I think I need to get you warm, though, you're cold as ice. I mean I am too, but your lips are all blue and weird and stuff. Maybe you've got hypothermia? I wish Ignis was here. No actually I don't, because then he'd be trapped too. But at least he'd know what to do. Or Gladio, he could just smash the rocks with his fists and break us a door out of here, then he could carry you out in his arms like in an action movie and we'd race you back down the mountain to a hospital. Then you'd get warm again and we'd laugh about all this. I wish they were here.' Prompto finished, with a choking sob as he held Noctis to his chest for warmth and rocked gently back and forth.

'…You…sound funny…'

Prompto almost dropped his friend. His head snapped down and he found himself looking into closed eyes. Which was fine, because Noctis had actively closed them himself, which meant he was alive, which meant that Prompto wasn't alone.

'Oh thank Etro. Noct don't do that, I thought you were dead.'

'Wish I was,' Noctis said, frowning slightly.

'Don't even joke about that,' Prompto said.

'You do sound funny. Slurring like you're drunk,' Noctis said. 'You okay?'

'Apparently my skull isn't as thick as everyone thinks. Took a rock to the head, now I'm kind of feeling a bit off my game.'

Noctis finally opened his eyes, and frowned up at his friend. He reached out with his left hand and gently touched Prompto's cheek, where a trail of blood had dried against the gunner's pale skin. Concentrating, Noctis connected to the crystal, and tapped in to the stream of magic. Warmth spread under his fingertips and the white glow shimmered in the air as he transferred the healing spell into Prompto.

Prompto sighed, closing his eyes as he felt the stabbing pain in his head start to recede. He had been expecting it to disappear completely, but when Noctis's hand fell back there was still a horrible dull throbbing.

'You okay?' Prompto asked, shifting Noctis in his arms.

'Yeah, I just…lost it,' Noctis said, frowning in confusion. 'I'll try again.'

'Nah, it's fine. It's loads better, and now I can only see one of you which is a good sign. You probably took a battering too, you've been unconscious yourself. Save your strength. Maybe heal yourself a bit too if you've got some magic to spare?'

Noctis seemed to consider this for a moment, then closed his eyes as his body began to glow white with a healing spell. It barely lasted a second before the glow faded again, another half completed spell.

'You need a recharge,' Prompto decided. 'Maybe try and get some sleep, and then you can try a fire spell or something to melt some of the snow and see if we can get out of this cave. I wish we had something to eat, that might help get your strength back too.'

'I'm fine,' Noctis said, staring up at the ceiling. 'I can try fire.'

Prompto watched him for a long moment. 'You sure?'

'You want to be stuck in here longer than we have to? It’s cold. Can you…help me sit up?'

'Sure,' Prompto pulled his friend into a sitting position, taking note of the strange way Noctis held himself, and the grimace on his friends lips as he moved. 'You're hurt,' Prompto said.

'I'll be okay. I managed half a healing spell, so I'm only half hurt,' Noctis pointed out. 'Can you point your torch at the entrance? I'll try and aim at the snow, maybe that will melt enough so the rocks will come free.'

'Just be careful, alright? And make sure you don't burn us by accident,' Prompto said with a nervous laugh.

'I'll try my best,' Noctis said, grunting in pain then slowly lifting his arm as he drew more power from the crystal. The raw energy flooded his veins, and he forced it into the burning rage of fire, then out through his hand aiming at the rocks. The fire spell was weak at best, but the heat of the flames worked on the snow, melting it away as the flames burned strong. Rocks began to slip as the snow packing them in melted, and they tumbled to the ground slowly.

Noctis sighed and his hand fell into his lap.

'Noct? You okay?' Prompto asked. It hadn't escaped his attention that Noctis had used his left arm for the spell, despite being right handed.

'Yeah. Sorry, think that's as much as I can do for now. I'll try again later. Or maybe Gladio can get to us by then. You think they're okay out there?'

'Yeah, course they are,' Prompto said confidently. 'They're probably worried sick about us but they're working on a plan to get us free. Hopefully that neat fire spell just helped them get to us faster. I mean how thick can the snow and rock be? It won't be long before they find us.'

'Yeah,' Noctis said, biting back a gasp as a wave of pain rippled through his body. 'Yeah, they'll be here soon. We just have to sit tight.'

-

Ignis's hands were numb. He knew they should hurt; the gloves had torn on the rocks and he could see dark blood on the pale skin underneath from where he'd been desperately clawing at rock, but his fingers were too frozen to register pain. He supposed he should count himself lucky that they still cooperated enough to keep pulling at the debris, but that was probably more through sheer willpower than anything else. His need to find his friends was so deep seated that he was literally moving the earth to save them.

Beside him Gladiolus was grunting with the effort of moving rocks twice as heavy as Ignis could ever lift. The heavy was ripping them out one by one and tossing them behind him as if they weighed nothing, then as soon as he was done with one rock he was working the next free from the tightly packed snow. He'd taken his gloves off at some point, and his hands were cut and bruised beyond belief. The same gritty determination forced him on, though, and he hadn't said a word in the hour they'd been working.

Finally Ignis paused for a breath, and took a step back to survey their work. They'd cleared a fair amount of debris, but there was just so much. Ignis was weary to his bones, and there was no end in sight.

'This is taking too long,' he said sharply. 'They could be dying and we're taking too long to get to them.'

'Well shut up and keep working then,' Gladiolus said, throwing another boulder behind him. But he paused too, and flexed his bleeding hands. A nail had broken half off, it was bloodied and torn so Gladiolus grimaced and pulled it clean off with his teeth.

Ignis placed the palm of his hand against the cool rock in front of him. 'Gladio? What do we do if we find they're gone?' he asked, in a hollow voice.

'They're not…dammit Iggy,' Gladiolus said, stepping toward the shorter man. He grabbed him by the front of his coat and lifted him clear off the ground. 'They're not…they're not…' he couldn't finish the sentence. He set Ignis down then pulled him close in a hug. 'What did I tell you about thinking with your heart?'

'They're under all this rock, Gladio, we've been clearing it for over an hour and we still haven't found them. Nobody could survive this.' His voice cracked, and hot tears shone in his eyes. He was tired and he felt as if someone had reached in and crushed his heart.

Gladiolus held him tight, resting his chin on his friend's spiky hair. 'Just trust them, alright? They're tough. They can survive this.'

Ignis said nothing, but he slowly lifted his arms to wrap around Gladiolus's waist, taking comfort in the hug.

'Hey, Ignis? You want some motivation? Take a look at this,' Gladiolus said, sounding brighter. He let his friend go, then placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around. He pointed up at the edge of the area he'd just cleared. 'What does that look like to you?'

Ignis adjusted his broken glasses, and his heart leaped to his throat. 'The edge of the cave mouth…there was a cave here…'

'Yup. Forgot about that. But that means they might have been able to take cover. Ignis, they could be sitting in there waiting for us to clear this junk and free them.'

Ignis swallowed hard, almost letting himself dare to believe. 'They might be alive.'

'So we need to get moving. They're counting on us.'

Ignis certainly didn't need telling twice. He flung himself at the wall, and tore at the rocks. His prince was in there, and Titan himself couldn't stop Ignis from getting to him. Because if he listened closely, the whistling of the wind on the mountain almost sounded like Noctis's agonised screams for help.

-

Noctis was screaming.

'I'm sorry! God I'm sorry! I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry!' Prompto stammered, trying to work out what it was that had caused Noctis the obvious pain. He'd simply suggested that the prince might like to try lying down and getting some rest to restore his powers, but when he'd helped the dark prince to lay down Noctis had started yelling.

'Just…ahh…don't touch me…please…' Noctis gasped out between breaths. His face was pale and contorted in pain as he left arm wrapped around his right.

'You've hurt your arm, haven't you?' Prompto said nervously. 'Let me take a look.'

'No! Don't touch…hurts…'

'I know, Noct, I know. But if I can see it maybe there's something I can do? If you've broken your arm I can put it in a sling and keep it still. Maybe bandage it so it feels better. Come on, if you're in this much pain it's only going to get worse.'

Noctis just looked at him with fearful eyes. 'Please…'

Prompto sighed, and gently cupped his friend's cheek. 'Come on, it'll just be for a second. I need to make sure you haven't done some real damage, okay? Just let me fuss over you for a second. Pretend I'm Ignis. Just trust me, I'll try and help. Okay?'

'Okay.'

'Thank you,' Prompto said, and gently unzipped the winter coat Noctis was wearing. It took a long few minutes of slowly pulling Noctis's left arm free, with gasps of pain from the raven haired man. Then it was easy enough to slip it off his right arm since Noctis didn't have to move. The fact he didn't move his right arm at all worried Prompto, but he was going to be able to see and assess the damage soon enough. True he wasn't medically trained like Ignis, but he was fairly confident he could diagnose a break if it was bad enough to have Noctis screaming like that. He'd seen his friend injured far too many times and knew he had a pretty high pain tolerance. Whatever was under his shirt wasn't going to be pretty.

He unzipped the fleece and repeated the sleeve trick, with more gasps of pain. Then he unbuttoned the black shirt. Slowly. He hadn't realised he was this nervous, but the realisation struck him that if Noctis had broken something there was very little he could do. But at least he'd know to be careful with him, and to pray harder for their friends to come quickly.

'Gonna be cold,' Prompto whispered. 'Sorry.'

'It's okay,' Noctis said, swallowing hard.

The fabric of the shirt was softer, and he was able to part it and slip it over Noctis's shoulders without moving his friend's arms. As the dark material was drawn back Prompto sucked in a deep breath. The skin that he'd expected to be pale was anything but. From the centre of Noctis's narrow chest all the way to the right was a vivid canvas of purple, blue, red and black. Ribs that were more visible than Prompto would have liked were clearly caved in on the right side, and now he was listening out for it Prompto could hear a little whistle every time Noctis breathed in. The worst thing was the shoulder, though. When he slipped the shirt off Noctis's right shoulder the joint was clearly dislocated. The shoulder was squared off and lower set than the left, the bruising was darker here and the whole area was slightly swollen. It went right down to a clearly broken collarbone, where a strange lump of bone stood out.

'You healed yourself,' Prompto realised with a start. 'Oh no, you healed yourself with it like that. You're probably going to need surgery to re-break it. How the hell did this even happen?'

Noctis smiled, but it came out as more of a grimace. 'The behemoth used me as a doormat.'

Prompto sighed and shook his head, then he froze. Memories were starting to come back to him. 'You didn't do something stupid, right? Like pushing me out of the way and letting yourself get crushed?'

There was no way he could do his usual arrogant shrug. 'Made sense. You were hurt. And if I hadn't then we'd have both been crushed.'

'Oh man,' Prompto said, sitting back on his heels. His headache had returned, and his vision was starting to blur again. No wonder; any healing spell Noctis did in this condition wouldn't have been very powerful at all. 'We really need Gladio and Iggy. What's taking them so long?'

-

Several metres of rock and snow were taking them so long. Fatigue was starting to set in, and fresh snow was starting to fall in fluffy flakes that clung to their hair and clothes.

'Thought you said no snow until tomorrow evening?' Gladiolus muttered as he tried to prise a rock away. His numb fingers slipped and lost their grip.

'Now I know better than to trust a weather report,' Ignis said through gritted teeth as he too failed to pull a rock free. 'We have to keep going, though, they could be hurt, or hypothermic. Or being attacked by goblins, or-'

'Ignis, calm down,' Gladiolus said, placing a frozen hand on his friend's shoulder. 'You panic you'll lose focus. We're getting to them as fast as we can.'

'How can you stay so calm?' Ignis demanded.

Gladiolus laughed. 'You kidding? I'm freaking out here. But I know panicking won't do them any good at all, so I'm going to do the only thing I can and that's shift these rocks until I find them.'

'Okay. Okay, let's keep going. Sorry, I just…it's hard.'

'Of course it's hard. They're our friends. It's not supposed to be easy when they're in danger. But you have to use the fear and channel it into something useful otherwise you just freeze up and you're no good to anyone.'

They carried on the endless task, moving rocks, shovelling snow. Their hands and hearts hurt but with every step closer they got the hope burned deeper within them. Ignis was a ball of worry and wound tight enough to snap as he worked, even as the sky darkened to night and the snow fell harder still. They shivered as they worked, and eventually their hands were too painful to go any further.

'We can't stop,' Ignis said. 'We can't leave them in there overnight, they'll freeze to death without blankets or a fire.'

'Wasn't going to suggest stopping. I know I couldn't sleep easy knowing they could be hurt. We can't be far off now, I was going to suggest something else. It's a bit dangerous and a bit reckless, but if it works we'll get to them in five minutes. You ready to see them?'

Ignis didn't waste a heartbeat. 'God yes.'

-

Prompto was resting against the cold rock of the cave wall, staring out into the darkness as far as his torch beam reached. Noctis's head was in his lap, as he'd finally managed to get the prince lying down in a semi-comfortable position, and his hand idly stroked through the dark strands of hair. Prompto had come to the conclusion that they weren't going to be saved. His scrambled brain had convinced him that Gladiolus and Ignis probably hadn’t survived the avalanche, and that there was no way he could shift several tonnes of rock and snow on his own even if he didn't have a blinding concussion. Noctis was a hindrance more than a help, being unable to move without screaming in pain.

Over the last hour or so Noctis had fallen quiet, but he certainly wasn't asleep. There was a light sheen of sweat on his friend's forehead and he moaned whenever a fresh wave of pain tore through him. Prompto was slowly going crazy listening to him. Every time Noctis cried out it tore a little piece away from him. There was nothing he could do to help, all he could do was hold Noctis as still as possible and promise him that it would be over soon. One way or another it would be over soon.

'Noct?' Prompto asked, in his slurred voice. Forming coherent sentences was starting to become difficult. 'Still with me?'

Noctis said nothing, but the rough breathing of his punctured lung told him that Etro hadn't claimed his friend yet.

It made him want to laugh or cry that they'd travelled halfway across the world, survived the invasion of their home kingdom, battles with imperial troops and fearsome monsters, yet a little bit of snow was going to cause their end. He let his head fall onto Noctis's, and he held the frozen body a little closer, trying to soak up the last traces of warmth from his friend. Perhaps this was it. Perhaps this was the end for him. He could feel sleep trying to claim him, perhaps with the head injury he'd sustained he'd slip away quietly in his sleep? Maybe it really was the end, because he was starting to hear things. Strange things. Like the roar of the Regalia engine. He laughed softly. What a strange thing to hear on the cusp of death.

-

'Prompto taught you this?' Ignis asked, halfway between impressed and horrified.

'In exchange for hand to hand combat training lessons,' Gladiolus said from the driver's seat of the newly hot-wired Regalia.

'Prompto has had hand to hand fighting lessons?' Ignis asked, once again halfway between impressed and horrified.

'He's pretty good, actually. Fast and spiteful. So yeah, the plan.'

'I can figure out the plan on my own, and it's as reckless as you said it would be.'

Gladiolus grinned. 'You still up for it?'

'Of course. They've been waiting far too long, we need them back. We…we need them.'

Gladiolus reached over and squeezed Ignis's hand. 'Damn right we do. Let's just hope we haven't left them waiting too long.'

He wasn't used to driving the Regalia, but it was just like any other car when you got down to it; several tonnes of metal with a pedal that made it go. They freed the car using the blanket technique Ignis had suggested before the avalanche, then he turned the car around on the narrow road so the headlights bounced off the rocks. Ignis climbed into the passenger seat beside him.

'What are you doing? It's safer outside,' Gladiolus said.

'I can be reckless too when the situation calls for it,' Ignis said. 'Now drive.'

Gladiolus laughed. 'Yessir,' He spun the wheels, he got momentum, then he lifted the clutch and drove right at the wall of rock and snow.

The outcome depended entirely on luck; had they cleared enough of the debris away so that the car would drive through the last bit, or was it still sturdy enough to crush the Regalia like a tin can? Fortunately they'd cleared enough, and through the whining of twisted metal and cracking of glass the rocks gave way. The Regalia headlights lit up the inside of the cave, and for a moment the two men sat in their seats and let their hearts return to a normal rhythm.

'That was…quite reckless,' Ignis said. 'We could have started another avalanche.'

'Sometimes reckless pays off.'

'Don't let his highness hear you say that. Come on, they can't be far.'

Gladiolus let the engine die out, and then they got out and made their way deeper into the cave by the light of their torches. They didn't have to go far before they stumbled upon the younger team members, and as soon as the light fell upon their frozen bodies Ignis and Gladiolus sprinted the short distance to their side.

Both men were unconscious, and pale as death. Their lips were blue and their eyes were closed. Swallowing hard Gladiolus gently prised Noctis from Prompto's arms, almost laughing in delight when Prompto finally moved; a small action with a barely audible grumble that indicated he was clearly displeased at having Noctis taken away from him. At least he was alive.

'Ignis, can you check out his head? There's a lot of blood in his hair,' Gladiolus said worriedly, frowning at how the light blonde locks were almost completely red on one side.

Ignis was quick to do so, gently teasing back the matted hair to get to the wound. There was a deep gash that started bleeding sluggishly again once disturbed, Ignis carefully pressed around the area with his fingers but was satisfied there was no fracture, but a huge bump that had probably given the poor gunner a nasty concussion. In his unconscious state Prompto groaned and weakly lifted an arm to bat at him in a futile attempt to make him stop touching the injury.

Ignis smiled softly and held the smaller body gently against him. 'Sorry Prompto.'

'I don't understand,' Gladiolus said with a frown down at Noctis. 'Is he asleep? I was thinking maybe he got conked on the head too, but I can't find any blood or bumps or anything. But if he'd been unhurt and awake he'd have healed Prom, right? So…I'm flying blind here.'

'If there's no immediate injuries then it may be that he's exhausted himself. We need to get Prompto to a healer, though, we don't have time to sit around here.'

'We need to get the car to a healer too,' Gladiolus said, casting a glance back at the crumpled bonnet. 'Hopefully she'll still start up.'

'So long as the automobile delivers us safely to the nearest hospital I'll pay whatever it takes to fix it as a reward for its hard work.'

'Sounds like a plan. Which sleeping beauty do you want to take?'

'I already have Prompto in my arms, so I may as well carry him. I'll sit with him in the back and keep an eye on him while you drive.'

They did just that, and once Noctis was settled into the passenger seat Gladiolus hotwired the car again and sighed in relief as the engine whined but sprang to life after a couple of tries. It took a bit of manoeuvring to get the car past all the rocky debris, but finally they were back on the road and despite it still being dark they carried on across the mountain paths for several more hours until they hit the main road. By the time they pulled into the car park outside the accident and emergency department dawn was breaking.

Ignis and Gladiolus gently got Prompto out of the car, then Ignis took the blonde in his arms again.

'Call me as soon as you know anything,' Gladiolus said, gently squeezing Prompto's hand. 'Let me know he's okay.'

'Will do. Get the car to a garage and then find an inn to rest yourself and his highness. Hopefully he'll wake up soon, then we can all spend a couple of days here and come up with a plan to pay for all of this.'

Gladiolus grimaced. 'Can't wait. No probs, I'll get his sleepiness into a bed and get the car fixed up good as new.'

'Remember to get a new key cut,' Ignis called as he started toward the entrance.

'Gotcha,' Gladiolus called, then got back in the car. He glanced over at Noctis briefly and frowned, reaching over and tugging the dark haired man's scarf down so that he could press his fingers to the pale throat. It took a few seconds for him to feel anything, but there was definitely a pulse, albeit it not very strong. Presumably because he was so deeply asleep.

'You really can sleep through anything, can't you?' Gladiolus mused with a sad smile, ruffling the dark hair playfully. 'Come on, let's get this car sorted out, then I'll find us a nice inn and you can rest in a proper bed. Then we can go make sure blondie hasn’t broken his brain too badly.' He smiled again but it was to mask his concern for the gunner. Prompto hadn't looked good at all. He wished he could be there at the hospital, but he had to play his part getting the car fixed and Noctis awake. Then he could go and discreetly fuss over his friend.

-

Ignis was unable to fuss as much as he would have liked, as Prompto was taken from his arms as soon as he set foot in the emergency department. Healers whisked the blonde away and left him to pace in the waiting room and worry himself sick. He's washed his hands a hundred times to get the red stain of his friend's blood off his hands, but his gloves were soiled too. He'd stuffed them in the pocket of his coat out of sight, but he knew they were there. He could still smell the iron tang that had clung to Prompto as he'd held him all the while in the car. Head injuries were nasty business, and he could only pray that Etro wouldn't see fit to take the young man so soon.

When a healer returned and ushered him through to a private waiting area Ignis almost tripped over himself to follow.

'Is he alright?' Ignis asked before the door had even closed.

'Better than expected, actually,' the healer said. 'From the outside damage we were expecting serious brain injury. You'd said he'd been trapped for hours, so our hopes weren't high, but the internal injuries were already mostly healed. Perhaps he had a potion on him, that worked on the most dangerous damage first and left the external wound. It saved his life.'

Ignis frowned. True he hadn't been searching for a bottle, but he hadn't thought Prompto or Noctis would have had medical supplies on them when they'd simply been travelling by car from one town to the next. Perhaps Noctis had managed a small healing spell, but then why hadn't he completed the job and closed the wound to prevent infection? Ignis had more questions than answers, and the healer was speaking again.

'We've stitched up his wound and given him intravenous fluids and potions. And we're warming him up, he was a bit hypothermic, but I think the trip in the car warmed him up pretty well. You did a very good job keeping him safe.'

'Thank you,' Ignis said, still pondering the things that didn't add up. 'May I see him?'

'Of course. He needs rest, however, please try not to stay too long for now.'

Ignis hurried down the corridor to Prompto's room, his shoes making fast clicks against the tiles. He was almost afraid of what he'd find but as he opened the door and slipped inside Prompto looked far better than he had last time he'd seen the man. His cheeks had a little colour to them again, and his hair was bright gold having been washed free of blood. There was a thick white bandage around his head and somebody had changed him from his layers of winter clothing into a pair of pale blue cotton pyjamas. As he took a seat beside the bed he smiled as he watched Prompto's chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm, under the two thick blankets that had been tucked around him to warm him up. Ignis leaned forward and drew them up closer to Prompto's chin, lightly brushing the skin of his face as he did.

'Almost lost you…' he whispered, feeling the knot of worry return in his stomach. He'd honestly thought he had at one point. That the prince and the gunner were dead. But now they were back, and he had to stop worrying. There was no sense panicking when his friend and charge were both perfectly well.

He shifted hand to gently stroke Prompto's cheek and was pondering calling Gladiolus to update him when crystal blue eyes began blinking open.

'Prom?' Ignis asked, a smile curling his lips.

The gaze was unfocused, but Prompto glanced over and offered a lopsided smile. 'Hey.'

'Do you have any idea how worried I was? How are you?'

'My head hurts. Really hurts,' Prompto said with a groan as he closed his eyes again. 'Have I got the good painkillers?'

'I believe so,' Ignis said.

'Sweet,' Prompto said with a soft sigh. Then his eyes opened again. 'Thank you for saving us. I was scared you wouldn't get to us in time. It was…really scary.'

Ignis gently ran the pad of his thumb against Prompto's cheek again. 'We almost didn't. You were very lucky that you either had a potion or Noctis healed the tissue damage, or the internal bleeding could have killed you. That's the trouble with internal bleeding, sometimes it goes unnoticed.'

'Yeah, Noct managed a half-assed healing spell, bless him,' Prompto said with a fond smile. Memories were patchy but he remembered the anger he'd felt at Noctis endangering himself just to heal him. But then again maybe it was a good thing if there was a chance he'd have died from his head injury. 'How is Noct?'

'Sleeping. Would you expect anything else?' Ignis chuckled. 'The car was damaged, so Gladiolus is going to get that repaired and find a room for him to sleep the adventure off.'

'Good, he…' Prompto's eyes widened. 'Wait what? He's not here?'

Ignis frowned, and gently pushed Prompto back against the pillows. 'Careful, you're still injured. No, we thought it would be best to find him a bed as we weren't sure how long he'd sleep for. I didn't want him sitting in a hospital waiting room chair for several hours, it made more sense to find him somewhere comfortable to sleep.'

Prompto just stared at him. 'Oh god, you don't know. I put his clothes back on to keep him warm…'

'Prompto, please calm down,' Ignis said in a soothing voice. 'It's not good for you to stress out in your condition.'

'Has Gladio got a phone?' Prompto asked, completely ignoring his taller friend.

'Yes, but-'

'Call him and tell him to bring Noct back here now. He's hurt bad, Ignis, I didn't think he was gonna make it.'

'Prince Noctis…?' Ignis asked, trying to piece together the information.

'He pushed me out of the way and got crushed by a damn behemoth, Ignis. Call Gladio now.'

Ignis suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He didn't need telling twice.

-

The car had been dropped off and now Gladiolus had got Noctis on his back and was carrying him through the streets of the town. The mechanic didn't look as competent as Cindy, but the guy had promised to have the Regalia up and running within a couple of days, and a new key made for the ignition. He'd even given directions to the inn Gladiolus was heading toward. Noctis was unusually quiet, even for him. Over the years Gladiolus had had plenty of experience watching his charge sleep, and he was never so still. He'd twitch, and sigh and kick the covers off, then grab for them again. Sometimes he spoke in his sleep, sometimes he cried out in terror, but he never just lay there like a rag doll. Right now that was exactly what he was like, though, and had been ever since he'd got rescued from the cave. His body was limp and simply flopped wherever Gladiolus put him. It was scary, and more than once Gladiolus had checked for a pulse again, just to be sure. He wasn't sure how strong it was supposed to be, but he was worried it was too low. He wished Ignis was there for advice, as soon as they got settled in the room he'd phone up, and find out how Prompto was doing too.

The receptionist at the inn looked at him strangely, then her hazel gaze drifted to the crown of dark hair over his shoulder. 'Room for…two?' she asked, unsure.

'Four, actually. Our friends will be joining us later.'

Oh that had so come out wrong. A blush rose on the receptionist's cheeks and she smirked up at him. 'How many beds will you require?'

'Four,' Gladiolus stressed. Though he knew they'd all be bed sharing, especially Prompto when he was well enough to be up and about. The amount of times he'd gone to bed alone and woken up pressed against a warm body. Or two. Prompto and Noctis had a habit of sandwiching him.

'A deluxe suite would be the cheapest option, payment by cash or card?' she asked, typing away at her screen.

'Uh…' Gladiolus thought fast. 'Actually, I'm not the one with the money. My friend will be settling our tab when he arrives, if that's okay?'

Her eyes searched his for a moment.

'Please?' he asked, and pointedly shifted Noctis on his back. 'My friend here really needs a bed. I swear you'll get your gil.'

'As soon as your other friend gets here tell him to speak with us and we'll discuss payment.'

'Thank you!' Gladiolus said, flashing a winning smile.

He took the key card and carried Noctis through the hotel to the top floor, where their deluxe suite was waiting. Four double beds in two adjourning rooms. Two bathrooms, a lounge and a balcony overlooking an artificial lake. Now this was more like what he was used to. He set Noctis on the nearest bed and took a look out of the huge window.

'Damn, Noct. Finally we're back where we belong. You're gonna love this when you wake up, a room more fitting for a prince,' he chuckled and caught sight of the minibar in the corner. Briefly he considered a stiff drink - Etro knew he needed one - but he wanted to get Noctis comfortable first.

Rolling his aching shoulders he sat on the bed beside his friend and started unzipping his coat. As he worked he pondered a nap of his own after a quick call to the hospital. There wasn't much he could do, and he hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours. A power nap would help keep him alert for what was to come when they got Prompto back and he'd probably need caring for.

'What the?' Gladiolus frowned. He'd been trying to manoeuvre Noctis's arm out of his coat, but the arm was bending in strange ways, and not at all the way he wanted it to. He tried the other arm which was fine, then gently lifted Noctis off the bed and slid the coat off his right arm. He dropped it to the floor and looked long and hard at Noctis. 'There is something not right with you.'

If he was truthful with himself he'd felt a nagging in the back of his mind ever since he'd found Noctis, but Prompto's injury had taken priority over everything, and then getting the car taken care of and the room booked…but now he was able to concentrate on the person that his whole world existed for, and he felt a growing sense of dread that he'd missed something. He placed his hand in front of Noctis's mouth and nose, but there wasn't really any breath to speak of. The pulse at his throat was slower than ever, and could barely be felt.

'Now would be a great time for you to wake up and tell me what's wrong with you,' Gladiolus told his friend, swallowing hard and considering phoning Ignis to ask advice. But what would he say? That Noctis was unconscious. He was probably just sleeping. He always slept a lot. God he hoped Noctis was sleeping…

He unzipped the fleece next and experienced the same strange problem with Noctis's arm, but this time when he tried moving it he thought he heard a strange clicking sound. He took off the left sleeve and slid it off the right, then began unbuttoning the soft fabric of Noctis's shirt. Before he even pulled it away something told him that he wasn't going to like what he saw. That little nagging voice didn't prepare him for what he found, though. The fabric parted and he swore loudly, and jerked back. For a second he sat there with his heart hammering against his chest, and with the fabric fallen back over Noctis's skin he could pretend that perhaps he hadn't seen that. That perhaps he was over tired himself and his mind was playing tricks on him.

But when he pulled the shirt back again the horrendous bruising was still there. The whole chest was battered and the right side of Noctis's chest looked like it had been crushed inward, with the skin mottled black, purple and red. The bruising didn't end there, though, and fearfully Gladiolus lifted the right side of the shirt, gasping as he saw the deformed shoulder and collarbone. He dropped the shirt back, he jumped off the bed, and then he grabbed the phone in his pocket. He dropped it once as his hands were trembling so badly, then his brain froze. What did he do? Noctis was seriously hurt, and he hadn't even known it. God, how had he not realised? He blinked back tears, and looked down at the screen. Then he took a deep breath and dialled.

-

Getting a signal in the hospital was proving to be tougher than he'd thought. It didn't help that he was panicking, and getting irritated as people got in his way as he hurried down corridors trying to get a bar of signal. He pushed past a nurse, apologising belatedly, and made it into the emergency department again. Finally his phone found signal and he hurried to dial Gladiolus's number. He glared at a poster on the wall as it rang, muttering under his breath wondering what was taking his friend so long to pick up. Then it rang off. Ignis pulled the phone back and stared at it in disbelief.

'Well where are you?' he snapped, and redialled, clamping the phone to his ear again. The dialling tone was drowned out by the siren of an approaching ambulance, and he turned to glare out of the glass doors at it for disrupting his call. The phone rang off again. He was halfway to redialling when the glass doors opened and a crew came rushing in, pushing a gurney in such a hurry Ignis almost wondered if they were filming for a movie or something. He gave them a dirty look for interrupting his call yet again, then he caught sight of the man who leaped out of the back of the ambulance and came chasing in after them. Ignis dropped the phone, and didn't even hear it crack as it hit the floor.

Gladiolus saw him, and he came rushing over, fear in his usually calm amber eyes. 'God, Iggy, I screwed up. I didn't realise…he's hurt. Really, really hurt. Like dying hurt. He stopped breathing on the ambulance and they used paddles to bring him back and oh god his chest is…'

Ignis felt numb. But he'd known it would be bad; from Prompto's warning he'd known that Noctis was hurt. But seeing Gladiolus, who was usually the voice of strength, broken down like this terrified him to his core. He wrapped an arm around the larger man and pulled him into a hug.

'It's okay, he'll be fine.'

'You don't know that,' Gladiolus snapped. 'You didn't see him.'

'No, but-'

Ignis was cut off as Gladiolus tore away from him and kicked one of the chairs so hard it flew across the waiting room. A nurse hurried over.

'Please, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave if you don't calm down.'

That was enough to drain the anger from him, and Gladiolus sank into a chair and ran his hands through his hair. Ignis sat next to him, gently brushing his knee against Gladiolus's for comfort. They were silent for a long time, until Gladiolus sat up straight.

'How's Prom?' he asked in a hollow voice.

'Awake. Worried about the prince,' Ignis said. 'Apparently Noctis was able to heal the internal damage of his head injury, once the wound closes he'll be fine.'

'Good,' Gladiolus said. 'Good.' If he had to worry about Prompto crashing on him too he was sure he'd go crazy. He could only deal with panicking about one at a time.

Once he felt in control enough Gladiolus insisted on being taken to Prompto's room, and enveloped the smaller man in a giant bear hug that lasted much longer than was strictly necessary. He just needed to convince himself that Prompto was there with them.

'You brought Noct? That's good, is he okay?' Prompto asked.

Ignis tried for a reassuring smile. Failed. 'The healers are with him now.'

They stayed for a while until Prompto tired, and then they left the blonde to heal in peace. After a quick walk around the hospital gardens they found themselves back in the emergency department. Ignis walked over to the desk. 'Any word on the young man brought in?'

The man at the desk glanced past him to Gladiolus, and recognised him as the one who had brought him in. 'Still in surgery. It could take a while, then he'll be in recovery. Perhaps you should go home and get some rest?'

'An excellent suggestion,' Ignis said, and as much as he wanted to sit and wait it was far more sensible to do just that.

It was only a short walk from the hospital to the inn, and for the next few hours they had hot baths and got some sleep on the soft beds. When Ignis's phone rang he was still half asleep as he answered, but he soon sat bolt upright when he realised it was the hospital. Noctis was out of surgery and settled in a private room.

They hurried back, and to Noctis's room, only half surprised to find the seat beside the bed occupied. Prompto was holding Noctis's hand and talking in a soft voice to him, but he looked up when the door opened. 'What took you guys so long?'

'We were-'

'Kidding, Ignis. I'm glad you guys went back for some sleep, you were both looking kind of stressed out for a bit there.'

'It was a stressful day,' Gladiolus acknowledged, finding two more chairs from the corner of the room and setting them out. 'Do you know how he is?'

'Yeah, healer came in a few minutes ago to check him over. Basically he got crushed, and they had to piece him back together like a jigsaw puzzle. He's got more metal than your sword in him now, pinning his bones together, and they're pumping him full of potions to speed up the healing. He can't breathe on his own yet, but they think rest and potions will help.'

Ignis nodded and reached out to gently take Noctis free hand. He was careful, though, as it was the injured arm. Noctis was wearing pyjama bottoms like Prompto, but his top half was shirtless. Bright white bandages covered his chest and shoulder, but bruises still blossomed out from under them, all the way down past his elbow almost to the wrist, and down his abdomen all the way to his narrow waist.

'Never seen anyone bruise like this before,' Prompto said, his voice shaking slightly. 'Kinda impressive. You think the potions will be able to heal it all?'

'Potions are miraculous, they can heal injuries that years ago would have killed,' Ignis said. 'He'll be fine.'

'Eventually,' Prompto said, catching the unspoken word. 'How long do you think it'll take?'

'Potions work best the sooner they are given. His treatment was delayed for a considerable period of time. Hopefully it won't be too long, however.'

'Good, I want that mask off him. It makes him look really ill,' Prompto said, glaring at the offending object.

'Should you be out of bed?' Gladiolus asked finally.

'Uh…yes?' Prompto guessed. 'I don't know, but when I heard he was out of surgery I had to come visit. And I feel loads better now. If I was in my own room I'd just be worrying about him, so it's better for me to be here.'

'Jut promise me you're not gonna pass out or anything,' Gladiolus said, giving him a level stare.

'Cross my heart,' Prompto said. 'I'm all rested up. Bit of a headache still, but I'll live.'

It was well into the evening before the ventilator was removed from Noctis's throat, and the prince slept on. Gladiolus and Ignis returned to the inn for more sleep and Prompto to his room, but by morning they were all back, keeping watch over the prince. The bruises were starting to fade to green and yellow at the edges as the potions fought to heal the damage, and finally enough was repaired that Noctis's eyes fluttered open.

'Ugh…' he groaned, closing his eyes again.

'Oh no you don't, sleepy head,' Prompto said. 'Open them up again.'

'Make me,' Noctis said.

'Don't tempt me, man, I can be cruel when I need to.'

'You don't have a cruel bone in your body,' Noctis said. Despite his desire to sleep on, however, his body was waking up further by the second. Finally he opened his eyes again and was faced with his friends smiling down at him. 'Alright. I'm awake. What more do you want from me?'

'Just your usual sunny personality will suffice,' Gladiolus said.

Noctis swore at him.

'There we go,' Gladiolus said.

Noctis finally noticed the stark whiteness of his surroundings, and he frowned. And tried to sit up. He collapsed back again with a gasp of pain, and all three of his friends rushed forward to help, though nobody quite knew what to do so they all ended up hovering and waiting impatiently until the pain receded enough for Noctis to calm down.

'What…the hell?' Noctis asked, between little gasps for air.

'As much as Gladiolus and Prompto were teasing you, my prince, you were quite injured. It's probably best not to try sitting up. Or rolling over. Or moving your arm. Or moving in general,' Ignis said, still hovering over Noctis like a mother duckling.

The pain refused to fade, and Noctis squeezed his eyes shut to try and block it out. 'What happened? Did you run me over or something?'

'No, but a behemoth did,' Prompto said.

'Oh. That,' Noctis said, frowning from thought as well as pain. 'I thought I dreamed that.'

'Nope, that actually happened. It wasn't much fun.'

Noctis forced his eyes open and on Prompto. 'Are you okay? You were hurt. I…I couldn't heal you.'

'I'll live. Got a thick skull, remember?'

Noctis didn't look convinced, but he was starting to get sleepy again and it was hard to keep his eyes open. Someone touched his cheek and his eyes opened again briefly, resting on Ignis who was watching him and looked a little sheepish at having disturbed him

'Sorry, your highness. Go back to sleep. Your body needs to rest and heal.'

'You're telling me to sleep? I better make the most of it,' Noctis mumbled sleepily.

'Yes, you'd better,' Ignis agreed with a soft chuckle. 'Once you're well again I won't be half as lenient, so sleep now and get better. Please.'

There was a kiss to his forehead and Noctis smiled, but he was too far gone to reply.

When he woke up the next morning his body was stiff and painful, but when he gave his upper body an experimental little twitch he wasn't crippled in blind agony. It was a start. Slowly he blinked his eyes open and sighed as he realised he was still in the hospital. He wasn't entirely sure why he was surprised at this, but it was a pain. He tipped his head to the side and saw Ignis sat in a chair, with his head bowed forward on his chest and a novel clasped loosely in his hands in danger of slipping to the floor. Noctis smiled, and felt a rush of warmth in his battered chest as he realised his friend had been keeping watch over him.

'Ignis?' he called as strongly as he could.

Even if he'd have whispered Ignis would have heard; his friend was always in tune with him, and always knew when he needed him. The bespectacled man awoke with a start, and for a few seconds looked confused and unfocused until he realised Noctis was awake. He jerked forward and scooted closer to the bed.

'Highness? How are you this morning?'

'Probably better than you if you've been sitting in that uncomfortable chair all night,' Noctis said.

Ignis smiled and rubbed at his back. 'It's not the most supportive of seating, no. But a little self inflicted lumbar discomfort is a fair price to pay. You're avoiding my question, how are you feeling?'

'Twinges a bit,' Noctis admitted.

'How bad is the pain?' Ignis asked, glancing at the bandages then back at him.

Noctis sighed. 'Pretty bad.'

'I can get you more painkillers?' Ignis said softly, as if speaking loudly would cause more pain.

'No, I don't want to be doped up. And I don't want to be in here anymore, I hate hospitals.'

Ignis blinked a few times. 'Highness, you were crushed by a behemoth. The expression doesn't do the actual injury justice, you suffered severe internal bleeding and multiple fractures-'

'They're pinned together, aren't they? The metal plates are holding everything together and the potions are gluing me back to one piece. I can rest just as well at the inn, and it won't smell of disinfectant and hospital food.'

'Please prince-'

'Look on the bright side; you'll get to fuss over me without the healers in the way. I'll still need you and Gladio to help me get about.'

'I believe you're under the impression that I enjoy being a mother hen figure,' Ignis grumbled.

'You do,' Noctis pointed out.

Ignis sighed. 'I'll go and fetch a healer. Perhaps they can talk some sense into you.'

The healer cleared Noctis for discharge, to Ignis's horror. Thirty minutes later Noctis's right arm was bundled up in a sling and he was being transferred into a wheelchair, then into a waiting taxi which delivered them to the inn and ate up the last of their gil. When Ignis opened the door to the bedroom and wheeled the prince inside Gladiolus looked up from where he was lazing on the bed reading a magazine and greeted them. Then looked up sharply again as he registered what he was seeing.

'Oh no. Oh hell no.'

Ignis caught his gaze and shrugged. 'What was I supposed to do? He threatened to crawl out of the hospital on his hands and knees.'

'He wouldn't have made it to the door,' Gladiolus pointed out.

'No, but he'd have re-broken half his body trying,' Ignis said sharply, frustrated that he hadn't been able to keep the prince where he would be safest. 'I thought in the circumstances cooperating would be for the best.'

Gladiolus got up from the bed and walked over to the wheelchair, placing a hand on either arm and bending down to meet Noctis's smug gaze. 'You are going to be the death of us, you know that? You think we weren't worried enough about you when you were in a building full of healers? What if you relapse or something? What if you fall and put your shoulder out again?'

'When have you been so cautious?' Noctis asked.

'Since I saw your body crushed to pieces,' Gladiolus said loudly, silencing the entire room.

Noctis lowered his gaze. 'I'm sorry. I just thought it would be better if I could stay here with you guys. I don't like being in hospital, and I'm already feeling better.'

Gladiolus sighed, and leaned forward to press his forehead against Noctis's. 'You scared me. You and Prom. Almost losing you both kind of reminded me how mortal we all are, and that this isn't some game. Well, you're here now. Not much I can do about it. You should be in bed, resting.'

'I'll rest, I promise,' Noctis said. 'When have you ever had to worry about me not getting enough sleep?'

'Yeah, 'spose. Not like Prom over there, who insists that playing games on his mobile phone is actually good for his concussion, even if the healers told him that it was a bad idea.'

'I'm bored,' Prompto said, but he'd put his phone down to watch Noctis's arrival. He crawled to the edge of his bed. 'Not bored now, though, Noct's back.'

'Noct is going to sleep, like you should be,' Ignis said, running a hand through Noctis's hair. 'Do you want to keep watch over Prompto and I'll take Noct into the other room?'

'What? Why?' Prompto asked. 'This bed is huge, and we're only little guys. He can sleep with me.'

'The idea was that you'd get some sleep, not giggle like teenage girls at a sleepover,' Gladiolus said.

'But if we're in the same bed and the same room, then you can both watch over both of us. Isn't that better?' Prompto asked.

'He makes a good point,' Noctis said.

Ignis knew that he was going to give in, but he had to at least try and convince them to do the sensible thing of having a bed each. 'The prince is in a rather delicate condition right now, sharing a bed with someone as, ah, energetic as yourself might be detrimental to his health.'

'Huh?' Prompto said.

Gladiolus rolled his eyes. 'He means you can't be still for five seconds, so you might hurt the prince if you turn over and whack him with your noodly arms.'

'Oh,' Prompto said, and for a moment the fight went from him. The idea of hurting Noctis was unthinkable.

'I'll be fine, it doesn’t hurt that much anymore,' Noctis lied.

Ignis knew he was lying, but Noctis won the staring contest they had, so Ignis finally sighed and held up his hands in surrender. 'Fine. Share a bed.'

Gladiolus was the one to carry Noctis from the chair to the bed, and to his credit Noctis kept his winces of pain to a bare minimum. He was sat up against the pillows, and for a few seconds he closed his eyes as the pain dulled to a throb in his shoulder and chest. He could feel Prompto at his side, the warmth radiating from his friend's body was comforting.

'Thought I'd lost you,' Prompto said sadly, turning on his side and watching Noctis carefully. 'You were in my arms and you were dying and I thought you were just going to slip away from me. And there wasn't anything I could do to make you stay.'

Noctis reached out his uninjured arm and snagged Prompto's hand. 'I'd never have left you alone.'

The door to the room opened, and Ignis entered with a tray.

'Didn't even see you go,' Gladiolus said.

'I'm discreet, unlike some,' Ignis said, sitting the tray down on the empty bed. 'I thought perhaps lunch would be a good idea before we set them off to sleep again.'

'Yeah, hospital food was gross,' Prompto said. 'They even managed to screw up chocolate ice cream. I mean, how does that even happen?'

'I'm quite sure I have no idea,' Ignis said with a smile, as he passed out bowls of stew. He sat next to Noctis and glanced at the younger man awkwardly. 'I hate to say I told you so, but in the hospital there were people that were able to help you with things like this. You'll have to put up with us helping you.'

'Rather it was you than somebody else,' Noctis said honestly. Bathroom trips with nurses had not been fun. At all. 'Maybe I can try eating on my own with my left hand?'

It failed spectacularly. Even moving his left hand caused pain, and the spasm that went through his body made him drop the spoon into his lap. After Ignis had cleaned that up, Noctis admitted that he probably still needed help.

'I hate this,' Noctis said.

'You wanted to be here,' Ignis reminded him. 'Now open up.'

Noctis glared. 'You're enjoying this far too much.'

'Enjoying? No. I'd much rather you hadn't had your body crushed into several pieces. But I'm making the most of the situation and I'm going to help you in any way I can. Unless you'd honestly prefer to do it yourself?' Ignis said, indicating the mess Noctis had made dropping the spoon.

Noctis paused. 'Thank you for helping.'

'Better,' Ignis said, and resumed helping the prince eat his meal.

Once they were finished Ignis ate his own lukewarm stew, then went right back to fussing as he and Gladiolus went about settling their patients down for sleep and tucking blankets around them.

Prompto grinned up as Gladiolus hovered. 'You gonna kiss me goodnight?'

Gladiolus was there in a heartbeat with a kiss to his forehead, just below the healing wound. 'Don't say I never give you anything.'

'Don't I get one?' Noctis asked, even though his eyes were already closed.

Gladiolus faked a sigh and trudged around the bed to kiss the prince too. 'There. Are we quite happy now?'

'His kiss was longer than mine,' Prompto pointed out.

'If you're awake enough to tease then you're awake enough to stay up and help Ignis and me think of a way to make some gil.'

'I've come over rather tired suddenly,' Prompto said, placing the back of his hand to his head.

'Bet you have,' Gladiolus muttered. 'Sleep. Both of you.'

Prompto turned to Noctis who was already out cold. 'He doesn't need telling twice.'

'Never does,' Ignis said fondly, as he drew the blankets up further around Noctis's shoulders, careful not to brush the bruised skin.

Once Prompto was asleep too, Ignis fetched warm drinks and then sat down with Gladiolus on the sofa by the large window. 'This is a very nice room,' he mused.

'A very nice room,' Gladiolus agreed.

'How are we going to pay for all of this?' Ignis asked tiredly, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. 'The room, the car repairs, then we need money afterward for the rest of our journey. Food isn't free.'

'Don't suppose there's a behemoth wanted poster in this town?' Gladiolus asked.

'I doubt it,' Ignis said. 'And what state are we in to fight a behemoth? The prince can't even sit up by himself.'

Gladiolus swallowed hard, and stared down into his cup of coffee. 'I'm sorry.'

'What for?' Ignis asked, puzzled.

'I should have got him help sooner. I'm supposed to be his bodyguard, and I almost got him killed.'

Ignis reached out to steady Gladiolus's hand before he smashed the cup in his grip. 'I didn't notice either. The injuries were hidden, we had no way of knowing. And Prompto needed help too. You got the prince help in time, you saved his life. That's all that matters.'

'I guess,' Gladiolus said, but he didn't feel particularly happy. 'Now we're going to end up in prison for not paying our tabs.'

'I'm too pretty for prison,' Prompto said from the bed.

'Thought you were sleeping?' Gladiolus said, turning in his seat.

The blonde was sat up in bed, and was watching them while stroking a hand through Noctis's hair. 'I'm really not tired. Feeling much better now, those potions are brilliant. But I do have a plan.'

'Etro help us,' Ignis said, before he realised he had even spoken.

Prompto ignored the jibe. 'Niflheim's council is coming here tomorrow, I saw it on the news while I was in hospital.'

Ignis adjusted his glasses. 'Yes. I would have liked to have been out of the town by then, but with the car damaged that's not possible. We should be fine as we are, though, if we stay in the hotel for the duration of the trip. They never have to know the prince is here.'

'What if we want them to know?' Prompto said, grinning at the shocked expressions on the other two men's faces. 'You guys ever heard of the story of Robin Hood? Stealing from the rich to help the poor? Well, it's a bit risky, but hear me out…'

Prompto explained his plan. Ignis almost had a heart attack. During his stuttering, though, Noctis woke up and Prompto explained the plan to him too. Noctis thought it was fantastic. Ignis had to go and lie down.

-

'We don't have to do this,' Ignis said the next day, as he began cutting away the bandages on Noctis's torso and shoulder.

'So you've said a hundred times,' Noctis answered, wincing as his body was jerked about a little. 'But I can't think of a better way to raise the cash.'

Ignis sighed and set the scissors down. 'Neither can I, unfortunately. But that still doesn't mean that we have to go through with this plan. It certainly doesn't mean that you have to, you're still recovering.'

'I'll down a potion and some painkillers and I'll be fine,' Noctis assured his friend.

'Hold on there, champ, let's see the damage before we decide, yeah?' Gladiolus asked from his position perched on the other side of the bed. 'If you're still black and blue it might be an idea to sit this one out.'

'Indeed,' Ignis agreed, glad to have someone on his side at least. With a shaky breath he pulled the bandages away.

The black and blue bruising had progressed to green and yellow, with patches of grey where the tissue had been most badly damaged. Noctis's thin ribs were easily visible and clearly whole and healed, as was his collarbone, though when Ignis gently pressed down at the shoulder area Noctis hissed in pain.

'Still a bit sore?' Ignis asked, assessing the reaction as he gently applied pressure on Noctis's chest.

'Not so bad,' Noctis gasped, squeezing his eyes shut as Ignis found a particularly painful area.

'Is that so?' Ignis asked, feeling a little spiteful since Noctis was being difficult. He pressed down on the collarbone, feeling the metal plate beneath his fingertips.

Noctis cried out in pain and pulled away from him. Prompto almost leaped off the sofa to his aid, but there wasn't much he could do other than hover by the foot of the bed and sympathise as Noctis curled up and rode out the pain.

Ignis felt a stab of guilt, but better to prove to Noctis now that he wasn't ready than have him collapse during the planned operation. 'I'm sorry highness, but you're not healed enough yet. There's no shame in staying safe here and resting up.'

'Then the whole plan falls to pieces,' Noctis said through gritted teeth. 'If I don't distract them then how are you going to rob them?'

'We'll think of a different way, I could present myself as the advisor of Lucis and they'd be similarly incited-'

Noctis laughed. 'Ignis, I love you, but I don’t think an advisor of Lucis has the same level of distraction as the prince.'

'No, but my plan results in you staying safe and healing properly,' Ignis said.

'You worry too much,' Noctis said. 'I'll be fine.'

'Can you move your arm yet?' Gladiolus asked.

Noctis flexed his fingers, but actually moving the arm was still too painful. 'I can have a sling, just tie it up.'

'You want to face down Niflheim soldiers with one arm tied up?' Ignis asked.

'Uh, Noct?' Prompto said, crawling over to sit on the bed with the others. 'I'm starting to think my plan might be a little too dangerous. Really I'm not much of a planner, more of an idea generator. I throw out ideas and Iggy makes them work. It's way too dangerous if you're still this hurt, though.'

'Seriously, guys, have a little faith. I wouldn't say I could do it if I didn't think I could.'

'Yes you would,' they all said at the same time.

Ignis helped Noctis dress and then as commanded tied his arm up in a sling. Every movement sent ripples of pain through Noctis's shoulder and chest, but the prince was able to bear it all. He washed down painkillers with a potion, then they were ready to go. It was a short walk to the embassy where the Niflheim dignitaries were being received, and the whole way there Ignis kept an arm around Noctis for both support and to try and hide the other man's identity from passersby. No need to raise the alarm before the plan was in full swing.

Just before the embassy they split into two groups; Gladiolus and Noctis were to distract the soldiers surrounding the building, while Ignis and Prompto infiltrated the embassy in the confusion and stole what they needed. Gladiolus and Noctis paused for a few moments in hiding, waiting for their friends to get closer.

'We can still call this off,' Gladiolus said, placing a large hand on Noctis's uninjured shoulder. 'You're crazy doing this.'

'You'll be with me,' Noctis pointed out. 'There's only a few soldiers.'

'I can't be everywhere at once, that's why I trained you to fight. But with your right arm out of action you're a sitting duck.'

'I'll be fine,' Noctis assured him again.

Gladiolus held his gaze for a long moment, then sighed. 'After this you're going to sleep for the whole freaking day, got it? I know I complain about your sleeping but this time you're going to do it. And I don't want to see you even thinking about getting up again until every last trace of that bruising is gone.'

Noctis smiled. 'No complaints here.'

'Good,' Gladiolus said, shifting his hand to cup Noctis's cheek. 'You worry me, prince.'

'Since when do you worry? That's Ignis's job.'

'You think I don't worry about you? When you were trapped in that avalanche I was freaking out. I kept thinking…well, I tried not to think about it, but I kept imagining what I'd find under there. I swear to god my heart stopped when I realised you were trapped under all that rock and snow, Noct. I nearly lost it.'

'But you didn't. And you saved both me and Prompto, so it's fine.'

'Yeah, this time. What about next time?'

Noctis's phone vibrated, the signal that the others were ready. 'There won't be a next time.'

Gladiolus laughed. 'Er, how about right now?'

'This doesn’t count,' Noctis said, and strode out from their hiding place. A couple of soldiers gave him a quick glance, then turned their guns toward him as he got closer.

'Hold your position, sir, this is a restricted area today,' said one of the soldiers. 'Authorised personnel only.'

'How more authorised do I need to be? Do you know who I am?'

'Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to have to-'

'It's him! The prince of Lucis!' said another soldier.

'See, at least someone reads the papers,' Noctis said, grinning. 'You can arrest me now if you want, I won't make a fuss. It's your lucky day, you even caught my bodyguard too. Sorry I'm one handed at the moment so handcuffs aren't going to work.'

'Arrest you?' said the first soldier as he raised his gun again. 'My orders are to shoot you on sight.'

Noctis froze. And for some reason Ignis's smug voice rang out in his head. 'Shoot?' Noctis repeated. 'You don't need to-'

The soldier fired.

-

Ignis and Prompto had waited for the security inside the main hall to rush out at the sound of the prince's name before they sneaked in, bypassing the security sensors and ran down the hallway. There was the sound of gunfire outside that almost made them stop and turn around, but they trusted their friends.

'Gladio is with him, he's fine,' Prompto reminded Ignis.

'Of course,' Ignis said, as they skidded to a stop outside the main audience chamber.

Inside there was a ruckus, and the doors banged open as people began spilling out. The prince's name was mentioned more than once. Ignis was well versed on the dignitaries of Niflheim and recognised a high-ranking official in the midst. He fell into step beside the man and as Prompto had taught him reached into his pocket, disguising the act as simply being jostled about in the chaos. The man never even realised his wallet had been stolen, he was too busy yelling at someone for their incompetence.

Prompto slapped his friend a high five as they held back and allowed the Niflheim group to hurry back to safety, thinking they were under attack by the forces of Lucis.

'Morons,' Prompto said, checking out the wallet. Two hundred gil cash but debit cards with the PIN numbers inked on. 'Seriously, what a moron. He's almost made this too easy.'

Ignis chuckled, and nodded back the way they had come. 'Let's make our escape now and help them deal with the soldiers.'

'Love the way you think,' Prompto said, and they hurried back down the corridor.

As they were running the doors to the entrance slammed open and soldiers began filing in. Ignis dragged Prompto into an empty room and half pulled the door half closed as they watched the soldiers marching. Ignis peeked through the crack in the door and watched as one of the soldiers dumped an unconscious body onto the floor. Gladiolus was then dragged in and had his knees kicked out from under him so he fell to the ground next to the bundle of dark clothing.

'We have a slight issue,' Ignis said, feeling ice grip his heart. 'They've been captured.'

'Dammit,' Prompto said. 'How many soldiers?'

Ignis performed a quick count. 'Seven.'

'Three and a half each, no problem,' Prompto said materialising a gun in his hand. 'You want to make them pay for hurting our friends?'

A single dagger appeared in Ignis' hands, and he studied his reflection in the silver surface. 'More than you know.'

The ambush was quite a spectacular one, as the soldiers had been relaxed and joking, not expecting another fight on their hands. As such the first three went down easily as they didn't have time to even raise their weapons, and once he knew he had backup Gladiolus slammed the back of his head into his captors face and then joined the relatively quick fight.

'Grab the prince,' Ignis called, as they beat a hasty retreat.

Once they were far enough away from the embassy they took stock of their situation. Noctis was starting to wake up, grumbling in pain in Gladiolus's arms. Prompto shot off to draw cash from the card they'd stolen before the man realised he'd lost his wallet, then they paid off the car repairs and were on their way out of the town just as more Niflheim airships started heading over to provide reinforcements.

'Lucky escape,' Prompto said, counting the wad of gil they had left over. 'Think we can splash out on an inn tonight? Or a spa. I could use a spa. How about you, Noct? After all that you could probably do with a nice massage.'

'Ugh,' Noctis groaned. 'I hurt so much that I don't think I ever want anyone to touch me ever again. Ever.'

'I did say it was a bad plan,' Ignis said under his breath.

'Hey, the car is fixed, isn't it?' Prompto said. 'It wasn't a bad plan. Just…could have ended better.'

'At least he didn't re-break anything,' Gladiolus pointed out, rubbing his hand up and down Noctis's legs, which were resting in his lap. The prince had stolen pillows from the hotel and had made his corner of the car into a comfy paradise.

'Perhaps for once luck is on our side,' Ignis said sarcastically. 'Now we can get to Altissa. Finally…'

Chapter Text

The club was louder than Ignis remembered them being. It hadn't been that long ago he'd been to one, he assured himself. It certainly wasn't that he was getting old or anything - for Etro's sake he was only twenty-three. But he felt older than his years as he was waved past the bouncers with his friends and found himself with several scantily clad women gyrating up against him within seconds. He peeled one off his arm, then another off Noctis who looked a little shell shocked, and gathered his friends in a little group.

'What exactly are we hoping to achieve this evening again?' he asked, rather louder than he would have liked, but the music was pulsing and making it difficult to hear. Another reason that he didn't like nightclubs.

'Drinking. Partying. More drinking. Um…yeah!' Prompto said.

Gladiolus wrapped a thick arm around his shoulder and grinned. 'It's called "fun", Iggy, and you're going to have some.'

'I'm quite sure that we could have had fun back at the palace, the kind of fun that doesn't make your ears bleed or-'

'I just wanted a night out with you guys, where I could just be normal for a change,' Noctis said simply.

Any argument Ignis might have had died on his lips when he caught the look in the young prince's eyes. It had been a trying time for him recently; his father had stepped up his levels of responsibility now that he was getting older and it was taking its toll on Noctis. The prince rarely smiled anymore and there were always dark shadows under his hollow eyes; he was either sat with his father discussing issues of the kingdom, or else studying or training. When he was finally released from his duties for the day Gladiolus often had to carry him back to his chambers asleep. So when the king had allowed Noctis a few days off Prompto had jumped at the opportunity to drag Noctis out and help him unwind.

'Come on, we need drinks and then we need to dance,' Prompto said. 'And Ignis, you will be dancing. You have amazing hips, I wanna see your moves.'

'I don’t dance,' Ignis said, but his protest was drowned out by the music and the fact Prompto had already grabbed Noctis's hand and was leading them through the crowds of people to the VIP area.

'Tonight you dance,' Gladiolus said, guiding him after the younger men with the arm around his shoulders. 'Really it's more just shaking around, and after a few drinks everyone will be laughing at Prom anyway so you don't have to worry about how you look. Unless your dance moves are crazier than his.'

'Is that likely?' Ignis asked. The tank had far more experience with drunken Prompto than he had.

'No, our Prompto is unique,' Gladiolus assured him as they came up to the private area for more respected guests. And they didn't really come more respected than the prince. A waitress was by their side as they sank into the silvery sofas.

'Whaddya want to drink?' Prompto yelled. 'Noct is paying all night long! How cool is that? He's opened a tab and everything.'

'I foresee a sharp depletion in the royal funds,' Ignis said under his breath. To Prompto he indicated that he didn't care. In truth it was more than he wasn't entirely sure what an establishment like this served.

In the VIP area the music wasn't quite so loud as they were raised above most of the club. They had a perfect view of the dance floor, and Ignis watched men and women dancing with their bodies entwined. Well if that was what was considered dancing then he'd be fine, it didn't look difficult at all. Just morally degrading. Perhaps he could convince the others to let him guard their drinks and be spared the indignity.

A silver tray slammed down on the coffee table in front of them, and the waitress winked at Prompto. 'There ya go, Moogle Shots to get your party started!'

'Oooh, thanks!' Prompto was reaching forward and handing out little shot glasses filled with translucent pink liquid. Each glass had a cocktail stick with a cherry skewered on top placed inside it.

'The hell is this?' Noctis asked, holding it up to catch the light.

'Uh, vodka, malibu, strawberry flavouring, pinkness…' Prompto rattled off.

'Basically packed full of colourings and preservatives?' Gladiolus said, swirling his own drink about as he held the glass awkwardly between his thumb and a single finger.

'Pretty much, yeah. If the alcohol doesn't get you buzzing then the additives will. But hey, it's almost the exact shade of a moogle. Isn't that cool?' Prompto said with a grin, picking out the cocktail stick, pulling the cherry off with his teeth and then knocking the drink back.

Noctis was next, having watched how to do it from his friend. Prompto was the one he learned stuff like this from; Ignis taught him politics, Gladiolus taught him to stay alive, Prompto taught him how to have fun. So he pulled off the cherry and drank back the sickly sweet liquid. It left a burning aftertaste in his mouth, but it wasn't unpleasant.

'What is this shit?' Gladiolus demanded as he slammed his empty glass down. 'Way too sweet, no wonder you like it Prom. Give me a beer or a whisky shot any day.'

'We're in a club, these are club drinks. Deal with it or order your own drink,' Prompto said, refilling their glasses from the bottle of pink liquid on the tray. He turned to Ignis and sighed dramatically. 'Iggy, are you sipping that? You're supposed to drink it in one shot. Hence the name "shots".'

'I prefer to keep my head about me, this drink will last me for a while, thank you,' Ignis said.

Prompto rolled his eyes and handed the others their second shots. 'Hopeless. Come on, let's show him how it's done.'

Noctis and Gladiolus knocked back the drinks, then the next round Prompto poured them too. There was only enough left in the bottle for one more shot, which Prompto offered to Noctis. Noctis shook his head and turned his glass upside down. 'Think I've had enough of those, Gladio's right, they're way too sweet.'

'I think they're perfect,' Prompto said, swigging the last of it from the bottle.

'You would say that, I've never met anyone with such a sweet tooth as you.'

'Aww, Noct thinks I'm sweet,' Prompto said, clinging to his friend's arm and leaning heavily against him. Noctis almost fell into Gladiolus as he hadn't been expecting the attack.

Ignis swirled the remaining half of his Moogle Shot in his glass. It was foul, but the longer he nursed it along the longer he could put off having another.

Prompto finally righted himself and leaned over for the drink menu, shifting it so that Noctis and Gladiolus could read it too. He was scanning the list when he burst out laughing. 'Oh man. Oh man! You guys seeing this?'

'What?' Noctis asked, but saw it a split second before Prompto's finger jabbed at the entry.

'You can order a Prince Noctis!' Prompto said, laughing so hard he actually snorted.

Ignis finally perked up at that, and leaned over Prompto's shoulder to read the description: curaçaog, champagne and aniseed with edible silver dust. The picture was of a flute glass filled with a dark blue liquid that shimmered as it caught the light thanks to the silver dust floating in it. The rim of the glass was coated with sugar crystals; no doubt to represent the crystal that the prince was linked to. 'Ah well, at least his highness is elegant,' Ignis said, not even bothering to hide his smirk.

'I want a Prince Noctis!' Prompto declared loudly.

'If you order one of those I will have you executed,' Noctis said, his cheeks oddly flushed.

'Oh look, they do a King Regis too,' Gladiolus pointed out.

Noctis just shook his head. 'I am really uncomfortable with this.'

'Lighten up, promise I won't drink you,' Prompto said, scouring the list for something more royal-friendly. 'Sex on the beach, whoo! We'll get those next. Oh, and screwdrivers. Oh, and those green things. They look nice. Where's our host?' Prompto found the girl that had been tending them before, and entrusted her to bring them a random selection of drinks to try.

Ignis had finally finished his shot when the drinks were brought over; a large selection of glasses both tall and small, with various colours and various umbrellas and sparkly adornments peeking out of them. 'Are we going to drink all of those?' Ignis asked cautiously. He'd already researched hangover cures, however he hadn't thought to brush up on the treatment of alcohol poisoning. He'd hoped his friends would have been more sensible than that, but Prompto was already halfway through a glass filled with chocobo-yellow liquid.

Prompto paused to grin at Ignis, his eyes were already starting to brighten from the alcohol. 'Yep, these are just for starters. I told you, the Caelum's are footing the bill!'

'That doesn't mean you need to drink yourself into a coma,' Ignis said, reaching for another drink simply to save them from themselves.

Gladiolus and Noctis took another drink each, and the time it took them to finish them Prompto had had two more. By now even Gladiolus was starting to look a little concerned, and reached past Noctis to rest a hand on Prompto's arm as he reached for another. 'Maybe slow down there a little? Night's still young, you don't want to wind up passed out on the sofa for half of it. I promise you'll wake up with rude pictures drawn on you in permanent marker.'

'So boring,' Prompto said loudly, as he swayed in time to the music. Suddenly he grabbed Noctis's arm, almost tipping drink down him. 'Hey? Hey? Let's go dance!'

'I don't really-'

'Course you do, you're the handsome prince of Lucis. They even named a drink after you, so of course you have to dance.'

'I don't know what that has to do with anything…' Noctis said, but Prompto was pretty strong when he wanted to be, and right now he wanted to dance. Noctis found himself being dragged off with a pained look over his shoulder to his protectors.

'Should we go with them?' Ignis asked, leaning forward in his seat to watch the two younger men stumble down the stairs.

'They'll be back soon. Prompto goes a little crazy when he comes out, he'll wear himself out dancing for a few songs then he'll be back up here for another drink, then he'll dance, then he'll drink…he can go most of the night.'

'Yes but his highness…' Ignis began, watching as Prompto found them a spot on the dance floor and began pressing close to the prince. 'How does Noctis usually fare with his alcohol?'

'He can't keep up with us, but he knows his limits. He's usually sensible, Ignis, how many times have you seen him hung over? Doesn't happen often at all. You did good with him, he's practically boring on nights out.'

Ignis couldn't help a small smile. It was nice to know that even if he wasn't around to keep an eye on him Noctis didn't act too wild. Relaxing a little more he sat back on the sofa and held up his glass. 'What exactly is this that I'm drinking?'

'Uh, that would be a Goddess of Death,' Gladiolus said, matching it to the picture on the menu.

'It's foul,' Ignis said, but took another sip anyway. When had he drunk half of it? Perhaps he was the one that should start slowing down; they'd barely been there an hour and he was supposed to remain sober enough to drive them home.

'Now Prom's not here I can order a real drink, not this girly sugary crap,' Gladiolus said, pushing himself to his feet. 'You want anything?'

'A cup of tea would be lovely,' Ignis said.

'Yeah. I'll ask,' Gladiolus said with a grin, patting his friend on the shoulder as he passed him to go to the bar.

'If your lips are moving then you're lyin' lyin' lyin' baby,' Prompto sang loudly, as he pressed himself up against Noctis.

Noctis didn't quite know what to make of his friend, he rarely did when he was allowed on nights out like this, but after the initial bout of self consciousness he just let the blonde drape over him and wrapped arms around Prompto's waist to both support the other man and to dance with him. If the weird spazzy movements they were making could really be called dancing. But hey, they were barely worse than anyone else on the dance floor, and at least they were dressed better. Girls with skirts that flashed knickers, and men with trousers so tight they showed off way too much, and everybody was all over everybody else no matter whether you arrived with the person or just met them five seconds ago.

'Hey look, that girl looks like Cindy!' Prompto said, pointing rudely to a girl in the corner with a group of girlfriends

Noctis turned and looked. The girl was blonde, yes, but that was where the similarities ended. He decided his friend was probably well on his way to getting drunk. 'Prom? You want to stand up on your own a bit more? You're going to end up on the floor in a minute and you'll take me with you.'

'Sorry, sorry,' Prompto said, pulling himself up using Noctis's shoulders.

Noctis smiled at his friend and was able to get a better grip on him now he was standing upright. Prompto's head fell to his shoulder and he half carried his friend as they did a weird sort of slow dance while Prompto gazed at the Cindy-lookalike. Noctis was more interested in the man that kept looking his way. He was tall and blonde with dark intense eyes that hadn't stopped watching him for the last few minutes. Noctis could guess that he'd been recognised as the prince, but why was the guy staring? He didn't really like it, he wasn't good with attention. He turned away from the man and carried on his dance with Prompto, who perked up after half a song and grabbed Noctis by the waist, hauling him into the air and spinning him around before stumbling then bursting into laughter.

'You're insane,' Noctis said, stumbling a little himself as his feet met ground again.

'Good insane?' Prompto asked, smiling at his friend. 'Are you having fun?'

'Yeah, yeah I am,' Noctis said, returning the smile easily. It was as if all his responsibilities and problems were a million miles away. 'Thanks for this, Prom, it's nice to unwind.'

'You're not king yet, there'll be plenty of years for you to stress your way into an early grave. It's my job to remind you to have fun.'

'And you do a great job of it,' Noctis promised.

Prompto dashed over to where a waitress was about to deliver drinks to a table, and grabbed two glasses from the tray she was holding. 'For the prince, add extra to his tab!' she scowled, but the adorable cheeky grin he flashed her abated any anger.

Noctis shook his head and laughed as the dark cola based drink was pressed into his hand. 'See? Insane.'

Prompto downed half of his own glass in one. 'I know. But now I have to pee like really, really badly. So I'm gonna have to love you and leave ya.'

'Leave me?' Noctis asked, feeling slightly alarmed.

'Look, Gladio's over there by the bar, Ignis is watching from the rafters, I'll walk you to the stairs but seriously I need to go!'

'Your fault for drinking so much,' Noctis said, but followed as Prompto cut a hasty path through the dancers, then dashed off to the men's room, slamming his half finished drink down on a random table. Noctis snickered as he watched Prompto push people aside, then he debated which direction to go. To the bar with Gladiolus, or upstairs to take a time out with Ignis? He was still pondering it with a foot on the stairs and his head toward the bar when someone tapped his shoulder. 'That was fast, Prom-'

'Sorry, not the blonde boy if that's who you think,' said a deep, silky voice. 'Just an admirer. You are who I think you are? Aren't you?'

'No,' Noctis lied. 'But I get that all the time.'

The tall blonde man laughed. 'My apologies then, not-prince. I just thought I heard your partner claiming you were to the waitress.'

Noctis felt a blush rise in his cheeks, and he glanced about for his friends. 'Friend, not partner,' Noctis said awkwardly. Damn he hated talking to people. Where was Prompto when you needed him? Or Gladiolus; one glare from the muscled man would have this guy leaving in a heartbeat.

'Pity for him,' the blonde said, leaning close.

Noctis moved away instinctively, but forgot he had been half standing on the step. He stumbled, and almost fell except the blonde leaped forward and grabbed his wrist, pulling him close. 'Thanks,' Noctis mumbled, taking a moment to right himself after his ungraceful fall.

'Drink makes me clumsy too, I won’t let slip your secret,' the man said, handing over a glass. 'Here, you almost dropped your drink.'

'Thanks,' Noctis said, still feeling amazingly embarrassed. Especially as it had made people notice him, and there were more whispers of his name. His drink had nice cool ice in it, and it looked more coke than alcohol, so Noctis drained half the glass in one gulp, hoping that it would cool off the flush to his cheeks.

'Whoa, you can knock those back,' the man said, clearly impressed. 'You might want to slow down there.'

'I haven't drunk much tonight, I'm fine,' Noctis said, angry that a stranger should try and tell him what to do. He took another gulp of drink, then finished it off as he glanced desperately about the club looking for Prompto.

'If you say so. Can I buy you another drink?' the man offered.

'No. No I'm fine,' Noctis said, not liking the look of the man at all. And you heard about spiked drinks all the time in the city, he didn't want anything that the man was going to buy him. 'I'm gonna go find my friends now,' Noctis said, turning away from the man and putting the glass down on an empty table. Except the strangest thing happened; the table moved, and when he set the glass down it simply wasn't there. The glass fell to the floor and shattered at his feet. He stood staring at it dumbly for a few seconds, trying to work out what had happened.

'Oops. Never mind, I'm sure someone can clear that up,' the blonde man said, suddenly close to him again. Way too close.

'Mnn,' Noctis said, shrugging the man off and turning around again to try and find his friends. But as he turned the world tuned with him in a blur of light. He had to steady himself on something just to stop himself falling to the floor. When he finally realised that something was wrong, though, it was too late. He was holding the damn blonde guy's hand and clinging to him as if he was going to fall down. Which actually was a real possibility.

'Think you drank more than you thought,' the blonde man said sympathetically. Though he was a fair bit taller than Noctis he took the prince's arm over his shoulders and bent to offer support as he helped Noctis away from the dance floor.

'My…friends…' Noctis said, trying to turn his head to find them. But every movement sent things swaying, and he collapsed against the man's side as a wave of vertigo washed over him. He moaned and closed his eyes, waiting for it to pass. 'Feel sick…'

'It's okay, you're okay,' the man said, gently rubbing his back.

'Need…Prompto…find Prompto…' Noctis said, remembering that his friend had gone to the bathroom. Maybe the blonde man could help him find the other blonde man. Ha. That was funny. Noctis giggled and swayed on his feet, slipping further against the blonde man. Hey, now that he was looking at him the guy kind of looked like a really tall Prompto. Maybe this was Prompto? Maybe he was getting confused?

'We'll find him,' the man said distractedly, having to half carry Noctis by now as they pushed past people.

'Wait wait,' Noctis said, pulling away and almost stumbling. 'Where are we going?'

The blonde man flashed a smile. 'I've got some friends that would love to meet you. You're famous you know?'

'Friends? No friends. I want my friends not yours,' Noctis said, sober enough to realise this was a bad idea. His bad vibes from earlier about the man were coming back, and he tried pulling his arm free. The guy was strong.

'But they really want to meet you,' the blonde insisted, dropping his voice low with a nasty smirk. 'They've come all the way from Niflheim and they want to have a few words with you about a certain crystal.'

'No!' Noctis said in a panic, pulling back so hard that he slipped. He fell against a table and glasses crashed to the floor around him. Lots of people stopped what they were doing to ask him if he was alright.

The blonde man laughed heartily and hauled Noctis up over his shoulder. 'Sorry about that. My friend here's had a bit too much, if you know what I mean. I'll get him home to bed.'

'Oh will you?' said a gravelly voice.

The blonde man turned around and found himself face to face with a huge, strong man with a wicked scar down his eye and an unamused look on his face. 'Pretty sure he doesn't belong with you,' Gladiolus said, taking Noctis from the blonde man, and passing him over to Prompto.

The blonde man smiled. 'Look, this is all a misunderstanding. I saw your friend stumbling about drunk and I was just trying to get him help-'

Gladiolus grabbed the front of his shirt, and pulled him close. 'Be thankful I didn't bring my sword with me, or it would be rammed up your ass by now. Sideways.'

'Uh, Gladio?' Prompto asked nervously.

'Not now Prom, I'm working,' Gladiolus said, his hard amber gaze not leaving the blonde man.

'No, Gladio, seriously.'

Gladiolus sighed in irritation. 'Put him down if he's too heavy for you.'

'He's not heavy he's…kind of…I don't know.'

'What don't you know?' Gladiolus asked angrily as he finally tore his attention away from the interrogation. 'Oh…' Gladiolus could see the problem immediately. Noctis's eyes were rolling back in his head and the prince was completely limp in Prompto's arms.

Prompto looked up with worried blue eyes. 'I think we need to get him home.'

Gladiolus shoved the blonde man hard in the chest and gave him another glare before turning his attention to more important matters. He took Noctis from Prompto's arms, shuffling the slight form of the prince until he was sure the man was comfortable. 'Go get Ignis, we're leaving.'

'Got it,' Prompto said, suddenly more sober. He scrambled up the stairs to the VIP area where Ignis was sat on the sofa reading a paper with a cup of tea. He'd even managed to find a saucer. For a second Prompto couldn't quite take in that image, but there was no time to ask. 'We're going, Iggy, get your coat.'

Ignis glanced up from his paper with a frown. 'Oh? So soon?'

'Noct's overdone it, poor guy's out cold,' Prompto said, finding his own coat and slipping it on. He grabbed up Gladiolus's and Noctis's, holding them tightly as he waited for Ignis to get to his feet.

'Unconscious?' Ignis asked, concern lacing his voice. 'How much has he drunk?'

'I didn't think that much,' Prompto insisted. 'I know I can get a little crazy but I usually try to make sure he doesn't get too drunk.'

'It's okay,' Ignis said, squeezing Prompto's shoulder. 'He's an adult, he should know his limits. We'll chalk this one up to his body being run down from work.'

'Yeah. Yeah he's been overworking himself,' Prompto agreed, feeling a little less guilty.

They descended the staircase but Gladiolus and Noctis were nowhere to be found. Prompto frowned and spun about on the spot, trying to see them. 'They were here just a second ago, I swear.'

'Perhaps they went to the car to get a head start?' Ignis suggested, and led the way out of the busy club. The pounding music faded to background noise as they stepped out of the heat into the chill of the night. There on the side of the road was Noctis, on his knees with Gladiolus curled around him protectively.

Gladiolus noticed them and closed his eyes in relief. 'Thought maybe some fresh air might perk him up a bit. We need to get him back, he's not doing well at all.'

Noctis was pale in Gladiolus's arms, though his eyes were open again. His gaze was locked onto something past Prompto's shoulder, and when Gladiolus shifted him in his arms the prince groaned and closed his eyes again, clutching weakly at his bodyguard.

Ignis crouched beside them and placed a cool hand against the young man's burning forehead. 'He didn't drink enough for this,' Ignis said with a frown. 'Prompto, how much did he drink after he left to dance with you?'

'As far as I know he only had one drink after we left you guys. I gave him it then I had to run to the bathroom so I don't even know if he drank it or not.' Prompto knelt beside them all, taking in the sight of his friend looking so ill. 'Definitely wasn't enough to do this. I don't think even I've ever looked this bad after a night out.'

'There was…' Gladiolus paused and frowned. 'There was a guy Noctis was with when I found him. I thought he was hitting on the prince, maybe he got slipped something? If Prompto went to the bathroom and Noct was on his own…'

Prompto went pale. 'I didn't…I-I only left for like five minutes, I swear to Etro.'

Ignis sighed and ran his hand through Noctis's hair. 'It only takes a few seconds to spike a drink.'

Swallowing hard Prompto shook his head. 'No. No I didn't mean for this…I didn't even think anything like this would happen.'

'It's okay, Prompto,' Ignis said, trying for a reassuring smile, but it was difficult with Noctis trying to wake up and struggling in Gladiolus's arms. 'We'll get him back to the palace and let him sleep it off. I'm certain that he wasn't left unattended long enough for anything…untoward to happen, especially as Gladiolus found him being taken toward the exit.'

The very last traces of colour faded from Prompto's cheeks, and his hands flew to cover his mouth. 'Oh god, he could have been…oh shit. I swear I didn't mean for this-'

'Prompto,' Ignis said sharply, resting his hands on Prompto's narrow shoulders. 'Look at me. It's not your fault. And the prince will be fine after some rest. The best thing you can do for him now is stay strong and help us take care of him tonight, okay?'

'Okay,' Prompto said quietly, still looking scared. 'I've got his coat, maybe he'll feel better if he's wrapped up?'

Gladiolus smiled softly and nodded, helping reposition Noctis so that Prompto could slip the jacket on his thin form. Noctis was semi awake and not very cooperative, but he let them do whatever they wanted with his body as they manoeuvred his cold arms into the jacket.

Prompto's hand rested on the prince's chest after he had zipped up the jacket, and he looked down sadly into Noctis's unfocused eyes. 'Anyone could do anything to him right now.'

'That's why we're here, to make sure nobody does do anything to him,' Gladiolus said, adjusting Noctis in his arms then pushing himself to his feet. 'And also to make sure he doesn't choke on his own vomit.'

The palace was quiet when they finally made it back, most of the staff had retired for the evening and only the night guards paced the halls. Gladiolus carried Noctis all the way up to his bedroom without meeting a single person, and then it was a simple affair to get him changed into a light t-shirt and loose pair of shorts that he'd be comfortable sleeping in. Because nobody was under any disillusions that the night was going to be an easy one.

Ignis drew up three chairs around the bed while Gladiolus tucked Noctis in with blankets. Noctis kicked them off again, then splayed out his skinny limbs on the huge bed, trying to take up as much space as possible.

'How long do you think he'll sleep for?' Prompto asked, sitting down on the bed rather than the chair that had been set out for him.

Ignis came over with a tray of mugs, which he handed out to the other two men then sat down with his own drink. Coffee to sober them all up for their watch duty. 'I couldn't guess. The prince's sleeping habits are not entirely typical for a young man of his age, so we may be looking at a longer period of unconsciousness. He may sleep all through the night and well into tomorrow. The longer he sleeps the better, I'd say, it will give the drug a chance to work through his system.'

'Okay. So this time we don't moan at him for oversleeping,' Prompto said, running the backs of his fingers against Noctis's cheek.

The dark haired man groaned and tipped his head toward the touch, then his eyes flew open and his body jerked up.

'Okay, or don't sleep,' Prompto said, pulling his hand back fearing he'd woken the other man.

'Highness?' Ignis asked, leaning closer toward his charge. 'How are you-'

He wasn't able to get the question out before Noctis threw up. Prompto was closest, and quick to set down his mug then spring forward to catch Noctis before he collapsed. Noctis was shivering violently in his arms, and all Prompto could do was hold him and stroke his hair back as Noctis dry retched, then fell limp against him.

'So, you were saying about him sleeping through the night?' Gladiolus said, pulling back the soiled duvet.

'Well, I hadn't considered the prospect of the nausea overpowering his tiredness,' Ignis said carefully, slipping from his seat over to the bed where Prompto was cradling a once more unconscious Noctis. He lifted his hand to rest against Noctis's forehead, sighing at the sheen of sweat on Noctis's heated skin. Whatever drug was currently ravaging his body was taking its toll.

'I don't think he's asleep,' Gladiolus said, watching them as he carefully folded the duvet to isolate the mess. 'I think he's just passed out. From what I've heard people that have been drugged can drift in and out of consciousness, so I don't think we're going to be in for an easy night with him. I'll find a bowl or something.'

'Good idea,' Ignis said, holding out his arms to take Noctis from Prompto, but the blonde shook his head.

'I'll keep him. He was shivering before, I think he likes having someone holding him.'

'You'll hurt your back sitting like that for too long. Why not lay him down and lay down with him? You had a fair bit to drink yourself, you're going to be feeling rough soon enough once the alcohol runs its course through you.'

'Not so bad, I barely had time to get started tonight,' Prompto said distractedly, but he did as Ignis suggested and lay Noctis down on the pillows. The prince sighed as he sank against them, then immediately started shifting about and frowning. Prompto lay himself down on his back next to the other man, then reached over to pull Noctis against his side. Noctis curled up happily, and an arm weakly draped itself across Prompto's hips as the prince sprawled over the blonde.

'Well now you're trapped,' Gladiolus said with a smirk as he brought over a fresh duvet and covered the pair. He also set an empty bowl on the bed ready in case.

'S'okay, wasn't going anywhere anyway. Not until he's better,' Prompto said, tipping his head to rest his cheek against Noctis's hair. There was a long moment of silence before he finally spoke up again. 'He is gonna get better, right?'

'Of course he will,' Ignis said. 'The effects won't be permanent, he'll be rather ill for a few days but he'll recover fully. It's just a lesson learned for all of us. You can never be too careful.'

'And you can't leave him out of your sight for a goddamn second,' Gladiolus said, feeling as guilty as Prompto. He was the appointed bodyguard, and seeing such a spectacular fail on their part was heartbreaking.

Noctis whimpered and began trying to pull away from Prompto, then turned back toward him again. Prompto pulled him close and with the arm around him began rubbing his back in slow, soothing circles. 'Is there anything else we can do for him?'

'A cool flannel might help him feel a little better,' Ignis suggested, and went off to get one. By the time he had returned Gladiolus was lying on the huge king size bed too, beside Prompto. With his long arms he was able to hold both Prompto and Noctis, and he looked up with a sad smile as Ignis stood watching them.

'Can't think of a better way to protect him than being this close,' Gladiolus said. 'And we have an opening for one more person.'

Ignis smiled and set the flannel on Noctis's forehead, happy once the dark haired man sighed in his sleep. Then he settled behind Noctis, spooning his larger body against the small man and wrapping an arm around his narrow waist. His foot brushed a leg and it took him a few seconds to realise he was entwined with Prompto too.

'This is nice,' Prompto said finally, nuzzling his cheek against Noctis's hair. 'We should do this again when he's not feeling so ill.'

'Can you imagine if Cor were to walk in on us right now, though?' Gladiolus asked, settling himself a bit better against the fluffy pillows.

'I'd rather not consider that possibility as I can imagine his reaction quite vividly,' Ignis said.

'Imagine his reaction if he found out we let Noctis get date rape drugged,' Prompto said sadly, tightening his arms around the darker haired man, pulling him close to his chest as if curling around Noctis would keep him safe.

'If Cor found out then the king would find out too,' Gladiolus said carefully. 'And then things would get real ugly. They'd find that blonde guy and hang draw and quarter him. Then burn his remains.'

'A fair punishment,' Ignis said uncharacteristically, earning a smile from the other official protector. 'For doing this to the Prince of Lucis I wouldn't be adverse to a little violence.'

'Yeah but the guy's gonna get off scott free,' Prompto said bitterly. 'He's drugged Noct and made him feel like crap and now he's probably laughing somewhere.'

Ignis's hand paused from where it had been gently running up and down Noctis's side. His emerald gaze locked on to Gladiolus's. 'Prompto has a point.'

'That he does,' Gladiolus said in a low even voice. 'Noct seems pretty settled for the moment.'

'Indeed. The responsible thing to do would be to return to the club, and ensure the gentleman isn't trying to spike anybody else's drink,' Ignis said.

'Are you guys…oh. Oh!' Prompto said, and smiled. 'Can I come?'

Gladiolus ruffled Prompto's blonde hair. 'Stay with the prince, he's still sick remember. I don't want to think about him being alone in this state, he needs to be with someone he can trust. If he wakes up alone he'll be freaked out.'

'Precisely,' Ignis said, leaning over to press a kiss to Noctis's fevered forehead. 'We won't be long. Make sure he lays on his side so he doesn't choke if he does vomit, and try to keep him comfortable.'

Prompto shifted Noctis in his arms and looked down at him. 'Don't think he's going to be comfortable for a while yet, not until the effects of that shit wear off.'

'He looks pretty comfy to me in your arms,' Gladiolus teased, smiling down at the pair. 'Just keep doing what you're doing, we'll be back before you can miss us.'

'Give him a hard kick in the nuts from me,' Prompto said.

'You got it,' Gladiolus said, holding Ignis's coat for him as the shorter man slipped it on. 'Now let's go square up a balance.'

The sky was clear and stars shone down as they drove back to the club, both wound up tightly as they ran through a million scenarios in their minds. There was always the possibility that the man was gone by now, but they'd find him no matter what. Even if they were tracking him all night. Nobody messed with Lucis family, especially not their Noctis.

Ignis parked right outside the front of the club and simply waved the bouncer off that came to try and tell them he couldn't park there. Perhaps he recognised the royal advisor, or perhaps the look Ignis shot him made him think twice. Ignis had his pissed off face on and it was not a welcoming sight.

Life in the club was beginning to wind down as people stumbled home drunk, or else passed out at their tables. A few were still dancing away on the floor, but their movements were more seductive than anything else, almost indecent as people groped one another. They didn't have to go very far to find their man; he was one of the dancers, pressed up close to a young man that looked remarkably like Noctis. So much so that it made Gladiolus's blood boil as he stormed over. He pushed the dark haired man away then grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and roughly guided him off the dance floor.

'What are you doing?' the blonde man asked angrily.

'We need to have a little chat,' Gladiolus said, looking behind him to make sure Ignis was following them to the fire exit.

Outside the club the air was frosty, and in the small alley behind the club there was nobody about. The blonde man seemed to realise this as the door closed behind them and he found himself outnumbered by two very pissed off men.

'I remember you,' he said to Gladiolus. You were with the prince.'

'At least your memory isn't broken, just your morals,' Ignis said, making a show of adjusting the fireproof gloves on his hands, neatening them up so they were perfect. 'What did you give the prince?'

The blonde man laughed nervously. 'Don't know what you're talking about. He was a bit drunk, I was trying to help him find you guys so you could take him home-'

Gladiolus grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. 'Wrong answer. One more try before I start breaking fingers.'

'L-l-look, it's not what you think. I wasn't going to do anything funny with him.'

'You drugged him and were carrying him off to an exit, forgive me if I don't quite believe you,' Ignis said.

'There were these guys, from Niflheim. They gave me the stuff and told me to bring him out once he'd taken them. They just wanted to talk to him about the crystal they said.'

'You're a citizen of Lucis?' Ignis asked.

The blonde man nodded.

'Then what you're describing is high treason.'

The man paled. 'No! No, they just wanted to talk-'

'You really are dumb, aren't you?' Gladiolus said, slamming the guy against the wall again. 'You sure they were from Niflheim? That they didn't just want a fun evening with an unconscious prince? Hell, if they were from Niflheim you would have been delivering the crown prince right into their hands all doped up and defenceless ready to kidnap. You might as well have gift wrapped him.'

'They…'

'They gave you money, right?' Gladiolus said.

The man's silence answered for him.

'You piece of-'

'Gladio,' Ignis interrupted. 'We have more important things to worry about rather than wasting time with trash.'

'Very good point,' Gladiolus said, releasing his grip on the blonde man.

'Thank you,' the man said, straightening his shirt and making to leave.

Gladiolus slammed his hand against the wall to block his path. 'Uh, we didn't say that you could leave. Just that we weren't going to waste much time with you. We can spare five minutes.'

'Five minutes will be more than enough,' Ignis agreed, a dark shadow passing over his face as he stepped forward. He clicked his finger for effect and a flame appeared at his hand.

'Oh shit! Look, I'm sorry alright? Okay I was looking to make quick hundred gil, and I might have been planning a quick kiss or something before I handed him over, but I swear I wouldn't have let them hurt him. I'd have stayed with him, brought him back after they'd finished talking-'

'Prince Noctis is currently alternating between unconscious and vomiting. There was never going to be any talking, and after we've finished with you then you're not going to feel much like talking either,' Ignis hissed, pulling back his fist and smashing hard into the guy's jaw with the added flourish of the burning flames.

Gladiolus was next and slammed his huge boot into the guy's ribs, sending him rolling hard against the filthy wall of the alley. Before he had a chance to follow that up Ignis was there, stepping down hard on the man's hand with his shoe. Bones cracked and crunched as he ground down hard, and screams of agony rose into the night. He removed his foot from the hand long enough to deliver the swift kick to the crotch Prompto had requested, then got in another kick to the ribs before Gladiolus grabbed his shoulders.

'Whoa there, this isn't like you,' the tank said, halfway between impressed and concerned.

Ignis was slightly out of breath, and when he looked down at the blood smearing the man's lips he felt a slight wave of shame at having been so out of control. The shame died down quickly as he recalled Noctis's pale face, and he kicked out again, smirking as the man grunted in pain.

'I think that's enough, Iggy,' Gladiolus said, pulling the bespectacled man away. Then turning and kicking the blonde man himself once more for good measure. He bent down and grabbed the man by his hair, pulling him up to meet his gaze. 'Make sure I never see your face again, got it?'

Ignis dusted his hands off as they walked back to the car. 'A job well done.'

Gladiolus chuckled and slung an arm around his friend's shoulder. 'Just glad you're on our side.'

'I don't take kindly to people hurting my friends.'

'Me neither. Trust me, me neither. Now let's go make him feel better.'

'Easier said than done,' Ignis said sadly as they got settled in the car.

Gladiolus frowned. 'What are we looking at here?'

'A day or two for the drug to be out of his system. Maybe the same again before he feels well enough to resume his duties. The exact effects are an unknown quantity as he tires more easily than everyone else, but I've read that in these circumstances the days after feel like a cross between the worst hangover imaginable and flu. And sufferers are usually extremely tired. So prepare to watch him sleep a lot and battle to get any food or drink in him.'

'And how do we explain it to the king?'

Ignis tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. 'We tell him that the prince has flu.'

-

'How? How have you got anything left in you?' Prompto asked as he tried to guide Noctis toward the bowl. He had one arm around Noctis's shoulders, and the other braced against Noctis's narrow ribcage to stop the dark haired man falling forward. But his arms were starting to get tired; Noctis had been alternating between being violently sick and collapsing unconscious for the last hour.

'Ugh…sorry…' Noctis said pitifully as he flopped back into Prompto's arms. The only time he ever had any energy seemed to be when his stomach needed to rebel.

'Don't be sorry, none of this is your fault,' Prompto said as he held him close for a second, resisting the urge to rock him back and forth gently. He knew first hand that was a great way to start off a second bout of retching. After a few minutes of Noctis laying quietly he spoke; 'You done?'

'Yeah.'

'Kay. I'll just be a second,' Prompto said, settling Noctis back against the pillows and placing the cool cloth on his forehead. Then he took the bowl and emptied it out down the toilet of the en suite, rinsed it out in the sink and brought it back for later. Because he was under no disillusions that there wouldn't be a later; Noctis's body was really not happy with having a toxin polluting its bloodstream.

Once he was back on the bed he looked down at his friend sadly. Noctis was limp again, his small body splayed out exactly where Prompto had laid him. The blonde reached forward to brush the dark hair from the prince's eyes, brushing his fingers against the clammy skin of Noctis's forehead. He took the washcloth again and wrung it out in the little bowl of cool water, then began gently dabbing at Noctis's skin to help cool him down a little. He lifted up Noctis's t-shirt, and pressed the flannel against Noctis's flat stomach, his bony chest, then down his arms. Noctis sighed happily but offered no resistance whatsoever and that frightened Prompto more than anything. If Gladiolus hadn't found him in time what might someone have done to him?

'I'm so sorry,' Prompto whispered, setting the cloth back in the bowl then crawling over to sit back against the pillows. He gathered Noctis up in his arms and held him tight. His own head was pounding but there was no way he was going to leave Noctis's side to go and find some painkillers. This was his redemption for leaving Noctis.

The bedroom door clicked open and he glanced up to see Gladiolus and Ignis enter and shut the door behind them. Ignis hurried over and only looked relaxed after he'd taken the prince's hand and assured himself the prince was alive if not entirely well.

'How's he doing?' Gladiolus asked, keeping his voice low in case Noctis was sleeping.

'Pretty weak. He keeps waking up to puke then he passes out again. Is it right for him to be this sick? He's going to chuck up his stomach if he's not careful,' Prompto said.

'It's how the body reacts to being poisoned,' Ignis said. 'It will run its course eventually, we just have to be patient. I hope neither of you were hoping for a good night's sleep.'

'Figured we'd be pulling an all nighter,' Gladiolus said.

'Prom, how is your head? I think you need to start pushing fluids and taking something if you haven't already.' Ignis said, gently running a hand through Prompto's golden hair.

'I'm fine,' Prompto insisted.

Gladiolus and Ignis exchanged a look. 'I'll go get you something,' Gladiolus said, vanishing briefly. He returned with a tray containing cups of coffee, bottles of water and painkillers. As Prompto was half trapped under Noctis he opened a bottle and handed over painkillers.

'Ugh, tonight was such a bad idea,' Prompto said once he'd handed the half empty bottle of water over.

Gladiolus set the bottle down then lifted a hand to rub through Prompto's hair, his nails gently scritching the younger man's scalp. 'Does it hurt a lot?'

'A bit,' Prompto admitted.

'You should sleep,' Ignis said softly.

Prompto's eyes had been half closed thanks to the massage Gladiolus was giving him, but they opened again at Ignis's words. 'No way. I did this to him, I'm gonna stay up with him.'

'How many times do we have to tell you it's not your fault?' Gladiolus growled. 'It could have happened any time. Creeps like that find an opportunity whatever way they can, you could have been glued to his side the whole night and there's no guarantee he wouldn't have still been drugged. You think he'd want you to be beating yourself up over this?'

Prompto frowned. 'No, but-'

'No buts,' Ignis said. 'I'd rather you slept now and didn't push your own body past its limits. One patient is more than enough. We don't want to have to see you hurt too.'

Prompto nodded slowly, but he wasn't about to give up his hold on Noctis. Instead he laid down next to the prince, and turned on his side to face him, wrapping an arm loosely around the prince's thin waist. 'Wake me if he gets worse or anything, okay? I want to be there for him.'

'You are here for him,' Gladiolus insisted, settling himself behind Prompto as he had down before, wrapping long arms around both the smaller men. 'This is about as much as any of us can do until he's a bit more awake anyway.'

Ignis nodded and settled behind Noctis, cuddling up to the overheated body of his charge. 'In the morning hopefully he'll be able to stay awake long enough for some fluids and perhaps something to eat.'

Gladiolus grinned. 'See? Iggy can't wait to go into full mother hen mode. He's itching to start fussing over his highness.'

If his cheeks flushed a little then Gladiolus was too far away to see, and Ignis was thankful for that. Prompto's soft snores soon filled the room, but otherwise it was quiet as the two guardians watched over their friends. They whispered a little to each other, but whenever they spoke too loudly Prompto would begin to stir, so eventually they fell silent. When a hand took Ignis's he didn't jump, though, he knew it was Gladiolus's and he squeezed it back, thankful for the support.

The quietness didn't last forever, though, Noctis was awake every half hour on the dot, almost as if his internal body clock had set an alarm. It would always start with him shuffling and getting restless, then his eyes would open and he'd have a go at saying something but it would come out slurred and incomprehensible. Usually Ignis could sooth him back to sleep by talking to him or stroking his hair, but a few times Noctis had thrown up. That usually disturbed Prompto, though, so the next time it happened Ignis gently took the prince in his arms and carried him bridal style through to the bathroom. He sat him down and supported the younger man while he did his business, then held him in his arms while Noctis tried to decide if he needed to throw up more or if he was ready to be unconscious again. Instead Noctis surprised him by turning his head and looking at him.

'Nis?' he mumbled pathetically.

Ignis smiled softly and shifted the prince in his lap so he was holding him a little tighter. 'I'm here, highness.'

'What's goin' on?' he slurred.

Ignis paused. While he knew that they were going to have to fill in the prince's memory loss at some point, this was not how he'd planned for it to happen. Especially as chances were Noctis wasn't going to remember this conversation either. 'You were taken ill while we were out this evening.'

'Oh,' Noctis said, his head rolling to the side and falling onto Ignis's shoulder. He blinked up huge blue eyes at his friend. 'Feel crap.'

Placing his hands under Noctis's arms he lifted the man into a better position, marvelling at how limp someone could be. Noctis's body just did whatever he told it to do, as if Noctis himself had no control. 'You'll feel this way for a little while, but we'll look after you. I promise.'

Noctis tried for a smile, but it was dopey and lopsided. 'Know you will. Always do.'

The absolute trust in those words hit Ignis hard, and he instinctively pulled Noctis closer to him like Prompto had done. He felt sparks at his hands when he thought about the man that had almost taken Noctis from him that night and wished Gladiolus hadn't stopped him from going further with his punishment.

'You guys okay in there?' Gladiolus's voice drifted in form the bedroom.

'Yes, sorry. Just waiting for him to fall asleep again so I didn't have to make an immediate return trip,' Ignis said, glancing down. Noctis's eyes were closed. With an unhappy sigh Ignis slipped his arm under Noctis's bare legs and lifted the light bundle into his arms as he carried him back to bed.

-

'Oh man…' Prompto groaned, coming back to life. 'Can somebody turn the sun down a bit?'

'I seem to recall that last night you claimed you had barely drunk a thing,' Ignis said, sitting up a little so that Prompto could appreciate the full effect of his smug look.

The four of them had ended up entwined together over the course of the night, and it was hard to tell which limbs belonged to who in the tangle. As Prompto woke himself up further and Gladiolus started moving too they began separating out.

'I didn't drink that much,' Prompto insisted, but accepted the help Gladiolus offered by helping him sit up against some pillows. Water and painkillers were pressed into his hands and he took them blindly, desperate to quiet the thumping in his skull.

It was only after an hour of being held in Gladiolus's arms that Prompto was finally able to speak again, his headache a dull throb in the back of his head. 'So. Are you going to say it?'

'Say what?' Ignis asked, in a tone that made it obvious he knew exactly what Prompto meant.

'That it was a bad idea to go clubbing. That we should have stayed in the palace and done something sensible. Because you were right, if I hadn't dragged us all out we'd be up by now and going about our business.'

'Yes, we would have,' Ignis said, stroking his hand up and down Noctis's spine as the dark prince slept on his chest. 'But it had the potential to be an enjoyable evening. One moron ruined it, but the prince was looking forward to being with us and having a good time. If all had been well a few hangovers would have been a small price to pay.'

Prompto frowned. 'So you're not going to lecture me?'

'Not at all,' Ignis said.

He may have said more, but the figure in his arms began to stir. At some point over the night Noctis had settled down, and his body had cooled so much that Ignis had found a blanket to wrap him up in. Now Noctis was starting to wake up again, and his movements were stronger than they'd been during the night.

'Morning, princess,' Gladiolus called, leaning over Prompto so that he could gently stroke Noctis's cheek.

Noctis groaned and swatted him away.

'Sorry, prince,' Gladiolus said with a chuckle, sitting up himself and rubbing Prompto's arm gently to help the blonde wake up a little more. He watched as Ignis was the one to shake Noctis's shoulder gently and bring the dark haired man to the land of the living. Noctis certainly didn't seem to be coming willingly.

'Highness? How are you feeling?' Ignis asked.

'Got run over?' Noctis asked in a rough voice. He found the energy to lift an arm to flop over his eyes and block out the morning sunlight.

'Bout right,' Gladiolus said. 'Feel up to some painkillers?'

Noctis considered this for a moment. Everything hurt. Every single muscle in his body. 'Yeah. Sounds good.'

Ignis lifted him up by under his arms, and Prompto fluffed pillows behind his back. Every movement sent pain through his body, and Noctis winced at every slight movement. Ignis held the bottle with him so he didn't drop it and he popped the pills. As soon as the water hit his stomach he knew he wasn't going to be able to keep them down, though, his stomach churned and he felt nausea rising within him. He quickly shot forward and noticed the bowl, which Gladiolus was quick to pass over to him.

'I think that answers my next question on whether you'd like breakfast,' Ignis said, a frown creasing his brow.

Noctis just gave him a pathetic look and collapsed back against the pillows shivering. His face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes as he tried to pull the covers up further but he simply hadn't got the energy. Prompto took pity and drew the blankets around Noctis's shoulders, then pulled him close. Noctis groaned and curled in on himself.

Ignis slid off the bed then disappeared into the en suite for a few minutes, then returned with a hot water bottle in his hands. He slipped it under the blankets against Noctis's stomach, and the dark haired man clasped it as tight as he could.

'Thank you,' Noctis whispered.

'You're welcome. With how volatile your stomach has been I imagine you're in pain,' Ignis said, stroking the dark strands of hair. 'You need to tell us how you're feeling, though.'

'Hurts,' Noctis said unhelpfully.

'See how you go with the hot water bottle. If you still can't keep anything down in an hour or so I'll see if I can get you something for the nausea,' Ignis said.

'Well, if his highness isn't ready for breakfast then I'll have his, too. I'm starved,' Gladiolus said. 'Anyone else want anything brought up?'

'A cup of tea, and a bowl of muesli would be nice,' Ignis said.

'No food,' Prompto groaned.

Gladiolus ruffled his hair playfully. 'Hey Iggy? If these two aren't eating why don't we leave them to look after each other for a few minutes while we go grab breakfast? I know you; you'll be spending every minute here until the prince is out of bed, why not take a few minutes to eat breakfast at an actual table?'

Ignis looked horrified. 'I should be here for the prince.'

Gladiolus gave a pointed glance at the clearly unconscious figure. 'I don't think he'll mind you taking five minutes for yourself.'

'But…' Ignis faltered, torn between the relief of a quick break to recharge his batteries and prepare him for the next stint of watching over Noctis, and staying to watch over Noctis more. It was a hard choice that was fortunately made for him when Prompto smiled and rested a hand on his arm.

'Ignis, go get breakfast. You need energy to keep up all this fussing and stressing out. I'll look after him, don't worry.'

'Okay. Thank you. But look after yourself, too.'

'Feeling better already, the painkillers are magic.' Prompto watched them leave, then sank back against the pillows, turning his attention to Noctis and tucking hair behind his friend's ear to get it out of his closed eyes. 'Wish you could keep the magic painkillers down, maybe they'd make you feel less crappy.'

Noctis half opened an eye at the touch. 'Hey.'

'Hey again,' Prompto smiled. 'You're really rubbish at staying awake, you know that?'

'Yeah,' Noctis said softly.

'What hurts?'

Noctis considered the question. 'Everything.'

'Iggy said it was like a cross between a hangover and flu, so I guess that makes sense. Still sucks, though.'

'Yeah,' Noctis said.

Prompto inched toward his friend a little so they were pressed up close together. Noctis reacted to the warm body and curled up beside him, making it an easy thing to gather the dark haired man up in his arms and rest his head against the crown of dark hair. 'This is my fault, you know?' Prompto said softly. If Ignis and Gladiolus weren't going to accept his guilt then he'd make sure Noctis did. 'I'm so sorry Noct. I didn't mean for this to happen to you. Just the thought of someone getting their filthy hands on you when you were so vulnerable…'

'Idiot,' Noctis mumbled.

'Huh?' Prompto had been expecting a quiet audience, Noctis had barely seemed able to string two words together. 'You do know what happened last night, right?'

'No,' Noctis said dreamily. 'But wasn't your fault.'

Prompto snorted. 'Okay, so you're so sure it wasn't my fault, but you don't know what happened? How does that work?'

There was a slight twitch from the arm around his waist, and Prompto realised that Noctis was trying to hug him tight.

'Cos I love you,' Noctis said.

And that was all there was to it apparently in Noctis Lucis Caelum's mind. Prompto could do no wrong simply because they were such good friends. Prompto felt a swell of warmth in his chest and he pulled Noctis into a crushing hug. 'I don't deserve you.'

'Damn right,' Noctis said, making Prompto laugh.

'Jerk,' Prompto teased.

'Idiot,' Noctis countered.

That was as active as Noctis got, though, and after their conversation he simply melted against Prompto's side and fell back to sleep. Prompto was happy to just hold him and slowly lose the feeling in his arm as Noctis rested on it; he wasn't about to disturb his friend for a silly little thing like circulation issues.

Ignis and Gladiolus returned shortly after, and Prompto decided to appeal to them for help. 'Bit trapped, but I don't want to move him in case he wakes up.'

Gladiolus grinned and gathered the prince up, shifting him across the sheets and freeing Prompto's arm. 'You were cosying up to him last night.'

'Yeah but now I really need the loo,' Prompto said, hopping out of the bed and dashing to the en suite.

'Your fault for drinking so much,' Gladiolus called after him, then leaned back against the pillows with the prince in his arms. Since he already had a hold of him it seemed right that it was his turn to get to play pillow for a bit. He usually didn't like to pander to him so much, knowing that to balance out Ignis's mother hen instincts Noctis needed someone to toughen him up a bit. But after the events at the club Gladiolus decided that this time he could let his concern shine through too. And that meant cuddles because dammit if his heart hadn't leaped to his throat when he'd seen the man carrying Noctis off. He could see the appeal of holding Noctis close after a scare like that, it made you feel as if you were actually useful.

'We could have lost him,' Ignis said softly, watching them sadly.

'But we didn't, so doesn't that go to prove what a great team we are?' Gladiolus said. 'We got him back, he's going to be fine. We'll make sure he's fine. As much as we tease, you're not the only one who can fuss. He's not going to know what hit him.'

Ignis smiled and lay himself down again, reaching out to join the embrace. 'It will be nice to share the fussing.'

'Let me in on some of that too, I've been learning from Iggy. I'm pretty sure I can fuss with the best of them,' Prompto said, returning from the bathroom and crawling up the bed to join in the cuddle. 'So. Are we fussing now or do we have to wait for him to wake up?'

The other two looked for Ignis for guidance, as they were still fussing newbies compared to him.

Ignis smiled. 'We can start now, I'd say.'

Chapter Text

Firstly our top story of the evening; the Crown Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum was taken ill during a conference earlier this afternoon. As yet there has been no official statement from the palace however we can report that it would appear the prince collapsed when the group was about to take a break from negotiation talks with the Accordo royal family. This is of course not the first time the prince’s health has made headlines, and sources reveal that this may be related to the crystal. Further news to follow as the story develops.

Prompto stared at the television screen in shock. Not because Noctis had collapsed – the newsreader was understating it to say the least that Noctis had a reputation for this – but he was shocked that this was the first he’d heard of it. Especially as it had happened in the early afternoon and it was now nearly seven in the evening. With a frown he dug his phone from his pocket to check that it was switched on. There was battery life. And yet there were no messages or missed calls. He stared down at it numbly for a few seconds before swiping to unlock the screen then thumbing down his list of contacts. Ignis was the most logical choice; he could picture the bespectacled man now, panicked and glued to the prince’s bedside. Though not a qualified healer Ignis knew enough about medicine to follow what the healers said and treat Noctis when he was back in his room. Yes, Ignis was the person to go to if he wanted to get the cold hard facts. Prompto called Gladiolus.

The dial tone rang forever, and when he finally heard the rough voice speaking he thought it had gone to answer phone, but there was no beep and Prompto realised he was supposed to be speaking.

‘Uh, hey? Gladio?’

‘Shit,’ Gladiolus said by way of answer. ‘Sorry. God I’m sorry I completely forgot, didn’t think.’

Prompto smiled softly. ‘You big jerk, I had to see it on tv. You know how freaked out that made me?’

‘I am so sorry Prom, it’s been crazy here at the palace and I didn’t even think to call you.’

‘Chillax, it’s cool,’ Prompto lied. It stung a bit but he could hear voices and banging about in the background and could imagine how hectic things were. ‘How is he?’

Gladiolus sighed, and Prompto could picture the muscled man running a hand through his hair like he did when he was stressed.

‘He’ll be fine, it’s just exhaustion again. But someone leaked it to the media and now we’ve got reporters clamouring around trying to get info and sneak in for photos of him lying unconscious in bed. I found one right outside his room, he’d managed to get past security. Cor was furious, almost fired a poor guard on the spot for that.’

‘Can I come see him?’ Prompto asked hopefully.

Uncomfortable silence.

‘Maybe tomorrow? He’s staying in the healer’s wing tonight, but he’ll be back in his room by tomorrow and the media circus will have packed up and moved on to the next shiny story.’

‘Oh. Okay,’ Prompto said, not even trying to hide his disappointment. Because he knew that Gladiolus and Ignis would be there with Noctis tonight. ‘So I’ll stop by in the morning?’

‘Uh, better wait a little bit. I’ll call you when he’s back in his own bed okay?’

‘Right. Well, don’t forget to call me this time alright?’ Prompto asked, trying to keep his tone light and teasing but unable to ignore the stab of worry in his gut that maybe Gladiolus would forget to call him.

‘I promise. Sorry about today, but like I said you wouldn’t believe how mad it’s been here. I’ll give you a call tomorrow and I’ll see you then, okay? Keep out of trouble.’

‘You know it,’ Prompto said to the dial tone.

He wasn’t jealous. Not really. But it felt strange being the only one out of their little group that wasn’t living in the palace. Okay so he didn’t officially have a job there, but still...whenever he was with Noctis and Ignis and Gladiolus he felt important, one of them. Then at the end of the day he’d leave them to go back home whereas they spent the rest of the night together. Or else the three of them would head off to another kingdom together, or go to some party that he wasn’t invited to. And as much as Noctis insisted that he wanted Prompto by his side, he had to leave at those times. Because a foreign ex fugitive had no business being part of the inner royal circle, no matter how much Noctis wanted it.

With a sigh he tossed a frozen pizza into the microwave and watched it spin through the glass. Bless him, were he awake Noctis would have insisted he join them in the dining room. He’d been expecting a call from Noctis any time, but now he had his answer as to why he hadn’t been invited to dinner. Probably for the best; as warm as Noctis’s smile was the glares from Cor and the other staff of the castle were uncomfortable sometimes. Even Ignis and Gladiolus had forgotten him without Noctis awake to actively remind them of him. Prompto felt another flash of sadness at having to hear the news on the news like any other citizen of Lucis. Suddenly his apartment felt huge and empty.

The microwave pinged and he ate his pizza right from the plastic tray. And stared at his phone. Just in case Gladiolus decided he was welcome after all.

Nobody called.

-

He hadn’t intended to sleep in late the next morning but the shrill ringtone of his phone combined with the drilling sound of it vibrating woke him up to blinding sunlight. The phone told him it was ten, and that Gladiolus was currently trying to get hold of him. Wiping sleep from his eyes Prompto swiped to answer.

‘Yo.’

A chuckle on the other end. A tired sound. ‘One word and I can tell you’re still half asleep.’

‘Shut it, I was just resting my eyes,’ Prompto said, pulling the phone from his face so he could yawn widely. ‘Everything okay? Is Noct okay?’ Sudden realisation that it was much earlier than Gladiolus had promised to call him woke him up like a bucket of ice water. Had Noctis got worse?

‘His highness is currently awake and up, insisting we’re all fussing too much and that he’s fine now.’

Prompto sighed and smiled. That sounded about right; Noctis would give everyone a heart attack by pushing himself too far and collapsing, then he’d be fine as soon as he was awake. ‘That’s good. I’m glad. Tell him hi from me, ‘kay?’

‘Tell him yourself, he’s asking for you.’

Prompto blinked once, then felt a smile tug at his lips. That alone was enough to banish all the traces of loneliness from last night. ‘Well, I can’t keep the Prince of Lucis waiting, can I?’

‘Definitely not, you know how pissy he gets when he doesn’t get his way. So get your scrawny ass up here now. You want me to come pick you up?’

Well why the hell not? It saved his petrol money from riding his motorbike through Insomnia. ‘Thanks Gladio.’

‘No probs. Be there in a few.’

‘See ya,’ Prompto set the phone down, his heart much lighter than it had been. What had he been thinking? Why the hell had he been lonely again? He had great friends, and okay so he wasn’t a royal advisor like Ignis or a royal bodyguard like Gladiolus, but he was Noctis’s friend. And that counted for an awful lot.

Practically buzzing he took the stairs down his apartment block two at a time and sat out in the warm morning sun watching people pass by. They did so hurriedly, always keeping their heads down and never making eye contact despite Prompto's attempts to catch their eye and smile. Why was everyone always so grumpy? Okay this wasn't exactly the nicest neighbourhood but it didn't cost a thing to smile at someone and brighten their day.

Speaking of the neighbourhood the black executive car that rolled up was very out of place. A teenage boy that had been busy texting on his phone as he'd walked past suddenly found great interest in Prompto as he watched the blonde man jump to his feet and with a grin get into the expensive car with the royal number plate: LUCIS2. LUCIS1 was King Regis's, and Prompto had never had the honour of riding in that. This one was more than familiar to him as he sank into the back seat beside Gladiolus while the driver took them back to the palace.

'Belt,' Gladiolus said.

'Right, right,' Prompto said, strapping himself in.

'Why're you so happy?' Gladiolus asked, but it was infectious. As tired as he felt Gladiolus couldn't help smiling back.

'Well why not? It's a beautiful day, I'm alive and not in prison, I've got wonderful friends.'

Gladiolus just looked at him, then burst out laughing and slung an arm around his shoulders. 'You see this is why we love you. The mood at the palace is horrible, everyone's stressing and snappy. We needed you last night to keep everyone sane.'

Prompto didn't say anything. He'd wanted to be there. He'd have walked there if that's what it would have taken. But he'd have been turned away at the gates without an invitation and without the prince conscious to argue that he wanted Prompto there.

They turned into the palace grounds and were driven right into the private garage where dozens of similar cars were kept. To the left was a gate through which Prompto could see many other cars. Antiques, sports cars, four by fours. The Caelum personal collection. Noctis had said that even he wasn't allowed to go in there alone, lest he endure his father's wrath. There were motorbikes too he could see, just past the cars. Damn he wanted to try one of those babies out.

'Prom? You in there man?' Gladiolus asked, grabbing him in a headlock and ruffling his hair.

Prompto struggled as best as he could but when someone was twice your size you kind of had to let them tease you. He stumbled a few steps when he was released and tried to right his hair. 'It'll take me ages to fix this!'

'Seriously, you style that nest? I thought it was bed head,' Gladiolus said with a smirk.

Prompto punched him hard, but the tank seemed to barely feel it.

They took a lift up to the main castle, but they were stopped almost immediately by security. Two big men in black suits barred Prompto's way, and they turned to Gladiolus.

'Lord Amicitia?' One questioned.

Gladiolus frowned. 'Come on guys, it's Prompto. You know?'

The guards simply stared at him blankly. 'I've received no orders to let anyone named Prompto through. Access to the main palace is strictly prohibited, he can wait in the public viewing area until the on call guard duty can confirm he-'

Gladiolus rolled his eyes and put his arm around Prompto's shoulders again, this time not as a joke. 'Seriously. He's the prince's best friend. Perhaps you missed the memo, but his highness will not be pleased if he finds out you wouldn't let him through.'

The guards both looked a little nervous. 'Sorry, but our orders…' the first guard trailed off.

Prompto felt his stomach drop. He plastered a shaky smile on his face and pulled away from Gladiolus's arms. 'S'okay, Gladio. I'm not on the guest list. I get it.'

Pain flashed through Gladiolus's eyes, which he quickly channelled to anger and turned back to the guards. 'Come on, look it's me asking, alright? I'm the prince's bodyguard for crying out loud. You really think I'd be bringing someone into his home that would want to hurt him?'

'I haven't heard anything about a Prompto being allowed access to the private building,' the first guard said.

'Ah, hang on,' the second guard said. 'Prompto Argentum?'

Prompto brightened a little. 'Uh, yep. That would be me.'

'Weren't you tried in our courts a few years ago?'

Oh shit. Of all the things to be remembered for… Prompto gave a nervous laugh. 'Proven innocent, if you remember.'

The guard frowned. 'Because his highness stepped in.'

Well yeah, but that was because their laws on firearms were stupid and outdated and Noctis was the only one bright enough to see that and plead his case for him. If Lucis kept in the dark ages then they were going to be overrun by every other nation simply because they had inferior weapons. They could only rely on the crystal so far. 'Noct helped a bit, yeah.'

Well if he hadn't screwed things up enough before now he had. He realised as soon as he'd said the nickname, that in front of the royal guard was not the place to use it but it was too late. You couldn't unsay words. Even Gladiolus was cringing, his eyes closed and his hand twitching in its desperate desire to face palm.

'I'm sorry, Mr Argentum, but we can't let you pass,' the first guard said, much more confidently now he knew that Prompto was an ex criminal.

'In fact, what is that?' the second guard asked, lunging forward and spinning Prompto around by the shoulders. Prompto's blood ran cold as the guard began patting him down, pausing at his hip. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for some really, really amazing miracle to occur.

'Oh Prom…' Gladiolus said, finally giving in to the face palm. 'You brought an outlawed weapon into the royal palace?'

'Uh, well…I don't feel safe without it,' Prompto said defensively, as his hands were cuffed behind his back.

'I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me, sir,' the guard said, a strong hand on his shoulder pushing him down the corridor back the way he'd come.

'Uh, Gladio?' Prompto called nervously, glancing over his shoulder.

Gladiolus sighed. 'I'll go get his highness.'

'Thanks!' Prompto called as he disappeared around a corner.

-

He'd never visited the royal cells before. The first time he'd been found with an illegal weapon he'd been thrown into a regular prison cell in the outskirts of Insomnia near where he'd been living at the time. Those cells had been dirty, cold and he'd been woken every half an hour by a lout of a police officer banging on his door and laughing, just to piss him off and make sure he didn't get any sleep. The royal cells were much nicer, and he was almost sorry that he wasn't going to be spending long there at all; the bed was softer than the one back at his apartment. In fact the cell was probably bigger than his apartment too. And the food was definitely better. Maybe Gladiolus could wait a little longer before dragging Noctis down here? At least until after they'd served dinner.

The guard that had brought him down was giving him evil looks through the bars in his door, though. Even after Prompto smiled at him. Prompto was happy to ignore the man, but it seemed the feeling wasn't reciprocal when the guy stepped up to his door. His beard was peppered with grey, Prompto noticed. He had no idea why he noticed that.

'Hey,' Prompto said with a little wave from his bed.

'If you were truly intent on befriending his highness then you would at least try to learn some manners,' the bearded man said.

'His highness is fortunately a lot more tolerant than most people at the palace, and he doesn't mind how I speak,' Prompto said, feeling confident. Heh, if the guy only knew some of the words Noctis had learned from him when they were kids…

The guard frowned and muttered. 'As expected of a fugitive from Solheim.'

Okay. Prompto thought of himself as a pretty easygoing guy generally. He liked to smile, he liked to have fun, and he didn't mind being teased by his friends. But that…the way the guard had said that really struck home. The darker side of him, the insecurities that were usually buried deep within him, suddenly rose to the surface. He wasn't from Lucis. He had been in prison. Hell, he was in prison now.

The guard snorted. 'I have heard of you. His highness speaks about you all the time for some reason. He's young, he doesn't appreciate the damage that can be done to his reputation by associating himself with a commoner of your background. He was given friends in his younger years, Lord Amicitia and Mr Scientia. Positive influences on him. What good can a fugitive that fled his home country be for the future king?'

Prompto swallowed hard, and willed himself to look away from those hate filled eyes, but he couldn't. '…He's my friend.'

'His highness is going to be the most powerful man in the world one day. If you were truly his friend then you'd leave him alone. The royal circle is no place for a convict.'

'What the hell are you doing?' cried a voice as a door opened into the cells and banged against the wall. Footsteps, then a flash of black. And red. Oh wow, Noctis was angry enough that his eyes had changed colour to reflect his fury.

'H-highness,' the guard said, offering a bow.

'Don't "highness" me, get him out of there. Right now,' Noctis said, turning to the cell. His eyes calmed a little, fading to purple, then blue as he walked over to the door. 'Dammit, I am so sorry Prom…'

Keys rattled and the door sprang open. Prompto gave him a little smile from the bed. 'It's alright. You never showed me the cells when you gave me the tour of your home. I've always wondered what they looked like.'

Noctis watched him for a long moment, then sprang forward and hugged him tight. 'I'm gonna stick photos of you up all over the palace and make sure every last person knows you're allowed in here whenever you want.'

Prompto laughed a little, and it was actually genuine. Bless him, Noctis really meant that. 'Seriously Noct, it's fine. I shouldn't have brought the gun, it's my own fault.'

'Yeah but they'd still have turned you away,' Noctis said, pulling back with a frown. 'I'll make sure that never happens again. You're my best friend, they should let you in without having to ask.'

There wasn't much he could say to that. Noctis looked determined enough to do it, but the damage was already done. Prompto found he couldn't meet the guard's eyes, even when the man apologised to him. He'd made valid points. Horrible, valid points that made him feel sick to his stomach. He was going to try and slip away quietly but a hand grabbed his and squeezed gently.

'Hey?' Noctis said, trying to catch his gaze. 'You okay?'

Prompto tried to smile, but his heart wasn't in it. 'Yeah, just thinking you sprung me outta jail before I got lunch.'

Noctis laughed. 'Dork. Come on, let's see what the kitchens are making.'

Prompto hesitated. The thought of sitting in the royal dining hall with the advisors and other staff throwing him dirty looks wasn't fun. And sitting in the private dining hall with King Regis was terrifying. Instead he shook his head and politely declined. Again, there were limits and boundaries; Noctis was a prince, he was a pauper. Quite literally, with barely a hundred gil to his name and three months' rent due. Plus the fines for being caught carrying a weapon again. It was just another reminder that he wasn't part of the royal circle.

-

There was something magical about Noctis that could heal any wound. Not just physical, because yeah he had that cool healing magic from the crystal, but psychological wounds too. For someone that was so shy around everyone else, Noctis was amazing to his friends. Sometimes he was moody, sometimes he was spoiled, sometimes he was sarcastic, but he was always loving and bright company. And he never treated anyone as inferior, or himself as superior.

Which was why Noctis had snuck out of the castle with him upon learning that he wasn't going to dine at the royal table. Gladiolus and Ignis had joined them too as they sat in Burger King waiting for their order. Prompto still couldn't quite believe that the Prince of Lucis would do something like this for him, but he loved him all the more for it. One moment he was feeling down, the next Noctis lifted him right up again, making him feel worthy and proud of himself. The prince had even stolen him back his gun from the confiscated items vault, and his trusty pistol was once more concealed at his hip.

Gladiolus returned from the bathroom with his hand behind his back and a grin on his face. He winked at Prompto who figured out just in time that he needed to have his phone ready to take a picture. Gladiolus brought a paper crown from behind his back and slammed it down on Noctis's head, and he had the photo taken before the prince realised what was happening.

'What the hell?' Noctis said, scrabbling to get it off. 'Oh yeah, ha bloody ha.'

Ignis concealed his smirk behind his paper cup of coffee. 'It suits you, your majesty.'

Noctis flung it on the table and crossed his arms sulkily. 'I won't be majesty for years yet, thank you, I like being prince. I don't have to do all the boring stuff.'

Prompto reached across the table and replaced the crown. 'I like you with a crown, though, you and your father should get them.'

'Yeah,' Gladiolus agreed, patting to top of the crown. 'Plus it'll give you a couple extra inches.'

'There is nothing wrong with my height! You're just freakishly tall.' Noctis exploded, making everyone at the table - even Ignis - burst into laughter.

Noctis kept the crown, though, and through a meal of fry stealing and sauce squirting Prompto felt like he belonged again.

The feeling didn't last long.

His friends reluctantly dropped him off outside his apartment and he didn't miss the pained look in Noctis's eyes when the prince gazed up at the depressing grey square building. Hell, Prompto got depressed looking at the depressing grey square building, so he couldn't really blame the other man. He gave them a cheery wave as they left, which faded as they turned the corner. The royal expensive car left the rundown neighbourhood and whisked the royal inner circle off to their royal palace of royal royalty. At least he had a crown; Noctis had donated it to him.

He tried not to feel bitter or sad, but dammit some days it was hard. He'd never begrudge Noctis, the guy was amazing, but he just wished he was one of them. The three of them would get to spend the evening together, hanging out and having fun. They all slept on the same floor, on the same corridor, while he lived alone next door to a pair of students that loved rock music at two am, and above an old lady who had a dog that loved barking at five am. And he woke alone, rather than being greeted by friends. Everything he did seemed to be alone, even the odd jobs he took fixing cars (gil in hand - don't tell the police).

With a sigh he trudged up the stairs after saying hello to the old lady and her yappy dog, and paused outside his door. His open door. Panic ran through his body; had he locked it when he left? Okay he was a bit clumsy sometimes, but surely he wouldn't forget to lock his own front door? Not when the neighbourhood wasn't exactly friendly. Had he been burgled? Oh man, he couldn't afford to replace his stuff. And there was that hundred gil under his pillow from the last car he'd fixed - that was the last of his savings. What if it was gone? With his heart thumping in his chest he reached for the gun at his hip and drew it, holding it out as he slowly nudged the door open and stepped inside. He was on high alert, his ears and eyes sharp for movement. But there was nothing. Everything was silent.

Slowly he moved from room to room. It didn't take long since there were only four rooms, but you never knew if someone was hiding ready to attack. Nobody was; they'd long since run off with his games console, spare bullets, his collection of novelty belt buckles and the hundred gil from under his pillow. Bastards even took the pillow. They'd thoughtfully left the television, but only probably because it was so old and bulky it wasn't worth their effort and the resale value was nonexistent.

For a few seconds the anger and hurt built up within him. How could it be that he'd been so happy just a few minutes ago, surrounded by people that loved him, safe and secure…and now he was penniless again, and his favourite things in the world were gone. And his door lock was broken. Okay it was a crappy lock. And a crappy door. And a crappy apartment that didn't even let him own a puppy like he was desperate for. But they were his crappy things, dammit, and they were all he had.

With a scream he fired his gun at the crappy television. It exploded in a shower of sparks and glass, and he collapsed on the floor with the gun hot in his hands and the tears hot on his cheeks. What was he doing? What was the point? He was nobody. A loser from Solheim that had run away with his convict father to "a better life" in Lucis. The better life had just meant more upper class houses to steal from. But also more guards to catch you. His father was currently residing at his majesty's pleasure and his mother was usually too drunk to care about this fact. And what was he? A nobody pretending to be somebody because the prince happened to think he was kind of cool. Well what about when the prince was too busy? Last night had proved that; Noctis had been out of action and nobody had called him or wanted him around. So what about when Noctis got too important and busy and forgot to call him? He'd be truly alone then. He had no business being at the palace anyway, everyone looked down at him whenever he was there, even if he was with Noctis. They feigned politeness for the prince's sake but he saw the look in their eyes. They knew what he was, where he had come from. They knew he didn't deserve to be there.

There were sirens outside, and for a moment Prompto entertained the thought that the police were rushing to his aid to help find his burglars and return his crappy things. He almost felt himself smile at the delusional thought, until there were loud footsteps outside then bangs on the door.

Surprised, Prompto got up and opened the already ajar door to find himself staring at a pair of policemen. They had electroshock batons in their hands. He stepped back. 'Uh, hi. You're just in time, maybe you can, like, dust for fingerprints or something? I don't know. There wasn't much to take, you probably shouldn't bother wasting your time.'

'What are you talking about?' the leftmost police officer said. He had a moustache and wore aviator sunglasses like on old cop shows. 'Your neighbour called in about gunshots.'

'Gun…shots?' Prompto asked. Then remembered his television. Crap. 'Oh, that was just a tv show I was watching.'

They looked past him. The television set was smoking, the glass shattered to pieces. Then they looked to his hand, where he was still holding the gun.

Prompto sighed and dropped the weapon, offering out his hands. 'I suppose I should come with you down to the station?' he asked in a tired voice.

Aviator glasses cop nodded. 'That would be great, thanks.'

-

The Insomnia City Prison wasn't nearly as glamorous as the royal cells. He had been marched through a filthy corridor past cells where men and women banged against the doors and yelled insults that made even Prompto blush. He was given his own personal room at least, no shared accommodation, with a single bed hung against the wall and a lavatory in the corner. The lavatory was blocked with toilet paper. The toilet roll was empty. Lovely.

It was hard to sleep on a mattress made of concrete, but he was sure Noctis could have managed it. He wasn't Noctis, though, so the night passed painfully slowly as he watched the rectangle of light on the ceiling and tried to will his brain to sleep. He was desperate for the loo. He entertained himself by banging on the door like some of his fellow prisoners, and was finally rewarded by a brute of a woman poking her nose through the bars.

'What do you want?' she said in a raspy voice.

'Loo roll please. And a plumber for the toilet.'

He got the loo roll at least, and the pain in his bladder was relieved so he went back to watching his rectangle.

In the hours that passed before morning he toyed with the idea of calling the woman back and begging her to call the palace. He could imagine how furious Noctis would be, and how his prince would come charging in and get him released in a second. But something stopped him from playing the prince card. He didn't deserve to. He had done wrong; he knew Lucis outlawed firearms, yet he stubbornly insisted on carrying one. And Noctis had to bail him out every time he got called out on it. Why should Noctis have to do that? And when would his friend get sick of doing it? Or when would his advisors advise him to stop doing it?

For the first time he wondered what Ignis really thought of him. The man was a strange guy; so prim and proper and with a stick firm up his ass, but there was a different side to him. Over the years Ignis had softened, relaxed his strict adherence to the rules a little. It was because of Noctis he was sure, since the prince had a rebellious streak. But Ignis had to tolerate the prince, it was his job. What did Ignis think of him? The bespectacled man had always been friendly, but what if that was an act? What if he thought like the other royal advisors that Prompto was a bad influence and a petty criminal? What if one day he advised Noctis to cut Prompto loose? Noctis had a lot of respect for Ignis. What would he do?

Prompto groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, hating the thoughts that ran through his head. His brain was telling him to give everything up now before he got hurt too badly. Run away again, to a different country. Maybe even back to Solheim; it was his father that had a rep there, not him. Now he was an adult he could live there in peace with his gun and even find an apartment that let him keep a puppy. He smiled at the thought; at least he wouldn't be alone all the time then. There would be someone that wanted him and loved him unconditionally. He choked out a laugh, but there were tears in his eyes. How pathetic. Nineteen years old and he had already resigned himself to a life of solitude.

There were keys in the door to his cell, and he sat up wearily as light flooded into the dark room. The woman was back, and this time she wasn't alone.

'Noct?' Prompto asked, reacting just in time for the cannonball to hit him as Noctis ran in and hugged him. Huh. Déjà vu.

Noctis pulled back enough to punch him in the arm, then held him close again. 'You bloody idiot, why didn't you call? I could have been here hours ago.'

Prompto smiled, but it was weak. He hadn't meant for Noctis to get involved again, he was always troubling the other man. But something was up, and it made him frown. 'It's the middle of the night, isn't it? What are you doing here? Why aren't you asleep?'

Noctis pulled back and gave him a look that showed he clearly thought his friend had lost his mind. 'I think I can miss a little sleep when my best friend goes missing and his apartment has been ransacked and there are bullet holes in the tv. Do you have any idea how worried I was?'

'You were worried?' Prompto asked, confused. 'Why were you at my apartment?'

'When we got back we thought we'd watch a movie, and we wanted you to join us. I called, and you didn't pick up, so we went to your place and…I panicked.'

'He did,' Ignis confirmed, and Prompto noticed for the first time that both he and Gladiolus had slipped into the cell. 'We all did. What happened there?'

For some reason Prompto felt a blush rise on his pale cheeks. Perhaps it was shame at letting it happen, and or shame that his few possessions would sound so meagre to them, but were basically all he had. 'Got burgled. Got pissed off and shot the tv. Then I got arrested for being pissed off and shooting my tv. I'm…having a really bad day,' he said. Then of all the things to do he laughed. It wasn't remotely funny but he laughed as if it were the most hilarious joke in the world until there were tears rolling down his cheeks. But they weren't tears of mirth, and the laughter soon gave way to choking sobs.

Noctis was right beside him anyway so was the first to wrap arms around him and pull him close. Noctis was too skinny to be comforting, but he was warm and his embrace was loving.

Ignis was next, having crossed the room in a couple of long strides. His expression was one of concern, but not pity, and that made Prompto feel a little stronger. At least they weren't pitying him. Ignis sat on the bed on his other side and wrapped arms around him from behind, resting his cheek against the top of Prompto's head.

Gladiolus wasn't far behind, and he just swept them all up in a hug that crushed them to his chest. Prompto felt loved, and slightly in pain, but it was worth it. They held him for a long time, until the tears ran dry and he was reduced to sniffling. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and he borrowed Noctis's ability to sleep anywhere and dropped off in the loving embrace of his friends.

-

He woke up on the softest bed in existence. It was like a cloud, and he didn't want to open his eyes in case it ruined the moment. He was safe and warm and happy. Had he been transferred to the palace prison again? No, their bed hadn't been this comfortable. Reluctantly he opened his eyes and found himself staring up at a dark canopy. He recognised it, but not from this angle. Usually he was sat beside this bed, more often than not watching the occupant sleep after he'd collapsed from exhaustion. Now it seemed the roles were reversed, and when he turned his head on the heavenly soft pillow he saw Noctis watching him carefully.

'Hey,' Prompto said.

'Hey,' Noctis said. He wasn't smiling.

'You're not happy,' Prompto said.

'I'm not happy,' Noctis confirmed.

'You need me to get off your bed, don't you? I imagine Cor is having an aneurysm as we speak, and that there's a line of police outside the door waiting to arrest me again?'

Noctis frowned, it didn't suit him. 'Why would…' he sighed, and shifted over to the bed, lying down next to Prompto and reaching out to take his hand. 'What goes on in your head?'

Prompto laughed. 'Not much.'

'That's not true. Not at all,' Noctis said seriously, watching him with that scary sharp gaze. 'Why didn't you call me last night? The police would have let you have a phone call. You know my number. All you had to do was call me and I'd have got you out of there in seconds.'

Prompto shrugged the shoulder he wasn't lying on, and looked down at their joined hands. His were calloused from handling guns, Noctis's were soft and unblemished. 'Why should you have to? I was wrong. Lucis has a no gun policy, I shot my tv. The police had every right to lock me up so why should I be more special than anyone else in the kingdom?'

'Because you are more special,' Noctis said, doing the frowny thing again.

'Should a prince really say that about any of his citizens?' Prompto asked with a wry smile. 'I thought we were all equal?'

'But you…you're…you're my best friend,' Noctis explained. 'That means I get to protect you and you don't have to sit in a prison cell all night. Take advantage of the perks, alright?'

Prompto swallowed hard. 'What right do I have to them? You must know what everyone thinks about me. What they say. I'm the son of a criminal and I'm a criminal myself. You keep busting me out of jail then you're going to have people talking about you too, and about where your loyalties lie. I'm no good for you, Noct, you can't keep bailing me out like this. Just…just let me go.'

There. He'd said it. And Etro did it hurt. But he was proud of himself for keeping his tears in, and for not reacting to the look of hurt and pain in Noctis's eyes. The hand in his went limp, then pulled away, and Noctis sat up. For a long moment a heavy silence hung in the air.

'People don't-'

'Yes they do,' Prompto whispered. 'I have no business being here. I'm nothing special. I'm not on the royal staff list, I'm not a guard and I can't keep you safe or advise you or do anything useful. I'm just me.'

'Maybe that's why I like you,' Noctis said softly, and then he slid off the bed. 'Get some more sleep.'

'I can go back home-'

'Sleep here,' Noctis said sharply. 'Your apartment doesn't even have a lock on the door. Just do me this one favour and get some rest in a proper bed for now, alright?'

Prompto swallowed hard but nodded. 'Okay.'

'Thank you,' Noctis said. Then he was gone.

Prompto had no idea what to make of all that, but it wasn't conductive to sleeping. His mind was racing a mile a minute as he tried to decide whether or not to ignore Noctis's wishes and run off, or to stay put and maybe get another glimpse of Noctis. He liked it when his friend said those nice things. He could almost believe them when the dark haired man said them with such conviction.

In the end the bed made the choice for him. Damn its softness. No wonder Noctis never wanted to get up in the morning…

-

Once again he awoke in the soft bed, but this time there were more people around him. Noctis was sat on the bed and had apparently shaken his shoulder, but Gladiolus was leaning against one of the posts of the bed and Ignis was sat the other side of him holding out a steaming mug of hot chocolate. He smiled as he took it; there were even little marshmallows floating in it. They knew exactly what he liked. He was too scared to take a sip, though, he didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve any of it. He should have left long ago.

'I should go home,' he said softly, staring down at the marshmallows bobbing in the liquid.

'That shouldn't take long,' Noctis said, watching him carefully.

Prompto absorbed the information, tried to make sense of it, couldn't. 'Huh?'

Noctis had that little half smile he used when he had a secret he wanted desperately to tell.

Ignis beat him to it. 'A room has been set up across the corridor. Your things have already been moved in, and the items that were stolen replaced.'

'What? My stuff is here? All of it?' he asked.

'You say it like there was tonnes to move,' Gladiolus said. 'But don't worry, Noctis decided that your room looked bare and filled it up a bit. We all picked out some stuff for you. Wait until you see the giant stuffed chocobo on your bed, it's taller than Noct. …On second thoughts maybe it's just a regular sized stuffed animal.'

Noctis scowled at his bodyguard. 'Can we stop with the short jokes for five minutes? Please?'

Gladiolus made a show of setting his watch for five minutes.

'So yeah. Your stuff is here now. I paid off your rent so they won't be mad at you for just up and leaving. And I paid for the damage to the door too, so don't worry about any of that. You live here now, with us. I'm across the hall, Gladio is next to you, Ignis is across from him. So…is that…alright?' Noctis looked so unsure of himself, and so adorably young.

Prompto smiled and reached out to hug him. 'Course it's alright. But…is it alright? I mean really? Me being up here is going to cause all kinds of problems. I'm kind of a loose end, I can't sit in with you guys in meetings or training or stuff. And people will ask questions about what I'm doing here…'

'Why will they?' Noctis asked, clearly confused.

'Well duh, I'm just…an ex criminal. Who gets by fixing cars and selling the scrap metal.'

Noctis slapped his forehead with his hand. 'Knew I was forgetting something. You want a job?'

'A…job?' Prompto blinked. 'Here? What can I do, do you want me to clean or something? Or tune up the cars in your fleet? Gladiolus is the royal bodyguard, Ignis is the royal advisor. What could I possibly be?'

'The royal pain in the ass?' Gladiolus suggested.

Noctis threw him a glare.

Ignis cleared his throat, and Prompto could tell by the badly concealed smile that Ignis had been waiting for this moment. 'Prompto Argentum, you are hereby offered the position of royal firearms advisor and trainer. King Regis has recognised that although the kingdom of Lucis has banned their use, other countries and armies continue to use them. And unfortunately Lucis currently has very little experience with these weapons. With tensions rising every day we're going to need somebody who knows about guns, so we need you to sit with us in those boring meetings, and provide your specialist knowledge to help protect the kingdom and keep the royal family safe.'

Prompto sat in shock. He'd been expecting some lame ass job, something they'd made up on the spot. But Ignis looked actually serious. And the position made sense. 'You…think I can be useful?'

'Prom, most of our advisors have never seen a gun, let alone understand how they might be used in assassination attempts, or in a war. Yes, you'd be very useful. And your skills kick ass, I want you by my side if I ever have to join in a battle or anything,' Noctis said.

'So. Whaddya say?' Gladiolus asked, watching him with a smile.

Prompto laughed. An actual proper laugh. 'It feels like you're all proposing to me. Well…I accept! You've made me the happiest man in Lucis!'

Noctis rolled his eyes and whacked him lightly across the head. 'Dork.'

Prompto grinned and tackled him to the bed. 'Love you too.'

There was a moment of quiet reflection before Gladiolus's watch beeped. 'Five minutes are up, short ass.'

Noctis groaned. 'Look, Prom is only slightly taller than me, can't you tease him too?'

'No can do. His hair makes him a normal height. Maybe you should swap style tips?'

Prompto laughed along with Gladiolus as Noctis sat himself up and tried to make his hair stand on end. These were his friends. And now he was working for them, too, and would be living among them. He was Prompto Agentum and he was part of the inner royal circle. He belonged. He was loved. And nobody could take that away from him. If they tried he'd shoot them cold dead. Nobody would take away his family.

'Hey, Prom, you've got to see your room. Your balcony is right over the swimming pool, so you can jump off on a summer day. It's glorious,' Gladiolus was saying.

It was hard to hear him, though, because Noctis was talking away excitedly too. 'And you can get a puppy now. I would have got you one this morning but I didn't know what kind you wanted, so we'll have to all go together and help you pick one out.'

And Ignis was his quiet self, but he had the proudest smile on his lips as he watched Prompto fondly.

Yes, this family he was going to protect. This was where he belonged.

Chapter Text

Where had it all gone wrong? It was a peace treaty signing for crying out loud. The clue had been in the name. But an hour after the doors to the audience chamber had sealed off the Lucis and Niflheim representatives the world had shattered around them.

'He's not…I have to check,' Noctis said, his voice thick with emotion as he fought back the hot tears.

Gladiolus grabbed his shoulders and held him firm. The taller man leaned down to look him square in the eyes. 'Highness, if he is alive then he'll find a way out. He has my father and Cor protecting him, I can't think of two stronger people. What can you do? We'd just get in the way if we went back in for them.'

He had a point. Goddamn him he had a point. Noctis slumped a little and the grip on his shoulders loosened. 'But he…he's not dead, right?'

'I hope not,' Gladiolus said. Because if he was then chances were his own father was too; the Amicitia house protected the royal Caelum line to their dying breath.

Noctis took a deep shaky breath as he formulated a new plan. He'd been in the training room with Gladiolus when the alarms had rung out that airships were heading their way. Then the guards Niflheim had brought to the palace began attacking, and troops appeared as if from nowhere, pouring into the city and storming the palace. After that the bombs had begun dropping. Noctis could still hear them every so often; the thunderous boom of the muted explosions, then the shuddering of the ground as if an earthquake was tearing through the city.

'We need to find Ignis and Prom,' Noctis said.

At the same time Gladiolus had spoken up: 'We need to get you somewhere safe.'

They looked at each other for a long moment, and Gladiolus sighed. 'My job is to keep you in one piece. Why do you always make it so difficult?'

'It's part of my charm,' Noctis said.

'It's going to get you killed,' Gladiolus said in a rough voice.

'No it won't,' Noctis said confidently. 'You've got my back, and you'd never let me get killed.' Simple as.

Gladiolus rolled his eyes. 'I might save you, but you're going to be the death of me if you keep going maverick like this.'

'So we're going to go and find them?' Noctis asked hopefully. 'My father might have bodyguards but they don't. What if they're trapped or hurt?'

With yet another sigh Gladiolus ran a large hand through his hair. Of course he was worried about their friends too, but his number one priority had to be Noctis's safety. 'Ugh. Why the hell not. You only die once. But you do everything I say, got it? This isn't training, this is the real deal. Stay behind me, don't put yourself in danger. And if you see me go down then you run. Got it?'

'Sorry, wasn't listening to that last part, but I got the important bits,' Noctis said flippantly.

'Dammit Noct, I mean it. These are professionally trained soldiers. If I'm out of action-'

'Then I need to be there to save your butt and heal you,' Noctis said. 'Now are we going or what?'

There was no point in arguing with Noctis when he was determined to do something. In the past any time that Gladiolus had thought he'd changed the prince's mind he'd look around five seconds later and find the dark haired man gone. So now he just went along with whatever Noctis decided upon and did his best to keep Noctis from harm. It wasn't always easy.

As they ran through the corridors there was another rumble of thunder, and the ground shook beneath them. Gladiolus reached out to steady the shorter man as he stumbled.

'Bombs are getting closer,' he said worriedly. 'They'll start on the palace as soon as they know their men are out. We should find cover-'

'No, we should find Prom and Ignis. Last time I checked they weren't bomb-proof and if they're in the palace then they could get hurt.'

And that was that as far as Noctis was concerned, so off they went chasing down the corridors toward the inner sections of the palace. Gladiolus had been too optimistic since they hadn't encountered anyone as they went, but that soon passed as they made it into the main hallway. Soldiers in Niflheim uniforms were crawling all over the place, so he grabbed Noctis by the back of his shirt and dragged him behind the doorframe out of sight.

'What are you doing?' Noctis hissed.

'There are dozens of them in there, and more on hand. You really going to take all them on yourself, tough guy?' Gladiolus asked.

'Not by myself, I've got you too,' Noctis pointed out.

'Two guys against the Niflheim army. Yeah, I can see no way in which that would end badly.'

'Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit,' Noctis said, peeking his head around the doorframe. 'There are a lot of them, though.'

'There are,' Gladiolus confirmed. 'We need to find another way around. Ignis will be in the library I imagine, he said he was going to do some research this morning. So unless he's moved then we've got his location. Prompto…'

'Is an unknown quantity,' Noctis said with a sigh.

'Probably at the kitchens stealing a snack while everyone is busy with all this,' Gladiolus said, trying to smile. But it was hard, knowing that there was a very real chance Prompto could already be dead.

Noctis was still watching the main room so Gladiolus reached out for his shoulder. 'Hey, careful. You don't want them to see you.'

'Gimme a sec, they're doing something…' Noctis whispered. 'It's Elisa.'

Despite his gut instinct that he should grab Noctis and hide, Gladiolus peered around the doorframe too. The soldiers were all busy with something in the centre of the room and when he looked closer he could see that Elisa was indeed on her knees on the marble floor. A soldier was saying something to her but he couldn't make out the words. She was crying, though, her sobs cut through the noises all around them. She was a chambermaid at the palace, and Gladiolus remembered her kind face from his younger years when she'd looked after Noctis a lot, and by association himself since he'd needed to stick by the prince. She looked older than her years now, and scared witless as the barrel of a gun was pressed to her temple. His instinct kicked in again; he needed to get Noctis away now. Grabbing the prince under his arms and dragging him back he hadn't banked on Noctis having a grip on the doorframe. The man struggled against him, and it was too late - the gun went off. Noctis went limp and for a heart stopping second Gladiolus thought he had been shot, but then he choked out a sob and fell back into Gladiolus's arms. He was pale, but unharmed.

'Highness…'

Noctis screwed his eyes closed and shook his head violently.

Gladiolus held him close briefly, knowing that Noctis saw an awful lot more than he did whenever someone died. Damn Etro and her "gift". There wasn't time to mourn, though, he could see others being brought in for their executions, and Elisa was already being dragged out of the room by her arms like a rag doll.

'We need to go,' Gladiolus said in a hurried whisper.

'No. We find Ignis and Prom. If that happens to them I…'

Gladiolus had been afraid Noctis would say that, but in truth he was worried too. So he didn't argue as Noctis got to his feet and started back the way they'd come, looking for an alternative path to the library. Hopefully they'd bump into Prompto along the way because Gladiolus was really not looking forward to going looking for the gunner with soldiers swarming the building.

They carried on running, round the winding corridors until they came to an outer door. The air outside was warm, the breeze cool, and the sun was shining down on Insomnia. If it hadn't been for the screams in the distance and the scent of fire and death lingering on the wind it would have been a beautiful day. It seemed wrong that there was so much chaos going on when the world looked so normal. The blue sky was full of airships, though, and Gladiolus eyed them warily, half expecting to see a bomb dropped on them at any moment.

There were few soldiers around the perimeter of the palace, the couple they did come across were easily dealt with by the pair. Gladiolus actually found himself unneeded as Noctis fought with everything he had, slicing open one of the soldiers with a phantom sword then skewering another with a spear before spinning around and calling forth a pair of guns to fire out at the last soldier. He landed gracefully on the ground as the weapons vanished into blue flecks of light.

'Nice moves,' Gladiolus complimented, though in truth he was slightly worried at the ferocity with which Noctis had attacked. The kid was taking all this hard, and fighting without any care or consideration for his own safety. He just wanted to cause pain and kill things. Gladiolus could understand that, but it also made Noctis reckless and unpredictable. Even more so than usual. He was going to need to keep an eye on him.

Noctis ignored him and carried on with his self appointed mission. They didn't meet any other soldiers fortunately, and they crept back into the building through an open window, then slipped past another pair of Niflheim soldiers and into a room opposite the ballroom.

The library was huge and spanned multiple floors, all of which could be seen from the ground. Staircases led up to the balconies for each floor and the walls were packed floor to ceiling with books. On the ground floor there were lots of wooden desks, most equipped with computer terminals. Usually the library was swarming with scholars, researchers, healers and advisors. Today only one figure sat at a desk amid an untidy pile of books. Only one person was crazy enough to be reading when the world was falling apart around him.

'Ignis!' Noctis called, sprinting across the room.

Ignis looked up at his name, then frowned. He looked past the prince to Gladiolus. 'What are you doing? You need to get his highness to safety.'

'Trying. He refuses to go unless you and Prompto are with him.'

'He…' Ignis sighed and rubbed at his temples, displacing his glasses briefly. 'Highness, I have work to do. I cannot simply abandon-'

Noctis reached the desk and with a huff of effort he shoved all the books to the floor. 'There. Now you're done. Come on.'

Ignis folded his hands neatly on the desk. 'Highness. You do realise what's going on?'

'Yeah. Niflheim are slimy bastards and we need to kick their asses,' Noctis summarised.

Despite himself the corner of Ignis's lips twitched into a smile. 'Precisely. The negotiations broke down, and now Niflheim has declared war. It seems they had always intended for this, as we find ourselves invaded an hour later. The city is burning, your highness. The destruction is unparalleled. I fear…Insomnia will fall to Niflheim.'

Noctis's blood ran cold. Of course he knew things were bad, but he hadn't expected them to have been crushed so quickly. But this was Ignis talking. Ignis always knew what he was saying. 'But…isn't there anything we can do? There must be something. We can't let them win. My father…' Noctis trailed off, watching Ignis's reaction. His friend cast his gaze away, suddenly unable to maintain eye contact. Noctis swallowed; that was all he needed to know.

'I'm so sorry…' Ignis said, knowing that the words couldn't convey how truly sorry he was.

Gladiolus swallowed hard, and looked past Noctis to Ignis. 'My father?'

'Managed to get the king's body out of the audience chamber. He's alive and well as far as I know, although that may have changed in the last twenty minutes. Etro knows I've heard enough gun shots out there.'

Gladiolus wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. The Amicitia family was supposed to protect the royal family. For King Regis to be dead and his father to still be alive… Gladiolus cast a glance to the prince and tried to imagine him cold and lifeless in his arms. The image was too painful so he rejected it immediately. There was no way he would let his friend die.

Ignis leaned down to start picking up a few books. 'I'm going to assume that you won't leave without me?'

'Damn right,' Noctis said in a hollow voice. 'I'm not letting Niflheim take anyone else that I love today.'

'I can read just as well from a secure location, and I have a communication device so I can relay anything useful I find to the other advisors. Very well, where are we heading?'

Gladiolus wanted desperately to say somewhere safe, but Noctis was looking at him with eyes shining bright with tears. There was something they needed to do first. 'We're going to find Prompto.'

Ignis sighed, but he didn't argue. He was as worried as they were.

They set out the way they had come, this time the corridor was clear so they didn't need to sneak past soldiers. From behind them deeper inside the palace came the sharp rattle of machine gun fire, then screams. Noctis tensed up as they jogged down the corridor, and it didn't escape his guardian's notice that he was constantly distracted by the ceiling. More likely the lights of souls that he could see clogging up the air.

It was a short distance to the kitchens, but there were voices inside so Gladiolus stopped them from going any further. He crept toward the door and peeked in through the glass panel. Eight soldiers, two dead cooks. Another that the soldiers were shouting at, trying to get information from. What they expected a cook to know Gladiolus had no idea, but if he could save someone's life then he was all for it.

He kicked the door in and had a broad sword materialising in his hands before the soldiers realised what hit them. He swept the heavy weapon in a circle, taking out two of the soldiers in one, then spun around and use the momentum to drive the sword into a third. By the time he had got into position to continue the fight Noctis had burst in with his eyes blazing crimson. Gladiolus just had enough time to duck behind a counter unit as the prince drew forth an elemental spell from the crystal and the air became charged. The scent of ozone lingered as electricity shot from Noctis's hands, zapping the soldiers and sending thousands of volts through their bodies. They barely had time to scream as their bodies spasmed and cooked from the inside. The five of them dropped to the floor like rocks, smoke rising from their charred corpses.

Ignis stepped inside once the charge of the room decreased, and tentatively placed a hand on Noctis's shoulder, feeling the tension drain from the prince at the touch. 'Highness?'

Noctis was breathing hard, taking in the sight of the staff members he had grown up with lying dead on the floor. It was too much. It was all too much. His hands curled into fists and he felt a wave of nausea rush over him. He felt as if he was going to pass out but then someone pulled him roughly and he was enveloped in a strong, one armed hug.

'S'okay, Noct. It's okay. We'll get these bastards. Don't worry,' Gladiolus said, crushing him to his chest.

Noctis just nodded, and took a few seconds to gather himself together again. By the time he was released he felt stronger, ready to carry on. 'Prompto's not here.'

'No he's not. It was a long shot,' Gladiolus said. 'Maybe he left the palace?'

'He wouldn't have,' Noctis said. 'Not with all this happening. He's either trying to find us or he's…'

Noctis looked up at his friends, and they realised where their blond gunner was at the exact same moment.

Outside the sky was starting to cloud over. At least Noctis had thought it was cloud at first, but it was too low and too thin. It was smoke from the city; Ignis had been right and the whole of Insomnia was burning. There weren't as many airships in the sky but in the far distance the sounds of gunfire was everywhere. Noctis could picture Niflheim's army stomping through the streets gunning down anyone they saw. It made his blood boil, and he was more determined than ever to make the damn country pay. But first he needed to make sure that Prompto was okay.

They kept close to the palace walls, and the few soldiers they did pass were easy to evade. Gladiolus had to hold Noctis back from attacking, whispering into his ear that it was senseless to exhaust himself when he didn't need to fight. Already he could see that Noctis was getting paler, that his breathing was uneven. He'd used a lot of energy on the electricity spell, and materialising weapons to fight with already. They needed to conserve his energy to get him through today, because Etro only knew what was waiting for them before the day was done.

With all the madness going on around them it was absurd to see Prompto sitting on the wooden wall of a pen stroking the beak of a chocobo as if it were any other day.

'Hey guys,' Prompto called as he saw them approach.

'What are you doing? It's not safe out here,' Noctis said.

'I know, but I had to check these guys were alright. The bombs freaked them out and they broke the door of their pen and were running about all over the place. I herded them back and fixed the door. Then I got them some food and tried to keep them calm.'

Noctis just looked at him. 'Are you insane? What if the soldiers had found you?'

Prompto grinned and patted the gun holstered on his belt. 'I'd have said hi to them too.'

'This isn't a game Prompto, the whole city is crawling with soldiers and bombs are falling all over the place. We need to get somewhere safe,' Gladiolus said.

'I can't leave them,' Prompto said with a frown.

'Well the prince isn't going to leave without you, so yes you can leave them. They'll be fine.' Gladiolus was lying, of course. But there were an awful lot of people dying and he really didn't want Prompto to be one of them. So he grabbed Prompto by the waist and lifted him off the fencing, carrying him off so he couldn't complain.

'Where exactly are we going?' Prompto asked when he was finally set back on his feet.

'Somewhere safe,' Gladiolus muttered, leading the group through a courtyard and checking for more soldiers as they rounded a corner.

'Which is where?' Prompto pressed.

'Somewhere that's not Insomnia,' Gladiolus said. 'Possibly somewhere that's not Lucis, depends how far this madness goes.'

'Wait,' Noctis said, stopping in his tracks. 'We're leaving the kingdom? When my people are dying?'

Gladiolus groaned; he hadn't meant to say that aloud. 'No. Yes. I mean…sort of. Look, you're no help to anyone if you're dead too. With the king dead-'

'The king's dead?' Prompto asked, eyes wide.

Gladiolus nodded, then turned back to Noctis. 'Yeah. And that makes you the most important person in Lucis right now. But you're not strong enough to fight this yet, Noctis, you're not ready for something of this scale. We need to get you out of here to a neutral country where we can regroup and then work through a solution for peace and get you sat on your new throne. Alright?'

For a long moment prince and bodyguard stared at each other. Then there was a flash of blue light as Noctis summoned a sword in his hand. Gladiolus caught the smug smirk upon the prince's lips and groaned, knowing there was no way he was fast enough to stop Noctis from what he was about to do. Noctis threw the sword up at the roof of the palace, then he was gone, leaving behind a trail of blue magic in his wake.

'I hate it when he does that,' Gladiolus said, looking up at where Noctis had disappeared over the rooftops.

'Now we've gotta find him,' Prompto said with a frown. 'He could be heading anywhere.'

'No,' Ignis said with a sigh. 'All we have to do is head for the heart of this mess and we'll find him.'

'Neck deep in trouble,' Gladiolus agreed. 'He's gone for Idola, hasn't he?'

'Most likely. The emperor was the one to draw the gun on his father so I heard from the survivors of the treaty signing. Noctis must know that it was him that killed his father, so…'

'Etro help him,' Gladiolus said. Then he laughed. 'I almost want to see that fight; as unpredictable as he is in battle I think Noctis would make a pretty decent mess of the old geezer.'

'But him being shot down by a hundred soldiers after completing the act is something that I wouldn't like to see,' Ignis said. 'Shall we go and find him before he gets himself killed?'

'Probably best, yeah,' Gladiolus said, leading them again.

It wasn't hard to know which way to go; they just had to follow the noise. The gunfire had quietened down within the palace, but Gladiolus didn't want to think about what that meant. It was probably an indication that most of the staff were already dead. He wondered briefly if his father was still alive, or if he'd been gunned down too. If he had then Gladiolus needed to exact some revenge of his own; he hoped Noctis would leave him something to slice in half. Noctis's methods often left the battlefield rather decimated, though.

They rounded the palace to the main front courtyard. As expected it was packed with Niflheim soldiers, and two grounded aircarriers; one with the loading bay door open, the other locked up tight. Emperor Idola of Niflheim was standing on the steps of the royal palace, conversing with a red haired man who wasn't in a soldier uniform.

'Well, there they are,' Gladiolus muttered. 'Now we've just got to save the prince from getting himself shot to pieces. Where is he?'

They were all looking up to the rooftop, expecting to see a flash of darkness as Noctis leaped down to dish out justice. But there was nothing. It was as if Noctis had vanished.

'Maybe he got lost?' Prompto said. 'Or fell asleep?'

'I hardly think- Oh. Oh dear,' Ignis said, looking out across the courtyard. 'Well, he certainly likes to make an entrance.'

Over the sounds of hundreds of voices and gunfire in the city below the sound of an engine had been all but drowned out. But now it was getting louder and closer, and soldiers had all turned to look down the pathway that led to the palace gates. Even Idola broke off his conversation to turn and watch the approaching motorbike, and a smile curled his lips. The search for the prince was over.

Noctis didn't slow down as he approached the courtyard, there were too many soldiers that could pick him off with a single bullet. Instead he drove straight at them, then leaped off the bike and let it fly into the crowd as men and women dove for cover. It provided the distraction he needed to summon a wealth of swords that swirled briefly in the air before driving home to the ground, skewering soldiers where they landed. Noctis ignored the others, they were running around panicking like headless chickens. Instead he stormed right across the courtyard to the steps of the palace - his home - and stared up at Idola.

'Get out. Now.'

Idola chuckled and turned to the red haired man beside him. 'He wants me out. How cute.'

A sword formed in Noctis's hand, and he aimed it threateningly at the old man. 'I'm not kidding. Call all these people off. Get them out of my kingdom now. If you do that I promise your death will be quick.'

'Yes. I like him,' Idola said. The red head was smiling too. They were both looking at him like he was a child. 'Almost a shame that you have to die. But don't worry, I have something special planned for you. I have what I need from the palace now, so I'll be on my way. My troops, however, will be staying behind to bring order to your chaotic nation. Lucis is under my protection now.'

'No it's not,' Noctis said, slashing the sword down to hit the stone steps with a metallic thud. 'It will never be yours.'

'Ah, but that's where you're wrong,' Idola said, waving a hand to the palace doors. Soldiers were hefting something out of the palace on wheels, and a few seconds later the crystal came into view. 'Whoever holds this has the true power. Such a shame your father wasn't strong enough to keep it. Clearly he simply wasn't clever enough.'

Tears burned at Noctis's eyes as he watched the crystal being dragged toward the aircarrier with the open door. He ran up the steps but the red haired man moved between him and Idola and simply kicked out, ramming a boot into his chest and laughing as he tumbled down the stairs, landing painfully on the stone slabs of the courtyard.

Idola stepped down to him, and crouched beside him. 'I'll be taking my leave now, your highness. So sorry I couldn't stay longer. I have a couple of leaving gifts for you. I do hope you're not allergic to dogs.'

The courtyard was littered with the corpses of soldiers Noctis had killed with swords, so Idola swept around them as he followed the crystal to the aircarrier. The red head kept a firm hold on Noctis, holding him in place so he couldn't run after the old man. An eerie silence had fallen over the area and I was then that Noctis noticed all the surviving soldiers had gone.

Gladiolus had seen enough, and decided that it was time to intervene. Noctis had managed to survive so far but he had no idea what the red haired man was planning to do with the prince, so he ran forward and drew his sword.

'No need for that,' the man said, letting Noctis go. The prince stumbled a few steps, but remained on his feet. 'I'll be going too. I don't like dogs.'

Shots rang out after him, but Prompto was unable to hit the red haired man as he ran off, dodging the bullets and leaping onto the aircarrier as it began to lift off.

'What was that all about?' Prompto asked.

A heavy click sounded out followed by the hiss of hydraulics. As one they turned toward the grounded aircarrier that had been left behind, as the loading bay doors slowly opened. From the darkness within a pair of red eyes glowed, and the sound of heavy breathing echoed out into the courtyard.

'Oh. That's what he meant about dogs,' Noctis said simply, as the great hulking beast padded out of its cage. It was at least fifteen foot tall, with a shaggy black coat and saliva foaming at its jaws. It's muscles were thick and powerful and its claws razor sharp as it crouched low, observing them briefly. The roar of aircarrier engines approaching drowned out the low guttural growl in the beast's throat, but the group caught the tension in its muscles as it prepared to leap. They all drew weapons and scattered as it bounded for them.

'Prompto, find higher ground and shoot at it,' Ignis called, as he ran to cover Noctis while throwing knives at the beast.

'Gotcha,' Prompto said, bounding up the stone steps and finding a safe place to shoot from, and hopefully distract the beast so that others could get in more damaging attacks.

Noctis was ready to charge with a sword, but Gladiolus was in front of him, herding him back. 'You're looking a bit tired, highness, I don't want you collapsing halfway through this.'

'I'm fine,' Noctis insisted, glancing down at the sword in his hands. 'I can do this, let me help.'

The beast roared and came charging toward them again. Gladiolus leapt to the side, landing hard on the stone ground. Noctis flipped aside, then climbed up onto a low wall and jumped onto the huge mutant dog's back.

'Noctis!' Gladiolus yelled angrily. 'When I tell you to sit out I don't mean sit on the damn thing's back!'

'What is he doing up there?' Ignis asked in a shrill voice, skidding to a stop beside Gladiolus and offering him a hand to help him to his feet.

'Etro knows,' Gladiolus growled, picking up his sword, but not knowing what to do. If he slashed down on the beast he risked Noctis falling. 'I need him off now, though.'

Noctis was quite happy where he was, gripping the long fur of the oversized dog-like creature. His plan had originally been to leap onto its back then drive a sword through its neck, but the dog was frantically chasing in circles, growling and trying to throw him off. It was almost working and it was taking all his effort to keep holding on so that he wasn't flung off. He managed to summon a sword but the dog jerked around again and he lost his grip on the weapon, instead grabbing the hair with both hands and clinging for dear life. This wasn't working how he'd hoped. It was time for plan B; something he hadn't wanted to have to resort to. But the skies were thick with airships and he knew it was only a matter of time before they started dropping bombs closer to the palace now that the soldiers were clearing out.

The phantom swords were his signature move, taught to him by his father. They were effective but they required an awful lot of energy to materialise. Noctis tried to concentrate as he clung to the dog, but it was difficult. He was tired from performing the trick once already, and from his other spells and allowing his friends to draw magic and weapons through his link. And now he had the added problem of the crystal not being so close. With every second the airship carried it further away and his link was weakened; it took more energy to produce the same effect of a dozen swords spinning around the dog.

The beast was momentarily confused as the swords trapped it. It couldn't go forward or back without being sliced to ribbons, so it staggered in the ever closing circle, growling and snapping its jaws at the offending weapons. Noctis concentrated hard on making them more solid, pouring energy into them to move them harder and faster as he drew them in for the kill. As the blades rushed inward to slice into the beast Noctis kicked away, somersaulting through the air and landing awkwardly several feet away as the dog roared and then collapsed with a heavy thud.

'Highness!' Ignis was by his side in seconds, reaching out to haul him to his feet.

Noctis groaned and stumbled a few steps, letting Gladiolus steady him. Every muscle in his body ached, and he was exhausted to the point it was hard to keep his eyes open.

'Well done,' Ignis said, smiling at him and clapping him on the shoulder.

Noctis almost collapsed under the weight of it, and just grunted in response.

'Let's get out of here,' Gladiolus said. 'Head for the garage, grab a car and get away from the palace. I've got a horrible feeling I know why they ditched it so quick and those ships in the air don't look friendly.'

'Any more arguments, highness?' Ignis asked, in that slightly smug tone of his that he used whenever a point had been proven.

Noctis groaned, and let himself be dragged into the castle toward the elevator that would lead to the basement garage which housed the Caelum fleet. Things were going well. Too well. The first bomb to fall was so loud and made the earth shake so violently that Noctis was quite sure it had hit them directly and they were about to die. The sounds of collapsing stone and smashing glass rang out for a good few moments, then everything was still. A hand on his arm helped him to his feet again, and this time he was dragged more hurriedly.

'They're really going for it, huh?' Prompto said, jogging along beside Noctis. His voice was shaky, though, and Noctis wished he could offer some words of comfort but there was nothing to say. If they didn't get out soon then it would all have been for nothing and he'd have got his friends killed anyway.

'Highness, this way,' Gladiolus said, almost as if Noctis didn't know the way around his own home.

It wasn't that he had been about to go the wrong way, more that he was distracted by the slight whistle in the air. He paused, straining to detect the sound and block out the calls from his friends. The sound was familiar; he'd heard it just before the last explosion… With a panic Noctis drew power from the crystal. He didn't know what he was doing, he just knew that they needed some kind of barrier. He threw out a wave of energy just as the ceiling crashed down around them.

Gladiolus dove for him, and he had to concentrate hard to keep the barrier up while being tackled to the floor. The noise was deafening as two floors of palace fell around them, chunks of concrete and furniture battering down on the invisible bubble protecting him and his friends. Every knock the barrier took sapped at his strength, and he had to forcefully tear magic from the crystal to keep it up as the last of the debris fell through the new hole in the roof.

When it was finally over Noctis let the barrier drop, panting hard as he lay back against the floor. His vision was swimming from the effort, the noises around him dull and muted as if he were underwater. It took him a few seconds to realise someone was calling his name and shaking his shoulders.

'Noctis? Come on, don't do this.' It was Gladiolus, he could see the fuzzy image of his friend starting to come into focus.

'Oww,' he said weakly.

'The hell was that?' the large man said, but there was a grin on his face. 'Didn't know you could do that.'

'Me either,' Noctis said as he was helped to sit up, Prompto's arm around his shoulders.

'That was so cool!' the gunner said.

'Most impressive,' Ignis agreed, nodding to him then glancing up at the damage. 'That was almost a disaster, we certainly wouldn't have survived the direct hit.'

'You really saved our butts,' Gladiolus said, moving to haul him to his feet then pausing. He crouched down beside Noctis and brushed the hair from his face. 'You used too much magic, though, you're running on fumes now by the looks of it. Leave the rest to us heroes, okay?'

Noctis weakly swatted him away, and tried to get up himself but almost fell over. Prompto helped him up, and left a hand resting against the small of Noctis's back to steady him. 'Gladio's right, you look really pale, Noct. Like you're gonna pass out or something.'

'I'm fine. We're nearly there anyway,' Noctis said.

'Uh, might want to rethink that,' Prompto said, nodding toward the corridor they had been heading down. It was completely blocked by rubble from the collapsed building.

Ignis swore, which surprised all of them.

'Well, we'll have to find another way around,' Ignis said finally, adjusting his glasses. 'We can double back on ourselves and head through the ballroom and the East gardens. If we follow them around there's a side entrance we can use and if that's not blocked off the corridor will lead to a set of stairs down to the garage.'

Gladiolus frowned. 'That's gonna take a while, what are the chances they've finished with their gifts?'

'Ulikely,' Ignis admitted. 'But what choice do we have?'

'I'll carry Noct, we'll go faster that way. With him exhausted it'll take twice as long.' Gladiolus finally noticed Noctis wasn't by his side anymore, but had wandered off toward the rubble blocking their way. 'Come on highness, we're leaving.'

'But it's faster this way,' Noctis pointed out. 'I can clear the debris with a quick spell.'

Ignis took a sharp intake of breath, then moved to Noctis's side. 'Highness, you're really not looking well,' he muttered in a low voice. 'You now the crystal drains you, and you've drawn more power from it in the last few hours than I've ever seen you do. I don't want to see you hurt.'

'And I don't want to see you hurt,' Noctis countered. 'What if another bomb drops and I can't shield us in time? If we take the scenic route to the cars there's more chance of us getting blown up. If I do this then you can drag my unconscious body to a car and we'll all be fine.'

Ignis visibly flinched, presumably at the thought of Noctis exerting himself to the point of collapse. 'We've never seen what happens when somebody uses too much of the crystal's energy,' he explained. 'Who knows what it will do to your body.'

'Time to find out, I'm doing this whether you like it or not,' Noctis said, and tuned out his advisor so he could focus on his spell.

It was harder now and though he tried to tell himself it was because the crystal was further away he knew the truth; his body was exhausted, and establishing the connection to the crystal was becoming tougher. He managed it eventually, though, and felt the magic pour through the channel sluggishly. It was a real effort to get enough magic to do what needed to be done, and he felt it burning and tearing the cells of his body apart as he aimed the earth spell toward the mound of rubble. His muscles burned with fatigue as the spell tore through his body, and the sound of crashing echoed through the hallway as the debris fell away. Everything hurt, every single fibre of his body, and when the magic finally ran itself dry Noctis realised that he was being cradled in someone's arms.

'Highness? Highness? Etro, I think he's dead…' whispered a voice that sounded like what Ignis would sound like if he were a million miles away.

'He's breathing, relax.' That was Gladiolus, and he could feel the vibrations of his voice more than he heard the words. That meant he was in his bodyguard's arms. He felt safe there, and let his eyes fall closed. Or had they already been closed? It was hard to know.

'Noct?' Prompto's voice sounded so unsteady and unsure that Noctis forced is eyes open again (if they had indeed ever been open). Suddenly there was a rush of light and sound, and the three people he loved most in the world were all looking down at him.

'Hey,' he said roughly, and found that his throat was raw. And it was hard to breathe in through his nose, it was running for some reason. Maybe he was sick? He wiped the back of his hand weakly against it, and a streak of crimson appeared on his paper white skin. Oh. Blood.

'Hang in there, highness, we'll get you out of here,' Gladiolus said gruffly, lifting him up into his arms. 'Let's get moving.'

The rubble hadn't completely cleared away but there was a gap big enough for the group to get through. From there it was just a short jog to the elevator that would take them to the garage, and from there they could have their pick of vehicles to make their escape in. The lift was so teasingly close that nobody expected to be attacked during the short journey. They expected their luck to hold. Etro had other ideas.

Once again Noctis heard the low whistle of the bomb sailing through the air, and in a panic he threw out another energy barrier. He had enough presence of mind to struggle enough that Gladiolus had to put him down, and from there he collapsed to his knees, aiming his hands up at the ceiling just in time for another section of the palace to come crashing down around them.

Out of instinct the others crouched and covered their heads, and both Ignis and Gladiolus went to try and cover him too, but there was no need. The barrier was holding as huge chunks of concrete battered against the field. With each hit a jolt ran through Noctis's body, as if he was feeling the impact himself. It drained more energy from him to keep the protection up, and the destruction seemed endless. Just when he thought it would be safe to lower the barrier he heard the same whistle again. More bombs. They were ramping up the attacks now.

'Noct!'

Noctis realised he could hear Prompto but couldn't see him. For a second he thought he'd closed his eyes but they were open. He just couldn't see. If he focused hard he could make out the blurry form of his friend crouched in front of him, and then he felt cool hands on his face, Prompto's thumb gently wiping hot, thick blood from his nose.

'Stop it! You're gonna kill yourself!'

'C-can't….' Noctis ground out. The bombs were still falling, the air outside his protective barrier was thick with dust and debris was raining down on them. And there were more aircarriers. More bombs. They were trying to destroy the palace. If he let go now they'd all be buried alive.

'Highness, Prompto's right you have to stop this,' Ignis said, joining them on the floor.

A trembling hand landed on his shoulder which was odd; Ignis was usually so calm. Noctis turned to look at him, making out the blurry form of his friend's concerned face. He blinked sore eyes, it felt as if his eyelids were made of sandpaper. The urge to fall into his friend's arms and drift off to sleep was overwhelming. He'd never felt so tired in his life but he had to keep going. Had to keep them safe.

Suddenly arms were around his waist and he was being pulled back against a strong chest. He let himself fall, but he still kept the barrier up.

'Noctis dammit stop this right now! I swear to Etro I'll kill you myself if you don't,' Gladiolus said. His voice sounded strange, thick with emotion.

Noctis longed to tell him that it was alright, that he was alright, but he'd lost the ability to speak. All he could do was tear energy from the crystal and channel it to the barrier. That was all he could do, and it had to be enough. He couldn't let his friends die. Not when there were already so many wandering souls in the air. Too many people had died today; his friends were not going to join them.

Another bomb fell and this time he saw it rather than heard it. As blurry as his vision was lying in Gladiolus's arms gave him the perfect line of sight through the hole in the ceiling. It was strange seeing death coming toward you, but Noctis knew what he had to do. This wasn't just falling building; this was an unexploded bomb and it would kill them a thousand times over if it hit them. With the very last dregs of his energy he reached out to the crystal and pulled every last bit of energy from it. It burned him as it ran through his body but he didn't care. He didn't care about the yelling of his friends, begging him to stop, he just reinforced the barrier so when the bomb finally hit and exploded the blast bounced away from them. It was like watching fireworks; the lights were amazing even in daylight, and sparks flew off in all directions as the blast bounced off the bubble of protection. Noctis watched it numbly as his body grew cold. Finally there was a light breeze; the barrier was down, the dust was settling on them. He had done it. He had saved them.

'Holy…' Prompto said, finally sitting up from where he'd dropped to the floor in a ball. 'Whoa. That was…whoa.'

Even Ignis was panicked, his heart racing as he looked up at the damage done from the last bomb. 'Quite,' he said, turning to Noctis. 'Highness, are you…?'

Noctis was limp in Gladiolus' arms, but as exhausted as he felt his body wasn't ready to be unconscious yet. Spasms racked his body, and he coughed violently as the coppery tang of blood filled his mouth. His chest heaved and blood splattered his lips, then he managed a few weak raspy breaths before succumbing to the darkness.

If he hadn't been panicking before then he was now. Noctis had looked half dead in Gladiolus's arms, but when the small body began convulsing and coughing Noctis's pale lips had been coated in blood. Gladiolus held him close and looked up at Ignis for guidance.

'We need to get him out of here before any more bombs hit,' Ignis said quickly, rising to his feet and steadying him as he got up too.

Prompto was already jabbing at the elevator buttons. 'Is this thing safe to use?'

Ignis hadn't been paying attention to the lift at all. He was too busy brushing back Noctis's hair and checking the prince's temperature with his hand; Noctis was cold as ice. 'I doubt it's safe, no. I hate to suggest it but we may have to climb down the shaft.'

'S-seriously?' Prompto asked. 'You've seen horror survival movies, right? That is the best way to get us all killed.'

'No the best way to get us all killed is to sit here waiting for another bomb,' Ignis said sharply. 'Or to take a leisurely stroll to the staircase on the other side of the building. The prince is injured, Niflheim is trying to destroy us and we don't have the luxury of time. We need to get a car and get out of here as fast as possible. Which means that we need to get the doors open and climb down.'

Prompto sprang into action; Ignis's tone had left no room for argument. The call button hadn't worked so he pressed the emergency open button. A few seconds later the dented metal doors creaked open and the dark elevator shaft opened up before them. Prompto looked down; it wasn't a long way, just two floors. But it was still a long way to fall if you slipped. He glanced up; the elevator itself was hanging a couple of floors above. And Etro knew how stable it was. What if it came crashing down on top of them?

'Hurry up,' Ignis said, ushering Gladiolus to the edge of the shaft. 'You'll need him on your back.'

'He's out cold, Iggy, no way can he hold on to me. I can't let go of him,' Gladiolus pointed out. 'I'll have to sling him over my shoulder. Not the most dignified way but it's the safest.'

'No it's not, didn't you see the blood he was coughing up? He could have internal injuries, putting pressure on his chest could hurt him further,' Ignis said, hovering worriedly. 'There must be another way.'

'You said yourself we're in a hurry. I hate the thought of hurting him just as much as you do, but right now we're on borrowed time. The faster we get him to safety the sooner we can patch him up.'

Ignis clucked his tongue in frustration but couldn't think of an argument so had to watch as the poor prince was manhandled over Gladiolus's broad shoulder, then the tank climbed over the side and clutched onto the service ladder as he made his descent.

Prompto followed next, nervously testing the rungs of the ladder before committing himself to it, as if scared the footholds wouldn't take his slight weight. He kept his gaze fixed up toward the elevator cart, expecting any second for it to come loose and squash him. He scrambled down the ladder as quickly as he could, and then hurried out of the shaft at the bottom where Gladiolus had torn the metal doors apart when the button hadn't worked.

'Iggy, come on,' Gladiolus said, peeking his head through the doorway again to check that the final party member was still coming. When he saw the bespectacled man on the ladder he went back to the garage and began rifling through the cabinet of car keys. He grabbed one at random, and then searched the floor for the licence plate it belonged to: a black Regalia. Perfect.

'Ignis hurry!' Prompto yelled, catching Gladiolus's attention.

He heard it before he could ask what was wrong; the metallic groan then the high pitched shriek of the elevator cart sliding down the shaft at an unnatural angle. As it had been damaged and was offset it fell slower than it should have done, but Ignis was still on the ladder. Gladiolus dropped Noctis as gently as he could then sprinted to the shaft. He saw Ignis jump down the last half a dozen rungs to try and make up time, but he messed the landing and slipped to his knees.

'Iggy!' Gladiolus roared, holding out a hand.

Ignis caught sight of him and reached out too, their hands joined and Gladiolus yanked as hard as he could, pulling Ignis across the concrete and free from the shaft just as the metal box crashed down behind him. For a long moment Gladiolus just sat there letting his breathing return to normal, with his arms circled around Ignis and crushing the other man tight to his chest. Prompto fell to his knees beside them and joined the hug, trembling slightly.

'This is a rubbish day,' he said finally.

'Yeah,' Gladiolus agreed. 'Yeah it is. Come on, let's get moving.'

They all piled in to the Regalia, Ignis taking the driver's seat and Gladiolus carrying Noctis into the back leaving Prompto to ride shotgun. The engine roared to life and Ignis drove them out of the underground lot, out into the fading afternoon light. The sky was still thick with aircarriers delivering more soldiers to the city, but they sped along the streets and were barely given a second glance in the confusion. It helped that Noctis was lying across the back seats with his head in Gladiolus's lap, out of sight of the windows.

The streets were in chaos; buildings half collapsed and burning, bodies in the streets and people knelt crying by their fallen loved ones. On the high street opportunists were looting shops, and everywhere they drove soldiers in Niflheim uniforms patrolled with guns drawn. For hours they drove, past the border of Insomnia, through the outskirts of Lucis and finally into the countryside. Night had fallen by the time Ignis stopped the car, and drove off the road to avoid being sighted. They took cover in a wooded area, and when they cut the engine everything fell silent.

Gladiolus had been caring for Noctis the entire journey, not that there had been much he could do besides hold him close while he slept. Now that they had stopped for rest Ignis switched seats with him and was going through a set of basic observations while Gladiolus and Prompto sat fidgeting watching.

'He's asleep,' Ignis said finally, with a sigh.

'Well duh, I could have told you that,' Prompto said.

'No, I mean he's simply asleep. That's all there is to it. No bruising on his rib cage, no broken ribs. I don't believe he sustained any injuries to the chest to cause him to cough up blood. I think he simply extremely overexerted himself using the crystal. The damage would have been from the magic using him as a conduit. He burned himself out.'

'How do we fix it?' Gladiolus asked, resting his arms on the back of his seat.

'We let him sleep it off,' Ignis said, running his hand through the soft locks of dark hair. 'I would ideally like to see him resting in a bed but I'm not sure if an inn would be safe.'

'Newsreader on the radio said he was dead,' Prompto pointed out. 'Nobody is going to be looking for him. If we book the room then Gladiolus holds him tight and carries him in quickly nobody would ever know.'

Ignis mulled this over, and decided it was probably worth the risk. There was fresh red blood on Noctis's lips, and the thought of his prince lying all night in a car wasn't appealing. So he took his turn holding Noctis while Gladiolus drove them the few short miles to the nearest inn. Prompto went ahead and booked them a family room, and then Gladiolus carried Noctis in while shielding him from view with his body. It wasn't long before Noctis was settled on a double bed, tucked up tightly with the pillows fluffed and his friends sat around him.

Prompto had taken possession of one of Noctis's hands, holding it tightly as if anchoring him to the world. 'There's really nothing else we can do for him?'

Ignis sighed and sat back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest and watching the shallow rise and fall of Noctis's chest. 'Until he awakens and can drink a potion or two, I'm afraid not.'

'So what, we just watch him and hope he doesn't slip away?' Gladiolus asked gruffly, hating being unable to do anything. 'Dammit, he didn't just sit around for us. He…stupid…'

'He did it to protect us,' Ignis reminded the other man.

'I'm supposed to protect him!' Gladiolus said, getting to his feet and pacing the room. 'I'm supposed to protect him from getting hurt, and now look at him.'

'Look at all of us,' Ignis said quietly, sitting forward in his chair and brushing back the hair from Noctis's face. There was a bruise forming on his temple, perhaps it had happened during the fight with the giant dog. Ignis wished he could heal it, but there was no magic to be drawn from Noctis. 'Today was never supposed to happen. We can prepare our whole lives and never expect to see a catastrophe such as this. We did the best we could.'

'Exactly. We did the best we could and we almost lost him. If this is the best we can do then he's screwed. If it hadn't been for the prince's barrier spell we'd all be dead right now, several times over. He saved us, not the other way around.' Gladiolus sighed and collapsed on the opposite bed, letting himself bounce lightly as he stared up at the ceiling. 'I trained my whole life to protect him, and when it finally comes down to it I'd have gotten him killed.'

'You carried him down an elevator shaft, I think that counts for something,' Prompto said. He was running his thumb across Noctis's knuckles, marvelling at how smooth a man's skin could be. Noctis wasn't ready for war like this.

'I should have been able to do more. He's a prince not a soldier, I trained him to defend himself not to attack huge mutant dogs and shield us from bombs. That's why I'm here-'

'That's why we're here,' Ignis corrected him. 'We're all here to protect him in whatever way we can. And the prince is stubborn enough to believe that he needs to protect us, too.'

'What are we gonna do with him?' Prompto asked, crawling up onto the bed and lying down next to Noctis. Prompto had never been one to respect personal space and he wasn't about to start now as he snuggled up to the slim form of the prince. 'Can't we order him to not jump on top of giant dogs and push himself too hard? I mean he must have been in a lot of pain keeping that barrier up, if it was enough to do this to him.'

'Stubbornness is a Caelum family trait, unfortunately,' Ignis said, pushing his glasses further up his nose. 'And he cares for us a lot. He wouldn't hesitate to put himself in danger for us. The same way we wouldn't hesitate to put ourselves in danger for him.'

'But he's the prince, and he's all tiny and clumsy,' Prompto said, watching Noctis sadly. 'What do we do now that Lucis is blown up and invaded? Are we going to have to keep fighting? Sooner or later they'll figure out he's alive and then will they keep trying to kill him? Maybe we should hide him somewhere, keep him safe. I don't want him hurt.'

'You and me both,' Gladiolus said. 'But Iggy's right, he's stubborn. As soon as he wakes up and remembers Niflheim killed his father and half of his people and reduced his kingdom to rubble he's going to want revenge, and he's going to want to take Lucis back. Face it; he's going to be throwing himself right into danger. We're just going to have to try and keep him safe while he does it.'

'We don't have much of a choice,' Ignis mused, his fingers trailing down Noctis's cheek. 'Losing him isn't an option. I was brought to Lucis to help him grow into a king. He's not ready, but he hasn't got a choice. He's far too young for this but all we can do is help him the best we can.'

Prompto pouted. 'Just wish we could take him away somewhere. Solheim would be great, it'd do him good to get some sunshine, he's been looking pale these days. He could relax on a beach and recharge his batteries, and nobody would come looking for him. He could just be normal for a change, and we could all hang out together every day and just have fun and not have to worry about politics or assassination attempts. He could just be a normal guy.'

'He will never be normal,' Ignis said sadly. 'And Niflheim won't stop. Now that they have the last active crystal there may not ever be a safe place to hide. His highness will be hunted down, it's too dangerous for them to assume he's dead without seeing a body. Emperor Idola will have people searching for him and attempting to kill him. And he won't stop until he's defeated, or until Noctis is dead.'

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room, and Gladiolus shifted closer to the bed.

'Noctis is not going to die. He's going to sit on the throne of Lucis and he's going to be king. I swear to Etro I'll make sure that happens. I'm not going to let anyone take him from me. Ever since I was a kid I was given him to protect. He was this tiny little kid who tripped over his own feet and hid behind his father's legs whenever anyone tried to talk to him, but he was mine, dammit. He was mine to protect and keep safe and I'm not going to stop now just because it's getting a bit tough.'

'I know,' Ignis said. 'I feel the same. The urge to protect him is very strong, I wish we could shield him from everything in life. Unfortunately Niflheim is about to make things very difficult.'

'I just want him to not be hurt,' Prompto said, holding the dark prince a little tighter. 'I hate seeing him like this. He looks…kind of dead, and I hate it. I just want him back with us.'

'He'll wake up once his body had healed enough,' Ignis said. 'He always does. The crystal has never drained him quite this badly, but in the past he's always woken up once his body has recovered enough from the strain.'

'And then what? We drag him back on the road? We make him fight and hide from soldiers? What if we're ambushed? What if something else bad happens and we can't protect him? What happens if we lose him?' Gladiolus asked, his large hands balled into fists. 'We can't lose him. He's…'

'The sole surviving member of the Lucis royal family,' Ignis said.

'No. He's our friend,' Prompto said. 'That's why we'll do whatever it takes to keep him safe from all that. And then we'll kick Idola's butt, take back the crystal and rebuild Lucis for Noct.'

Ignis smiled. 'Well, it sounds like we have a plan.'

Prompto blushed a little. 'Probably needs a few details ironed out…but the first step is getting Noct feeling better. That's all I'm worried about right now.'

'One step at a time, and that's clearly the first step,' Ignis said. 'We need him back. And we need to keep him safe. It won't be an easy job, but no matter what happens over the next few days or weeks we have to keep him safe. He's going to have so many people trying to kill him…'

'We won't let them. Nobody is going to take him away from us,' Gladiolus said, suddenly picturing his father and wondering how he must have felt seeing King Regis die before his eyes. Gladiolus was determined that he wasn't going to go through the same thing; seeing Noctis die would kill him too.

'Right. Nothing is going to take him away,' Prompto said.

'It might mean saving him from himself if he keeps insisting on trying to kill himself protecting us,' Gladiolus said with a sigh.

Ignis nodded slowly, catching Gladiolus's gaze. That was all going to be easier said than done. With what little fragments they had heard on the radio things had gone to hell. Niflheim had risen to power and it seemed they were poised to conquer any nation they chose with the power of the crystal behind them. And without a doubt once they realised that the prince of Lucis was still alive they'd eliminate him.

It was going to take all their efforts to keep Noctis safe now, and make sure that he stayed alive long enough to crown him as the king of Lucis. And, more importantly, to ensure that they got to keep their best friend.

Chapter Text

'Ah…ah…ah…'

Prompto glanced over. 'Choo?'

'…Choo!' Ignis finally completed his sneeze, accepting the tissue offered by the blond. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome. Again.' It wasn't the first time Ignis had sneezed that morning, hence the box of tissues sat on the ground between them.

Noctis looked up from his coffee, regarding his friend carefully. 'Are you sure you're alright?'

'Fine,' Ignis said, removing his glasses briefly to wipe the glass clean on his sleeve. His eyes were slightly red and puffy, as if he had been crying. 'I believe, however, that the grass pollen season has caught me off guard.'

Gladiolus watched the other man pull out another tissue and blow his nose as delicately as possible. 'And here we are sat right out in the middle of a field. Couldn't be more perfect. You got anything for that?'

'Forgive me, but during our mad dash to survive the crumbling ruins of the palace I forgot to pack antihistamines. How careless of me,' Ignis said.

'You could have bought some. You stock up on potions and stuff, why not your meds too?' Prompto asked.

'I never thought of it. With everything that had happened the allergy season slipped my mind.'

Noctis frowned. 'You should start thinking of these things, Ignis. You'd have remembered to buy them if it was me with the allergy. You're not good at looking after yourself. Maybe I should be in charge of you.'

'Oh Etro,' Prompto said, slapping a hand to his forehead. 'Love ya, Noct, but you shouldn't be in charge of anything.'

'It gets worse. He's going to be in charge of a kingdom one day,' Gladiolus pointed out.

'I'm feeling distinctly unappreciated here,' Noctis said. 'I'd look after him perfectly fine.'

'Until you fell asleep,' Prompto said. 'The one time you tried cooking at camp for us you promised you'd be fine, and that we could trust you. Remember how that went? Remember how we had to buy a new tent because the grill had set it alight? And you slept through the whole thing.'

Noctis shifted in his seat. 'That was one time.'

'I have a whole list of them, buddy,' Prompto said. 'When we get your kingdom back you're going to need us to keep you going.'

'Achoo!' Ignis sneezed again, and sniffed very ungracefully. 'Ugh, this is most unpleasant.'

Noctis handed over another tissue. 'Well, at the very least we're going to need more tissues soon.'

'We'll resupply at the next town, and I'll buy some antihistamines for the hay fever,' Ignis promised. 'For now it's a minor inconvenience but hardly life threatening.'

'It's kind of annoying,' Prompto pointed out.

'And it might disturb me during the night,' Noctis pointed out.

'A stampede of garula wouldn't disturb your sleep,' Gladiolus said.

'Still feeling unappreciated,' Noctis said.

'I appreciate you,' Prompto said in a patronising tone.

Noctis suggested where Prompto could stick his appreciation.

-

It was a warm day even by late May standards. With the sun beating down on the Regalia and four grown men stuck in a cramped tin can, the heat was almost unbearable.

'…Just a little bit wouldn't hurt, right?' Prompto asked, tugging off his outer vest and tossing it onto the backseat, which complained loudly in Gladiolus's voice. 'If I just opened it a crack maybe the allergy gremlins wouldn't be able to get in?'

'You mean grass pollen,' Noctis corrected. It was too hot even for him to sleep, so he'd been resting his forehead against the cool glass and watching the scenery, hoping for a break in the endless Duscaen grassland. No luck so far.

'How big is grass pollen? If I just opened the window a fraction of a centimetre-'

'The grass family pollens can range from approximately twenty-five to one hundred microns,' Ignis said.

Prompto paused. Then he pressed the button for the window so it slid down the tiniest bit imaginable. 'Is that a micron?'

Ignis tried not to smile. 'A micron is unfathomably small.'

'So…more than a micron?' Prompto asked sadly, rolling the window back up.

'Considerably,' Ignis agreed. But he could see the frustration in his friend's eyes, and see the red flush to Gladiolus and Noctis's cheeks in the rear view mirror. With a sigh he pressed a few buttons and the roof began to retract.

'Hey, that is a whole lot of microns!' Prompto said, watching the roof vanish. 'Are you sure about this?'

'If you can put up with me sneezing then I don't see any harm. I'm hardly going to die from a touch of hay fever.'

'No, but it doesn't look fun,' Noctis said as he leaned through the gap in the seats to look at his advisor better. 'You sure you're okay to be driving?'

'I'm fine, your highness,' Ignis said, touched by his prince's concern. But really they were simply driving along the straight Duscae highway, so it wasn't particularly taxing. He glanced up at the sky, hoping for a possible respite in the form of rain to wash away the pollen in the air…but the sky was cloudless, a perfect blue that sunk his heart as he felt his nose being to run.

After barely twenty minutes Prompto was bored again, and began playing with the radio. However in the grasslands of Duscae they were too far out of range to pick up many stations, none of which met the blond's exacting standards.

'Country and western. Seriously, they want me to listen to this? Where's the rock? Come on, this is so unfair, come back Kerrang,' he whined.

Ignis's eyes were itchy and hot. He was getting sick of wiping his nose with tissues. His ears itched and sound was muffled and he was generally feeling pretty rubbish. He lifted a hand to rub at his eyes, displacing his glasses briefly as Prompto's hand went once again for the dashboard to change the station. Ignis's hand shot out and slapped Prompto away.

'Either select a station or turn it off,' he snapped.

Prompto's blue eyes widened, and he blinked at his friend before drawing his hand back slowly. 'This is fine.'

Ignis sighed, and rubbed his eyes again. His eyelids felt like they were lined with sandpaper. 'I'm sorry, Prom.'

'No no, it's cool,' Prompto said, managing a little nervous smile. 'You're scary when you're angry.'

'I'm not angry, I'm…' Ignis sighed again. And rubbed his eyes again. And then swiped a tissue under his nose again. His sinuses were starting to ache, a dull pressure that was starting to give him a headache. He reached over to press a few buttons on the dashboard. 'Try linking your phone via Bluetooth, you'll be able to listen to whatever songs you have on your phone.'

'Sweet, thanks,' Prompto said, and went about linking his phone up.

Noctis held out his own phone. 'Been searching online. It says hay fever symptoms are better at night?'

Ignis sniffed again, wincing at the undignified sound his nose made. 'Yes. Buch better.'

Gladiolus snorted. '"Buch" better, are they?'

Ignis caught his gaze in the rear view mirror and scowled, then swiped at his nose again. God he was desperate to blow his nose properly, but he couldn't while driving.

'Well why don't we drive at night?' Noctis asked. 'Pull over, get some sleep in the tent, and then we'll drive at dusk.'

'Not necessary,' Ignis said, shaking his head. He nose was itching something terrible. 'I'm perfectly…' Oh god his nose was itching. 'I'm fine…ACHOO!' His body jerked from the sneeze so badly that he veered into the lane of oncoming traffic. Fortunately the highway was empty, so there was no harm done, but Ignis was horrified and slammed on the brakes.

'Iggy?' Gladiolus asked, leaning a muscled arm against the headrest in front of him and pushing himself forward. 'You alright?'

'I fink perhabs I shouldn't dribe,' Ignis said, sniffing loudly, then reaching for the tissue that Prompto handed over. He blew his nose loudly.

Gladiolus patted his shoulder then got out of the car. 'Come on, switch with me. How about we do as the prince says for a change?'

'There's a novelty,' Noctis said, shifting over to where Gladiolus had been sitting so that Ignis didn't have to travel so far to be seated again. Ignis was moving slowly, and he looked a little disorientated when he collapsed into the back seat with a little huff of a sigh.

Gladiolus turned in the driver's seat. 'Well it was a decent idea, Noct, I'll give you that. We'll find somewhere to camp then seal Iggy up in a tent until dark. Sound good?'

'Yes,' Ignis said distractedly, trying to get his seatbelt connected. His eyes were watering and it was difficult to see even with his glasses. Suddenly hands were on his, taking the buckle from his grasp, and then the successful click of it sliding home rang out. 'Fank you.'

'Welcome,' Noctis said, scooting closer along the back seat so their arms were brushing. It was different to having Gladiolus there, where he'd happily kick up his feet onto the older man's lap. Instead he rested his head against Ignis's shoulder, and a few seconds later he felt the other man leaning against him too.

'How about I drive?' Prompto asked eagerly as Gladiolus started the engine.

'How about no?' Gladiolus said, checking the road was clear before starting off again.

'How about you suck?' Prompto said, crossing his arms.

Gladiolus smirked. 'Didn't know you felt that way about me, Prom.'

'What? No! Shut up you big jerk,' Prompto spluttered, realising what he'd said and blushing bright red.

Ignis was too far gone to laugh, he reached up tiredly to remove his glasses and set them in his lap, then he melted further against Noctis. Were he more aware of what he was doing he'd be horrified to realise that he was using the crown prince as a pillow, but he wasn't particularly aware, and snuggling up to the small, warm body was comforting and made him feel a little bit better. Especially when an arm went around him to hold him closer, and fingers began gently combing his hair. He fell asleep to Prompto talking about something and the low purr of the engine.

When Gladiolus found a decent spot for camping he drew the car up and cut the engine. Then he leaned over the seat to look at the two sleeping men in the back.

Prompto joined him, resting his chin on his arms as he crossed them over the headrest of his seat. 'So…do we wake them?'

'We wake him,' Gladiolus said, nodding to the prince.

'Well that makes a change,' Prompto said with a grin. 'How do we do it without waking Iggy? They look kind of entwined. And you know Iggy; if you touch Noct he'll stir and get all grumpy. He hates anything happening to the prince and he's cuddling him like a teddy bear. A hundred gil says you can't extract Noct without him waking up. And that Noctis will sleep through it all.'

Gladiolus looked at him, then nodded. 'Challenge accepted.'

The car door opening didn't wake Noctis, nor did Gladiolus's large hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. And then not-so-gently. The young man didn't respond to his name being called either, and a tap to the cheek made his face screw up and served only to have him curl up further against Ignis's side. In his sleep Ignis frowned, and his arms tightened protectively around Noctis.

Prompto was watching, with his chin propped up lazily in a palm. 'Told ya. Ignis is not giving Noct up without a fight. He won't let a little thing like sleep stop his mother hen instincts.'

'I'm not outta tricks yet,' Gladiolus said, reassessing the situation. Noctis was encircled in arms that were stronger than they looked; Gladiolus knew first hand not to discount Ignis's wiry strength. But the poor guy was pale and puffy eyed, and clearly not on top form. Stealing Noctis should be easy if he could slip the prince out quickly. Gladiolus leaned into the car and slid his arms underneath Noctis. Neither of the sleeping men moved. Gladiolus took a deep breath, then quickly pulled Noctis out. Noctis groaned, Ignis grunted and reached out, but his arms met air. Noctis was free. With a triumphant grin Gladiolus pulled Noctis out of the car and with a little shake Noctis was awake. Not happy, but awake, and soon standing on his own two feet and rubbing at his eyes.

'You do know I'm royalty and could have you executed for manhandling me like that?' Noctis said with a yawn.

Gladiolus shrugged. 'Thought you said earlier that you could look after Iggy?'

'I was looking after him. I was close at hand if he needed anything,' Noctis said huffily, but his mood faded when he looked into the car, where Ignis was shuffling about and sniffling in his sleep. His face was pale save for two blotchy red patches on his cheeks, and he was clearing his throat a lot and wheezing with each breath he took. 'Is he okay?' Noctis asked, doubtful.

'I think so. I mean it's just hay fever, right?' Gladiolus said, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. 'I guess this is how it would be every year if he didn't take the meds.'

Prompto leaned on the side of the car and ran his slim fingers through Ignis's hair. 'We're really not built for all this outdoors stuff. Life was much easier in the crown city.'

'Well we're not in the crown city, so we'll just have to make do,' Gladiolus said, popping the boot of the car open. 'Prom, help me with the tent. Noct, see what medical supplies we actually have. We might have something that can help him. We'll get him comfortable in the tent then well sort out something for dinner.'

Prompto and Noctis froze. 'We're gonna cook?' Prompto asked.

'I'm really not good at cooking,' Noctis said, looking equally alarmed. 'I set fire to the tent, remember?'

Gladiolus smirked. 'Oh I'm well aware of how bad you are, don't worry, you won't be anywhere near the cooking process.'

They let Ignis sleep in the backseat while they went about their tasks. The tent was up in no time, and Noctis was sat in the driver's seat sorting through a small green bag of supplies. They really needed to restock. There were a few bottles with strange coloured liquids in, but Noctis had no idea what they were for so put them back in the bag. There were a couple of potions which he sat down on the passenger seat, but he didn't think would help Ignis's current state. And then, right near the bottom, was a little pack of antihistamine tablets. They looked old so he checked the date and grinned to himself as he realised they were just in date. Perfect. They'd help. While Prompto and Gladiolus set out bed rolls in the tent Noctis glanced over at Ignis again. His friend was certainly not comfortable. He clearly couldn't breathe at all through his nose and was frowning in his sleep as he coughed every few minutes and almost woke himself up with his unsettled behaviour. Noctis reached a hand through the seats to squeeze Ignis's.

'S'okay, we'll get you better,' he promised, just as a shadow fell over them.

'Bed's ready. Find anything helpful?' Gladiolus asked.

'Antihistamines,' Noctis said, holding up his prize. 'But…'

'But?' Prompto asked, joining them.

'The warnings on the back say they make you drowsy,' Noctis said.

Prompto snorted. 'As opposed to what he is right now? He practically makes you look awake.'

Noctis scowled, but had to admit Prompto was right; even in sleep Ignis looked miserable and exhausted, with his eyes puffy and dark. 'Okay, so how do we get him in bed? Do we really have to wake him up?'

'Nope, got it covered, no need to wake him up, poor guy looks shattered,' Gladiolus said, jerking his head to the side to motion Prompto out of his way. He opened the car door and leaned down to manoeuvre Ignis's arm over his shoulder, then slipped his arms around the smaller man's waist. With a small grunt of effort he lifted Ignis over his shoulder and straightened up, then began toward the tent.

Ignis chose that moment to stir, and his muzzy mind realised that he was being carried. He began struggling in Gladiolus's arms. 'But be down!'

Gladiolus twisted his head to look at his friend. 'Chill, Iggy, I'm just taking you to the tent.'

'I can walk berfectly fine.'

'Stop struggling,' Gladiolus muttered, trying his best to keep hold of his friend. 'You're not as easy to carry as those two squirts, you're all long limbs. Just relax for five seconds, you do know how to do that, right? You're not doing so great right now, so we're gonna get you settled and then take care of you, alright?'

The strength went out of Ignis and he finally let himself be carried into the tent, then laid down on one of the futons. His body was hot and aching, and he shook his head when Prompto offered to pull the covers over him and tuck him in. 'Sorry…' he mumbled, angrily punching the pillow to get it comfortable.

Noctis assisted, fluffing it up and then placing a cool hand on Ignis's forehead as the man lay back down again. 'Hey? Found some pills in the med bag. Antihistamines of the drowsy variety. But since you're probably feeling pretty out of it anyway maybe it'll be better than nothing?'

Ignis opened a single green eye and glanced at the packaging Noctis was holding out to him. 'Bake be dopey. Can't look afder you.'

Noctis smiled and ran his hand through Ignis's hair. 'Hey, think you get a break from watching my butt for a bit, 'kay? You're not doing so good yourself, time for me to look after you for a change. So take these and see if they help, okay? When it's a bit darker we'll drive to the next town and get you some proper ones, but for now these might make you feel less rubbish.'

Ignis sighed. 'Fide.'

'I think that was meant to be "fine", so I'll grab you some water,' Noctis said, searching through one of the bags for a bottle of water.

Gladiolus busied himself with sliding an arm around Ignis's shoulders and tugging him up into a sitting position, kneeling behind him so that Ignis could lean against his chest. Ignis just melted again him, clearly exhausted, and then tipped his head back to smile up at the larger man.

Prompto threaded his fingers through Ignis's, and smiled when he felt Ignis squeeze his hand weakly back, and offered him a half smile too. 'Fank you, all of you,' Ignis said, his throat itchy. When the water was handed to him it was tempting to just drink it down, but he knew he had to have the pill, so he forced himself to swallow it then chased it down with half the bottle of water before handing it back. He barely even registered that Noctis was the one doing all that for him; had he realised what he was doing he'd never have used his prince as a manservant.

But Noctis didn't mind one bit, he just wanted to see Ignis feeling better. He set aside the water and then helped Gladiolus get Ignis settled back down laying against pillows and as comfortable as one could get on the ground. He grabbed up a pillow from another bed set and plopped it down next to Ignis's head, then lay down himself, rolling onto his side so that he could watch Ignis try to fall asleep.

'Aren't we supposed to be sorting out dinner?' Prompto asked, poking Noctis in the ribs.

Noctis squirmed then sat up again. 'Dinner is ages away, wake me up later.'

'Not ages away, is it?' Prompto asked, looking at Gladiolus hopefully.

'Don't ask me, I don't know what we're cooking yet.'

'Depends what you hunt, really,' Noctis said. 'I volunteer to watch Ignis, you two get to pick dinner. Have fun.'

'Whoa what?' Prompto said. 'We have to go and hunt alone?'

'You have Gladio, he can take down pretty much anything,' Noctis said. 'Besides, you don't want your crown prince injured getting dinner, do you? Let's face it; you two are crazy on the battlefield, the only reason I've survived this long is because Ignis sticks by me and picks off monsters that get too close and heals me.'

'Yeah, because you're crazy on the battlefield too,' Gladiolus pointed out. 'He wouldn't have to glue himself to you if you'd be a bit more careful.'

'I am careful. The monsters just seem to be attracted to me,' Noctis complained.

'Must be your dashing good looks and terrible defensive stance,' Gladiolus said, reaching out and ruffling the prince's already messy hair.

Noctis swatted him away grumpily. 'Go get the food. I'll look after Ignis.'

'We’re on it,' Gladiolus said, pressing a hand to Prompto's shoulder.

'Wonder if there's a Dominos Pizza around here somewhere?' the blond muttered as he was herded out of the tent.

Noctis smiled as he listened to his friends' banter vanish into the distance, then turned to Ignis and almost jumped when he saw emerald eyes watching him. 'You should be sleeping.'

Ignis smiled, and sniffed loudly. 'Don't fink I'b eber heard you say dat do be.'

It took a few seconds for Noctis's brain to translate, then he scooted over so that he was kneeling by Ignis's side, and ran his hand through Ignis's hair again. Despite the spray needed to achieve the style, Ignis's hair was soft and silky beneath his fingertips, and Noctis found himself playing with it a little. Ignis seemed to like it too; the older man relaxed against the pillows and his green eyes half closed in contentment. Then they opened again and focused on Noctis.

'Just allergies, you dow,' Ignis said. 'I hardly need do be in bed.'

'I know,' Noctis said distractedly, watching the light brown strands of hair filter through his fingers. 'But you hardly ever seem to get sick, so I never get a chance to repay you for all the times you've sat by my bedside. You're always there whenever I need you, and now you're feeling rubbish so you might as well rest up. Being outside makes it worse, and you're probably run down and stressed out anyway, so that can’t be helping. Just take some time out to relax.'

A hand reached out and brushed Noctis's knee. 'Fank you, highness.'

'After everything you've ever done for me, you really don't need to be thanking me for this,' Noctis said, then drew his hand back from Ignis's hair. He lay down again against the pillow he had brought over, and shuffled close so that he was pressed up against Ignis's side. He smiled. 'I sent the others off to hunt dinner, so it should be nice and quiet in here if you wanna sleep.'

'Subbose rest would helb,' Ignis said, then his face began to scrunch up and his breathing came out in strangled little gasps.

Noctis sat up quickly and searched for the tissue box. He grabbed one and turned to hand it over just as Ignis sneezed. 'Sorry, I was too slow,' Noctis said, as the tissue was taken to wipe Ignis's hands off with.

'Ugh, dis is disgusting,' Ignis said, revolted at his condition.

'The antihistamines should kick in soon, then maybe you'll be able to breathe a bit easier too.' Noctis shifted onto his side so that he could watch Ignis better. He reached out a hand to gently run up and down his friend's arm for contact. 'How are you doing? You want anything to drink? I can make a cup of tea or something?'

A ghost of a smile flickered on Ignis's lips. 'No fank you.'

For a few more seconds Noctis watched Ignis, noting the way he was only breathing through his mouth, the way his eyes had slipped closed again, and the slight frown on his brow. 'Does anything hurt?' Noctis asked suddenly.

There was a pause when Noctis thought that perhaps Ignis had fallen asleep, but the other man was simply assessing his condition. 'Head,' Ignis said, a little more clearly this time. Perhaps the antihistamines were starting to take effect?

Noctis sat himself up again and crawled over to behind Ignis's pillow. His reached again for Ignis's hair, but instead of just playing with it this time he used his nails, scritching his friend's scalp to try and relieve the pressure. He worked slowly, and whenever Ignis let out a small moan to indicate he'd found an area that was painful Noctis would cast a small healing spell to help alleviate the pain. He would draw a little magic from the crystal and push it down to his hands, using the magic as a sort of numbing agent to help treat the symptoms.

'You shouldn't have to be doing this,' Ignis said. His voice was less nasal, but slightly scratchy from where his throat was dry and sore. 'You're the prince of Lucis.'

'Yeah I'm the prince, but you're my friend and you're hurting. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try and help?' Noctis asked, keeping his voice low so as not to upset Ignis's headache.

Ignis's hand reached up to take his, but the grip was loose. 'You're a good friend, Noctis.'

Noctis blinked, a smile spread on his lips. It took a lot for Ignis to call him by his name, and it was nice when he did. It broke down the bonds between advisor and prince; it always seemed to be hardest to get Ignis to relax around him, despite Ignis being the person that knew him best. 'So are you, Ignis. You were going to keep driving for us even feeling as bad as you did. You're insane, you know that?'

'As insane as you helping us fight Deadeye after being thrown from his back?' Ignis countered. 'How many ribs did you break again? I seem to have forgotten…'

'I don't remember,' Noctis said dismissively. It had been four, but at the time he hadn't felt any pain, not with the beast roaring at the group and his friends in harm's way.

Since Ignis didn't seem to want his head massaged any more Noctis lay back down beside him. Almost instantly Ignis curled up against his side, surprising Noctis again. He laughed a little and wrapped an arm around Ignis's waist, pulling the larger man to sprawl over his chest. Ignis was a warm weight against him, but Noctis knew he could handle it for now. His hand gently ran up and down Ignis's spine as the other man melted against him, relaxing and even going so far as to nuzzle his cheek against Noctis's chest. Oh yes, whatever was in those antihistamines was strong.

'Hey, Ignis?' Noctis asked, but the man was asleep, finally able to breathe a little more freely his exhausted body took the opportunity to nap. Noctis held him a little tighter against his side, and rested his cheek against the top of Ignis's head. And as much as he would have liked to sleep himself, he had promised to look after Ignis so that was what he was going to do. While he waited for Prompto and Gladiolus to return he stayed awake and rubbed slow circles on Ignis's back, and watched over him in case he needed anything and to make sure they weren't attacked. As safe as the campsite had seemed you never knew where a pack of Sabertusks would be stalking about.

-

'Aww, they look so cosy,' Prompto said, as he opened up the tent flap and light flooded inside.

Noctis blinked against the onslaught, and moved his free hand to shield his eyes. 'Shh, Iggy's asleep.'

'Sorry buddy,' Prompto said with a sheepish grin, letting the flap fall back behind him and crawling over to where the other two were laying. He lay himself down on Ignis's other side, and slung an arm around the taller man's waist, his arm brushing against Noctis's as they sandwiched Ignis. 'How's he doing?'

'He's fine now the antihistamines are doing their job. They just knocked him out a bit,' Noctis said, glancing down. Ignis hadn't moved at all since falling asleep, and while it had been a comfort having his friend so close, now he could barely feel his arm. Noctis wasn't the biggest of people, and he had been trapped unable to move for a couple of hours. 'Think I need to try and move him.'

'I'll hold him, you squiggle away,' Prompto said, his arms tightening around Ignis and holding the man back while Noctis slowly slid out from under him.

Once free Noctis sat up and rubbed life back into his arm. 'Manage to catch anything for dinner?'

'Yeah, a garula,' Prompto said happily. 'Well a baby one. But it should have enough meat for tonight. Gladio's preparing it now, I didn't really wanna…well, you know. I hate blood.'

Noctis frowned. 'Ugh, me too. I'll give him five then see if he needs a hand cooking.'

'You're really going to try and cook?' Prompto asked, in a tone halfway between awe and terror.

'I made him a birthday cake once, and that didn't kill him,' Noctis pointed out.

'You had me and Gladio helping. And if I remember you screwed it up so badly it was virtually inedible. Ignis only said he liked it because you'd gone to trouble of making it for him, but seriously Noct you can't consider that a success.'

'I learned lessons, though, I can do better for him this time.'

'You screwed up a sponge cake, Noct. A sponge cake. You'll kill us all if you try cooking meat, Idola won't even have to try taking us out.'

Noctis huffed and got up, opening up the tent flap. 'Gladio thinks I can do it, right Gladio?'

'Back in the tent, highness,' Gladiolus's voice called. 'Nowhere near the food until its cooked, you'll ruin everything.'

Prompto laughed. 'Yeah, Gladio definitely gives his stamp of approval.'

Noctis scowled and crawled back over. 'Well what can I do for him, then?'

'What you've been doing. You've made him look a hundred times better than he did, his eyes aren't all red and watery anymore even. Just look after him and I'll give Gladio a hand with dinner. We'll call you when it's past the point of you being able to screw it up with your mere presence.'

Noctis hated that Prompto could do something for Ignis that he couldn't, but he knew that despite his outwardly erratic and haphazard personality, Prompto was pretty domestic. The blond had lived alone before coming to live in the palace, so knew the basics of food preparation. Noctis had always had things done for him, he wasn't good at surviving alone. Except when it came for caring for his friends; that apparently came naturally.

A little while later the warm scents of dinner came wafting through the tent walls, and then the flap was drawn back again. This time the light was much dimmer; dusk was falling, and the sky behind Prompto was aflame with orange and pink clouds as the sun dipped low against the hills of Duscae.

'Dinner's almost ready, you might wanna wake him,' Prompto said.

Noctis nodded and shook Ignis's shoulder. Nothing. He frowned and shook harder, but Ignis didn't so much as twitch. 'Huh,' Noctis said, shaking his friend again.

'Here, let me,' Prompto sad. 'I've had more experience waking up comatose sleepers.'

'You have?' Noctis asked, completely missing the fact that Prompto was talking about him.

Prompto coupled the shoulder shake with a loud call of Ignis's name, and when that didn't work he rolled the taller man over. The act of falling onto his back seemed to make Ignis stir, but it wasn't until the fuzzy, unfocused form of his prince came into view that he actually woke up. He sat bolt upright and reached around frantically for his glasses, which Noctis handed to him, then he reached out to cup Noctis's cheek. 'Are you alright?'

'Me?' Noctis asked, confused. 'I'm fine. You're the one that could barely talk earlier.'

Ignis relaxed a little, and dropped his hand into his lap. 'I apologise, I didn't mean to fall asleep. I should have been better prepared.'

'Ignis, it's fine. Seriously. You don't need to be on guard all the time. Today we're looking after you, got it?' Noctis said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Warmth spread in Ignis's chest, and he smiled back at his charge. 'Thank you.'

'Yep, just relax,' Prompto said, slinging an arm around Ignis's shoulders. 'We've got everything covered. And dinner is about to be served.'

'Excellent, I'm quite…who cooked?' Ignis asked quickly, his face paling a few shades.

'Me and Gladio,' Prompto said hurriedly.

'Excellent,' Ignis repeated, and smiled again at Noctis. 'Let's not let it get cold.'

'Wait a sec,' Noctis said, following them out of the tent as they suddenly seemed in a hurry to get away from him. 'You too? You think I'm a bad cook?'

Ignis pushed his glasses further up his nose, and relished the feeling of being outside without having to worry too much about the pollen count. The air was cooling which meant the levels of pollen in the air were lessening. As soon as they set out they could find a pharmacy and buy some non-drowsy antihistamines and he'd be perfectly fine again. This was just a minor detour…and yet he felt a strange sense of guilt and pride when he looked between his friends as they dished out bowls of stew and argued over Noctis's culinary skills (or lack thereof). He smiled as he ate slowly, still not quite able to breathe properly through his nose, and for once let himself enjoy being taken care of. His cup was never empty; Noctis would refill it with ebony coffee made exactly how he liked it. Prompto had asked him no less than seven times if he wanted more stew, and had even offered to refill the bowl for him so he didn't have to get up. Gladiolus had gone to fetch more firewood when he had shivered in a gust of wind. It felt strange to have people so in tune with his needs and so willing to act on them; usually he was always watching out for them. It was nice, he decided. Very nice. And it made him love them all the more.

'I'll drive,' Prompto offered as they packed away the camping gear.

'How many times do I have to say no?' Gladiolus asked, dangling the car keys just out of Prompto's reach. 'Do I need to say it in another language? Nein. Bu. Nai. Non.'

'You so can't speak all those languages,' Prompto said. '…Can you?'

'No, he can't,' Noctis said. 'But he's used that line on me so many times.'

'Because both of you are like little kids that won't listen to reason. Neither of you are driving; you can't be trusted to stay conscious and you can't be trusted not to wreck it,' Gladiolus said, pointing to each younger man in turn. 'So I'm driving.'

'You want shotgun?' Noctis asked Prompto hopefully.

'Nah, you go for it,' Prompto said.

Noctis wasn't happy, but he slid into the passenger seat and watched as Ignis and Prompto got into the back seat. The reason soon became clear; Prompto was jealous of Noctis's cuddle time with the bespectacled man. As soon as they were buckled in he scooted along the seat and leaned up against Ignis, invading his personal space. Ignis smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, not having the heart to tell him that with the antihistamines and the fact that it was night time he was feeling much better. He let Prompto think that he was tired, and rested his cheek against Prompto's hair as they drove off to find a pharmacy, and then get back on track with their journey. While he felt guilty for setting them back, it had been nice to take some time out, and to be cared for by his friends. But next time his homeland was under attack and he found himself fleeing for his life, he'd remember to grab more tissues.

Chapter Text

'You should probably work on your tan, you look like a ghost,' Gladiolus said, glancing over at Prompto. 'For someone that claims to be from Solheim, you're amazingly pale.'

Prompto frowned and glanced down at his arms; slim with thinly defined muscle but pale, and freckled, like the rest of his skin. 'I don't tan, you know that. I go pink, peel, then end up back to square one.'

'Use sunscreen?' Gladiolus suggested.

'I need factor five million, which completely blocks any rays of sun, so no tan,' Prompto said with a sigh. 'It's fine, I get that I'm just not going to ever have a cool tan. We can't all be bronzed gods like you.'

Gladiolus smirked, and shrugged a shoulder. 'It's okay, you can bask in the glow of my tan.'

'Thanks. Seriously, thanks so much, that makes me feel tonnes better,' Prompto said, rolling his eyes.

A large arm wrapped around his shoulders and drew him in for a quick hug. 'No frowning, we're on vacation.'

'And there was me mistakenly thinking that we were on official royal business,' Ignis said, adjusting his glasses.

'That too. But also a vacation,' Gladiolus insisted. 'We're here for a week, trade negotiations can't last that long, right?'

'You wouldn't believe the red tape currently imposed on the trading restrictions between our nations. Untangling it all could take longer than the allocated week,' Ignis said.

'Sweet, extended vacation,' Gladiolus said.

'No, long days in negotiations, shut away indoors trying to get people to see sense and drop the archaic trading laws that may have been appropriate in the days when people traded cattle in markets, but nowadays just make everybody's lives hell.'

'Ignis feels very strongly about the trading laws,' Noctis explained with the tone of someone that had listened to rants for many, many hours. 'But do Gladio and Prom have to suffer? They could go have fun. We're in Solheim for Etro's sake, somebody should have fun even if it's not us.'

'Taking one for the team, I like it Noct,' Gladiolus said, abandoning Prompto in favour of going to sling an arm around Noctis. He was pre-empted by Ignis, who shooed him away, then dusted off the black blazer Noctis was wearing and straightened his black tie, just in case Gladiolus had managed to displace it.

'No touching the prince; he has to look presentable. He'll be sitting alongside his father and across from the royal family of Solheim, a crooked tie will not be tolerated.'

'Shame you couldn't fix his hair,' Gladiolus said, looking at the mess of dark hair. It was neater than usual, but still wouldn't have passed for tidy. Noctis refused to get it cut to a respectable length, it was one of his little rebellious quirks. He liked it messy and cool, so that he could flip it out of his eyes.

Ignis sighed; Noctis's hair was an issue of contention for him. 'I did the best I could. I'm an advisor not a body servant.'

'You fired his body servant for not doing a good enough job,' Prompto pointed out.

Ignis huffed and readjusted Noctis's tie. 'There. Perfect. Are you ready?'

'Yeah,' Noctis said, then caught the pained look in Ignis's emerald eyes at his casual speech. 'I mean yes. But seriously, do they have to come in? It's going to be boring, and it's just a trading negotiation, I don't think anyone is going to try and assassinate me. Although I might try and assassinate myself.'

Prompto was virtually bouncing on the balls of his feet; they'd been walking through the courtyard toward the audience chamber of the royal palace of Solheim, and the baking hot sun promised beaches, swimming and ice cream. Much more fun than business.

Ignis sighed again. 'I have no issues with it, if the two of you would prefer to sit this out we can fill you in later.'

'Oh please do,' Gladiolus said sarcastically. 'And we'll tell you all about our day at the beach.'

Noctis made a little whining sound. 'Can I sit this one out too?'

Ignis's sharp gaze was the only answer.

Prompto patted his shoulder sympathetically. 'I'll bring you an ice cream back.'

Noctis shrugged his hand off his shoulder. 'Try not to burn too much,' he shot back.

'Something tells me sunburn will be less painful than what you're about to go through, buddy. Have fun!' Prompto called over his shoulder as he followed Gladiolus back to their assigned rooms to get changed out of their suits and into something more suited for the beach.

Ignis caught Noctis's longing gaze watching after them, and he placed a slender hand on his friend's shoulder. 'Highness, there will be time for fun after the negotiations each day, I promise. As soon as we're finished tonight we'll join them.'

Noctis sighed. 'I know. We're here for a reason. Okay, I'm not jealous. I'm not. Let's go have some fun of our own and then brag about what they've missed when we see them tonight.'

Ignis smiled and squeezed Noctis's narrow shoulder briefly. 'Sounds like a plan, highness.'

-

'Oh man, much better,' Prompto said happily as he met Gladiolus in the hallway between their rooms. He was dressed in three quarter length shorts and a baggy vest, much more suitable for the stifling Solheim heat. A pair of sunglasses sat in his messy blonde hair, and he'd accessorised with some spiky black bracelets and topped the whole ensemble off with sneakers.

Gladiolus had chosen a similar look, though he was adhering to the unofficial Lucian dress code of black for his long shorts. His short sleeved shirt hung open to reveal his muscled chest. 'Yeah, much better than those stuffy suits. Feel for the prince and Iggy being stuck in a room dressed like that on a day like this.'

'Noct will probably use the excuse to fake a faint to get out of it,' Prompto said with a snort of laughter as they made their way out of the royal residence and into the sunny streets of the Solheim capital. 'He used to do that all the time at school, and I used to be the one to get to escort him to the nurses office. Which we obviously never went to, we'd just bunk off to the skate park.'

'No wonder his highness is so good at skateboarding, I wondered where he found the time to practice.'

'Yeah, sorry about that,' Prompto said, not sounding sorry in the least.

Solheim was nothing like Lucis; the palace was right by the coastline, and the sun was always shining. They wound their way through a path of dunes, then down onto the beach which was packed as always despite being a weekday; Solheim was where everyone came for holidays so there were families sunning themselves, enjoying ice creams and making sand castles.

'What first then?' Gladiolus asked.

'Ice cream. No, sand castle. No, surfing. No! Water Park!' Prompto said, catching sight of the park in the distance.

Gladiolus chuckled. 'You do know that without the prince we'll have to queue, right? We can't use him to push through the crowds. Maybe save that for later when we can use him as a human VIP ticket?'

'Good point,' Prompto said, but he was still disappointed. In the heat of the day it would have been nice to have been on water slides and dipping in the cool crystal blue pools. 'Okay then, ice cream it is. If we're not going swimming then I want my first ice cream of the day.'

'First?' Gladiolus asked, as they headed toward the little line of shops on the promenade.

'Yeah first. It's Solheim, ice cream is like the national cuisine. I want to have one of each of the flavours, but you have to space them out or you get brain freeze.'

'You'd need a brain to freeze,' Gladiolus pointed out, grinning and sidestepping to dodge the elbow Prompto jutted out to try and catch him in the ribs. 'Kidding, little buddy. Okay then, I'm at your mercy. Guide me on this noble quest to sample every flavour of ice cream that Solheim has to offer.'

'Yessir!' Prompto said, and led the way to the rows upon rows of ice cream vendors and tacky beach gift shops. 'Get ready to have your mind blown.'

-

'Highness?' Ignis asked, his tone worried as he sat by his prince's bed side. He held the young man's hand and with his free hand fanned him with a piece of paper; the minutes from the meeting they had just hurriedly left after Noctis had come over faint from the heat. Ignis had carried him back to his bedroom and the healer was currently fussing over the prince.

'I just don't understand it,' she was saying, frowning at the thermometer she had taken from Noctis's mouth. 'Let me go and get Healer Asa, he knows more about heat stroke. I'll just be a moment.'

'Thank you,' Ignis said, his heart filled with worry as he turned back to Noctis…who was smiling. A single blue eye opened.

'Is she gone?' Noctis whispered.

'Yes?' Ignis said, thoroughly confused.

'Awesome,' Noctis sat up and let go of Ignis's hand. 'Let's go before she comes back.'

'Go?' Ignis asked, still unsure of what was going on. Then it clicked. 'You faked a faint?'

'It was getting boring,' Noctis said with a shrug. 'We'd finished for the day but they just wouldn't shut up. The king of Solheim and my father going on about their younger days which were like a million years ago…ugh, I couldn't listen to that anymore. 'Sides, don't you want to go and save Prom from himself? Chances are he's eaten his weight in ice cream by now.'

'That is a very real risk,' Ignis conceded, and tugged at the cuffs of his suit. It was unbearably hot and he was feeling a tad dizzy himself. Truth be told he had almost been relieved when he'd had to take Noctis from the meeting room. 'What about the king? He'll likely come to check on you once he's finished with the king of Solheim.'

'You kidding me? They'll be reminiscing for hours,' Noctis said. 'Father knows I have you with me so he won't be worried. He probably knows I was faking anyway.'

Ignis sighed. 'Very well. So we're to go and find the others?'

'No. First we get changed; I don't know about you but I'm boiling.' Without warning Noctis stripped off his jacket and shirt, wandering unashamedly across his bedroom to the suitcase he had brought.

Ignis tried to avert his gaze but he knew Noctis wouldn't care less about being seen topless by him. It certainly wasn't the first time. He waited a few minutes while Noctis got himself changed into black shorts and a black vest, and some sunglasses that presumably were supposed to hide his famous face from the public. And boots, despite the fact they completely contradicted his lightweight cool attire. They looked awesome.

'Aren't you getting changed?' Noctis asked, glancing up and down Ignis's slim frame. The advisor was wearing his tailored suit and long sleeved shirt, and looking rather flushed in the cheeks from the Solheim heat.

'I don't really have anything suitable to wear,' Ignis admitted. 'I hadn't planned on socialising, we're here for work.'

Noctis sighed and wandered back over to his friend. Leaning up on tiptoes he reached to unloop Ignis's tie, and he tossed it to the floor. Then he tugged at Ignis's jacket, pulling the thick material off and chucking that to the floor too. Reaching up once more he unbuttoned the white shirt Ignis had been wearing by three buttons, exposing collarbones and a little skin. 'There, better.'

'Thank you, highness,' Ignis said with an amused smile on his lips. 'The healer will be back soon, though, if we’re going to escape now would be the time to do so.'

'Come on then,' Noctis said, leading the way out of their accommodation just as the sounds of footsteps came from the opposite end of the hall. Noctis laughed as he broke into a run, and Ignis had little choice but to follow him out into the windless, baking hot afternoon.

'We should have worn sun cream,' Ignis muttered.

'Wasn't time, we'll just have to brave it,' Noctis said, strolling further away from the royal palace as they mingled with the crowds of people making the most of yet another hot, sunny day in Solheim. It was always hot and sunny in Solheim. They'd had a spot of rain once and it had made the national news and caused widespread panic.

Noctis whipped out his phone and called Gladiolus.

'Yo,' Gladiolus answered.

'Where are you?' Noctis asked, glancing around as if magically expecting them to appear.

'Down by the chocobo rentals, trying to explain to Prompto that they're not allowed to go in the water.'

Noctis snorted, and ignored the little frown Ignis gave him for doing so. 'We'll be right there.'

'Help would be appreciated, he's getting all whiny and high pitched. Which is hilarious, but sooner or later he's just going to grab one and ride off into the sunset.'

Noctis ended the call and pocketed his phone. 'Chocobos. Let's go.'

'Of course,' Ignis said, shaking his head. Only Prompto would want to go riding in weather such as this.

It took barely ten minutes to reach them, and Prompto was still arguing with the chocobo owner, insisting that he was sure chocobos could swim. He was mid-rant when he noticed Noctis and Ignis approach, and he waved them over frantically. 'Tell him, Noct, they're fine in water.'

'I can't say I've ever taken any of the palace chocobos into water,' Noctis said, setting a comforting hand on Prompto's shoulder. 'Why don't we go and do something else? Just in case they can't swim.'

Prompto reluctantly left the chocobos alone and followed his friends off toward the beach. Then he stopped and grabbed Noctis's arm, tugging him back the way they'd come. 'Right. Water Park. Now.'

Noctis had no complaints, so let himself be led toward the Water Park which was bustling with people and queues for everything. As predicted, however, the crowds parted for the crown prince of Lucis, and Prompto shoved Noctis ahead of him using him like a snow plough to cut through the crowds.

'Make way! Prince of Lucis plus entourage comin' through!' Prompto yelled.

Noctis just blushed bright red at the attention they were drawing, and apologised to a few people as they cut right ahead of them in line for a log flume.

'You were right, Gladio, much easier when you have Noct with you,' Prompto said, slinging an arm around the prince in case he decided to make a run for it. Noctis was his ticket to not having to queue, no way was he letting him go.

'I think I'll watch,' Ignis said, hanging back as Prompto guided Noctis onto the ride.

'What?' Noctis asked, panicked. 'You're not coming on?'

'I believe you'll be quite safe, your highness. I'd prefer to keep my feet on the ground.'

'You're gonna miss the fun?' Prompto asked, crestfallen.

Ignis adjusted his glasses. 'I could offer a number of valid excuses as to why I would prefer not to join you on this ride, but the one that causes me most concern is that my trousers are dry clean only.'

'Seriously?' Prompto said. 'You suck.'

'They're expensive trousers,' Ignis said with a shrug.

'Traitor,' Noctis hissed as he was dragged onto the ride and sat down between Prompto and Gladiolus. At least Prompto would get most wet being at the front.

The ride was fun, he had to admit, even though Prompto screamed for the whole thing, even when they weren't going down. And he got wet despite being in the middle; his shirt was splashed by the time the log flume slowed to a stop, and Ignis was smirking at them.

'Are you really not going to go on anything?' Noctis grumbled as Prompto pushed him through the crowds again toward a water slide.

'I'll allow the three of you to have fun for me,' Ignis said, waving as Noctis was dragged up the long set of steps to the top. Noctis stuck his finger up in reply.

'Come on, come on, it'll be fun,' Prompto said as they neared the top. 'You love stuff like this.'

'I don't love getting wet,' Noctis said.

Prompto snorted and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 'You know, I swear you're part cat. You sleep eighteen hours a day, you hate water, you're all prissy-'

Noctis smiled sweetly, then reached out and shoved Prompto in the chest. At first Prompto had no idea what was going on, but when he stumbled back a step he realised how close he'd been to the edge of the slide. He fell, and went down backward screaming and swearing at Noctis the whole way.

'That was mean,' Gladiolus said. 'But funny.'

'He called me prissy,' Noctis said in defence. 'I'm not prissy. Am I?'

Gladiolus gave him a measured look. 'Do you really want me to answer that?'

'I'll push you, too,' Noctis said.

'I would love to see you try, little guy,' Gladiolus said. 'Now come on, we're holding up the queue.'

Noctis took one of the mats and slid down. In the heat of the day the coolness of the water that managed to spray onto him was actually refreshing, he just wasn't going to tell Prompto how much fun he was having. The slight adrenaline rush as the mat sailed down the steep slope made him smile, and the wind in his hair was great. He slid to a stop at the bottom to find Prompto with his arms crossed in a huff.

'My ass is soaking wet, you jerk!' Prompto said. 'You could have at least got me a mat.'

'You were taking too long,' Noctis said with a shrug. 'Want my mat? You can do it properly this time.'

'Damn right I will,' Prompto said, still grumbling as he snatched the mat from Noctis and went to climb the stairs again.

Noctis took the opportunity to check in with Ignis, who was holding a styrofoam cup of coffee. Noctis took it from him and stole a sip, then handed it back. 'You're frowning, what's wrong?'

Ignis held up his phone. 'King Regis has texted me, asking where the patient is. Should I admit to him that you're bunking off?'

'No, tell him I'm…um…getting some air,' Noctis said.

'Very well,' Ignis said, tapping out a quick message. 'I can't believe I'm lying to the king.'

'You're not lying. I am technically getting air,' Noctis pointed out.

There was a loud whoop of joy then Gladiolus came into view on the landing pad. 'Iggy you have got to try this. It's awesome.'

'I'll take your word for it,' Ignis said, sending his message then sipping his coffee.

Prompto was determined to do it right this time. He was already wet, but under the Solheim sun his trousers were already drying off, so he set the mat down at the top of the slide to protect him from the shallow stream of water then he sat himself down on it and held onto the plastic sides, preparing himself mentally. He wanted to wait for the wind to be perfect; he wanted it to blow in his face and make him feel like he was flying. Everything had to be perfect. So he sat, waiting for the right moment, ignoring the frustrated sighs of people waiting behind him. This was his moment, dammit, they could go to hell.

He was almost ready, he could feel the wind starting to pick up so he loosened his grip on the sides of the slide. In the back of his mind he registered a dull buzzing sound, but he was too in the zone to pay attention to it. Nor the little shriek of a girl behind him. Just as he let go of the sides of the slide, however, his moment was ruined by a sharp pain in his upper arm. It felt as if someone had jabbed a needle into him, and he reached up with his hand just as he started to slide down.

He didn't enjoy it at all, his knee hit into the side of the slide and he felt light headed as he flew down the slide. When he came to a stop on the ground he felt clumsy and shaky, and despite the attendant at the bottom telling him to clear the area for the next rider, he couldn't quite get himself to comply. His heart was thumping hard in his chest and his ears were buzzing like the noise he had heard at the top.

'Prom?' Noctis's voice called to him, as the dark haired man came over. 'You alright?'

'Perhaps the sun is getting to him?' Ignis asked, crouching down and brushing blonde locks of hair out of Prompto's eyes. 'Come on, you can't stay here forever.'

'I just…' Prompto said, feeling slow and stupid. He looked up at his friends and it was as if he was seeing them through a fog.

Gladiolus was next, and simply hauled him to his feet and dragged him out of the way so nobody hit into him. The tank carried the blond over to a bench and sat him down, frowning at the way Prompto barely seemed to see him. 'Come on buddy, what's up? You hit your head or anything? The ride can be a bit jerky.'

'N-no…' Prompto said with difficulty. It felt as if his throat was trying to close up on itself. He could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead, he was starting to feel sick and shaky too. 'I don’t…don't feel…'

'Don't feel what?' Ignis asked, sitting down next to him and placing a hand to his forehead. 'You feel clammy, are you alright?'

'He's white as a ghost, Ignis, what's wrong with him?' Noctis asked worriedly, crouching down in front of Prompto and taking his friends hand to give it a reassuring squeeze. 'Prom? You okay?'

Prompto wanted to reassure them all, but he couldn't speak. He tried to swallow but it was difficult, and that made him panic more so that his breath came out in little wheezes. Something was very, very wrong, but he had no idea what to do. 'C-can't…' he managed to stammer out.

'Can't what?' Gladiolus asked with a concerned frown.

'Breathe, oh god he can't breathe,' Ignis realised, as Prompto slumped to the side. His gaze finally fell on the little puncture wound just near the strap of Prompto's vest, which was slightly red and swollen. 'He's been stung by something. Get him on the floor, turn him onto his side,' Ignis instructed, then waved over the attendant from the water slide. 'Do you have a first aid kit? Do you have an epipen?'

'Um, I don't know?' the young man said.

'Go and bloody well find out!' Ignis snapped, then took out his phone and dialled for an ambulance.

Noctis was on the floor with Prompto, his own heart racing as he took in the pale form of his friend, trembling and slipping out of consciousness as he fought for breath. Gladiolus had a large hand on Prompto's shoulder, for whose comfort it wasn't entirely clear.

'Is he gonna be okay?' Noctis asked the older man.

'I've never seen a reaction like this before,' Gladiolus said.

Noctis swallowed hard and ran his hand through Prompto's hair, trying to settle the trembling form. 'It's going to be okay, Prom. Ignis always makes things right, you'll be okay.'

Ignis knelt down beside them a few moment later, looking decidedly shaken. 'An ambulance is on its way.'

'What's happening?' Noctis asked. 'He's never done anything like this before.'

'That's the trouble with allergies,' Ignis said sadly, lightly touching a hand to Prompto's forehead. 'You generally don't know you've got one until you react.'

'I've got a first aid kit!' the man said, skidding to a stop beside them and handing a little green box to Ignis.

Ignis was quick to open it up and sorted through the rolls of bandage and bottles of potions impatiently, cursing as he found everything under the sun except the item he needed. He tossed it aside. 'I need an epipen, you're telling me you don't have one? My friend is dying here, tell me you've got one.'

'I-I don't…think we have anything like that. If it's not in the box…'

'Sorry, excuse me,' a women said, pushing through the crowd that had gathered to watch the scene. She dug into her purse and produced a plastic case. 'I have a shellfish allergy, I always carry an epipen. If it can help him at all it's all yours.'

Prompto suddenly made a little choked sound, and his body twisted on the floor. Gladiolus gently held him in place, then looked up with worried amber eyes. 'Ignis, whatever you're gonna do, I'd do it now.'

Ignis nodded and took the device, thanking the woman and removing it from its case. He knew what to do, it was what he was trained for. But when one of your best friends is gasping for breath and shaking violently, dying before your eyes, it seems every single action takes a lifetime to do. With trembling hands Ignis prepared the device, and then crawled back over to them. 'Get him on his back, I need access to his thigh.'

Gladiolus was quick to roll Prompto over. The blonde moaned as best as he could with his throat swollen closed, and his hand weakly flopped by his side to be snatched up by a worried Noctis who held on tightly, as if anchoring his friend to life.

Ignis jabbed the pen down into muscle, and Prompto's leg twitched at the pain. Ignis held it steady for five seconds then removed the pen, tossing it aside and moving to check Prompto's airway. 'Come on, Prom…' he muttered, his pulse hammering in his ears as he watched Prompto for signs of recovery. In the distance he could hear the wail of sirens and prayed it was their ambulance.

'Prom?' Noctis asked, his voice wavering slightly. He'd thought he'd seen a flutter of Prompto's eyes, but now he wasn't sure. He gave the hand in his a gentle squeeze, and was sure he felt his friend squeeze back weakly. 'Come on Prom, don't do this to me.'

Gladiolus watched as Prompto's eyes fluttered again. The younger man's breathing was starting to come easier now, it no longer sounded like a struggle for each breath. When Prompto's eyes finally opened properly, and gazed at a spot in the sky, Gladiolus was quick to put an arm behind him and help him sit up a little. 'Scared the hell outta me there, Prom, you okay? Can you say anything?'

'Give him a moment,' Ignis said, cupping Prompto's cheek and looking into his eyes. Blue eyes met his, if slightly unfocused.

'Ig…nis?' Prompto asked. His throat was sore, and it was still a bit of an effort to speak. Or to do anything, really, his body felt exhausted. If Gladiolus hadn't been holding him he was sure that he'd just flop back to the ground.

Ignis leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Prompto's and smiling in relief. 'It's okay. You're going to be okay, Prom.'

The sirens cut off as the ambulance drew close. The crowd parted as two healers leaped out of the ambulance and rushed over. They ushered the other three aside while they did a few checks on Prompto, then one went to fetch a stretcher and Prompto was gently loaded onto it and rolled toward the ambulance. Noctis chased after them, and grabbed hold of Prompto's hand again.

'I'm sorry sir, but you can't-'

'I'm his best friend,' Noctis said, challenging the healer with a level glare. 'His best friend in the whole world. If you finish that sentence you won't live to regret it. He's not going anywhere alone.'

Prompto was dimly aware of that, and of the warmth that spread through his chest. He was scared, he had no idea what was happening and he wanted Noctis with him. So he held the hand in his as tightly as possible, which wasn't very tightly at all, and let himself relax when the healers gave in and let Noctis ride with him.

'We'll meet you at the hospital,' Ignis called.

'See you there,' Noctis said, and sat himself down on the little bench, reaching over so he could still hold Prompto's hand while one of the healers worked on taking the blond's vital signs.

Once the doors were shut and the ambulance was on its way Prompto turned his head to the side and caught sight of Noctis. His friend was pale and wide eyed; the usual bright blue eyes were a dull grey-blue. His friend never had to say what he was feeling you could read him like a book and right now he was worried. Prompto felt bad for worrying him, but he couldn’t quite get out any words of reassurance. His throat still felt tight.

Noctis was too far away sitting on the bench, so he crept closer and crouched by the head of Prompto's bed while the healer made notes. He smiled as best as he could and with his free hand tucked a few locks of hair behind Prompto's hair, his fingers gently gracing the skin of Prompto's cheek. 'Hey, how are you doing?'

Prompto just smiled weakly, and tried to swallow. Failed. Instead he coughed a little, and closed his eyes as he tried to take in a shaky breath.

Noctis didn't quite know what to do. He glanced over at the healer who was still writing something down. 'It's going to be okay. I promise. You're going to hospital, they'll keep an eye on you. We'll meet Gladio and Ignis there and we'll stay with you the whole time, okay? I'm not leaving you until you're a hundred and ten percent better.'

Prompto nodded. He wanted desperately to say something to thank his friend for staying with him, but he couldn't. Couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe. He squeezed Noctis's hand again as he struggled to take in a breath. It was happening again, and his heart was racing as he realised with horror that he couldn't breathe.

Noctis realised at the same moment, and started yelling for the healer. She already had an injection prepared incase, and she injected straight into Prompto's vein. Noctis collapsed back onto the bench as he watched her work, as she placed an oxygen mask over Prompto's face to help him breathe. Noctis felt sick to his stomach and dizzy with fear as she fought to help him breathe again, but after a few minutes Prompto's body stopped twitching and the blond calmed down again, although the oxygen mask remained over his pale face, and his eyes were closed again.

'Is he…?'

'He'll be fine,' the healer reassured him. 'We’ll be taking him in for observation, he'll be in the best place if another reaction occurs. The venom should be out of his system soon enough.'

Noctis nodded, and took his place by Prompto's side again. He took the thin hand in his own and gently stroked the back of Prompto's hand with his thumb as he watched the rise and fall of his friend's chest, reassured with every breath he took.

When they got to the hospital Prompto was whisked away from him and he was asked to take a seat in the waiting room, which was where Ignis and Gladiolus found him ten minutes later when they arrived.

'How is he?' Gladiolus asked, taking the seat beside Noctis.

'He had another reaction in the ambulance and they gave him another shot,' Noctis said, trying to keep his voice steady. 'He looked so pale, and sick.'

Ignis wrapped an arm around his shoulders and drew him close. 'It's a nasty experience, but he should be fine. They'll just keep a close eye on him until he's better.'

The three sat in silence for nearly another hour, sipping disgusting vending machine coffee until a healer came out to find them.

'He's very tired, so please try not to stay too long or keep him awake,' the healer said. 'We'll be keeping him overnight for observation but he has had no further reactions and is breathing well on his own at the moment. We'd just like to keep him in to be sure.'

Noctis just nodded, willing to go along with whatever the healer said if it meant Prompto was going to be okay. 'We can see him now, though?'

'Yes, but as I said try not to stay too long.'

Noctis wasn't listening; his best friend had just almost died, he intended to stay as long as he wanted, dammit. He'd almost lost his best friend. He hurried after the healer as they were led to Prompto's room, and then he hesitated at the door. A large hand squeezed his shoulder.

'It's okay, Noct,' Gladiolus said.

Feeling a little stronger Noctis took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Prompto was laying in bed, tucked up with his arm resting on the covers and an IV needle stuck in the crook of his elbow. He seemed peaceful enough, though he was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. His breathing was still a little wheezy, but he wasn't in any distress and that calmed Noctis a lot. He took the chair by Prompto's bedside and grabbed up Prompto's hand.

Ignis's phone vibrated in his pocket. 'Oh dear. His majesty is demanding to know where you are, highness. Would you like to reply to him and explain?'

'I'll explain later,' Noctis said distractedly, his attention focused on Prompto.

Ignis smiled and tapped out a quick message, just to save the poor king from a heart attack thinking his son had been kidnapped or something. Once that was done he pocketed the phone again and took the seat the other side of the bed, next to where Gladiolus had taken up vigil.

'He still doesn't look good,' Gladiolus said.

'He had an anaphylactic reaction, I wouldn't expect him to look well,' Ignis said, reaching out to rest his hand on Prompto's leg, near where he had stabbed the epipen. 'We're going to have to be more careful in the future, though. He'll need to have an epipen on him at all times. And we need to do what we can to keep him away from bees and wasps. I really don't want a repeat of this if we can help it. It was too close for comfort. If that lady hadn't had an epipen handy…'

Noctis's hand gripped Prompto's tighter as he tried to block out that particular thought. He was glad Ignis hadn't finished the sentence, he could kid himself into thinking it was never on the cards. That he hadn't come so close to losing Prompto.

'Hey, you're gonna break my hand if you keep that up,' Prompto's tired voice said.

Noctis looked up sharply and realised Prompto was giving him a lopsided grin. 'Hey,' Noctis said, leaning forward to brush the hair out of his friend's eyes. 'What's the big idea making us worry like that?'

'Had to…pay you back for pushing me down the slide,' Prompto said, chuckling softly. 'Man I'm tired.'

'Well sleep then, dork,' Noctis said, his voice barely above a whisper in case talking too loudly would set off another spell for his friend.

'Only just woke up,' Prompto said.

'You look like you could sleep for the rest of the week,' Gladiolus said. 'All this just to get out of the trading negotiations.'

'Yeah, something like that,' Prompto said, closing his eyes briefly and starting to drop off again. He jerked awake, though, catching himself. 'Ugh, it's so hard to stay awake. This sucks.'

Noctis smiled and shifted his chair closer, until it banged up against the bed. Once he was as close as he could possibly get he leaned against Prompto's side, snuggling up awkwardly as he was sitting in the chair and Prompto was lying in the bed. It was good enough for the prince, though, it meant he could be closer to his friend.

Ignis recognised what he was doing. 'I suppose I'm going to have to have a word with the healers and explain that we'll be spending the night here?'

'You might want to tell my father, too. I'm not going back to the negotiations until Prom's been given a clean bill of health.'

Ignis just nodded. He wasn't going to argue with that, in fact he was relieved; it was his duty to stay by the prince, but really he wanted to be with Prompto after what he'd witnessed. So if Noctis was staying that meant he could stay too.

'Sounds like a plan, then,' Gladiolus said. 'And if the healers argue tell them to come talk to me.'

Prompto smiled, and let his head rest to the side to fall on Noctis's shoulder. The position couldn't have been comfortable for his friend, so he appreciated what Noctis was putting himself through to make him feel better. And it did make him feel better; after the scare he'd had he was still feeling delicate and shaky. Having his friends around him helped him feel safer. If they were there then he didn't have anything to worry about.

'You guys are idiots staying in a hospital when you don't have to,' Prompto said, despite feeling the exact opposite.

'Yeah, we probably are,' Gladiolus said, running his hand through Prompto's hair, and smiling as Prompto closed his eyes in content. 'But we're your idiots, so just rest up and let us take care of you, okay? It'll make us feel better.'

'Okay, not gonna argue with that,' Prompto said, sighing at the hand in his hair. It felt nice, and it calmed him down. With Noctis warm at his side and his friends talking softly in the background, it wasn't hard to fall off to sleep again, feeling safe and loved.

Noctis was the first to notice Prompto was asleep, and he shushed the others. For a long moment they just watched as Prompto fell into an easy, dreamless sleep, then Noctis spoke in a whisper. 'You're sure he'll be okay?'

'If he was going to have another reaction I would have imagined he'd have had it by now, I think he'll be fine,' Ignis said. 'We'll just be more careful in the future. Now we know we can be prepared.'

'Yeah, damn right we will,' Gladiolus said, his own throat tightening a little as he recalled the sight of Prompto's ashen face as he gasped for breath, and the feeling of helplessness as he was unable to do a damn thing to help.

Noctis just nodded, and let his own eyes slip closed. He'd slept in less comfortable positions before, and this way he could be close at hand if Prompto work up and needed anything. Because Prompto was his friend, and he was going to protect him in any way he could.

Chapter Text

'So that's an earl grey tea with lemon, a hot chocolate with extra extra marshmallows-'

'Like, fifty marshmallows,' Prompto interjected.

The woman glanced up and offered a withering smile. 'And a large Americano. Two slices of chocolate cake and a raisin flapjack.' Her gaze travelled to the fourth customer of the group behind the counter. 'And a water. Um, would you like that sparkling?'

'Sure,' Noctis said, not really listening.

'That's all you want?' the woman asked, just to be sure.

'I'm on a diet,' Noctis said, smirking inwardly as the worried shopkeeper took in his skinny frame.

Ignis rolled his eyes and handed over the gil. 'We'd like the water in a bottle, not a glass please,'

The tray of drinks and snacks were prepared and Gladiolus carried it over to a table by the window, and the beverages were handed out. Prompto immediately began counting his marshmallows and Ignis went about breaking his flapjack in half; it was a rare treat and he wouldn't eat it all at once. Noctis picked up his bottle of water and took a sip, remembering too late that he didn't like fizzy water.

'Did you get fifty?' Gladiolus asked, glancing over at Prompto who was spooning melted marshmallows onto the top of his chocolate cake.

'Not quite, but the cup is completely full so I won't complain,' Prompto said, taking a bite out of his cake and getting chocolate cream over his lips. 'Oh man, this is amaze…uh, I mean, it's okay I suppose,' Prompto said, catching Noctis's gaze and feeling guilt well up inside him.

Noctis smiled. 'It's okay, Prom, it looks lovely.'

'It's like a slice of heaven,' Prompto admitted sadly. 'Can't you like have a bit of the cream? That must be alright?'

Ignis's mother hen instincts kicked in, and he looked up from his flapjack quickly enough to give himself whiplash. 'Certainly not. Even if the cream doesn't have any nuts in it the cake almost certainly will have traces, and the cream has been on the cake. You know how sensitive his allergy is, he can't even touch anything containing nuts without coming out in a rash.'

Prompto shot Noctis an apologetic look. 'I'll try to pretend it's not the most delicious thing I've ever tasted.'

Noctis shook his head. 'Just enjoy it, don't worry about me.'

'I always worry about you,' Prompto said, touching Noctis's foot with his own under the table. 'Though not as much as Ignis. I don't think I could ever reach that level of worry. He's superhuman.'

'Somebody has to be,' Ignis muttered, glancing over at Noctis who looked rather pathetic with his bottled water while they were all enjoying their snack. 'I have a bag of raisins if you're hungry?'

'Raisins versus chocolate cake,' Noctis pretended to mull it over. 'I'll pass, thanks. I miss being back at the palace where all the nice foods were Noctis-friendly. Being fugitives is a great way to start eating healthily.'

'Or not at all,' Gladiolus said with a shrug, also feeling a bit guilty as he took a bite of chocolate cake and saw the longing in Noctis's eyes.

'There are plenty of things you can eat, we just have to be careful where the food comes from. We've managed this far, there's no reason to believe we can't carry on as we have. Unfortunately it means cooking food for you, but it can't be helped, I'm not about to risk you going into anaphylactic shock because a chef in a restaurant cross contaminated your meal,' Ignis said.

'I don't think I could live like that,' Prompto said.

'Yeah, just kill me now why don't you? Euthanasia would clearly be kinder to how I'm living,' Noctis agreed with a smirk.

'I-I didn't mean it like that!' Prompto spluttered.

His friends laughed as Prompto desperately tried to backtrack and wound up digging himself into an even bigger hole, but Noctis found that he still felt a little pang of jealousy. That his friends could just order anything they wanted without having to worry about whether it would kill them or not. He picked at the label on his water bottle while he watched Prompto and Gladiolus demolish their cakes, and even the raisin flapjack Ignis was neatly consuming looked appetising. But Noctis pushed it all aside; Ignis and the others went out of their way to include him, and usually it wasn't a problem as back in Lucis the chefs had all been drilled to ensure not a trace of peanut came within a mile of Noctis's food. But out here the rules were different, and it usually fell to Ignis to ensure anything Noctis ate was safe. Noctis felt a pang of guilt for heaping even more pressure on his friend, when things were already tough enough. They were all stressed to breaking point being on the run as they were, and with Niflheim tracking them down like dogs. Noctis's allergy was just one more thing to have to take into account. Noctis sighed, and not for the first time in his life wished he was normal.

-

Dinner that evening was a lonely affair. Ignis made sure to cook him something "Noctis-friendly" within the confinements of the hotel room microwave, which he ate alone in the room while the others ventured out into the streets of Lestallum to find a nice restaurant. Noctis ate his meal grumpily, wishing that they'd at least waited for him. He could have joined them for a drink if nothing else. In his opinion Ignis was being crazy anyway; all they had to do was read the menu for dishes containing nuts and then check with the waiter that anything prepared wasn't near anything containing peanuts.

Noctis sighed, and glanced down at the dish of food he'd been made. It was fine; a vegetable stew, since that was the easiest thing to make without a fridge to store meat or an abundance of ingredients. He finished up and then took a shower before settling down on one of the double beds and flipping through channels on the television. He must have drifted off at some point because the next thing he knew the door was being opened and his friends came bursting in loudly.

'Oh, shh guys,' Prompto hissed. 'He's asleep.'

Noctis kept his eyes closed, there was no need to open them. 'No m'not.'

The bed dipped, and someone was brushing the hair from his eyes. 'It's a bit early, even for you.' Gladiolus's voice, the fingers in his hair was rough and calloused, but comforting.

Noctis still didn't open his eyes; he was still unhappy that they'd left him behind. 'Have fun?'

'Hell yeah. We went to this place that did Solheim food, spicy as hell, and messy. Chilli sauce everywhere. Iggy nearly had a heart attack when he took a bite of his wrap,' Prompto said with a laugh from across the room. There was the sounds of things hitting wood; presumably Prompto was taking off his spiky bracelets.

Someone sat down at his other side, Ignis he presumed. His guess proved right when a cool hand touched his forehead. 'Are you alright?'

Noctis had to bite back a smile at that; Ignis was always worrying about him. 'I'm fine.' Finally he opened his eyes; both Gladiolus and Ignis were watching him carefully. 'Guys, seriously, I'm fine.'

Gladiolus sighed and ruffled his hair. 'If ya say so.'

'I do,' Noctis said with a scowl, trying to get his hair back to how he liked it. Okay so it was normally a mess, but it was messed in a certain way.

Gladiolus took up the remote control and found something good to watch while the others arranged themselves on the beds. Prompto even produced a bag of chocolates and after they were submitted to a vigorous check they were Ignis-approved, mainly because he'd let Noctis have them before with no ill effects. He always checked the ingredients each time, though, in case they'd changed the recipe. Noctis thought it was sweet; if it was left entirely up to himself he knew he'd forget to do that. It made him feel loved to know that Ignis always remembered and took his job so seriously.

And then things went back to normal. These were the times Noctis liked best; between meals when his friends would just treat him like a normal person. When he didn’t have to worry about his allergy and could just put it to the back of his mind and enjoy the movie and laugh at Prompto when the blond challenged Gladiolus to an arm wrestle and then spent twenty minutes complaining that his shoulder had been dislocated.

Finally Ignis declared it was time for sleep, so they split into pairs and took a double bed each. As usual Prompto snagged the prince, explaining that Noctis was the only one of them that slept deeply enough to endure his cuddling. Prompto tended to wrap himself around whoever he lay closest too, and both Ignis and Gladiolus had complained it woke them up during the night. Noctis could sleep through a Prompto attack.

'You know something?' Prompto whispered loudly in the darkness once they were all tucked up. 'I'm going to miss this when we get Lucis back. I like sleeping all in the same room, it'll be lonely without you guys.'

'You'll manage,' Gladiolus said.

'No, I won't. I think you guys will have to take it in turns sleeping in my room, or I'll never get to sleep.'

'Then none of us will get any sleep,' Ignis said.

'I don't stop you sleeping,' Prompto said.

'You're stopping us sleeping right now,' Gladiolus pointed out.

'Yeah but you're not ready to sleep yet. I think I read an article somewhere that you don't fall asleep for the first ten minutes while you're in bed anyway.'

'I'd like to try,' Ignis said, turning over onto his side.

Gladiolus grumbled, and then the sound of fabric rustling cut through the silence. 'Stop hogging the blankets.'

'I'm not,' Ignis snapped, pulling them back his way. 'You have more than your half.'

'I'm bigger than you, I should get more than half,' Gladiolus said, tugging them back.

'Oh, so it's my fault the two of you aren't sleeping, is it?' Prompto said with a little snort of laughter.

Tense silence filled the air, but the blanket tug of war carried on.

'Can you believe those two, Noct? At least we can coexist in peace,' Prompto said, rolling over so that he was facing the prince. The very asleep prince. 'Seriously? You have a talent there, Noct, you must promise to use it only for good.'

'We should all take a leaf from the prince's book, it's getting late,' Ignis said, with one last tug of the blankets. 'Goodnight, gentlemen.'

Gladiolus grumbled but figured out the best way to get most of the covers was to shift across the bed so that he was closer to Ignis and they could share them better.

Prompto had a similar idea even if he and Noctis didn’t have a blanket issue. He scooted close and spooned himself up against Noctis's back. The dark prince was turned away from him and was breathing softly, so Prompto carefully slipped an arm around him, running his hand up and down Noctis's arm just because he felt like it. He really hadn't been kidding; it was much nicer to sleep with someone, especially someone that could handle his levels of affection without waking up every five seconds. Prompto was a tactile person and liked to know his loved ones were close. Was that a crime? He didn't think so, and it was nice curling himself around the small, warm form of his friend. He was asleep in no time.

He was also awake in no time, too. His theory about Noctis being able to sleep through his cuddling was proved incorrect, because as Prompto slowly stirred himself he could feel Noctis fidgeting in his arms. A bony elbow caught him in the stomach and Prompto winced, hoping it didn't set off one of his stomach aches.

'Hey Noct? You wanna calm down there, buddy?' Prompto whispered.

'Sorry,' mumbled a not quite awake Noctis. Who then began fidgeting again.

Prompto frowned and separated himself from the other man a little so that he could pull back and observe his friend. 'Everything okay?'

'Mmn,' Noctis said, then his eyes opened. The bright blue seemed to glow in the dim light of the room but that wasn't what Prompto was looking at; the light was just enough that he could see Noctis's pale skin, but some parts weren't pale. One of his cheeks was red, as was the skin just above his left eye.

Prompto sat up sharply. 'What the hell? Noct?' Without thinking about the others Prompto reached up to switch the light on, and his heart began hammering in his chest. Noctis's arm was red too. It looked almost like… 'You're having an allergic reaction, Noct. How? What…Oh god, was it those chocolates? I thought Iggy said they were okay? Man I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do this to you…'

'Prom, it's okay,' Noctis said, gradually waking up a little more. He felt uncomfortable, which was probably why he'd been unsettled in sleep, and when he looked down at his arm he saw the angry raised red rash. Perfect. He was definitely reacting to something.

'What are you two doing?' Gladiolus grumbled, sitting himself up and massaging his eyes with his fingers. 'I don't even know what time it is, but it's too damn early.'

Ignis was reaching out for his glasses on the bedside table, and with his vision corrected his Noctis-instincts kicked in and he saw the rash from a mile away. He was on his feet within seconds and joining the two younger men on the other bed, his cool hand gently cupping Noctis's cheek so he could see the rash on his face too. 'Definitely urticaria,' he murmured with a frown. He'd tried so hard to keep Noctis from anything he was allergic to; where had he gone wrong? 'Since you're not going into shock I can assume it's not something you've eaten, which means it's a contact reaction. You've touched something-'

'What, with his face?' Gladiolus asked, coming over to join them on the now crowded double bed.

'More likely something has touched his face.'

'The pillow?' Prompto suggested, glaring down at the offending item. 'Maybe he's allergic to the detergent they wash the sheets with?'

'I would expect it to be over more of his body if that was the case, it's just that bit of his arm and a couple of patches on his face. It's probably...' Ignis trailed off, then groaned.

'Probably what?' Gladiolus asked, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

'The chilli we had for dinner last night. We had sauce everywhere, and I know that I only wiped my hands clean on the napkin. Then I came straight back here and I seem to recall touching right here,' Ignis let a single finger hover over the rash above Noctis's eye. 'Highness I'm so sorry. I didn't even think. I can't believe I let myself-'

'Iggy, we all did it,' Gladiolus said sadly. 'The cheek was probably me, the arm was probably Prom. We screwed up.'

'Oh come on guys,' Noctis said, frowning. 'You're seriously beating yourselves up for that? It was an accident.'

'Accidents shouldn't happen,' Ignis said angrily. 'You could die, Noct. What if it had been accidently something you ate? You might not be here to be having this argument.'

'So what, am I not supposed to eat anything? Or touch anything? Maybe Prom was right, maybe the kinder thing to do is to kill me.'

'Noct, I didn't mean it like that,' Prompto said in a small, pained voice. 'We just need to be more careful.'

'More careful? How much more careful are you guys going to be around me? You already treat me like spun glass. I just have an allergy, like thousands of other people. You don't have to act so freaked out all the time. Just treat me like a normal person.' Noctis looked between his friends, all of whom were avoiding his gaze. Noctis sighed. 'Seriously guys, please don't do this. I don't want you to worry all the time about me.'

Ignis said nothing, but got up from his position to go and root through one of their bags. He came back with a pack of tablets, which he handed over with a bottle of water. 'This will help with the rash. Hopefully it will be gone within a few hours.'

While he was drinking it there was a queue for the single bathroom, and everyone washed their hands as thoroughly as they could. Noctis could have screamed but he knew they were only doing it to protect him. He just hated that they had to go so far out of their way because of his stupid body.

Once everyone was back in bed and the lights were out, Noctis tried to go back to sleep, but it was strange not having Prompto snuggled up to him. He turned over to face the blond, but Prompto was facing away from him, and curled up almost on the edge of the bed. Noctis scooted across, Prompto inched forward. Noctis scooted further, Prompto almost fell off the bed. Noctis snorted with laughter and reached out to help Prompto keep his balance, then the gunner scrambled across the bed a bit more to safety. When Noctis met his gaze, Prompto's eyes were shining with unshed tears.

'Prom, don't do this,' Noctis said softly.

'I hurt you,' Prompto whispered hoarsely back. 'I never wanted to hurt you, Noct. I swore I'd always protect you.'

'A tiny rash that will probably be gone by the time we wake up. I'm hardly dying,' Noctis said.

'But you could have…' Prompto sighed and shook his head. 'Never mind.'

Noctis frowned, and tried to curl up by Prompto's side but his friend refused to react. No arms wrapped around him to make him feel loved and safe. Prompto rolled over again so that his back was facing Noctis, and even though Noctis knew he wasn't asleep Prompto wouldn't answer him when he asked what was wrong. With his stomach twisting into knots Noctis finally shuffled away from Prompto, to the colder side of the bed. Sleep was a long time coming.

-

'And you don't feel nauseas?' Ignis asked, peering at Noctis's face.

'Nope,' Noctis said for the hundredth time.

Ignis nodded. 'Well it seems the rash has gone, it was a simple localised reaction. But it highlights how important vigilance is. It was simpler in the palace, but now we're on our own and there are hazards everywhere.'

'Yeah, Etro forbid I try to live in the real world. Much safer to stay locked up in my castle, right?' Noctis said sarcastically.

Ignis tugged his glasses off and rubbed the lenses with the bottom of his shirt. 'Everything I do, I do to keep you safe, your highness.'

Guilt welled up within him. 'Sorry. I know you do. Thank you, Ignis.'

Ignis nodded, and finally dared to touch him, gently squeezing the prince's arm. The fear of Noctis collapsing and going into anaphylactic shock from a simple touch was absurd, but something that terrified Ignis to no end. Yet he touched him anyway, because Noctis seemed to need the contact. While it made Noctis smile a little, the act had the opposite effect on Ignis, as he glanced down sharply. He'd known that Noctis hadn't been eating much, simply because finding food and snacks suitable for him was a nightmare. But he hadn't realised just how thin Noctis was getting. His worry ramped up and he swallowed hard. Noctis usually skipped breakfast, but Ignis wasn't going to allow him that luxury this morning.

'Perhaps we should go shopping for breakfast? We could buy something for you at a store, then find a restaurant for the rest of us. We can eat together that way,' Ignis said, hoping that would tempt Noctis into eating.

The prince looked doubtful. 'Not really hungry in the morning, you know that.'

Ignis ran his thumb over the bone at Noctis's wrist. 'How about today you make an exception? Just something small.'

'Okay, just something small,' Noctis agreed. Because for once he was actually a bit hungry, despite the early hour, since the things Ignis approved for him to eat seemed to be few and far between. Ignis really needed to lighten up, or he was going to kill his crown prince through starvation.

Once everyone was up and dressed they stopped off at a supermarket where Ignis inspected the ingredients of the rows of cereal bars, and came up empty handed. None of them passed his scrutiny.

'You know they do allergy sections, right?' Prompto said, glancing down the aisle. 'Gluten free and diabetic stuff, so maybe they do nut free things?'

Noctis mentally thanked his friend, and they headed down toward the small selection of foods. There was indeed a nut free shelf, but even still Ignis refused to take the claims on face value, so the group stood around bored while Ignis read the ingredient lists. Finally he picked a few things up and put them in the basket they had picked up.

'You're joking?' Noctis said. 'I'm actually allowed to eat something that isn't just fruit and veg?'

Ignis gave him a sharp look. 'It's not easy, you know. They don't always have to state that products contain nut traces, so I have to check the ingredients thoroughly.'

'I know, I know,' Noctis said distractedly, looking at the things they were about to buy. 'But seriously, this is awesome. Oh my god, you even bought me cookies. You must really be feeling sorry for me.'

Prompto plucked the pack from the basket as they walked. 'Mmm, they look really nice. Can I have one?'

Noctis scowled and snatched the pack back, putting it gently in the basket again like a prized posession. 'No way, there's millions of cookies you can eat in the world, and one pack I can have. These ones are mine.'

'Lame,' Prompto said, sticking his tongue out.

'Don't care,' Noctis said.

Once the items were paid for they made their way to a small café, where the others ordered breakfast and they sat at a table by the window to eat. Prompto and Gladiolus inhaled their food as if they hadn't eaten in a week, and Noctis (who felt like he hadn't eaten in a week) went slowly, savouring each bite of the pastry Ignis had bought. Damn if felt good to have junk food again, he'd missed it. He had even been allowed a coffee from the café, after Ignis had grilled the assistant to make sure that the cup hadn't even looked at a peanut. Again, Noctis felt this was over the top since it was just coffee, but Ignis was his appointed guardian so he just ran with it. Especially since it meant he got coffee.

'Anyone want another drink or anything?' Gladiolus asked, making to get up. He looked expectantly at Ignis who sighed and reached into his wallet, pulling out the last notes.

'I'm fine, thank you,' Ignis said.

'Another one of these smoothies,' Prompto said.

'Got it,' Gladiolus said, turning to Noctis. 'Coffee?'

'Sure,' Noctis said. 'This one hasn't killed me yet so I think they're safe.'

Once Gladiolus was gone Ignis got up too. 'I think we need to make another withdrawal. There was a cash machine just around the corner, I won't be a moment.'

'Take as long as you need,' Prompto said, finishing the last mouthful of his pancakes. He downed it with the smoothie he had been drinking, then glanced at Noctis who was eyeing his colourful drink. For a moment he hesitated, but his poor friend hadn't been allowed anything nice in so long, and it was just a fruit drink. Where was the harm in that? 'Wanna try it? It's delicious; bananas, strawberries and mango. It's like being on a tropical beach.'

Noctis glanced to the door that Ignis had just left from. 'Just fruit?'

'Yup, just fruit. What else would a smoothie be?' Prompto said. 'It can't be bad, right? Iggy was letting you have fruit, he said that was fine. So it's just fruit in whizzed up yummy form. How the hell would they even get peanuts in it?'

'Very good point,' Noctis said, taking the glass from his friend. The mixture looked amazing and the scent was even better; fruity and tropical. Noctis didn't even hesitate to take a sip; people lived with peanut allergies all the time and still managed to eat out. Ignis just worried way too much. With a smile Noctis handed it back after his mouthful. 'Damn, that is nice. Kind of sweet, too. Has it got honey or something in it?'

Prompto looked a little uneasy. 'Would they do that? They just put fruit in smoothies, right? They don't add other things, do they?'

'I guess not,' Noctis said with a single shouldered shrug. 'I've never made one before.'

'Me either…' Prompto said, looking down at his smoothie with a sense of dread. He honestly hadn't thought that anything else would go into a smoothie but now he was freaked out, and wished Ignis was there. He sipped his drink to try and detect what the extra added sweetness could be and prayed it was just honey. He watched Noctis carefully, and with every second that ticked by he began to relax a little, realising that the smoothie really was just fruit, and that his best friend in the whole world wasn't dying. Nope, not dying. Just clearing his throat. A lot. And frowning. And wheezing a little tiny bit. Okay, a lot. Prompto glanced over to where Gladiolus was making his order at the till, and then to the door of the café that Ignis had left from. Then back at Noctis whose breathing was starting to get a little ragged.

'P-Prom?' Noctis said, his voice small and scared. 'I don't…I think…'

'I know,' Prompto said, feeling sick to his stomach as he pushed his chair back to spring into action. 'It's okay. It'll be okay. I've seen Iggy do this before, just relax. I think it's worse if you panic. It's fine, we've got an epipen, you'll be fine.' Prompto said, grabbing Ignis's jacket from the back of his chair and searching through the pockets.

Noctis's hand went to his throat, and he fought to keep his vision straight. Panic was rising within him which was making everything feel worse. His chest was tight, his throat felt like it was swelling up and it was hard to breath. He watched as Prompto searched every damn pocket until he came up with a device.

'Got it!' Prompto said, hurrying over to Noctis's side and unpacking it from the plastic tube. 'Okay, I just stab it, right?' He'd done it a dozen times before in oranges; Ignis had made them all practice so they'd know what to do. But doing it in the comfort of the palace on a piece of fruit was completely different to doing it with Noctis trembling and looking ashen as he struggled for each breath. They were drawing attention, too, and he could hear Gladiolus's voice yelling something. Prompto blocked it out and concentrated on what he was supposed to do. He held the pen above Noctis's thigh, then stabbed down hard.

'Shit, Prom, what's going on?' Gladiolus asked as he finally came skidding to a stop beside them.

'It's under control,' Prompto said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. 'He had a reaction, we're dealing. We're fine, right Noct?'

Noctis's only answer was a shaky intake of air that sounded laboured.

'Okay, we're okay,' Prompto said, taking the epipen away. It was then that he noticed the needle hadn't ejected. His panic flared again. 'Oh god, it's broken,' Prompto said, shaking the pen. It was still full. 'Noct? Buddy, are you-'

Noctis collapsed, and would have fallen to the floor if Gladiolus hadn't been there to catch him and lay him down gently. There were gasps from the other café patrons, and Gladiolus waved them back with a large hand. 'Give the poor guy some breathing room, will ya?'

Prompto looked at the faulty epipen in his hands. 'What do I do? Gladio, what do I do now?'

'Call a damn ambulance, idiot!' Gladiolus said. 'You’ve got the phone.'

'I've already called one,' the cashier said, strong arming her way through the circle of people that had crowded the table. 'It's on its way now.'

'Thanks,' Gladiolus said, turning back to Prom. 'That can't be the only one we have, Iggy would be too careful for that.'

'Right. Right!' Prompto said, suddenly realising what Gladiolus meant. He foraged again in Ignis's jacket and found a second, which he prepped and held above Noctis's leg for a few seconds. 'Maybe you should do it?'

'For Etro's sake, Prom, do it now!' Gladiolus said.

Prompto swallowed hard and looked at Noctis, his body arching as it clung to life, desperately trying to get in air. Gladiolus was holding Noctis steady, cradling his upper body in his lap. Despite his fear Prompto stabbed down again, and this time it felt different. He heard a little click as the pen ejected, and he breathed a sigh of relief knowing that his friend was getting what he needed to save his life. He knew to hold the pen for several seconds, but when he glanced up at Noctis again his heart almost stopped; Noctis wasn't moving. Gladiolus caught his gaze with a panicked expression, and Prompto took the pen out too early. He knew it was too early. Dammit.

Fortunately the wail of sirens cut through his panic and seconds later the door to the café swung open and the group of bystanders parted to allow healers through. Prompto found himself swept aside, and he stood close to Gladiolus while they watched the two healers work on Noctis.

'Has he had his epipen?' one asked them.

'Um, sort of?' Prompto said. 'I got it in, but I don't think I held it long enough. I kind of panicked a bit.'

The man just nodded, and went back to Noctis. One was shocking him, resuscitating him. Prompto had to look away, feeling sick with worry as he buried his face against Gladiolus's shoulder and let the older man wrap an arm around him in comfort. The healers were giving him a nebuliser now, placing a mask over his mouth so that he could breath in salbutamol to open up his airways. Both Gladiolus and Prompto had seen it before, but only a few times. Since learning of Noctis's allergy everyone involved with the prince had always been on such high alert that reactions were few and far between.

The cash machine had been out of order, so Ignis had gone back to the supermarket to draw out money. The first thing he noticed as he got close to the café was the ambulance parked outside. His heart dropped like a stone, and though he quickened his pace he reminded himself it had been busy inside; there were plenty of people that could have had heart attacks, or slipped and injured themselves. He kept running through that in his mind until a stretcher was hurried out, and two figures followed the healers. Ignis felt dizzy, but he forced himself on, his half jog speeding up to a sprint.

'What the hell?' he hissed, as the ambulance doors shut and the engine started up.

Prompto turned to him looking pale and terrified. 'He just…we didn't think it would…'

Ignis closed his eyes, counted to ten. It didn't work, his blood pressure shot through the roof. 'Please tell me he didn't eat something other than what we bought him?'

'Well…'

'The special anti-allergenic things we bought him because he has a severe food allergy that could potentially kill him if he eats the tiniest bit of peanut.'

'Technically he didn't eat anything,' Prompto said. 'We didn't realise the smoothie had peanut butter in it. Who puts peanut butter in a smoothie? It's meant to be fruit. Just nice, safe fruit. I swear, Iggy, I swear to Etro if I'd thought for a second it wouldn't be safe for him I wouldn't have let him anywhere near it. I wouldn't have even ordered it, in case the smell broke him out in another rash or something.'

Ignis had never wanted to strangle someone as much as he did right then, but Prompto looked so miserable and scared he knew he couldn't blame him. Or Noctis, because he was quite sure the prince would have done it simply to be defiant, to prove that Ignis was worrying over nothing. At times like this Ignis hated always being right.

Gladiolus sighed, and raked a hand through his long hair. 'Iggy, it happened. Let's face it, before this whole mess with Niflheim we've never really had to worry too much about what he ate, the chefs did that. We're learning. Honestly I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.'

'It wouldn't have happened at all if he'd just eaten the things that were known to be safe,' Ignis said through gritted teeth. 'Is that so hard?'

'But it was boring for him, and not fair,' Prompto said. 'We get to have all this nice stuff and you kept telling him no. If there's one thing he hates in life it's being told he can't do something. So really this is kind of your fault.'

'My fault? My fault?' Ignis said, the urge to strangle Prompto rising again.

Gladiolus sensed it was time to intervene. 'He doesn't mean it like that, Iggy, you know that. We're all upset, we're all worried, but the fact is Noctis had an allergic reaction and he's going to need us to be strong for him, right? So why don't we get a taxi and go meet him up the hospital? Poor kid will be bored to tears without us, you know how much he hates hospitals and they'll probably wanna keep him for a bit. We need to make sure his highness stays put, yeah?'

Ignis sighed as the anger faded from him. He glanced over at Prompto who was watching him with shiny eyes, so he reached out to squeeze the younger man's hand gently. He knew that Prompto was feeling guilty. He hoped that would be enough to make him think twice in the future about letting Noctis do something like this. Noctis himself would be getting a talking to as well, Ignis was already mentally rehearsing that particular lecture. But it would be saved for once he knew his prince was well, right now he had no idea if Noctis was even alive and a fresh wave of worry rose up within him.

By the time they finally arrived at the hospital Noctis was already settled in a room. A healer was still making notes on a chart when they entered, and she looked up with a smile, then raised an eyebrow as she realised all three were here to visit.

'We usually only allow a maximum of two visitors per patient,' she said.

'Please, we're all really worried about him,' Prompto said, flashing his baby blue eyes at her.

The woman hesitated, then turned to Ignis.

'We'll be quiet, I promise,' Ignis said.

The healer nodded. 'Very well, this once. He needs to rest, we've given him antihistamines and corticosteroids, and he's still on the nebuliser to ensure his airways stay open. After his resuscitation we don't want to take any chances. If he starts to look like he may be having a relapse reaction please use the call button immediately.'

'Of course,' Ignis said, inclining his head slightly. 'Thank you.'

The healer nodded and left, but as soon as the door closed the group was anything but quiet.

'Resuscitation?' Ignis exploded. 'I'm sorry, the two of you neglected to mention that he died. When exactly were you going to tell me of this?'

'Never?' Prompto guessed. 'We didn't want to worry you.'

'You didn't…' Ignis tried to compose himself. 'You didn't want to worry me? Prompto, I'm in charge of his wellbeing. These are things that I need to know.'

'Why?' Gladiolus interrupted, having quickly nipped out of the room to collect a stack of three chairs, which he set out around the bed. 'What would be the point in worrying you? What good would it have done? The outcome is the same; he's breathing now, he's in the best place. He's going to be fine. You on the other hand are going to give yourself an ulcer if you keep stressing this much all the time.'

'How can I not stress? Look at him. One moment of inattention and this is what can happen. How exactly am I supposed to relax?' Ignis collapsed onto one of the chairs and rested an elbow on the side rail of Noctis's bed. He looked down sadly at Noctis, whose eyes were closed; dark lashes resting against pale cheeks as Noctis breathed softly into the mask.

'He's gonna be okay though, right?' Prompto said, sinking into the chair on the opposite side of the bed, and slipping his hand through the rails to thread his fingers through Noctis's. The prince's hand was small and thin in his own warmer one, so he rubbed life gently back into it to warm his friend up.

'He will,' Ignis admitted. 'But I don't like playing with fate. The fewer reactions he has the less chance we have of running out of luck.'

'We know, Iggy, we'll be more careful. And I'll bet the prince will be too, maybe this will put him off trying to be reckless again,' Gladiolus said. 'Right highness?'

Ignis and Prompto looked up, seeing as Gladiolus had that Noctis's eyes were open. Ignis's hand immediately went to gently stroke through Noctis's hair, and the prince closed his eyes briefly at the welcome contact, then he opened them again and focused as best as he could on his advisor. He tried to speak but his words were muffled by the mask on his face, so he simply sighed and shook his head, too tired to make the effort of speaking louder. Taking the moment to assess the situation Ignis checked his eyes; they were a stormy grey, the colour of exhaustion. Noctis was wiped out, presumably from the havoc the anaphylactic shock had wrought on his body.

'Get some rest, highness. You'll feel better when you wake up,' Ignis said softly.

'Iggy's right, Noct, you look like death warmed up. Sleep and feel better, 'kay?' Prompto said with a smile and a squeeze of Noctis's hand.

Noctis was able to make a soft sound almost like a groan of pain, then he let his eyes fall closed. But sleep was not easy, so he just lay there, listening to the sounds of his friend's voices, and relishing the feel of Ignis's hand in his hair and Prompto holding his hand for comfort.

Nobody seemed to know what to say next, so Prompto felt the need to break the melancholy silence of the room. 'Well. It's been a while since we've done this, huh?'

Gladiolus looked up, from where he'd been staring at his hands and running through the events of the day in his head. 'Done what?'

'Sat around his bed,' Prompto said, waving his free hand at the three of them. 'We used to do it all the time when he was younger. And we even used to have these same positions. Iggy was always on his right hand side, I was on his left, and Gladio would stand by the bottom like he was going to fight off anyone that got too close.'

Gladiolus snorted. 'As if anyone would have gotten into Noct's bedroom. With Cor's guards protecting the palace nobody got close to the gates.'

'Thankfully his highness grew out of his childhood sicknesses, so we haven't had to keep watch over him for a while,' Ignis said, watching as his fingers sifted through the strands of dark hair.

'Overnight watch duties used to make my back ache,' Prompto said. 'I mean I was happy to do them, I wanted to be with him, but damn sitting in a chair all night is not good for the spine.'

'I didn't mind watching over him, but when it was his own damn fault…' Gladiolus began, then chuckled. 'Like the time he thought it would be a great idea to test his warping ability. His father told him not to practice it without him around, then as soon as the king was out of sight Noct warped up to the roof. Then his sword dematerialised and I couldn't catch him in time. He scared the hell out of me, the little shit.'

Ignis smiled. 'He was always doing things he shouldn't be doing. Like sneaking out at night to see the damn stars. I've never known anyone so obsessed with astronomy. It was a good thing, I suppose, at least he studied one subject with a passion. I just wish he'd applied himself to more of his subjects as much as he did that.'

'I remember the time he went out on his balcony to watch them, and managed to get himself locked out,' Gladiolus said. 'It was about two in the morning and I heard this little knock on my window, and there he was, shivering and begging to be let back in. He'd climbed across to my balcony because he was too scared to jump down from the second floor.'

Prompto couldn't help but laugh at that. 'How on earth did he manage that?'

'Not a clue, but he looked so sad just standing out there in his pyjamas. I tried to get him back into his bedroom unnoticed, but Cor found out. Cor always found out. And then he'd tell the king, and then Noct would get grounded. I swear the poor kid spent half of his life grounded.'

Noctis made a grumbling sound and shifted his position. He could hear them perfectly well, and wasn't entirely sure he liked the idea of them swapping embarrassing stories of his childhood - he remembered quite clearly Gladiolus promising that he'd never tell a living soul about how Noctis had got locked out of his own bedroom, it hadn't been one of his finer moments.

Ignis mistook his grunt for pain, and simply resumed stroking his hair to soothe him. 'That's nothing to the one time he did manage to escape his bedroom to see the stars. I woke up early and noticed his bedroom door was open, so I went out to search for him and found him stuck up a tree. He'd managed to warp up there to see the stars better but he was too small to work out how to get back down again. That was when he learned he could warp downward, too. Bless him, he didn't realise it worked both ways, and he'd been crying all night long thinking he'd be stuck up there forever.'

More laughter, and if Noctis was feeling well enough he would have blushed bright red. How could Ignis tell them that? It was private, dammit! And it had been years and years ago, before he really understood his powers.

Prompto was next, it seemed his torture wasn't over. 'Speaking of screwing up with his powers, remember the time he set fire to a guest in the ballroom? It was during that event they held when Niflheim first swore allegiance to Lucis, and Idola said something nasty about the king and Noctis was furious and suddenly the guy's cloak was on fire. That was hilarious!'

'Setting another person on fire - even if it was Idola - is not a good thing, Prompto,' Ignis chided. But in reality it had been rather amusing; Lucis had tolerated Niflheim as a necessary evil, but Ignis never had trusted the emperor Idola. The man had snake-like eyes and a history of doing what was best for himself rather than his people. And unfortunately he had proven his true intentions and Lucis had suffered for it.

'He set me on fire once,' Gladiolus grumbled. 'He says it was an accident, but we were sparring and I was just about to take him down when my pants were suddenly on fire. He says he had no control over it, sometimes the spells just happen when he's in danger, but it's not like I was going to kill him! We were using training swords, most he'd have got is a bruise.'

'Hah, nice one Noct,' Prompto said, squeezing the hand in his and glancing down at his friend. Whose eyes were open and looking at him with an exhausted expression. Prompto brought his hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back of Noctis's hand. 'You're meant to be sleeping and getting well, remember? Don't usually have to order you to go to sleep.'

'Not since the crystal,' Ignis agreed. 'Before the connection was forged he was a nightmare for staying awake, though. Prom, you were probably too young to remember, but I'm sure Gladiolus will share my not so fond memories of sitting up until three in the morning reading him stories about the stars because he could never sleep. He'd sit there listening and interrupting you to ask questions, then when you thought he was finally asleep his eyes would open again and he'd demand to be taken out to see them properly.'

Gladiolus groaned. 'Yeah, remember that well. Or he'd want to play at four o'clock in the morning. How the hell he always managed to get into my bedroom I'll never know, but suddenly I'd be awake and he'd be lying next to me poking me and saying it was time to play. Where he used to get the energy from I have no idea.'

'Then it all just stopped when the crystal connected to him,' Ignis mused, slowing his hand in Noctis's hair. 'Suddenly he was asleep all the time. I lost count of how many times I carried him to bed when he'd just fall asleep suddenly.'

Prompto grinned. 'I loved it when he fell asleep in his soup that time at dinner with the royal family of Tenebrae. Luna had been talking to him all evening, thinking he was awesome and cool, then he just suddenly dropped and face palmed the soup. She screamed when she got splashed, and Noctis still didn't even wake up.'

Noctis winced; he had no recollection of that one, but perhaps that was why Luna had never again sat next to him during royal visits. That would explain a lot. But now he was going to be embarrassed every time he looked at her. Perfect. As if he wasn't socially inept enough.

'Luna was a sweetheart though, Noct was awful to her when they were kids. I know that he was shy and he's crap around girls, but she'd always want to come up and hug him and he'd keep running away from her. He hid in a cupboard under the stairs once for her whole visit, and she was in tears thinking he didn't like her,' Gladiolus said. 'We really need to sort him out, or he's never going to get married and carry on the royal family.'

'I think we're already doomed there, can you see Noctis even kissing a girl, let alone getting close enough to make a baby?' Prompto said.

Ignis rolled his eyes. 'Such eloquence.'

Prompto flushed a little. 'Hey, you know what I mean. And can you picture it?'

Ignis shook his head. 'I have a little more decorum than to try and picture my crown prince - and good friend - with a woman.'

'Nah, can't see the prince bumping uglies with a chick. He's gonna die a virgin. Prom's right, has he ever even kissed a girl?' Gladiolus asked.

Oh Etro they were discussing his love life, and he couldn't even respond to defend himself. Yes he had kissed a girl; well, Luna had kissed his cheek once and he had made a huge fuss and rubbed his cheek like she'd infected him with something. But did they really need to talk about it? Really? Noctis tried to squeeze Prompto's hand to get him to shut up but he didn't have much strength to him so Prompto carried on oblivious to Noctis's distress.

'I helped him practice,' Prompto said.

'Practice what?' Ignis asked, unsure he wanted to know the answer.

'Kissing, obviously. Since I figured he hadn't done it before I gave him lessons. He's ready to roll, we just need to find him a princess. I don't think Luna will want him after he sprayed her with soup, and the time he said her dress made her look ugly. She cried for an hour after that. Noctis has no way with women, he's going to be a crazy old cat lady king.'

Noctis could have wept. Why weren't they stopping? Seriously, how many more stories could they dredge up from the woodwork? And why couldn’t he just fall asleep, so that he didn't have to witness it all?

'One day he'll have a queen, that is without a doubt,' Ignis said, and suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed. As much as the three men knew that one day Noctis would have to marry and have children none of them were quite ready for that. They still saw Noctis as the tiny little boy that needed guidance and protection. They weren't ready for him to grow up, for the dynamic of their friendship to change.

'He'll always need us,' Gladiolus pointed out. 'Even if he has a family of his own, he'll always need us. One day we'll just be protecting a few more Caelums. And that was what we signed up for, right? To make sure he becomes a good king and leads a happy life.'

Noctis wanted to speak more than ever; he wanted to tell them that they were his family, that he didn't need a queen and that he would be happiest just having them by his side forevermore. He didn't want to be king, that was his father's job. He wanted everything to stay how it was. Or how it had been before Niflheim invaded. Things were moving too fast, things were changing with every second. He wasn't ready to change too; he needed these men in his life, to be his closest friends. To be his family in lieu of the father he had just lost. Tears collected in the corner of his eyes, and one rolled free. Prompto noticed and wiped it dry.

'What did I tell you, Noct? You should be sleeping. See, you really do need us,' Prompto whispered.

Noctis squeezed his hand again, and closed his eyes. This time sleep came much easier, because he wanted to fall into a world where everything was perfect and nothing had changed. For a few hours he wanted to be free of his burdens and dream of the world his life had been before Idola had ruined everything.

-

When Noctis awoke again there was a warm weight on his arm. Prompto's soft snores were in his ear, where the blond man had draped himself half across the bed in his attempts to get close to him. Gladiolus was snoring away in a chair by the foot of the bed, and Ignis's seat was empty. Noctis was feeling much stronger, and reached up to pull away the mask at his face. He dropped it on the covers just as the door opened and Ignis returned.

'Hey,' Noctis said, his throat scratchy and raw.

Ignis almost dropped the caddy of drinks he had been carrying, but his shock morphed to a smile when he realised that Noctis was awake and looking much better. He sat down beside the prince and brushed a thumb across Noctis's cheekbone.

'How are you feeling, highness?'

'Better now. I think I'm back to normal.'

Ignis nodded. 'I should imagine so. You've been asleep over fifteen hours, the healers were amazed but we did warn them that you were good at sleeping. Especially when your body is healing, it seems to shut down to give you time to recover and heal.'

Noctis shrugged. 'I have no say what my body does. Otherwise I'd tell it not to react over something as stupid as a nut.'

A darkness passed over Ignis's face at the comment. 'Prompto told me what happened. Highness-'

'I know. I shouldn't have done it. I was stupid and reckless and an idiot, but Ignis I was sick and tired of being so careful. People live with allergies every day and they get to have nice things. I was just…'

Ignis leaned forward so that their foreheads were pressed together. 'I know, highness. Noct. And I'm sorry. I know I was overbearing, but I was scared. I knew what could happen if you ate something you were allergic to and the thought of losing you made me a little obsessive with banning things that in reality I knew would probably be safe, but I wasn't willing to risk. I shouldn't have been quite so paranoid. But if you had simply asked the staff at the café if the drink was safe, you could have saved yourself some pain. And not knocked a few years off my life. So perhaps there needs to be some give from both sides; I'll try to relax a little more, if you take this a little more seriously.'

Noctis smiled. 'Deal. I'll ask what's in anything before I eat it. Or drink it.'

Ignis shifted slightly so that he could press a kiss to Noctis's forehead. 'Good. I think we can both live with that. Now…I did ask, in case you were awake and thirsty, this coffee is perfectly safe.'

Noctis was handed one of the styrofoam cups, and happily took a sip while Ignis woke up the others. As Gladiolus and Prompto groggily returned to the world of the living Noctis watched his friends fondly; they were always there for him. And despite the fact they clearly had heaps of blackmail material on him to embarrass him with at a moment's notice, he loved them to bits. They were always there for him, to look after him both in times of crisis and when he just needed a companion. They were his family.

Though he was very glad when Prompto had admitted to teaching him to kiss Ignis hadn't said that he'd taught him too. Or Gladiolus. Noctis wasn't sure he'd survive the embarrassment of the three men knowing that he had accepted lessons from all three of them, just to compare them against each other…

Chapter Text

'Time to meet the chocobos!' Prompto sang. Actually honest to Etro sang.

Gladiolus rolled his eyes. 'How old are you again?'

'Physical or mental age?' Noctis asked, but the corner of his lips were quirked into a smile. The prince was happy to be going to see them too, he loved chocobos but he wasn't going to dance around in circles like his friend about it.

'You guys are officially no fun,' Prompto said, his elation deflating a little.

'Was it unofficial before?' Ignis asked irritably. It was a hot day and he really wasn't dressed for wandering about fighting monsters and traipsing through trees. He was hot, sweaty, dirty and just wanted to shower and sleep.

'Yup. And now I'm making it official. I, Prompto Argentum, hereby declare you all to be boring stuck up losers.'

'Glad to know where we stand,' Noctis said. 'And I would like to make it official that I don't care so long as I can sleep within the next fifteen to twenty minutes.'

'I thought you were going to say "seconds" then,' Prompto said with a laugh.

'I can make it seconds if you want to carry me,' Noctis offered.

'No I'm good. You're skinny as hell but you really need a shower, no offence.'

'None taken, not after you stepped in what you thought was mud,' Noctis countered, smiling sweetly.

Prompto went a little green at that memory. They'd quickly found out that they'd stumbled into a Catoblepas's territory, of which it had been marked out. That had been gross, and at the reminder Prompto began dragging his boots on the grass trying to get them clean despite the hours he'd already spent washing them in the lake.

'I think we'll all be happier once we've made it to the Wiz Chocobo Post and have a caravan rented for the evening,' Ignis interrupted. 'We could all do with cleaning up and getting something to eat.'

Nobody was going to argue with that, so they trudged the rest of the ay in relative silence, though there was no mistaking the skip in Prompto's step as they neared the station and could hear the kwehs of the large riding birds. As soon as the pens came into sight Prompto grabbed Noctis's hand and broke into a run, dragging the dark haired prince with him.

'Can I feed the chocobos?' Prompto asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet as Ignis and Gladiolus finally caught up with them.

'We're trying to save up to repair the car, if you recall?' Ignis said, looking from one disappointed face to the next. It was hard enough to say no to Prompto, but with Noctis pouting too Ignis knew he had no chance. Gil was handed over (gil that would have been better going toward the car funds) and soon the younger members of the groups were happily feeding the oversized birds with gysahl green chips while Gladiolus watched on, ready to pull the prince back if the chocobos got too excited. Ignis left them having fun to go and rent their caravan for the night.

'I wonder what they taste like?' Prompto said, holding up one of the green crunchy treats.

Noctis didn't take his eyes off the chocobo he was currently feeding. 'Try one and see.'

There was a long pause where Noctis wasn't sure if Prompto was actually going to do it.

Prompto finally wrinkled in his nose in a frown. 'Yeah, no. You go first and tell me if they're any good.'

'No thanks,' Noctis said. 'Besides, I'm out.'

'Seriously? Damn these guys can pack more away than Gladio.'

'I'm right behind you, Prom, I can hear you,' Gladiolus said.

'I know,' Prompto said, holding out the last of his own treats to one of the chocobos whose scratchy beak pecked at his hand to get the last traces of food. Once it was gone the chocobo head butted his hand, as if expecting to encourage him to go off and get more. The trick worked; Prompto turned to Gladiolus, the next most responsible adult. 'We need more gysahl greens.'

Gladiolus had his arms crossed across his chest, and was regarding them both with an amused expression. He had been expecting this. 'No, you need to step away from the chocobos and get your scrawny ass in the shower. I think Iggy has managed to get us a place to sleep for the night.'

'But but but chocobos,' Prompto said, starting to hyperventilate a little.

'They'll be there in the morning, maybe you can throw them leftovers from whatever Iggy cooks,' Gladiolus said with a shrug. He started off toward the caravan then realised the two weren't following him. He turned back and groaned; they both looked as if he'd gone and kicked their puppy. 'Guys, come on. Please? We're all adults here, can we act like it for a change?'

'But they're so fluffy,' Noctis said, his facial expression never changing.

'They need us,' Prompto added.

'I need a beer,' Gladiolus said, shaking his head. 'Fine, stay out here. See if I care.'

'He won't leave us,' Noctis said confidently. 'He's bluffing, he'd never leave me unattended.'

Gladiolus entered one of the caravans and the door shut behind him.

Prompto glanced over to Noctis. 'Wow, that's a really good bluff.'

Noctis frowned. 'Shut up, Prom.'

It was a long time before everyone had showered, and despite being the one that basically kept everyone alive and everything running smoothly, Ignis found himself last in the queue and therefore taking a cold shower as Prompto had used up the last of the hot water. Ignis wasn't bitter and resentful about that at all, of course.

Sleeping was an experience all on its own. After a nice meal outside under the stars they all crammed back into the caravan with its one double bed. Then looked between each other; everyone wanted a spot but nobody wanted to be the one to admit it.

'We could draw lots?' Noctis said reluctantly, eyeing up the soft(ish) pillows at the head of the bed.

Ignis sighed. 'You'll be sleeping on the bed, highness, don't worry. It's the second place that we'll be drawing lots for.'

'Why should I automatically get the bed?' Noctis said with a frown, even though he desperately wanted to collapse on it right away.

'Because none of us want to listen to you bitching in the morning that your back aches,' Gladiolus pointed out.

That absolved any guilt Noctis felt about being given the bed, so he flopped down without further protest.

Gladiolus raked a hand through his hair. 'Well, let's face it I'm not going to fit anyway. These beds aren't made for people over six foot so I'm not gonna be comfortable on there. One of you two might as well get a decent night's sleep.'

Prompto felt bad for his friend, but it meant he had a fifty percent chance of sleeping on a mattress so he didn't dwell on it too much. Instead he turned to Ignis and held out his hand. 'Janken?'

Ignis rolled his eyes at the childish act, but there was really no fairer way. He held out his fist to mirror Prompto's, then chanted with the other man. 'Janken pon!'

On the last syllable they showed their choices; Ignis's scissors beat Prompto's paper.

'Oh man!' Prompto groaned, whimpering and glancing over to the bed that looked comfier than anything in the world right now. 'Two out of three?' he begged.

'Would you have asked for two out of three had you won?' Ignis asked as he began slipping his leather jacket from his shoulders.

'Well no…' Prompto admitted.

'Then why should we amend the rules simply because you lost? Would you prefer for us to keep going until you win?'

'Yes,' Prompto said, nodding his head.

Ignis managed a small smile, and ruffled Prompto's hair. 'The chairs look perfectly comfortable.'

'They're not,' Gladiolus said from his position sat out in one of them, his long legs tucked under the bed to save space.

'Well, perhaps you'll be luckier next time,' Ignis said, finishing getting ready for bed then joining Noctis under the blankets, ignoring Prompto's grunts of complaint as he tried to get himself comfortable on the second chair.

Noctis turned over briefly to face Ignis once he was sure the other two men were snoring away. 'That's not fair and you know it. Prom always picks paper first.'

'Payback for using the last of the hot water,' Ignis muttered, and slipped an arm around Noctis's waist to pull the other man close. 'Goodnight, highness.'

-

'My legs ache,' Prompto said.

'I know. You've mentioned it once or twice already,' Ignis said.

'My legs ache too,' Gladiolus said.

'We know, you've mentioned it every time Prom mentions it,' Noctis said.

'Our legs might not have ached if someone hadn't been stingy and only rented one caravan,' Prompto muttered under his breath but loud enough to make sure Ignis heard.

'What part of saving money to repair the car do you not understand?' Ignis asked. 'That includes not spending money on unnecessary things such as extra caravans, chocobo treats and humorous bumper stickers. Which we currently don't even have a car to stick it on.'

'Yeah but when we do it'll be hilarious,' Prompto said.

Ignis practiced his closing his eyes and pretending he was on a deserted island relaxation thing.

'My legs still ache,' Prompto said after what he felt was an appropriate stretch of silence.

Ignis's beautiful desert island paradise faded away before his eyes. 'Well why don't you return to the Wiz Chocobo Post and rent a steed?'

'I thought we were supposed to be saving money?' Prompto said.

'If it will stop you complaining it will be worth every last gil,' Ignis said through gritted teeth.

'Can I rent one too?' Gladiolus asked.

Noctis could sense that his normally cool advisor was reaching boiling point, and patted the taller man on the shoulder. 'Look, Gladio I'm sorry you're tall, and Prom I'm sorry you suck at janken, but can we try not to give Ignis a mental breakdown before lunchtime?'

'Sorry,' Prompto muttered. 'But I'm tired and cranky.'

'We're all tired and cranky,' Noctis pointed out. 'But we…huh.'

'Huh?' Gladiolus said.

'Remember that dark blue chocobo we saw the other day? Think he's back,' Noctis said, nodding over to a darkly shaded section of the wood they had been walking through.

The chocobo was watching them with shiny black eyes, its head tipped to the side quizzically.

'I could ride that,' Prompto said.

'Without a harness?' Noctis asked.

'Very carefully,' Prompto amended.

'How do we catch it?' Gladiolus asked.

'Very carefully,' Prompto repeated. 'I could-'

'Prom, I love you to bits but you're a disaster area. I can see no way in which you going over there and trying to catch a wild chocobo could end in anything but hilarity,' Noctis said.

Prompto's face fell. 'It hurts more because it's true. Go on then, chocobo whisperer. You try and catch him.'

'Alright,' Noctis said. He'd been expecting to be the one to do it anyway, so he broke away from the group and slowly made his way over to the chocobo. It was bigger than the ones bred for riding, and such a unique colour. As Noctis inched closer he realised the feathers were more black than blue, but when they caught the light the edges were navy, giving him the blue hue. The chocobo was beautiful, and allowed him to get pretty close before it panicked and began backing away, kwehing as it went.

'Hey, no don't go. It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you,' Noctis said, reaching out a hand in front of him.

The chocobo paused for a moment, then took another step back. Noctis took two forward, still reaching out with his hand. Then he stood still, waiting for the chocobo to make a move. There was a long moment when neither of them moved at all, before the chocobo shuffled forward hesitantly, then leaned down to press its beak to Noctis's palm. He had been accepted. Noctis smiled and gently petted the chocobo's beak, before the creature drew back enough that it could start grooming his hair.

There was laughter from behind him, and Noctis blushed bright red and swatted the damn bird away before wandering back over to his friends. The chocobo followed obediently.

'Even a chocobo thinks your hair is a mess,' Gladiolus said with a grin. He walked over to the tall bird and patted it on the neck. Then sneezed.

'Hah, karma,' Noctis said, turning to Prompto. 'You really think you can ride it? It's pretty tall. Without a saddle it'll hurt if you fall off.'

Suddenly Prompto looked a lot less sure of himself. 'I've never ridden a wild one, I didn't know they came this big.'

Gladiolus sized it up, then hauled himself up with a little difficulty. Once he was settled he held out a hand for Prompto, then lifted the smaller man up to sit in front of him so he could keep hold of him and make sure he didn't tumble. Gladiolus cleared his throat and coughed a little. 'Right, this should be safe enough. Think we're good to go.'

Noctis frowned as they started off. 'Now I want a chocobo.'

'Highness, do your legs ache?' Ignis asked.

'No, but I could sleep.'

'On a chocobo? You'd fall off,' Ignis pointed out.

'You could tie me to it with rope.'

'Thankfully we have neither a second chocobo nor rope,' Ignis said. 'The crown prince of Lucis should not be seen traversing the Duscean countryside tied to a wild bird.'

Gladiolus sneezed again, and swiped at his nose.

'What is with you?' Prompto said.

'It's your damn hair, I swear it,' Gladiolus said, despite the fact that Prompto's hair wasn't close to his nose. He sniffed loudly.

'My hair is perfectly fine,' Prompto said hotly. 'Can you stop sniffing like that, though? You sound like a wild hog.'

'Not my fault,' Gladiolus muttered, wiping his nose with the back of his hand again. His throat was scratchy too, and he had to keep swallowing to try and relieve it.

'Here,' Noctis said, handing up a bottle of water. 'You okay?'

'Fine,' Gladiolus said with a frown as he downed half the bottle. He wasn't used to getting sick; that was Noctis's job. He couldn't remember the last time he had even so much as had a cold, but now his eyes were sore and his nose was streaming and his throat tickled and was driving him insane.

'Where is this cave supposed to be, anyway?' Prompto said, ignorant to Gladiolus's distress.

'The guy I was talking to at the shop said it wasn't far. Maybe we've gone the wrong way?' Noctis said, turning to Ignis. Ignis always made things right.

'Well we're going north-west like you said. Unless there's another north-west that I was previously unaware of we should have come across it by now.'

'North-west,' Noctis mused. 'Just, remind me again to be sure. West is that way on the compass, isn't it?" He pointed to the right.

Ignis closed his eyes and tried to summon his calm desert island imagery. It wasn't coming. 'That would be east, highness.'

'Ah. Right. Well, it might have been north-east then. We should probably try that way instead.'

Any swear word that Ignis may or may not have been about to utter was promptly cut off by Prompto's grunt. 'Now what are you doing? Look you're scaring the chocobo.'

'Not my fault,' Gladiolus said, scratching at his hands. The skin was red, but he wasn't sure if that was from where he'd been scratching them or if he had a rash or sunburn or what. Today was turning out to be a rubbish day. And now his nose itched too, a horrible itch that made his chest shudder as the urge to sneeze grew.

Ignis sighed. 'Well, we can't be too far off course. I suggest we head due east and try to find the cave entrance. Then tonight I'll be going over map-reading lessons with his highness.'

'I said I was sorry,' Noctis mumbled.

'Actually you didn't,' Ignis pointed out.

They began to turn east, but the chocobo wasn't moving. Prompto turned to Gladiolus who had been steering before. 'Gladio? Think it needs nudging forward a bit to get it going.'

Gladiolus said nothing, concentrating hard on not sneezing because his nose was streaming so much and he didn't have a tissue.

'Gladio?' Prom asked.

'I…shuddup a sec,' Gladiolus managed to say.

'What is with you?' Prompto said.

'I…uh…' Gladiolus couldn't hold it in any longer. The sneeze erupted from him.

KWEH!

The chocobo was so startled it bucked and tipped the two men off its back, then bounded forward away from the noisy humans. Unfortunately it barrelled right in the path Noctis and Ignis were taking.

'Highness!' Ignis leaped into action, tackling the prince out of the path of the wild chocobo as it squawked and stumbled off into the trees.

'Oww,' Noctis said, disentangling himself from his advisor. 'Well that was interesting. Are you okay, Ignis?'

'Fine, I think,' Ignis said, sitting himself up and brushing dirt from his jacket. 'You?'

'Think so. You saved me from being trampled,' Noctis said. He got to his feet shakily and helped Ignis up too, then they turned to the other half of their party who were lying in a heap a few feet away. 'You guys alive?' Noctis asked as they wandered over.

'Oww oww oww!' Prompto said, shifting a little and wincing as pain flared through his wrist.

Gladiolus just managed a groan, his back was in agony from where he'd landed, and his ribs hurt from where Prompto had fallen on him.

'Oh wow, that's broken,' Noctis said with a wince as he sat down beside Prompto and helped his friend sit up.

'Ya think?' Prompto said with a hiss of pain as Noctis gently took his arm and began probing the swollen area.

'Got a spare potion, Iggy?' Noctis asked.

'Just a second,' Ignis said, trying to assess the damage to Gladiolus's back. He didn't want to simply heal with a potion if anything was out of alignment.

'Uh, Iggy, we've got company,' Gladiolus said, gritting his teeth through the pain. 'Just give me a potion and have done with it.'

Ignis looked up and saw the sabertusks prowling. They were still observing for now, but he knew it wouldn't be long before they attacked. Slowly he sat himself up, and glanced over to Noctis, the only other person well enough to fight. Prompto had broken his right wrist, Gladiolus was still down for the count.

'Iggy, potion,' Gladiolus repeated.

'Not until I'm sure I'm not going to paralyse you,' Ignis shot back, and carefully got to his feet. Any sudden movement could set off the first sabertusk to charge, and then the others would follow suit. 'Highness, I count six of them.'

'Cross chain?' Noctis guessed, also getting to his feet, and then glaring at Prompto who was trying to get up too. 'You stay still, rest that arm and try to stay out of the way of claws.'

'But-'

'No buts,' Noctis said.

'Cross chain would be the safest bet, but with six of them we couldn't keep them all busy. They'd go for Gladio and Prom. We should split up, I'll take the left three, you take the right three. Don't attack just one, keep chipping away wounding each of them, whichever is closest to us. We'll kill them eventually, but if we focus on one then the others will attack,' Ignis said.

'I can fight,' Gladiolus said, trying to sit up then collapsing again as pain exploded in his back.

Noctis prepared himself, summoning a sword in his hand. Perhaps it was the glow of that summon that set off the first sabertusk, but within seconds they were all bounding toward the group. Noctis picked out his three and warped to the first one, slicing down hard and sending it flying. He spun on his heel and used his momentum to slash the second, then realised how close the third had managed to get to Prompto. Quickly he warped over, switching to a lance so that he could spear the creature through the side. His friend got splattered with blood, but that was a lot better than being ripped to shreds.

Ignis was able to expend less energy by staying put, close to Gladiolus to shield him. He summoned knives and simply had to throw them at whichever sabertusk was getting closest. It took a while being the only one attacking them, but eventually the three beasts fell and didn’t get up. He turned around just in time to see Noctis warp into the distance and kill the last of his own. The prince warped back, then collapsed to his knees panting. He'd been warping all over the place trying to chase them down, he looked exhausted.

'Nice work, buddy,' Prompto said, reaching out his good hand to squeeze Noctis shoulder.

Ignis handed over a potion to Noctis for Prompto, then went back to checking Gladio's back. Once he was satisfied he gave the older man a potion too. They sat in the shade while they waited for the two to heal, with Prompto's head pillowed in Noctis's lap and his arm resting across his stomach, and Gladiolus lying flat on his back in the dirt.

'What was all that about, anyway?' Prompto finally asked, once the sharp pain in his wrist had receded to a dull throb. 'You were all sneezy and coughy and now you're fine.'

Gladiolus sniffed out of habit, but he found he didn't really need to. 'No idea. I thought I was coming down with a cold or something. Maybe the potion fixed it?'

'Potions don't fix colds, just injuries,' Noctis said, smiling as Ignis nodded proudly. Perhaps that made up for his faux pas with the directions.

'Beats me, then,' Gladiolus said. 'Or maybe that's how long I have a cold for? I'm too tough for a virus to keep me down.'

'Yeah yeah,' Noctis said bitterly. Colds usually had him laid up in bed for a week.

'Or…' Ignis said, as his lips twisted into a smirk.

'Or?' Gladiolus said.

'You're allergic to chocobos. The ones in captivity are bred to be anti-allergenic for riders, but that was a wild one.'

Gladiolus's eyes widened. 'No way. I'm not allergic to something as stupid as a chocobo.'

Prompto was already laughing. 'Oh man, that's amazing.'

'Shut up, it's not,' Gladiolus said. 'I'm not allergic to them, it was just a summer cold.'

'I think it's cute,' Noctis said. 'You're always so tough, but a chocobo can bring you down. Everyone has to have a weak spot, yours is…feathers.'

Prompto curled in on himself, laughing so hard. Even Ignis managed a small, stifled chuckle.

'Well its gone now, so I can't prove you wrong. But next time we find one I'll ride it and be fine and you'll see,' Gladiolus grumbled. 'Not allergic to them…dammit.'

Chapter Text

'Scarlet Witch, obviously,' Gladiolus said. 

Noctis bristled. 'You're calling me a girl?' 

Gladiolus rolled his eyes. 'The question was "what superhero do you think I'm most like?", and to me that's Scarlet Witch. Because of your magic, right? Definitely not because you have delicate feminine features and look good in a dress.' 

Prompto sniggered for all of half a second until Noctis's glare stopped him. He tried to put on his most innocent expression. 'I've never seen you in a dress so I can't comment.' 

'That's because I've never worn a dress,' Noctis said through gritted teeth. 'I thought you were feeling sick. Sick people don't laugh at their best friends.' 

'I'm not laughing, I'm…' 

'Laughing. You were laughing,' Noctis said. 

'Only a teeny bit. You're just so cute when you're all offended and haughty.' 

'I am not offended and haughty. Okay I'm offended, but in my defence a guy named after a goddamn flower just said I looked like a girl.' 

This time Gladiolus was the one to sit up a little straighter and narrow his eyes at his charge. 'Watch  it, shorty.' 

'Hulk!' Prompto shouted. 'Gladio is totally the Hulk, look how he changed then when you insulted him. Definitely Hulk.' 

It diffused the situation as Gladiolus seemed happy enough to be compared to someone as strong as that. 

'How about you? Who do we think Prom would be?' Gladiolus asked. There was a long moment of silence as the two tried to sort through their knowledge of superheroes. 

Prompto took this the wrong way and sank back against his pillows on his bed. 'Just say it. I'm Aqualad, right? The useless one that everybody pretends they like but really they wish he'd go away and leave them alone so they can do some proper superheroing.' 

Noctis reached out and squeezed Prompto's hand. 'Friends don't let friends compare themselves to Aqualad. No, you're…uh…you're…Gladio, help me out here.' 

Gladiolus looked mildly alarmed and scratched the back of his head. 'Uh, you're…um…uh…' 

Prompto rolled his eyes. 'It's okay guys. Don't give yourself an aneurysm.' 

'But you're not Aqualad,' Noctis confirmed. 

'Yeah, sure.' 

'Iron Man,' Gladiolus said quickly. 

Prompto looked unimpressed. 'Yeah, and how exactly am I like Iron Man? The engineering genius? The silly beard?' 

Noctis and Gladiolus exchanged desperate looks, then had to admit that Prompto wasn't really like Iron Man at all. 

Changing the subject Noctis reached out for the hot water bottle that Prompto was clutching to his stomach. The rubber was lukewarm at best which gave him a perfect excuse to extract himself from the curtain of awkwardness than had fallen over them. 'I'll refill this.' And then he was gone as fast as if he'd warped out of the bedroom. 

Gladiolus smiled too brightly and patted Prompto's knee over the blankets. 'How are you feeling now anyway?' 

'Bit better,' Prompto said. He wasn't going to hold a grudge; it wasn't his friends' fault that he was a crappy superhero. 'The pain isn't as bad anymore and I don't feel so sick.' 

'Ready to try eating anything?' 

Prompto paled a little. 'Not just yet.' He took the opportunity to shift a little against the pillows he had been propped up against. He'd been in bed all day since he woke up with one of his stomach aches that just wasn't going away with the regular meds. They usually took less than an hour to work but it was mid-afternoon and he was still feeling pretty grim. All he wanted to do was curl up around a hot water bottle. Fortunately his friends were on hand to keep him company and from going insane being stuck in bed feeling like death warmed up. Noctis had been more than happy to return to bed after getting up and had joined him under the covers, curled around him like a cat, then fallen asleep. Which had been adorable but boring. Gladiolus had then joined them and they'd started playing card games then moved onto Marvel films, which had inspired their latest topic of conversation. 

Noctis returned with a piping-hot hot water bottle which Prompto accepted gratefully. Then Noctis sprawled next to him on the bed and yawned. 

'I'm exhausted.' 

Gladiolus raised an eyebrow from his position on a chair drawn up the other side of Prompto. 'You're exhausted? Prom is the sick guy and you're exhausted. You have literally done nothing all day.' 

'I have been my charming self,' Noctis countered. 'It's almost time for my afternoon nap.' 

'That is not a thing,' Gladiolus argued. 

'I'm the prince and if I say it’s a thing then it's a thing. When I'm king I'll make it a royal law or something. Everyone has to stop what they're doing at three o'clock and nap.' 

Prompto grinned and lifted a hand to run through Noctis's hair. It really was like petting a cat. He was half sure that Noctis even purred lightly. 'Whatever you say, Noct.' 

Gladiolus snorted. 'He has a sort of point, Prom, you probably should try and get some sleep. Might help you feel better.' 

'I wouldn't say no to a nap. Specially if I've got someone to keep my bed warm with me.' 

Noctis was already half gone and sleepily muttered something that wasn't entirely sensical. 

'I don't think he's going anywhere,' Gladiolus said with a grin, then ruffled Prompto's hair gently. 'I'll leave you two to it then. I've got to start helping with the preparations for tomorrow.' 

Prompto frowned down at Noctis. 'We really have to go?' 

'He really has to go,' Gladiolus said with a nod to Noctis. 'But you were in a lot of pain this morning. Thinking maybe you should sit this one out.' 

'No way!' Prompto's head snapped up. 

'What, you don't trust me to look after him?' 

'Of course, but I should be protecting him too. It's my job.' 

'Right now your job is to feel better. See how you feel in the morning, tough guy.' 

Prompto reluctantly agreed. The lights were turned off as Gladiolus left so the room was plunged into dimness as the thick curtains were closed. Prompto shuffled down the bed to get himself lying down and Noctis squiggled a bit until he was curled up at Prompto's side. With a smile Prompto wrapped an arm around Noctis to keep the prince close to his side. 

'You don't have to come,' Noctis mumbled. 'It'll be boring. We're just going to meet the stuffy Emperor, tell him that his airships have been infringing our airspace, he'll fake apologise and pay us compensation, then keep doing it anyway because he's an ass.' 

'Yeah but you'll be there. I'll be more bored if you leave me here alone.' 

'And I'll be worried if you come with us not feeling great. I don't want you passing out from the pain or throwing up on Iedolas's shoes. Actually that might be funny.' 

'I hate being alone,' Prompto whispered, holding Noctis tighter. 'You know that.' 

Noctis was silent for a moment, then he looked up at his friend. In the dim light Noctis's eyes glowed bright blue. 'Gladio can stay with you. It's not like we're going into battle, and my father will have brought a couple of guards. Gladio will probably be bored too, this is more of an Iggy thing.' 

'No! No, Noct, I can't take your bodyguard.' 

'One old man and a few tin can soldiers,' Noctis said. 'What's the worst that can happen? Don't worry Prom. We'll be gone a few hours, tops. What can happen in a few hours?' 

Prompto still didn't like the idea, but he rested his cheek against the top of Noctis's hair and let himself fall asleep, lulled by the sound of the prince's steady, even breathing. 

- 

'I know what you're thinking,' Noctis said. 

'Really? Because if you did, then you'd never have bothered suggesting it in the first place,' Gladiolus said. 

It was the next morning and Prompto was still feeling a bit sickly. Though he was out of bed he was still clutching at his stomach every so often and was in obvious discomfort. 

'We're just going to meet the Emperor for a drink and to discuss politics. Boring as Hell and completely uneventful. You'll be bored, so you might as well stay here and play video games with Prom. Actually that sounds way more fun. Maybe you could pretend to be me and I'll stay here and play video games?' 

'Noct…' 

'Oh come on. My father is only taking two guards. That's how unthreatening he thinks the situation is. And I'll have Iggy with me.' 

Gladiolus looked torn, and still couldn't make up his mind until Noctis went and gave him a pleading look. 

'Come on. You know Prom hates being left alone and the poor guy isn't feeling well. I'm more worried about him than I am about me. So please? You'll be putting my mind at rest by staying with him.' 

Slowly Gladiolus began to cave. 'Fine. But I swear if you die out there then I will personally administer a phoenix down to bring you back just so I can kick your ass.' 

Noctis grinned. 'Thanks, Gladio.' 

'Go on. Get lost, bratling.' 

Noctis ducked the noogie Gladiolus tried to catch him in and hurried off to where his father and the small group were waiting by two sleek black cars. The king looked past Noctis to the empty space behind him. 

'No Gladiolus?' 

'He's, uh, staying behind. I don't need him all the time.' 

King Regis didn't look pleased and he bent down to speak into Noctis's ear. 'Be careful, my son. We can't be seen to be going in aggressively by taking too many men, but Niflheim are unpredictable. Iedolas is mad, and will use any excuse to start a war.' 

'I'll be careful. I won't open my mouth unless Iggy tells me what to say.' 

King Regis laughed and smiled over at Ignis. 'We'll meet you both at the rendezvous point. I'll be taking one car with my men, the two of you are to follow us. Is that alright?' 

'That's fine, Your Majesty,' Ignis said. 

Ignis held the passenger door for Noctis then took the driving seat and started up the car. 

'You think it's a bad idea. I can tell from your silence. It's not a happy silence, it's the "Noctis has done something stupid" kind of silence.' 

With a small amused smile Ignis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 'I wasn't aware that you were so adept at reading my silences.' 

'Mainly just the "Noctis has done something stupid" silences. And mainly because it happens so often.' 

'You do like to test the limits of your boundaries.' 

'You mean I'm reckless and stupid?' 

'I'm going to go grey before I'm thirty, yes.' 

'Sorry Iggy.' 

Ignis shook his head. 'It's fine. Prompto was doing better this morning, I think a day of games and films with Gladiolus will set him right again. Perhaps this is for the best.' 

Noctis playfully shoved Ignis. 'There you go. I'll make a rebel out of you yet.' 

They drove behind the first car for an hour or so, out of Insomnia and through the outer suburbs of Lucis. Finally they emerged in the countryside and they were able to speed up along the dusty roads to the meeting point that Iedolas had dictated. It seemed neutral enough; a small abandoned mill by a lake between Lucis and Accordo. The scene was of picturesque rolling green land as far as the eye could see, but the sky was lavender; thick with heavy rainclouds that blocked out the sun and gave the day a chilly edge. The water itself was a dark grey that mirrored the sky above. It curved like a crescent moon and by its edge sat the old mill. The mill was abandoned now but was still a magnificent wooden structure. Ignis parked beside the other Lucian car and got out to open Noctis's door while taking in his surroundings. 

'Cold,' Noctis muttered. 

'And empty,' Ignis said. 

'Do we get points for being here first?' Noctis asked. 

Ignis's lips thinned as he pressed them together. 'Let's join the rest of the group.' 

King Regis was looking apprehensive as they approached. 'I'm not going to complain about being here first, at least we can be sure they haven't had time to set up a trap for us.' 

'They could have come earlier,' one of the king's guards said, and promptly disappeared into the mill to check it for traps or hidden soldiers. 

'What's that?' Noctis asked, peering into the grey sky. 'Airships? Is he coming by air?' 

The king scoffed. 'Probably, knowing him. Pompous ass. Not for repeating in front of him.' 

Noctis smiled innocently. 'Wouldn't dream of it.' 

They waited while the airship drew closer, it's hover units a dull droning sound that cut through the serenity of the countryside as it approached. The guard still hadn't returned from his check inside the mill so the second went in to fetch him. 

'Majesty?' Ignis said suddenly, lifting a hand to block out the little sunlight that there was so he could see better. 'Unless my eyes are misleading me I believe that's a military class aircarrier.' 

Suddenly both king and prince were on alert and peering through the thick cloud cover. It was hard to tell but the aircraft was definitely boxier than a private luxury aircraft would be. 

Above the racket of the aircraft there was a strange humming sound coming from the mill that raised the hairs on the back of Noctis's neck. He looked to his father and advisor but they were deep in conversation about the aircraft. So Noctis opened the heavy wooden door and stepped inside the building. 

It was much darker than Noctis would have thought and now that he was inside it really did feel as if the air was charged. He stepped cautiously around old pieces of farm machinery and boxes stacked high. The buzzing sound was getting louder and with it he could hear a sort of mechanical rhythmic thud. Maybe some piece of machinery had been left on? But where were the guards? The place wasn't that big, they should have swept it for traps and left by now. Fear gripped Noctis's heart as he found himself in front of a door. The noises were coming from inside. Taking a deep breath he reached for the handle, then drew his hand back as electricity zapped through his palm. 

'Son of a-' He cradled his hand and looked about for something to open the door with, before remembering he had magical powers. He was the Scarlet Witch, right? With a shake of his head he lifted his tingling hand and drew an energy spell from the crystal. He transferred it into a shock wave that blew the door off its hinges. 

Instantly he wished he hadn't bothered. Inside were two Niflheim drones. One was walking about in a circle (the source of the thumping) and the other had skewered one of the guards with its arm and was busy electrocuting him. The guard was clearly dead, his skin burned black and steam rising from his body. The stench of charred flesh was nauseating. A second unidentifiable body that was presumably the first guard lay at the drone's feet. 

Hoping to go unnoticed Noctis backed up slowly into the first room, his eyes fixed on the roaming drone that could turn at any moment and see him. He was halfway across the room when he heard another strange sound; a sort of whistling. He was trying to place it; it was a familiar yet unfamiliar sound. Like something he had dreamed but never experienced. 

'Highness!' Ignis's panicked screams from outside sounded far too desperate to be just because he had wandered off. 

With his heart hammering against his ribs Noctis turned away from the drone and made a run for the door of the old mill. His hand grabbed the handle and shoved open the door just as the earth exploded around him. Simply he realised what the sound had been; a guided missile. Huh. Go figure. 

The wooden walls of the mill all seemed to cave in together, and the roof collapsed in burning chunks of thatch and heavy wooden beams. The blast had slammed Noctis hard, throwing him through the open door and slamming him into the dirt leaving his body bruised and his ears ringing from the explosion. Debris had fallen on top of him and he was choking on dust. It took a lot of effort to move things off himself until suddenly things started to come away by themselves. The pressure on his legs vanished and suddenly he was able to see the light of day and his father's worried eyes. 

'Are you alright?' the elder man asked, reaching out a hand to haul Noctis to his feet. 

A steadying arm went around his shoulders as he almost fell, dizzy from pain and disoriented from the explosion. 'What happened?' He demanded. 

'It's a warship,' Ignis said. 'We need to get to the cars. It's a trap.' 

Noctis found it hard to hear Ignis over the tinnitus in his ears, but allowed his advisor to half drag him toward the cars parked by the edge of the lake. Heavy raindrops were falling, splashing into the surface of the water which was choppy and agitated from the missile and the hover units from the airship that was drawing ever nearer. 

'Keep moving,' the king's deep voice boomed. It was clear they were the only survivors and Noctis was glad nobody was asking what happened to the guards. The terrible smell of burning skin still made him feel sick as he was hurried along. They had just reached the cars and Ignis was opening the door when the second blast hit. There was a high pitched whine as the airship's weapon system activated then a terrific blast as the energy ball smashed the edge of the lake. Water sprayed over them and the cars were lifted a good few inches of the ground before they slammed back down onto the grass. Noctis fell to his knees in the mud and tried to look about for his father or Ignis. Were they okay? Had anyone been hit? 

'Father,' Noctis rasped. 'Ignis?' 

The air was thick with grey smoke and the smell of burning reeds. Fortunately the cars hadn't been hit so Noctis crawled over to one of them. He reached up for the door handle just as he heard a splash behind him. 

Slowly, very slowly, he turned around. Coming out of the water was a gator as long as the Regalia. Grey scales shone slick with water and narrow amber eyes watched Noctis intently. Noctis desperately tried to keep his breathing under control and began to gather magic in his hand, ready to aim an ice spell at the creature to freeze it in place while he made his escape. He was slowly bringing his hand up ready to release the spell when the airship's gunfire started. Rounds and rounds of bullets hit the water and the ground around him and for the time being the gator was the least of his worries. Quickly he scrambled under the car as bullets rained down into the bodywork. From his position he could see Ignis and his father crouched the other side of the car, taking cover as best they could as they were too big to fit under. For all his complaining about being small it was working in his favour right now. 

Something snapped behind him and he kicked out with his leg as he felt the hot breath of the gator. 

'Go away,' he hissed. At least the bullets had stopped. Pity none had hit the hungry creature. 'You're too big to get me under here.' 

'Highness?' Ignis's face appeared under the car. 'Oh thank Etro. Come on, we're leaving.' 

A gloved hand was held out to Noctis, and he took it grateful as he began to shimmy out the other side of the car. He was almost home free when the car rocked above him and there was a sharp explosion of pain unlike anything he had ever felt before. 

He screamed. He let go of Ignis' hand. He tried to work out what the hell was happening. 

'Highness!' 

Ignis's face had gone grey but Noctis was barely aware enough to see it. All he could think of was that his leg was in so much pain. So much pain. And it was wet and it hadn't been raining that much, so why was it wet and warm? Then he was dragged back, out under the car toward the gator. Ignis's hand reached out for him and Noctis reached for his advisor, but their fingertips missed by half an inch. He was flipped onto his back and that was when he saw the damage; the gator had grabbed his leg with its teeth. His pant leg had been torn off and he could see the pale skin had a series of deep holes in it that were bleeding profusely. Noctis felt sick and dizzy as he looked at them. 

'Ignis?' he called uncertainly. Ignis would help. Ignis had to help, right? 

Then the gator leaped forward again and this time Noctis got to watch as the teeth sunk deep into his leg. He screamed again and tried to pull his leg free but the gator seemed to think it was a game. It started moving backward dragging Noctis with it, then it shook him from side to side, teeth still clamped through Noctis's leg. Noctis felt like a rag doll being tossed about, the holes in his leg getting bigger as the gator's teeth worked their way through muscle and tendons. Then it crunched down hard and the sickening sound of bones crushing filled the air. 

Noctis yelled again, his throat raw from screaming. He was tossed about, his body hitting the ground with enough force to bruise. All he could do was try to curl in on himself to save his face being smashed or his wrists being broken. Small consolation when his mind played him images of the damage to his leg, but he couldn't do anything about that. He couldn't pull away and his mind was so distracted by pain that he couldn't draw a weapon or a spell to help himself. He tried, but the magic died out before he could draw it down to his hand as another wave of sickness washed over him. 

Distantly Noctis thought he heard his name being called, and then he felt magic being desperately ripped through his body. The gator chomped down harder and the worst pain he had ever felt in his life tore through his leg and fired up through his body briefly before he mercifully passed out cold. 

- 

Ignis's heart had literally stopped dead when he saw his prince being dragged away from him. He was quite sure that he would never forget the look of pain and fear in the young man's eyes as their hands just missed each other and Noctis had disappeared. By the time he had come to his senses and run around the other side of the car all he could do was watch as Noctis was half chewed by the gator. He drew a knife in his hand and took aim, but the gator was thrashing about so much and had Noctis so tightly in its mouth that he didn't trust his aim. Not when there was even the slightest possibility of hitting his charge. 

When the gator let go of Noctis Ignis rushed forward to pull the prince back, but his foot slipped in the mud and he fell backward. By the time he had cursed and sat himself up again the gator had reclaimed its hold on the prince and was thrashing about wildly. Ignis tried to work out what it was doing while simultaneously thinking of a way to rescue the prince. With sickened horror he realised that the gator was trying to bite Noctis's leg off, so that it could eat the prince easier. Panic seized Ignis at the thought of losing his charge, and without thinking what it might do to the injured prince he drew a strong fire spell and threw it at the gator. 

The creature squealed and released its grip on the prince briefly while it recoiled from the magic. Ignis wasted no time in grabbing Noctis under the arms and dragging him out of reach. The gator was quick to recover and noticed it's meal escaping. The scent of hot, fresh blood spurred it on and it scrambled easily across the mud toward them. 

A flash of silver, a single swish, and then the gator's head was rolling, separated from its body by a clean stroke. King Regis stood over the beast with his gnarled hannd still aloft, directing the phantom sword. 'Ignis? Is he…?' 

Ignis gathered the prince in his arms, realising as he did so just how much he was shaking. He had to calm down, he was no use to the royal family panicking like this. But Noctis's face was deathly pale, and there was so much blood. It had soaked the mud, turning it a wine red. It was soaking through his own trousers, hot and sticky. He could se the damage to the prince's leg and it almost made him vomit. The skin was torn open viciously and the leg lay at an unnatural angle from the knee downward. Threads of muscle and tendon were clearly visible as were the bones which had been broken into shards in places from the strong jaws of the gator. 

Forcing himself to stop panicking Ignis pressed trembling fingers, slick with blood, to Noctis's throat. There was a long moment when all he could hear was the howling wind and distant sounds of the airship which was disappearing into the distance. Then he felt it; weak, but a definite throb of a pulse beneath his fingertips. He released a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding and resisted the urge to pull the prince close in a tight embrace. 

'He's alive,' Ignis said. 'But he won't be for long. We need to get him to a hospital. Lucis is probably nearer than Accordo, but not by far. We could try for one of the outer city hospitals, but they might not be well equipped-' 

'The palace has a military hospital. They're used to trauma cases,' the king said. His voice was remarkably steady but Ignis could see the fear etched into the elder man's features. He knelt down and ran a hand through his son's hair. 'I want him to be treated by the best healers we have and they're at the palace. Do you think he'll last that long?' 

Ignis hesitated and looked down at the figure in his arms, who suddenly seemed younger and smaller than ever. 'I'll need to tie a tourniquet to slow the bleeding. That will buy him some time. He shouldn't bleed out before we get back but I'm worried about shock. We'll need to keep him warm and as comfortable as possible.' 

'In the back of a car?' The king asked with a grimace. 

'We'll try our best,' Ignis said. 

The king nodded and reached down for the young prince. It was on the tip of Ignis's tongue to offer to do the honours himself, but it seemed the king needed to do this for himself. For a few seconds he was able to hold his son close, feel his warmth and reassure himself that while not well his son was still alive. 

Hurriedly Ignis got up and opened the door to one of the cars. The king gently placed his son down across the back seats, then got into the driver's seat himself. Ignis pushed the passenger seat as far forward as it would go to make room for his tall frame, then folded himself in the footwell at the back and closed the door behind him. Almost immediately the car engine sprang to life and they were speeding away from the lake and the mill and the decapitated gator that had caused so much harm. 

'Keep him alive,' the king ordered in a voice that sounded strong despite the fear the older man was harbouring. 

Ignis took stock of the situation; Noctis was even paler that he had been and there were dark purple rings under his eyes. But that couldn't be helped. First of all he needed to stop the bleeding. His own leather jacket was no good for a tourniquet but the shirt underneath was fine. He stripped down bare and shrugged the jacket back on, then began the work of tearing the shirt in half so that it was a bit thinner. 

'How is he?' The king asked. 

'I'm now tying his leg to help stop the bleeding.' 

'Will it…the leg? It looked…' 

Ignis didn't answer the unasked question that hovered between them. He had no idea if they'd be able to save Noctis's leg or not, his main concern right now as making sure they didn't lose the prince. 

The car was almost bouncing down the country lanes which didn’t help matters, so Ignis had to do the best he could in the conditions they were under. Blood was already soaked through the backseat and pooling at his knees in the footwell so he wound the strip of shirt around Noctis’s thigh and pulled it as tight as he could. The damage ended just above the knee so that was where he cut off the bloodflow. It didn’t seem to have any effect but there was already so much blood that it was hard to tell what was fresh. 

His hands were covered in warm, sticky blood and when he tried to clean them off on his trousers he found his clothe were soaked too. It took a moment to get his breathing under control again as he realised just how much his prince was losing, and once he was calmer he touched Noctis’s throat again, only happy once he had felt the unsteady, weak pulse. 

'Hang on, Highness,' he whispered. 'Please don’t leave us.' 

The drive back seemed to take half the time the outward journey had taken. Ignis dreaded to think what speed the king was driving at but then he was sure if he was at the wheel he'd be breaking a few rules himself to get back to Insomnia. The gravity of the situation hit him hard as he crouched uncomfortably in the back of the car and stroked Noctis's muddy, blood matted hair away from his closed eyes, and held the prince's limp hand. He had never felt so useless but there was very little he could do without medical supplies. Even with supplies he'd not have been much better; Noctis needed blood. And surgery. Ignis dared another glance at the leg. The bleeding seemed to have slowed which was good, but the sheer trauma to the leg was horrendous. The skin had been bitten away and in the few spots not covered in blood dark bruising was already forming. 

The countryside gave way to city, then the bustle of Insomnia. The sky was dark and grey despite being late morning. Traffic was bad but the king simply drove on the opposite side of the road to get past the congestion. Cars blared their horns as they mounted the curb to get out of his way, but the king seemed strangely detached from his surroundings. As the large dark palace loomed into view Ignis turned back to Noctis, terrified that his prince would fall at the last hurdle. He ran a bloodied hand over Noctis's forehead, smoothing the dark hair back. 

'Almost there, Highness. Just hold on a little longer. We'll get you help.' 

Instead of driving to the underground garage the king simply stopped the car outside the entrance closest to the hospital. The car jerked to a stop and before Ignis knew what was happening the door was open and the king was reaching for his son. 

'Go ahead and tell them we need help!' The king said sharply, then his face softened as he looked down at his son. He turned back to Ignis was trying to get out of the car on cramped, rubbery legs. 'Please. Sorry, Ignis. Please.' 

'It's fine,' Ignis assured the king. There were times for politeness and when your son was half dead in your arms an exception could be made. 

Ignis wasted no time in hurrying into the palace and toward the healer's wing. It wasn't as large as the main city hospital but the staff were second to none and trained to deal with battle wounded soldiers. They would be better equipped to deal with Noctis's injury. 

Without a hint of his usual grace Ignis barrelled into the double doors that led into the main waiting area and stormed over to the nurse's station where a nurse was writing notes. 'Prince Noctis will be being brought in shortly. He will need immediate medical attention and surgery. Call the healer. Call all the healers.' 

The nurse blinked at him and slowly set down her pen. 'Ignis, you're covered in blood. What's happened? I have two healers doing ward rounds at the moment-' 

'Call them here. And get a bed ready,' Ignis's trembling hand reached up to push his glasses up his nose. 'His highness was attacked and he's lost a lot of blood.' 

The nurse was already paging the healers then she was on her feet with a set of keys. 'I'll get his records for his blood type.' 

'B negative,' Ignis answered instantly. Though his position meant that he needed to know the prince's medical history, he was far too acquainted as he would have liked. This would not be Noctis's first emergency hospital trip by far. 

The nurse hurried off to get the blood just as the doors opened from both sides of the room In front of him a healer emerged from the wards and asked what was wrong, and behind him the doors slammed open and the king stormed in carrying the prince. 

Suddenly everything exploded into action. The healer pushed past Ignis just as the second healer entered the room too, then the nurse was back carrying a bag of blood which she quickly clipped to a stand and hovered while the king settled Noctis down on a bed by the door. The nurse worked on inserting the needle for the blood while the healers cut away what remained of Noctis's trousers and began examining him, muttering to each other as they worked. 

'Will he be alright?' King Regis demanded. 

The nurse gestured for the king to step back. Ignis moved closer to them so he could hear what was being said by both the nurse and the healers as they talked between themselves and proposed plans for surgery. 

'What happened?' the nurse asked. 

'A gator,' the king said, looking past her to his son. 'Will he be alright?' 

'The healers will do all they can, I promise you,' she said. 'When did it happen?' 

'I…I don't know,' the king said impatiently. 'Are they going to perform surgery? Will they be able to save his leg?' 

'About an hour and a half ago,' Ignis answered. He felt as panicked as the king but his training was kicking in and he knew the medical staff needed answers. 

'The tourniquet may have saved his life,' one of the healers said. His gloved hands were crimson. 'Surgery is risky with the blood loss, but with an injury like that it can't be left open. The leg is stripped bare and exposed.' 

The king sat down on a spare bed, his face ashen grey. 'Will you have to amputate?' 

The healer shook his head. 'I'd do everything in my power to fix the damage, but I've never seen such a savage injury before. I'm not sure it can be saved.' 

'Do what you can. Please,' the king said. He swallowed hard and raised his head. 'Do whatever it takes but please save my son.' 

'We'll do the best we can,' the healer said, as the second healer and a nurse began wheeling the bed out of the ward. 'We'll keep you updated of our progress in surgery.' 

'Thank you,' the king said, and watched them go. Finally he heaved a sigh and looked up at Ignis. 'Well that was a mess.' 

'It was a trap. We should have been better prepared,' Ignis said. 'The fault is mine for not taking more adequate precautions-' 

'We could have taken a hundred men and then what? We'd have a hundred more corpses. We couldn't have predicted they would do that.' 

'We need to find out why they did it,' Ignis said, the rational side of his brain taking over from the numbing shock of seeing his prince covered in blood. 'I will find out who is responsible for the attack and they will pay.' 

The king's eyes flashed red, mirroring the anger rising within him. 'Oh they will pay.' 

A long silence stretched between them and though Ignis wanted to go and find someone from Niflheim to murder right now he found his feet wouldn't move away from the hospital. Though he was nowhere near Noctis and couldn't influence his treatment in any way whatsoever, he felt that leaving his charge was impossible. As if by not being there and taking his attention away, Noctis might slip away. 

Instead he took out his phone and fired off a quick text. His emerald eyes rose to the king. 'It might get a little noisy in here very soon. Would you like a drink?' 

'Gin if it's going,' the king said with a grimace. 

'I'll see what I can do,' Ignis said. The vending machine outside the ward didn't provide alcohol, but the ebony coffee was strong enough to keep you wired for hours. Ignis knew this from experience, and as he filled four paper cups he wondered how many times he had used this machine over the years. While waiting for Noctis to come out of surgery, or during a stint of sitting with the prince while he recovered in hospital, or even just for appointments. So many appointments the prince had had. And now he would have dozens more, if he was lucky enough to survive. 

The doors behind him burst open as if a behemoth had burst through them. 

'Iggy! What happened?' Gladiolus asked. 

'Is he…alright…?' Prompto panted, considerably out of breath after what Ignis could only imagine was a frantic dash to try and keep up with Gladiolus. 

'He…' Ignis trailed off, then looked down at the cup of coffee in his hand. Without his gloves on the liquid was scalding him through the cup, but he had barely even noticed. The cup was taken from him and set down with the others, then he found himself looking into a pair of steady amber eyes. 

'What happened?' Gladiolus repeated, his voice firm but comforting. 

'We were ambushed,' Ignis said softly. His chest constricted as he relieved the bangs of the gunfire, felt the ground shake, and worried that Noctis had been shot as they all dove for cover. 

'Goddamn Niflheim bastards,' Prompto spat. 'Sorry. But they are. I could have told you that slimy git would have tried something.' 

Ignis almost smiled at the outburst. Prompto only swore like that when something was really upsetting him and he could tell by the wound up tension that the blond was desperate to go bursting in to see his friend. Unfortunately there would be nothing to find in the ward. 

'Are you alright?' Gladiolus pressed. 

Now he did laugh. 'Me? Yes, I'm quite alright. I managed to hide behind the car like a coward for the whole thing. And when he reached out for me...' Ignis could see it now. Noctis under the car, reaching out a hand toward him, then the dark haired prince being dragged back, their fingertips barely brushing as Noctis was taken from him. 

Prompto sat down heavily on one of the plastic chairs. 'He was shot?' he asked in a hollow voice. 

Ignis suddenly realised he wasn't explaining himself very well, which was most unlike him. 'No. No he wasn't shot. It was the gator.' 

'The gator?' Prompto exchanged a look with Gladiolus. 'What gator? Did Niflheim unleash swamp creatures on you or something?' 

'No,' Ignis snapped. 'There was…it was…' 

'Iggy, buddy, sit down,' Gladiolus said. 

'I do not need to sit down.' 

Large hands pushed his shoulders and suddenly he found himself on a seat with his head facing down between his legs. The room around him was swaying slightly and somehow Prompto had moved to sit beside him and both men had a hand on his back. 

'Easy,' Gladiolus said when he tried to pull away. 'You looked like you were gonna pass out there. Now why don't you take it slowly? What the hell happened?' 

Ignis took a deep breath then sat himself up. Prompto pressed one of the cups of ebony into his hands and he eagerly drank it, scolding hot as it was, though it did nothing to calm his racing heart. 'We arrived as planned. But an airship came at us. His Highness vanished and that diverted our attention briefly, he had gone to investigate the mill where our guards had vanished into. They fired at the mill but we managed to get him out of the debris. Then they opened fire on us and we had to take cover behind the cars. Then…I suppose the gunfire must have drawn the gator from the lake. It grabbed His Highness by the leg and wouldn't let go. He lost a lot of blood, and the damage to his leg is...is extensive.' 

'He's in surgery now?' Gladiolus asked. 

'Yes,' Ignis said. He crumpled the cup in his hand. 'They're doing "all they can", which is healer-speak for they don't think he's going to pull through.' 

'He's tougher than he looks,' Gladiolus said. 'How many times have we thought we've lost the little guy? And he's always made it through to bug the hell out of us for another day. It's his job; he lives to freak us out and make us worry over him.' 

'You didn't see him,' Ignis whispered. 'His leg is…it's just a mess. He's a mess. And he lost so much blood. He could go into shock and that could be the end. All because I couldn’t protect him.' 

'No. Don't do that,' Gladiolus said. 'Don't start blaming yourself. Are you going to blame me? For not being there with you guys? I feel like shit too, you know. Don't know what I could have done differently, but maybe I could have shielded him or something.' 

'From a gator?' Prompto asked, breaking his silence. He was sitting on his hands, staring down at his boots. 

'Well, maybe I'd have been a bit more appetising and the gator would have gone for me, instead? Bit more meat on my bones, why go for a scrawny kid when you can have this feast,' Gladiolus waved a hand at his body. 'Maybe I could have wrestled it down or-' 

'Wrestled a gator?' Ignis asked. 'It probably weighed four times as much as you.' 

'There you go then. Stop beating yourself up over something you couldn't help. No offence Iggy, but you're his advisor not his bodyguard. You're not supposed to have to leap in and save him from that kind of thing. That's my job, I should have…man, I don't know. I guess I should have been there.' 

'But you weren't, because you were with me,' Prompto said quietly. 

Gladiolus sighed and ran a hand through his long hair. 'Well this is damn depressing. We all gonna beat ourselves up over this, or are we going to actually do something useful for him?' 

'Like what?' Ignis asked. 

'Haven't figured that part out yet. Opening up the floor to suggestions,' Gladiolus said, looking between his friends. 

'Being there for him,' Ignis said finally. 'He's going to survive the surgery and he's going to need our help recovering and rehabilitating. So we'll work out a system to ensure that one of us is always with him to help.' 

'Good. Positive, I like that. Prom?' 

The blond's face was scrunched up in thought. 'I could…buy him a chocobo plushie? As like a get well gift kind of thing?' 

'Cute. Loving your work there Prom as our morale officer.' 

The tension in Prompto's shoulders eased a little at the praise, and he sat up a little straighter. 'How long will the surgery take?' 

'As long as it takes,' Ignis said. 'I imagine it will be complicated because the king was insistent that his leg try to be saved.' 

'So if it takes a long time then that's good, right? Mean's he's still fighting,' Prompto asked. 

'It will take as long as it takes,' Ignis replied patiently, with a wan smile. If it took too long then there was the possibility of other complications that they were having to fix. The blood loss would drop the prince's blood pressure and there was the shock to deal with too. Ignis gulped down the last of his coffee and poured fresh ones for himself and the king. 'Let's join His Majesty. I fear it's going to be a long evening.' 

And a long evening it was. The men sat in the ward for hours by the empty space that Noctis's bed had occupied. Prompto and Gladiolus went off to find dinner and somehow came back with Nandos takeout. It was a testament to how distracted he was that Ignis simply accepted his chicken meal without complaint and chewed thoughtfully as he watched the doors. 

'No, see, that's the thing,' Prompto said around a mouthful of chicken wing. 'It's like a roulette game and you don't know which flavour you're getting. You can't just pick which flavour you want.' 

'I see,' the king said, his hand hovering over a chicken wing, hesitant to select it in case it blew his socks off. The last one he'd had had almost given him a heart attack. 

'Seriously, you've never had Nandos before?' Prompto asked for the fifth time. 

'Never,' the king confirmed again, deciding he was hungry enough to risk it. The chicken was pleasantly mild. 

The doors to the ward opened and a healer came through. All of the men rose to their feet just as a bed was wheeled in by the second healer. 

'Is he alright?' Prompto asked, trying to get a good view of his best friend. The prince was half sat up in the hospital bed with a blanket tucked up to his chest. His arms were resting atop the covers with a needle in each; one delivering blood, the other clear fluid. The blankets were drawn away by Noctis's leg, which was bandaged heavily and elevated by a thin pillow. Prompto took a seat beside the bed as soon as it was locked into position, and hesitantly reached out for his friend's hand, not wanting to hurt him. He looked so pale and frail in the large bed, and he worried that touching him would cause the prince to shatter like glass. 

'Hey buddy,' he whispered, because whispering seemed like the thing to do. 

'What's the big idea making us worry like that?' Gladiolus asked, grabbing a chair and turning it backward so he could cross his arms against the back of the chair and lean close to the head of the bed. 

Noctis slept on, his chest barely rising and falling at all. As one of the healers connected wires to a machine by the bed a rhythmic beeping filled the silence. 

'We'll be watching out for infection or shock,' the second healer said. 'We were able to remove the most badly damaged tissue and have temporarily reconstructed his leg. It will need further surgery once he's strong enough to withstand it but his blood pressure kept dropping so our main aim was the stop the bleeding and stabilise the leg for now.' 

'Thank you,' the king said, shifting closer to the bed and taking in the sight of son looking ashen grey. His stomach turned and twisted painfully. 'Will he wake up soon?' 

'He's still under the effects of sedation and has some pretty powerful painkillers,' the healer said, pointing to the IV. 'He'll probably sleep through the night at least. We'll reassess him for further surgery tomorrow.' 

The king nodded and turned back to his son. His heart sank. A hand pressed gently on his shoulder and he found himself looking into Ignis's eyes; the advisor looked as exhausted as he felt. 

'Your Majesty, you need rest,' Ignis pressed. 

The king sighed; they all needed rest, it was gone midnight. However he knew what Ignis meant. He was connected to the crystal and the only thing holding the barrier up around Lucis. Should he drive himself to exhaustion their defences would be down and their people at risk. Now more than ever they needed the barriers; if Niflheim was bold enough to attack them in the open, then what would stop them attacking the city? 

'Very well,' the king said. 'But I want to know the moment he wakes up. Or if anything…changes.' 

Ignis nodded. 'Of course, Majesty.' 

The king returned his nod and moved closer to the bed. Prompto offered up his seat but the king simply bent down and pressed a kiss to his son's forehead and smoothed back the unruly dark hair. 'Sleep well, Noct. Please don’t leave me too.' 

With the king gone the healers went about a few last checks. 'If anything changes press the call button,' one said, indicating the little buzzer on a wire. 'I'll be on duty all night.' 

'Thank you,' Ignis said and then watched them leave. 

'And then there were four,' Prompto said nervously. 'Heh, the bros together.' 

Ignis turned back to the small group and sighed. Prompto was holding Noctis's hand very tightly, leaning forward and trying to get as close as possible to his friend. 'Prom, calm down. You'll just set off your stomach aches.' 

A bark of laughter. 'Yeah, and if they're brought on by stress you don't think seeing him like this won't bring one on? And knowing it's my fault.' 

'Don't be an idiot,' Gladiolus grumbled from his seat on the opposite side of the bed. His chin was resting on his arms on the back of the chair, his body slouched and his gaze fixed on Noctis. 

'But you stayed because of me. If you'd been there-' 

'From the sounds of it I couldn't have done anything more. It happened. We'll deal,' Gladiolus said. 'Maybe you should go get some rest, though? Iggy's right, you're probably going to wind up sick.' 

'Don't ask me to leave,' Prompto whispered, tightening his vice like grip on Noctis's hand. 'I'm not going anywhere.' 

Ignis dragged a chair close for himself and sat beside Prompto, resting a hand on the younger man's back. 'There's no sense in worrying. The healers have done what they can, now only time will tell.' 

'I hate waiting,' Prompto said. He pulled away from Noctis and rested instead against Ignis, leaning across from his chair so that he was up against Ignis's chest, and allowing the bespectacled man to wrap arms around him to keep him safe from falling. 

But waiting they had to do. Noctis was virtually comatose for the first half an hour, so much so that Ignis turned the main lights out so that all that was left was the dimmer glow of the strip light above the bed, casting them all with a warm golden glow. Gladiolus's eyes kept drifting shut and more than once Prompto began snoring softly in Ignis's arms. Ignis found himself nodding off too, and suddenly he awoke with a start with his chin resting in Prompto's hair. He wasn't sure why he had woken, perhaps the awkward angle he was sitting, and was about to drift off again when he noticed Noctis shifting. 

'Highness?' Ignis asked. 

'Nngh,' Noctis groaned.  

'Huh?' Prompto muttered sleepily as Ignis sat him up in his own chair so that he could scoot closer to the bed. 

'Highness?' Ignis said with a little more insistence and shook the prince's narrow shoulder gently. 

Noctis moaned again and turned away from the touch. His eyes opened briefly, they had shifted to a sickly green, and then he began moving about again. He was too weak and drugged up to move too far but his arms were trying to push the covers back and Ignis was worried that he might move his injured leg and have it fall off the pillows it was propped up on. 

'Highness, settle down. You're alright, you're safe,' Ignis soothed. When Noctis didn't react to his words he reached out to rest a hand on Noctis's forehead in the hopes of settling him, but as soon as his fingertips brushed skin he drew his hand back and cursed. 

'Iggy?' Prompto asked, still half asleep. 'S'wrong?' 

'I think he's developing a fever.' Ignis rose from his chair and fetched a thermometer, which he stuck under Noctis's arm. 

By this point Gladiolus was awake too and popping muscles in his neck as he worked out the kinks from sleeping leaning over a chair. 'Hey, calm down little guy,' Gladiolus said, reaching out for Noctis's hand. The prince was squirming about and clearly uncomfortable, even with his leg propped up on pillows. 'What's he reading at?' Gladiolus asked as Ignis withdrew the thermometer. 

'One hundred and three,' Ignis said with a frown. He sat down again and rested a hand on the blankets above Noctis's uninjured leg. The prince was still unable to lie still and seemed more awake than ever with his eyes almost constantly half open and darting about as if searching for something, but never settling on anything. 

Gladiolus rose to his feet, wincing as the muscles in his legs burned from sitting for so long, and began searching through the various drawers and cupboards in the room. 'Think he's got an infection?' he asked as he found a clean cloth and began soaking it under the tap from the sink in the corner of the room. 

'Most likely,' Ignis said with a resigned sigh, his emerald gaze falling on the heavily bandaged leg. 'Let's see what the healer has to say.' 

Ignis pressed the call button while Gladiolus set the damp washcloth over Noctis's forehead. Immediately the prince moaned lightly, then began to settle a little. His flailing arms fell to the covers and his breath came out in quick short gasps. 

Prompto was there when the washcloth began to slip to the side, repositioning it then letting his pale fingers sift through Noctis's hair. 'Come on Noct, fight this.' 

Ignis watched Prompto with a twisting knot in his stomach. He already had a feeling what the problem was. Sometimes he hated being right all the time; he envied Prompto's naivety as he held Noctis's hand and carried on a one sided conversation promising all the great things they could do once Noctis was better. Things that included lots of moving about. Things that included having both your legs. Ignis swallowed hard and forced himself to look again at the bandaged leg; he alone knew what the damage was. Prompto and Gladiolus hadn't seen it. Ignis had been amazed that the healers hadn't amputated during the first surgery and had almost kidded himself into thinking the prince might be out of the woods. But the doors opened behind him and in came the man that would destroy the prince's world. 

'How can I help?' the healer asked, seeming to know to aim his question at Ignis. 

'Fever. I'm assuming an infection, I'd like you to test for sepsis just in case.' 

The healer's face was grim but he nodded as if this wasn't a complete surprise. Ignis supposed it wasn't really, but at least now they could tell Noctis they had tried when he woke up. Indeed, at least Noctis would wake up. 

Prompto must have sensed what was going on because he suddenly began holding Noctis's hand a lot tighter while the healer began unwrapping the bandages on Noctis's leg. 

'Everything's alright, yeah?' Prompto asked. 

The silence seemed to stretch forever as the healer checked the wound, and tested the temperature of what skin was left on Noctis's leg. Prompto shifted so that could have a look at the damage and instantly wished he hadn't; the leg was a mess of red and harsh black thread from the stitches winding in long jagged lines. The skin that was left was bruised purple and grey so that there wasn't a hint of the normal pale colour it should have been. Prompto found his hand squeezing Noctis's tightly and had to force himself to release his grip a little. Forcing himself to look away from the mess his best friend's leg had become he shuffled closer to Noctis and focused instead on his friend's frowning features. He tried to sooth him by stroking Noctis's hair with his free hand but it seemed having the healer poke and prod his injured leg was causing the prince a lot of pain and he couldn't be settled. 

'Be alright Noct, please,' Prompto whispered, holding the thin, pale hand to his forehead. 

The healer had finished his examination so Prompto finally dared to look up. Ignis and the healer were exchanging looks that didn't sit well within him. He swallowed hard but it was Gladiolus that spoke. 

'More surgery?' the tank asked in a rough voice. At some point his hand had taken Noctis's other, holding it gently within both large paws. 

Ignis's lips pressed tightly together as he nodded, unable to actually say the words. 

'I'll call another healer, I won't be able to do this alone,' the healer said, then disappeared to do just that. 

'He'll be okay?' Prompto asked in a small, hoarse voice. He was trying so damn hard to keep it together. The thought of losing Noctis was something he hadn't ever wanted to consider, now it was right there in front of him as a haunting possibility. He wanted to scrub his mind clean and wake up tomorrow with Noctis happy and well. 

'They'll do everything they can,' Ignis said finally. 

'Should we wake his father?' Gladiolus asked. 

'No,' Ignis shook his head. 'What will he be able to do except worry? There's nothing more any of us can do.' 

Prompto laughed nervously and clutched the hand he was holding tighter. 'You know when you say it like that, in that foreboding tone, you're not filling me with a lot of confidence there, Iggy. Kind of makes me want to threaten to shoot the healers if they try and take him away.' 

Ignis caught Prompto's gaze. 'Prom, I'm not going to make promises. I can't. If anything…if the surgery doesn't go well and I've promised you he'll come back to us I couldn't…' 

'Hey, Iggy,' Gladiolus was suddenly by his side, enveloping him in a bear hug. 'S'alright. Take it easy, okay? We're not asking for predictions, we're not putting this all on you. Right Prom? This is nobody's fault. We're not here to make each other feel like crap.' 

Prompto caught the little waving gesture from Gladiolus and rose from his chair to slip beside the two taller men and let himself be brought into the group hug. When Ignis's face pressed against his shoulder he felt the dampness of Ignis's cheek brush against his own and the fear churned in his stomach. But he held strong, offered the same support he was getting from his friends as they held each other in a hug for a few long moments. When Ignis drew back and readjusted his glasses his eyes were slightly red but dry. 

The doors behind them opened and two healers entered. Prompto panicked and rushed back toward Noctis, who was now terrifyingly still and quiet. His skin was ashen with a thin sheen of sweat, and his chest barely seemed to rise and fall at all. Prompto bent down and scooped him up into a hug, crushing him briefly against his chest and supporting Noctis's head to press against his shoulder. 

'You'll be okay,' Prompto told him. 'Hang in there. You're strong, Noct. And you've got all us to come back to so…be strong. For us. Please.' 

A hand rested on his shoulder but he wasn't ready. Nowhere near ready to let his best friend go. But the prince was pulled from him, gently laid down and wheeled away from him. He didn't realise tears were running down his cheeks until a soft handkerchief wiped them away. 

'I've lost so many people,' Prompto said, his breath hitching as he thought of everyone that had left him in his life. 'I can't lose him too.' 

The hand, Gladiolus's, squeezed his shoulder gently. 'You guys need to believe in him more.' 

'There's a fine line between believing and worrying yourself sick,' Ignis said with a humourless laugh. 'I know which end of the spectrum I'm at.' 

Prompto hand curled around Ignis's as he stared at the door Noctis had been taken through. 'Think we're all there with ya, buddy.' 

- 

The group were mostly asleep again when Noctis was brought back five hours later. Ignis was the first to wake as the doors inched open, then he woke the other two and they stood back to let the bed be wheeled in and the monitors set up again. All the while Ignis was trying to see past the healers to his charge; all he could see was a pale face that thankfully appeared free of pain. And the reassuring beep of the heart monitor settled the knot in his stomach that had been there ever since Noctis had been taken away from him. 

As soon as the healers drew back enough his focus slid down the prince's small form. White covers were draw up to Noctis's chest, his arms were still strapped with needles…but where before his bandaged leg had been elevated on a pillow, now there was no lump under the covers. Ignis stared for a long moment, and felt himself go faint. 

'Shit,' Gladiolus said in a rough, choking voice. 'How the fu…how the hell do we…' Gladiolus was surprisingly the first to find a chair and literally collapse into it. His hands went to his hair, fingers raking through it and trying to come to terms with what was happening. 

'He's still Noct,' Prompto said, his voice oddly calm. Slowly he stepped toward the bed, pulled a chair over and resumed his position holding Noctis's hand. 'This is still Noct. Nothing's changed, right? He's just gonna need us a little bit more.' 

It took a moment for that to sink in, but finally Ignis nodded. 'Yes. Yes of course.' 

Gladiolus heaved a sigh. 'Gonna need us a whole lot more when he first wakes up.' 

'I should…inform His Majesty,' Ignis said distractedly, unable to tear his gaze away from Noctis. 

'Yeah, guessing he's slept enough by now. Want me to come with?' Gladiolus asked. 

'No. I'll be fine, but thank you,' Ignis took a shuddering breath and forced himself to look away. 'Remember to eat something for breakfast, he wouldn't want us neglecting ourselves.' 

'Breakfast, got it,' Prompto said with all the enthusiasm of a man going to the gallows. 

Ignis couldn't blame him; he didn't have much of an appetite himself. He pushed the infirmary door open and stepped out of the ward. And took another long breath to calm himself. He had duties. He had responsibilities. He had to go and inform the king that only son had had his leg amputated. 

Suddenly Ignis wished he was a drinking man. He could really, really use a tall glass of scotch right about now. 

- 

Ignis found the king in the dining room. A newspaper was spread on the table beside a bowl of porridge. The spoon was resting on the lip of the bowl and the king was staring out of the window. He didn't even look up as Ignis closed the door behind himself. 

'Your Majesty?' Ignis asked after a few seconds of silence. 

The king sighed and with what seemed to be a great effort turned away from the window. The spoon dropped into the  porridge and the older man withdrew his hand to rub the bridge of his nose. 'He's still alive. I would know if he wasn't. But you're not bringing me good news, I suppose?' 

Ignis bowed his head a little, half out of respect and half to avoid eye contact as he delivered the news. He didn't want to see the pain in the older man's eyes. 'A fever took hold in the early hours and he was taken into surgery. It was…there was nothing that could be done, I'm afraid. The healer did everything they could-' 

'They always say that,' the king said softly, then turned to stare out of the window again, his mind seemingly a million miles away. 

'Your Majesty?' 

'They did all they could for my wife, too. That's what they said but all they actually did was check that she wasn't breathing then drape a cloth over her face. That's not trying.' 

Ignis shifted uncomfortably. 'His Highness's leg was-' 

'Mangled, I know. And I'm being harsh,' the king said. 'I'm sure they really did do everything they could. What do we do now? Will he be alright now or is he still in danger?' 

'The next few hours will be the more crucial. He could still go into shock and cardiac arrest or the blood infection might take hold again. But in theory he could make a full recovery. He can be fitted with a prosthesis and learn to walk again, possibly even some basic fighting techniques-' 

'No,' the king said, sharp voice cutting the air like a knife. 'He won't need to fight. Gladiolus's job is to protect him. I'm not…I won't risk losing him again.' 

'Your Majesty, he might never be ready to take the crystal from you. It all depends to what level he recovers,' Ignis said carefully. 

'I know. I've known it since the day I almost lost him when he was young. We will have to cross that bridge when we come to it, but I'd rather use every last drop of energy I have in my body than let him take the burden of the crystal if he's not ready for it.' 

'Of course. If there's anything I can do...' Ignis left it at that. 

'Thank you, Ignis, but I think for the time being all I can ask is for you to be there for him as you always have. As much as I would love to spend every second of my day with him the demands of the kingdom don't stop just because your world is shattering around you,' the king gave a humourless bark of laughter, and Ignis noticed the elder man's shoulders were shaking. He was still turned away, toward the window, and Ignis wondered if he were crying. 'I will come and see him shortly.' 

'We look forward to seeing you. We'll be with him, I promise you he'll never be left alone.' 

The king turned, and though his cheeks were dry his eyes shimmered with unshed tears. He simply nodded, then turned his attention to the cold porridge in the bowl in front of him with a weary sigh. 

- 

'It's breakfast food,' Prompto insisted. 

'It's skittles,' Gladiolus said. 'That's not breakfast and it won't stop me being hungry for more than thirty seconds.' 

'Eat two packs?' Prompto suggested. 

'I think I'd need to eat the whole vending machine.' 

'I wouldn't recommend it, it's got all glass and stuff.' 

'Not the actual…ugh, dork,' Gladiolus said. But the smile died on his lips and the teasing faded away like smoke in the air. 

Prompto nervously shuffled the brightly coloured sweets in his bag, but didn't even bother trying to eat one. 'So, uh, is he asleep because of the sedation or is this the fever or a coma or something?' 

'Sedation I guess?' Gladiolus said with a frown. 'I dunno. I guess Iggy would know.' 

'Yeah,' Prompto said distractedly, then dug into his bag. 'Fun fact. Noct doesn't like the green skittles because they're green. I mean they taste the same as all the others, but he just hates green food so much that he leaves all the green skittles behind. He does it for gummy bears too.' 

'Yes because green gummy bears are clearly much more healthy than their counterparts,' Gladiolus said. Then paused. 'Wait, Skittles don't all taste the same.' 

'They do,' Prompto insisted. 

'No, you just shove in so many at once that you can't appreciate the different flavours,' Gladiolus said. 

'You shovel them in too,' Prompto said. 

'But I pick a single colour at a time. That way you can get the distinct flavour of each type. The lemoness and the orangeness and the, uh, redness.' 

'Strawberry?' Prompto suggested, popping handful of multicoloured sweets into his mouth. 

'I don't think they taste like strawberries. They just taste red,' Gladiolus said. 

'I think they're meant to be strawberry.' 

'I don't care if they're meant to taste like rainbow dust, they just taste of red. You know that sickly artificial red taste that sweets have.' 

'Strawberry,' said a raspy voice. 

'Exactly, strawberry. Thank you Noct,' Prompto said with a smile. Then performed the most elaborate double take as his head snapped back to look at his friend. 'You're awake! What are you doing awake? I mean that's good, but shouldn't you still be sleeping?' Prompto looked up at Gladiolus for confirmation, panicked that Noctis would be awake so soon. 'Shouldn't he still be sleeping?' 

'Not…not tired,' Noctis said, shuffling on the bed a little and weakly raising an arm to try and pull at the tube going into the crook of his elbow. 

'You might wanna leave that in for a bit,' Gladiolus said with a smile. 'I think that's your pain meds. Trust me, you want those.' 

'Not in pain,' Noctis said in a voice thick with medication. 

'The reason you're not in pain is because of that, so let's leave it alone, huh?' Gladiolus reached over to take Noctis's hand and set it back down by his side. 'Just for now we'll leave it.' 

'Okay,' Noctis said. His head rolled to the other side to where Prompto was watching him. 'Hey.' 

'Hey,' Prompto said, half scared that by talking to his friend he might suddenly vanish and leave him. 'You okay?' 

'Think so,' Noctis said, but his voice was already sounding faraway and his eyelids were fluttering. 'Leg feels kinda weird.' 

Prompto swallowed hard and exchanged a worried glance with Gladiolus. Neither of them were the right person to tell Noctis what had happened; they wouldn't be able to answer the questions and Noctis wasn't lucid enough to take it in just yet. 

So instead Prompto reached out and brushed the backs of his fingertips against Noctis's cheek to distract him. 'S'okay, you're okay now. Just rest and everything will be fine. Right Gladio?' 

'Uh, yeah. Yeah it will,' Gladiolus said, trying his best to fix a reassuring smile on his face. The smile didn't make it to his eyes but Noctis was too drowsy to notice. 'Still sleepy?' Gladiolus asked as Noctis's eyes fluttered. 

'No,' Noctis slurred, but then his eyes fell closed and his breathing evened out into soft sighs. 

Prompto's hand drifted from Noctis's pale cheek to rest against his arm. 'At least he's not in pain, I guess.' 

'If it were me I think I'd rather have a bit of pain and a bit more of my senses. He looked drugged up.' Gladiolus frowned and reached out to take Noctis's hand. It was so small in his own, and he was half afraid of breaking the little bones. Suddenly his charge seemed a lot more delicate and it was like handling a china doll. 

The door to the room opened and Ignis entered carrying a tray of drinks. 

'Proper coffee,' Ignis said, setting down the ceramic mugs. 'No more vending machine muck.' 

Prompto grabbed one and inhaled deeply. 'Ahh, ebony gold. Now I know you're worried, you'd never let us have any of the good stuff unless it was a special occasion.' 

'Or we needed the caffeine hit,' Gladiolus said, accepting the mug Ignis handed him. 'He woke up.' 

Ignis almost dropped his own cup. 'What?' 

'Just for a few seconds. He said a couple of words but he was pretty out of it and he fell right back to sleep.' 

Ignis focused on the figure in the bed, almost as if he were waiting for Noctis to wake again. When he didn't Ignis sat down in the third chair and drew it closer to the side of the bed. 'Did he realise that…' 

'No. Just said his leg felt funny,' Prompto said. 

'Yeah,' Noctis breathed, his eyes cracking open a little again. 

'You're supposed to be sleeping!' Prompto admonished. 'Iggy why does he keep waking up?' 

'He's probably uncomfortable,' Ignis said. 'Even with the pain medication he knows something is wrong.' 

'Spiderman,' Noctis said clumsily, lifting his hand to point at Prompto until the IV pulled taut and his arm flopped back onto the covers. 

'Me?' Prompto said. 'There's a spider?' He patted himself down, checking for a bug on his shirt or in his hair. 

Noctis frowned. 'Spiderman. You're….you're Spiderman. Because you're all over the damn place when you fight. Not Aqualad.' 

'Oh. Oh!' Prompto brightened. 'He's not insane, we were talking about superheroes before he left yesterday and…he thought up a superhero for me. For Etro's sake Noct, I think you've got more important things to worry about right now than which freaking superhero I am.' 

Ignis had left briefly and returned while Noctis was putting forth a mumbled, rambling monologue on why Prompto was like Spiderman. Noctis noticed him approach and watched him with unfocused blue eyes as his advisor found the cannula that led to the needle in Noctis's arm and injected something into the tube. 

'Wha?' Noctis mumbled, trying to pull his arm away. But it felt heavy and wouldn't respond. 

'Something to help you sleep, Highness,' Ignis said, leaning over the rails of the bed to press a kiss to Noctis's cool forehead. 'We'll be right here. Sleep and save your strength. You've got a long road ahead of you.' 

Noctis's head tipped to the side as if to plead with Prompto and Gladiolus to let him stay awake, but the drugs were already working through his bloodstream and his eyes fluttered closed, this time in deep sleep.