Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had been a long, arduous day under the hot Leiden sun. And now that it was finally setting, Noctis was dragging his feet up the steps of the Longwythe motel, ready to book a room and call it a night.

At Noct's insistence, the group had camped every day this whole week. His reasoning was simple: this was the last hunt needed in order to obtain a one-of-a-kind wind up Lord Vexxos. The tipster normally gave him a new hunt each day, however this one- he told them- had been particularly troubling and as such they could take as long as they needed. The hunt in question? A group of cactuars and slactuars that had been nabbing various items from the local residents, leading to a rise in complaints.

Noctis believed this was in the bag, after all, they'd hunted cactuars before and they've never given much trouble. But these ones were quite elusive. And finally, at the pleading, begging request of everyone else, Noctis begrudgingly agreed to a break.

Once they made it to their room Prompto leapt into bed. His limbs sprawled out in all directions as he lay there hot and panting. 

"Phew! Who would've thought that finding a group of a hundred cactuars and slactuars would be this impossible! Shouldn't they... I dunno... stick out in the desert? There's literally no place to hide!"

Noctis taps Prompto's cheek with the back of his hand, earning himself a swat in return, "Don't fall asleep before you take a shower. No way I'm gonna sleep next to you covered in sweat."

Catching Prompto's hand in his own, he pulls his friend up into a sitting position. Prompto isn't going willingly though, and tugs at him back. "You slept just fine next to me in the tent." 

"Only because I had to. Come on now, get up. You're making a mess all over our bed."

"Never! I'm too tired!" Prompto throws himself backwards, and Noctis tries to grab his shirt to slow him down. They've done this dance before, and Prompto wiggles his way out of Noct's grasp, losing his shirt in the process.

That was the time that Ignis and Gladio entered the room. Seeing Noctis hovered over his half undressed friend, Ignis simply sighs, pushing his glasses up towards his face. Gladio walks right by them, snickering. Noctis rolls his eyes- they weren't doing anything. Those two always had the worst timing.

As Ignis catalogued their stocks, he spoke up. "You both would do well cleaning yourselves up. See to it that your clothes make it to the laundry pile as well, as I will be doing the wash before nightfall."

"See, you need to hurry it up." Noctis tells Prompto, who pulls him down beside him, grabbing at the underside of his black t-shirt.

"No way man, prince's first. Hop to it!" Ignis turns away, clearly trying to focus on his tasks, as Prompto makes a scene lifting the shirt from Noct's back.

They can't help it; that's just the way it's always been between them. Comfortable. Easy. An inseparable duo. 

Before either of them can get to each other's pants, Gladio's deep voice cuts through their banter, "You know, all four of us have to share this room, and we don't have the cash for you to get your own. So unless you both wanna camp by yourselves, knock it off."

"Oh come on Gladio, we're not even doing anything. I'm just getting Prom to take. a. SHOWER!" Noct punctuated each word as he tugged on the blonde, trying to pry him off the bed. But Prompto was like a barnacle, stubbornly stuck there and refusing to move.

"If you're both so concerned about blondie's hygiene, go take one together already. You're already all over him. I swear I can cut the sexual tension in the air with my sword."

"Uh, no thanks! I'm going!" At that, Prompto did push Noct out of the way, hopping onto the floor and quickly padding his way to the bathroom. The door slammed behind him, leaving Noctis and Gladio to just look at each other. Gladio threw Noctis a smirk, earning himself a glare in return.

There was only one way to break the ease they had between them. And that was to acknowledge it. 

"Why do you embarrass him like that Glads?" Noctis huffed now that he was sitting alone on the bed.

Gladio laughed, nudging him. "Cuz it's so easy. Besides I know you want to. Consider it helping move things along between you two."

Noctis blushed, looking away. He wasn't wrong, but it still stung a little to be reminded that it was one-sided. "That's none of your business. And even if it was, Prom's not like that. He's made it plenty clear we're just friends."

"Whatever you say princess. Pretty sure neither of you know how to actually flirt with each other. Case in point: you took each other's shirts and if not interrupted would've gone for pants. Next thing we know one of you'll be stealing the other's underwear as some weird playing hard-to-get."

"That's ridiculous! What the hell?! Sometimes I wonder what's gotta be going through your head for you to even think of these things!"

"Yeah well, we'll see."

Chapter Text

The next morning, as Ignis is brushing his teeth, Noctis barges into the bathroom, nearly causing him to drop his toothbrush in surprise.

"Noct! Haf yoo no pay-shensh?!" Ignis couldn't make himself sound dignified with toothpaste still in his mouth, no matter how much practice Noctis may have already given him.

"Specs it's an emergency! Come quick!"

At the mention of trouble, Ignis quickly spit out his toothpaste and tossed the toothbrush into the sink, making a mental note to clean it extra well later on. He emerged back into the motel room to find a distraught Noctis, clad only in a bathrobe for some reason, hands pulling his hair in frustration. Next to him stood a very sheepish looking Prompto, and Gladio was nowhere to be found.

"My briefs Iggy! I've got nothing left! What did you do last night? Where are they?! Where is my underwear?!" Noctis had his belongings strewn all over the bed, shuffling them all around. It appeared as if he tried to get Prompto to help, but the blonde had decided now that he was too modest to touch Noct's clothes.

Ignis deadpanned. "This is what happens when you don't give me your dirty linens. If I'm not mistaken, and I'm not, I informed you all that I would be initiating the wash upon our arrival to Longwythe. Just...I don't know...wear some of Prompto's for today." Noctis needed to wear something clean, but gods help him if he was going to lend any of his own.

At the suggestion of sharing his unmentionables, Prompto gawked at Ignis, then back at Noctis. "Why mine? This is hardly fair!"

Noctis gave him the saddest look. "But Iggy, I gave you all my stuff last night, I swear! You must've missed them."

Ignis did not miss them. He didn't miss anything. This was simply going to have to be yet another learning experience for his highness. An opportunity to grow and to learn to leave your clothes in the correct laundry pile.

"Are you sure you had them last night when we got to the motel? Could you have left them behind at camp?"

"What? No of course not...at least I don't think so...oh Six are you suggesting that my underwear is out there," he pointed out the window, "just... blowing in the wind? All across the Three Valleys? Where any other hunters might... see them??

Prompto put his hands up in defense, trying to make light of the situation. "It's okay, Noct. It's not like anyone would even know it's yours."

"Actually... " Ignis stood before them both. May as well rip this bandaid off quickly. "I've taken to inscribing Noct's name on the tags of each pair. And his other clothes I might add. Not just the... personal ones..."

"You WHAT? Ignis how could you? We need to go back out there and find them now!"

"Regardless of our plan of action," Ignis responded calmly, "your first order of business is to get yourself dressed. And unless you'd prefer the discomfort of rough fabric, I suggest you discuss this with Prompto. I'll be outside while you make your decision." With that discussion behind him, Ignis exited the room, shutting the door behind him and leaving Noctis and Prompto alone. He remained there a moment longer, intrigued at how this was going to go.

Inside, he could hear Noctis speak up softly. "So..."

Chapter Text

Gladio suggested they take their chocobos so as to cover more ground while in search of their target. As he brought up the rear however, he was beginning to rethink this decision, since neither Noctis nor Prompto were keeping their attention to the path in front of them. Rather, the pair continued exchanging nervous glances whenever the other wasn't looking. Luckily for them this was the wide open desert; had it been the forests of Duscae one of them would've long since gotten knocked off his chocobo by an unnoticed tree branch or boulder.

For some reason, they both looked stressed out. Prompto especially was not himself this morning. The usually bright and chipper blonde was uncharacteristically subdued, only speaking up to suggest a new road to take, or if they'd already passed some landmark. Whatever went down back at the motel had definitely ruffled some feathers, but Noctis refused to tell him what it was. He tried asking Prompto next, but he only babbled a mix-up of words that weren't even coherent sentences. And Ignis- he was no help either, only clearing his throat when Gladio attempted to bring up the topic with him, mumbling that he would respect the prince's wishes for that to not be disclosed.

So that was that. It was, yet again, up to him to focus on the task at hand: hunting down those slippery cactuars.

He kept his eyes peeled around them, and his ears open to the sounds of nature, when he heard it: a high pitched, chirpy sort of noise that only barely cut through the noise of the chocobo's feet hitting the ground. Faint as it was, he recognized that tiny cactuar chirp from that time they'd gathered old tires for Cindy up north.

He pulled back on his ride, prompting everyone to follow suit. Well, everyone that is, except for Noctis, who was still too stuck in his own head to realize they'd all stopped.

"Yo, Noct! Princess!"

No response.

Gladio knew that when he got like this, there was little they could do to snap him out of it. It was like talking to a wall. A brooding, childish wall.

Ignis slowed down to ride next to him. "Might I suggest we say something outlandish to catch his attention?"

"Yeah? You got any ideas?"

"Not especially, perhaps something...unexpected. To catch him off guard; it need not be true."

"As in...scaring him?"

Ignis simply shrugged. The man was always the voice of reason, this Gladio knew, but he was pleasantly surprised to see he had a slightly, dare he say, wicked side as well? Or maybe this was payback for whatever he'd missed at the motel.

Either way, he was here for it.

"Yo Prom, get his majesty's attention. Say something crazy- er- say something you usually say." Gladio added, biting back his mocking voice as best he could. Prompto didn't do well with mockery, but he did try his hardest with encouragement. "We're all counting on you, man. You got this."

"Ha-ha. Very funny big guy." Prompto huffed. "But fine. Here goes." He took a deep breath, then yelled, "Imperials above us!"

When Noctis still did not turn around, Gladio nudged him further. "Too predictable blondie! Try making something up!"

Prompto looked a bit nervous, but tried again, "Imperials above us! And- AND they tracked us down after finding your very clearly labeled underwear!"

It was at that moment that Gladio realized...he should've been more forceful in finding out what he'd missed. Because clearly it had been something... very important.

"PROMPTO!"

Well, at least that worked. And although Gladio didn't exactly know what was going on, he could make an educated guess based on Noct's face. Blondie too- as he had morphed from a quiet fly on the wall to a stuttering mess in the two seconds it took for Noctis to turn around and glare at him.

"I'm sorry! Sorry! Glads wanted me to get your attention; you were going too far ahead! It's not my fault!"

Hoo boy...his highness was pissed. Gladio was torn between staying to see what happened next and taking off before Noct's eyes glowed red and he summoned Titan on Prompto's ass.

"Bro, how about next time you start with 'Hey Noct, slow down'? Ever consider that?"

And... now it was Prompto's turn to lose it. "That never works, and you know it! You're always either too sleepy or too focused or too...whatever! to notice the world revolving around you! It was the least embarrassing thing I could think to say!"

Sarcasm dripped from Noct's mouth, "Oh great thanks, I'm so glad that was the best you could think of. I'd love to know what the worst was." With that, Noctis dismounted from his chocobo, turning away. Clearly he was too embarrassed to think straight, because for no other reason he just started pacing off on his own, missing that their target was in the other direction. Prompto looked equally frazzled, his hands balled into fists as he trembled in place, like a cannon waiting to explode. And explode he did- yelling yet again to get Noct's attention.

"How about this- Noct, I love you! Come back to me, my prince!"

To say that Noctis stumbled would have been inaccurate. The truth was, the moment the words were out, Noctis tripped on his own foot and face-planted right into the sand. Ignis made his way over to help him up as Prompto stood there mortified, covering his mouth with both hands in shock. Because Gladio was right beside him, he was able to hear Prompto mumble, "I told you it was the least embarrassing..."

Gladio had to give it to Prompto; professing his love as a joke to get Noctis to slow down for two seconds- way to sacrifice for the cause. There was hope for the kid yet.

Chapter Text

This day couldn't get any worse.

Gladio suggesting that he and Noct shower together turned out to be just the beginning. After that, Noct had to go and somehow lose all of his underwear, requiring him to offer up his own. (Oh em gee- Noctis was wearing his boxers!) And as if that couldn't be the end of it, he had to get caught up in trying to be helpful, and inadvertently dropped the L-word in an effort to knock Noct (he he) to his senses.

Silliness aside, at this point, he was ready to crawl into the nearest hole and never come out.

In another timeline, there must be another Prompto who was getting Noctis to take his boxers for a sexier friendlier reason, and a Noctis who declared his love in return.

He was already jealous of that other guy.

As the day went on at least, Noctis seemed to mellow out, and Gladio also forgave him for causing a scene and scaring away their hunt. Driven now by both the need to reclaim his royal briefs and obtain the prized Lord Vexxos, Noct decided their best bet was to (surprise surprise) make camp in the middle of the desert. When they settled in, Prompto wasn't sure what exactly he should do. He couldn't bring himself to face Noct, not that the guy was even anywhere near him (he chose to sulk at the edge of camp, hunched over his drawn up knees like a little Noct-ball and damn it did he have to be so precious even when moody?!) Ignis, thank the gods, asked for help prepping dinner, and Prompto was all too happy to oblige. At least this way he had something to do with his hands and quiet his mouth.

By the time night fell, Prompto still didn't have it in him to feel tired; he was a bundle of nerves that couldn't keep still. The tent just felt too small, too suffocating, and it didn't help that in his sleep Noctis unconsciously decided to curl up onto him. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought that his friend missed him and was making up for the lost time while asleep. Regardless, if this kept up it wasn't a matter of if as much as when he was going to spontaneously combust.

That or, you know, embrace him back.

Right, that was not the way he wanted to be discovered in the morning; not only would Noctis be even more upset, but Iggy and Gladio would never let him hear the end of it. Those two, but especially Gladio, made so many references to his crush that he was shocked that Noctis hadn't figured it out already. It was painfully obvious to anyone with eyes, though perhaps because Noct only had eyes for Lunafreya, he was blind to Prompto's.

That was probably for the best.

The night air was warm but not sweltering, a perfect respite in which to clear his mind. Careful not to venture too far past the bounds of the sanctuary, he found a good spot to sit and observe the stars.

He shifted in place, still a bit jittery, when he felt a sharp sting on his backside. He bit his lip hard to stop himself from yelling out and waking the others before turning to see what he'd apparently just sat on.

And there it was, a tiny (baby?) cactuar hopping around on one leg, giving a twirl every so often as if it was putting on its own personal show. But that wasn't the strangest thing about it. No, what caught Prompto entirely off guard was the fact that, sitting clumsily on its head was a pair of...

Noct's missing underwear.

"What the actual fu-"

"Prompto? Prompto you there?"

That was Noct! What was he doing out here?!

"Shit, come here you little-" As Prompto reached for the cactuar, it poked him again with its sharp needles. He was able to grab the clothes before it scurried away, just in time for Noctis to find him.

Prompto knew this was bad based on the way Noct slowly looked at him... then to the underwear... (clearly labeled as Property of Noctis Lucis Caelum) then back to him.

"So Prompto..." Noctis drew out the last syllable of his name, "Care to tell me what's going on?"

"Um, hold up there buddy; I can explain!"

Noctis folded his arms. "I'm listening..."

Prompto blinked. "Oh, haha, you're actually going to hear me out. Well okay then..." He laughed hesitantly, then stopped when he saw Noctis was not joining in. "So... would you believe that a baby cactuar stole this?"

"That's the story you're going with? What would a cactuar want with one pair of underwear? Let alone all of them??"

"Look, I don't know! But you gotta believe me."

"Prompto..." Noctis dropped his hands to his sides, moving to sit next to him. Suddenly, the air around them felt very charged, and Noctis had this sense about him that whatever he was about to say, Prompto should really listen.

"You know," he started, "I'm not very good at this stuff either, this whole...uh...flirting thing. I think what Gladio said this morning was right, we just don't know how to act in front of each other, and we should maybe start by...you know...being honest with each other, yeah? I mean, what do you say?"

"Um...yeah...alright, except...I am being honest?" Prompto wasn't sure what Noctis was getting at. "There was a cactuar, really."

Noct's face softened, and he took Prompto's hand, lacing their fingers together. "Forget about the cactuar; you- we don't have to beat around the bush anymore. I get it, and I'm really, really happy."

Prompto was about to protest again when he noticed Noctis was leaning in.

And to his surprise, so was he.

"Noct," he wet his lips, acting automatically on what he hoped was about to happen. "Is this...are we going to...?"

"...I think so. Can I?"

He nodded.

Prompto could correct Noctis on the whole 'underwear thing' later. In the end, this was a happy revelation. And his lips are so soft, please don't let this end.

Fingers brushed against his cheek and he parted his lips, an unspoken invitation that Noctis accepted all too readily. Their tongues glided hesitantly against each other, wanting more yet holding back since this was all new- all uncharted terrain. Never had they touched each other like this before, experienced each other like this before. Prompto's hands ran through Noct's hair until they reached around and dragged him closer.

How long had he waited for this, never daring enough to hope, yet still wanting and wishing every day as they traveled together. He'd come up with so many ways this could have gone down, rehearsed them in his head so he'd be prepared on the off-chance such a thing occurred. And yet here he was, and all of that went out the window, but it didn't matter because now he knew what Noct tasted like, and nothing from now on was ever going to compare.

Chapter Text

He'd kissed Prompto.

He'd actually kissed Prompto.

And Prompto kissed him back...!

The following morning, Noctis woke up early for once. Lying next to him, Prompto's chest rose and fell steadily, still asleep. For a moment Noctis just stayed there, watching. He'd...never really seen his friend like this. So...at peace.

Wow. This was what he missed out on each morning by sleeping in: the way his hair playfully flopped over his eyes, how his hand gently clenched and unclenched, as if reaching out for something in a dream, the way his mouth formed broken up words. And maybe it was his indulgent imagination, but he swore there was a Noct in there too.

His heart swelled. So much so that it pushed his lips into a dopey grin as he sat there beside the blonde.

Gladio and Ignis had already woken; he could hear the telltale sounds of dishware clinking as Ignis cooked as well as the grunting of Gladio as he got in his morning exercises.

For now, they were alone.

What he'd give to scoop Prompto up in his arms, draw him close and never let go. Would that be too much, to wake him up in that way? Probably too much. He needed to slow down, get some air, regroup before he took things too far and too fast. Prompto was a very 'go with the flow' kind of guy, but this was new territory for him (for them both) and he didn't know if the old rules still applied. So for now, a bit regretfully, he crawled out of the tent, ready to face the day.

"Morning, Noctis. Seems you're ready to start bright and early." Ignis stated, expertly flipping a pancake.

Noctis flitted over to the small stack of pancakes that had already been prepared, snagging one when he thought Iggy wasn't looking. "Not especially, just couldn't sleep I guess. Why, something going on? We have all day to hunt those cactuars."

"Noct, don't tell me you've forgotten about your absent...er...undergarments. You were quite distraught about it yesterday."

"Oh, right. Turns out I found them. Well, I didn't get them back yet, but I know who has them."

At the mention of this confusing fact, both Ignis and Gladio turned in his direction. Ignis glanced at the stolen pancake for a moment, but decided to remain silent so that Noctis could explain.

"Prompto took them. Caught him last night. But don't worry, we worked it out."

Noctis had only seen Ignis break composure a couple times in his life. Watching him spit out his Ebony coffee with just barely enough time to avoid breakfast, it seems he'd made the cut in the 'Things that Actually Surprise Iggy" list.

As Ignis was coughing up his drink, Gladio took his chance, "Noct when I was saying yesterday you two would be nabbing each other's underwear, I didn't mean that literally! That wasn't supposed to be advice! What the hell are you guys doing?"

"Hey! I didn't steal any of Prompto's!"

Gladio crossed his arms, "Oh really? Tell me then what're you wearing now?"

Noctis blushed. Oh, right.

"It's not the same, Glads!"

Just then, Prompto appeared beside him, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Gods what time is it? And wow does my ass hurt! You guys will never believe what happened-"

"Please spare us the details of your sex life!" Gladio responded. "Noct here already hinted at your little escapade. I swear why can't you both just ask each other out the same way everyone else does? And why can't you guys wait to get your own hotel room before you get busy outside our tent?!" He turned towards Noctis, pointing at him accusingly. "You try this shit again and you're going to find yourself balls deep while a mess of daemons decides to pass by. And I don't want to have to save your sorry ass when that happens!"

Prompto blinked. "My...sex life? Noctis...?" He stood there for a moment as the pieces clicked into place, at which point he threw his arms in the air, backing away slowly. "Woah, woah, woah! You've majorly got the wrong idea big guy! Noct and I didn't...uh... look I got poked by a cactuar last night. That's all!"

"Sounds like you got poked by something all right."

"Prom..." Noctis tried to use the same understanding tone he had last night, though repeating himself was beginning to try his patience. "You can stop lying about the whole 'cactuar' thing now. They know what happened."

It was unclear why that response made Prompto react more strongly, digging his heels in instead of simply admitting the truth.

"But I did Noct! I don't know why you wouldn't believe me before!"

"Might I suggest the both of you refrain from this discussion in our presence."

"What Iggy means is don't include us when you're hitting on each other."

"The only thing that was hitting me was a tiny cactuar!"

"Ohhoho it was tiny too? Noctis you gonna take that?"

Noctis was beyond frustrated at this point. Prompto was being so defensive. He was okay with it before, in light of the rest of events that took place last night, but now it was getting out of hand. He could forgive Prompto a lot easier if he'd just stop with the excuses. They were giving Iggy and Gladio a way more wrong idea of what happened: that he was describing things in some very strange innuendo, and that they both escaped in the middle of the night to boink.

Not that he would have minded it, but that's not at all what happened, and it was up to him to set the record right.

"There was NO cactuar, figuratively or literally!" And by the way if there was it would hardly have been small! Noctis held his tongue on that last bit, because he was better than that. He turned towards Prompto and continued, "Look, just give me my stuff back and we'll call it even alright? I'm not holding it against you, who am I to judge your...unconventional ways of getting my attention? You like me, clearly wanted to get in my pants and took it a tad too far. No big deal."

"That's not it at all!" Prompto was yelling now, pulling at his hair and somehow making it stick up even more than it normally did. "This has nothing to do with me liking you, and I'M NOT TRYING TO GET INTO YOUR PANTS!!"

At the outburst, everyone finally fell silent. Prompto's breathing was uneven and heavy, as if he'd just come back from one of his runs.

In the quiet, a small chirping carried through the air, and even Noctis noticed it. Turning towards the sound, he scanned the area until he found it...or rather... them.

"What the hell...no..." he muttered.

"I TOLD YOU!"

A short distance from their camp- there it was: a tiny cactuar balancing on a rock. It kind of looked like it was even watching them. Noctis squinted past it, not quite believing his eyes. Swaying to and fro were another two cactuars, both waving individual pairs of his underwear like they were decorative scarves in some weird and slightly inappropriate interpretive dance.

"There's just no way. This isn't happening. Prompto-" Noctis looked over at his friend helplessly, "Tell me this isn't happening."

Realizing he had made his point, Prompto brought back down his voice."Sorry, no can do. It's happening. This is what I'd been trying to tell you."

Noctis warped over, startling the creatures and leading them to scatter in different directions, chirping wildly. Although far apart, they were no match for Noct's speed, and he made quick work of snatching back each pair. He plopped onto the ground, staring down at his missing clothes now in his lap, cheeks and eyes burning- not in embarrassment, but in disappointment.

Prompto had been telling the truth the whole time.

Astrals...he'd had it all wrong last night. He'd thought Prompto was attracted to him- that he liked him.

His hands moved to cover his mouth. He'd pressed his lips to Prompto's, kissed him with everything he'd had. He'd thought that it was returned...but given he hadn't listened to Prompto before, maybe he hadn't paid attention to if Prompto had actually wanted it.

More cactuars, and even a slactuar, came out of hiding and circled around him. They did not seem pleased that he'd 'stolen' back what was theirs. In another place and another time, he might have found the whole situation funny, especially as one of the larger ones had rigged a pair of his garments onto a stick, waving it like a flag as it directed the rest of them to battle. Another handful dropped down towards him from above, using more pairs of underwear as makeshift parachutes. And still more of them came rushing in on the ground, wearing his stuff as hats on their head- or maybe they were stylish helmets?

Regardless, even as they bounced on his head and tugged on his arms, he couldn't bring himself to respond anymore. His heart clenched tightly in his chest, aching beneath the skin. He'd let his friends down, pushed Prompto into something he hadn't wanted, and ignored his pleas to be listened to. Even now, he couldn't bring himself to return to the campsite, instead opting to remain sitting in the sandy ground, head buried in his hands, ironically thankful that the little beasts were blocking anyone from catching how wet his eyes had become, and how they were starting to stain the rest of his face with tears.

"Damn it, this wasn't what I wanted. Everything is all screwed up."

I screwed everything up.

Chapter Text

"What is he...doing?" Prompto asked, still standing with Ignis and Gladio atop the sanctuary.

"I think he's... not doing anything. He's just sitting there, letting the cactuars bounce all over him." Ignis said.

Gladio sighed, reading his weapon. "Seems his royal highness is having a moment. We should go give him a hand. It's possible he may be hurt; either way, we should be by his side.

"Agreed."

The two crownsguards leapt off the sanctuary platform, only to be headed off by another group of cactuars while en route to Noctis. There were so many of them coming out; it could have well been a hundred. When they took the hunt, the tipster hadn't specified that they'd be inundated with the things. Prompto wasn't sure how they were going to take them all on.

Or...

...if they should take them on. After all, these ones seemed harmless enough (nevermind how much it hurt to sit on one); they only were interested in underwear...specifically Noct's at that. He shrugged. Spoiled prince has been spoiled by the best mixed fabric Insomnia had to offer. Clearly these guys had high taste.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

Running back to the tent, he retrieved the pair he'd grabbed last night before that little one scurried away. This should be enough to get them off of Noct.

Joining the fray, he kept to the far edge, tucking away his secret weapon and making his way around towards Noctis.

Once within range, he unleashed it from inside his jacket, waving it back and forth as he yelled.

"Hey! Look what I got! So soft! So silky smooth!! Best briefs you'll ever find; the real royal treatment, right here dudes!"

The cactuars were all drawn to the commotion, excited at the prospect of getting yet another pair. This was exactly the reaction Prompto was going for, but what he hadn't considered was how fast these little guys could jump. They were only ever on one foot for Ifrit's sake!

Prompto attempted to turn and run, but he knew they were closing in on him so quickly that he'd be lucky to even get cover in time. He remembered how painful it was to get poked by just one of those things, let alone a hundred. Shit, he'd messed up good.

Bracing himself for a hundred thousand needles, he tried one last ditch effort to save himself by tossing the underwear off to the side. His arms rose instinctively to protect his face, though before his vision was covered, a blue light flashed in front of him, and his stomach lurched as he was propelled in a totally new direction.

The next thing he knew, his feet were no longer being held up by the ground, rather they were dangling from way up in the air. His body was supported by a strong arm which wrapped around him, pressing him against a chest, warm and secure.

Noctis gripped the handle to his blade with all his strength, holding both himself and Prompto in place where they were attached to the steep side of the mountain. It took a few moments for the disorientation to wear off, but once it did Prompto looked up at him. Noctis gave a small half-smile and a shrug- well as much of a shrug as he could given the fact that both his arms were occupied.

"Noct...you saved me."

"...of course. Prom I'll always be there, I-" he choked up, but Prompto wrapped both arms around him, encouraging him to keep going. "I care about you."

"Heh, right back atcha buddy."

"No! I mean- I really care. As in, what happened, what I did last night. I'm...really sorry."

"What? Does that mean, you regret it?"

Noctis swallowed. "Well, I do regret hurting you."

"Huh?" Prompto frowned. "You never hurt me. You only...embarrassed me."

"When I kissed you?"

"No...when you told Iggy and Gladio that I was the one who took all your underwear. You had me painted as a right perv, dude."

When Noctis only stared at him, dumbfounded, Prompto decided to break the silence. "Dude, I was glad you kissed me. Ten out of ten would kiss again. Or more...if you wanted to."

"Well...then. Guess I misunderstood."

"Yeah, you tend to do that a lot." Prompto's eyes were half-lidded, and he had an impish grin on him. "This should help clear things up."

And just like that, following that simple misunderstanding, Prompto got to taste Noct a second time. Below them, cactuars danced around a small pile, celebrating their victory over Noct's clothing.

"What do we do about them?" Prompto asked.

"Hm...I'll warp us over there." He nudged his head in another direction. "Ready your machine gun, let's show them the gravity of the situation they've created."

"It'll be magni- ficent."

Sure enough, Prompto's gravisphere did the trick. The cactuars and slactuars were far enough away that they all found something to grab onto as the attack kicked in, leaving Noct's briefs to come flying back to them uncontested. When the attack ends, Noctis warps along and quickly gathers them up before the two of them make their escape.

Even though Lord Vexxos is completely worth it, the group overrules Noctis in that they've all seen enough of cactuars and the desert for a while, and high tail it back to the car. Ignis takes the wheel as they head out towards the greener lands of Duscae.

Normally, the car ride would put Noctis to sleep, but with the way that Prompto keeps looking at him, it wasn't going to happen. He just kept...turning around and staring for a second- opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, then thinking better of it goes back to sitting in his seat.

"If you've got something on your mind Prom, just say it. At this point, I don't think this day can get any stranger."

"Yeah well," he started, wringing his hands together, "I was kind of wondering...how did all those cactuars get a hold of your underwear in the first place? Don't you have it all stored like...in the armiger?"

Noctis blinked. Prompto had a point. How was that even possible? Were cactuars like ants in that they could find any non-existent nook and make their way into what they wanted? Were there any cactuars in there now? Noctis focused his mind, reaching out to see if he could pull one out.

Nothing.

Thank the gods.

"I don't know what happened. Not sure I really want to know though." he responded.

"It would be prudent to ensure that there's no way for the enemy to extract things from your armiger, Noctis." Ignis chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Would be a shame if something even more personal was nabbed by the local wildlife." Prompto put a finger to his chin thoughtfully, and Noctis couldn't help but find the action rather adorable.

"What- you storing anything you shouldn't be in there, Prompto?" Gladio teased.

"What? Uh- I- no!"

"I believe we've all learned that the truth will always come out sooner or later."

"Yeah and like I said I've got nothing!"

"Let him go, Glads," Noctis decided to be helpful here, "He saved us after all, didn't he? That gravisphere really comes through in a pinch."

Noctis was pleased when he saw Prompto's relief at the change in topic. And he should be, because Noctis knew that Gladio had come painfully close to the truth right then. The only difference was that Noct didn't really mind the fact that, since they'd left Insomnia, Prompto had brought along a variety of...interesting items.

He most likely believed that the only way to pull something from the armiger was to visualize it; after all, that is how Noct taught them all how to use it. And there was no way for any of them to sense what each other stored in there. But that didn't mean that he wasn't keeping tabs on everything that was in there at any given time.

Up until now, Noct had kept quiet about this fact, though that was all going to change at their next stop, the next time he got Prompto alone.

"Noct...bro you're smiling kind of funny. Kind of weirding me out."

Noct's grin only grew brighter, and he leaned forward close to Prompto's ear, whispering, "This smile's all for you. Can't wait to get you all to myself, then you can show me what you have in the armiger."

Prompto paled, but he nodded, "Heh...looking forward to it."

After that, Prompto's face was glued on the road ahead of him, so much so that even Iggy was surprised that their normally fidgety companion was so still for so long.

As for Noctis, he slouched back in his seat. The excitement could wait until they reached their next destination. For now, it was time for a nap.