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Prompto's eyes lit up as the group passed through the market stalls of Lestallum and he spotted the rare offering at the produce stand: a single, solitary cucumber.
He hadn't seen one since before they'd left Insomnia but he played it cool, waiting until Noctis had moved on to speak with the local tipster about a hunt. With Noctis focused on obtaining a job and both Gladio and Ignis suitably distracted by hovering not so subtly on either side of Noctis, physically preventing anyone from potentially sneaking up on their charge from either side, Prompto quietly backed away from the group and darted, quick as a flash, back to the produce stand.
It was still there, the cucumber, sitting on the counter in all of its cucumbery glory—long, dark green, with little prickly bumps along the surface. It was perfect, and with a lightning fast exchange of 5000 Gil (aka the entirety of his pocket money) it was all his.
Sequestering his prize into the Armiger for safekeeping, Prompto swiftly returned to the group just as Noctis finished securing a hunt contract for a Griffon or something.
"Let's move out," Noctis said as he led them out of the market stalls. "I want to get this hunt taken care of before nightfall."
They did not, in fact, get that hunt finished before nightfall. It was an epic fail and they got their asses handed to them and then some by that Griffon. They were forced to retreat beaten, but thankfully not broken—aside of course from Noctis' pride after getting grabbed by the ankle mid-battle and flown all over the place before getting dropped on his ass. It was a glorious moment and Prompto captured it and all of Noctis' flailing indignity in several high definition photos.
"I could crash right here," Noctis dramatically declared the second they made it to the rock face of the nearest Haven.
Ignis immediately countered, "You can remain awake long enough to eat," and proceeded to set up the camp stove.
One quick meal of Cup Noodles later, (to Gladio's obvious pleasure and standing as a testament to just how exhausted Ignis must have been) the four of them headed straight to bed.
Grinning with mischievous delight, Prompto rose not only before the sun, but before Ignis, who was typically the earliest riser among them. Removing the cucumber from his pocket of the Armiger, he placed it gently, and with great reverence, down a mere inch away from his best friend's slumbering face. Then he pulled out his camera and took several pictures of the scene before settling into a corner of the tent see how his little prank would unfold.
As predicted, Ignis was the next to awaken. As he pulled on his glasses and took in the scene, Ignis raised an eyebrow and the corner of his lips turned up just the tiniest bit. Prompto was thrilled! From Ignis, that was the equivalent of getting him to laugh hysterically.
"Please do make an effort to rescue the cucumber from any involuntary reactions that might occur. It would make for a lovely treat in a salad," Ignis commented quietly.
Prompto saluted and replied quietly, "You got it, Iggster."
Ignis actually chuckled quietly as he got up to begin his morning routine and Prompto was already counting that as a huge win for his prank as he kept his camera aimed and ready.
Also predictably, Gladio was next to wake up. He looked the situation up and down and asked, "Do I even want to know?"
"Just checking to see if Noct is as cat-coded as he acts," Prompto replied with a wide grin.
Gladio burst out laughing then as the dots connected and he too, settled into a corner of the tent to watch the proceedings.
Ignis returned to the tent shortly, with three steaming hot mugs of coffee in hand. He handed Prompto and Gladio their mugs, then took an out of the way seat to observe the impending show.
The three of them conversed quietly while they waited, knowing that Noctis could sleep through the familiar sound of their voices provided none of them actually were actively engaged in waking him up.
They were just finalizing a new strategy for their second attempt on that particularly difficult Griffon when Noctis began to stir.
Ignis calmly took the final sip of his coffee while his eyes focused on Noctis.
Gladio leaned forward to get a better view with a grin.
Prompto readied his camera.
Sleepy blue eyes blinked open hazily, narrowed into small slits as they adjusted to the light streaming in from the tent's entrance, slowly focused, then widened.
Prompto held the shutter of his camera down, capturing the full sequence of events as Noctis let out an startled scream, sat bolt upright, and immediately warped out of the tent to the safety of the campfire area.
"What the hell is that thing?" Noctis shouted in distress as Prompto and Gladio immediately lost their shit laughing. Even Ignis was laughing hard enough that he needed to remove his glasses to wipe away a few stray tears.
"Cat-coded," Gladio wheezed through gasping breaths as Prompto gathered himself enough to hand the cucumber safely over into Ignis' custody.
"It's just a cucumber, buddy," Prompto called out cheerfully as he exited the tent to capture yet another picture of Noctis' frazzled expression. "I know you're not the biggest fan of vegetables but they're not anything to be afraid of."
"You have got to be kidding me," Noctis said exasperatedly. "Did you seriously pull the cat meme on me?"
"Yep," Prompto said as he slid his camera back into the Armiger.
"It was a highly entertaining venture," Ignis said as he joined them. "Your reaction was, dare I say, purrrfect."
"Damn it you guys," Noctis said without heat despite the embarrassed flush of his cheeks. "Wasn't the whole Griffon incident yesterday enough of an embarrassment? You have to torture me with vegetables too?"
Gladio's bellowing laughter could still be heard, echoing from inside the tent.
"Indeed," Ignis said with a smirk. "It was a bit of levity that was very much required."
"Fine," Noctis huffed as he crossed his arms and collapsed grumpily into his camp chair. "But I am not eating that thing."
"Awe, come on buddy," Prompto teased as he took his seat next to his best friend. "Think of it as revenge."
Gladio could still be heard laughing his ass off from the tent.
Noctis pouted.
Ignis winked, "Don't worry, Noct. I'll come up with a new recipe."