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When this was all over, Gladio and Ignis would probably argue until the end of time who was more at fault for this. Maybe, if they were lucky, they would someday agree to both take the blame, or—even better—to leave their guilt behind because they couldn’t control or take fault for nature.
It was the middle of winter, but no snow had fallen yet. They were camped in the shadow of the Rock of Ravatogh. Prompto and Noctis said that they were setting off early the next morning to hunt wyverns; just the two of them, for some cool, best friend hunting-bonding time. Ignis and Gladio agreed, because wyverns weren’t a problem for them anymore. Hell, they’d seen Noctis solo two wyverns before. With Prompto at his side, they shouldn’t have had any problems. The boy’s eagerness was a welcome change from sleeping in until one in the afternoon.
So Gladio and Ignis took the day off. The younger members of their group bade them goodbye early that morning, quietly slipping out of the tent before Ignis drifted back off. Gladio awoke sometime later, getting up to make breakfast and brew coffee, while Ignis simply stayed in bed. It was unlike him, but he was tired, and who was to say he didn’t get a day off every once in a while, when Noctis and Prompto finally decided they wanted to act like adults?
The two lazed together in the tent most of the day, basking in the warmth of the small space heater and each other. It had been quite chilly that morning, perfect weather for cuddling in the nest that their sleeping bags, pillows and blankets had become. Gladio’s head rested against Ignis’ hip as he read, hand occasionally straying away to catch Ignis’ hand in his, intertwining their fingers or kissing the other man’s palm. It was perfect; spending the day resting and recharging, not driving or fighting or watching over others was just what Ignis needed.
Well, actually, some wifi or cell service would have been nice, too. It seemed that they were too far into the middle of nowhere to get any reception. He had been curious as to if the weather would be worsening over the coming days and how it would affect their travel, but the weather app on his phone was just not cooperating. Despite being on the Ravatoghan Trail, his phone still displayed his detected location as “Cleigne, Wennath Riverhead” along with a little sun icon and the temperature reading 64 degrees. It was certainly not 64 degrees.
Sometime around midday Gladio had drifted off to sleep against him, effectively pinning him in place. After a few hours, though, Ignis was in need of a place to relieve himself and perhaps a snack, so he untangled himself as gently as he could from the big lug, making sure to zip the tent back up to keep in the warmth.
As he returned from a bush to rummage through their food stores, he only then realized how cloudy the day had gotten. To his surprise, the upper half of Ravatogh was even covered in snow. He’d known it was going to get cold, but perhaps not that cold. He hoped the weather wasn’t giving the boys any trouble. He panned his gaze to the south, across the smaller hills and mountains around the area. Huge, billowing clouds threatened to overtake the sky. Already, the top of Ravatogh was obscured in a musky grey.
What time had the boys said they were going to return? Ignis thought to himself, feeling worry start to bubble up in his stomach. There was no way the prince’s sworn shield and adviser had been so careless with his safety, surely it wasn’t that late in the day—
2:09 PM. That was the time his phone displayed after he hastily unzipped the tent, scrambling around for the device. Noctis and Prompto had said they would be back by 1. Gladio snorted in his sleep, slowly waking to find Ignis crouched at the mouth of the tent, eyes wide.
“Hey gorgeous,” he shot with a yawn, “You look troubled.”
Ignis looked at Gladio, then back at his phone, then back at Gladio. He couldn’t believe he’d been so irresponsible.
“Gladio, get your coat and your boots,” Ignis said, the urgency in his voice forcing Gladio awake quicker, “We’re going up after the boys.” He patted around the corner of their tent for a moment, finally pulling his own thicker coat out of the nest before leaving the entryway open.
“W-wait, Iggy, what’s up?” Gladio stuttered, pulling on his own coat and boots before scrambling out of the tent. Ignis was gathering supplies from their suitcases; space blankets and disposable heat packs, it looked like.
“There’s a snowstorm coming,” Ignis said, motioning to the sky over Gladio’s shoulder, “I had heard about the bad weather on the radio some days ago, but I didn’t think it would be this bad. I- We can’t let them face this on their own. We’ve no idea what could happen.”
Gladio turned to look at the mountain and the clouds, and then stepped back in awe of mother nature. Ignis was terrifyingly right; he had to stop himself from thinking that Noctis and Prompto were already buried under the snow, bodies huddled together, motionless, in some desperate search for warmth—
“Ready?” Ignis asked, thankfully breaking his train of thought. Gladio nodded, absentminded, trying to think if they’d need anything else. They’d need to travel light; there was no telling if the other two would be able to walk back on their own. Just as Ignis was descending the side of the haven, Gladio dashed back over to the tent.
“Wait!” He exclaimed, and Ignis turned back around. The larger man fell to his knees, feeling around in the blankets until he emerged with what he was searching for. “We’re…definitely going to need these.” Regretfully, he held up both Noctis and Prompto’s thick winter coats. Up until then, they had never encountered such cold weather, so of course the boys never thought to bring the coats with them. Ignis’ frown only deepened as they each grabbed a coat, extra scarves and hats, and they were off.
They rode by chocobo, using the bird’s powerful legs to gallop and leap over the rocky, uneven terrain below the mountain. It still took them a good half hour to reach the base of the mountain, and the temperature had already dropped significantly. When their chocobos refused to go any further they walked, but didn’t run. Sleet and ice were already forming on the rocky path; no need to turn one rescue mission into another.
“I don’t know what we’ll face, getting back to camp,” Ignis said as they began their ascent, clearly referring to the boys, “but we should think about packing up and leaving as soon as we can, drive to Cape Caem for a while. The six only know how far this storm will bring the snow.”
Gladio nodded in agreement, deciding to save his breath for when they needed it most. The cold was biting, burning the inside of his nostrils as the wind whipped over his face. He pulled his scarf up over his nose and motioned for Ignis to do the same. Gods he hoped those two were okay. But if he was already feeling like this, having barely ascended the mountain…
They went on and on, for what felt like forever, but Ignis knew they hadn’t really climbed that high. When they fist climbed Ravatogh, as a group, it had taken them a whole day, and that was without the snow and sleet. He remembered climbing up a near vertical cliff face, and how impossible that would be in the snow. He could only hope and pray that Noctis and Prompto hadn’t made it that far up before the snow set in, that they’d had the common sense not to attempt the climb in such conditions.
Ignis walked ahead of Gladio, daggers out and ready to strike at anything that might jump at them out of the snow. Gladio had foregone his greatsword for a shield, taking the defensive position in their two man party.
Ignis was just finishing up a small group of saphyrtails when Gladio called out to him.
“Iggy…Ignis! Look up there!” he shouted, directing Ignis’ attention further up the slope, to an outcropping above them. Ignis could vaguely see a small patch of fuzzy black something blowing in the wind. Noctis…? “I think I saw Noct, c’mon!”
Gladio did not hesitate for a moment, charging up the hill as best he could in the deepening snow. Ignis followed close behind, but couldn’t help the worry that gnawed at his mind. What if it wasn’t them? How much farther would they have to search? How much time did they have left before Noctis and Prompto were doomed? They couldn’t survive out here in the snow, Ignis told himself, without them they’d freeze to death.
Someday, Ignis would have to find out which god was in charge of luck, or perhaps of natural disasters, and write them a personal thank-you letter. Gladio reached the small outcropping before he did and promptly dove out of view. Ignis’ heart leapt in his chest, spurring him on, and when Gladio reemerged, waving Ignis over frantically, he knew they had succeeded.
“Noctis, why don’t you have your hat on?” Ignis shouted more than asked, but a moment later he felt a bit sorry that those were the first words out of his mouth to his partner. The prince was shivering violently in front of him, his hands shoved futilely under his arms.
Gladio didn’t allow Noctis the time to answer, retrieving one of the spare hats they’d brought along and hastily pulling it over Noctis’ snowy hair. The prince exchanged a look of gratitude with him briefly, then answered.
“Prompto…We got stuck here and…he was shivering and cold but then he s-stopped. He stopped shivering—”
Ignis did not wait another moment, moving past Noctis to find the blonde curled up against the rock behind him. At least they had had the sense to try and get out of the wind, Ignis thought, but it was clear that Noctis was beginning to suffer the effects of hypothermia. He and Gladio had been trained in survival and first aid, so he knew that hypothermic symptoms without shivering only spelled disaster.
“Prompto,” Ignis beckoned to the younger man, gently stroking his face. He didn’t want to startle the boy awake, but he also really, really needed to see some signs of life. Thanks to Noctis the blonde already had a warm hat on his head, so Ignis pulled out the extra scarf he’d brought—warmed from where he’d kept it pressed against his body—and gingerly wrapped it around Prompto’s neck and chin. Finally, spurred to life by the warm cloth pressing against his face, Prompto opened his eyes to glance at Ignis.
“Hey there,” Ignis let out a breath, so relieved to see those eyes, even if they were glazed over with confusion. It was obvious the blonde had no idea what was happening to him, “Come here, Prompto, we’ve got to get you out of this cold, alright?” Ignis didn’t wait for a reaction this time, unfolding Prompto’s arms from where they were locked around himself—that should have been harder, he thought, if the blonde were well he would have given more resistance—and making sure he had a good hold around Ignis’ neck. He crouched lower, taking a firm hold on Prompto’s waist and, slowly but surely, lifting the younger man into an unsteady standing position.
His hands on Prompto’s waist only further confirmed his fears. The blonde’s clothing—none of it any good for blocking wind or insulating heat—was damp with melted snow and sleet. He’d have to get it off of him immediately.
“Gladio,” he glanced over, finding the bodyguard performing the same once over check on Noctis. Their eyes met, and Ignis knew that Noctis’ clothing likely suffered from the same fate. Without another word Ignis shuffled Prompto backwards, having him half sit against the rock as he began to pull off the blonde’s top layers. Prompto protested as his skin was exposed more and more to the unforgiving chill, but Ignis held fast. He knew that Prompto, in his delirium, had no idea that he was only trying to help him.
“There, there, almost done,” he comforted quietly, looping Prompto’s soaked clothing into his belt to take care of back at camp, and then pulling out the spare coat he’d brought. Their whole trek it had stayed under his own coat, pressed against his body to generate warmth, and it was obvious that the trick paid off the moment he pulled Prompto’s bare, shivering arms into it. The smallest hint of realization was starting to fade back into his eyes as he nudged forward, wrapping his arms around Ignis’ torso and pressing his face into the larger man’s chest.
Gladio had had largely the same result with Noctis, though the prince was, for once, the more compliant one. After he was stripped of his clothing and pulled into the warm coat, Gladio pulling the zipper all the way up to the prince’s chin, Noctis made his gratitude obvious by pulling his bodyguard down and nuzzling into the crook of his neck, shivers still rocking his body. Gladio gasped as the cold, frost-nipped nose pressed against what little skin he had exposed. Noctis was freezing, but he was also very thankfully alive.
Ignis couldn’t help the smile breaking out across his face, though he knew Prompto and Noctis were not nearly out of danger, yet. He reciprocated the embrace with one arm secure around Prompto’s back, the other fishing in his pack for one of the compressed space blankets he’d brought along. He handed the first to Gladio, who had freed himself from Noctis’ embrace to wrap a scarf around the back of the prince’s head and neck, making sure to cover his nose and lips—both most definitely tinged with blue.
Gladio wasted no time in ripping open the packaging and unfolding the noisy silver blanket, hastily wrapping it around Noctis’ shivering form. He remembered packing these back in Insomnia, thinking that they’d never find use among their other camping supplies, but now they were the most important tools in their arsenal of survival; probably the one thing that would save Noctis and Prompto’s lives, aside from Gladio and Ignis themselves. A second space blanket emerged from Ignis’ supplies, this time ending up wrapped securely around Prompto.
“Hey, Ignis,” Gladio called over the howling wind, the weather certainly wasn’t subsiding, “We need to get out of here, get them out of the wind.” Gladio had to practically pry Noctis’ arms off of his form; his hug had taken the turn from thankful to desperately clinging to Gladio for warmth. He directed one of the prince’s hands to hold the blanket shut on his front and slung the other over his shoulder. Crouching down, he hooked an arm under Noctis’ knees and braced the other against his back, effortlessly lifting him off the ground. Usually Noctis was not a fan of the bridal carry, but this time he eagerly snuggled closer to Gladio, greedy for all of the warmth he could find.
Ignis nodded, shifting Prompto’s arms to his neck as he mumbled encouragements and comforts into the blonde’s ear. He lifted Prompto—not as easily as Gladio had Noctis, but still—but the blonde did not adjust as well to the sudden change in position as Noctis had. He flailed, causing Ignis to stumble momentarily, but the adviser caught his balance. Despite his body wanting to protest, it seemed that Prompto didn’t have enough energy in him to try anything else. He settled, uneasily, against the arms cradling him, giving in to their support.
They set off on a slow, steady trek back down the mountain, knowing time was of the essence as the storm steadily worsened. They thankfully did not encounter monsters on the way down, the snow having driven them into hiding. The boys did not protest anything else on their journey back down, but after a while Gladio felt that Noctis was being too silent. He glanced down, careful not to take his eyes off the slippery rocks for too long, to find Noctis’ eyes slowly fluttering closed.
“Hey,” he said, rubbing the prince’s back, not wanting to be too rough, but not too gentle, either, “Hey, Noct, you’ve got to stay awake.”
“But…Gladio, I’m so tired…” Noctis mumbled, his speech starting to slur together.
Not good, Gladio thought, definitely not good.
“I know, princess, but you’ve got to do me this favor, alright? We’re almost there, just stay awake for a little longer.” They were definitely not almost there, but if bartering and goading the boy into wakefulness was what he had to do, he’d do it the whole way back to camp.
“ ‘M not a princess…” Noctis mumbled, trying to find the energy to be offended. Well, at least one of his tactics had worked, Gladio thought.
Ignis listened idly as Gladio continued to banter at the prince. Noctis answers didn’t get any more coherent, from what he could hear, but that wasn’t surprising. They were doing their best to prevent a more severe hypothermia from setting in, but they couldn’t avoid the symptoms entirely. He was distracted from his thoughts when he felt Prompto shifting in his arms, or rather not shifting, but shivering. For the second time that day, Ignis found himself thanking the gods. Their treatment was working, even if only in some little way.
They reached the base of the mountain once again a short time later, Gladio desperately whistling for their chocobos. Noctis was very obviously disturbed by the loud whistling, clapping a hand over his ear and burrowing further into Gladio’s chest, but if it meant keeping him awake Gladio didn’t really care. He felt guilty, only contributing to the prince’s suffering more, but the truth was that Noctis’ life mattered more than his own comfort, now. The chocobos soon came bounding up, brave birds that they were, and Gladio and Ignis immediately set about mounting the chocobos with the boys.
Though it was a bit of a struggle, they eventually found a position that was both comfortable and secure for Prompto and Noctis. They rode out of the worst of the storm and back to camp with haste, the bumpiness of the ride keeping both boys awake.
---
Finally, finally they rounded the last boulder separating them from the haven they’d set up camp on. They spurred their chocobos up the rock, only stopping when they were mere feet from the tent—their ultimate destination. Gladio jumped off first, hauling Noctis along with him, and unzipped the tent, immediately pulling Noctis inside and out of the blasted wind. He turned the space heater back on just as Ignis crowded inside with Prompto, the advisor immediately going to work on Prompto’s still damp pants and undergarments.
Gladio was shocked as he watched Ignis toss the blonde’s pants, shoes and socks back outside the tent without a care—such brash behavior was unlike him. The space blankets, covered in melting snow, joined the clothing outside.
“Do the same to Noct, get his pants and shoes off,” Ignis urged, spurring Gladio into action, “What they need right now is dry and warm. Anything else we can deal with later.”
The advisor pulled a duffel bag filled with Prompto’s spare clothes closer to him, unconcerned with the blonde’s nakedness, as Gladio unlatched Noctis’ belt and urged the prince to lift his hips. Prompto groaned in protest, burying his toes into the blankets around him. Why couldn’t they just cover him in blankets and let him sleep? His protests fell on deaf ears as Ignis fished a pair of sweatpants out of the bag, beginning to pull them up Prompto’s bare legs.
Noctis’ jeans and boots joined Prompto’s outside the tent, and finally the entrance was zipped closed, locking in the warmth that they so desperately needed. Gladio kept a warm, steady hand on Noctis’ bare hip as he sought out a new pair of pants for the shivering prince, thumb idly stroking the chilled skin. He found Noct’s long sleep pants soon enough, balled up in the corner, and pulled them on without preamble.
“We should take their coats off, too, right?” Gladio said, already unzipping the coat he’d so desperately pulled Noctis in to earlier, “To share body heat?”
Ignis hummed in agreement, and the two men made quick work of both Noctis’ and Prompto’s and their own coats, the garments joining the nest of clothing and blankets surrounding them. They shuffled the two closer to each other, to the middle of their bed of open sleeping bags, then laid themselves down to border the smaller, shivering bodies. Bare chests pressed flush against bare backs, and then came the layers of blankets. Flannel sheets, one blanket, two, and then a heavy quilt to really trap the heat their bodies were generating.
Gladio slipped an arm around Noctis’ waist, his hand snaking up the prince’s stomach to splay across his chest. Noctis shifted then, pressing further back into Gladio’s warm, steady presence and grabbing the hand off his chest to wrap his own hands around. Noctis’ fingers were still cold, Gladio noted, and slipped his other arm gently under Noctis’ body to rub feeling back into the smaller fingers. He felt Noctis relax against him with a deep exhale and buried his nose in the crook of the smaller man’s neck, peppering his collarbone and shoulder with soft kisses.
“Feeling better?” Gladio asked, lacing their fingers together under the blankets.
“Yeah…” Noctis said, sleep and exhaustion laced his voice, “Thanks for coming to save us...” He tried to continue, but a long yawn got the better of him, and he resigned himself to burrowing further under the blankets.
Gladio opened his mouth to respond, intending on cracking a joke about how it was his job, that he got paid to save his ass, but then his emotions got the better of him.
“We’d never let you guys down,” he began, his grip on Noctis tightening just a little bit, “We love you too much to just…” He couldn’t finish his sentiment, his mind too quickly jumping back to the image of the two boys motionless, buried by snow. Luckily for him, Ignis spoke up just in time.
“It’s our fault, either way,” the advisor said, reaching over to cup Noctis’ cheek, “We shouldn’t have been so careless, letting you and Prom go off on your own like that.”
At the mention of his name, Prompto blearily lifted his head from where it was nuzzled against Ignis’ chest. He said nothing, only gazing up into Ignis’ eyes in question. Ignis shook his head, shifting down to kiss Prompto on the forehead.
“It’s nothing, don’t worry. Just rest now.”
So they did. Before he even realized it, Ignis had drifted off. He was awoken some time later by the sound of Gladio shuffling around the tent, redressing.
“Hey, sorry to wake you,” Gladio whispered as Ignis sat up. Prompto shifted in his sleep from the cool air that replaced Ignis’ warm presence next to him. Next to him, Noctis didn’t seem too keen on Gladio getting up, either. The prince had rolled over, cuddling up behind Prompto in the larger man’s absence.
“The storm’s getting worse, we should think about moving before nightfall. I don’t know if we’re well equipped enough to get through a blizzard.” Gladio was pulled on a warm hat, finally followed by his boots. He was intending to go outside, then, Ignis figured.
“I’m going to go pack up the camp, load stuff into the car. Once we’re mostly packed we can get them into the car, but we’ll have to break down the tent ourselves,” Gladio explained, and Ignis nodded in agreement. It was risky, moving the two before they had fully recovered, not to mention driving in a snowstorm, but it was better than the alternative.
“I can help you then, packing things up,” Ignis offered, shifting around to gather where he had discarded his boots and warmer clothes.
“I think you should stay here, actually. I appreciate the thought, but we need to make sure these two don’t get any worse,” he motioned to the two sleeping forms, still covered by layers of blankets, “If you’re here with them then we can be sure that they’re safe, and that their condition won’t worsen. Plus, I’ve broken down camp alone plenty of times, when these two idiots don’t want to do anything but sleep in.”
Ignis saw where Gladio was coming from, but still didn’t like the idea of the other man being out in the elements alone. There was no helping it, he guessed. He motioned Gladio over before he opened the tent, and then pulled him down for a firm kiss.
“Stay safe then, alright?”
Gladio smirked as he pulled away, “Gotcha.”
With that, the larger man left, the gust of frigid air from the tent opening forcing Ignis to seek refuge under the blankets again. After the tent was zipped back up he sat up again, but this time to gently shake Noctis and Prompto awake. Noctis did not take well to being awoken from his very comfortable slumber, he decided, and grabbed a fistful of blankets to pull over his head instead of rousing. Prompto, on the other hand, wearily opened his eyes, obediently waking when Ignis asked.
“I feel like garbage,” Prompto said bluntly, still reclined against the pillows. He shifted slightly, then brought a hand up to rub at his eyes, “Head hurts…god…” A sharp intake of breath followed. From under the blankets, Ignis heard Noctis groan and shift around more. The prince was probably not feeling any better, he deduced.
“Dehydration, likely,” Ignis said, keeping his voice low and soft, “Come, I have some water.”
He assisted Prompto in sitting up, letting the blonde lean back against his chest as he took small sips from the bottle to start, followed by larger and larger gulps. He’d never thought that just being cold could hurt so much.
“It’s also likely that your muscles are sore from being so tense; the water will help with that, too, but a good meal would help more,” He shifted away from Prompto, assured that the blonde could support himself, and went to rouse Noctis once again. The prince was awake when Ignis pulled away the blankets, but he didn’t look too keen on sitting up.
“Come now, I know, I know, it hurts,” Ignis mumbled as a helped Noctis sit up. He sat up very slowly, slumping against Ignis for support. His head felt like an anvil; if Ignis shoulder wasn’t there he was sure he’d collapse back down into the bed. Ignis procured another water bottle and gingerly lifted it to his lips. Noctis tried to grasp the bottle himself, determined to care for himself, but Ignis still held Giving in, Noctis let his hand slip away and allowed Ignis to continue. He patted the advisor’s knee when he’d had enough.
Left to his own devices, Prompto had nestled back down into the mass of blankets. The longer he sat up, the more he realized that he wouldn’t be able to support himself for long. It made Noctis feel a little better, that he wasn’t the only one experiencing an all encompassing, bone deep exhaustion. Ignis helped him slide back under the blankets after, but not before pressing a kiss to the back of his hand.
“Are you going to cook for us, Iggy?” Prompto asked, the blankets pulled up to his chin. He hoped Ignis would, rather than telling them to go back to sleep. The exhaustion was hard to look past, but his hunger was slowly beginning to make itself known.
Ignis shook his head with a sad smile. “I would love to, but I can’t right now. The snowstorm outside has gotten quite bad; we need to focus on moving before night falls so we can avoid any further complications with the two of you. You need real beds and a heated room, first off.” Ignis explained, watching as Prompto wilted slightly at the denial of food. It certainly wasn’t the ideal situation, Ignis could agree, but unfortunately their safety was more important than their empty bellies, now.
“I’m sorry,” he said, lying down next to Noctis instead of Prompto, this time, “As soon as we get somewhere safe I’ll cook for you, anything you like. But rest, for now. You’ll need your energy.”
Prompto liked the sound of that, resting his head back down against the pillows and cocooning himself in the edge of the blankets, though he wished he didn’t have to wait for it. Noctis, while definitely enticed by the idea of food, was too tired to care. Ignis’ warm body next to his was much more enticing. He rearranged himself to get closer to Ignis, and his lover pulled him in closer in response. Even delirious with exhaustion, his little prince was still greedy for attention. Noctis pressed as close as he could to the larger man, nuzzling his head up right under Ignis chin. A moment later, he felt Prompto shuffle closer to drape an arm over his waist, and their world was quiet and still and warm again.
----
The next time Prompto woke, Ignis was gone again; only he and Noctis remained in the warmed tent, surrounded by blankets. While he missed the body heat of the two older partners, he was definitely feeling much, much warmer. Warm enough that he might have actually been back at a normal body temperature, but as soon as he moved the ache butted to the forefront of his mind again. So, still not feeling any better, he decided. Well, it had been worth a shot.
He raised his head slightly and found that the tent was looking much cleaner than it had earlier. The extra clothes had been tidied up and the space heater in the corner was gone. Near the entrance, he found two piles of neatly folded winter clothes and dry pairs of shoes. Those were definitely his and Noct’s clothes, so he guessed that that meant they would need to move out of the tent soon. He listened closely to the sounds outside, straining to hear Ignis or Gladio, but only the howling wind answered him. He felt scared for a moment, thinking that they were alone again, but, speak of the devil; Gladio unzipped the tent and shuffled inside, followed by Ignis.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Gladio greeted, closing the tent as soon as he could, “I know you probably want to go back to sleeping, but we’ve got to get you guys moving, ASAP.”
Prompto only nodded, gingerly sitting up as Gladio shuffled around to his side. With no one else to cuddle up against, it didn’t take long to wake Noctis. Ignis greeted him as a woke, carding fingers through his hair as he urged him to sit up. It took some coaxing, and lots of layers of clothing, but soon enough both Prompto and Noctis were covered head to toe in warm clothes, ready to face…whatever was out there. Prompto wasn’t exactly sure.
When he was sure they were ready Gladio looked to Ignis, who nodded, and then the entrance to the tent was thrown open. Freezing air and snow rushed it while the group rushed out; first Ignis, helping Noctis to his feet, then Gladio with Prompto in tow. Prompto tried not to be in awe—he’d never seen this much snow before, especially not whipping around them in what was essentially a blizzard. And Ignis was going to drive in this? He thanked his lucky stars it wasn’t him at the wheel. He wouldn’t have even been able to start the car.
Speaking of the car, they were all suddenly very thankful that they’d parked it so close to the Haven this time. It was just down the rock, sitting in a valley of dug out snow that Ignis and Gladio had obviously been working quite hard on. The Regalia was already running, Prompto noticed, and before he knew it Gladio was throwing open the passenger’s side back door and shoving him into the warm, cozy car. The driver’s side back door was thrown open soon after as Noctis practically crawled into the car. As soon as the door shut he curled in on himself, the freezing temperatures having brought on another bought of shivering despite the layers of clothing.
Prompto frowned, hugging his boyfriend close as he watched Gladio and Ignis retreat back into the snow and up the haven. He hoped they would be quick. The Regalia was nice and warm, but it didn’t feel right, Gladio and Ignis not being there. They were meant to function as a group, there was no way around it. He and Noct would have to get better fast, so things could go back to the way they should be, even if he did love how good Iggy and Gladio were at taking care of them.
He stayed lost in his own thoughts, rearranging their position as Noctis shifted, until he heard the trunk open and slam very quickly. Gladio was the first to make it into the car, taking the passenger’s seat and turning to give them a big thumbs up. Only his eyes were visible between the hat, scarf and coat he had layered on himself in an attempt to fight the cold. Prompto couldn’t help but giggle, partially at seeing the large man so swathed in clothing and partially at just being alive and safe and finally able to get out of this frozen hell. Gladio removed one of his practically frozen gloves to reach back and grasp Prompto’s hand in assurance, and it only then occurred to the blonde that Ignis wasn’t in the car yet.
A glow and blast from in front of the car answered his question. Ignis stood, the remnants of a firaga spell fading around him, as the fire cleared a path for the car back to the main road. The residual heat also melted the ice off of the Regalia’s windshield.
Ignis got into the car without a word, then, quickly navigating back onto the main road and switching around all the Regalia’s settings to deal with the ice and snow.
“You boys doing alright?” Ignis asked a few minutes later, glancing into the rearview mirror once he was sufficiently comfortable with driving. Prompto responded with a nod and a smile, but Noctis didn’t seem so enthused. The prince sat in his usual seat, bundled up and buckled in like a child, but he still couldn’t find the same warmth as he had in the tent, pressed close to everyone that he loved.
“Perhaps some more heat then,” Ignis suggested, pressing a button in the front. A few minutes later, Noctis and Prompto began to feel the heat underneath their backs and legs. Heated seats; one of the features of the Regalia they rarely used. Noctis visibly relaxed back against the seat, thanking every god he could think of that his dad had given him such an equipped car. Slowly, his arms relaxed from their locked position tucked into his sides and his eyes felt heavy again.
He drifted off, gently rocked to sleep by the slow pace of the Regalia, and by some quiet music Ignis had turned on. He couldn’t quite tell what it was, but, to him, it sounded like home.
----
Somewhere along the long road to Cape Caem, Noctis woke. Gently, so slowly that he almost thought he was dreaming. It was late at night, the full moon illuminating the terrain around them. There was no more snow, he realized. The heat in the car had also been turned down and Ignis still sat in the driver’s seat, a tall cup of coffee from a rest stop keeping him company. They must have stopped at some point, but he obviously slept through the break.
That brought him to what, or rather who, had rearranged their back seat. Instead of just himself and Prompto, Gladio was now seated in the middle, arms draped protectively over the both of them. Prompto laid curled across his half of the seat, head pillowed in Gladio’s lap, while Noctis cuddled against his chest. He shifted slightly, not wanting to wake the other two, then settled back down again. Just before he drifted off again he felt Gladio press a kiss into his hair, stroking his shoulder in slow, comforting strokes.
----
Neither of them remembers arriving at Cape Caem at half past three in the morning, nor being gently stripped of their heavier clothing and carried in to the beach house, a large bed already made for them because Ignis called ahead. Regardless, they awake in absolute comfort, propped up on pillows with cool, crisp sheets below them. If the floor of the tent had been comfortable, this had to be heaven.
The door to the room quietly clicked open and Gladio nudged himself in, two steaming mugs in his hands. He greeted them with a warm smile.
“Welcome back to the land of the living and coherent,” he said, handing each of them a mug. The scent of warm, heady broth wafted up into their faces and Prompto’s stomach growled instinctively. The blonde blushed, but greedily took a sip.
“Sorry it’s not something more filling,” Gladio offered, seeing Noctis’ slight disdain at the soup, “But, you guys haven’t really eaten in a while. Both Monica and Ignis agreed you should start simple. Oh, and Ignis apologized that he couldn’t cook for you guys first,” he tilted his head towards Noctis’ side, where Ignis lay face down in a pillow. Despite his disheveled appearance, his glasses, shoes and coat were all neatly put away at the bedside, “He drove most of the night to get here, so as soon as you guys were settled he knocked out.”
“Awwww,” Prompto cooed, smiling into his mug at the sleeping adviser. While being an amazing lover and partner, Ignis was also the best caretaker he could have ever asked for. It made him feel so happy, to be loved.
“Yeah, I guess we can let it slide,” Noctis said, reaching over to run his hand through Ignis’ hair. With a sigh the adviser stirred, lifting his eyes to meet Noctis’, though he couldn’t see the prince very well without his glasses. Without a word Ignis pulled himself closer to Noctis, wrapping his arms around the prince’s middle and resting his head on his belly.
“Oh, look at that, something’s come over me. Maybe it’s your turn to take care of me now~” Noctis gasped at the sudden intrusion of personal space, but relaxed into the embrace when he heard Prom and Gladio chuckling at the adviser's antics.
“We owe it to you guys, saving our hides like that,” Prompto said, glancing between the two older men, his gaze full of adoration and love. Gladio shook his head.
“You don’t owe us anything, Prom.”
“Indeed, it is our pleasure,” Ignis added, punctuating his statement with a wide yawn, “Though I would like to sleep for a full day, now.”
“We’ll be here when you wake up, Specs, probably still waiting for that meal.” He felt Noctis fingers in his hair again, warmed by the mug of broth.
“You had better be,” Ignis mumbled, closing his eyes and quickly letting sleep claim him.