Hey everyone! Another little Luna/Noctis one-shot just broken into 2 chapters because of length. I hope you enjoy!
"So, time to hit the lift?" Noctis asked, looking down at his feet that were now successfully connected to the ski bindings, the backs of them lifting as he checked that his heels weren't going to pop out.
"Not quite," Lunafreya replied, glad her face was covered. She replied to the confused furrow in his brow by pushing him down, the Prince grunting as he hit the packed snow, his poles dropping beside him. He sat up, leaning on his palms his confusion shifting into a glare,
"What was that for?!"
"You need to learn to get up when you fall. Because trust me, you're going to fall," she teased. "Everyone falls. A lot."
"It's just standing up," Noctis insisted, and started trying to stand when he realized he had two long sticks attached to his feet making the feat quite difficult. He tried to stand, surprised at how frustrating the slight incline made the task. "Stop grinning like that!" he insisted, "Don't think I can't see that smirk under your gear!"
"Okay first of all your toes are pointing down the hill. That's a great way to fall again. Sit so you're sideways. When you stand put all your weight on the downhill leg," she explained.
"Give me your hand," He asked after shimmying himself so that his feet were positioned as required. She shook her head at the request,
"Not possible once we're on the mountain,"
"It's possible here, help me up. Besides, you're the one who pushed me over!" he tried to argue, to guilt her into helping him back up.
"I bet you're pouting behind that ski-mask. That won't work on me this time. Now try to get up. Trust me you want to try this at least once before you fall on the hill. And you will fall," she insisted. Noctis sighed and stood with an exaggerated groan, shifting his weight the way she explained and got back to his feet, spreading his palms in a ta da gesture, that got her to roll her eyes at him. "Now we can go in line for the lift," she offered, and he began to duck-walk towards the lift which caused her to giggle. "You're going to wear yourself out before we even get in line!"
"Well, how else do I do this?" she smiled, deciding to take it easy on him and showed him how to move a bit more efficiently, and turning to watch that he was mimicking her motions. He caught up to her fast enough and grinned at her, declaring himself a fast learner. She gave him an invisible encouraging smile, agreeing with his statement. He moved to head towards the ski lift line, but was stopped by her hand gripping the neck of his jacket,
"Slow down." she instructed, "you're not ready for that yet," she pointed further down the mountain to a smaller shallow hill. "We're going over there," she explained, and ignored his immediate protests, insisting one must learn to crawl before one can learn to walk. When that didn't work she pointed out he was the one to insist on lessons, so was he going to allow her to teach him or not? She managed to instruct him how to load onto the T-bar rope-lift.
"So, finally time to go down?" Noctis asked, clearly excited.
"Yes, yes," He managed not to simply throw himself down the hill, and listened to her instructions on how to turn and how to stop. She slid backwards down the shallow incline so she could watch and instruct him, telling him how to shift his weight or warning him when he was about to cross the tips of his skiis. He kept trying to ask her not to ski down the hill backwards, concerned she would fall over despite her protests she knew what she was doing. She had skiid every winter with her mother from early childhood until she was twelve, and picked the hobby back up after her and Noctis were reunited. This year, he had expressed interest in learning.
"Hmm, you are a fast learner," Lunafreya commented after their fifth run.
"Time to take me up a bigger hill, give me a challenge!" Noctis insisted, feeling quite confident. Luna frowned, pulling her mask down so he could see it. "Careful, someone could recognize you," he commented,
"I don't want you hurting yourself your first day out here with me," she ignored his comment, and shouted his name as he moved past her towards the lift,
"I want to try a real hill!" he insisted, ignoring her protests. He was determined to show her he could come with her on these adventures, and could in time learn to keep up with he. He didn't want to keep practicing on the bunny hills. He wanted a real challenge. It's how he learned anything, by upping the challenge and pushing himself. Lunafreya was shouting his name, able to keep up with him with ease, but utterly unsuccessful
"Noct… please… I don't want you to hurt yourself," she pleaded, moving in front of him to obstruct his path. "I didn't jump straight to the bigger trails, it took me much practice to become proficient.
"You were a kid, your mum probably didn't want you to do the big hills right away," Noctis shrugged, and waddled past her to get in line at the lift. She groaned, following him, continuing to plead with him to continue trying the smaller hills. "What if I promise to stay away from the black trails?"
"Fine. I can't stop you anyways. Just… please promise to be careful, and go slow!" she insisted, caving out of necessity. A small part of her hoped the chair lift would knock him over to take his pride down several notches, but a part of her was excited he was determined to get good at something that was important to her. They got onto the two-person chair, Lunafreya unable to suppress a giggle as he fell against it harder than intended, surprised at how fast it came up behind them. With the bar pulled securely down and the chair moving away from the station,
"Awe come on, I won't hurt myself. You're too good of a teacher for that," Noctis insisted after a few moments of silently watching her remove her hat to fix her hair, and pull the hat back on. He had a suspicion she was smiling beneath her mask, himself sporting a grin behind his own. He had always wanted to learn how to ski, but his father never had the time, Ignis refused to have anything to do with such a suicidal sport as he called it, Gladiolus said he tried it once and refused to try it again, preferring snowboarding. And Prompto hated the cold.
"Thank you for being willing to learn. I haven't had someone to ski with since…" she paused for a moment, "I used to ski with my mother." her tone was steady, and she felt Noctis lean against her, "Don't you fall off this lift, I don't think Gladio would let you live it down," she teased.
"You disappear all day at least once a week in winter, about time I learn how so I can join you." He rubbed his head against her shoulder playfully, smirking when he heard her giggle,
"You're quite ridiculous, you know this?" she inquired,
"Ah, but you love me," he proclaimed.
"Indeed I do, though sometimes I cannot for the life of me figure out why." she teased, tilting her head against his. "You simply drive me from my senses. Have you been lacing my morning coffee?" she accused.
"How else could a scruffy young man keep the affection of a perfect Oracle?" he asked, sitting upright, cocking his head at her.
"The secret behind how this wily Prince has captured my heart!" She fluttered a hand over her chest. "Your secret is out, what shall you do now?" she tapped at her chin, looking at him. He pulled his mask down, smirking at her, and reached to pull down hers,
"Since we don't have to worry about anyone recognizing us on the lift... I'll show you…" his voice trailed off, and any response she had died in her throat when his lips met hers, the stinging wind somehow felt good on their burning cheeks before Noctis pulled away a cocky grin on his face as he saw the smile touching her eyes, suspecting it wasn't only the wind making her cheeks red.
"Hmm… perhaps lacing her coffee is no longer necessary." she mused,
"I should double-check," he commented, and cupped her cheek with a gloved hand, kissing her again, tasting the smile on her lips, feeling the vibration of her gentle hum. "Seems like I have successfully found a replacement for the coffee-love-potion."
"With only two tests? Not very scientific of you Noct. What would Ignis say?"
"Too true… I guess a third test is in order," his lips brushed against hers, and the cold finally began to get to them. He pulled away, slipping the mask back up over his nose, Lunafreya mirroring him.
"I think you have conclusive results," she nodded at his assertion, grinning beneath the cloth.
"I should publish my findings," he held a finger up, mimicking Ignis's accent.
"And share your secret?" she looked at him, pulling her goggles back down over her eyes to protect them from the increasingly cold wind, successfully obscuring her expression. The lift neared the top, and Lunafreya explained how to get off, and they both managed to do so without incident.
"Which trail?" Noctis asked, looking at the posted signs that indicated what lie ahead in the available trails. He followed Lunafreya's pointing finger to a sign that indicated a couple green trails, and a blue one. He nodded at her, and followed her as she skated over towards the mouth of the trail. It eventually began to incline, and she gestured for Noctis to try and hug the edge of the trail, so the more experienced skiiers could get past him. She had told him she would go on ahead so she could watch him come down, directing him not to go past her. He agreed, though with the entire mountain splayed below him he was tempted to charge down it as fast as he dared and impress her. He took a moment to appreciate the view while Lunafreya went ahead of him. It was plain to see why she she enjoyed this so, the view was beyond measure. She looked like she was flying the way she glided down the hill, hoping one day he could be so skilled.
She finally reached the point she wanted, and he saw her stop and wave one of her poles above her head. He took his cue, and slowly made his way down to her, unable to suppress his rising embarrassment that she could glide down the trail elegant and fast and he had to all but crawl down the mountain. He reached her, voicing his lamentation that he was so damned slow. Were it less cold this close to the summit, she would have made a clumsy attempt at a reassuring kiss, but settled for telling him it was his first day on the mountain and speed would come with time. She would rather see him move slowly than be reckless. She worried for him enough as it was.
They continued this pattern, Lunafreya moving on ahead first then watching him make his way to her. Offering instruction and advice. He was feeling more comfortable than he was first thing that morning, and was loath to admit that her little 'let me push you down and try to get up' lesson was proving quite essential. Getting up after falling was far from easy, and it was indeed impossible for her to help him get up. His bad leg was beginning to ache by the time they reached the bottom of the long series of trails, but Lunafreya looked so excited that she had someone to ski with, even if it meant moving agonizingly slow, that he decided to bear with the pain.
"One more run then break for lunch?" she asked him, nodding towards the warmth of the base lodge. "They make the best apple cider."
"Yeah, perfect!" he grasped at the suggestion, "Man. This sport is one hell of a work-out." he added.
"Oh, yes. It's quite intense on the legs. My first time back on the mountain since being a kid felt like someone poured acid into my legs. Remember how sore I was for a few days?" she chuckled. The warmth of the base compared to the chill at the summit left her wanting to remove some of her gear, but she shared Noctis's reluctance to be recognized. It was quite nice having this chance to enjoy a day together like a normal couple. They stood in line for the lift, able to load without incident. Once on the lift, Lunafreya tucked her poles at an angle under her thigh, and removed some of her gear so she could cool off for a moment. Noctis admired how adorable she looked with messy hair fussed by her hat, her cheeks and forehead pink from the wind.
"You look adorable," he smirked, not used to seeing his prim and proper oracle looking so.
"Oh be nice." she insisted, hooking the loops of of her gloves around her wrists so her hands were free to fix her low ponytail and began to don the rest of hear gear back on.
"I'm not teasing you, I mean it," he insisted. He reached for her wrist before she could put her mask back on, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
"I'm sure I'm quite the stunning specimen with wind-burned cheeks, wild hair, even paler than usual…" she ambled, rolling her eyes.
"Exactly," he teased her now, kissing the corner of her jaw hoping she would turn her head so he could bring a red glow to her pale lips. She sighed, turned her head and closed her eyes when she felt his mouth against hers. He bit her lower lip gently, but the chill finally broke them apart. "Hmm, if only it wasn't so cold," he mused, pulling his mask back up over his nose, tucking it under the rim of his goggles to eliminate any exposed skin. He couldn't comprehend how she could tolerate the cold like this.
"Yes, because a chair lift is the most romantic of settings."
"Just wait until I get you back to the cabin," he grinned. Only with her could he feel comfortable enough to be bold. Normally, such cheeky remarks weren't his style. He had been told time and time again how he was too shy, he needed to open up. Even around his friends he would shell up when it came to his feelings about Lunafreya. He knew they would interrogate him about this vacation, the first that the couple had taken together alone.
Gladiolus had already made dirty jokes about the betrothed pair scurrying off on their own. Luckily the young woman who was Lunafreya's shield had not joined in on the teasing. It had taken some convincing, but they were able to talk Regis into allowing them this little vacation with only their personal shields as escort. They reasoned they could maintain a better level of anonymity if their guard was left to a minimum. An entourage of armed guards would only attract attention. The King saw reason in their argument, but still feared for allowing his son and future daughter-in-law to venture off on their own with only one guard each. But risking the empire's attention would be foolhardy. Noctis and Lunafreya were able to convince their shields that they could separate for the purpose of Noctis's lessons, with the intention of meeting back up in the lodge for lunch.
"Can I try a blue trail this time?" Noctis asked once they were at the summit and cleared of the lift. Lunafreya hesitated, she was happy he was so enthusiastic about sharing this with her, but worried about his tendency to push himself too hard. But the conditions that day were good, and she knew that he would eventually spite her by doing something foolish if she insisted on keeping him bubble wrapped.
"Just… as long as you go slow, okay?" she asked. He agreed, promising not to try and race her down the mountain. The head of the trail was green before it split into several options. One a winding green circle, one the blue square trail where she wanted to take noct, and the final a black-diamond that was calling her name. But she was patient, she could indulge herself another time. They continued their pattern of Lunafreya first, Noctis following after. She gave him a final don't go giving me heart attack warning before speeding down the trail. She turned, but felt her edge catch on a small patch of ice. Her right leg stayed stubbornly stuck, the rest of her moving. She spun around and tumbled, feeling the ski pop off of her right foot, the left separating a couple of tumbles later, both poles lost in the chaos as she used her arms to guide her fall, finally landing a dozen meters away. She groaned, inwardly frustrated at herself, and quite embarrassed at her little 'yard sale'. Her wrist throbbed, but she wasn't able to ponder on it as she thought she heard her name called, and suddenly realized how severe this fall must have looked to Noctis.
She sat up sharply, seeing Noctis charging towards her recklessly fast. She shouted his name, though she knew there was no way he could hear her. She tried to scramble to her feet to show him she was alright, holding up her palms in a stop gesture. He tried to stop, but hadn't quite learned how to do so suddenly, and he himself went tumbling. She watched as he fell, one ski popping off his foot as he rolled too close to the edge of the trail for comfort, an agonized scream reaching her ears Oh gods...
"Noctis!" I never should have let him do a harder trail! It was faster to clumsily run and slide towards him in her boots than it would be to gather her equipment and ski down to him. She could hear him groaning. "Noct!" she called again, stumbling to his side as she reached the edge tree line. "Oh Gods…"
"My leg…" he groaned, his breath coming in short sharp inhales. "You...?"
"The Six Noct, I'm fine! I told you to go slow!" she couldn't help but chide him.
"Feels like my damn leg is on fire! Well now that I know you're fine… for once I won't argue with some healing," he groaned, laying back in the snow trying to relax his agitated muscles. Lunafreya winced at the request.
"Oh… I don't know how bad you're hurt. What if you did break your leg and the bone isn't set right?" she asked hesitantly. Her light could heal the bone, but if it was misaligned it would heal that way.
"Won't it just snap back into place?" He asked, beginning to grow a bit anxious.
"No, I can't just snap it back in place," she cringed at the wording. "I think I just accelerate the natural healing process," she offered, a little unsure.
"You ever tried?" he asked,
"Once. And I won't try a second time," she explained, worrying her bottom lip. "Luckily it was just a finger… but Ravus snapped a finger pretty bad once and asked me to heal it… and it remained crooked. I will not try the same thing on a leg." the guilt she felt at refusing to heal him was gnawing at her, it went against her very nature not to press her forehead against his and pour her light into him. The fact he had pleaded for the very help he usually resisted only compounded her plight.
"Hey you guys alright?" an unfamiliar voice shouted. Lunafreya looked behind her and saw a pair of snowboarders approaching them, one holding her skiis, the other her poles. A third person pulled up rear with Noctis's fallen ski.
"His leg is hurt," Lunafreya explained,
"I'll go get ski patrol," one of the strangers, a male voice, offered. She nodded to him, and watched him go off in a hurry down the trail. Noctis was still gasping on the ground, but managed to restrain his moan. His pride would not suffer the affront of letting these strangers hear his pain. They may not know who he was, but he still had no desire for his people to see their Prince in such a compromising position.
"Should we get that ski off his leg?" also a male voice in the troupe of strangers asked. Lunafreya shook her head, suggesting to leave it to the ski patrol who knew how to handle injuries. She feared causing any further damage to Noctis's leg. The strangers set the fallen equipment beside the Oracle, who thanked them for their help. She noticed that one side of the front binding on Noctis's lost ski was cracked, and cringed at the thought of how hard he had hit the patch of ice that had caused her own fall.
"What happened?" A female voice this time, inquired.
"I caught an edge on the ice and fell, and he got a touch reckless as a result."
"How dare I worry," Noctis quipped, "all your stuff went everywhere! I thought you were hurt!"
"Good old yard sale," the female voice commented.
"I've been skiing since childhood! I know how to fall and avoid injury!" Lunafreya replied, feeling guilty and agitated. If she had been more cautious, hadn't been trying to show off for him, perhaps she would have carved her turn better and not caught the edge that sent her rolling down the hill.
"You didn't see how the fall looked… I thought you were hurt," Noctis answered defensively, suddenly feeling embarrassed at the audience watching them. She sighed, trying to collect herself and think about what the fall may have looked like from his perspective. She knew that were the roles reversed she likely would have made the same impulsive mistake. She just hoped that his injuries were not serious, and their assumption about a broken leg were incorrect.
"Well the ski patrol will be here soon, they'll get you down back to the base and look you over." she explained. He seemed quite displeased that it would involve being strapped to a sled and dragged down the mountain in a delightful parade of embarrassment, but he couldn't quite find an argument against it. There was no way he was getting back up from this fall on his own. He just hoped his identity would stay hidden. He has no desire to see his face plastered over every newspaper in Lucis proclaiming his shame.
Noctis's pained groans were eating away at Lunafreya's resolve, the young woman biting down on her lip wishing she could do more than just hold his gloved hand to help comfort him. It was killing her that there was nothing she could do. She watched anxiously as the ski patrol arrived, strapping him to the sled. She donned her own equipment back on and followed them down the mountain, and into the small first-aid facility. She propped her skis and poles on the rack outside, and clumsily jogged in her boots inside to catch up to Noctis. One of the men who had brought him down was sitting at a computer, the other nowhere in sight. The sled they had brought Noctis down on had been placed atop a bed, the young Prince still trapped to it, both his neck and bad leg braced with orange foam and medical tape.
"How are you feeling?" she asked after they had placed him down. Her brows were furrowed, and pulled down her mask in the contrasting heat of the building.
"Ow." was his simple response. "They said I'll need to be checked out at the hospital. They went to go call an ambulance." He explained with a sigh. He was tempted to ask her again if she couldn't just simply use her light, but he had heard the way her tone changed when she explained why she couldn't risk it. A part of him understood, but the rest of him was focused on the agony in his leg.
"I should get Gladio and Catena..." she offered hesitantly, referring to their personal shields. She knew the pair would not be very pleased. Though, Lunafreya at the very least had an argument for Catena, as the woman had fractured her tailbone the previous winter snowboarding, and had little to offer in ways of preventing Lunafreya from hitting the mountain.
"They're gonna kill us," he answered. "Gladio won't let me out of his sight for a month." he rolled his eyes. It had proved useless to call Gladiolus a hypocrite when he tried to stop Noctis from attempting to learn how to ski. The shield himself was partial to snowboarding, but refused to accept his own enjoyment of winter sports as a valid excuse to let Noctis try something he deemed dangerous. It's like everyone wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap. Lucis needs its hier.
"We'll just have to up our stealth game to steal some alone time," she smiled at him, trying to get one from him.
"You'd think we were still kids with how hard it is for us to be left alone for more than five minutes." he lamented, but gave her the smile she was looking for after pulling down his own mask, the heat in the room beginning to get the best of him. Were he not strapped down to a board he would remove his jacket, but had to settle for the discomfort.
"I'll be right back, give a shout if you need help," one of the ski patrol members called to Lunafreya. He had been sitting at a computer, likely entering this most recent accident into the computer and went outside, she assumed for a cigarette. She took advantage of being left alone with Noctis to provide him with what little comfort she good, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"You gave me a bit of a scare." she admitted, "Guess this puts you off skiing forever?" she added.
"You scared me… when I saw you fall like that I figured you'd be the one rushing to the hospital," he admitted. "And don't think it's so easy to scare me. Can't let something as little as a broken leg stop me!" he added with a cheeky grin. She looked caught between chiding him for brushing off his injury, and giggling at that ridiculous grin on his face. "My leg feels a little better than earlier… maybe it's not broken?" he suggested, and Lunafreya winced again as she understood his subtle hint.
"That's your endorphins. I can't risk healing your leg wrong… you'd either need it re-broken to set it properly, or live with a malhealed leg for the rest of your life. I can't bear the thought I would be responsible for that." she felt repetitious, smile vanishing, shoulders slouched. She stood, rubbing her lower back that was beginning to ache with the effort of leaning over his low platform. His own smile vanished, and he felt guilty for prodding her about it again. He knew how much it hurt her when she was put in a helpless situation, and regretted bringing the subject up again. He just needed this fire in his leg to stop. He hadn't felt something like this since those nightmarish first days after the daemon attack.
"Hey… what's with your wrist?" Noctis asked, suddenly jared from his guilty thoughts.
"Hmm?" Lunafreya hummed, and looked at the offending joint. "Oh…" it had swollen significantly, and now that she was looking at it she realized it had been throbbing for some time. She had simply assumed she landed oddly and disregarded it. She flexed her fingers, realizing just how tight the joint felt, and how sharp the pain was as she tried to make a fist. "You're hurt…" he trailed off, his guilt at pleading for her light deepened. Healing others always took a toll on her, an effect which slowed her own healing. Whichever piece of herself she was pouring into others when sharing her light seemed to be the same light responsible for healing her own injuries. A sacrifice she made for others at the cost of herself. And I asked her for that when she was hurt…
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, wishing he wasn't strapped down to a damn board so he could get a better look at her, and do something to make her feel better, even if only to soothe his conscience about what he perceived as selfish behavior.
"Doesn't hurt much," she replied with a shrug,
"Endorphins?" Noctis asked, echoing her own assumptions. She shrugged a shoulder then nodded, which only made his frown deepen. "Then it's going to hurt a lot later."
"It's just a wrist," she replied dismissively. Though she knew he was right. She assumed it was a simply sprain, but those hurt. She didn't want to focus on that while her Noctis was trying to bear a potentially fractured leg. There was a knock at the door to the building before a pair of men came in guiding a stretcher, and Lunafreya let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The noise must have drawn the attention of the ski patrol staff, for one of the men came from the back room, and began to prattle on with the paramedics to tell them what happened and about the suspected injuries.
"Had a good yard sale, huh?" they asked, approaching Noctis. He was confused for a moment before he remembered the snowboarders using the term,
"Actually she's the one who had a yard sale. Scared the crap out of me so I went down the hill a little too fast and fell,"
"Ah, trying to be the hero?" One of the men inquired, getting an irritated glare from Noctis, who was struggling to hold his already injured pride together.
"Oh! I forgot to tell Gladio and Catena!" Lunafreya gasped. She felt a brief moment of panic as she said the names of their shields aloud, but neither the ski patrol nor the paramedics appeared to associate the names with the betrothed Lucian royals. Noctis suggested she simply text them, to which she mentally slapped herself. She never remembered to use the damned phone in her pocket. Isolated for so long in Tenebrae she still wasn't used to the concept of having a phone in her pocket she could use at will. She pulled it out, and thumbed the screen on, thankful that Noctis had reminded her to charge the device before the day on the mountain.
L: Good afternoon Catena. Noctis had himself a bit of a fall, I thought I would inform you and Gladiolus. Kindly pass my message on to him.
She bit her lip at the formal tone and casual treatment of Noctis's condition, knowing that her shield would be able to see clear through it. Even without the inflection of voice Catena always seemed to know what the Oracle meant behind her words, an ability rivaled only by Noctis. Maybe I'm just rusty at disguising my emotions. She pondered, and felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Then a second time. A third. She groaned at the fourth buzz, and pulled the device back out, feeling it buzz a few more times.
C: What do you mean a bit of a fall
C: What happened.
C: You wouldnt text me if everything was fine
C: You wouldnt text me if things were only a LITTLE not ok. Spill it.
C: Is one of you dead?
C: If not Ill kill you both myself
"No wonder Gladiolus took to her so fast," Lunafreya sighed, and heard the familiar tone of Noctis's phone begin to go off. Seems like Catena had indeed passed her message on. She was not looking forward to the confrontation with the pair. Catena could be as bullheaded at Gladiolus himself, both shields at times overbearingly overprotective. No longer surrounded by the constant danger faced during their fight against the scourge, they seemed to interpret everything as a threat, if only to have an excuse to flex their muscles. Gladiolus had hand-picked her shield, and she suspected his choice was at least slightly biased by the desire to spend more time with Catena. He wasn't the most subtle of men, and his attraction to the woman was obvious from the start. The paramedics were busy transferring Noctis from the ski patrol sled onto their stretcher, continuing to banter back and forth while Noctis groaned from all the movement. She bit her lip, dodging eye contact with anyone in the room.
"Noctis!" Gladiolus's booming voice was louder than the slam of the door as he nearly punched it open. Catena was right behind him, shouting her charge's name with equal energy.
"Did you guys teleport here?!" Lunafreya asked, incredulous.
"Wait… Noctis?! The Noctis?!" One of the paramedics turned towards the man who had all but torn the door off its hinges to get into the first aid building. He turned to the prince, glanced up at Lunafreya, and looked caught between throwing up, fainting, asking for an autograph, and wanting to punch someone for not informing him of just who was on his stretcher.
"Please don't tell anyone about this," the Prince groaned, dreading the endless taunting awaiting him once he returned home. He wished Gladiolus had followed his own vehement advice to maintain anonymity, trying to ignore the new panicked banter of the medical personnel as they began to argue over why dispatch was never informed about the person they were coming to transport. His leg was throbbing enough, he didn't need his head too as well.
"What did you do? I bet it was something stupid. Which means of course I have to tell Prompto and Specs. You really think I can keep this a secret? First day pretending you're some winter sports enthusiast. I don't think I've ever seen you even pretend to enjoy winter!"
"They think his leg may be broken," Lunafreya offered, knowing it wasn't going to help Gladio calm down any. "He went a little too fast and fell" she continued.
"Luna fell and I got worried! Everyone is acting like it's a bad thing!" he replied, exasperated at everyone's constant condescending attitudes. A part of him was tempted to pull rank and remind them of who he was, but he nearly puked at the thought.
"I told you already I know what I'm doing! Falling happens!" Lunafreya shot back, not appreciating their implications.
"Just heal him already," Gladiolus grumbled, and this agitated the four strangers in the room further.
"Wait.. the Oracle is here too?! Ramuh is going to blast us all off the face of the earth!" The man motioned as if he was going to bow, but Catena snatched the scruff of his neck, knowing how much Lunafreya hated such formalities.
Please…" the aforementioned woman groaned,
"I say again, just heal him already." Gladiolus insisted,distressed at seeing his friend in such a state.
"I can't!" she snapped, finding it hard to control her tone
"Don't think you're getting out of this unscathed!" Catena stated, adding to the cacophony of argumentative voices. She was half a head taller than the Oracle, long black hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She looked thin, but only because her clothing covered her toned muscles. She could be damned intimidating whens he wanted to be. She grabbed Lunafreya's wrist, eliciting a loud yelp, and withdrew her hand quickly, "you're hurt too?" she inquired, voice softening,
"Just my wrist. I'm fine." she insisted. Her shield apologized, but insisted she wasn't off the hook for worrying the Prince to the point he injured himself, and that she allowed herself to get hurt.
"We really need to get him to the hospital now," one of the paramedics interrupted everyone's arguing. He felt insecure making a demand of the Prince and his entourage. Noctis agreed enthusiastically, needing to break the tension in the room and get away from the agitated shields. Lunafreya followed them to the back of the ambulance, and sighed with relief when the doors shut after receiving a promise from the other two that they would follow in the Regalia II.