For Raven, who requested #16 off the tumblr sickfic prompts list. Part two of the box of remedies series.


It starts like this:

They initially think it's food poisoning. After all, Ignis, Noct, and Gladio have for their whole lives, and Prompto in more recent years, eaten primarily food procured specifically for the royal line and their primary staff. Its quality has always been superb, and Ignis has made certain they've continued eating at as high a standard as possible now that they're no longer inside the safe, closed-off world that was Insomnia.

They were bound to run into regional food that hasn't been prepared with full attention to culinary safety at some point or another. It's hardly Ignis's fault he spends the better part of the night doing his best to heave his guts into the caravan's small toilet. Or so he's been told by his friends, more than once, between bouts of painful stomach cramps.

By the time the sun's beginning to paint the world in dusky shades of red and gold, he's feeling a bit less horrible, though he suspects he won't attempt eating mushrooms again for quite some time. Water, at least, has proved itself tolerable, and by late afternoon it seems they're at the end of that particular misadventure.

They aren't.


It continues like this:

They're halfway through eating the simple but delicious meal of rice balls and roasted skewers that Ignis managed to put together without his own stomach revolting when, in a rapid burst of movement that shouldn't be possible for a man of his size, Gladio drops his plate on the ground and bolts for the edge of the haven. The become-familiar sounds of retching accompany the other three as they follow him, slower, hesitant not because they don't want to help him but because food poisoning isn't contagious, which means...

Noct and Prompto share a look. Who's next? You? Me?

Ignis dismisses them both to finish eating and to take care of the camp and bring him the necessary items to assist Gladio. After last night, it's a familiar list, and it doesn't take long for them to get Gladio and Ignis settled beside the fire. Thankfully it's a warm evening, no rain on the forecast, the stars visible above their heads. It would be ideal, were it not for the way Gladio's hunched, the picture of misery, over a bucket.

Halfway through the night, Noct and Prompto pile out of the tent and insist on reliving Ignis. After all, if they've already been exposed to this bug, then surely it's only a matter of time before it hits them too, and Ignis needs to rest after his own sleepless night, especially if they're less than halfway through this ordeal.

Their logic is watertight—suspiciously so; they've no doubt not been sleeping like they should've been—and so Ignis lets them herd him inside the tent amidst more plan making.


It ends like this:

Gladio insists he's feeling well enough to move by late morning, and so they all pile into the Regalia and make for the nearest motel. Their funds will just have to suffice for the time being—they need proper rest and a more comfortable environment than camping affords them.

Noct and Prompto come down with the bug less than an hour apart, and by the time it's all over, the four of them collectively agree they aren't allowed to get sick again for another year. At least another year, maybe more. Definitely no vomiting.

But they're alive, and so Ignis considers this week, on the whole, a success.

Still, best to avoid mushrooms for a while longer. Just in case.