A/N: Because I promised myself I'd write and post something for Prompto's birthday. But I lost track of the dates and forgot how slow of a writer I am. :/ It's not finished yet, and I didn't quite get it typed up in time for his birthday, but happy birthday anyways! :D

For months I've thought it would be fun to write something where Cindy actually travels with the guys, but I never actually had a solid idea for it until a few weeks ago. I'd hoped to have it completely written and post it all as one part, but it didn't quite work out. I'm about halfway through it, though, and I think I'll probably post it in three chapters.

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"Howdy, y'all. How long you fellas gonna be around this time? Kinda had somethin' I wanted to ask ya."

He and Noct have barely stepped foot on her lot, the keys to the Regalia only just been relinquished to her palm, and Cindy's already got something planned for them. Not that Prompto minds. She's helped them too much over the last couple of months to feel any kind of resentment. Not to mention the fact that when she turns that pretty smile his way, he'd drop just about anything to do her bidding. Especially if it ensured said smile stayed put on her face.

"Uh, oh," Noct teases, crossing his arms and feigning exasperation. "Another delivery to drop off for you, huh?"

It makes Cindy laugh which makes Prompto's heart lurch in his chest, and there may be more than just a little pang of jealousy at the ease with which his friend is able to chat with her. He really doesn't understand how Noct doesn't see the same thing he see when he looks at her. Not the he's complaining. It wouldn't exactly be easy to top a prince.

"Yer gonna ask me that every time you see me, now, aren't ya? Ah, well. Guess kinda asked for it, huh?" She places the keys in a clear, plastic pouch along with a couple of forms. Then she stares down at it for a moment, lips pursed, before kneeling to stow it away in a safe beneath her workbench. "As it were, I s'pose it kind of is a delivery, in a way. But only if it's on you boys' way. If not, it ain't gonna be a problem to find someone else."

"What is it?" Noct asks. His arms unfold and his face expresses the same curiosity Prompto feels.

Cindy rises and leans her elbows on the counter between them. "Y'all headed anywhere near Lestallum next?"

Prompto's pretty sure that wasn't part of Ignis' agenda for the next week or so. Not that he's paid all that much attention, but he thinks the plan was to head back out to Duscae and check out some rumors somewhere near Taelpar. Noct knows the plan better than he does. Maybe.

Noct should know the plan better than he does, in any case. That said, the prince eyes her for a moment before slowly answering, "We could be."

Cindy gives him a look that clearly says she can tell he doesn't want to tell her no and pushes herself off the tabletop. "If you ain't, you ain't," she tells them with a shrug. "No need to be coy about it. Not a big deal, anyways. I'll bet you Dave's got a guy gonna head in that direction."

"What were you needing?" Prompto finally manages to pipe in.

She huffs and cocks a hip, fiddling with a screw on her bench. "It's Paw Paw," she says. He tenses, concerned, but doesn't get the chance to ask if he's okay before she continues. "He's been tellin' me I need to take a break for a while. Go do somethin' for myself for a change." The side of her mouth quirks upward in amusement, and her eyes roll their way back to him and Noct. "Told me he didn't want to see my face 'round here for at least two weeks."

"Harsh," Prompto says, but he's smiling, too. It sure sounds like Cid's personal brand of gruff affection to him. "So what's that got to do with Lestallum?"

"Oh, I was thinkin' about visitin' my aunt up there for a while. I used to see her more before I took over the garage. Can't leave Paw Paw here without some mode of transport, though, and he's bound to need the tow truck for somethin' while I'm gone. That'd be a lotta fuel for that long a trip anyways. Thought I'd see about bummin' a ride with you four first. Like I said, though, it shouldn't be too hard to find someone headin' out to the city."

Prompto's head swings around to Noct in an instant, stomach fluttering at the though of having her along for the ride. Lestallum is a good two and a half day drive from Hammerhead, and he can't think of a better way to spend it than in the company of this golden haired goddess. His eyes bore into the side of Noct's head with all the force of an Iron Giant in the darkest hours of the night.

It finally works, and when Noct meets Prompto's gaze from the corner of his eyes, the blond silently pleads for him to find a way to make this work out. It likely won't be an easy feat to get Ignis to comply with changing around his carefully planned schedule, but they've got to at least try. Ignis won't do it for him, he's pretty sure, but he just might do it for Noct if he presses the matter. Prompto's eyes stay trained on Noct even as the prince's own fall back to Cindy.

"I'm sure that Gladio would like to check in on Iris sooner than later."

Prompto grins at the victory and turns back to Cindy himself. She looks unconvinced, though. "Don't go changing around y'alls plans for little ol' me, now. You boy's got much more important business to take care of than drivin' me around places."

"Do we?" Prompto chirps. The sidelong glance Noct shoots him is unimpressed.

Noct tells her, "At least let me check with Specs, first. I don't even know what his plans are after here." It's the most boldfaced lie Prompto thinks he's ever heard uttered from his best friend's mouth, and it just causes his grin to grow even wider. "When are you looking to leave?"

Green eyes study the prince before moving on to Prompto. Eventually, Cindy lifts one shoulder in defeat. "Far as I'm concerned, there ain't no rush. As for Paw Paw, though, the sooner the better."

Noct nods his head. "Let me check," he says again. "No promises, though." Prompto feels like that last bit is more directed toward him than Cindy, but he's already lost in the fantasy of three practically whole days shared in the constant presence of their lovely mechanic.

She places a hand on her hip and fixes them both with one last, lingering look. "Just promise me you won't go jumpin' through any hoops just 'cause y'all feel bad for saying no."

"Of course we won't," Prompto lies.

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"I'm afraid not."

It isn't exactly an unexpected response, but it somehow manages to throw Prompto for a loop anyways.

"What? Why not," he whines.

"Told you he wouldn't change his plans around just so that you could try to woo Cindy," Noct pitches in unhelpfully from where he's lounged in the upholstered chair near the room's window, his feet dangling over the arm. The jerk doesn't even have the decency to glance up from his phone.

"You forgotten what exactly we're doing out here?" Gladio asks, and unlike Noct he at least tilts his head away from the book in his hands to cast an incredulous look Prompto's way.

Prompto throws himself backward onto the other bed and lets out a long suffering sigh. "No...I was just thinking—"

"Tch. With the wrong head, maybe."

Noct snorts, and Prompto shoots each of them a glare, but both of their attentions are too occupied with their previous activities to notice. "I was just thinking that she does an awful lot for us that she doesn't have to. Is it really too much to ask to take our inevitable trip to Lestallum a little early so we could help her out?" He raises himself up on his elbows and stares at Ignis' back. He's trying to play the guilt card here, but he isn't entirely convinced that Ignis has ever felt guilty about anything in his life.

Prompto's attempts don't seem to phase him, at all. He continues carving away at the rotisserie daggerquill he'd picked up from the store earlier, as apparently the lack of a kitchen or any type of appliance other than a mini fridge and a coffee maker wasn't enough of an excuse to go out and eat poorly. Nor was it enough to stop him from coming up with ingenious ways of cooking up a proper dinner. The pasta boiling in the coffee pot was a testament to that.

After a few moments, when he still doesn't receive a response, Prompto tries again. "I mean. We're still going to Taelpar. But it's not like we weren't going to Lestallum eventually anyways. And hey! We can like, stock up on stuff beforehand! Or you know," he adds sarcastically. "Say our goodbyes to Iris before we find ourselves in another deadly cave buried deep underground. Again." He punctuates his point with a dramatic shudder. "Ugh. Hate those."

Looking back up, he finds that Ignis has paused in his preparations. At last, he sighs and sets aside his knife. "It would be discourteous of us to refuse our assistance when we are perfectly capable."

"Whoa, wait." And this time Noct's head does snap away from his game. "Are you really giving in that easily, Specs?"

Annoyed, Prompto snaps, "If you really didn't want to help, Noct, you should have just told her no back at the garage."

"Don't be ridiculous," Noct shoots back. "Of course I want to help her."

"Yeah? Well you have a really funny way of showing i—"

"Whether he intended it seriously or for dramatic effect," Ignis speaks up, loud enough to break through the argument, "Prompto does bring up a fair point."

It's enough to get Prompto's attention and stop his glowering at Noct.

"If the rumors in Taelpar indeed prove to be true, it wouldn't hurt for us to be as prepared as possible before making the trip." Ignis rummages through the paper sack next to the cutting board and retrieves a small head of broccoli. He takes his knife back up and begins to chop it into small pieces. "We were to visit Lestallum and take a few hunts around the city afterward. We can move that visit up. I'll contact Cindy with the new itinerary tomorrow and see if she's amenable to our plans."

Pleased with the turn of events, Prompto grins and collapses back down to the bed, hands pillowed beneath his head. He thinks he might be dreaming, but he desperately hopes he isn't.

"Sounds good."

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"Thank you fellas for the lift," Cindy grunts, heaving the last of her bags into the trunk of the Regalia. Gladio had tried to help, but she'd only waved away his attempts. She rubs her hands together, as though dusting them off, and casts a wary look back toward the garage. "Let me just..." she trails of.

"I'm sure your old man'll make it through a couple weeks on his own," Gladio says, ever the perceptive one. Prompto kind of hates him for the the first to offer comforting words.

Cindy looks up at the taller man with a sigh. "I know. Can't help but to worry, though. He don't exactly get around as well as he used to, and the garage ain't exactly easy work."

Ignis appears out of nowhere, and Prompto's eyes are glued to the hand he lays on her shoulder. "You did say he has friends nearby who can lend a hand if needed."

"Yeah..." she says, but she still doesn't look completely comfortable with the thought. Prompto tries to come with something lighthearted and witty to help ease her mind but draws a blank. There's not much left to say that hasn't been already. He wouldn't have even had the chance, though, as a gravelly voice takes that moment to holler out, "You lot still ain't gone yet? The hell are you waitin' for? A godsdamned parade?"

All five of them turn to watch Cid hobble his way across the parking lot, one had braced against his lower back. Cindy steps out to meet him halfway.

"Paw Paw..."

Cid scoffs and swats her away when she reaches him. "Don't you 'Paw Paw' me, girl. Git on outta here. You can't go wastin' every moment of your life out at this old dump."

Cindy bristles at his words. She crosses her arms over her chest and grumbles, "It ain't a waste."

"Ha! Don't gimme that. I got to see what all was out there before I decided to stick around here. 'Bout time you take the chance to see a little of it for yourself. Even if I have to force you."

Her stance softens, and Cid pulls her in for a brief hug. Prompto can't help but to smile. They're fun to watch whenever they get together and bicker like this. It's easy to see just how stubborn and alike they really are. He turns to look at Noct, who seems to find them just as entertaining.

"This is really happening, isn't it?" Prompto gushes.

"Don't get too excited," Noct says, brushing passed him with an amused shake of his head. "It's just another really long car ride."

"Maybe," Prompto replies as he trails after the prince. "But it's a really long car ride with Cindy. And that makes all the difference."

"If you say so."

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A/N: I wish we'd actually seen Cid and Cindy interact in the game. :/

It's also gotten in my head recently that as proud as he is of her, and as happy as he is that she loves the garage as much as he does, in his old age, Cid might feel a bit guilty that it's all she knows, whereas he got to explore the world first before settling down and making it his life.