It must have taken him a good full minute to realize this wasn't a dream – far too long to be staring down the barrel of a gun. The same gun he had bought Prompto for his sixteenth birthday. Through the grogginess, Noctis felt as though he was still locked in a dream world. Even time felt distorted – maybe everything had transpired in under a minute. Noctis couldn't even be certain he was even awake. However, the clicking the revolver setting the bullet in place clarified that matter.

Noctis locked onto a pair of bloodshot blue eyes, partially hidden behind disheveled blonde bangs. Prompto's right hand trembled, rattling the bullet against the chamber. With one hand stretched out, Noctis slowly propped himself up on his other elbow.

"Don't move!" Prompto's tone was hushed but frantic as he ordered through clenched teeth. His cheeks bulged out under his jaw's pressure. Sharp breaths wheezed out as Prompto's chest heaved with each inhale.

"Prompto…please…"

"Shh!" Prompto demanded. Spittle smacked Noctis's cheek.

But why?

What could have gone so wrong? What could have pushed his only friend – outside of Ignis and Gladio – over the edge?

From the corner of his eye, Noctis spotted his snoring bodyguard. Gladio had rolled to his side with his back facing Noctis. Ignis was also fast asleep on Gladio's other side, away from view. Noctis slowly inched his shaky fingers toward the sleeping figure, hoping to poke Gladio.

"I said not to move!" Prompto seethed while trying not to yell. His voice broke as sobs forced their way up his throat and tears welled in his eyes. "I-I don't wanna have to shoot you."

The words twisted Noctis's heart. He frantically searched a way out of the situation but pinned under Prompto's hard stare, Noctis dared not move a single muscle. With lips twitching in hesitation, Noctis debated whether he could talk Prompto down.

Prompto's eyes trailed down Noctis's face as if imprinting the prince's image into his mind. The more he stared, the more his hand quivered. Furrowing his brows, Prompto finally clamped his free hand onto the butt, stabilizing the revolver. A single tear spilled over, leaving a trail down his cheek.

Oh fuck!

"Prompto?"

A deafening bang resounded in the small confines of the tent. Pressing his finger against his left ear, Noctis attempted to work out the persistent high-pitched ringing. Opening his eyes, he searched around the tent but was overcome by the disorientation due to loss of equilibrium to really focus. Once he regained his senses, Noctis spied Gladio and Ignis wide awake, on alert, yet confused by the disturbance. Returning his gaze back to Prompto, Noctis caught him exhaling in relief before sporting a victorious smirk.

"Take that, you creepy crawly bastard!"

Noctis followed Prompto's line of sight to the tent's floor. Based on the remaining appendages, Noctis could only assume there had been a spider, and not of the small variety like the ones found in Insomnia. Noctis however could not estimate its size as most of the body had been decimated, leaving a goopy splatter mixed with bits of exoskeleton.

"Did you seriously shoot your gun inside the tent?" Gladio sleepily growled out. "You could have damaged it, dumbass!"

Latching onto his pillow, Noctis swung his arm around, popping the pillow squarely into Gladio's face.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! I had a gun pointed at my head! And you slept the whole damn time! Great bodyguard you are! Prompto could have murdered me while you were busy snoring!"

"Dude!" Prompto displayed the extent of how offended he was through widened eyes and outstretched arms. "I just saved your life. That damned thing was crawling all over me. Scared the crap outta me when I woke up with it on my face. I had no idea if it was poisonous…"

"Based on what I know about the local fauna, there are no venomous spiders in the region."

Noctis could only stare incredulously as the conversation bounced around with no one seemingly to care about his well-being.

"At any rate," Prompto redirected the focus back to himself. "That spider started crawling toward you, Noct. I was afraid it would bite you. I tried not to wake you up but…well, you know. And your dumb ass wouldn't stop moving. I'm a great shot but I can't help you if you move into the bullet's path."

Prompto's confidence faded as Noctis narrowed his eyes and his chest puffed out from sharp breaths.

"You better start running, Prompto, because I'm gonna kill you!"

Not needing another warning, Prompto raced out of the tent with Noctis hot on his heels. Repeated apologies did little to assuage Noctis's fiery temper. Luckily Noctis was too tired to match his temper with the corresponding elemental spell. That night Prompto found that his running regimen had secondary benefit after all.