Ignis parked the car and pressed a button to make the roof go up, he turned to his friends and realised that Gladio and Prompto had followed Noctis' example and had fallen asleep on the way there.
"Lestallum, here we are." Ignis said in an attempt to wake up the group, all of whom got up and out of the car at varying speeds.
"Thank gods, I need to stretch my legs." Gladio replied playfully shoving Prompto as payback for moving his seat back. Prompto tried to return the push but Gladio stood firm.
"I'm starving." Noctis said as he finally exited the Regalia and joined his friends.
"Well I think it best we secure our accommodation for the evening first. Dinner can be easily dealt with later." Ignis said and started walking in the direction of the Leville Hotel, their usually resting place when visiting the city.
Ignis paid at the desk and the four took their belongings up to the double room on the 3rd floor. Ignis placed his things down gently while the other three took it upon themselves to strew their things all around the room with Ignis following behind the prince in an attempt to clear up slightly.
"When the clerk said make yourself at home, I doubt this is what he meant Noct." The prince just laughed in response.
"So, Iggy, we've sorted out our room, now how's about dinner?" Prompto asked almost bounding over to the advisor.
"Well first I must go shopping for some ingredients I'm missing. I shall set about cooking dinner when I return."
"Aww man, come on Iggy."
"I'm sorry Prompto, but unless you think the three steaks we have left will be enough to feed the four of us I must go shopping."
"Three steaks won't even feed Gladio." Prompto whined as he spun and fell on one of the beds. Gladio went to say something but realised he would be lying if he were to disagree.
"Then it's settled, I shall head to the market and you can survive until I get back." Ignis' remark elicited a chuckle from the young blond. With that Ignis picked up one of the room keys on the table and left to the market. Noctis flopped down on the bed next to Prompto and begun playing a game of Triple Triad on his phone. On the other side of the room Gladio was digging through his bag, he removed a clean outfit, almost identical to the one he was wearing just with a tank top instead of the button shirt he was currently removing exposing the large bird tattoo on his back.
"I'm gonna have a shower. I assume you guys can take care of yourselves for ten minutes."
"I think we can manage Gladio. But the second it rolls into eleven minutes we might start to struggle." Noctis retorted, laughing at the notion that Gladio thought they could get into trouble in a hotel room. Gladio shut the bathroom door and the younger two laid on the bed in silence for a few minutes before Noctis turned to Prompto.
"I'm starving, let's go get something to eat."
"But Iggy…"
"Iggy has to get back before he can even start making dinner. I'm not saying we go have a feast but just some ice cream or something. Anything to tide us over."
"Ok, and how do you suppose we pay for this ice cream, Iggy took the money with him." At that Noctis took a pouch of his pocket, Prompto snatched it from him opening it to reveal the Gil within.
"Where did you get this?"
"I am the Prince after all." Noctis said with a smirk as he reclaimed the pouch of money. "So, ice cream?"
"Ice cream it is. Should we tell Gladio."
"Only one of two things will happen if you do that, either he'll stop us or we'll have to get him ice cream too."
"Good point." Prompto replied as he followed Noctis through the door and quietly shut it behind him.
**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**
"I love ice cream!" Prompto proclaimed as he skipped ahead of Noctis eating his frozen treat.
"It is pretty good." Noctis watched Prompto take out his camera and he took an ice cream selfie of the two of them.
"You look good in this one Noct."
"Of course I do." Noctis replied smugly as he stopped dead to avoid walking into a group of people who were exiting the bar next to them. The group stepped around the prince and his friend as they continued their laughter filled conversation. With that Noctis looked at Prompto.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"If you're thinking that she was really pretty, yes I am." Prompto said as he watched one of the women in the group walk off, her long legs accentuated by her stiletto heels.
"No. I was thinking we should go for a drink."
"Are you sure, shouldn't we be getting back?"
"Oh, come on Prom, we deserve a drink or two, we have no kingdom, we have to fight monsters all the time. Let your hair down."
"My hair doesn't go down Noct, too much hairspray." Prompto laughed as he threw one arm around the prince and they both filed into the bar and took two seats at the bar.
"Two beers please." Noctis asked the bartender placing the Gil on the counter. The man behind the counter took the money wanting to comment on Noctis' striking resemblance to the prince of Lucis but thought better of it and placed the two glasses in front of the two men. Prompto and Noctis lifted their glasses to one another and then drank, Prompto must have drunk half his drink in one but when he looked at Noctis his friend was still going almost drinking his whole drink without stopping to breathe.
"Take it easy there Noct."
"Sorry, I forgot how good a nice cold beer was." Prompto nodded in agreement as he watched Noctis take out some more Gil ready for another round. "Another one can't hurt."
**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**
Ignis unlocked the door to their room with the paper grocery bags in his arm, as he shut the door behind him he noticed the room was empty, he could hear someone moving around in the bathroom but he doubted the three of them were all in there together.
"Hello?" Ignis asked into the empty room and he saw the handle of the bathroom door turn, the door opened to reveal Gladio messily drying his hair with a towel.
"Oh, hey there Iggy."
"Where are the others?"
"They're right… there." Gladio said as he turned to point to the bed Noctis and Prompto had been on when he went for his shower and realising that the bed was empty. "Or maybe they're not."
"Thank you for that Gladio, thank you so much for telling me where they're not. If you could please keep listing all of the places they aren't and eventually we'll have an answer."
"Cool it Iggy, they probably went to have a look around." Ignis reminded himself they were in the city, they were safe from attacks and even Noctis and Prompto could keep out of trouble in Lestallum.
"You're quite right Gladio. I shall make a start on dinner, if they aren't back by the time it's ready you're coming with me to find them."
"Sounds fair to me." Gladio replied as he carried the bags of groceries to the small kitchen in their hotel room.
**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**
Noctis hand hit the bar a little more forcefully than he had intended, he apologised to the bartender as he moved his hand revealing more Gil.
"Two more?" The bartender asked the two young men standing at the bar. Noctis looked at Prompto and a smile washed over his face.
"No I think this time we'll have some shots."
"Shots!" Prompto echoed as he lifted his arms in the air almost pushing himself of his barstool but quickly grabbed the edge of the bar to steady himself.
"You Ok there Prom?" Noctis asked as he took the tray of small glasses and moved to a table with lower and more importantly comfier chairs.
"I'm great Noct." Prompto giddily replied as he followed Noctis to the table, but no sooner had he sat down he shot back up with an excited look in his eyes. Before Noctis could ask what was going on Prompto had run to the corner of the bar where a Chocobo pinball machine stood. Noctis laughed as his friend played the game and drank his half of the shots, and then a few more. When Prompto returned having beaten the game there were only two shots left on the tray.
"Hey where did all my drinks go?" He joked lightly punching Noctis on the arm.
"I'll get you another beer to make up for it."
"Thank you." Prompto said with a laugh as he pulled Noctis out of his chair so he could do just that, Noctis lightly stumbled but regained his composure and a minute later returned with two more large beers.
**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**
"Smells good Iggy." Gladio commented as he entered the kitchen were Iggy was putting his culinary skills to good use.
"Thank you Gladio. It's almost ready which means…"
"Let's go, the sooner we find 'em the sooner I can eat."
"And the sooner we'll be assured they're safe." Ignis said raising an eyebrow and the tall man. With that he turned the heat of the stove off and placed a lid on the pot of stew, and both men left the hotel to go looking for the younger half of their group.
**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**
Noctis' phone began to ring in his pocket but in his drunken state the noise startled him more at first than it really should have done.
"Prom. Prooom!" Noctis said whispering across the table to his friend who was too caught up in playing with the straw in his Cuban that he had inexplicably decided to order.
"What? Why are you whispering?"
"Ignis is calling me."
"Oh gods, don't let him know we're drunk." Noctis shot Prompto a look in disbelief that Prompto could even believe that he'd slip up, Noctis then cleared his throat and answered his phone.
"Ignis!" Noctis exclaimed with more authority and volume than he had intended, Prompto had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.
*Noct. Where are you? Are you safe?*
"We're quite alright Ignis, thank you for asking, how are you?"
*Noct, are you in a bar?* Noctis could hear Gladio say something in the background but couldn't make out the words.
"Why would you even ask that?" Noctis asked feigning hurt in his voice.
*The fact that you're both slurring and shouting was a giveaway, besides I just heard someone order a beer over the phone.*
"Ignis, listen to me." Before Noctis could explain he felt a strong hand land on his shoulder, he looked up and his eyes met the calm amber of Gladio's. To put it mildly, Gladio didn't look impressed.
"Get up." Gladio said with his trademark snarl. Prompto stumbled around the table to Gladio's side and Noctis stood up before tripping over his own foot and falling into his bodyguard's solid body. Gladio just set his head into his hand and mumbled something before hoisting the prince onto his shoulder, he turned to Prompto, the less inebriated of the two and settled with pulling him by the arm.
Noctis lifted his head and surveyed the reactions of the people in the bar who were watching him be carried out.
"Is this how you see everything, you're so tall, and really strong." Noctis said almost lovingly as he relaxed back into his bodyguard's shoulder.
"I am tall, and strong, and better at holding my liquor. I hope you realise Iggy was terrified we've been looking for you guys for half an hour." Before either man could respond they were out of the bar and face to face with Ignis himself.
"Gladio!" Ignis snapped. "It isn't seemly for the prince to be carried through town."
"Well his highness can barely walk so unless you can think of a way of sobering him up in the next thirty seconds this'll have to do."
**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**XV**
Two cups of strong ebony coffee slammed onto the table in front of the two young men.
"Drink up." Gladio said with a hint of laughter to his voice.
"I don't really like coffee."
"It wasn't a request Noct." Ignis remarked as he entered the room with two bowls of stew for which he set down next to the cups of coffee. With that both Noctis and Prompto began to drink their coffees with faces like those of children drinking medicine.
"We're sorry Iggy." Prompto added, his innocent smile doing much to diffuse Ignis' displeasure at the drunk pair.
"It's alright Prompto, you're both safe that's all that matters." Ignis took a bowl of stew from Gladio who had just returned from the kitchen and took a seat. The advisor then raised an eyebrow and looked at the pair with a playful smile.
"Besides, I'm sure the hangover you'll suffer tomorrow will be punishment enough."