Ignis woke up before his alarm like usual. He glanced around the tent noticing all the others were still asleep. Well, all except one. He frowned as he noticed the spot where the blond usually slept was empty. Pushing his glasses up his nose, he exited the tent. Ignis found Prompto curled up in one of the camping chairs, and Ignis smiled, seeing that Prompto was finally sleeping peacefully. He heard his alarm go off from inside the tent followed by a loud groan from the shield. Soon Gladio and Noctis crawled out of the tent, the latter looking dead tired.
"I hate camping," he mumbled as he plopped down in one of the camping chairs.
"Wimp," Gladio replied. He glanced down at Prompto a slight look of confusion crossing his face. "Did he sleep out here all night?"
"It would appear so," Ignis said, pulling out his cooking supplies.
"Good idea. That chair is probably more comfortable than the ground," Noctis complained.
"Wake him up, would you?" Ignis asked. Noctis reached over, shaking his friend.
"Leave me alone," he mumbled, shifting in the chair. The prince rolled his eyes as he lightly tapped his cheek. "Fine, I'm up."
Prompto winced at the burning sensation in his left arm. He glanced down at the limb, shocked to see a few small bubbles on the bright red strip where he had burned it. He gently touched them, biting back a cry of pain.
"That looks pretty nasty," a gruff voice said behind him. He jumped, turning to see Gladio standing behind his chair with his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at his burned arm. "What happened?"
"Huh? Oh, I, uh, I was really cold, and I accidentally got a little too close to the fire," he replied, mentally cursing himself as he subconsciously placed his hand over it. He realized it was a horrible excuse, but he never was good when he was put on the spot. Gladio scowled down at the blond, and Prompto knew he wasn't buying it. Luckily, he decided to just shrug it off and let it go.
Ignis handed the plates of food to the others. While they talked, Prompto leaned forward in his chair as if he were engaged in the conversation. The moment the others weren't looking, he dumped half of his food into the fire, quickly placing the plate back on his lap. He shoved his fork in the food, taking a small bite. The first bite brought a wave of nausea, but he pushed through taking a few more bites.
They packed up their things and made their way back to the car. As they walked back, a wave of dizziness hit Prompto, and he stumbled, leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree as he waited for it to pass.
"Are you alright?" Ignis asked, placing a hand on the blond's back.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "I just tripped over a tree root." Ignis nodded, accepting his answer, but he let his hand hover near the blond for a few seconds in case the other stumbled again. Prompto pushed himself off the tree once the dizziness had passed, and they continued on. He was relieved when they finally made it to the car and he could sit down. He felt exhausted for some reason, and not long after he sat down, he found himself drifting off to sleep.
Ignis glanced over quickly at the blond, and seeing his eyes were closed he called his name. He got no answer so he decided now would be a good time to bring up his recent behavior.
"I think something's wrong with Prompto," Ignis told the others.
"Yeah, he hasn't been eating much lately," Gladio agreed with a nod.
"At least he's sleeping again," Noctis added optimistically. They were all aware that Prompto struggled finding sleep for the past few weeks. They knew recent events were taken their toll on him, and they decided to just give him some time and hoped it resolved itself. "Maybe we should just take a few days to relax at a hotel. He might just need a break."
"That's a good idea, Noct," Ignis said with a nod. Gladio reluctantly agreed, though he would much rather spend those days camping.
"I guess everybody could use a break," he grumbled, crossing his arms.
Prompto woke to someone shaking his shoulders gently. He opened his eyes, squinting against the blinding sun as he stretched his arms. "Are we there?" he asked when he noticed the car was no longer moving.
"Yes," Ignis replied, hoping out of the car. "Why don't the three of you go get a motel room. I'll take these tags to Dave." Gladio nodded, leading the other to the motel nearby.
"We're staying in a motel again?" Prompto asked, a large smile on his face.
"Yup. We're staying a few days," Noctis replied as Gladio talked to the man at the front desk of the motel. "We all could use a little break."
Prompto nodded, though he didn't feel as relieved as he should. They're putting the trip on hold for you, the voice in his head said. You're holding them back. They can see that you can't keep up with them. Prompto gritted his teeth as self loathing bubbled inside him. He picked at the scabs on his wrist as they entered their room. His usual smile faded from his face as he struggled to keep the voice at bay. He was tired of pretending he was fine. He was tired of just surviving. He felt like he was drowning.
He was so lost in thought he didn't even notice Ignis had come in until the advisor placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Prompto flinched slightly startled out of his thoughts.
"What's up Iggy?" he asked as he cleared his throat.
"I've been talking to you for the past minute. Haven't you been listening?" he replied, a frown on his face as he stared at the confused blond.
"You, you were? Sorry, Iggy, I didn't hear you."
Prompto's face fell as Ignis let out an exasperated sigh. "Never mind, Prompto. It's not worth repeating." The blond plopped down in one of the chairs, sinking as far into the cushions as he could. He chewed on his lip as he tried to keep the tears from falling.
"I'm going to go get some ingredients for tonight," Ignis told the others heading for the door. "Gladio, would you mind coming with me?" The shield nodded and followed Ignis out the door. Noctis sat in the chair across from Prompto, leaning his arms on his knees.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he scanned his friends face, a look of concern etched on his own. Prompto smiled, but he knew it wasn't very convincing. Trying to get the others to believe he was okay was getting harder and harder as the days wore on.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. Noctis frowned at him, not believing a word he said, but he didn't want to push him.
"Wanna play King's Knight?" the prince asked, a smile growing on his face.
"You're on!" Prompto said with a hint of his usual enthusiasm. They sat playing on their phones, and for the first time in a long time, Prompto felt happy.
The other two returned, plastic shopping bags in hand, and Ignis set to making dinner. He decided to make Prompto's favorite food in hopes of coaxing him to eat more than he had been recently. Gladio eyed the blond as he and the prince played on their phones, watching for anything that would tell them what was going on with him. The smile on his face seemed a little forced, and the dark bags that had been under his eyes for the past week looked darker than Gladio would have ever thought possible, but those were the only things besides the burn on his arm. Suddenly, he noticed a small cut peeking out from under his wristband. Weird, he thought to himself as he stared at the gash. I don't remember him saying he was hurt. Must not be bad.
Prompto felt the burning sensation of eyes boring into him, and out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Gladio staring at him. He self consciously played with his wristband as he nervously chewed on his lip.
"So are we planning on doing some hunts while we stay here?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at Ignis.
"No. I think we could all use a few days to rest without fighting for our lives," the advisor replied, not looking up from the stove.
The four of them ate, and Ignis noticed Prompto barely touched his. He tried to persuade the blond to at least eat a little bit, but the other claimed he wasn't hungry again. Ignis hated that he didn't know what was wrong with him. He hated that he couldn't help him, but if Prompto didn't open up to him, he couldn't do anything.
Soon Noctis headed for bed, quickly followed by the others. Prompto laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling as he listened to the snores coming from the others. He drifted off to sleep a few times just to be jerked awake for some unknown reason, and his frustration grew as he looked at the clock and saw it 4:23. His mind began to wander, and soon the ever persistent voice returned. Gladio saw your cut and the burn. He'll hate you if he finds out. He's not really your friend. None of them are. Prompto squeezed his eyes shut, begging the voice to go away. You know it's true. You can't fight. You're weak. Prompto pushed himself off the bed and grabbed his bag as he walked into the bathroom. He figured if he was up he might as well get ready for the day. He closed the door, making sure to lock it behind him. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, gripping the sink so tightly that his knuckles started turning white. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. Panic filled him as he gasped for air, trying to stop his heart from beating so fast. Calm down. Nothing's wrong. Breathe. Just breathe, Prompto, he said to himself as he tried to slow his breathing. He slid down the wall, falling to the ground as he took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before slowly letting it back out. He did this a few more times until his breathing was back to normal. An anxiety attack. I haven't had one of those in a long time. He stood back up, and turned the faucet on, splashing cool water on his face.
You're so stupid. You're weak. You're pathetic. You're nothing. Prompto dug his nails into the palms of his hands as the internal war waged on. Please, just leave me alone. I just want to be happy again. Suddenly the knife in his bag popped into his mind. You know what you have to do to be happy again. He shook his head, looking at the bag next to him. It doesn't last, he told himself, knowing he would feel guilty about it if he did it again. But you get some relief. The voice goes away for a bit. He felt tears fall as he unzipped his bag, pulling out the kitchen knife from the bag.
He rested the blade against his skin, hesitating just a little before slicing his skin. Self loathing boiled inside him and he pressed harder, making a second cut then a third. He bit his lip as he watched the blood flow from the cut. There was more blood than he thought, and he knew he had cut deeper than he intended to. The knife slipped from his grasp, striking the tile with a loud clang. Prompto remained silent, hoping the noise didn't wake the others. He heard the squeak of one of the beds followed by the sound of footsteps. "Ah, shit," he whispered to himself as the footsteps stopped outside the bathroom door.