Welp, here it is, the last chapter, it was a roller coaster of a story for me anyway. C: If you are able, I urge you to listen to "Hey Brother" by Avicii, I feel like it will help the reading experience. :D
Thank you to SinikkavonWolperting for beta reading every chapter of this for me. C:
The day raged on, soon transitioning into evening, and it was only a matter of time after that until the could make out the approaching headlights down the road. They tried not to get their hopes up too much though, just on the down side that it wasn't her and they were stuck waiting for another day or so, which was less than ideal. Noctis unconsciously sat up a little in his seat in anticipation, and Gladio's eyes locked on it as it drew closer, both silently praying to themselves. Ignis watched warily from where he was, staying still; the blond doing the same, while trying to fight sleep.
Slowly the vehicle rolled up and eased to a stop a few feet away from them. None of them moved until the could see the godsend herself emerge from the driver's side, stepping out with the grace of a savior. Ignis and Prompto remained where they were while the others got out to greet her and set to work on getting everything fixed up for them to go.
"Are you going to tell them anything about what happened?" Ignis asked when they were left alone.
"About what?" Prompto asked, feigning innocence.
"I believe you know what." Ignis replied softly, "I'm not saying you have to, but it wouldn't hurt for them to know. They can't help if they are to be left in the dark."
The blond fell silent after that, fiddling with his hands in his lap nervously, "If only it was that easy." He finally answered, "I would rather that they didn't know, but I don't know." He lifted his gaze to meet Ignis', "What do you think I should do, you're better in these types of situations."
Ignis hummed to himself, "That's not for me to decide, you have to do that yourself. Whichever you choose to do, it's up do you. And know that there is no wrong choice." He placed a hand on the younger's shoulder and gave it a light and supportive squeeze, prompting a nod from the other.
"I'll think about it." He answered, looking back down to his hands. "If I do, I want to wait until we're far from here."
"That's understandable." Ignis agreed, "Just whenever you're ready, no need to rush it."
"Yeah." Prompto said, mainly to let the other know that he had heard him, "Thanks, by the way...for last night. And sorry about that, I didn't expect for that to happen." His voice faded as he looked away, feeling a bit shameful about the whole situation and episode that had ensued.
Ignis took a deep breath before replying, "Prompto, after what happened, I'm honestly surprised you held it together that long. Most people aren't strong enough to hold themselves together for one day, let alone two. And being in a stressful environment such as that, only proves your own strength at keeping yourself together like you did."
Prompto didn't know how to feel about that. Yes, it did make him feel less foolish about the event, but at the same time he felt a bit more self-conscious about it. "Well, when you put it like that." He finally settled on saying, everything else sounding stupid in his head, "Then I guess it's not that big of a deal."
Ignis looked as though he wanted to say more, but he never got the chance when the two front doors were opened as the other to re-entered. "That was quicker than expected." He opted for instead.
"Well, you know." Noctis said, starting the Regalia up.
"Yeah, this is Cindy we're talking about." Prompto piped in with more of his usual cheerfulness, but the adviser could still see a bit of dullness in his eyes. Though part of it was from fever, not all of it was. He sighed and leaned back against his seat, after all this time, the both of them could finally feel relaxed. Relaxed without it being laced with unease.
"Why don't you two take this chance to catch some more sleep, surely what you got last night wasn't enough." Gladio spoke over his shoulder. He knew for a fact they didn't, but he couldn't just flat-out say that he knew that. "It will probably be a while before we get to a place where we can really sleep anyway."
"Can't say I wasn't already planning on doing that." Prompto answered honestly, barely keeping his eyes open. He settled further into the back of the seat, turning slightly on his side and within less than a minute he was out.
"There he goes with his usual finesse." Noctis joked, glancing back at his comatose form. He then threw a look over to the other, "Plan on joining him?"
"I believe I can wait for that." He answered, casting his gaze out the window, "For now, I think I'll just try and enjoy the view." With that, he leaned against the door and watched as the landscape strolled by, soaking in and appreciating every second of it. Despite himself, he as well soon drifted off, the repeating scenery before him doing nothing but relaxing him further.
After a few moments of silence, Gladio glanced back, watching for a few seconds to make sure they were both out. "You guys there?" He asked, and after getting no answer he turned to Noctis and turned the radio up slightly to help mask his voice as he spoke. "I don't know what exactly happened when they were back there." He whispered, barely audible, but the prince could still make out his words, "But what ever it was, it's clearly still affecting Prom. And I don't mean just the typical lingering memories that are bound to stay for a few weeks or so."
Noctis unintentionally tightened his hands on the steering wheel, remembering some of the words Dominus had spoken. "Yeah, I know." He said softly, forcing his voice to remain even and calm.
"You know something, don't you?" Gladio pressed, "Something Dominus said?"
Noctis formed a thin line with his mouth, wanting to fill the other in with what he knew, but not giving in to it, "I really shouldn't say. He'll talk about it when he's ready. I think I have an idea, but I don't know for sure, so I can't exactly speak on the subject."
Gladio nodded, knowing it was true, and it really wasn't his place to push the matter, but he couldn't help it. After the previous night, it was just bugging him more and he couldn't help but be concerned about it. And just like Noctis wanted to keep what he knew to himself, he felt obliged to do the same. It was a personal moment and it honestly wasn't meant to be heard by him. With the short conversation over, he turned the radio back down, no longer needing it to drown out their voices.
Noctis drove through most of the night, passing by a few places they could have stopped, but ignored them, wanting to get more distance between then and that place. More out of paranoia and for the sake of the others feeling safer. Looking back, he found the others still asleep, Gladio on the other hand was still looking forward, managing to stay awake the whole time. Probably more out of respect, knowing that Noctis couldn't sleep yet, so it may have been a bit inconsiderate to do so himself.
Seeing a few lights in the distance, and feeling on the verge of death now, Noctis pulled over at the first sight of a hotel, not even caring about the quality of it at this point. As long as it had a bed, it was good enough. Upon pulling up, he leaned over the back of his seat and gently prodded Ignis' leg, getting a quiet grumble from him as he came to and looked around him. "Did I fall asleep?" He asked as he took in his surroundings, realizing he had a bit of lost time.
"Yeah, mister, 'I'm going to wait.'" Gladio mocked, turning in his own seat to gaze at the other. He was about to reach out to wake him, but stopped himself, "Wake him up, would you?" He asked Ignis.
"Yeah, I'll get him." He nodded and turned his attention over. With a gentle hand, he carefully shook the other way. He was both surprised and relieved to see him wake up easily this time; there was no wild panic behind it. Confusion, yes, but fear was absent from his eyes. "Come on." He spoke once he had his focus, "We're at a hotel now, we'll be staying here for the night, so get up."
"That was fast." He croaked out groggily.
"For you maybe." Noctis teased a bit bitterly, "You slept the whole time." He reminded as he crossed his arms.
Prompto nervously scratched the back of his head, "Well, yeah, I guess." He pulled himself out of the back seat, still feeling just as tired than he would have if he didn't sleep at all. That with the fact that his head was still throbbing dully even without the sun now. He made his way around the vehicle, suppressing a wince the whole time. "So this is our humble abode." He said more to himself, looking the run down place over. Not that he was complaining.
"I'll go ahead and pay for a room, you guys wait here." Gladio offered, walking up to the front desk. The three of them stood around awkwardly, not saying anything until he returned, key in hand. With a wave of that, he urged the others to follow as they made their way to their room. On the way they passed a few people, which was to be expected, and Ignis was blatantly aware of the way Prompto went the extra length to avoid them; moving a little further than necessary to go around them. He couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or not.
"Here we are." Gladio announced, unlocking and pushing the door open. Inside were two simple beds, nothing too fancy, but large enough to accommodate the four of them with two on each.
The first thing Ignis did was lead Prompto to the bathroom, wanting to rinse and get his hands clean as well as he could. He stood in front of the sink and allowed Ignis to unwrap them, carefully peeling them away when they clung to the wounds, eliciting a small gasp when they hung on a little too stubbornly. "Sorry." He quickly apologized as he pulled the rest of the material away. "Unfortunately it's too late now to go pick things up, so we'll have to settle for a simple rinse for the time being."
"That's alright." Prompto replied, biting his lip, "It's not too bad." He saw the look Ignis was giving him and quickly added, "When I ignore it." Letting his eyes wander down to his own hands, he internally cringed at the angry red tinge about them. He looked around, for anything else to focus on, though the mirror probably wasn't the best thing to land on. The sight that looked back didn't really reflect what he remembered himself looking like. It was pale and so fragile looking. In the middle of assessing his appearance, he jumped as cool water rushed over his hands, jarring him out of his scrutiny.
"This won't take long." Ignis assured, running his fingers carefully over the blisters, cleaning them to the best of his ability without being too rough with them, though he still had to add some pressure just to make sure it was thorough enough. "As soon as I'm done we can wrap them back up." He glanced down at the used bandages, casting the thought aside of re-using them with how soiled they now were, "With something else, of course."
Prompto nodded and watched Ignis work when his hand ran up a little further up, pushing his wristband up his arm a bit. This time, however, he actually took a moment to really look at it. Moving his hand back down he finally asked, "It may not be my business to ask, but would you care to fill me in?" He made sure to have nothing but kindness behind his words, not wanting to cause more panic, seeing as he had hid it all this time.
For a moment he didn't respond, at a loss of words about what to say, but Ignis could feel how he tensed at the question, "I-I'm not sure." He finally forced out, voice barely a whisper. He gazed down at his band, "It's always just kinda been there." He words were a bit shaky, trying to hide how nervous he was talking about it. "I didn't...didn't know how people would take it. It's not exactly normal."
Ignis kept a neutral expression, not a hint of fear or fascination showing through. He was curious about it, sure, but he didn't see a reason to feel any other way about it. "So, you really don't know anything else about it?" He asked lowly, not in a condescending way, but more of a sympathetic tone.
"No." He answered, fingers curling up slightly as he was tempted to ball them up, but prevented himself from doing so when he was reminded of the wounds that covered them.
Ignis watched them as then slowly unfurled back and carried on with his task. "Does anyone else know about it?" He didn't need to specify who, Prompto already knew who he was referring to.
"Not that I know of." He glanced at the door, afraid that they might be heard, despite how quiet they were being, or the fact that he could hear the others having their own conversation. He couldn't quite shove that subtle paranoia away. "I hope not anyway." He tore his eyes away and back the other as he dabbed at his hands with a wash cloth, carefully drying them off.
"Hmm." Ignis hummed to himself. "Now to find something suitable to wrap these with." He stepped away and began rummaging around. Prompto relaxed a little when he didn't say anything else about his mark, though it still worried him knowing that someone was now aware of it. "Here we are." He finally called back. "Not exactly the best, but it will do." He held out a couple more small wash cloths. "They won't be the most comfortable, but it will at least add some protection for the night."
"Thanks." The blond mumbled as Ignis bound them around his hands, leaving them relatively loose. He flexed his fingers a few time, glad to have freedom back now that Ignis was done messing with them. Clearing his throat, he asked his own question, "You don't think any...differently of me, do you?" He looked down as he asked, unable to meet his gaze.
"Now why would I?" He asked casually, unfazed by the question. "I don't see a reason as to why I should." He turned and opened the door, not giving Prompto the chance to question the matter further, "We should get some rest." He said over his shoulder as he walked out. Following behind, he glanced at the others on the one bed, both seemed to be out cold for the night. The others followed that example and took the other bed, falling asleep practically instantly.
He became slowly aware of a couple voices around him, only two of them though, and neither of them were Ignis. This caused him to wake up a bit faster than he would have otherwise and he cracked his eyes open, almost being blinded by the morning sun shining in through the window just across from him. Once they adjusted, he scanned around, landing on Noctis and Gladio sitting at the single table at the foot of the beds. Looking further, he never found the third member. "Whe-" He was cut off by a few coughs the forced there way out from trying to use his dry and sore throat, "Where's Ignis." He tried again.
It was the initial cough that caught their attention as they both waited until he could speak properly, "He went to pick up a few things. I offered to go, but he insisted." Noctis answered. "Said he just knew what to get and it would be easier."
"Oh." Prompto replied, sounding a bit upset about that, "What time is it?" He asked, focusing on something else.
"A little passed eight." Gladio answered. "He left as soon as he woke up, so he should be back shortly."
He felt a bit wary about him going alone, especially after what happened. Why would they allow that? "One of you should have gone with him." He said, a hint of blame in his voice.
"Relax." Gladio waved a hand, "He'll be fine, it's just down the road after all. We can see him out the window."
Prompto's head snapped to the left, and he felt the tension seep out of him as he caught sight of him. He had to clear his throat again, "Ah." He said, slightly embarrassed about his little outburst. "Sorry." He said, looking back over to them. "I didn't mean to...react so harshly." He found a spot past them to stare at instead of actually looking at them.
"It's really not a big deal." Noctis answered for the both of them, "It's to be expected."
"I-I know, but still." His hands gripped at the sheets underneath him. "I shouldn't be this cautious around you two; I know you guys and know you wouldn't do anything, but..."
"But, you two have been through some rough things, and it's what happens." Nocis finished the sentence for him. "Would have affected any of us in the same way." He added, trying not to be too obvious with his words. "It'll get better with time."
"Yeah." Prompto answered, pulling the covers back. "I hope you're right."
"What are you doing?" Gladio asked seeing as the blond was making to get up. He stood up himself to stroll over, and stopped when the other lowered his head slightly at the movement.
Catching what he did, he quickly made himself look up, "Sorry" He apologized again, "I'm really trying not to do that." Then he answered the question, "I was just going to sit up is all, I'm not going anywhere."
"Alright." Gladio accepted, "Just careful, you still have a fever after all."
"It's not even that bad." Prompto countered, feeling slightly off, but not exactly terrible. "I'm still functional after all." He gave a small smile which disappeared quickly when he remembered the conversation he and Ignis had in the car. "I think...you guys need to know something." His voice was so low the others almost missed it.
"What is it?" Noctis asked, showing genuine concern at the change of mood and tone.
"It's about what- It's about what happened." He was already having trouble controlling the quivering in his voice, dreading telling them. His hands clenched tighter around the sheets and there was no pain as the emotional was enough to drown it out.
"If you don't want to tell us you don't hav-" Gladio started.
"I do." Prompto stiffly cut him off, "I really do. It's not fair to you guys for me to act this way and you not know why." He took a deep breath to calm himself and try to steady his voice. Noctis found himself looking down at the table, already knowing what was coming.
Prompto swallowed back his discomfort and recalling the events, but once he was sure he was stable enough, he began, "There was this one man." He chose not to use names, "The one we saw at the diner, the taller one." He took a moment to take another deep breath, the other two waiting patiently. "Turns out...turns out, he was more 'fascinated' in me than I thought." He spat out the word, and his breath hitched on the last one as he found himself unable to say anything more.
"It's alright." Gladio spoke up, "You don't need to go on, we understand." They fell silent for a few minutes, the only thing breaking it was the opening of the door as Ignis walked through, holding a small bag in his hand. He immediately felt the gloomy atmosphere and chose not to split it. He made his way to the table and gently placed the bag down, pulling out the antiseptic and stepping over to site next to Prompto.
"Hands." He said quietly, holding out his own. The blond complied and handed his right one over. As carefully as he could, just like in the bathroom, he began cleaning them, earning a few small gasps and hisses here and there. "Alright, that should make things better soon." He said as he lightly wrapped them with fresh gauze. "Once we're sure the infection is gone, we can use a potion, but until then, they need to breathe."
Prompto nodded his thanks and placed his hands in his lap. "Iggy?" He asked quietly. Once he had the other's attention, he continued, "Do you still have my gun?" Without question, he retrieved it and handed to over. Prompto's hands hovered over it before he finally took it in both hands, feeling the familiar weight of it. "Thank you, for holding onto it." He placed it next him on the bed.
"I figured you would change your mind eventually." Ignis gave a soft smile. He got up to put everything back in the bag, catching a glimpse of the expressions the other two wore. He didn't have to ask what was wrong, he could figure it out by just looking. They looked they same way he felt when he figured it out. This is how it had to start. There would be a bit of rough times and a few unsure moments, but with everyone knowing they would be able to heal. "Oh, I almost forgot." He reached back in and retrieved a pair of wire cutters. Before cutting his own earring off, he went back to Promtpo. "Hold still." He instructed.
He gripped his right ear, holding it steady as the cutters easily broke through with a snap. With his ear now free, he reached up and massaged the sore area, feeling as though a weight had been trimmed away. He let out a sigh and nodded his appreciation to the other. Ignis returned the favor as he did the same to his own. Holding both in his hand, he stared down at them for a few stretched moments before strolling over to the bathroom and dropping them in the toilet, flushing them away for good.
"How about I fix something that's actually edible." He said, walking towards the small kitchen area. "Don't get me wrong, cup noodles are great and all, but I'm sure all of us, with one exception, would prefer something else."
"Can't argue with you there." Noctis chimed in, the thought of noodles making him grimace. "I would rather have anything else right about now." He got to his feet and stretched out his back, "Well, from the looks of it, both of you are in need of a new phone and glasses." He pulled out said things from his pocket and dropped them on the table for them to see.
"So that's what became of them." Ignis said, staring down at his glasses.
"Afraid so." Gladio agreed, getting up as well. "I guess while you do what you're doing, Noctis and I can go get new ones."
"Please, leave the glasses getting to me." Ignis shot at them, not wanting them to get the wrong strength. The waved a hand as they walked out.
They remained silent for a moment until Ignis spoke up, "So, you decided to tell them?"
"Yeah." Prompto lied back in the bed, spreading his arms out. "I couldn't keep them in the dark like that. Keeping secrets like that only serves to hurt the holder of it." He glanced over to his right wrist, at his wristband, "It turns into fear and isolation when you let it build up."