Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting

Request for: Kestrealbird

Summary: When Prompto notices something is missing, he rushes out into the middle of a storm to retrieve it, but he gets more than he bargained for.

MysteriousBean: They really are, they just seem to understand each other on another whole level, and it's mostly likely due to Prompto treating him like a normal person, or I like to assume so anyway.

Bagpipes5K2: Yeah, I do find it strange how they just heard news of it one time, and the rest of the time it was like the world just forgot about it or something. And loke you said, he'd always have the others to help him through it at the very least. OwO

websky: Thank you ^/^ And it means a lot that I'm actually making noticeable improvement. Means more than you think. 3

"Finally, a soft bed, a warm shower, no threat of being attacked in our sleep," Noctis drawled on, stretching himself out over one of the decently sized beds. A light and satisfied groan escaped his pleased form as his arms reached over his head. He may have been chalking this up as more luxurious as it was, but after days of basically sleeping on the ground, this was pure and unadulterated heaven as far as he was concerned.

The shield rolled his eyes at the prince's show, snorting to himself as one after another, his shoes came off and fell clumsily to the floor. All it took, however, was a swift and irritated glance from the adviser for him to grumble incoherently, and scoot them out of the way. Under the bed was good enough for now.

"Can't wait to finally get clean," the blond sighed in contentment, his eyes closed in a daydream-like state. A suppressed shudder ran through him when he dropped back down to reality and could smell the scent of blood and grime coating his clothing. "First, gotta do something about these," he said tightly, voice low form him trying not to breathe in.

"I'm afraid there isn't much to help with that," Gladio teased, plopping down in one of the chairs, a pleased moan of his own sounding out as he relaxed into it.

Folding his arms, the blond scanned him up and down. "Like you're one to talk," he muttered, eyes darting from one dirt stain to another. "Have you seen yourself? We may as well take you out back and hose you down." That at least earned him an amused grin out of the brute. Turning back, he crouched down to dig through his bag, a small swear slipping out as he slowly realized.

"Lose something?" the prince asked, hearing the flustered word. His voice was slightly slurred from him fighting sleep, but it could be made out well enough. The raven was answered with a few items smacking him in the head, causing him to jolt upright and cast a less than joyous look over to his friends. "Hey!" he called out in offense, hand rubbing at the sore area.

Mumbling to himself, Prompto barely even noticed the other's annoyed expression. "Where the hell is it?" he almost begged to himself, growing frenzied with each passing second.

"Where's what?" Gladio questioned, but remained where he was and in the exact same position. He did fall into watching the spectacle before him though with slightly concerned curiosity.

Again, Prompto didn't answer right away, instead he spent a few more seconds rummaging through his belongings in a near panic. "My camera," he finally uttered after about a minute, voice hollow as he accepted that it just wasn't there; it was gone. "I was sure I- I know I brought it with me. I couldn't have left it…" he trailed off as he replayed the day in his head, going through the events carefully and thoroughly. "I think I might know where it is," he deadpanned when it finally dawned on him. Then a chill ran through him as the first 'pitters' of droplets hit the far window, and he was on his feet in an instant. "I'll be back soon," he blurted out, taking off towards the door.

"Wait-" Ignis reached out to grasp his upper arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Where are you going?" he questioned in a protective tone, something they all should have been used to by now.

"I know where I left it," he repeated, his breathing evening out a bit. "Noct and I, when we were out earlier…" he trailed off again as the rain picked up and it was no longer light sprinkling. Wildness resurfaced in his gaze and he pulled away from the brunet. "But, I have to go now before it gets messed up."

This time, Ignis let him slip away, shaking his head as he turned to the others. He never got his question out before he heard the door slamming behind him. "One of you mind going with him?" he asked, hinting more than asking. "I'd go myself, but I doubt it would be a wise idea on my part to allow either of you two to prepare dinner.

A small scoff could be heard from the bed. "It's not that far, Iggy, it'll be fine," he waved a dismissive hand, honestly too comfortable to be bother to move from the spot. It was only a few blocks away after all. Yawning, he buried his face deeper into his pillow, finding peace in the rhythmic taps along the side of their window and walls.

The adviser merely shook his head, "Do as you will." He went to turn back around, but a quick jolt ran through him at the unexpected 'crash' that echoed around them, a slight vibration ran through his feet as the lights flickered.

"Well, it was peaceful," Noctis complained at the arrival of their first bout of thunder. "I guess a good night's sleep was too much to ask for after all."

From his seat, his shield glared over at the over-dramatic heir, but it went unnoticed, much to his chagrin. It wasn't until the third minor tremble that the lights flashed again, this time staying out for a good few seconds before humming back to life. "If this keeps up, it'll basically be like camping another night," he joked, but the others didn't find the humor in that remark. And, as the thunder rolled again, a sudden thought struck him.

"How long as Prom been gone?"

The single question smacked the both of them like a truck. It really hadn't been long enough for him to get what he needed and come back, but with the weather escalating as quickly as it was, it was more than a tad concerning.

"It's only been about five minutes," Noctis reminded, a slight nervousness underlining his words. "It should take longer than that, don't ya think?"

"He should have come back the moment there was thunder," the brute pointed out. He trusted the kid, he really did, but from what he was hearing going on, this was going to be a pretty impressive storm; not catastrophic, but worse than he cared for. "We should probably go after him," he suggested, not waiting for the others.

Normally, the raven would have been less keen on following suit, but the seriousness in the shields voice set his nerves on end, and his heart filled with fear. "Coming," he uttered, no longer lounging around and on his feet within a fraction of a second. "We'll be back shortly," he assured Ignis, almost as if on autopilot and snatched his jacket off the table.

"Please, do be careful," he replied under his breath, his brow set in a firm scowl. He cut his sharp gaze back to the window, only to see another flash and the lights dim out once again.

The moment he was out the door, the rain nearly drenched him and the wind bit as it struck him square in the face. It wasn't cold or strong by any means, just didn't see it coming. Pulling his vest further around himself, not that it did any good, he took off at a jog towards where he was positive he left it. Though, as he felt the pouring rain intensify, he highly doubted it'd be able to withstand these types of conditions, and his heart sunk with that thought.

"It's been through worse," he assured himself, which wasn't a lie; it had survived through their entire trip so far...including rain. There was no way it could be done in by a measly storm such as this one; it was child's play compared to some of the other's they'd been through.

His pace increased with those thoughts, splatters of moisture flying up as his steps disturbed the accumulating water. It only took a few minutes until he was close, and by then, a loud crash stopped him in his tracks and the street lights blinked out for a fraction of a moment. His heart fluttered with the surprise of it, skipping a beat by the pitch darkness for that millisecond. Shaking his head, he pushed on. There was no reason to get anxious over a little bit of thunder and lightning; only children worried about things like that.

Prompto swallowed the lump in his throat and rounded another corner, just as another boom echoed off the sides of buildings and shook his bones. Again, his muscles tensed and his teeth clenched. It wasn't like him to get like this over a bit of bad weather...then again, it wasn't like him to be running the streets in the middle of the night and alone on top of that.

Thinking about it now, it did seem a bit ridiculous to be doing this, to be charging out over some physical possession, but to him, it was different. He needed it. Trying to block the chorus of violence out, he trudged on, almost forcing himself to move forward now. Speed now dwindling a good amount, he eventually made it to where he was going, and instantly, he glanced around. Searching desperately to catch sight of the device.

And, there it was, still sitting on the table where he had overlooked it. Still, it bothered him to no end how he could have even done such a thing. To be fair, they were in a rush at the time, and had a lot of errands to run as well, so it made sense. But, it didn't excuse it in his mind. Sighing out a breath of relief, he jogged the last few yards over to it and collected it, swearing under his breath at the amount of water soaking it. Now wasn't the time, but as soon as he got back, he was doing a full inspection of it to make sure everything was in working over.

Satisfied, he smiled to himself; if nothing else, as long as the SD card was unscathed, then the camera could be replaced, memories on the other hand… Prompto draped the strap over his neck and spun on his heel, and his heart dropped. Another crash, another swift flash of light that blinded him and lit the area in radiance. As quickly as it came, it was gone, taking all other light with it.

The blond let out a shaky breath and looked around, unable to make out a single thing. It was pitch dark, not a spec of light to be seen in any direction. For a brief moment, the direction in which he came from had slipped his mind. Where was he supposed to go? He could only stand there, and wait. Wait and hope for another bolt to guide the way. It took a bit longer than he expected, but eventually his prayers were answered and another strike of lightning illuminated his path just long enough for him to get his bearings.

"Alright, that way," he whispered to himself, taking a few tentative steps, shuffling his feet in fear of running into something or tripping over something. Slow and steady. Luckily there was another flash, but he was a little dismayed to see how little distance he had covered. By the time he reached the next street, the rain had picked up again and he could barely hear his own thoughts anymore. It was times like this he really wished he had brought his flashlight along. But, who would have thought you'd need it in the middle of a city.

The sound now drowning out all others, he hesitated, his eyes still unable to make anything out. Whenever his gaze was close to adjusting, the light would flicker again, completely resetting any progress they had made. He'd get nowhere like this; the best he could do is find a place to hunker down and wait for the storm to pass enough, which didn't sound appealing in the slightest, but it was the best plan he could muster on the spot.

Biting his lip almost painfully, he gradually and carefully dragged his feet along, moving towards what he hoped to be a building. He was sure he saw one there during the last bout of visibility anyway. A shocked gasp escaped once his shoulder connected with the bricks, and both hands felt their way along it as he hugged against it. Sliding along, he soon rounded the corner, and just like that, he no longer felt the barrage upon his shoulders. Prompto lowered himself to sit with his back against the structure, knees already pulled up. Now, all he could do was wait.

It was a mere minute at most before he mentally slapped himself. Of course, he couldn't just not fill the others in, they were probably wondering where he was by now, and if he didn't check in with them, he knew Ignis would have a few colorful words for him. That wasn't something he would have looked forward to, and he felt himself shudder from the thought of it...or maybe it was just the cold. It was difficult to discern the two at the moment.

Fumbling with it between slick fingers, he finally had it on and quickly tried to dial Noctis' number, only to be immediately cut off. Swearing, he pulled it away from his ear to look it over. He wasn't even sure if he should be surprised, but there was no signal. "Come on," he whined, jerking it to different positions as if it would make a lick of difference. Giving up, he stuffed it back away and leaned his head back against the rough surface and allowed his eyes to slide shut for a moment, another flash pierced his lids and he tightened them slightly.

Then, they snapped open, instantly darting to stare wide eyed off to the side. "H-Hello?" he stuttered, listening closely. He could have sworn he heard someone walking, but it was hard to make out anything. No reply, but there was still an air of discomfort swirling around him. He never took his gaze away, searching for any signs of another presence, yet still there was nothing. Brushing it off, he tried to relax back against the wall.

Again, a tingle of warning coursed through him, and this time it was enough to yank him to his feet. "Who's there?" he questioned, taking a timid step back. He still couldn't see or hear anyone, and it was most likely his brain being paranoid due to all the extra noise. Though, one could never be too careful.

Hands gripping his upper arms almost protectively, he turned away and began to slowly make his way down this street. This path would require him to take more of a roundabout way to get back to the hotel, but if that's what it took to avoid potential harm, then so be it.

All caution was out the window, and he took off. Thankfully, his footfalls were lost in the cascade, but that also meant so were others, and he felt a chill at that realization. He glanced behind him, almost forgetting the lack of visibility he had. He could see nothing, not even where he was going. The moment he thought he was far enough away, he slowed down, chest heaving and breaths coming out in drained and fearful pants.

Prompto leaned forward with his hands on his knees and tried to calm down; he was overreacting to nothing. Straightening back up, a hiss of surprise and another flash and he was back against the wall, inhales again labored and pained. His eyes darted around, and it was like searching a void, empty and closing in. A light whimper seeped out and he had no choice but to sit back out or risk falling when his legs began to grow weak.

He knew he was breathing too quickly, but he couldn't control it, he couldn't will himself to take a deep breath and calm down. A ringing eased into the inside of his skull, and it was the only thing he could recognize over the downpour. That and his own pounding heart, which he was sure would stop any second now.

Light filled the street again, and he was sure his pulse really did run out this time, features were highlighted for a brief moment, and they were close. There wasn't time to make them out, but there was no mistaking it. There was a person, someone following him; he couldn't stay here. He tried to get up, pushed himself up and the slick ground pulled him back down as he lost his footing. Before he could try again, he could feel them, standing right next to him, and he hated to admit it, but he froze. He let his terror and uncertainty get the better of him in the moment, and shame washed over him.

"Prom?" His body solidified, and moving was now something that wasn't possible. However, his eyes were still cooperating, and they drifted over to meet the source of the gruff voice. At the sight of the large figure, adrenaline fled his veins to the point where it was the hand clasped around his are the held most of his weight.

The blond took a few more quick and shallow breaths until he was sure he could speak clearly enough. "G-Gladdy?" he whispered, unsure if he could even be heard.

He was sure he heard a small 'yeah,' but the ringing in his ears was still present, waning, though strong. "What the hell are you doing out here?" Prompto's eyes snapped over to another form, a smaller one. "We came looking for you, but you kept runnin' off," he sighed, sounding a little annoyed about the chase that had ensued.

At that, the gunner felt heat rise to his face, and he had no words to say; it was embarrassing as shit to tell the truth. "Oh...about that…" he trailed off, his gaze dropping to the ground.

"Later," the shield cut in, releasing his grip now that Prompto had gathered himself up enough. "For now, I'd like to get back to the hotel where it's dry," he grunted. "You can tell us what you were playing at then. Let's go," he muttered loud enough and turned around, waving a hand to the others to follow.

Nodding, the blond folded his arms around himself and fell into step behind him, Noctis took up the back. "So, why'd you guys come out here? Were you worried I'd get lost or something?" he chuckled, trying to joke about it, but there was an essence of accusation. Though, underneath it all, he was pretty thankful for the run in.

"Not really," Gladio answered. "Power was going out and it just didn't seem like the best idea to be out here during all this," he waved a hand towards the sky for clarification, not that it was needed...or seen.

"Well, thanks anyway," the other breathed out, trying to sound casual, despite the fact that the others could read him like an open book. He wasn't fooling anyone.

He heard a hum behind him and a grunt in front of him; yup, just like them to brush it off as well. Smiling to himself, he reached both hands up and gripped his camera between them, his thumbs tracing over its edges. Without meaning to, he stepped closer to the man in front of him in an attempt to make sure they wouldn't be separated. If it were noticed, nothing was said about it.

During the short walk back, he permitted himself to relax a bit and told himself that everything was fine now. Nothing would happen as long as they were with him, and with that in mind, he was able to journey the rest of the way without a doubt in his mind. As long as he had them, he'd be alright.

Uhhhhhh, so I think Imma stop taking requests until I can cut this list down a tad. XD Sorry, but it got pretty long, so just need some time to get a few done before opening it back up to new ones. But, if you have questions or anything, you can reach me on Tumblr as well.

And, I'm sorry and hate to do this, but from now on, I will message people before I do your story, and if I don't get a reply, it will be skipped until I hear from you again. Only reason I feel the need to do this is because multiple times, I have written a request, and the person would never show up again. And, honestly, these take time, and if the person that asked doesn't stick around, then I don't want to take the time to do it.

Queue as of now:

~Kloudia1 (Skipped until I get a response)

~laurelilith (I think this user no longer exists, so it has been skipped)

Snow

mabver321

MasterThiefWolf

Tabbys_desire

the lazy one

Crystal

Ann

'Anonymous4'

Robin

Luna the Wolf Mage

FredrikssonT

MsChievous

NicoleBL