Summary: After an unfortunate incident in battle, Prompto fears he is a burden to the others, but Noctis wants to show him that he's wrong.
(Hurt/Comfort, Cute, Pre-relationship)

"Hey," Noct murmured, keeping his voice quiet to spare Prompto's aching head. His blond-headed friend lay in the lower bunk of their rented trailer with an arm draped over his forehead. His cheeks still had a greenish tinge to them, and had ever since that morning when they'd encountered the giant, killer bees, and Prompto had been hit with a potent dose of poison.

It wouldn't have been a problem if they'd had antidotes, but unfortunately, Prompto had been carrying the item bag at the time, and as the huge insect had knocked him to the ground, the bottles had been crushed in the process. Of course, this only resulted in utter humiliation for Prompto as Ignis grumbled at the sight of the torn backpack and broken glass, and as Prompto's poison-heavy legs gave out beneath him and Gladio was forced to carry him back to the nearest resting place.

"I'm sorry, Noct," were the first words out of Prompto's mouth when he saw his friend through drooping eyelids. Noctis shook his head, proceeding further into the trailer to sit on the edge of Prompto's bed.

"Don't be stupid. It's not like you planned it. Could have happened to any of us," Noctis assured him with a casual shrug.

"Yeah, but it didn't. It happened to me," Prompto said, solemnly, head rolling limply toward his companion.

Noctis' heart lurched, seeing him like that. His fun-loving, energetic Prompto just didn't look right in this state—with his sleepy eyes, clammy white skin, and pained expression. The prince bravely brushed a hand through Prompto's hair, which was slightly damp, probably from his body trying to sweat out the fever.

"Prompto..."

"I'm already making mistakes, and we only just left the capital." The self-loathing in Prompto's voice was evident, and Noctis hated that it was there. Why couldn't Prompto see how important he was, how much he was needed? Why didn't he know that Noct needed him?

"You need to stop putting yourself down like that," Noctis practically grumbled, which effectively got Prompto to shut up and listen to him. Prompto's heavy lids popped open a little wider at his friend's unexpected tone.

"Huh? Why?" he asked, the look he wore when he was genuinely curious appearing on his face, and even in the unflattering yellow light of the trailer, he still managed to look adorable.

"'Cause I don't like you insulting my taste." Noctis gave him an uncustomarily gentle smile.

Prompto's eyes flickered in tiny movements from side to side, looking unsure of what to do with that information. Noctis just continued to stare at him fondly, hoping that somehow, Prompto would pick up on the emotions he wasn't voicing. To his disappointment, after a long moment of silence, Prompto just chuckled lightly.

"Thanks for being such a good friend, Noct."

Noctis' smile fell as Prompto's eyes fell tiredly closed. No, he couldn't fall asleep yet. For one, it had been Ignis' orders to keep him awake and monitor him until he and Gladio returned with the medicine, and two, Noctis really wanted to get his point across.

"Prompto, I wanted you to come on this trip with me. You know that, right?" Noctis asked, and when Prompto's eyes fluttered open this time, he saw Noctis' serious expression.

"Y-yeah, I know," he replied, but that didn't stop him from feeling sorry. His presence was bringing trouble for the group. Noctis probably hadn't anticipated that when he'd invited him. Noctis heaved a loud sigh.

"You really don't get it, do you?" he mused, leaning in a little closer as he continued to brush a hand through blond bangs. The action registered loudly in Prompto's mind, and despite the strong hold that the poison had on his brain, he felt as if Noctis' motions meant something. Did friends usually do this sort of thing? He didn't think so, even if they were sick. At least, he and Noct never had before.

Prompto let out another tired laugh, blinking heavily, and letting the arm that was resting above his head come back down to lie at his side.

"I think the poison's making my brain all fuzzy," he admitted, deciding he was reading too much into this. Or maybe he was just plain delirious. Maybe Noct wasn't even in the room with him at all. Who knew? The illness had him feeling pretty out of it.

"Oh yeah?" Noctis questioned, raising a brow in concern.

"Yeah. I think I'm sorta dreaming that you're coming on to me, dude. Like that would ever happen," he chuckled once more, but something in the way he'd said that last sentence... He sounded like he wanted it to happen.

But since Noctis couldn't be absolutely sure of Prompto's true feelings at the moment, with the sickness having the most control over his hazy brain, he couldn't do anything too rash. He did, however, want to leave Prompto with something to think about once the fever had passed. He wanted to leave him with opportunities.

"Well, when you feel better, you can decide whether this was the poison or not," Noctis practically whispered, letting his hand wander from his friend's hair down to his face, cupping gently. Prompto's innocent, curious eyes met Noct's as the prince leaned in, but fluttered closed eagerly as lips moved toward his own.

The feeling was a blissful change from the draining ache of the poison, and Prompto raised a weak hand to the back of Noctis' neck, letting him know he approved of his advance. To be honest, Prompto still wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not, but if it was a dream, it was certainly a good one—and a very, very real one.

Noctis pulled back slowly, watching Prompto carefully to make sure the kiss hadn't made his condition any worse. He definintely didn't want to have to explain to Ignis that he may have caused a lack of air to Prompto's lungs. Thankfully, Prompto looked more peaceful than he had all day. Noctis smiled, and Prompto smiled back, both silently hoping that when Prompto recovered, they could both confirm that what they had was real.