They rent the caravan outside the item shop that night with Sania. Gladio was delighted to have the scientist join them, making her laugh with stories of their road trip exploits. This left Noct and Prompto to keep each other company. They visited Ignis up until dinnertime and played a couple of rounds of Kings Knight before bed.

The next day, Noct woke with a groan, blinking muzzily as the soft light of morning shone through thin curtains. He rolled onto his back, rubbing his face as he tried to chase off the last remnants of sleep. He stretched, hearing joints pop. His body was sore and stubborn from having slept on such a hard, small mattress. What he would give to be back in his nice dark room on his large soft bed. But he left that luxury back at home in Insomnia and thinking about that only made him feel nostalgic and sorrowful. There was no home to return to. The city was gone; his father was dead, and with Ignis now like this—he screwed his eyes shut, reining in his emotions as he exhaled hard through his nose.

He sat up. No point in lazing and moping around. From how quiet the caravan was, Noct guessed everyone was already up and out having breakfast. He got out of bed and went to get ready.


Noct found the guys and Sania already well into their breakfast at the outdoor eatery next to the item shop. Despite the early hour, there was a lot of hustle and bustle going on with hunters peddling their wares.

"Had enough beauty sleep, princess?" Gladio teased as Noct approached and took a seat.

"Yeah," he said, as he studied his menu. He was a bit irked that no one tried to wake him before.

"You sure?" Gladio's lips twisted into a leer. "Because it looks like you could use a few more hours with that mug of yours."

"Don't listen to him, Noct," Prompto interjected, coming to his defense. "You're still very cute and majestic."

Sania chuckled. "You guys are so adorable."

Gladio chortled, shaking his head. "Don't lump me with the kiddies," he said, ignoring the twin glare he received from his friends. "I'm more of the roguishly handsome type."

Sania smirked, curious yet impressed. "What if I like the cute types?" she asked with a sly grin.

"Then I have no other choice than to change your mind," Gladio replied with a lecherous grin of his own.

Noct and Prompto simultaneously rolled their eyes.

Sania laughed. "As tempting as that invitation is, I'm afraid I'm going to take a rain check." She stood up and gathered her things. "I need to head out now if I want to make it to my friend's place before nightfall. I'll give you boys a call the minute I find something. Keep me posted if anything changes on your end."

Gladio nodded. "No problem."

"Thanks for breakfast," she said, winking at Gladio before bidding farewell to Noct and Prompto with a wave before leaving.

Prompto turned to Noct once the scientist was well enough away. "Thanks for breakfast," he said in an attempt to do Sania's voice, he tucked some hair behind his ears and batted his eyes.

Noct took on an unabashed stance in his chair, legs spread out as he leaned back with a cocksure grin.

"No big deal," he replied, making his voice low and gravelly as he channeled Gladio. The shield frowned. "There's plenty of sausage to go around. Just ask the girl from Lestallum a few weeks ago. She left happy and full," he purred, wiggling his eyebrows.

Prompto gasped and scandalized. "Gladio! Roguishly handsome but is totally an adorable puppy when you tickle him just right under his armpit, Gladio!"

Gladio rolled his eyes.

"Are you saying you sleep with any woman that has a pulse?"

"Not any woman," Noct replied and then gave an elaborate flex of his chest muscles and arms. Prompto pretended to swoon and then fan himself. "Just the ones that fall for my cheesy lines and muscles."

Prompto and Noct burst into laughter.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Gladio said.

"Sorry dude," Prompto said, wiping a tear. "But we feel some kind of way about you trying to bang the one person in charge of finding Iggy's cure."

"Speaking of Iggy, did anyone go see him this morning?" Noct asked as he flagged down someone to take his order.

"While his highness was still getting his beauty sleep," Gladio said, digging a finger into Noct's cheek, which the prince fended off. "I popped in to check up on him before my morning run. He's still out, but stable."

Noct felt a little relieved to hear that Ignis was okay, but he'd hoped there was more positive news to report. There wasn't a part of him last night that didn't hope that Ignis would miraculously wake up suddenly in the middle of the night complaining of aches, pains, and Prompto's terrible kissing.

The waiter showed up and Noct placed his order. He stole a piece of Prompto's leftover buttered toast to tie him over until his food came.

Prompto leaned back into his chair. "So, what's our game plan with Iggy?"

"Hart recommends we take him to Lestallum," Gladio said, returning to what was suggested yesterday. "I think we should follow his orders."

"What's the point when they'll come up with the same conclusion we got here?" Noct said. "It's a rare status ailment. They won't be able to treat him because they don't know what they're dealing with."

"We know some," Prompto chimed in. "Iggy's stuck in a sleep-like coma and he's in this weird stasis mode that's eating up his magic. Maybe they can keep him stable enough so that it doesn't drain him too fast?"

"He'll be fine," Noct said. "Out of the three of us he's the most magic efficient."

Gladio snorted. "Says the guy connected to a literal magical crystal."

"The point is," Noct said, ignoring Gladio's jab. "That it'll probably be some time before it makes the switch to sucking on his life force. We just have to get him the cure before it does."

"We don't have a proper guide for when that happens," Gladio countered. "We should take him to Lestallum just in case."

"And what? We don't exactly have the funds to keep him in a hospital long term. Not to mention we don't have any glaives on hand to leave on guard," Noct responded. "If word gets out that one of us is down for the count, it leaves the group vulnerable. It leaves Ignis vulnerable. It's too risky and dangerous."

Noct didn't want to think about leaving Ignis behind in his condition. He didn't trust anyone beyond his close friends and associates. They were at war and leaving Ignis in a hospital to be discovered by the empire not only put his life at risk, but the hospital inhabitants as well. What's to stop an attack on the hospital? What if it was bombed and Noct and the others weren't there to defend it? The thought sent a chill down his spine. He didn't want to risk the death of innocent civilians or Ignis like that.

"But he still needs treatment," Gladio said. "We're not equipped to handle taking care of someone in Iggy's state twenty-four seven. Taking him on the road in his condition could make things worse, it could exacerbate things."

"What about Cape Caem?" Prompto interrupted.

Gladio crossed his arms over his chest. "What about it?"

"Well, it's out of the way enough to be a safe house since no one knows we go there. Dustin and Monica are plenty capable of taking care of Iggy and keeping him safe."

Noct nodded, liking the idea. "It's out of the way enough to not draw suspicion but close enough to get to Lestallum should things go south."

"It's three hours away from Lestallum," Gladio pointed out.

"Better than half a day's drive away," Noct replied.

"And potions? Medical equipment?" Gladio brought up. "The cape isn't exactly a hospital. We'll need things to help monitor his condition in the meantime."

"We'll take on more hunts and earn the money," Noct argued. "We'll buy more potions and ethers and even ask Hart if he can spare anything he's willing to part with for some cash or on loan."

Gladio leveled a stare at Noct, but the prince held his gaze, determined. Seeing that nothing was going to change Noct's mind, the shield sighed.

"Alright," he conceded. "I'll agree to this on one condition."

Noct perked up. "Name it."

Gladio leaned in close to look at Noct. He looked hard—serious as his lips were drawn down into a grave frown.

"The second this goes south, we take him to a proper hospital. They may not be equipped to handle what's happening to him, but at least they can make him comfortable if…"

The shield didn't have to finish his thought for them to understand he was talking about the worst case scenario.

"I'm not—we're not," Noct licked his lips after correcting himself. "We're not going to let that happen. We're going to save him before anything like that happens, I promise you that."

Gladio relaxed. "I'll go call Monica and let her know the situation and that we're coming down." He dragged his chair back as Noct's food arrived and stood up. "Eat up before you sweet talk Hart into lending us stuff."

"Sweet talk?"

"You're right, can't use charm when you don't have any," Gladio said, "Just use that pretty face of yours to amaze and confuse him while Prompto steals what he can carry."

"Hey!" Prompto shouted after the shield as the man went off to make his phone call.

Noct ignored Gladio's jab and he tucked into his breakfast.


"I'll drive," Noct volunteered as they finished packing some supplies for the road. Hart didn't have much on hand to give, just a small heart monitor and blood pressure reader, and let Iggy keep the urinary catheter. It was enough to monitor Ignis on the basics until they got to the cape and got themselves settled.

"His highness wants to drive?" Gladio asked as he closed the trunk. "Might do us some good actually. Having you behind the wheel might be the jolt Iggy needs to wake up."

Noct gave him a sardonic laugh. "Hilarious, give up the keys," he gestured before Gladio tossed them his way.

Two hours into the drive and Noct was starting to feel boredom creep in. Driving out in the open country was different from driving in the city. There wasn't any real traffic to worry about except the odd car here and there and the rare creature crossing. The radio was spotty and they could only listen to Prompto's random playlists oh so many times. Normally Ignis would be behind the wheel and when Noct felt bored he took a nap. He was starting to regret volunteering to drive, but he felt like he needed to start pulling his weight now that Ignis was down for the count.

His eyes eventually began to wander to the rear view mirror where he saw Gladio enjoying his novel with Ignis' head resting comfortably against his chest. His free hand roamed around Ignis' hair, fingers idly carding through sandy brown locks. Noct couldn't help but feel a touch of concern at Gladio's casual touching. The way his fingers caressed his hair, starting at the edge of his hairline and dragging their way back before resting at the nape of his neck where he rubbed the pad of his thumb in small circles.

"I'm not the road."

Noct blinked, startled by Gladio's voice and looked forward. He always had eyes on him without having to look at him. It was such an unnerving parental move.

"I know that," Noct huffed, feeling heat spread across his cheeks. He worried his bottom lip a bit, hoping to distract himself from the temptation to look again.

He did so five minutes later, trying to be casual about it.

"How is he?" he asked with an air of nonchalance.

Gladio turned a page. "Sleeping."

Noct pouted and focused on the road again. Not two minutes later and Gladio was back at carding his fingers through Ignis' hair, caressing his face, brushing his fingers against his lips. It gave Noct pause since he wasn't sure if the man was doing this on purpose to get under his skin or if he was just unaware of it since he looked pretty engrossed in his book.

"Can you stop that?" Noct asked when thought he saw Gladio's thumb toying with Ignis' bottom lip.

"Stop what?" the man asked, putting his book down enough to peek at him with raised brow.

Even Prompto looked up from his phone in confusion. "Yeah, Noct. Stop what?"

Their inquisitive gazes made him shrink a bit with anxiety as he looked back onto the road. Confronting Gladio about his more than friendly touch meant that Noct found something wrong and saying it out loud meant opening a door he wasn't ready to confront himself about when it came to Ignis.

"Nothing," he eventually muttered, feeling his anxiety deflate. He focused on the road again.

No one questioned him further and went back to what they were doing. Prompto eventually put the radio back on to drown out the silence. In the midst of music and radio commercials the prince looked up again, hoping to see nothing more than the usual when he saw Gladio hidden behind his book leaning down into Ignis. It was enough to alarm Noct to press the break and lose control of the wheel briefly.

The screech of tires as he swerved and attempted to right the car as he switched to the gas startled the rest of the party, with Prompto bracing against the dashboard and Gladio cursing as he dropped his book to hold onto Ignis.

"Dude!" Prompto shrilled, face pale and panicked.

"We're switching!" Noct barked before pulling off to the side of the road and parking the car.

Prompto looked around confused as Noct got out of the car and went to Gladio's passenger door. The shield glared but nonetheless positioned Ignis in a sitting pose and got out to take the driver's seat. Noct got in and took his spot, bringing Ignis over to his lap. Prompto looked around confused at the wordless exchange and opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it when Gladio gave him a look as he started the car and put it in drive.

Noct didn't say anything as they pulled out, content with their new arrangement.

Another hour into the drive Noct noticed Gladio eying him from the rearview mirror. It was subtle at first, a look here and there; sometimes they made eye contact before breaking to look at something else.

"What?" Noct asked, finally acknowledging the man. The looks were becoming more frequent and he felt like he was under a microscope.

"Nothing," Gladio said and focused ahead. "You're so spoiled."


They stop at Telghey haven to rest for the night. With a fresh water river filled to the brim with fish at all hours of the day, it was a favorite haven for Noct as he could spend hours there fishing.

The tent was set in order to lay Ignis out before they went out to set up the rest of camp. Noct took stock of what needed to be done in terms of chores and frowned when he saw the mile-long list of things Ignis did on a daily basis in his planner. From laundry to mending clothes, to Regalia maintenance and supply gathering and organizing, to other things they hardly noticed were done because Ignis was always prepared, always anticipating, always in control-subtle yet efficient. It dawned on Noct that Ignis was literally a one-man army and that it was going to take three grown men to complete the one man's weekly tasks with speed and finesse.

He closed the planner, waiting to broach the chore subject at a later date. He went towards the grill where Gladio was setting up.

Noct cleared his throat to get his attention. "I'll cook dinner," he offered, digging his hands into his pockets.

"Oh? What brought this on?" Gladio asked as he stood up.

"Earlier?" Noct said, hoping he didn't have to elaborate further. He didn't know why he almost crashed the car, but Gladio made him snap.

"Going to finish the job you couldn't do with the car so you'll try to off us with your crappy cooking?"

"Yeah, Noct, what was earlier all about?" Prompto asked, catching the tail end of the conversation. He brought over the cooler. "Was the butt cramp that bad?"

"No!" Noct blurted, cheeks hot. "I didn't have any cramps!"

Prompto grinned.

"And anyway, I'm not that bad of a cook. I used to work at a sushi restaurant back home, or did you guys forget?" Noct reminded them.

"No, we didn't," Gladio replied. "But you don't have a stellar track record when it comes to cooking or feeding others."

"What? I may not be Iggy in the kitchen but I can hold my own. How do you think I managed on my own in the apartment?"

The men chose not to answer, instead avoiding eye contact with Noct.

"You guys are assholes."

"Noct, I love you and believe in your mystical cooking ability, mind, body and soul," Prompto said. He took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "But maybe we should let Gladio handle it for now."

Noct pouted.

"I'm not saying you can't ever try making us something. Maybe we should wait until we have Iggy back and our group isn't in shambles," Prompto chirped with a smile.

Noct frowned. "Our group isn't in shambles."

"He's right," Gladio agreed. "Shambles implies a major disaster. I give us another week before we reach that point."

Prompto cackled. "Ha! I gave up on us ages ago."


Dinner was cup of noodles again. This time Noct caught some fish from the river and added it to the menu. Gladio grilled it over the open campfire, letting the skin outside crisp and char to perfection. The smoky aroma of cooked fish made Noct's mouth into water.

"Go get Prom so we can eat, Noct," Gladio ordered as he finished covering the noodles to cook.

Noct tore himself away from the fish and walked towards the tent. They sent Prompto in to check on Ignis and take his blood pressure. Noct should've known something was up when the blond didn't come back after some time, but chalked it up to Prompto forgetting how to use the blood pressure machine.

When Noct crawled inside, he found Prompto cuddled next to Ignis with his camera. The blond was in his own little world, ignoring Noct's approaching form as he took selfies without a care.

"Dinner's ready," Noct announced. Ignis' glasses were pushed up into Prompto's hair.

"What are you doing?"

Prompto took one last photo before quickly sitting up. "Showing Iggy some pictures and taking a few."

He scooted over to show Noct all the pictures he took. Prompto scrolled through images where he was nose to nose with Ignis, made kissy faces as well as silly ones.

Prompto eventually hit the ones where only Ignis was the subject. Ignis looked so peaceful to the point of being unnerving. It was a morbid thought to have, but Noct thought he looked dead as he slumbered on unaware of the world around him. Prompto scrolled to pictures where Noct noticed how long Ignis' sandy blond bangs were as the tips reached low enough to kiss his eyelids, saw the signature bump on his nose, and the trace of his moles and light acne scars. Regardless of those imperfections (Ignis had always been insecure about those scars and his nose), Noct considered Ignis to still be a very handsome man. With a strong jaw, long nose, and cupid arrow shaped lips, his face drew your attention with his delicate yet masculine features.

"Seriously? You look like his stalker with all those pictures," Noct said.

"But he's ridiculously photogenic," Prompto noted, scrolling through more pictures. "Plus, there's a market out there."

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled to learn what you've been doing to him once when he wakes up."

Prompto gawked at the accusation. "I'll share in the profits!" As if that was the concern Ignis would take issue with once he woke up. "Want to take one?"

Noct shook his head.

"It'd be wrong since he's in a coma and all," he explained. A pesky prickle of heat snaked up his neck that he wished would go away at the idea.

Prompto shrugged, laying back down at Ignis' side with his camera. Curious, Noct laid next to Prompto to see what the blond had planned.

"Oh! This one's a good one." Prompto said in awe, showing Ignis a picture. Noct peeked at the image of the moon, large and bright in a star-dust covered sky. Pine trees hugged the bottom, their leaves hug the borders creating a sort of barbed thicket frame.

"Look at that view! The night's so clear and filled with so many stars, Iggy. The moon is so clear and bright, it might as well be the sun."

"You're describing the photos to him?" The picture was actually very beautiful but what was the point if Ignis was asleep?

"Maybe he's listening?" Prompto scrolled through a few more pictures before landing on Gladio giving an enthusiastic thumbs up in front of a dead seadevil. "You never know. My soft dulcet tones could wake him," he informed with a smirk.

Noct rolled his eyes.

Prompto flipped through more pictures—a selfie of himself holding the victory sign while in front of a pack of killer bees, another had Noct casually fishing at the river. He landed on a set when an imperial dropship appeared during their drive down. He stopped on a particular image that made Noct wince.

"Oh! This one's a classic!" The image was of the moment when a flag carrying MT's boot made contact with Noct's face.

Noct immediately flushed, embarrassed. "Delete that!"

Prompto turned to Ignis. "If you were awake, Noct wouldn't have gotten kicked in the face," he mockingly chided the slumbering man. He slid Ignis' glasses from their perch on his head and pushed them up the bridge of his nose when they dipped too low.

"I strongly disagree, Prompto," he mimicked Ignis' voice and accent. "There is no saving Noct's face from its intended fate."

"Prompto!"

The blond scrolled again and landed Noct locking lips with Ignis back at the clinic.

"Do you want me to delete this one too?"

Noct's mouth gaped open then shut as his eyes widened. When did the blond do this? How could he do this? And why was it only Noct's picture of kissing Ignis the only one?

"What was that?" Prompto asked, leaning in a bit, pretending to be hard of hearing.

"I said send it to me so that I can delete it properly!" Noct managed to grit, cheeks aflame.

"That's not how deleting stuff works, dude."

"Shut up."


They eventually crawled out to have dinner when Gladio threatened to eat their share. Prompto insisted on making grilled cheese sandwiches to add to their meal. He didn't char them, but they could've done with a few minutes less on the pan.

They ate in silence and though it was only their second time eating noodles for dinner, Noct was happy that they'd be reaching the cape by tomorrow and not have to worry about making dinner again. His gaze eventually meandered over to where Ignis slept and wondered if the smell of their food would be enough to entice the man out of his coma. Of course, it didn't.

"So, I've been thinking," Prompto voiced after chewing his bite of grilled cheese. "Sania said the cure can be fickle. What if she makes it and it doesn't work?"

Noct looked up from his noodles.

"It will work," he addressed with a scowl. "Besides, she said she'd make variations of it so it'll eventually work."

Gladio finished his noodles with a loud slurp. He chewed what was in his mouth and swallowed.

"Prompto's right though." Gladio said, reaching for his beer. He took a long swig before staring at the crackling fire, face grave. "We're a man down and I hate to say this, but…if the cure or any variation thereof doesn't work, we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario."

"So we go on to Altissia and leave him behind sleeping himself to death?" Noct said.

Gladio leveled him with a stare, lips thinned into a serious scowl.

"Not ideal, but we can't postpone the trip any longer than we already have. You know that and Ignis knows it too."

Noct glared right back, his jaw set. Gladio sighed.

"If it were up to him, he'd want you to leave him behind," he stressed.

Noct looked down at his noodles, the idea already making his mind dizzy to the point he felt sick. As much as he hated it, he knew Gladio was right. Ignis would always put the mission first even if it came at his expense. So long as Noct was safe and able to accomplish what needed to be done, Ignis wouldn't care.

'He's correct Noct,' he imagined the man would say, 'I'm in no condition to continue. Though it pains me not to be at your side during this difficult time, we cannot ignore our situation. I'm incapacitated beyond saving and wish you all nothing but luck, strength, and tenacity going forward. And though it was an honor serving you, I have to say that the greatest honor was having you as a friend.'

Yeah...

That was not going to happen.

"We're not leaving him behind," Noct decided. "We're not going to Altissia until he recovers. That's an order."

Gladio and Prompto looked taken aback by his command. He wasn't the type to pull rank, but he found himself justified doing so. Ignis was an important ally. He wasn't a tool for Noct to wield when he saw fit and dispose of when he outlived his use. In the end, it was about camaraderie, loyalty, and the fact that if it weren't Ignis, Noct would still stay put rather than leave any one of them behind. If the situation were reversed, they'd be tripping all over each other trying to find a cure. He knew it was because he was the prince, but he liked to think they'd do so because they loved and cared about him.

Gladio stared down at his meal, lips a firm line. "As you wish, your highness."


Noct was the last to come back after his turn to wash up at the river. With dinner over and things cleaned and packed up, it was finally time to turn in for the night. They had an early morning if they were going to make it to the cape by the afternoon.

Crawling into the tent, Noct saw Prompto already snuggled up next to Ignis. The image of the chocobo pajama bottomed man wiggling his hips against his advisor made Noct bristle.

"I'll keep Iggy warm," Prompto sighed as he threw his arm over Igns.

The urge to violently shove the blond aside rose, but instead of giving in, Noct decided to stoop to his level. He crawled over to take Ignis' other side.

"I'll keep this side warm," Noct quipped, unrolling his sleeping bag.

Gladio snorted from his place on the other side of the tent as he rolled out his sleeping bag.

"How about you give the guy some space," he advised. "It's bad enough he's in a coma, now he has to be sandwiched between you two dorks? Talk about a raw deal."

Prompto sat up to rest on his elbows. "Aw, is the big guy jealous?" he teased, flashing Gladio a cheesy grin. "I'll spoon you good and proper next time, papa bear."

"As if," Gladio replied, rolling his eyes.

Prompto looked over to Noct.

"Noct, go cuddle with Gladio."

"What? No!" Noct instantly regretted his tone, because he didn't mean to sound so put off by the idea. He liked Gladio just fine, fine enough to cuddle him even. He just wanted to protect Ignis from Prompto, who probably had devious intentions outside of cuddling. It seemed Gladio wasn't offended by it when the man looked at him with a smirk as he fluffed his pillow.

"You don't want to cuddle with me, kid," Gladio reassured, his voice on the edge of sounding clipped. "I'll crush your painfully underdeveloped body with my manly chiseled frame of muscular awesomeness."

Noct winced, taking the insult since he had that one coming. He looked at Prompto.

"You cuddle with Gladio's death machine of a body," Noct ordered.

Prompto shook his head, latching onto Ignis stubbornly. "No! I got dibs on Iggy!" he proclaimed while snuggling him tightly. "He's used to me."

"And he's not used to me?" Noct was offended. "He's my advisor."

Prompto pouted. "So? He's my friend and sometimes advisor too!"

"How is he your advisor?" Noct was curious to know what excuse Prompto was going to pull out of his ass.

Prompto let the man go and sat up. "He advised I shouldn't have sugar past seven," He gloated, nose turned up as if that was something to be proud of. "And we were totally bonding earlier."

"You were messing around with pictures! I was busy catching our dinner and helping Gladio clean and cook it," Noct said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tell him Gladio."

"I don't care."

"Exactly," Prompto said, ignoring the shield. "You were busy playing house. I took some harmless pictures, but I also took his vitals. At least one of us cared enough to do it."

A flash of hot anger jolted through Noct. "Excuse me?!"

"Alright! It's getting heated, let's cool off!" Gladio barked. "How about you both leave him alone and sleep by yourselves?"

"But!"

"I said, can it!" Gladio snarled. "Iggy's the victim here, he can't defend himself from you two. Think about it. He's in a coma and can't fight off the two raging boners you guys normally get in the mornings."

Prompto choked on air while Noct stuttered, face red, hot and on the brink of falling off.

"You imagine those things attacking him from either side?" Gladio said as he continued his verbal assault. "Though if that's what wakes him up, then by all means, poke and jab away."

"S-shut up!" Noct sputtered, shame crushing his shoulders as they sank.

"If you're so worried about him, then take his place," Prompto suggested after he recovered though his cheeks were still a bright pink.

"And have you kicking me in my sleep and the other one clinging to me for dear life?" Gladio gestured to Noct who pouted. He didn't cling. He just so happened to grab onto whoever was next to him in his sleep and tenderly held on...forcibly.

"And to add insult to injury, I have to wake up to the luxury of the boner squad?" Gladio scoffed, shaking his head. "You're going to have to miss me on that offer."

The man slipped into his sleeping bag.

"I'm Noct's shield, not Iggy's," he said, glaring at the other two.

"Don't listen to him Iggy," Prompto ran a comforting hand through the man's hair. "I'll try my best not to poke you with my pickle."

"Your what?" Noct tried to scrub his mind clean of that information.

"I named it!" Prompto chirped, proud. He settled back down next to Ignis and rolled over, covering the man with his body.

"Get off him Prompto," Noct ordered with his voice on the edge of jealousy. He pushed at the blond to roll off.

"Shhhh, it's sleep time," the blond claimed, fighting him off. He wiggled on top of the man and got comfortable.

"Gladio!" Noct complained.

"Noct, if I cared enough, I would do something," Gladio grunted, tired.

Noct frowned, waiting for the man to do something.

Gladio rolled over. "Go to sleep, Noct."

Noct let out a frustrated noise and got into his sleeping bag. He tried one last time to shove Prompto off, but the blond had an iron grip on Ignis. He feared Prompto would end up suffocating the man if he continued or accidently mess with the catheter bag of urine strapped to his leg, so he gave up and accepted the loss.

He pulled his sleeping bag up as he buried himself inside it. He scowled, mumbling to himself about stubborn wiggly blonds that were bad kissers and terrible best friends and tried his best to go to sleep.


Noct was usually the last to wake, but knowing how Prompto was using Ignis as a literal bed, forced the prince to wake up earlier than he wanted. Regret settled in as his body rebelled, wanting to sink back into the warmth of sleep. He thought that maybe Ignis didn't really need his chastity to be protected since it was Prompto of all people and the young man could barely kiss the man properly.

But when he opened his eyes and saw Prompto softly snoring on top of the man's chest, looking so comfortable and warm-like he belonged there-he knew he had to get up. Something twisted inside his chest that made it painful to breathe at the sight of them. There was a noticeable wet spot from the blond's drool, but other than that, Ignis looked fine and peaceful. They looked so natural and relaxed, like they were meant to be that way that Noct felt like an outsider looking in.

Swallowing the odd bitter twinge of resentment that rose up in his throat, Noct forced himself to crawl on out of his sleeping bag and open the tent. He shivered as the chill of the morning air nipped at him as he stepped outside. Gladio was in the distance, already cooking breakfast by the stove. He yawned as he walked over, scratching the back of his disheveled head.

"Morning," he mumbled, fighting another shiver.

"You're conscious this early?" Gladio cracked another egg to join the other five already in the bowl. He scrambled them with a bit of milk and salt. "What's the emergency?"

Noct snorted, rolling his neck as the sun finally began to warm him.

"You're up early too," he commented, pointing out the obvious.

"We're a parent down," Gladio informed as he poured the eggs into the sizzling skillet. "Someone has to feed you and blondie."

"We're not kids," Noct grumbled, taking the jab to heart. He hated the comparison because he wasn't that hopeless. Gladio and Ignis were older and more put together, so it wasn't fair to compare when they were trained into their roles since childhood. Noct respected and looked up to them, but it didn't mean he was so infantile that he needed constant coddling from them. Though last night Noct showed he wasn't above acting a bit spoiled when it came to getting his way.

"Sorry for being a brat last night," he apologized.

Gladio smirked, serving eggs onto three plates.

"It's fine," he said, shrugging it off like it was nothing. Noct watched him get some rations of gighee ham to fry up. The air quickly filled with the scent of salty meat as it sizzled and popped in the pan. Noct's stomach began to rumble.

"How's sleeping beauty?" The man asked as he flipped the meat over. It browned and caramelized nicely around the edges.

"Being drooled on by his prince," Noct replied dryly.

That earned him a laugh. "Really? Could've sworn his prince was standing right here."

Noct blinked, feeling his ears prickle with heat at the joke. He watched the man plate the meat onto their plates. He didn't add the extra slice of ham to Noct's plate like Ignis always used to.

"Go wake prince charming up," Gladio finally ordered as he grabbed a couple of Lucian

tomatoes and began to slice them. Noct wrinkled his nose at them. Thankfully, Gladio missed one of the plates as he sliced and served. Unlike Ignis, Gladio usually let his vegetable avoidance slide.

"We need to start making moves if we want to make it to the cape by lunch."

"Alright," Noct said as he stretched and popped his back.

He looked towards the river and got an idea. "Should I wake Prompto with a nice cold shower?" He could bottle some and pour it all over the blond, but then Ignis would get wet.

Gladio followed his line of sight and immediately frowned. "Noct."

"I'm not hearing a no," he said as he began to walk towards the river.

"Noct!"