TAGS and WARNINGS: F/M, M/M, Sexual Content, Canon Typical Violence, Murder of the Fourth Wall, Self-insert/Isekai/OC, Au in that there are Other Universes, Fivesome, Poly, Relationship Negotiations, Panic Attacks. If any of this is not to your preferences, there's the door. For the rest of you, enjoy!

A quick note before we get started. I'm completely ignoring the timeline of the events of the game "plot" and instead basing it off of one of my playthroughs, assuming 1 hour IRL is 24 hours in-game. For instance: I spent about ten hours wandering around Liede killing stuff before moving on to Galdin Quay, which means they were there for ten days. Yes, I'm one of those players who meticulously fills in every portion of the available map before getting anything done. I think the polite term is 'completionist', but you are welcome to call me obsessive if you like, I won't be offended. In any case, the pacing might end up a little weird at times because of this, but it is totally purposeful and useful to the actual plot that Prompto realizes it.

Chapter 1

The region of Leide was not one of Prompto's favorite places. Hot, arid wind bit at his face and skin at any point during the day, and no matter how he applied lip balm, his lips still cracked. Being of fair complexion didn't help matters either. In the two weeks they had been trapped in the region he had burnt repeatedly, only adding to the smattering of freckles over his face and shoulders, because no matter how many times it happened, his skin refused to tan. Noctis didn't seem to fare much better than he. His skin just burned, peeled then turned back white and that black hair probably wasn't doing him any favors. Meanwhile, Gladio and Ignis continued to get darker every day, as if that was fair. Especially Gladio, who the second they entered this godsforsaken desert promptly took off his shirt and hadn't put it back on since.

It hadn't exactly been a walk in the park since this crazy journey began. What started out as an eight-hour road trip plus two days on a boat to get to Altissia for Noctis's wedding turned into their car breaking down, their wallet getting reduced to nothing, and two weeks of unsolicited monster hunting in the desert to make up for the cost of repairing the car. They hadn't had a real bed to sleep in for over a week.

Prompto wasn't complaining, though. No, that wouldn't be like him at all. Well, okay, maybe a little complaining. It hadn't been all bad though. He'd gotten to hang out with his friends much more than he ever had in Insomnia, no pesky duties or part-time jobs to get in the way. Not that he needed a part-time job anymore since he'd just joined the Crownsgaurd. He still wasn't sure how he felt about that. It didn't really feel all that real yet. Maybe it wouldn't until he got paid for the first time, which he was still nervous about. For some reason, he hadn't expected that he would get paid for this, which, duh, but he really hadn't thought about it. Not until he saw the contract for life's service—hold the heart attack and remember you wanted this, Prompto—and saw the ridiculous amount that would be going into his bank account every month, not even sure it was possible to spend so much.

But that was an issue for another day.

At the moment, Prompto wasn't thinking about his new job, nor the potentially life-threatening mission they were sent on by Cindy, the goddess-like mechanic who was working on their car, into the depths of some mine shaft that a hunter had, for some strange untold reason, left a car part in. Not even about the wind that kept annoyingly blowing his gelled bangs into his already gritty eyes. No, there was something much more distressing than any of those things, something Prompto had been contemplating for some time.

That song...it was stuck in his head again.

It was odd, if Prompto did say so himself. Well, not the song. The song was positively beautiful; a soothing, tender start, the crescendo of anticipation of discovery that made his heart beat faster, then the rolling drums that made his blood sing with wanderlust. It was as if an orchestra had taken the majesty of the land around him and turned it into a sound that painted the world in the rose-colored glasses of an adventure movie.

No, it wasn't the song, though it was hardly the kind of music he generally listened to, and it wasn't as if Prompto was a stranger to having tracks in his head. He happened to be one of those people that always had something playing on his internal radio. Sometimes it was made up, like the silly jingle that just came to him one day for his favorite animal in the whole wide world, or sometimes something he'd heard on the airwaves at some point or other. His propensity to randomly belt out whatever song happened to be on his mind was both a source of amusement to his traveling companions and a quirk that they had long become used to. So what was so strange about this one?

It might be that he was absolutely positive he'd never heard it before.

He might have thought that he made it up at some point, but that was just ridiculous. As much as Prompto considered himself an artist (never miss!), he was a photographer, not a musician, silly jingles aside. That song was no jingle, but a masterpiece of music with ebbs and flows and at least fifteen different instruments. Not only that, but he heard it with perfect clarity. Every. Time. No one's imagination was that good!

The timing of it was a bit odd as well. He only seemed to hear it randomly when they were running from place to place. At first, he didn't even really notice it, only hearing snatches of it here and there in the first few days of their journey. It was only when he noticed that it immediately cut off at certain times—like when he got in the Regalia or they stepped into a monster nest—that he really started to pay attention. He kind of regretted it, because with every repetition, it became clearer, to the point where he became completely distracted and his companions were growing concerned for his wellbeing.

Like now.

"Prompto! Hurry it up!" Noctis shouted, husky voice layered with equal parts exhaustion and annoyance.

Prompto snapped back to reality, the arid region of Liede coming back into focus like a slap to the face. He startled as he realized that all three of his friends were staring at him, pausing on top of the incline they had been scaling for the better part of half an hour. Or maybe it was more? Prompto wasn't quite sure how long he had been spacing out. He'd fallen behind a bit as he stared into the sky fruitlessly for the source of music only he could hear.

"Th-there in a jiffy," he shouted back, jumping into a hasty jog to catch up. He sighed in relief when the strange music faded out into the sounds of the wind.

Noctis rolled his eyes as Prompto skidded to a stop beside his three companions. "I swear if you spaced out any more we would end up carrying you from place to place just to get anywhere."

Gladio snorted, crossing his considerable arms over his bare chest. "You mean I would have to carry him from place to place."

Noct's blue eyes narrowed at his shield. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think, princess?"

Noctis growled and Prompto let out a nervous chuckle at the usual banter exchange. Gladio and Noctis probably had this argument at least once a week and it never failed to devolve into something ridiculous. Prompto's shoulders eased slightly, glad for the distraction from his own troubling thoughts, a small smile growing on his face.

It faltered a bit, though, as Prompto caught the eye of the prince's advisor who had not been quite as distracted. A frown pulled at Ignis's thin lips as he pushed his glasses with a gloved hand, the glare from the setting sun not distracting from his piercing green gaze. Prompto shifted uncomfortably before plastering on a wide grin and looking away. "Aw, come on Gladdy, I'm sure Noct could carry me...a few feet at least!"

"What!" Noctis glowered. "Not you too, Prom!" Gladiolus threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing off the canyon beside them and drowning out Prompto's own giggles. Even Ignis broke composure and smiled.

Suddenly Prompto's world warped and he let out an indignant squeak, laughter cut off via Noct's shoulder digging into his gut. "Wha–Hey! Noct!" He was resolutely ignored as Noctis easily threw the protesting blond over his shoulders in a fireman's carry and began trudging up the road defiantly, Gladio and Ignis falling silent in utter shock. For a second, only Noctis's angry muttering could be heard before a bewildered look between Prompto and the two stunned men behind them set Gladio off again, Ignis only letting out a put-upon sigh.

Prompto yelped as Noctis leaned forward and shifted his weight as if Prompto were a sack of potatoes. "Ah! N-Noct! Put me down! What the hell man?"

"Hold still!"

"No way! Leggo!"

"Not a chance! I'll prove I can carry the runt of the group, no problem!"

"Who are you calling runt!? We're the same size!"

"Are not!"

"Wah! Gladio, help!" But Prompto's pleas fell on deaf ears as the large man was doubled over in a laughing fit, Ignis lightly patting him on his back. Prompto couldn't help but smile at Ignis's pained expression and found himself laughing as well, playfully mussing Noct's hair in retaliation as the prince refused to put him down.

For now, the song was silent and Prompto let himself forget, if only for a little while.

His peace of mind didn't last for long. At least, not as long as he'd hoped.

The four stopped not long after sundown, even the ever tireless Gladio admitting that they could use a break. Their destination was only a few more miles down the road, but none of them wanted to tackle the Balouve Mines on empty stomachs after a full day of trudging through the desert.

The second they reached the haven at the top of the hill, Noctis collapsed onto the cool glowing stone with a dramatic moan, rubbing his burned face against it in the hopes to alleviate some of the heat. "Ugh, I'm so tired. "

"Maybe you wouldn't be if you hadn't tried to carry Prompto in a misguided attempt to prove your strength," Ignis commented dryly, his accented voice clipped with amusement.

"Not that I minded," Prompto collapsed on the ground as well, grinning. "At least I got to have a break, even if it was still pathetically short."

"Shut up," Noctis groaned, wiggling into the ground like a nuzzling pup before falling still.

"Oh, no you don't," Gladio growled, kicking his prince in the boot. "You are not falling asleep before you help set up camp."

"And not before you eat," Ignis piped in.

"Do it yourself," Noctis mumbled.

"Shall I chew for you, too?" Ignis retorted, pulling a surprised laugh from Prompto. Noctis rolled his head to the side and stroked his chin as if seriously considering it. Gladio reached down and smacked him on the ass, merely snorting at the undignified yelp and glare he received in response.

"Come on, princess, up! None of us can summon the gear and you know it. So if you don't want to sleep on the ground with an empty stomach when the temperature drops, I suggest you get off your lazy ass and help."

Muttering under his breath—"Slave drivers, the lot of you."—Noctis levered himself up into a sitting position and waved for the other three to stand back. Prompto scrambled to his feet and joined the others at the edge of the haven, watching on with interest. Even though he'd been able to summon weapons from Noctis's armory for a while now, he'd never been able to do more than that. He never grew tired of watching his best friend's casual display of raw power and reveled in it at every opportunity.

Without bothering to get to his feet, Noctis lifted his arms and several flashes of blue light went off at once as the three shielded their eyes, the glow never failing to send a shiver of awe up Prompto's spine. Several heavy thunks announced the arrival of their gear, summoned from nothing. Prompto blinked the spots out of his eyes, watching the last of the blue sparks of Noct's magic light up his fair features, and immediately moved forward to pick up the camping chairs off the top of the pile, a giddy smile on his face. Ignis and Gladio were not far behind.

Prompto set up the chairs in their usual spots around the fire pit, scooting around Gladio as he fiddled with the firewood and Noctis, who still hadn't moved, seeming to doze in place on his knees. Prompto smirked down at his friend and nudged him with his hip, only to drop everything he was carrying so he could catch the tilting prince before he could crack open his head and spill his royal brains all over their campsite.

"Whoa, hey buddy, don't really fall asleep here!" Prompto gasped as he tried to put Noctis back upright. The lolling of Noct's head and a light snore was Prompto's only answer. "Astrals, you really can fall asleep anywhere!"

"Hm," Ignis hummed, pausing in his dinner preparations to regard the slumbering prince. "Perhaps we've been working him a bit too hard as of late."

"Like hell we are," Gladio said, not pausing in his task. "He's just being dramatic. Lazy kid."

"I dunno, Gladio," Prompto said softly, hefting Noctis up into his sling chair with a grunt, not disturbing the raven-haired man in the slightest. "Ever since we've left the city, he's been fighting like his life depends on it. Okay so maybe it does, " he amended at the shield's look, "but we've known Noct for years and he's never worked this hard. I mean, did you see how he fought today? Warping around, like, every other second and picking a fight with pretty much any monster we came across?" It was strange because it wasn't in his best friend's nature to pick fights with anything if he didn't have to, and he never used to warp around this much before. Prompto had been noticing it for a while now, and not only that, but for some strange reason, Noctis had been dragging the three of them all over the place with a curiosity that was completely out of character, usually not one to want to explore, especially when there was literally nothing of interest out here. It was just another strange thing that Prompto could stack up on his growing list of oddities lately.

"What are you talking about, Prom? Noct's always been like that," Gladio said absently, coaxing the tiny flame beneath his cupped hands to life.

Prompto paused halfway through arranging the prince's arms on his lap, expression freezing on his face. He did not just hear what he thought he heard. Right? O-oh, that's it! Gladio must be joking. He forced a laugh that was slightly too loud and late to be natural. "Ah..haha, Gladio, good one."

Gladiolus looked up at him at that, a small frown of concern turning the corners of his mouth. "Uh, I wasn't joking."

Prompto's forced smile persisted, though his heart began to pound painfully in his chest. He couldn't place it, but there was something strange going on, and it was beginning to freak him out. Like for instance: Gladio saying that something Noctis has never done was completely normal. "Alright, you got me. I don't know what training sessions you've been participating in the last few years, but Noctis does not usually fight like that, at least not until this crazy trip."

Ignis and Gladiolus exchanged glances, both looking confused as Prompto felt. "Prompto," Ignis tried, "Noctis hasn't been behaving any differently." Prompto's smile began to waver. "If anyone has been behaving oddly, it is you. Are you quite alright?"

Prompto's smile slid slowly downwards. "You...you're kidding, right? This is Noctis we're talking about. Noct, who can't stand to do any work unless he has to, who would rather sleep than obsessively explore a desert. Noct," his voice started to become frantic as his friends' expressions only grew more concerned, "who hates running with a passion but has been doing nothing but running constantly since we left and how could you not think that's weird, guys, come on! "

"Uh," Gladio said, "maybe you should call it an early night, Prom. We have been going pretty hard lately."

"Yes," Ignis agreed slowly. "I will prepare something light so we can all turn in soon. Perhaps you will feel better in the morning."

Prompto's breathing began to stutter in his chest, anxiety and confusion lancing his stomach like a spear. What was going on? These two had known Noctis since birth and they were acting like nothing was happening here. Why was he the only one noticing this? Was he crazy? No, he remembered how Noct was, he was his best friend! Prompto's breath came in short gasps as the campsite swirled around him. Ignis and Gladio's faces filled with alarm, but he was no longer looking at them.

His eyes shot around wildly because on top of everything else something began flickering at the edge of his vision, some bright light that he couldn't spot because every time he looked it disappeared. "Wha–Wha–"

"Prompto? Prompto, calm down!" Ignis said, but it was as if he were standing a hundred yards away for all his voice seemed to reach Prompto. The sky tilted dangerously.

"Shit, Iggy, catch him–!"

The last thing Prompto knew was Ignis's shocked face as he reached out to catch him, but he couldn't quite pay attention to that because he was staring into the sky beyond him.

Where he was positive he met the startled eyes of someone else. The world went dark.

Complete silence filled the room as the TV blacked out, the power flickering on and off rapidly before settling once more. A mere second passed before the monitor eased back to life with all the grace of modern design, PC booting back up as if nothing untoward had happened whatsoever. Cool, unassuming music announced its willingness to accommodate its user's every whim.

Jason Cruz slowly lowered the controller in his shaking hands, its smooth design slick in his too moist hands. Carefully placing it on the coffee table as if it might bite him, he covered his face with his now vacant hands, slumping forward. Black hair fell over his peripherals, blocking out the rest of the room as his heart hammered in his ears, the rush of it drowning out the pleasant music of his home screen.

That...he didn't know what that was. 'Unsettling' came to mind, or perhaps 'shocking' was more appropriate. Yes, it was definitely that. Was that real? Was he still awake?

Nothing felt certain at the moment but there were three things he knew for sure; video games weren't real, he was one hundred percent stone-cold sober...and he just met the cognizant and completely aware eyes of Prompto Argentum.

-o0o-

AN: Yeah, I have no idea where this came from. I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual fandom for my health and was blindsided by this vicious plot bunny. I'm being held hostage, I swear! Anyway, I hope I got Prompto's voice right. He's kind of different from my usual, so here's to trying.

Interested? Completely bored and want to kick me back to my usual fandom? Let me know!