Now that Jason was up close and personal to the reality of his new life he'd (foolishly) committed to, he had a front row seat to how actually bizarre it was. It was just. Incredibly disjointed, he guessed?

There were plenty of things he could fixate on. Like directly after Noctis banished the camping gear into his magical storage space of indeterminable proportions straight out of a Harry Potter film, Ignis did something as mundane as pull out his cell phone and turn on navigation.

Or the fact that literally in the distance, he could see giant horned gazelle creatures frolicking about, and instead of gawking like Jason clearly was because holy hell giant fantasy creatures, Prompto made a tedious remark about the weather of all things.

Or maybe he could fixate on the fact that he was only thinking about this because he was incredibly bored. In a magical fantasy video game. That he got sucked into literally through his TV by a man who wasn't even human.

Yes. Disjointed was a good word.

But, like, it was boring. They were just walking, and had been for a good two hours. After humming to himself and staring at the map on his mobile, Ignis declared the road too rough to take the Regalia. Jason had eyed the luxury vehicle in disdain betwixt the vociferous moaning of both Prompto and Noctis, wondering why, out of everything that could have been left out of the strange and still inexplicable interdimensional rules, the monster truck was one of them.

Just his luck.

Would that be a thing that happened? Would they show up at Hammerhead someday in the future and Cindy would suddenly and without reasonable explanation present them with a giant offroading vehicle, free of charge? Somehow Jason doubted it. This world was turning out to be more realistic than he would have expected. After all, if that were to happen, then they might actually be running everywhere instead of walking.

Thank God for small favors.

There had to be a gauge for this. Some kind of reality meter? Because some stuff was still really weird.

He had wondered, when he played the game, why on Earth (Eos?) all of the tombs they had to find were in such obscure, out of the way locations. Like, really? On the edge of a cliff on a massive volcano? Underground, like the one they were currently heading to? In a swamp?

Before, he might have chalked it up to 'because videogame'. Now? He just didn't know.

"Why are these tombs in such random places, anyway?"

His question was the first he had spoken in the entirety of their hike, and he received barely a glance from his rather taciturn walking companions. Not that he really expected much, to be honest. It was only yesterday they were at each other's throats after all. But he would have thought that at least a little tension had been resolved, what with his apology and promise to help slash not abuse his powers. That had to count for something, right? But as the silence dragged on, he had to wonder if it would always be like this.

That was a depressing thought, and one that made his stomach twist with stinging loneliness. He hadn't even been able to talk to the one person who had shown him kindness.

Ever since they left the camp, Noctis dragged Prompto ahead with him, the two bantering back and forth and pushing each other around like a couple of hyperactive morons, leaving Jason to walk in between a silent Ignis and Gladio.

Well, okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. But you couldn't blame him for being annoyed at the prince. Noctis' jealousy was as obvious as it was laughable, considering Prompto didn't seem to have a clue about Noctis' blatant crush on the blonde. It didn't stop the bratty prince from making damn sure to keep Prompto's attention on himself, either by goofing around or talking seriously, too low for Jason to make out in the constant canyon wind annoyingly blowing dust into his eyes every few seconds. Every time Prompto would even start to glance back, Noctis would point something out, or make a dumb joke, basically subtly flipping Jason off at every chance he got.

Which led him to his current predicament. Walking beside two men who clearly wanted nothing to do with him, and blowing his mind with probably the most boring and miserable hike he could have imagined. Well, okay, the scenery of the vast canyon they traversed was breathtaking, rippling, red walls telling an intricate story of centuries of wind and rain and life, but that wasn't nearly enough to drown out the suckiness of the situation.

So what if he was being dramatic? Sue him.

"I mean," he continued his earlier thought, waving his hand vaguely, "don't the royal family kind of need them? Why would anyone want to get buried in an obscure underground bunker–"

Gladio made a grumbling noise that may or may not have been a warning.

"–and don't tell me it's for some morbid reason like 'this is where they fell in battle'. 'Cause I'm not buying it."

"How about I tell you, 'none of your business,' and you just shut up and keep moving?"

Well. That wasn't very nice. Jason pulled sarcasm around him like a thick blanket, convinced he really would go insane if he didn't' at least try to get along with these two. "Lucky for me, I have the marvelous ability to speak and walk at the same time," Jason shot back dryly.

And then immediately tripped over his own feet.

Jason lurched forward, body jerking like something had literally grabbed his foot and pulled, and the only thing that saved him from a full on humiliating faceplant was a rather ridiculous wheeling of his arms. Once he regained his balance, he whipped around to glower accusingly at whatever inconvenient object had obstructed his path, only to find...nothing.

What the–There was nothing even there? How did–A suspicious twitch of Ignis' lips as he stared studiously forward, hands tucked into pockets and stride casual, had Jason spluttering in disbelief. Did he just? Was Ignis–serious, distant, perfectly groomed Ignis–being playful?

Shock aside, Jason might have been annoyed. He really might have. Had something amazing not happened.

Gladiolus laughed.

And sure, it was just a little grunt of amusement, nothing more than an involuntary reaction to an out of place slapstick moment. But there was a genuineness there, a baring of teeth in a shockingly non-threatening way, a hunch of his shoulders that belied amusement rather than aggression. The contrast of this from only a second ago was staggering, and Jason almost couldn't believe it.

And it was so...warm. There was just something in the way that his golden eyes lit up, the way that the upward turn of his lips seemed to absorb sunlight and share the warmth with those close enough to bask in it.

Something in it had Jason stomach flipping, his own mouth pulling inevitably upward in response.

To make matters even more surreal, Ignis coughed into his hand, clearly trying his damnedest to hide his own amusement before a mirthful flash of green glanced at Jason out of the corner of his eye, devilish mischievousness a complete shock to the flustered man.

Hair disheveled, sweat dripping disgusting tracks through the grit on his brow, Jason's teeth flashed brightly in the foreign sun as he threw his head back and laughed.

And maybe it was a little hysterical, a little too loud, but it was the most wonderful feeling he couldn't possibly describe after all of the constant pain, fear and regret he'd been made to endure.

Because maybe, if Gladio could laugh instead of being hostile, Ignis could be playful rather than cold, then just maybe things would be alright.

It took him a few seconds to realize he wasn't alone in his laughter, his own gaiety setting Gladio off as well, his rumbling chortles echoing nicely off the other man's. And while Ignis didn't laugh, his smile held a softness to it that eased the harsh edges of his reserve.

Once the tickling contractions in his stomach finally allowed him to breathe, Jason mimed wiping a tear from his eye and gave Ignis a grin. "Aha, okay, you got me. Didn't know you had it in you Ignis."

"I haven't the slightest idea what you are talking about."

Jason flashed Gladio a look like 'can you believe this guy?' which he returned with a wink of all things.

And once Jason was over that–a wink, he winked, what is even happening?–and his dumbfounded expression was a little more under control, he coughed once before raising his brow. "Right. That was just me. Being clumsy. Musta been one of those darn invisible rocks. Gets me every time."

Which pulled another chuckle from Gladio. Man, Jason was on a roll.

"Guys, what's the holdup!?" Noctis' irate yell had the three of them snapping out of the strange little bubble they'd been in, Jason taken aback by the violence-promising glare suddenly assaulting his person. He realized with a start that they'd stopped walking for the past couple minutes, but that did not explain the venom in Noctis' gaze.

Jason looked around himself, bewildered. What? What had he done this time?

Noctis narrowed his eyes, alternating his attention between the three of them before turning with a snarl and stalking off. With one curious look at Jason, Prompto chased after the prince, shouting all the while.

"What...just happened?" Jason asked, dazed. "I wasn't even looking at Prompto this time…" His expression darkened. Was Noctis mad because Jason laughed? That was it, wasn't it. Jason was making too much noise for his Highness, looking a little too happy.

Is that what the prince wanted? For Jason to be dragged along, completely silent and invisible? Jason's stomach clenched, all pleasant feelings receding into a tight little ball.

Did Noctis really hate him that much?

A rough hand landing heavily on his shoulder had Jason startling out of his increasingly dark thoughts. He looked over at Gladio questioningly.

Gladiolus didn't start walking again despite the prince's impatience, small frown darkening his features. He exchanged a long, knowing look with Ignis, who nodded back in confirmation. Before Jason could ask again, Gladio said, "Don't worry about it, he'll get over it."

"Get over what?"

"Nothing, nothing. The princess is just in a mood, that's all." The larger man dropped his hand and started forward again, Ignis following suit. Jason followed hesitantly, not entirely sure that was it. There was definitely intent in that look…

"To answer your previous question," Ignis started in a transparent effort to distract Jason, "the Royal tombs change location every time a king passes on."

"What…?" Jason said absently, still stuck in his looping thoughts. "Oh, right, the tombs. Wait, what do you mean they move?" Out of everything he could have said, Jason wasn't expecting that one.

Ignis adjusted his glasses. "Indeed. Many generations ago the Royal Arms–that is, the favored weapons of kings past–were stored in the palace for each new king to inherit. To make a terribly long and complicated story short–"

"The palace got attacked, the Arms were stolen, and the new king decided to make tombs that move around Eos." Ignis' glare had Gladio raise his hands in defense, though not without a shit eating grin. Jason quirked his brow. This was always a thing with them wasn't it? He wondered just how long they'd been together.

"Can I do that?"

"No." Gladiolus said immediately and Ignis sniffed in irritation, much to Jason's amusement. "Anyway, shouldn't you know all of this, videogame boy?"

"Tch. No? I mean, I played Final Fantasy one time all the way through and they never gave more of an explanation than 'Hey, find these weapons because they give you cool powers, and oh, by the way, they're scattered all around the continent in random dangerous places because we wanted this game to be one hundred hours long'. That kind of thing."

Gladio gave him a sidelong look. "So, you really do believe this is a videogame?" It was a redundant question, because yes, hadn't they already established that? But this time, there wasn't anger in his voice, more like an open curiosity.

It might have been that curiosity rather than outright loathing that had Jason pausing instead of answering in his usual waspish way. Still, he merely watched Gladio guardedly, unsure whether this drop in animosity would last.

Something in his face had Gladiolus rolling his eyes. "I'm not going to bite you, kid."

"..." Jason had to physically banish that mental image. "Okay, first of all, I'm twenty four, the same age as you, you ass. Second, you two have been trying to kill me since I got here."

"To be fair," Ignis said reasonably, "you did possess our prince, know of a massive attack on our country, nearly drain Noctis of his life force and then claim to come from another world by impossible means."

"That's...okay, yeah. I'll give you that." Hearing it like that really put it into perspective, he supposed. But. Still. "Anyway, no, I don't think this is a videogame. You guys are definitely real. I'm thinking more like separate dimensions or something. And no," he bowled over whatever Ignis was going to say, "it doesn't make any sense, and quite frankly I've stopped trying to figure it out." He clapped his hands. "Next question."

"Yeah, I've got one. What are you?"

Jason narrowed his eyes at Gladio. There were a number of things he could be referring to, like the fact that Jason might be some kind of interdimensional being, or just that the color of his skin was something that didn't exist naturally in this world. Still, he wasn't entirely sure if he was joking or not. Those golds were locked onto him with all seriousness though, so Jason answered with as little sarcasm as he could muster.

Which is to say, it came out about as sarcastic as it possibly could.

"I'm a man. Can't you tell?" He drawled while gesturing at his torso with exaggerated slowness, as if to say 'see look, no boobs'.

What he expected was a scoff, a remark of 'not what I meant, moron' for his appalling glibness.

That's...not what he got.

Gladio paused in his walking, eyes dragging slowly down Jason's body with his hand thoughtfully fondling his chin. Jason froze like a deer in the headlights, hands still held to the sides in a vague gesture, as he almost physically felt the gaze slide sensually from his shoulders, down his chest and lower, causing a furious blush to explode across his cheeks. Once Gladiolus' rather invasive perusal of his person ended with intense consideration of his feet, his eyes flicked back up to Jason's with the most arrogant smirk the man had ever had the pleasure of seeing. "I think I got that." He flashed his canines before continuing on.

Jason's heart pounded in his chest with a mix of disbelief, adrenaline, and something else he'd much rather not think too hard on as he stood frozen to the spot. He finally dragged his gaze away from the retreating–sauntering, the arrogant bastard–man only to lock gazes with Ignis.

Did he just look at me like–Did I imagine–what the fuck!? His expression said, but there was only that faint, frustrating smirk on Ignis' face as he pushed up his glasses and continued forward, leaving a very confused man behind.

They were teasing him, they had to be. There was no way. Gladiolus did not just check him out. He was just checking to–see if Jason was an alien or something! With...a gaze so hot he could still feel it burning paths down his skin. Ahaha...ha. NOPE.

"ProMPTO?!" And it was to Gladio's uproarious laughter that Jason ran past him and Ignis to the one person in this insane, crazy dimension who made sense. Noctis' pissy attitude be damned.

"Ah!"

A startled shout full of fear and surprise broke through the drama like a splash of cold water, and suddenly Jason's run turned into a sprint, adrenaline washing his limbs with urgency. As Ignis and Gladiolus pounded close on his heels, he searched frantically for Prompto and Noctis who had been in sight until the three of them got distracted, but were now nowhere to be seen.

The sound of gunfire exploded into the canyon, bouncing off the walls only to echo deafeningly in Jason's ears. Jason flinched so hard in surprise that he nearly hit the ground, fear prickling his nerves with electricity. "Prompto!" he screamed, putting on another burst of speed.

And there, he could see him, stumbling back around the bend and taking cover, flinging his arm out to make shots of his own.

They reached the sharpshooter a few seconds later, crouching beside him. Prompto spared the three of them a wild glance before pinning his eyes back on the enemy and firing off shots rapidly.

"How many?", Ignis demanded, weapons already summoned and held at the ready at his sides. The cold man Jason first met was back, assessing the situation and preparing for battle. Jason would have appreciated that this intensity wasn't focused on him this time, but he was a little too busy fearing for his life.

"Twenty four, at least," Prompto replied, "Axemen, six snipers. Noct is taking out the ones on the walls. There's a mech!"

"I've got it," Gladio said, slipping from cover and sprinting into the fray. Jason gasped, stepping forward to watch as the man plowed through the MTs without a flinch. Jason only got a second to take in the hoard of enemies, a few flashes of blue in the sky and an impossibly large mech in the distance before a hand grabbed his shoulder and slammed him against the canyon wall.

Jason's back cracked against the stone forcefully, pain lancing up and down his spine sharply. He struggled to breathe, winded. Ignis got in his face, scowl intense as he leaned in close to scream over the din into Jason's ear. "Stay down and stay quiet!" He placed his palm against Jason's chest and the man arched with a gasp as liquid fire burned from Ignis' palm into his sternum to spread throughout his entire body. By the time the tingling had subsided and he was able to flutter open his eyes, Ignis was gone.

Chest heaving, Jason's hands scrabbled over his shirt in distress, not entirely sure what Ignis just did to him. A loud boom had him jumping back to attention though, crouching next to Prompto on shaking limbs.

"You alright, buddy?" The blonde crownsgaurd shouted over the chaos, eyes shooting over for the barest second to make sure Jason was okay.

"Y-yeah." Jason peered around him and took in the scene, breathless.

The canyon opened up into a wide field, surrounded by the sheer cliff and a man made wall a few miles in the distance. Old, decrepit walls that were once part of an interlocking web of buildings stood weathered and crumbling intermittently in the bowl. Two drop ships stood between them. A large group of soldiers advanced in their direction, fanning out to assess the threat and one mech stood behind them, just as Prompto had said.

The first thing that drew his eye was the flashes of blue streaking against the midday sky, almost blinding to look at even against the brightness of a the desert sun. It moved too quickly for him to really make out, flaring in between the flashes of bullets that unlike the weapons Jason was used to, left streaks of white as they zipped by. Every few seconds, Noctis would appear in mid air above an unsuspecting enemy, taking it out before it could even react in a flurry of furious blows before disappearing back into his slipstream beneath another volley of gunfire.

Ignis wasn't moving nearly as fast, but with his unpredictable movements, he made himself a difficult target. Blades glinting, he took down enemy after enemy with swift strikes, the bulk of the forces concentrating on him as he slipped between and cutting through them like they were mere saplings and he a gust of twisting, violent wind. They stood no chance against his ferocity.

If Ignis was the wind, then Gladiolus was a monsoon as he faced the mech alone. Blast after blast concussed the canyon as it shot missiles at the goliathan man who sidestepped them easily or blocked them with his massive blade. Every blast surrounded him with flame, but instead of consuming him, it writhed around him, deflected by some unseen force that protected his body from harm. Jason didn't know if it was magic or just his incredible abilities, but blasts that should have sent Gladio flying were weathered and shaken off without a care. He dashed in close between volleys, and when the mech stumbled to follow him, he swung his sword around and broke its leg with a deafening crack. It went down, and even from this distance, Jason could feel the vibrations in the ground. Gladio was on it in an instant, breaking through the glass face to get to the MT within.

It was incredible. They were incredible.

"Holy shit," Jason breathed. He had seen this before. Of course he had. But this wasn't a videogame anymore, and these men weren't some immortal renderings with set movesets and predictable patterns. And when he had seen them fight for the first time, he had been too freaked out to really appreciate what the hell was going on.

He was actually here, witnessing something so incredibly impossible in his own world that humanity could only imagine it. How? There had to be some kind of magic that lent strength to these men.

"Yeah," Prompto agreed reverently, as if he couldn't quite believe he was a part of such a group. "They're pretty amazing." And there was something self deprecating in that statement that had Jason's eyes snapping to his. But before he could mention anything, a bullet slammed into the canyon wall a mere few inches from Jason's stunned face. A sound came out of Jason that he didn't think ever had before, a kind of pained, animalistic cry of surprise before he found himself on the ground.

Prompto had shoved him down, stepping over him protectively. "Look out!" He fell to one knee. Hands moving in a blur, he'd ejected his clip and slammed in a new one faster than Jason could follow and pointed it above their heads. Six rounds slammed directly into the chest of an MT that had snuck up behind them on the canyon wall. Almost in slow motion, it slumped forward before tumbling off the ledge, falling to the ground with a crumpling thud.

Jason didn't move from his sprawl on the ground, too shocked to do much of anything as he stared at the body several yards away. Face pale as death, he looked between the bullet hole where his head had been and the body, which was disintegrating in a acrid cloud of black smoke and red sparks.

"Look alive, buddy, we've got a second wave! They've surrounded Ignis!"

Jason physically jerked himself out of his frozen stupor, scrambling to his feet and peering around the bend. Sure enough, Ignis weaved in the center of a dozen more MTs, holding them back by a hair's breadth. There weren't any riflemen in these reinforcements, thank goodness, but Ignis wouldn't be able to hold them off for long. Noctis was dealing with reinforcements of his own up above and he could hear the concussions of more missile fire, Gladiolus clearly facing off against another mech behind some ruined buildings.

Prompto leapt from his guarded position and fired shot after shot, managing to take down two, but it wasn't fast enough, not nearly. Ignis started moving erratically, not enough room to do more than twist and dodge, and it was interfering with Prompto's aim, the blonde unable to fire without the possibility of shooting his friend.

"Oh jeez, oh jeez! Iggy!" Prompto burst forward, driving himself into the fray to get to Ignis.

For a split second, Jason panicked. What was he going to do!? Impulsively, he almost reached for his abilities, either to summon something to fight with or to fall to his knees and stop time, but he stopped himself at the last second with an explosive curse. He couldn't. He'd promised.

FuckfuckfuckFUCK! Prompto was getting further by the second, and he no longer had time to hesitate. He jumped into a sprint in grim determination, hot on Prompto's heals. Guess he'd just have to do this the old fashioned way.

Their charge did not go unnoticed. Several of the axemen turned in their direction, first with that peculiar jerk of their heads, red eyes glowing eerily, and then the rest of their bodies following along like grotesque marionettes. When five of them decided to run at them instead of face Ignis, Jason almost shit his pants.

No. He could do this. He had already done it with Cor. And this time. He clenched his gloved hands, feeling the press of steel against his forearms. This time he was prepared.

Prompto dropped in speed, scrabbling back to keep his distance, and Jason burst past him, completely ignoring his startled shout.

The first enemy was in front of him and Jason didn't hesitate. He leapt to the side, spinning around it and slammed his heeled boot into the back of its legs, sending it sprawling. He didn't have time to finish it, though, as a second swung its axe in a wide arch, nearly splitting him in half. Jason jerked back his hips before forcing his momentum forward, body checking the MT hard enough that it stumbled back into another. Jason reared back and punched it as hard as he could, a harsh uppercut into its chin. Then something unexpected happened. Jason's arm shimmered right before contact, and instead of stunning the enemy like it would have had it been a normal hit, its neck snapped.

Wire and black, oozing blood burst from its neck, the flesh and machinery stretching grotesquely, and Jason nearly heaved as some of it splashed against his face, eyes impossibly wide. The creature fell back in a heap, scattering the two other MTs that stood behind it.

The shaken man was surprised, shocked, disgusted. But he was in the middle of battle, and he would regret his distraction.

"Jase, look out!"

Jason heard it more than felt it as something slammed into his back violently. Time seemed to slow as the crackle of bone and battering of flesh echoed loudly in his ears, accompanied by the terrible sensation of too much blood rushing to his head all at once. His ears popped, his neck locked up and his teeth clenched so hard he felt his jaw crack. But Jason didn't even stumble, adrenaline too high in his system to let him hold it back for even a second.

With a desperation that Jason had never experienced before, his eyes hazed over in a morbid shade of red, casting his enemies in the white hot blaze of fury. With a roar he spun with the momentum of the hit, barely looking as he threw his leg to shatter the skull of the MT behind him. And shatter it did. With the same shimmer of power as before, his foot slammed against the helmet which broke apart like delicate crystal hitting the hard ground, only with less beautiful sparkle and more daemon brains. This time Jason couldn't hold back the heave, though it might have had more to do with his damaged back than disgust.

Something shifted inside of him, and he went down with a surprised wheeze. He flinched badly as the remaining two MT's came at him at once. But suddenly Prompto was there. He leapt in front of Jason, one MT going down with a loud bang, then two, both collapsing into noxious heaps of cloying smoke.

And then it was over. Piercing silence settled over the battlefield like a particularly heavy blanket, leaving only the sound of Jason's pounding heart. Jason stared forward in his slumped position, eyes unseeing. Sweat trickled down his brow in constant rivlets of moisture, muscles shivering in exertion, or perhaps shock. All he could register was the memory of the MT coming apart like so much dried, crumbling clay beneath his limbs, and he could feel its blood burning against his skin like a weak acid.

A muffled sound broke through his consciousness, and then a jarring shake. Jason blinked once, then rapidly, bringing the world back into focus. Worried blue eyes finally registered as his awareness returned, and he found Prompto practically in his face, holding onto his shoulders tightly.

"–on, are you okay? Can you hear me? Jase!"

It was only as dizziness overtook him that he realized he'd stopped breathing. With a heave, he inhaled, only to have it punched out of him in a harsh wheeze, ribs grinding against each other in protest at the same time as a shattering agony flared up his back and side. His face contorted. Something was wrong.

Prompto's eyes widened a fraction, but before he could say anything stomping boots and a harsh snarl cut him off.

"What the hell was that?" Noctis shouted, coming to an abrupt halt, his face flushed with exertion and dark eyes sparking with anger. Jason had a moment to wonder how his stupid hair style could have possibly stayed in–how much gel did this guy use?–before he realized the prince was still shouting at him, pink lips pulled into an ugly grimace. "–could have gotten Prompto and Ignis killed trying to save your pathetic ass! What were you–"

"Ignis," Jason cut him off, looking around slowly. That's right. That's why they charged in the first place. Was he alright? Where– And then he saw him. Ignis stood amongst a pile of empty armor, the bodies long having faded to nothing, casually wiping his blade with a handkerchief he got from who knows where. He looked disheveled, but no worse for wear. Gladio was walking towards them, unharmed as well. Jason slumped in relief, only to grimace as sharp spikes of pain nearly made him double over. It was increasing incrementally as his adrenaline faded, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before he became insensate with it. He managed a weak smile at Ignis, whose eyes narrowed in concern as Noctis' rant only got louder.

"Don't interrupt me! You better listen–!"

"No, you listen, fuckboi," Jason grunted, anger overriding his pain temporarily. "They're alive aren't they? Leave off!" He was fed up. He tries to hang back, Noctis glares at him. He tries to get along, Noctis yells at him. He tries to save his friends, he gets the third degree! What was it going to take for Noctis to stop treating him like his very existence was a personal affront?!

"What did you just call me? You–" Noctis grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked. Hard.

Color exploded in Jason's vision in blinding splashes as his body convulsed in a silent scream. His muscles seized as his bones cracked against each other, and suddenly it was impossible to breathe. He didn't know what happened next–muffled shouting, frantic hands, curses–all he could comprehend was his body ripping at the seams in crushing waves that blackened his vision and stole his breath in a raging inferno.

It seemed to drag on for eternity, almost to the point where Jason thought he would pass out–again–when cool hands guided him forward, the icy magic of a healing potion flowing through his veins and burning against his wounds. He trembled and breathed harshly against the damp fabric against his forehead, hands coming up instinctively to grab at it. "That's it." Ignis' voice came to him soothingly. "Deep breaths. The potion has healed the fractures, but your ribs are dislocated. Breathe deeply, come on now."

He tried. Hands clutching harshly onto the fabric of Ignis' shirt, he inhaled. Black spots danced in his eyes, but Ignis' constant stream of instructions– "two seconds, come on, just two seconds, then you can let it out."–kept him aware. So he tried again. And again.

As he struggled, Ignis' hand trailed down Jason's side to rest on his knee. "Jason, listen to me. This is going to hurt, but I want you to breathe in as deeply as you can for me. Can you do that?"

Jason nodded weakly and Ignis squeezed. Jason's whole body tensed harshly as he inhaled in surprise at the sudden flash of pain, and his ribs jerked back into place with an inaudible crack. Air, blessed air, flooded the trembling man's lungs and he cried out with it and slumped forward. A soothing hand ran up and down his back with the tingle of healing magic, easing his pain away completely until there was nothing left but exhaustion and haunting echoes of injury.

Eventually, Jason pulled back, shuddering. Ignis' hands hovered for a moment, as if to make sure that Jason wouldn't collapse again. When he stayed steady, Ignis scooted back.

"Thank you," Jason said vehemently, looking up into hazel eyes gratefully. His brow furrowed, though, at the displeased frown on Ignis' face.

"You are a fool," the bespectacled man said. "I told you to remain quiet and hidden."

Jason flushed. "Yeah, but–"

"Do you realize that the only reason you are alive is because I put a shielding spell on you? You got hit in the back with an axe. You would have been cut in half!"

And then all the blood drained right back out of his face. "Oh," he said faintly.

"That being said," Ignis continued, and Jason winced, but his tone settled into something less stern. "I appreciate what you tried to do." Hazel eyes softened and a faint smile graced thin lips, faint amusement apparent. "I believe that is the second time you've tried to come to my rescue."

A slow smile pulled at Jason. "Excuse me? I did rescue you. Twice!"

He scoffs. "I would have been fine. Now, up you get. We still have a long way to go."

Before Jason could point out that he'd brought Ignis back from the DEAD the first time, thank you very much, they were interrupted by angry shouting. They exchanged glances before jogging to catch up to the others, Jason shaking out his limbs harshly to rid himself of the lingering echoes of pain.

They found them against the canyon wall outside of a cave. Jason recognized it as the one that held one of the tombs they were after. Prompto and Noctis stood practically chest to chest, glaring at each other. Gladio stood back a bit, frowning deeply but not interfering in their spat.

"What is up with you lately?!" Prompto shouted, gesturing widely. Cheeks flushed with anger and face pinched in incensed confusion, he walked in a quick, agitated circle before pointedly glaring at the equally furious raven. "You're acting like–like–"

"Like WHAT? Go on, say it! I know what you all think of me!"

"Like a SPOILED PRINCE!"

Jason and Ignis stopped a few yards away just in time to see the expression that crossed over Noctis' face; anger, stubbornness, and more than a little hurt. And then his eyes were on Jason, the rest washing away into outright loathing before flicking back. He seemed to inflate, eyes wild and anger making him irrational. "Well what the fuck do you know?! You're just a fucking commoner whose parents didn't even want you, you didn't lose anything in Insomnia's fall! Why don't you just go hang out with your new fucking friend and leave me the fuck alo–"

Noctis' head jerked sharply to the side, the rest of his body stumbling with the force of the punch Prompto just violently introduced to his face. Noctis caught himself and looked up, shocked, lip bleeding sluggishly down his chin.

"Stop it," Prompto whispered, tears spilling over his cheeks and body trembling visibly. "Just s-stop it."

Noctis paled, eyes widening as he realized what he'd said. "Prom–" But Prompto turned away, clutching his bruised fist against his chest. "Prom, I–"

"Noctis," Ignis said sharply. Noctis jerked as if he'd been punched again, taking in all of their grim faces. Then he settled on Jason's, expression blackening so deeply that Jason was compelled to take a step back.

"Tch!" Noctis spun on his heel, stalking towards the cavern with his shoulders nearly pulled up to his ears, every movement jerking with tension. He stepped inside, shadow engulfing him and steps echoing harshly against the stone.

Gladiolus let out an explosive breath, running his hand down his face tiredly.

"Well. That was. Something." He turned to Prompto. "You alright, Prom?" he asked softly.

Prompto let out a choked laugh, lips trembling in a vague facsimile of a smile. "Yeah. I-I'm okay. But…" He stared after Noctis, biting his lip.

Jason didn't know what to do or what to say. He could only stare numbly after the retreating figure. Well. That answered that question. Noctis hated him. He hated the thought of Jason being here and talking to his friends so much that he would...do this. Jason wasn't arrogant enough to think that it was entirely about himself, of course not, not with all that had happened. But. That look… He locked his eyes onto the ground and didn't look up, jaw clenching hard.

Ignis sighed. "Come on, we should go make sure he doesn't get himself injured."

"U-um, guys?" Prompto said, brow furrowing and eyes narrowing through his tears. "What's that flashing?" But before they could even spy what the blonde had seen, his eyes had widened and he sprang forward into a dead run. "NOCTIS!"

"Prompto?!"

"What the hell?"

"Wait!"

But it was too late. Shadow swallowed Prompto's thin frame seconds before a large blast shook the canyon and sent dust flying into the air. Blinded by debris and shock, Jason, Gladio and Ignis only had time to stumble away before the entrance to the cave collapsed in a violent wave of solid sandstone.

–

AN:

;3

Next Chapter: Noctis and Prompto go on alone. Prompto will get to the bottom of his friend's harsh words and anger if it's the last thing he does. Tooth rotting fluff ensues.