Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting and istoleyourcheesecake

And now the fun finally begins. :D

Noctis held his phone tightly in one hand, the conversation still bouncing around the interior of his skull, repeating the same last words over and over until the were no longer comprehensible. Fingers laced around the device and his thumb brushed over the screen, unconsciously moving in small circles over it's smooth surface until he could feel his palms become slick from his frazzled nerves and scattered thoughts. He gazed up at the midday sky, scanning the few clouds that lazily sailed above, and with a heavy and somewhat contented sigh, pushed himself up from his crouched position. As he took a moment to soak in the rays, allowing them to assist and chasing away his lingering gloom, he slipped his phone in his pocket and folded his arms over his chest.

His ears pricked and itched with the sounds of the bustling crowds swarming the city, the numbers plainly and obviously increased from the previous days, most likely due to the news as citizens of Insomnia fled to seek refuge in neighboring areas. The mood and atmosphere surrounding them was nothing other than that of solemn nature; sure, there was the occasional cheerful person here and there, but they were few and far between. He picked up on words here and there, words reeking of his home's downfall and his father's demise, and his fingers dug painfully into his arms at the sounds of them.

With a frustrated huff, he strode forward, feet carrying him with a brisk and hurrying speed towards their hotel. Besides, he needed to fill the others in on the news he received, he was sure they were dying to know information just as much as he was, and it wasn't fair to them if he were to keep them waiting due to his own self-inflicted pity party. Each step pulled him closer to his temporary 'home', if one could even call it that, increasing his speed as every second passed that he approached closer. Passing conversations whispered by him along with the fleeting breeze, ruffling his hair as well as his nerves and wavering patience.

He hadn't realized until the density of the swarms had thinned that he had broken into a near sprint; his feet tossing up droplets of water as they trampled through yesterday's dreary evidence and ultimately soaking the edges of his pants. Despite his burning lungs and begging heart, he maintained this pace, kept pushing forward and only ceasing once he was facing their room where he stood and stared at the wood. Noctis' hand hovered a mere few inches from the handle, fingers twitching with the anticipation. Not from what he was about to tell them, nor from what he was expecting, but because this was the second time he had stormed out like he had.

But, after a deep and calming breath, he pushed the door open and eased his way through, steps falling lightly and silently as he crept in. "Guys," he greeted, stepping around the corner to face the others, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight before him. "Is something going on?" he questioned, his earlier news slipping off his tongue as fresh curiosities arose. "Prompto?" he stepped closer, between the other two who seemed to stare at him with a surprised expression. As he went to take another step forward, his wrist was suddenly clasped in a strong grip, and with a shocked gasp, he was gently yet firmly tugged off to the side; lead away until they were at safe whispering distance.

"Noct," Ignis began, seriousness dripping off his stern voice, "I'm about to ask you something extremely crucial and troubling, and I need you to answer one hundred percent honestly. Do you understand?"

The king grit his teeth subtly, the grip on his wrist tightening slightly, unbeknownst to the brunette, "Specs, what the hell is this about?" he asked bitterly, snatching his hand away with an offensive glint behind twilight eyes.

The other took a deep breath, gaze fluttering over to the blond for a split second and snapping back onto Noctis, "It's about Prompto, something's, how should I put it...off about him." The younger man could practically witness the inner turmoil going on in Ignis' head as thoughts and concepts danced around, "I need to know, yesterday, did he seem off in any way, any way at all, it does not matter how minor it may have seemed. But, if there is anything that you noticed, then I desperately need to know."

"Ignis...what are you talking about? What's going on?" his eyes widened with unanswered fears and questionable ideas and speculations, "What's wrong?"

"Noct, keep your voice down," the adviser warned, glancing back over to make sure they still couldn't be heard. "Come with me," he once again grabbed onto his wrist, and even more firmly this time, lead him right back out the door, easing it shut behind him. "Like I said," he continued, once he was certain they couldn't be listened to, "His behavior is rather concerning, so I want to know if you noticed anything peculiar with him in the moments you two were alone."

At first, he shook his head, his still comprehending mind struggling to calm itself and think clearly, "I-I'm not sure," he stammered, eyes dropping to the pavement where they watched ripples form in the puddles from dripping roofs. He observed until his memories finally decided to cooperate with him, "Other than him seeming terrified, nothing." The tone was low and cautious, speaking slowly as he replayed that scene in his head, "He seemed like he was afraid of me a bit, but I assumed he was just shaken from...what happened, like we all are." He didn't mean to, but the last part was almost spit out toxicly, as if the man had forgotten the tragedy that struck their home.

"Did you see him take anything, anything other than the pain medication we carry on us? Did you notice anything that looked as though it could have be-"

"Stop!" Noctis shoved the man back, a hand flat against his chest, effectively cutting him off mid-sentence. "Just stop," he lowered his volume, realizing he had shouted at his strategist, "Are you...are you honestly accusing him of drugs, Ignis?" His previous calm and collected tone had spiraled down into a snarl, a growl as the allegations sat sourly on his tongue, "This is Prompto we're talking about, he isn't some street addict!" he snapped, slamming the side of his fist against the door, a rattle sending tremors through its frame.

Ignis bit his own lip, he had expected him not to take too kindly to the suggestion or the questions, but he had not anticipated him reacting so lividly to it. "I understand it's not something you wish to hear, but you cannot deny his behavior has been far from normal."

"He's not a normal guy," Noctis swiftly defended, wincing at his own word choice, "What I mean is, he's just different, alright, he always has been weird and awkward. Everyone has their breaking points, so maybe this was his," he waved a hand in the air, gesturing to the world as a whole, "Maybe you should try seeing things from another point."

For an agonizing few seconds, they held uncomfortable and challenging eye contact, both of them refusing to back down from the silent stand-off. "This isn't the time to allow your loyalty to cloud your judgement, your Highness," the bespectacled man breathed out, "Use your logical mind over your emotional one in this case."

Noctis straightened his back and continued to hold the other's gaze while he placed a hand on the door handle, "No, Ignis, I didn't see him take anything," he answered honestly and spitefully as he pushed the door open and re-entered their room, and let the door fall shut behind him, not caring if he was followed or not. Once again, he stopped when he was next to the bed again, the one in which the blond was curled up on his side, sky blues shining with moisture that refused to spill over, "Hey."

His stare slowly drifted over to the raven-haired, "Noctis," he flatly greeted, "When did you get back?" Carefully, he pushed himself up until he was sitting up, again a hand flew to his neck to rub the area, "Get any news on Luna?" Despite his forlorn appearance, his own cheerfulness shone through his words.

Right, Luna, the information he had was almost forgotten in that little interrogation back there. Before revealing anything, he took a seat next to the gunslinger, and after hearing Ignis' words, gave the man a once over, scanning over him quickly, and to him, everything seemed fine. Well, other than the reddened eyes and slightly paler complexion. "Well?" he asked, shifting subtly in eagerness for the state of the future queen.

"Oh, right," Noctis cleared his throat and tore his prying scrutiny away, "Good news is, she's alive, but it sounds like she has her hands full at the moment. As you'd expect, there's a lot of- a lot of hardship she has to take care of."

Prompto nodded slowly to himself, "Well, that's good though, right?"

"It would be, if it wasn't for the fact that she's still out there," Noctis kept his tone soft, attempting to keep his emotions in check, at least for the time being, "She's still over there with all that still going on." His teeth grit together the longer he talked about it, only fading away when he felt arms envelope around him from behind. And, normally, the gesture would have caused him to playfully shove the other away, to tease him for his unnatural ways comforting others through physical contact. But, this time it was different, this time he welcomed it and genuinely appreciated the personal level of condolences Prompto was providing in a way that only a friend could. The tension was drained from his form, causing him to instinctively lean into it, and relish in the reassuring embrace.

The blond said nothing as he shifted his weight over, draping his arms around Noctis and just hung on, even when he could feel the small and clear tremors shaking through him, he remained wrapped around him. Carefully, he leaned his head against the other's shoulder, placing his forehead flat against it, "She'll be fine," he said softly, though he knew that wasn't the main culprit of his friend's sorrow, but it sure didn't help any either, "She made it through the worst of it, so the rest will be a piece of cake." He could feel the small movement indicating a slow nod joined by a soft hum.

"I know," Noctis muttered, "I know she will, but I just can't shake this feeling that something is...wrong in a sense." He shivered at the chill that ran down his spine, the wisp of air that trailed down his neck. And, in natural and unexpected survival instincts, he jolted to his feet, the sheer unsettlement of the sensation convincing his body to move on its own. Spinning on the spot, he turned to face the blond, who still sat in the same position, only difference being that he let his arms fall back to his side.

"Everything alright?" he asked, staring blankly at him.

The other took in a few long and shaky breaths, watching the gunner expectantly, "Yeah-yeah, everything's fine." he touched the back of his neck where the hairs still stood on end, a loitering tingling residing beneath his finger tips. His eyes immediately were drawn back to the other's, those eyes which still shimmered with dampness, "I don't know what that was about," he admitted, slowly sitting back down, making sure to seat himself barely within arms reach. In the back of his mind, in a part he tried to muffle and silence, he could see where Ignis was coming from now.

"Gladdy?" Prompto looked over to him, pleading radiating from his expression, "I probably already know the answer, but do we have anything else that might, you know, help?" he pointed to his back and shoulders as he asked, feeling slightly shameful after having been scolded. "I'm not talking about...you know, but maybe anything else."

The brute pondered for a moment, the bottle in his pocket seeming to increase in weight as those begging orbs pierced right through him, and his need to help in some way gripped painfully at his chest. "Other than heat and maybe some massaging, no, I don't think there's anything else to take the edge off." He lifted a hand and made a squeezing motion with it, "I'd be happy to oblige," he said with a sly grin on his face.

Prompto cocked his head to the side in a substituted shrug, "I'm willing to give that another shot," he sighed and flattened himself across the bed, arms outstretched above his head. "Just try not to be too rough, alright?" his eyes darted to the door as it opened and Ignis waltzed in, his own gaze looking from the blond to Noctis and a solemn look on his face. Without a word, he gracefully strolled around to situate himself in one of the chairs and crossed his legs while he leaned back into it comfortably. Turning his attention back to Gladio, he continued, "Whenever you're ready."

As the shield climbed up next to the younger, Noctis turned to meet the adviser's eyes, and made his way over, almost unintentionally drifting towards him. Quietly, he took the chair next to him and awkwardly twiddled his hands in his lap, "Hey," he began, somewhat shyly now, "About earlier, I-I didn't mean to, you know, come off that...harshly?" he settled on for lack of a better word.

"No need for apologies," he sighed tiredly, "It was to be expected. None of us want to believe that's the case, but we couldn't completely disregard it." He paused long enough to wait for the gunner's protesting whines against Gladio's forceful hands before he continued, "But, I don't want to jump to conclusions, so we'll keep a watchful eye and won't mention anything to him unless there is a clear and definite problem."

Noctis nodded at that, finding that option to be the best for everyone involved; the thought of Prompto even thinking they suspected something of that magnitude about him didn't sit well with him. He knew it would absolutely destroy him. And, after that one night on the roof of that motel, and hearing how the blond already thought about himself when compared to the rest of them, it wouldn't take much for him to consider less of himself. "Sounds good to me," he finally answered, "As long as no one says anything, I think it'll be good enough."

Gladio worked his thumbs into yet another knot embedded in the blond's back and clicked his tongue to himself as he again, eased it away with rough presses. His own brows knit together, swearing to himself that the muscles felt stiffer than they had not to long ago, that and there were quite a few more knots than before as well. Definitely not normal at all. Flattening his hands out, he began to rub small circles along his shoulder's, earning a few displeasurable groans from his charge, "Sorry, but can't be gentle for this to work."

"Yeah, I-ow! I know," he seethed through clamped teeth, body occasionally flinching away from the jolting touches. He had to fight against the urges to draw himself away from the throbs that accompanied each press. "So, Noct!" He called louder, sound slightly muffled due to his face being half buried in a pillow; his head was turned slightly to the side to try and compensate for this. "I almost forgot to ask, but is Luna coming here, a-aaafter she's done with whatever she's busy with?" he stuttered on his word with another wince.

The question caught him off-guard, something he wasn't entirely sure about himself. Originally she was supposed to come here, of course, but he didn't really think of asking her if that were still the plan. Given the events, he assumed there were other places that were more in need of her presence and skills, "I have no idea," he answered honestly, "I assume she would eventually, probably not anytime soon, but at some point, yeah."

"Soooo, this means I will still get the chance to meet her?" he asked, voice heightening slightly with fresh excitement; at least something seemed slightly up, maybe not the most enlightening revelation, but it was still something to look forward to in these hard times. Then the nerves struck, after all, what was he when compared to her? "Hopefully she won't think I'm too, you know. Too...weird?" His eyes wandered up to stare at the ceiling as he played out the possible scenario in his head, "Oh no, I'm gonna make a fool of myself, I just know it."

"Quite moving so much," Gladio warned, "This is easier for both of us if you just relax."

Prompto blinked a couple times, "Oh right, my bad," he dropped his head back flat against his pillow and willingly allowed some of the tension to drain away.

"It'll be fine," Noctis waved a hand, "I promise she's not gonna care."

"You have to remember, she did agree into marrying his Highness," Ignis tossed in teasingly, "Can't get much lower than that." The man next to him shot him a glare and a scowl, mouth slightly ajar in silent protest.

"I guess you have a point," the gunner agreed with a contented sigh, only to immediately gasp when thumbs brushed over a particularly sore spot, "Ok, ok, I think we're done with the spa treatment," he tried to roll over, only to get nowhere, stuck under the larger man's solid weight. "Gladdy," he waved a hand back, tapping it against his arm in an ushering way, "Up, up, move."

The other chuckled to himself, "Lemme think, maybe if you ask nicely, I'll consider it."

The younger huffed out an exasperated breath, stubbornly remaining silent for a moment, but ultimately gave in, "Alright, fine. Will you please get off me?" his arm dropped back against the bed, body going limp as a sign of him giving up.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," slowly, he removed himself to sit on the edge, Prompto following his example shortly after, hand tenderly tracing his lower back where the other had planted himself. "Any better?" he pressed once the kid was seated next to him, rotating his head from side to side as if testing out his refreshed form.

"Actually, yes, a bit," he got to his feet in order to stretch the tautness out further, "Thanks." And, truthfully, it had, he now found that turning his head, or using any part of his upper body was far less strenuous and more comfortable. Still a bit tense and painful, but better nonetheless.

The other nodded his approval, "Don't mention it." He went to pat the blond on the shoulder, but stopped when his hand was an inch away and pulled it back, "I'm gonna go get my shower now," he stated, grunting to his feet. Before going to the bathroom, he took a short detour to Ignis, and swiftly tossed over the bottle of pills, trusting the adviser to hang onto them more than himself. "Here," he whispered, "Don't let them out of your sight." He didn't miss the way Noctis looked away, nor the small scrunch of his features with the visual reminder.

"But, of course," the brunette replied, stuffing the container into his own pocket with a glance over to Prompto, who seemed to be busy tapping away on his phone; he was most likely indulging in a bit of King's Knight, not surprising. Ignis narrowed his eyes as he observed, the slight movements he would make, the turning of his head to either side as he worked out lingering kinks, and the occasional rapid blinks, supposedly an attempt to clear hazy vision brought on by any moisture. Almost everything he did just seemed different, subtly so, but strange.

The majority of their day was spent in their room, all of them in desperate need of the unwinding time. And, for the most part, it did help them all to calm at least somewhat, assisted in pacifying their gloomy and/or sour moods. Noctis understandably more than the others benefited from the relaxation of this, there was still an edge of forlorn, which Ignis suspected would be there for quite some time undoubtedly, but he was a lot more tranquil. Either that, or he finally gave up and was just so overwhelmed by the cascade of news he had been burdened with over the last couple of days.

Ignis cut his eyes over to the bed containing the two youngest of their group, eyes settling on the steady rise and fall of their chests as they were lost to the world of the living, then scanned over to the clock, nearly midnight. He yawned as sleep finally made itself known to him, creeping up his spine in a small attempt at claiming him. And, agreeing to join hands with it, he removed his glasses, folded them and placed them on his bedside table. Turning off his own light, he sunk into the sheets and gently pulled the light cover over his form. Before drifting off, he glanced over to the shield, who was steadily turning the pages of his book, thoroughly enthralled by the pages as he didn't even notice the other's change in positions.

A couple sluggish blinks later and he was back turned on his left side, one hand finding its way under his pillow where it remained and rested while he shut his eyes. The slight and occasional ruffle of paper, as well as the soft and rhythmic snores across from him served as the perfect white noise to lull him off.

It didn't feel like long to him, perhaps no more than a few minutes, and he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but he was sure there was some reason his body had decided to depart the world of sleep and re-enter the darkness of the real world. At first, he thought maybe it was something having to do with his mind still whirring with his concerns, or maybe it was them being in a new place and his body still not one-hundred percent trusting it. But, whatever it was, the nagging it provided was irritating and deafening.

He glanced back at the clock, three o'clock in the morning; he rubbed his right eye, making sure he was seeing it right. And, like he thought, not much time had passed, but now he was positive he had at least had some sleep before he was yanked from it. Though, he was still bewildered as to why. Luckily, or rather unluckily, he was quickly provided with the reasoning for it. As he lied there in relative silence, his ears itched with a subdued sob reaching him from across the room. Now fully intrigued, he carefully sat up, trying not to make any sudden movements or any unexpected sounds.

First, he glanced back to the bed containing the youngest ones, and noticed there was only one occupying it, though in the dark he couldn't discern which of the two it was. Taking an estimated guess, he let his eyes follow the source of the cries, and ended up watching a shadow stroll by the foot of his own bed. "Noct?" he asked, squinting to try and get a better look, "What are you doing?" he kept his voice low so as not to wake the others. That is, if the wails hadn't already done that.

He got no reply, no acknowledgement, only the constant patter of bare feet as they reached the wooden section of the floor. With his eyes slowly adjusting, he could finally make out characterizing features, that primarily being the familiar lightness of the hair, "Prompto?" he called out, now that he recognized them as the right person. He didn't stop, nor did he react to the voice, just continued forward towards the door. With a lack of a better choice, he tossed his cover back and perused the blond, but kept a reasonable distance on the off chance that he was merely sleep walking. Slowly approaching, the brunette touched a tentative hand on the younger's upper arm and went to gently lead him back, but his arm was swiftly and firmly brushed away.

"Stop," he muttered, still working towards the door, "I-I have to go," his voice was low and almost pleading. Even though he seemed to be speaking to Ignis, not once did he look in his direction, his reaction almost seemingly automatic. "I have to get out," he stumbled over the leg of one of the chairs, and would have fallen if not for the other there to catch him.

Still, he kept pressing on, ignoring the hand that now gripped his wrist, "Prompto, why don't you come back and you can explain what exactly is going on," he suggested, holding a sense of calmness and ease to his voice.

"No," he muttered, pulling against the hold, "Please," his voice cracked on the word, his whole body now tugging against the hold, "Please, just let me go, I want to-to go," his breath hitched as another sob racked through him. His own hand now wrapped around Ignis' his grip strong, stronger than the other would have expected from someone of his build, and he actually found the clasp to be rather painful. Nails now dug into his skin when his fingers tightened, "Let go," he sobbed, yanking against the other while his grip continued to clench.

Soon, the pain of it became near unbearable and he had to release his own hold to rip his arm free, and he managed to do so just as he feared the bone would snap under the pressure of it. The moment he was free, Prompto bolted for the door, not heeding the amount of noise and commotion he was making, his only goal being that of leaving their room, however that may be. "Prompto!" Ignis called out for him just as he crossed the threshold, positive if the other's run for it didn't wake the others, then he certainly did. But, that would have to wait, for now his only worry was chasing after the blond and to get him back in their room so he could try to get answers out of him.

The man sprinted out the door, only hesitating momentarily in order to close it back before taking off down the street in the direction he could still hear the footfalls, steps which disturbed the last of the puddles that remained. At least being slightly taller, he had a slight advantage and was able to almost catch up with him within a minute or so of running at his top speed. Damn, he was fast when he really wanted to be.

"Prom," he called again, quieter now that he was closer, "I'm asking you calmly to please just come back, and whatever is wrong, I promise we can talk about it," he tried to be logical here, but the gunner clearly wasn't listening, or he didn't care, either way Ignis' patience was running thin and barely keeping it together. "Dammit, will you just hear out what I have to say?" he demanded more than asked and took the last few bounds required to reach him. Though, this time he did the smarter thing, or rather more effective method, and wrapped both arms around him in order to prevent him from fighting back as much, "I'm sorry, but you have to stop and come back, alright? Enough is enough, we can't have you running around aimlessly in the middle of the night like this!" he raised his voice as Prompto struggled against the embrace.

"Let me go!" the blond yelled, his legs flailing hopelessly against the restraining limbs of the adviser, "Let go," he sobbed, bucking his head back in a last resort attempt to free himself. And, with the definite sound of a 'crack', he was again released along with a small cry of pain from the other. But, he didn't make it far before he was snatched up again, but this time there was no escaping; this hold was far tighter and much more secure than the previous.

"Hey, calm down," came Gladio's gruff and commanding tone, clearly not in the mood to be taking any bullshit right now. "Son of a bitch," he muttered more to himself as the blond's squirms turned into full blown struggles, "Knock it off already," he growled, winding his arms more guardedly around the lithe and floundering frame until he eventually began to tire himself out into nothing more than a trembling and whimpering shell of what he was. Gently and cautiously, he loosened his grasp a smudge, and eased the both of them to the pavement, "Are you calm now, or am I gonna have to knock you out?" he only half joked.

The younger didn't reply, but fresh tears streamed down his face in silent misery, his hands furling and unfurling at his sides, unable to do anything more than that. Eventually, his movements ceased altogether and he slumped against the shield, who was quick to readjust himself to make up for the sudden shift in posture.

"What the hell is going on?" Noctis asked, running up to stand next to Ignis, slightly out of breath from having to sprint immediately after having being shockingly awoken. He glanced over to the man and his eyes widened marginally at the steady trail of blood dripping from under the man's hand which was held protectively over his face. "You alright?" he asked, clearly concerned.

Ignis pulled his hand away to see the red staining it for himself, "I'll be alright," he said simply and replaced his hand back over his throbbing nose. "Gladio, is he ok?" he cautiously walked over and crouched in front of them and brushed a few strands of golden hair to the side to find his eyes peacefully shut, his breathing coming out evenly, "He's asleep," he sounded more surprised than relieved.

"So what, all that was just sleepwalking?" the brute asked incredulously, not buying it for a moment. "Sure had a lot of fight in him for someone who was just sleeping?" he nearly spat, nodding towards the strategist's face. "I hate to be the one to say it, but something has to be done about this before it gets out of hand," he glanced down as he said this, watching as droplets still fell from beneath closed lids, even in his sleep quiet tears escaped and rolled down his face only to drop and fall down into the decaying puddles beneath their feet.