A/N: Hey guys, I am SO SO SO sorry for the long wait! I ended up in the ER a couple weekends ago and I've been sick ever since. SUPPOSEDLY I have a bad gallbladder (and liver, yay), so now I'm waiting to see a specialist and may need it taken out. I have Lupus and Ehlers Danlos so I get sick a lot and sometimes it attacks my organs, which it would seem to be doing now. I can hardly eat anything without getting sick and it sucks! So I apologize, I've been sleeping a lot and neglecting my story! But I owe you lovely readers more! I've decided I'm gonna break this into parts (not separate stories on FF or AO3, but I'll label them Parts 1, 2, etc...) and it'll be Pre-Insomnia falling, Insomnia's fall (the main road-trip journey of the bros), and then the 10 year timeskip. So we're still in Part 1, but we're gearing for Part 2! I hope you all enjoy this new chapter :)

Also, I'd like to let Guest1995 know that chapter 16 has what you're looking for! (Spoiler free for new readers) your account is anonymous so I can't message you directly but I don't want you to miss out on that scene! I know you were looking forward to it (I left this note in the last chapter too, but you'd already read it so I doubt you got to see it!) Much love!

Chapter 20:

Prompto's head was throbbing, his throat dry, eyes burning. He groaned when he awoke, tossing violently to his side and falling from the bed he laid in.

Dammit, you do that nearly every morning.

Maybe camping with his friends on their way to Altissia would be a good thing - couldn't fall off your bed when you slept on the ground.

He yawned, scratching his head, light pouring in on his face from the window. Light…

Shit.

He never left for training in the morning when it was still light out.

That meant…

He was late!

He jumped up from the floor, hitting his head on the desk.

"Ow…" He mumbled, rubbing the spot he'd nailed on the corner of the table. He pulled his phone from his pocket; 8:34am.

Whoops.

He should have been there an hour and a half ago. And he usually liked to be early.

He did his best to ignore the messages and missed calls on the home screen. He'd drunkenly texted all of his friends how he and Inertia were destined to be together, how they'd held hands last night, and then no replies had come after they'd all inquired as to what on Eos he was talking about. Then this morning came another round of messages; he knew everyone must be up in arms about him not being there. The entire course of his training he hadn't been late once. Now, with only a week left before they departed, he would be two hours late to his training session. As a representative of the future King of Lucis.

Way to go, loser.

He shimmied himself into his pants, tossing a shirt over his head, not stopping to brush his teeth or shower. He looked in the mirror and shook his head, hoping Cor and the others could forgive his horrible bedhead.

But as he did so, he looked down to his arms, and his shoulders, noticing muscles there he hadn't before. Sure, when he lost weight all those years ago, it was a wonderful feeling, looking in the mirror and seeing bones and skin. But now, there was some muscle on his physique, and his chest swelled with pride. In all his haste to leave every morning, he hadn't taken notice of the changes happening to his body. And not just to his body - his mind. His resolve. His dedication. His sense of duty.

For the first time, Prompto had a responsibility that was his own.

Grinning, he hurried out the door, ignoring his parents when they tried to say goodbye.

The entire way to the Citadel, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

He'd gotten drunk, like an idiot, at Noct's place the night prior, and not one of his buddies had questioned him about it. Not one of them had tried to stop him - hell, they all joined him, even Ignis, eventually. But getting home had been something of an ordeal with how shitfaced he'd gotten.

He'd been wallowing in his miseries, rueing the day he'd ever been taken from Niflheim and thrown into the arms of his "parents," even if Insomnia itself, and the friends he'd made there, were worth the hell he endured at home. Stumbling, mumbling, eyes puffy and tired, he hadn't even noticed her when she'd walked by him on the street.

But how could he miss such a glorious creature?

"Prompto."

He'd know that voice anywhere. It was breezy and hoarse and beautiful, just like the rest of her.

He'd been three sheets to the wind, but he still remembered what she smelled like, what she was wearing, how her hair was done. He wanted to tattoo the image of her big, white blue eyes gazing up at him in concern, wanted to memorize the feeling of her fingers on his arm when she stopped him in his tracks. He probably forgot how to breathe then, but he wasn't sure.

He hiccuped.

"I-Inertia?" He asked her. She wasn't supposed to see him like this - nobody was supposed to see him like this, least of all her. Not drunk, necessarily, but beaten, pathetic, and broken. He was sure he had blushed from the way his cheeks lit on fire. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just coming back from a business dinner," She explained, looking him up and down. He wasn't sure what she was checking him for - injuries? Intoxication? Humiliation? "Are you okay?" He faltered, looking for words that wouldn't come. He thought a pathetic little noise escaped his throat, and it made him want to die of embarrassment. "Have you been drinking?"

"Only a little," He mumbled. She could see right through him, no point in hiding it.

"That doesn't smell like a little," He hadn't realized he'd been swaying until she steadied him with gentle fingers, and it sent electricity through him. He smiled at the memory as he made his way to the Citadel - it was like she was his guardian angel, sent to watch over him in his darkest hours. "You could knock a Bandersnatch out with your breath alone," She'd teased him. He colored at the memory now; how mortifying.

Somehow, even though he was ashamed of his little suburban home those few blocks away, and he was embarrassed for her to see him in all his self pity and loathing, and he hated the thought of needing her help, he let her walk him home. Somehow, she hadn't abandoned him. Somehow, they'd talked, really talked, like two, normal human beings, people who were comfortable around each other, and unafraid of what the other may think. They talked about drinking, and the funny way she and Ignis talked, and the way she rather hated her polite speech and much preferred a fouler tongue, much to Prompto's delight. It tickled him to know this beautiful, pious, dutiful siren sent from the depths of the sea itself to lure him to his demise actually said "fuck" once in awhile.

And a moment had passed between them when they'd gotten back to his house.

Had it all been in his head? Had he imagined something more than just friendship had slipped its way inside their entwined fingers, as they commiserated about having never had a mother? About wanting a family?

Did he imagine it when he thought he saw the same, boundless desire in those haunting gray eyes to want to find a family in him the same way as he did in her?

And just like that, the moment was gone.

And now here he was, hungover at 9am under the hot Insomnian sun on his way to the Citadel, remembering a face too beautiful to be real.

So he almost didn't notice when he got to the training grounds, while Cor was chewing him out and Gladiolus and Ignis were trying not to snicker through their sparring and all the Glaives and Crownsguard were watching, that Noctis wasn't there.

All he could think about was her, and her eyes, and her fingers on his arm, and it helped him get him through his abnormally brutal day, as punishment for his tardiness, even in the absence of his best friend.

But in the back of his mind, still, he wondered: where could Noctis be?

"Lady Inertia."

"Come in," She didn't bother looking up from her paperwork when she waved the unknown voice inside her office, but he demanded her attention when he sat down.

"Gee, didn't realize paperwork could be so interesting," He droned, bored.

The bored intonation caught her attention, and she looked up, already knowing who it would be.

"Prince Noctis," She tried to compose herself. "What an unexpected surprise."

"Yeah, I'll bet," He crossed a leg, leaning forward. "Don't worry, I already got leave from the Marshal from training today."

"And how'd you pull that one off?" She inquired seriously, discarding her files. If the Prince was here, he would require her full attention. No need for etiquette in his presence, since he never offered it himself.

"Very carefully," He drummed his fingers on the bottom of his shoe. "Heard you and Prompto went for a nice little romantic walk last night."
"Please," She scoffed, the butterflies in her stomach roaring to life. She hoped she wouldn't wear the embarrassment on her face. "You three left your extremely inebriated friend to his own devices. Someone had to see him home safely."

"Figured as much," Noctis laughed. "He made it sound like a regular old date… Turns out the pretty girl just wanted to make sure the drunk got home in one piece."

"What do you want, Your Highness?" She changed the subject, annoyed and impatient. His gaze hardened.

"Look… I'm no good at this apology stuff," He scratched the back of his head. "But we got off on the wrong foot, and…"

"No shit," She crossed her arms. Noctis smiled; he appreciated her candor, she was sure of it.

"I was impulsive and reckless and unbefitting of the title Prince," He rolled his eyes when he prattled off the diplomatic apology.

"Your father's words?" She wondered aloud. He shook his head.

"Cor's, actually," He sighed. "My dad doesn't even know I'm here… It's not exactly a secret he wants me and you to have nothing to do with each other."

"Ah, yes," Inertia agreed with a nod of her head. The Prince, wayward though he was, was anything but stupid. "So then why are you here?"

"Well, I do owe you an apology for being a dick," He smirked, and she laughed. Maybe the prince wasn't half-bad after all. "But I think you owe me an apology too."

"For what?" She cocked her head in confusion, tucking a hair behind her ear.

"For all the secrecy," He planted both feet on the floor, clenching his fists. "You're the closest tie I have to Luna, and, I…" She watched in silence as he faltered for his words, and it was the first time she had seen him so emotional. He truly cared for her lady; something she admired. He was to be married to her; and she would have eaten him alive if he'd treated her with any less respect.

"I understand," She nodded. "Communications are limited, I'm sure."

"I mean, we have our book, but…" He trailed off. Then he flushed immediately. "Wait, you know about the book, right? I mean, I just figured, you being her retainer, and all…"

"I do, Your Highness," She smiled knowingly. "There's no need for embarrassment. You care deeply for my lady, don't you?"

Noctis wasn't sure how to answer that. His face looked puzzled, quizzical, even, and he chewed on his lip. Inertia decided to fill the silence herself.

"She cares for you," She assured him. "But as for the proceedings back in Tenebrae, I honestly don't know much more than you, I'm afraid."

"She said last night she was gonna be here for the treaty signing," Noctis sighed. Inertia blanched; she told Noctis that? It was supposed to stay as under the radar as possible.

"She is, yes," Inertia confirmed it for him; no need to lie when he already knew the truth straight from Lunafreya herself.

"So why am I being sent away?" He slammed a fist on the table. She didn't jump when it happen; his frustration was her own at this point. "Why is my father sending me and the guys on this road trip bullshit while the treaty signing happens?"

"I really can't pretend to know, Your Highness," She offered him a sad smile. "The journey to Altissia will be longer for you four by car and boat than it will be for Lunafreya by airship, though. Seeing as she has access to the Empire's resources."

"We have plenty of airships," Noctis scoffed. "Not that I've ever been in one." Inertia nodded.

"Of course," She placed a hand on his, which still sat atop her desk. He looked up at her and the frustration in his eyes seemed to melt away. And she wasn't even using her healing ability. But something in his eyes looked familiar, and it warmed her heart to see them. "For your entire life, the skies have been dominated by Niflheim… they aren't safe for Lucian travel. Your father knows this."

"But I hate leaving them here," Noctis growled, blinking back tears. It was humanizing, to see him so vulnerable. She wondered idly if he ever allowed himself to be this way in front of anyone, even his three most trusted friends. "Dad, Luna… I'm leaving them here in my city, while I go run off to play bachelor party. I don't trust Niflheim."

"And neither do I," She smiled at him. "Which is why you have my word I will do my best to protect them during the armistice proceedings."

"Well, I believe you… I know what you're capable of," Noctis laughed then, and it made Inertia laugh, too. Something fell away between them then; the tension of the last few months, the anger and the hatred in their test of strength on the training grounds, the tip-toeing around the secrets they harbored, it all melted away into a camaraderie she didn't know she would find here, in the hand of the Crown Prince of Lucis. Something about the way he laughed, his smile, the way his eyes twinkled, all felt like home, and not in the way that gave her butterflies. Not in the way that made her want to kiss him, no, none of that. But something about him, and the way he trusted her with the lives of those most important to him, and in the way he looked at her, and the way his hand fit in her own, felt almost like he was family, and as he said his goodbyes, and thanked her for her time and her honesty, and told her he'd try to come back and see her again before they embarked on their journey, and the way he told her Lunafreya was lucky to have her as her retainer, her mind was screaming at her that something else was going on here; that maybe, just maybe, she had ties to Noctis and the Lucian line through more than just Luna's betrothal to the prince.

She would need to speak to Regis immediately.

Dinner was pleasant that night.

Ignis was glad to know Prompto's proclamations of love for Inertia from the night before were little more than drunk blathering, and that the kind soul had seen him home safely in his drunken stupor. Noctis's telling of the tale made Prompto blush from ear to ear, and Gladio laugh somewhere deep inside his belly, while Ignis continued to cook, trying not to smirk. He hated to admit to himself the envy he felt for Prompto over a girl; he thought himself above such distractions. But he'd never met anyone like her, and somehow, the longer they went without speaking, as was ordained by King Regis, the more he found himself preoccupied by her. He would catch her walking by through the Citadel windows and ignore training, even for a fraction of a moment, just to catch a glimpse of her, and it only fueled his fascination with her. Perhaps now that Noctis had gone to see her, and Prompto had run into her on his way home, he and Gladio were exempt from Regis's forbidding, too.

As they sat down to eat, they praised his culinary abilities, and told him he was growing even more proficient with the herbs and spices of Lucis, which pleased him greatly. He listened intently as Noctis confided in them his conversation with Luna's lady-in-waiting, and he could picture the way Inertia's impossibly red hair would have tumbled down her shoulders, the way her eyes would soften with empathy, then harden with understanding, piercing anyone with her gaze. Her eyes were smart, so incredibly smart, and he was both intrigued and consumed by her. He found himself dreading their departure in a week, if only because it meant they'd have to be away from her, and he hoped against all hope he could see her again before they left.

The only problem was, so too, would Prompto.

He'd come to care for Prompto almost in the same way he did Noctis - as a friend, certainly, but also as a little brother. He wanted to care for him, and be responsible for him, and make sure he made good choices and lived his life to its fullest potential.

So what did he do now that they were interested in the same girl?

Perhaps, maybe, the journey to Altissia was coming at just the right time.

Perhaps if they both distanced themselves from her, they would both get over their little infatuations and perform their duty as Crownsguard ought.

And when they returned home, then maybe, just maybe, they could consider the matter later.

Less than a week away now.

He was antsy just thinking about it.