The Citadel left Prompto nearly speechless – nearly.

He gazed in wonder at the stained glass windows that seemed to glow in ethereal shades as the sunlight streamed through, and the unfathomably long, intricate tapestries depicting scenes of the old kings, and the architecture. Breathy, hoarse exclamations of 'whoa,' and soft gasps kept escaping from Prompto as he studied his surroundings.

The lines, the angles–this place couldn't have been crafted by human hands. This was insane!

When he found his voice, he must have asked Ignis a hundred questions about the Citadel, and, with the patience of a saint, Ignis answered every single one. The man's knowledge was almost as mind boggling the building itself.

Prompto ached to take a few snapshots, but, before they'd arrived, Ignis made him promise not to take any photographs while he was in the Citadel. It was, Ignis explained, a security risk, and although Prompto could understand, it had been a crushing request.

His nerves still on edge, his fingers were itching to take some photos. There was something so calming about viewing the world through a lense. Silly though it was, it gave him a sense of security.

They were still in the main entryway chamber when Ignis halted them both.

"Noctis, please go inform Gladio that you will not be attending your training session this evening. Explain to him that we have a guest over for dinner and that Gladio's presence will be most welcomed tonight as we dine." Ignis paused, his mouth pursed slightly. "If he wishes to discuss the matter further, tell him to seek me out, and, it would be for the best if Prompto waited here. Gladio has been a bit, shall we say, grumpy over the recent absences you've had from training."

Well, that didn't sound good. Prompto looked from Ignis to Noct and then back again. Both Prince and Advisor looked somewhat uncomfortable, and that certainly wasn't helping Prompto's nerves.

"Noct!" A soft, sweet voice rang out, echoing slightly in the chamber.

Prompto flinched, looking to the staircase as a young, brunette girl of about twelve or thirteen barreled toward them. She was small and looked fragile but moved with the strength of a Garula. Her smile radiated warmth as she skidded to halt before them.

"Hey, Noct, Ignis–who's your friend?" Her eyes were fixed on Prompto, but her gaze was friendly, kind. "My name is Iris."

"It's nice to meet you," Prompto replied with a smile. "I'm Prompto."

"Hey, Iris," Noct cut in, flashing a sly grin. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to give Gladio a message for me, would you?"

"Noct," Ignis' voice had a warning tone that immediately had Prompto freezing in place. "That message should be given by you. Do not burden others with your responsibilities."

Noctis opened his mouth, as if he was going to argue the matter, but he must have thought better of it. Instead, he gave Prompto an apologetic look. "I'll be back in a few minutes, I promise," and with that he turned and disappeared down a passageway.

Iris' smile faltered slightly as Noctis departed, but returned as she fixed her attention back on Prompto.

"You look familiar. I think I know you from somewhere, but I can't quite place it…" she said, her little face scrunching in concentration as he squinted at him.

He had to admit, she looked familiar as well. Perhaps they'd seen each other at school? Although, she was a bit younger than him, so she'd be at least a grade or two beneath him. Where would he have seen her?

Exiting from a nearby corridor, a lone guard approached. He glanced briefly at Prompto, a tinge of wariness crossing his face, before handing Ignis a letter.

"From his Majesty, Sir," the guard replied, turning away only after Ignis uttered a 'thank you' and dismissed him.

Iris seemed unfazed by the interaction, her gaze still directed pointedly at Prompto. Of course, in the Citadel letters from the King were just a commonplace occurrence. Nothing to see here, just a letter from the ruler of Lucis.

Prompto shifted, starting to feel incredibly out of place and a bit uneasy under Iris' intense scrutiny.

"I must see to …something," Ignis said quietly, after reading the letter, "I shall return shortly." He looked to Iris. "Please, would you stay here and keep our guest company until either Noctis or I can return?"

"Of course!" Iris answered happily. "I'd be more than happy to!"

As Ignis departed, it suddenly struck Prompto where he'd seen Iris before. Anxiety draining away, he grinned over at her.

"You were part of the track team that won all those awards last year!" He exclaimed. "I was one of the photo club members who came to take your picture for the school paper."

Iris laughed. "I remember you! You were the only one who actually ran with us! Though I seem to recall most of those action shots you took were rather blurry. Still, your other pictures were amazing. Didn't one of yours get chosen for the cover?"

Prompto shook his head. "Naw, one of the other club members got an epic shot of a baton hand-off. It was awesome, but some of my pics were in the paper a few pages in."

"Oh," Iris replied, fidgeting a little.

"But," Prompto said, excitement filling him, "I do have some pictures I had wanted to get to you, but I…well…I didn't know how to get a hold of you…or what your name was, for that matter."

"Oh?" Iris answered, a touch of concern evident in her tone.

Prompto grimaced, realizing how creepy that might have sounded. "No, not weird stuff or anything…I mean…" He could feel his face burning. How did he manage to keep making this worse? "It was from that day at the track. Your brother came to pick you up from practice, and the lighting was really good and you both just looked so happy, and I had already been taking pictures of the audience right then, so it wasn't like anything out of the ordinary or anything…I just…" He shrugged, exhausted from his own blathering explanation.

"You have pictures of Gladio and me?" Iris asked, her smile returning.

"Yeah," he replied softly, "they are really good too, and, I just thought, it'd be nice if you had them…you two just looked so happy."

Prompto's mind wandered, drawing up images of those pictures. He could visualize how the sunset had bathed them in a warm red glow, how the colors contrasted and complemented each other in such an interesting way, how that massive wall of a man had melted at the sight of his sister, and how she had joyfully flung herself into his arms. He'd swung her around dizzyingly fast before pulling her in for tender hug. There was such a softness and love to their exchange. It had been beautiful, and the photos were beautiful.

Prompto nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected, high-pitched squeal of delight Iris gave, and if that hadn't startled him enough, the sudden hug he was engulfed in finished him off. Staggering back a step as he was released, he blinked over at the girl.

"If I give you my e-mail address can you send them to me? Gladdy has been so busy lately, and I know he could use something to cheer him up. I was trying to think of something nice to do for him. He'd love some photos of us! Just don't tell him about it. I'd like to surprise him."

"Yeah, sure, no problem." He pulled out his phone, created a new contact section, and then handed it over to Iris so she could put in her information.

As she happily tapped away, something clicked in Prompto's head.

"Gladio is your brother?" He asked and Iris nodded. "That giant guy who picked you up from practice is the Shield to the Prince?"

Again, she nodded.

"Gladdy?" He asked, his voice climbing a pitch higher than he intended.

"Nickname," Iris answered nonchalantly. "I'll put my number in too, just in case."

"Okay, sounds good…" Prompto nodded, staring at the floor, pondering how angry that behemoth of a dude was going to be over Noct missing a training session. Would he blame Prompto for intruding on their training time? He was starting to really wish he'd declined this dinner offer.

"All done!" Iris chirped, handing the phone back to Prompto. "And I expect you to contact me soon!" She gave one wide grin, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Then, a shadow cast over the two and Prompto glanced up and found a great hulking, dark figure glaring down at him.

"Gladdy!" Iris shouted, and she was wrapped around the giant man's neck in an instant.

How Gladio managed to looked both pleased to see his sister and capable of murdering Prompto all at once was a mystery, and it was not one that the blond wished to explore. Taking a few steps back, Prompto wondered if he'd be able to outrun the muscular man, or if he was about to be punched to death.

It was only after Gladio opened his mouth, his gruff voice laced with contempt, that Prompto was pretty sure he was about to meet a swift demise.

"Why…" Gladio growled, "…did my sister give you her phone number?"

"You should've been nicer to Prompto," Iris grumbled. "You made him twitchy."

It was, in fact, the first thing she'd said to Gladio since they'd gotten in the car. He'd started to think she was going to give him the silent treatment for the entire ride home.

At the Citadel, she'd shot subtle glares all him all evening. A few, he admittedly might have earned. He had been less than friendly with Noctis' new companion. Not even Ignis' cooking had soothed Gladio's wrath.

"Oh, yeah?" He replied, turning down their street. "You planning on making him my future brother-in-law or something?" Yep, even the thought, no matter how jestfully presented, still made Gladio's blood boil.

Who was this kid? What made him think he could get Iris' number? Prompto was fifteen, and Iris was only twelve. There was no way he was just gonna stand by and let some little punk of a…

"Don't be like that." Iris signed, leaning against the passenger side door. "He didn't ask me out or anything. I already told you not to worry. Why can't you trust me?"

Gladio gave a hoarse laugh. "I trust you, Iris, but I don't trust any boys who come within twenty feet of you. That's my duty as an older brother."

"You trust Noct," she replied.

"Well, that's different. He's the Prince, and he would never…" Gladio paused, catching the cringe Iris gave as he spoke.

Ah, hell. He'd forgotten about her crush on Noct.

"What I meant was…"

"I know what you meant, Gladdy," she replied sadly. "I know."

There was a moment of silence as he pulled up to their building and parked.

"Why…did you give him your number then?" he asked gently. "We really don't know a lot about this Prompto kid yet. I worry too much, I know, but if anything ever happened to you, I'd…well…I'd…"

"Gladdy." She looked up, her soft brown eyes meeting his. "Trust me. Prompto's a good guy. I asked him for help with something. You'll find out what it was soon enough, and you're probably going to feel like a jerk for how you've already acted, so don't add to that, okay?"

Iris opened her door, hopped out of the vehicle and then looked back to smile down at him. "Thanks though for trying to look out for me, even if I don't need it."

"No problem, kid-o," Gladio replied, "anytime." Though he highly doubted she didn't need him in this case.

He exited the car, following Iris towards the house, promising himself that if this Prompto kid did anything to hurt his sister, he'd make him pay.

Noctis lay back in bed, his eyelids felt weighted, begging to close, but his thoughts kept playing through the events of the evening.

Ignis hadn't been as awful as he could have been. Iris had been a delight, and Gladio had been…

Noct frowned, thinking back to the sullen scowls the man kept directed at Prompto all evening, and how he'd infused a touch of venom in his voice whenever he addressed the youth.

Poor Prompto had been all smiles and politeness, but nothing seemed to melt Gladio's foul mood.

Noctis' phone gave a buzz and he groaned before forcing himself to fumble for it. Just as he thought, it was Prompto texting him.

PROM: Just got home. Ignis asked me a million questions on the ride here. I kinda feel like I was just in a job interview. I think he's still a bit unsure about me.

NOCT: Yeah, just ignore that. He'll stop eventually….and, just so you know, Gladio isn't always like he was tonight. Not that much at least.

PROM: Dude, I'm pretty sure Gladio hates me.

NOCT: He saw you getting his little sister's number. What did you expect? Why didn't you just tell him the truth?

Prompto's text didn't pop up right away. It took a few minutes for him to answer.

PROM: I know it's dumb, but I didn't want to ruin her surprise.

NOCT: A few pictures are worth getting killed over?

PROM: Dude, these are REALLY good pictures. After all, I took them.

NOCT: You're crazy…

PROM: I e-mailed Iris the pictures as soon as I got home. She said she's going to give them to Gladio in the morning and make him play nice from here on out. So, maybe I'll live through this!

NOCT: Or he's going to be mad that no one told him what was going on and made him look like a fool.

PROM: Thanks, can't let me cling to any hope, huh?

NOCT: Sorry. I'm sure you'll be fine. Plus, I'll give him an order that he's not allowed to kill or maim you.

PROM: Somehow that doesn't make me feel better. Okay, I gotta go to bed now. See you in the morning.

NOCT: Night.

Setting his phone aside, Noctis could feel the warm, numbing pull of sleep settling over him. His thoughts drifted vaguely over what the following school day would bring–classes, homework, Prompto's excited banter, training with Gladio, lectures from Ignis, texts from Prompto…

Breathing even, calm, Noctis smiled to himself as his thoughts scattered and sleep overtook him.

Wearing the frilly, white apron Iris had gotten him, Gladio stood at the stove scrambling eggs. He'd slept well and woke feeling ready to tackle the day.

There was already a healthy stack of buttermilk pancakes on the table and bacon cooling on the counter. All he needed was someone to help him eat it all–not that it would have been difficult for him to finish it off alone, but he liked the company.

Where was Iris? Had she slept in?

Gladio set down his spatula, worry growing as he wondered if his little sister had come down with something. She was usually such an early riser.

Just as Gladio had started to untie his apron, planning on heading upstairs to check on Iris, she appeared.

Still in her nightgown, hair a tussled mess, she had a sly grin directed squarely at Gladio. It was then that he noticed she was holding something behind her back.

"I've got something for you," she beamed.

"For me?" He blinked, wondering what day it was that merited gift giving. An edge of panic came over him as he wondered if he'd missed a major holiday. "It's not my birthday."

Iris laughed. "I know that, but you've been working so hard lately, and you still make time for me. It must be exhausting, and… I just wanted to do something nice for you." She reached forward, offering him the thing she'd had hidden behind her back.

"You didn't have to…" Gladio's words trailed as his eyes scanned what Iris had for him. It was digital picture frame scrolling through photos he'd never seen before.

They were of Iris and him. The series captured one of their greetings–Iris running to him, launching into his arms, him twirling her around, and him pulling her into a tight embrace. He stared a long while at the pictures, surprised at how much joy and love they captured.

"I love this," he finally managed to reply, grinning up at Iris. "They're beautiful."

"Prompto took them," she answered softly. "He was one of the photo club members that came to the track practice that day to get pictures for the school paper. When he saw me at the Citadel yesterday, he remembered me and thought I should have these."

Gladio set the picture frame on the table and frowned. This had been what Iris had asked Prompto for help with?

It wasn't until he noticed Iris watching him that he felt a flash of heat in his cheeks. Quickly, he turned back to his scrambled eggs, escaping her stare.

"So this was why you were giving him your contact information?"

Iris pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down at the table. "Yep."

He sighed. "You could have told me. If I would have known, I wouldn't have been so hard on the kid. I would have…"

"You," Iris interrupted, "need to learn to trust me."

Gladio grumbled to himself and dumped the scrambled eggs onto a plate. "I don't see why Prompto didn't tell me."

Iris shrugged. "He said he didn't want to ruin my surprise. He's just like that, I guess."

Gladio set the plate of scrambled eggs on the table and then sat down. Both he and Iris quietly started to eat.

In his head, he kept thinking over how he'd acted the evening before. He'd gone all out with the intimidation factor for Prompto. The kid had tried to smile and joke his way through it, but it was obvious it had him shaken.

Ah hell. He was going to have to apologize to the kid, and Ignis and Noct were probably both going to lecture him about his temper. Of course, none of this would have happened if Iris and Prompto had just told him what was up.

"You know," Iris said, breaking the silence, "it was really impressive that Prompto didn't cave and tell you about the photos. I mean, you are pretty scary, but for as nervous as he was, he held his ground. I bet a lot of people would have caved."

Mouth full of pancakes, Gladio gave a quiet hum of agreement. It was impressive, especially for such a scrawny, non-combat, twig of a kid. Actually, after it was all said and done, Gladio was rather impressed with the kid. He'd held his own really well, and the guy had even gotten a laugh or two out of Ignis.

"Thanks, Iris," he answered, "for the pictures and for….well…just being you."

She laughed. "I thought I was supposed to be the sappy one."