12

Walking in silence the rest of the way, the brothers returned to the safe room. The silence was eating away at Noct, his eyes remained locked on Prompto, lying limp in Gladio's protective embrace.

Once they entered the room, Noct quickly made his way to the bed he had laid Prompto on before, pulling back the covers so they could actually be used once Prompto was returned to the mattress.

Gladio, taking great care, placed Prompto gently back onto the white mattress, keeping him sat up as he and Noct carefully removed the blonde's vest and shoes before finally laying him fully down on the bed. All sharing a particularly strong sense of worry for their injured companion.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard." Noct vowed, his teeth gritted as tightly as his fist was clenched, turning his knuckles white. Nothing could or would ever excuse what Ardyn had done to him. And the brothers had already agreed long before that they would never forgive him. "I'm gonna make him pay for what he's done!"

"Noct, I understand your anger. Believe me." Ignis sighed, turning his dead eyes towards his young friend and king. "But for now you must put that anger aside and focus on helping Prompto heal. What he needs now is for us to take care of him."

"Iggy's right, Noct." Gladio agreed, placing his hand on Noct's shoulder, looking down at Prompto lying helplessly on the bed before them.

To say he looked absolutely and positively terrible would be an understatement.

He had multiple stab wounds in all of his limbs, his nose had been broken, there were too many cuts on his body to count, bruises and burns circling around his neck, and not to mention his mangled wrists and ankles. And they didn't even want to think about how many more bruises and injuries hid beneath his clothes. And they couldn't bear to think of the pain that was held in his heart and mind.

"Believe me, I wanna tear the man to shreds as badly as you do right now." Gladio sighed heavily, shaking his head at the thought of all that had happened. "But we've gotta keep it together. For his sake."

"I know." Noct huffed in frustration, wishing for just a chance to plunge his sword into Ardyn's black hole heart. "I know that..."

It was destroying Noct, seeing Prompto in such a state. As much as he blamed himself not even remotely deep down, he knew it was Ardyn's fault and his alone. But seeing Prompto lying there bloody and in pain only cemented the guilt he held within his heart.

"Gladio. Is there a first aid kit anywhere in here?" Ignis asked, unable to locate one himself unfortunately. But even though the eyes in his head no longer functioned, he still had the eyes of his companions to see for him. "We need to treat his wounds quickly. I would be more than happy to do it myself, but..."

His voice trailed off into silence, feeling bad about not being able to do more. But more so because he hated the feeling of being useless to those he cared about...

"Don't worry about it, Iggy. You're here, and that's enough." Gladio said back, looking around the room for a quick moment before locating the first aid kit Noct had used to patch Prompto up to the best of his ability earlier. "There's a kit right here."

"Good." Ignis nodded, making his way closer before Noct guided him into a chair on the left side of the bed. "Do be gentle when you clean his wounds, both of you. Let's try not to cause him more discomfort than need be."

"We'll try." Noct said, taking a seat beside Prompto, gently intertwining Prompto's fingers with his own. It was going to be hard not to make him uncomfortable, having to clean all of the deep cuts in his body.

But that's when he remembered a crucial detail.

"Hey, Specs, could you... check his temperature?" He asked, nervously beholding his best friend's unhealthily pale skin. "I..."

"Alright." Ignis nodded, fully aware of Noct's apprehensiveness. After all, Noct himself had told them what Prompto's condition had been. And he had been more concerned than anything about what could only be described as an infection in his wounds. "I would also like to know the extent of just what it is we're dealing with."

Standing up to get a little bit closer, Ignis reached over the blonde, placing the back of his hand to the young man's forehead. And as he suspected, it wasn't exactly cool. In fact, it was hot.

Burning even.

"What's the prognosis, Iggy?" Gladio asked in earnest, taking note of the concerned expression that had sneaked its way onto Ignis's face without even his own notice.

"He's burning up." Ignis informed, taking his hand away before sitting back down in his seat. "This illness... I suspect it could be the result of both infection, and the excessive amount of strain his body has been through... And I doubt he's been given any food or water either since he's been gone..."

"What are you saying, Ignis...?" Noct asked, growing extremely worried for his best friend. If it was possible, even more worried than he already was...

"I'm saying that if we don't get him taken care of soon..." Ignis sighed, lowering his head as his voice took on a dark and solemn tone. "He may not make it out of this fortress alive."

"You're fucking kidding me." Gladio scoffed under his breath. Pacing for a brief moment before exasperatedly turning back to Ignis. "You're not serious are you?"

"I assure you, Gladio. I've never been more serious in my life." Ignis assured, turning his dead gaze to his dear friend.

Noct heard the words being said around him, but every word fell flat on his ears. Nothing registered at all.

In that moment it was as if the entire world itself was crumbling away around him, leaving only himself and Prompto's unconscious form lost in a dark abyss. All he could see was Prompto's broken body, all he could hear were his haggard breaths, his desperate struggle to cling to the life that still remained within his weakened body. Noct couldn't tear his eyes away from the blood oozing from the recently reopened stab wound.

Prompto had lost so much blood... Noct had certainly seen enough of it strewn about the place while he'd made his way around looking for him. It terrified him to think that his closest friend in the world was fading away from it... and the gradual and continuous loss of blood was only making things worse.

They had to do something fast.

"There has to be a way to save you, Prom..." Noct thought, his fingers still intertwined with his dear friend's. "It's gonna take more than a first aid kit, but I don't have my powers. There's almost nothing I can do..."

"Noct!" Gladio's voice cut through the haunting pseudo silence as the eldest's strong hand found itself a new home on Noct's shoulder, figuratively and literally shaking him out of his consuming thoughts. "C'mon, this is no time to start shutting down. Now keep your head on and help me fix him!"

"Gladio, be gentle..." Ignis sighed, fully understanding Noct's willingness to shut down after hearing such generous news. He had lost so many loved ones already, and the possibility of losing another... it was hard for all of them to think about. "There's no need to shout."

"No, Ignis." Noct said, letting out a small sigh as his eyes turned to the first aid kit Gladio had set down between them and Prompto on the bed sheets. "It's fine. Moping isn't gonna help him..."

"Well we're gonna fix him, Noct." Gladio reassured, softening his tone a little as he took his free hand and gently placed it on the blonde's leg, not wanting to lose him any more than Noct and Ignis did. "Prom's gonna be fine. So let's get to work, alright? We're all he's got right now."

"Yeah." Noct said, giving his best friend's hand a small squeeze before reaching into the first aid kit and grabbing the little spray bottle of wound cleanser. More than ready to take care of his friend. "I know."

"If either of you have questions, I'm here to help if I can." Ignis informed, waiting comfortably in his seat beside them to assist them in anyway he could. The most he would really be able to do was to give them instructions on how to properly care for and clean Prompto's injuries, but then again, his knowledge was a more than valuable asset to them. Ignis knew that better than anyone, but still it didn't help in assuaging his distress at not being able to physically aid his friends. But Gladio and Noct had enough combined knowledge of first aid to be able to make significant progress on their own.

What Ignis worried about however, were the multiple stab wounds. Without any potions to heal them quicker, they would certainly require stitches to repair the old fashioned way... and Ignis worried how Noct would react to having to perform the act themselves... and considering Ignis wouldn't be able to do it himself with his superior sewing skills, the task would ultimately fall to Noct with his more delicate hands to handle the needle.

In truth, Ignis didn't envy Gladio for having to personally witness the event at all.

"Sure thing, Iggy." Gladio nodded, taking out a roll of bandages and disinfectant from the kit while he flashed an unseen smile to his partner. He knew Ignis would rather be actually helping instead of serving as a life sized instruction manual, but without his sight it really wouldn't be the best idea.

Which they all knew, though didn't quite care to accept.

"We'll need the help."

"Don't worry, Prom." Noct thought to himself, taking his hand and running his fingers through the dirty mess of the bloody and matted down blonde hair, removing the loose strands from Prompto's face.

Lingering for a moment with his hand resting against Prompto's freckled cheek, Noct's gaze softened. For the first time in a long time, the blonde's face looked peaceful. Like he was enjoying a simple night's sleep.

"You're gonna be alright" He thought, taking a deep breath for any sort of centering comfort he could get. "Just hang in there, okay...?"

The hours seemed to fly by, one by one without hardly any notice. Being as careful as they could with the boy, Noct and Gladio had taken their time carefully and thoroughly cleaning and dressing Prompto's many wounds. Following Ignis's instructions to the letter.

Just like Ignis had thought, the stitches had been the worst, and took the longest to complete. Noct wasn't afraid of needles, but he seemed almost terrified to use one on his best friend. He had never had to do something like that before, and was reasonably nervous about doing it wrong and hurting Prompto. But with the reassurance from both Ignis and Gladio that it would be alright, Noct managed to get it done. Though having to stitch up at least four stab wounds wasn't exactly fun. In fact the ordeal had made all of them feel a bit squeamish.

And cleaning the wounds even beforehand had been difficult in and of itself.

With the wound cleanser and disinfectants entering the opened wounds the sting was enough to rouse a reaction from the still unconscious Prompto, causing him to squirm and cry out. Though with Gladio's protective hold and Noct and Ignis's kind words, they were able to calm him. Regardless, it had still taken hours to get the job done. What with their slow pace, as well as the sheer multitude of extra injuries they had found on him during the initial cleaning and bandaging.

Removing Prompto's shirt, they had discovered a plethora of bruises and cuts on his chest, and even a few cracked ribs from extensive beating... Noct's heart sank as he thought about the horrors his friend had endured while they took their sweet time coming to get him... and Ignis and Gladio's anger only grew as more injuries were uncovered.

By the time they had finished, Prompto's body had bandages covering parts of every single section of his body. Noct and Gladio's hands were stained with Prompto's blood. And the boy still looked far too pale for either of their tastes, but without any potions or legitimate medicines, there wasn't any more they could do.

"Come on, Prom..." Noct sighed. He wanted nothing more than for his friend to wake up.

He hadn't seen those beautiful baby blues in so long. Noct was beginning to doubt he ever would again... and that was a thought the king couldn't bear to cling to.

"He'll be along." Ignis reassured, his typical air of confidence and gentle motherly tone. Truly he never ceased to put his companions at ease, even in the darkest of times. "We need only wait."

"Iggy's right, Noct." Gladio agreed, patting the young king on the shoulder while his own tone took a turn for the softer side it usually tended to remain the polar opposite of. "We have to wait for him to find his way back. But still."

Taking Noctis by surprise, Gladio's lips curled upwards, forming a tiny but still visible smile. Gladio was more than capable of smiling, they had all seen it on many occasions. But those occasions seemed to be fairly few and far between.

So the smile was a very welcomed change.

"That doesn't mean we can't help lead him back."

"Right." Noct smiled back, nodding in agreement with his steadfast shield.

Turning his gaze back to his sleeping friend, Noct watched with soft eyes as Prompto's chest slowly rose and fell with each breath he took. Intertwining their fingers once again, Noct gripped his hand tightly around Prom's, lifting the blonde's limp arm slightly before clasping both hands around his friend's.

"Hear that, Prom?" He asked, a great love covering his words as the warmth in his voice carried the words to the blonde's ears. "We're here. Waiting for you to find your way back to us, so when you wake up... we'll still be here."

A tear formed in Noct's eye as he was suddenly overcome with a great sadness and guilt, thinking back on all that had happened.

And on all he had sworn he would do.

"I... we'll, always be right here..."

His entire body felt heavy and sluggish. The entire universe seemed to spin and slow around him even in the darkness that was all he could see. And everything hurt... he felt like he had been hit by a herd of chocobos, trampled by a catoblepas, then chewed up and spit out by a behemoth.

At least three of them.

If he had half a mind to believe that's what actually happened, he certainly would at this point. But Prompto knew better than that. He knew full well what he had been through... but in that moment all he could focus on was the pain he felt all throughout his significantly weakened body. It wasn't even so much a sharp and jabbing pain so much as it was a steady and sore type of pain.

Making an attempt to move, Prompto felt his fingers twitch. Letting out a small moan, Prompto made note of an important fact.

One, his arms were at his sides, and free, not shackled like they had been before. And two, he felt like he was in his own body again, not locked away in his mind like he had been for what felt like days.

"W-What's going on...?" He thought, moaning again as he tried to make another movement, or mayhaps even open his eyes. He couldn't even begin to imagine how long he had been unconscious for.

Days maybe?

Weeks?

There was no way for him to tell. But what he knew now, was that all he wanted to do was wake up.

Mustering all the strength he could, he slowly cracked his right eye open, the little sliver of open space letting in enough light to cause the blonde to recoil. He had been in he dark for so long, light wasn't exactly his friend anymore. But still, he continued making the effort.

As his eyes slowly opened, Prompto felt a pair of hands on his body, and muffled and echoey voices sounded around him like he was floating in a body of water. He couldn't make heads or tails out of the sound, nothing was clear enough for him to place. But opening his eyes slowly all the way, he was greeted by a less than friendly sight.

"W-Wha...!" Prompto tried to scream, but his voice failed him, throwing him into a fit of coughs as he realized how hoarse and dry his throat was.

Baby blue eyes widened as he looked at the swarm of deamons in front of his eyes. Everything was red, even down to the hue of the lights around the room. And there were nothing but monstrous deamons as far as he could see.

Making an attempt to defend himself, Prompto squirmed, trying to rouse his sore limbs into movement. Crying out in fear as the creatures moved closer to him. All around him he heard Ardyn's dark laughter echoing throughout the room, and the smell of iron blood filled the air.

Trying move again, Prompto screamed as a deamon reached out to him.

Having regained enough movement in his arms, Prompto screamed in a frenzied panic, smacking the deamon away before covering his face with his arms. Squirming as he tried screaming again, Prompto felt a warm light on his skin. Practically hyperventilating through his fear a gentle presence lowered his arms from in front of his face.

His eyes widening again, Prompto looked into the brightly shining figure of Lady Lunafreya, her cascade of sylleblossoms contrasting against the red hue blanketing everything else in his line of sight. But fearful as he was, Luna's presence was certainly of comfort to him.

Taking her hand and extending it to the blonde's freckled face, she touched his cheek briefly before placing both of her hands on the sides of his head. Touching her forehead to his, the oracle closed her eyes and her sweet and gentle voice reached his ears.

"Blessed stars of life and light..."

Her words remained, echoing all around him. But looking back into Prompto's eyes, Luna's own changed, an air of concern coming over her face as her hands moved from his head to his arms, holding gently but firmly as his breathing remained at its escalated speed although slightly slower now. Her glow grew brighter, turning white all within his field of vision.

She opened her mouth to speak, but as she spoke, Prompto's heart stopped.

"Prompto...?"

It was Noct's voice.

But it couldn't be. It just couldn't be!

Shaking his head, thinking himself insane, Prompto looked back to Luna.

Only to be met with a sight he never thought he would see again.

"Prom, it's me. I'm right here. You're safe now..."

Looking into the deep, sapphire blue eyes he knew all too well, Prompto's heart seized in his chest. The last time he had seen that face it had been speeding away from him on the train he had been pushed from by the very person he trusted most in the world. Any normal person would be angry, but the only thing Prompto felt was relief.

Luna herself had told him that Noct had come. But until now, he wasn't sure he truly believed it.

"N-Noct...?" Prompto asked, his hoarse voice quiet and weak as he stared into his best friend's face, a plethora of emotions awakening within the young man.

"Yeah. Yeah, it's me." Noct answered. He had a feeling what Prompto was going to ask him, he had no reason not to doubt if he was real, or even here at all after everything that had happened. "I'm real. I'm right here."

A gentle smile crawled across the king's face, taking his hand and raising it once more to the blonde's cheek.

"We're all right here."

Glancing over slightly, Prompto caught a glimpse of Ignis and Gladio a short distance away from them before turning back to Noctis. As he laid his baby blue eyes on his friends, a wave of emotions washed over him.

Completely forgetting how sore his body felt and the pain shooting up and down his body, he could feel a lump forming in his throat. Prompto's lip quivered while his eyes were slowly lined with tears. He hadn't seen his friends in what seemed like forever, and in that time he had been subjected to horrors he never thought he would. Things he had only seen happen to the characters in movies and video games. He knew he most likely would have died if Aranea hadn't saved him at the First Magitek Production Facility, and if he had lost hope that Noctis and the others would come and rescue him.

And there they were, sitting in the room with him. Protecting him.

He was still alive.

Trembling as his thoughts spun around and around in his mind, Prompto began to sob.

"It's alright, man..." Noct soothed. Wrapping his arms around Prompto, he pulled him in a gentle embrace. Running his fingers though the blonde mess, gently rubbing Prompto's back as he buried in face in Noct's neck, gripping the fabric of his shirt with his significantly weakened grip.

Cradling his best friend, Noct couldn't help but shed a tear of his own. Holding Prompto close, he let his friend sob, wishing beyond all reason that none of this had ever happened at all... that they were all back home in Insomnia hanging out like they used to... back when no one was out to kidnap and torture his best friend.

"You're safe now, kiddo." Gladio added, taking a step closer to the pair, placing his hand gently on Prompto's trembling shoulder, sighing quietly as he too thought about all that had happened. He understood how bad Noct and Ignis felt about the whole thing, the blame they placed upon themselves. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel even a little responsible for the whole mess as well.

They all did.

"I'm sorry, Prompto..." Noct sighed, cradling his friend even closer, but keeping his hold gentle as not to harm his dearest friend. The guilt was weighing him down like nothing ever had before. It was eating away at him slowly but surely with every passing moment. All he could do was hope to the Six that Prompto wouldn't hate him for what he had done. "I'm so, so sorry... this is all my fault..."

Prompto clung to Noct with all the might he could muster. He'd missed his friends so much... all he wanted was to get back to them.

Back to his family.

Trembling in his friend's protective embrace, he took in Noct's warmth, his entire essence as he sobbed. The tears just wouldn't stop falling. Had his voice been strong enough, Prompto would have apologized for crying so much, only to no doubt have Ignis reassure him that he had nothing to apologize for. Gladio too kept his hand rested on the blonde's trembling shoulder, occasionally rubbing circles with his thumb as Noct had been doing on his back.

Their presence was of a great comfort.

After a moment, Ignis stood from his seat, walking over in the direction of a few cabinets on the opposite side of the room used for keeping supplies.

"We should get him something to drink." He said, feeling around with his left hand, determined to find the blonde a bottle of water on his own. "I'm sure that would help him feel better."

"Yeah, no doubt." Gladio agreed, keeping his contact with the trembling blonde, who seemed to be coming off of his sobbing phase slowly but surely with a great lack of water in his body from having not been given any food or drink in many a day.

Looking back down at the younger man, Gladio's expression softened. Lowering himself down a bit so he was more at level with the two younger members of the group, he gave Prompto's shoulder a slight pat.

"We're gonna get you some water." The shield asked gently. "You think you can drink it for us?"

Prompto offered a slight nod, his face still buried in Noct's shoulder as he made an effort to finally stop crying, though his progress wasn't exactly significant. Noct in turn pulled slightly away from his friend, holding him just a small distance away from his own body.

Taking a look at Prompto's overly bandaged body, Noct's heart seized in his chest. The tears continued falling from Prompto's eyes, a sight Noct and the others never ever wanted to see. Sighing quietly to himself, Noct raised his hand once more to Prompto's face, gently wiping his best friend's tears away. For a moment longer his hand lingered on the freckled cheek. Even after all this hell, Prompto's skin was still so soft and warm with life.

He was alive.

"I promise, Prompto." Noct assured, lowering his hand back down as he grasped Prompto's own hands, holding them firmly but gently in his own as he looked with an unwavering gaze into his baby blue eyes. "Ardyn will never hurt you again. I swear it."

"N-Noct..." Prompto stuttered as one final tear ran down his cheek. Fixated on the stern and serious gaze he couldn't tear his eyes away from Noct. And in that moment, without question, he believed everything he said.

And everything Luna had said to him as well...

"Ah! Here we are!" Ignis declared triumphantly having located his target in the cabinet. Wrapping his free hand around the plastic bottle of water, he smiled for a moment before making his way back to the others, extending the bottle for one of them to take. "Do you think you can manage...?"

"Y-Yeah..." Prompto answered, his voice still exceptionally weak, but he did his best to answer all the same.

"Here, let's get you laid back." Gladio suggested, re-positioning the pillows on the bed to serve as a makeshift back support, gently laying him back to that he was still upright but he was also laying down, knowing full well Prompto had to still be in a lot of pain from his injuries. Especially after his little freak out earlier.

Taking the bottle from Ignis, the shield sat down beside Prompto while Noct took it upon himself to pull the blankets back up. Lifting Prompto's arms as he did so so they were lying on top of the blankets.

"Think you can do it yourself? Or do you want one of us to help you?"

"...Wanna try..." Prompto said, turning his gaze to Gladio. He still felt a deeply running soreness all over his body, but he didn't want to make his friends have to treat him like a child. He wanted to do his best to be strong, and push through the pain.

"Okay, but don't push yourself." Noct advised, watching carefully while Gladio unscrewed the cap and placed the bottle in Prompto's hand.

All three of them kept a vigil watch on the youngest, ready at less than a moment's notice to aid him should he need it.

"Sure..." Prompto agreed, nodding slightly as he slowly moved his arm, taking the bottle as Gladio released his hold, gripping it as firmly as he could.

It was then Prompto realized just how hurt he must have been. Bending his arm to bring the bottle to his mouth, a sharp and burning pain shot up and down the wounded limb, sending a pitiful cry out from the young man's lips.

Instantly jumping into action, Gladio took the bottle back so it wouldn't spill while Noctis took care in steadying the blonde, gently and slowly laying his arm back down on the bed. Ignis as well had come closer, extending his hand out and placing it on Prompto's leg, a look of great concern on all their faces as a moment of silence fell over the group.

"Are you alright, Prompto?" Ignis inquired, becoming the first to break the silence.

"F-Fine..." Prompto answered, nodding slowly to his vision impaired friend. Of course he as well as they knew full well that answer couldn't be further from the truth. Prompto was a lot of things, but right now, fine was definitely not one of them.

He was pretty damn far from fine.

"Here." Gladio sighed, raising the plastic bottle to Prompto's lips. "I'll pour, you drink. Alright?"

Nodding in agreement, Prompto sighed quietly to himself, disappointed that he couldn't do such a simple task on his own. But at the same time he really did appreciate the care his friends were treating him with. It wasn't abnormal, and it was certainly a relief after everything Ardyn had put him through.

Careful not to pour too much, Gladio slowly tipped the bottle, allowing the cool water to slide down Prompto's throat.

Water had never tasted so good in his entire life.

The cool liquid was soothing to his dry and sore throat, almost breathing a new life into him. He hadn't had any food or water in days, the presence of nourishment in his body again was almost heavenly to the poor injured blonde.

"How do you feel, Prompto?" Ignis inquired, hoping to gauge where the young man was in terms of recovery. Though he knew no matter what, it was going to take some time for him to completely heal in the state he was and without the luxury of any curatives to their names. That, and he was curious about Prompto's state upon his awakening.

From what Gladio had told him, it was no surprise why Noct had been frightened as he was.

Prompto's eyes had been covered in a deep purplish red fog when he awoke screaming in a panic. Noct had tried his best to calm him, but only after some time did the fog dissipate. Ignis hoped to ask Prompto about it, but if he wasn't feeling well, he didn't want to cause the blonde any further distress. Though Ignis had a sinking feeling Ardyn had had something to do with it.

"How much pain are you in...?"

"Everything hurts..." Prompto answered truthfully, his voice slightly stronger from the much needed water. Besides, there was no point in trying to lie, they all knew exactly what state he was in.

"Don't worry, Prom." Noct assured, once again taking his best friend's hand into his own. "Once I get my powers back, we're getting you out of here. Crystal be damned."

"B-But Noct...!" Prompto gasped, eyes widening at the severity of what Noct was suggesting. Abandoning the entire mission for his sake?

No, that couldn't be.

"Don't worry, I'll still save the world." Noct said, his eyes serious and stern. Never wavering for a single moment. "I'll figure something out, but Prom... I can't put you at risk again... I just can't."

"Noct..."

Prompto was speechless. Luna's words rang loudly in his ears as he stared his friend's sad eyes. Tears threatening to spill once more while conflicting messages flashed through his weary mind.

"Noctis does care for you, Prompto."

"Do you really think they'll accept you for what you really are?"

"Noctis cares for you very much."

"Don't think for a moment they won't find out."

Everything was spinning around him by now, overwhelming him even. Feeling his fatigue and pain grip him again his eyelids began to droop. Fighting to keep himself awake, Prompto clung to the hope he had carried though his entire stretch of captivity. A hope that had long since been proven true, but it was all he could think about now.

"Noct... tell me..." He said quietly, doing his best to keep his eyes open, fearful that if he fell asleep again, that all this would fade away. "Were you worried about me..?"

Noct's expression changed starkly, a mixture of sadness and shock decorated his lovely features. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing.

After everything he said, did Prompto really think he hadn't cared...?

But looking into his friend's tired eyes, he knew that wasn't the case. Far from it, actually.

Keeping a gentle hold on Prompto's hand, Noct smiled softly. Prompto was everything to him. And nothing was ever going to change that.

"Of course I was." He told him, nearly forgetting that Gladio and Ignis were even still there. "What kind of question is that...?"

Prompto chuckled slightly, embarrassed that he'd even asked. But he'd just wanted to hear Noct say it.

"'Course. That's why you came..." Prompto sighed, giving Noct's hand a slight squeeze as it gripped his own, offering his own weary smile to his friend, feeling his consciousness continue to fade. "Like I... like I believed you would..."

"Prompto..."

Ignis and Gladio stood aside, letting the two youngest have that private moment. It wasn't their place to involve themselves in the conversation. Better to just leave them be for now, they thought. Though as well, they both wondered about the incident upon Prompto's awakening. As well, they both thought extensively about what Ardyn had said about Prompto before. Both of which would certainly be questions saved for a later time.

"That's why I told myself I couldn't die..." Prompto continued, quickly feeling his consciousness fade away, listing slowly to the left, unable to keep himself upright even with his body lying against the sat up pillows. "N-Not... not until I could see you..."

Drifting slightly more to the side, Prompto's weary form began to fall. Noct quickly moved into action, catching his friend and laying him back down so he wouldn't fall given his wounded and unsteady state.

"Whoa, steady..." Noct soothed, keeping his friend steady as he put the pillows back down, lying Prompto back on his back, his head resting on the soft and comforting pillows. "Just rest now, man... I'm sorry..."

"Don't be..." Prompto countered, shaking his head slightly as a gentle smile came across his face, keeping his gaze fixed on Noctis even as his eyes kept slowly closing. "Everything's alright now..."

The smile never fading from his face Prompto's eyes slowly shut, his consciousness faded away into sleep once more. Noct's heart seized for a moment before he let out a sigh of relief, sensing the peaceful aura emanating from his friend, as well as observing the even and slow raising and falling of his chest as he slept. The worst had passed, now all that remained was recovery. Though even after his body healed, they all knew the horrors of his experience would never fully fade from Prompto's heart and mind.

"He's alright." Noct sighed, looking back to Ignis and Gladio, keeping Prompto's hand held in his own, never wanting to let him go again.

"Good." Gladio nodded, patting Ignis's shoulder as he looked down at the sleeping blonde, a gentle smile of his own on his face, happy that Prompto was going to be okay. "Kid needs to rest. He'll feel better when he wakes up."

"Indeed." Ignis agreed, walking back over to Noctis, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Let's let him rest. In the meantime, we should find something for him to eat. Water won't tide him over long, and I doubt he's eaten since the train..."

"Right..." Noct sighed, realizing just how much his friend had suffered. But all that mattered now was that he was safe, and that they would take care of him and protect him from now on to the best of their ability.

Something they had all agreed on.

Laying Prompto's hand back down, Noct pulled the blankets back over his dear friend, tucking him in so he would be comfortable and warm while he slept.

"Rest easy, Prom." He said, running his fingers gently through Prompto's hair. They had cleaned it the best they could, washing out the blood, but they couldn't quite get it back to its regular chocobo ass looking swoop, but it looked much better now than it did. "You're safe now, I'll protect you. I promise..."