15
Noct just sat there, propped up on his elbows, staring silent at wide eyed at the familiar, comforting green eyes staring back at him. He knew this would happen. He did. He knew it, but nothing in the world could've prepared him to come face to face with it.
Face to face with Ignis.
"Noct?" Ignis asked, eyebrow raised. "Is something wrong...?"
He tried to say something, Ignis looked at him with a furrowed brow, concerned by his reaction to a sight that should've been all too common for Noct at this point in time. If he couldn't say something soon, Ignis would realize something was wrong. He probably already had, to be honest. But he couldn't tell him the truth, so he had to come up with something. So shaking his head, Noct sat up fully, pretending to rub sleep from his eyes.
"No, I'm good, Specs." Noct answered only semi truthfully. "Had a weird dream, that's all."
"Ah, I see. Well, so long as you're sure you're alright." Ignis adjusted his glasses, surprising Noct by not pushing the issue any further as he merely nodded and gestured outside the tent to the campsite outside. "But as I said, breakfast has been prepared. I suggest you come and eat before Gladio and Prompto return and devour it all themselves."
"Uh, y-yeah, right." Noct nodded quickly. "Sure."
Pulling himself up from the ground and out of his sleeping bag, Noct steadied himself on his feet. The feeling of solid earth beneath him rather than the cold, man-made metal floors of Zegnautus seemed strange to him now. An almost foreign sensation, as much as he hated to admit it to himself. The last few days had been truly harrowing after all...
Following Ignis out of the tent into the cool morning air, Noct rose his arm to block the morning sun from his eyes almost instantly upon exiting the tent. It felt like it had been a lifetime since he'd last seen the sun, or any genuine, natural light in general. It almost made his eyes ache, adjusting rather slowly to the brightness, though he shook his head and rapidly blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus and adjust fast enough as not to draw any attention from Ignis he hadn't accidentally drawn already.
"S-So, uh, where did Prompto and Gladio go, anyway?" Noct asked, blinking and squinting a few more times once he lowered his arm, walking over to grab some food before Ignis bugged him about it again. Because he could, and he would.
Standing before the makeshift breakfast station, the omelets perfectly and mindfully plated and laid out for the four of them in front of him almost stopped Noct in his tracks too. He felt so silly in hindsight, being halted by something as simple as food. But back in the present, or the future at this point...? Back in the proper time, Ignis hadn't been able to cook in... Astrals knew how long by then... and with everything that had happened since Altissia, with Luna's death, Prompto's kidnapping, and just everything, Noct hadn't really realized just how badly he'd missed Iggy's cooking...
Taking an almost timid bite, Noct's face positively lit up. The flavor, the warmth, the great care put into the craftsmanship of the meal, it made everything come rushing back to him. Every meal they'd shared together, all of the good times before everything had gone so wrong...
"I sent Gladio out for recognizance, we can never know if or when the Imperials have caught up to us, especially in the night." Ignis explained, cleaning up his cooking station, only glancing Noct's way to make sure he was eating before focusing back on getting properly tidied up. "Prompto had already gone when by the time I awoke. Out for some early morning photographs again, I suspect."
"And you left him out there by himself!?" Noct blurted out before he could even think to stop himself, eyes wide as he nearly dropped his plate.
Ignis looked back at him frozen, taken aback by his outburst, but also a little confused.
"This is hardly the first time he's done this, Noct." Ignis said, standing there bewildered with cooking utensils yet to be put away in his hands. "You know that. And if you had allowed me to finish, I was going to say that I asked Gladio to regroup with Prompto before he returned to camp."
"...Oh." Noct backed down, taking an awkward bite of his omelet, savoring every last crumb. It would probably be a very long time before he got to taste Ignis's cooking again once he made it back to the present... but he felt like a real idiot now. Ignis was right, Prompto went out to take pictures all the time, he'd even gone with him a few times himself! And he was capable of protecting himself, and he was in the past now! Nothing was going to happen to Prompto, he knew that for a fact!
But even so...
"But, if it will assuage your concerns, I suspect they should be returning shortly." Ignis resumed, putting away the remaining utensils and taking a plate to eat himself now that his travel station was sufficiently cleaned to his standard.
"Yeah, sure." Noct nodded, taking another bite. Letting a moment pass silently between them, he gently bit as his lip and dared to speak again.
Giving Noct an inquisitive, almost scrutinizingly confused glance, Ignis paused.
"Are you sure you're alright, Noct...?" He asked, studying Noct very carefully. Something was off with him this morning, but the advisor couldn't quite put his finger on just what that something was. But he was determined to get to the bottom of it.
"Oh shit."
"What?" Noct asked back. He wasn't the best actor, but he had a deceptively good poker face. Besides, he had to keep cool and focus on accomplishing his mission, the others were waiting for him back in the future - present - whenever! He couldn't let them find out what was going on back in this time. Man, time travel sucked. "Yeah, I'm fine, Specs. Sorry, didn't meant to flip. You know I can get kinda jumpy after bad dreams sometimes."
"Yes, I suppose I do." Ignis answered, his face softening. Strange and often bad dreams weren't uncommon for the prince, and Ignis was all too familiar with that fact indeed. "My apologies. But it's my job to worry about everyone, you know."
"Yeah, specs." Noct nodded, the tiniest smile on his face hearing him actually admit it. "Sure is."
"Hey guys!"
Catching their attention, a voice rode on the win from the distance. When it reached their ears, it hit Noctis like a truck. He'd know that bright, lively tone anywhere.
Over the horizon, Noct and Ignis looked to see Prompto and Gladio approaching through the trees. Noct's eyes widened at the sight of the blonde up and about on his feet. He was walking. Not just that, even, he was light on his feet, spritely, and practically skipping with how much energy he exuded. The Prompto back in his proper time couldn't even stand, much less walk around on his own so freely without even the slightest care in the world. It was just like Ignis, Noct knew what would be waiting for him in the past, he was well aware of that. But actually coming face to face with his friends like this...
He froze.
"Ah, Gladio, Prompto." Ignis said, glad to see they made it back without incident it seemed. "Excellent timing. I've prepared breakfast, there's plenty for the both of you."
"Awesome!" Prompto beamed, practically flying straight to the food, the biggest smile on his face only making Noct's hear ache for his Prompto more.
Gods, he missed that smile.
"Thanks, Ignis." Gladio nodded to the adviser as he climbed up the rocks to the haven, passing them by to go and get some well deserved grub.
Once their food had been claimed, Prompto and Gladio joined Noct and Ignis by the fire. Prompto practically plopped down in the lawn chair next to Noct's, leaning over and nudging his best friend's arm with his elbow.
"Morning, Noct!" He said brightly, his baby blue eyes gleaming in the morning sunlight.
Noct was going to explode.
Opening his mouth to answer, no words escaped Noct's mouth. Once again, he was starting to feel like coming back here was a bad idea. But it was the best idea they had, and they needed to heal Prompto as soon as possible! They didn't have much more time left to stop Ardyn from enacting his plans! But there he was, gawking at a past version of said best friend, who was now starting to look at him just as inquisitively as Ignis had.
"Uh, what's with the long face, dude?" Prompto asked, tilting his head and studying him like a curious puppy, puffing out his bottom lip like that would magically help him land on the truth. "You good?"
Immediately pulling himself together as to avoid any more suspicion, Noct awkwardly cleared his throat, shaking his head.
"N-No, yeah, I'm fine." Noct answered, smiling at his friend. An awkward, but sincere smile. "Sorry, just spaced for a sec." Relaxing in his lawn chair, he slumped further down, mimicking his own mannerisms. "Time to go back to bed already, y'know?"
Prompto's bright laughter in response only made him want to kill Ardyn more.
"We're clear as far as imperials go." Gladio informed Ignis on the other side of the campfire, ignoring the kids for the moment in favor of his partner, taking a bite of his omelet. "Which is definitely a good thing. So we should be clear on the trek back up to Wiz's. We should refresh our chocobo rental when we get up there, too. Not much time left on that bad boy."
"Alright." Ignis nodded. "Thank you, Gladio."
"No problem, Ignis. After all, it's my job to keep us safe." Gladio said, winking at the advisor with a grin on his face.
Rolling his eyes affectionately, Ignis took a bite to finish up his own food before responding.
"Yes, and you do a marvelous job at that."
Gathering his dishes to be cleaned and put away, Ignis glanced over to Noctis and Prompto on the other side of the campfire. Noct did seem more at ease now than he was, which was reassuring. Yet he still caught the prince glancing around like he was on guard for an indistinguishable threat. When he wasn't staring at Prompto or the pictures the blonde was showing him and chatting his ear off about, that is. And what Noct said about a bad dream, and how indeed jumpy and concerned he was about Prompto earlier...
"I suppose I'll just keep an eye on those two today."
"We should press on soon." Ignis conferred with Gladio, before standing from his seat and addressing the whole group.. "Listen up, men. Once we finish up here, we'll head back to Wiz to turn in our hunts and resupply. We've plenty of business left to take care of before we make sail for Altissia, so we mustn't dawdle."
Noct almost froze again at that.
Altissia.
If only they had known what would happen when they got there...
"Sure thing, Iggy!" Prompto said, enthusiastically patting Noctis on the shoulder. "Hear that, Noct? We get to go hang with the chocobos!"
"I don't think that's what Ignis meant by business." Noct deduced, but he couldn't help but smile at him nonetheless, nodding. "But yeah, I guess we do."
Finishing breakfast and getting everything packed up, Noct kept his eyes close on his friends. All he had to do was get back to Wiz with them, grab some items to smuggle through the Armiger, and return to the present. It was that simple, and with how close they were to the chocobo post it shouldn't even take that long. He couldn't have any of them figuring out he'd projected back here from the future, it would just make everything so much more complicated than it needed to be. So he did his best to just fit back in to the fold of their past selves.
It was easier than he thought it would be after everything that had happened. He fell back into the old rhythms and rhymes like nothing had changed. But in his heart, he knew that was anything but true. It was nice to be back, but it hurt so deeply too. Knowing what these versions of his friends would be going through soon and they had no idea... he glanced at Ignis a few times to see his eyes again. Eyes that would soon die long before their time.
Once everything was cleaned and packed up for the next campfire, Noctis blew the whistle, calling their rented chocobos to the haven. Prompto lit up at the sight of the big yellow birds just the same as he did every single time without fail. The sparkle in his eyes was blinding and once he hopped up onto his bird, Noct took a picture of that moment in his mind to take back with him. He'd return his Prompto to that state of joy and life if it killed him.
"Let's go, guys!" Noct called, mounting his bird and starting down the path back to the chocobo post. It wasn't very far from the haven, and an even shorter trip by chocobo. He'd be back in the present before he knew it at this rate!
"On our way." Ignis said, following behind Noct and Prompto with Gladio on his bird beside him.
They rode back to the chocobo post with all the graceful haste the birds were capable of. Riding through the sunny woods of Duscae, Noct took a deep breath, breathing in the fresh air of Eos, savoring every moment. Soon he'd be back in his proper time, back in the cold, desolate, stale-aired fortress. He almost didn't want to go back. Back to that place where his friends were in shambles, Luna was dead, and the sun was all but extinguished. It was right here in the past, it was happy and their cares weren't so many and heavy...
"No." Noct shook his head, focusing back on the road ahead. The chocobo post was right there on the horizon, he couldn't start thinking like that! Even if he did stay, it was only a matter of time before he ended up right back where he'd started. There would be no changing what happened, it was best not to even think about thinking about that.
Once they reached Wiz's post, the brothers dismounted their birds and returned to business. Gladio and Ignis went to turn in their hunts and collect the rewards from Wiz, leaving Noctis and Prompto to their own devices.
"Hey, dude! Let's go feed the chocobos!" Prompto declared excitedly, patting Noctis on the shoulder. They didn't stop off at the chocobo post every day, he had to take every chance he could get to play with the birds!
Noct glanced over at the supply shop, contemplating whether or not he should entertain past Prompto for a few minutes. As much as he wanted to, he needed to get back to his Prompto... he still needed him...
"Yeah, sure." Noct nodded though, gesturing over to the chocobo pens where Wiz's birds were living it up. "You go ahead, I'm gonna grab some stuff at the shop really quick before I forget to since we're right here, then I'll meet you over there. Okay?"
Of course he knew he was lying.
But Prompto just smiled.
"Yeah, sure thing, Noct!" Prompto nodded along, patting Noct's shoulder again as he hurried off past him to the chocobo post in jovial, ignorant bliss of the future Noct was trying to get back to.
Catching one last glimpse of Prompto, Noct sighed and walked away towards the shop. He just needed to grab some healing items to sneak back with him in the armiger back to the present and sneak into the caravan to call Umbra. It was that simple.
"Let's see..." Noct thought, perusing the selection of items. There were all the basics there; Potions, Antidotes, Phoenix Downs, Elixirs, all of which could be helpful. But they needed a bit more than that. Prompto's injuries had been mended to the best of their ability without proper provisions, but they still ran deep and would take a long time to heal on their own. And they didn't have time to wait any longer, they needed to seriously expedite the process both for Prompto's sake, and the world. "Hi-Potions and Hi-Elixirs, that's the move."
He made sure he didn't completely clean his past friends out of gil, grabbing just enough items to take some back to the present/future and leave a few in this time as not to appear suspicious and so that they could actually afford gas or a place to stay or food if need be. He stuck the Hi-Potions and Hi-Elixirs he meant to take back with him in a deep recess of the armiger, feeling a little more at ease now that he'd managed to procure what was needed. Heaving a deep sigh of relief, Noct looked around to make sure the others weren't close by and then headed off toward the caravan. There he could call Umbra and he'd be back in Zegnautus before he knew it!
Passing through the post over to the caravan on the sidelines, Noct stopped in the middle of the path when his eyes caught a glimpse of sleek, shiny black out of the corner of his eye.
The last time he had seen the Regalia, the old girl had been beaten and smashed to bits after they made their escape from the daemon infested train and fled into Gralea. She was back there now, just sitting there in that place in ruins... seeing her there now all in one piece, glittering in the sun in all her former glory almost made him sad. But instead, he smiled softly, nodding in respect for the royal steed. He'd already said goodbye, that wasn't what this was. But he knew this time he really would never see her again.
"Take care of them for me." He said in a low voice.
With a bittersweet feeling lingering in his chest, Noct sneaked the rest of the way over to the caravan, glad to see Ignis and Gladio joining Prompto by the chocobo post. He lingered on them for a moment. he would be seeing them soon enough, but he wasn't so sure he'd ever see them like this again. He wanted to take a piece of this past back with him. Maybe once they reclaimed the crystal and kicked Ardyn's sorry ass, they could find something similar again.
Noct entered the caravan after one last second, wasting no time and going straight to lie down on the bed.
"Okay, Umbra." He called out with his mind, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he'd be back. "Take me back."
Noct opened his eyes, and he was back in Zegnautus Keep again.
Staring up at the bunk above the one he was lying in, he just laid there for a moment, blinking a few times before slowly pulling himself up so he could sit up. It was odd to be back in the proper time after being back there, he needed a moment to readjust but Noct took a deep breath and settled where he now sat with his friends around him.
"Noct?" Ignis asked, hearing the movement of his body against the sheets. Noctis cringed at the sight of his sunglass covered eyes having freshly seen the gentle green again, but nodded.
"Yeah, Ignis. I'm back." He said, looking around between his friends, eyes locking with Prompto's looking back at him from the next bed over where he was still confined. "Mission accomplished."
Standing from the bed, Noct moved immediately to Prompto's side, sitting down on his bed.
"You actually did it without screwing something up?" Gladio teased, crossing his arms while he observed Noctis. He didn't doubt the young king, he'd be a fool if he did by now.
"What? You surprised?" Noct grinned with a confidence he hadn't realized he'd still harbored, but he wasn't complaining about it. "I hopped in and out and you guys were none the wiser."
"So... what happened?" Prompto asked curiously, drawing Noct's eye. "I mean, what was it like being back there? Like come on, it had to be weird as hell, right?"
They'd talked about it before Noct had gone, they all knew what Noct would find back there. Ignis with his sight, and Prompto able to even so much as stand up. The three of them all blissfully unaware of the horrors they would at that time have yet to face. But Prompto couldn't help but wonder how Noct had managed to deal with that, if he even really was.
"I know I'd freak if I was able to do that."
"Nothing happened, don't worry." Noct shook his head, looking him in the eye for a moment, then looking to Ignis and Gladio. "It was weird, yeah. You know, knowing what you're going to see, and actually seeing it are different things. I, uh... well, I froze when I saw you both." He admitted it honestly. He wasn't about to lie to them now of all times, after all. There would be no point in that. "I thought Ignis was going to catch on, but I think I was convincing enough to fool him."
"Ah, yes, I'm sure you were." Ignis nodded, smiling a sly little smile of his own. "Bad dreams, Noct?"
"H-Hey, wait a minute!" Noct exclaimed, pointing a finger at the advisor with wide eyes. "No way you actually remember that!"
The others laughed around him, probably the most light-hearted moment they'd shared since before the day Luna forged the pact with Leviathan in Altissia...
"You really thought you pull pull the wool over Iggy's eyes, Noct?" Gladio chuckled, coming over and patting Noctis on the shoulder, a big grin on his face. "You're a terrible actor. And you've been using that excuse for years!"
"Hey, sometimes it's true!"
"Yes, well, it matters little for the time being." Ignis said, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "Now, Noct. You were successful in procuring curatives for Prompto, yes?"
Shoving Gladio away, Noct pulled himself together.
"Yeah." Nodding to the blind advisor sitting perpendicular to them, he reached out his right hand and produced a hi-potion from the Armiger. "Sure did, Ignis. I got Hi-Potions, Hi-Elixirs, you name it. Only the best, strongest stuff. And plenty of them."
"Yes, of course." Ignis replied. Getting up from his chair, with his cane he felt his way to Prompto's bedside, though he was pretty sure he'd mapped out the barracks well enough to move around inside without it. "Very good, Noct. We'll need to make use of them immediately. The longer we wait, the less affective curatives will become on Prompto's injuries. And it's been quite a while already..."
"Uh, yeah.." Prompto said, awkwardly glancing between his three friends. His injuries were manageable by now, they had done their best to treat them with what few supplies they had at their disposal, but Ardyn had been anything but merciful to him in their absence. Brutal stabbings, electrocutions, strangulation... all the manipulation, the mind games, all of it... but it was over now, his friends wouldn't ever let anything happen to him again! Noct even went all the way to the past to ensure that they could heal him! Everything was going to be okay now.
"Don't worry, Prom, we've got you covered." Noct reassured, producing a Hi-Elixir from the Armiger. "I think this might help your fever some too." Paused, not entirely sure. "Or, well, at the very least they can't make you feel any worse. So just say the word."
"Hey, the last thing I'm gonna do is object here, Noct." Prompto put his hands up, shaking his head at the insinuation, though immediately regretting it as a dizziness came over him from the motion intermixed with his thankfully but slowly decreasing fever. Noct reached out his hand, but the blonde promptly insisted that he was okay before looking Noct in the eyes again. "Go right ahead man. Being injured sucks."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Gladio chuckled on the side. It was nice to see the kid becoming more and more like himself by the minute. He was gonna be fine, and they were gonna kick Ardyn's sorry ass into the ground for ever thinking he could hurt Prompto like this and get away with it!
"From my estimate of Prompto's injuries, his legs and left shoulder sustained the most severe damages." Ignis said, offering Noct instruction to make sure Prompto received the most thorough care possible now that they had more proper means of doing so for their needs. "I would suggest starting there."
Nodding, Noct removed the blankets from over Prompto's legs. Prompto was still heavily bandaged all over his body, it was upsetting, but with what they were able to do for him before, Noct was relieved by the fact that he couldn't see any blood seeping through the surplus of gauze and wrappings. It was a good sign, but the blonde was still too fresh from being mangled to be anywhere close to back up and running without the power of the curatives Noctis had managed to procure. Gripping the Hi-Elixir in his hand, Noct held it over Prompto's legs and broke the bottle over them, letting the healing substance imbued with Armiger magic sprinkle over his friend and absorb into him, the power of the enhanced Elixir doing its part to mend the blonde's legs as much as it could. The magical healing piecing Prompto's legs back together to the best of its ability given the age of each individual wound just as Ignis had said.
"Whoa, that's weird!" Prompto gasped at the sensation while Noctis moved to break another Hi-Elixir over his bandaged left shoulder, feeling the healing powers coursing through his body. It was strange, like a comforting warmth pooling inside of him where before there had just been pain and ache and that same stinging that pierced every segment of his malfunctioning body. But for the first time in what felt like forever, that piercing sting was fading. He'd used plenty of curatives before, he was no stranger to sustaining an injury in battle every now and then, but the extent of the power he was experiencing now almost felt foreign in comparison.
"That means it's working." Gladio chuckled, observing the scene to make sure everything went off without a hitch in case they needed Iggy to step in. He was glad to see he was seemingly right to doubt the need to do so, but he wasn't about to take the chance for anything to go wrong on his watch all things considered. They never knew when Ardyn might have tried to play any more tricks on them when they were least expecting it.
"How do you feel, Prompto?" Ignis asked as he listened to Noct break each curative over each wound until he'd treated every single one. "I don't suspect you're right as rain right away, but how has your pain improved, if at all?"
"Need another round, you think?" Noct elaborated, ready to break out more curatives at a moment's notice if need be. He'd certainly bought plenty of them.
"I dunno." Prompto answered truthfully, looking himself over with scrutiny. "I feel less... achy?" Curiously, he moved his left arm at the shoulder, surprised when he only flinched rather than completely recoil in pain and anguish. "And I can I didn't just drop dead from that, so... seems like a good sign to me."
"What about your legs?" Gladio asked, leaning in to observe his friend's condition closer. His shoulder they could deal with, but if they were going to finish the mission, he wasn't going to be able to carry Prompto around everywhere. They needed to be sure that he could even stand, much less walk. "If you think you can stand, I think we should give it a shot. But if you're not feeling up to it, Noct can give you another potion or something if you need it, but it's up to you, Prompto."
Nodding, Prompto looked around to each of his friends before his gaze tracked back to his legs, biting at his lip in his nerves.
"I think I can try."
Noct nodded, moving aside to create easier access for Prompto to get out of the bunk but he hovered anxiously by his side. The moment Prompto exhibited any pain or need for support, the king's hands would be on him within seconds. They'd come so far and they were so close he wasn't going to let Prompto get hurt again no matter what!
"Take it slow, Prompto. Don't place all of your weight into your legs at once." Ignis instructed, sincerely wishing he could see what was going on right now so he could be of more help. He trusted Noctis and Gladio to take care of Prompto and make sure he was alright, but what the advisor wouldn't give... "Ease up and take it at your own pace. And remember, you haven't been on your feet in quite a while, if you need a few moments to find your footing that's perfectly alright. Don't push yourself beyond your limits."
"Uh, yeah." Prompto nodded in response, carefully swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he prepared to try and stand. His legs still hurt, though with how savagely Ardyn had injured him that didn't really surprise him, but the lingering ache made him nervous. But nervous or not, he was determined to give it a shot. They didn't have time for him to lay around much longer, and the last thing he wanted was to hold the others back or have the world plunged into eternal darkness because of him! No, he had to try! If he needed another Potion or Elixir, so what, he just had to get up and back on his feet again, he had to! "You got it, Iggy."
Very carefully, Prompto lightly placed his feet on the ground, teetering on the edge of standing and just sitting there forever. Just push himself up and try to stand, that's all he had to do, but he couldn't help but worry. If he stood and his injuries still couldn't handle it and reopened, or if he collapsed and they needed to waste even more time waiting on him, it drove him mad. The others wouldn't hold it against him, clearly not if they didn't hold the truth of who and what he was against him, but somehow that didn't make him feel better. He could almost feet the sweat forming on his brow as he stared nervously at his feet on the ground when he felt Noct's hand gingerly land on his shoulder. Looking up at his best friend, four blue eyes locked, the deep blue across from sky reassured him 'it's okay, I'm here.' with a warmth and sincerity that made Prompto's heart beat harder and faster.
Taking a deep, centering breath, Prompto nodded to Noctis. Resolving himself, he braced for a moment before carefully pushing himself up from his seat on the bed, doing his best to shift his weight to his legs slowly as Ignis had instructed. Noctis and Gladio both moved in slightly as Prompto stood, ready to intervene if they needed to, and Ignis stood, extending a hand when he heard the shuffling of Prompto trying to keep his balance once he was on his feet, and heard the grimace on his face at the ache and sharp pain that came with the new weight against his mending injuries.
"It's alright, Prompto." Ignis soothed, closing his finger's around the trembling hand that took his. Prompto had been the one devotedly guiding him and supporting him when his sight had been first lost, staying by his side to ensure his safety and general wellbeing while Noctis and Gladio hashed it out around them. This time it was his turn to do the supporting. "I have you, you're doing wonderfully."
Nodding in Noct's general direction, the king immediately rose to stand next to Prompto, taking out another Hi-Potion and breaking it over his friend, everyone feeling better seeing Prompto almost reinvigorate with strength in response, his legs growing sturdier as his hand steadied against the advisor's firm but gentle grasp.
"You good, Prompto?" Gladio asked, wary of him pushing himself, but right by his side if he needed another firm hand.
"Y-Yeah." Prompto grimaced again, though more getting used to standing again more than it was pain, fortunately. "Yeah, I-I think I'm okay. Thanks, Noct, that extra Hi-Potion really worked wonders."
"Anything you need, man." Noct patted his friend's shoulder, serious and sincere. "We're not going anywhere without you."
"Well when you put it that way." Prompto half laughed, scratching at the back of his neck. "I'd better get moving, huh?"
"Prompto, if you need-"
"-No worries, Iggy, I've totally got this!" Prompto insistently shook his head. After a deep, slow breath in and out he gingerly took a step, bracing for blinding pain, but was greeted by little more than a dull ache. Blinking in surprise, Prompto's face lit up as he took a few more small steps over to the next bunk beside his. "See? Told you!"
"This is awesome!" Noct beamed as well, practically jumping for joy seeing his best friend on his feet and walking again. Part of him was worried about that... understandably, he figured. Clapping a hand down on Prompto's less injured shoulder, Noct smiled nonetheless. "What about your shoulders? How do they feel?"
A quizzical expression coming over his face for a second, Prompto rolled each shoulder before answering, testing to see how effectively healed those injuries were as well. His left shoulder still stung when movement got to his healing wound, but the important thing was that his right shoulder felt almost as good as new.
His shooting arm.
"Good enough to call myself back up and running again, Noct." Prompto answered, a look of determination in his sky blue eyes. "Let's go kick Ardyn's sorry butt and get the Crystal back!"
"Whoa, there, blondie." Gladio interjected, thoughts of Aranea entering Prompto's mind at the nickname she tended to favor. Stepping up with crossed arms, the shield wasn't as eager to let Prompto back into the fray. "You just got fixed up. Give your body a minute to adjust before you try to go running off into a fight."
"Indeed." Ignis agreed in all seriousness. "Your body has been through a lot in a short time, Prompto. You're healed, yes, but that doesn't mean you're fit for battle immediately."
"Take a couple laps around the safe room." Gladio said before Prompto could protest, a grin on his lips. "Once we know you won't lose your balance and fall over on us every few steps, we'll head out. And you can take the first crack at the bastard when we find him."
Prompto opened his mouth to protest, but ultimately said nothing. They were right. Just because he was able to take a few steps didn't mean he was ready to go face of against Ardyn right away. If he tried to push himself too hard too fast he would just be a burden to his friends - to Noct - and he would never forgive himself for that. Not after they went to all this insane trouble for his sake... to see him safe and healed...
Nodding, Prompto agreed to Ignis and Gladio's terms.
"Right." He said, wasting no time starting on his victory laps around the barracks.
Chuckling to themselves happily watching Prompto so determined to be back at a hundred percent again, Noctis allowed his thoughts to flicker back to Ardyn. All of this was his fault. He was the one who'd killed his loved ones, he was the one who'd forced him to betray Prompto and kidnapped his best friend, torturing him and using him as a plaything in his twisted game. It made Noct so unreasonably angry to think about it, clenching his fists every time the chancellor's face flashed across his mind.
But soon, he thought. Soon Ardyn would get what's coming to him. He'd avenge his father, and Luna, and Prompto and they would get the Crystal back!
Soon they would put an end to all of this.