Hey so I think I'm just gonna stop trying to estimate when I post new chapters because it turns out, I'm kind of stupid and I just straight up forgot that this chapter has been waiting for editing for an embarrassingly long time. I thought I had to write it still so I just kept procrastinating, but no, it was here all this time D:

Anyway, I hope you're all doing well! I'm currently apartment hunting because I wanna move out of my parents' house but it's uhhh difficult, rent is expensive and not many places are available so it's not very fun. But I keep dreaming of buying like, an armchair, and then I can sit in the armchair and drink coffee and write in my very own place so! That's something to look forward to!

For now, please have this chapter, I hope you enjoy!

It's raining. Though, perhaps raining is a bit of an exaggeration – in truth, it's more of a light drizzle. Nothing compared to the absolute deluge they've had to deal with the past few days – perhaps the weather is finally improving.

Either way, Ignis grabs an umbrella before he steps out of the caravan.

He doesn't have to search long for the familiar tuft of blond hair, blending in quite nicely with the birds. Right now, it lies flat from the rain rather than sticking up in all directions like it usually does.

Ignis isn't moving particularly quietly, but Prompto still startles when he comes to stand next to him, umbrella angled so that it covers both their heads.

"Iggy!" he yelps, clutching at his chest in a very dramatic motion. "Don't just sneak up on me like that, man!"

The bird he's been petting squawks in protest, bumping its head against Prompto's shoulder and making him stumble.

"Sorry, girl," Prompto coos immediately, quickly resuming the scritches beneath the chocobo's chin. "Whatcha doing out here? I mean, not that I want you gone, but you sounded pretty excited about the idea of warm beds and, y'know, being dry."

"I could ask you the same thing," Ignis counters. "I simply came to make sure you were alright."

Prompto glances at him but looks away again just as quickly. "Oh. I'm fine, just spending some quality time with Queenie here. Gotta enjoy it while it lasts, right?"

Queenie, clearly enjoying the attention, leans into the touch, which in turn makes Prompto laugh.

Encouraged by her reaction, Ignis reaches out as well, gently running his hand over her wing. The sensation of wet feathers against his bare palm is… not all that pleasant, but the chocobo lets out a delighted sound and seems very pleased with all the pets she is receiving.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Ignis says, offering Prompto a smile. "We've all been having a rough time lately, and I've been meaning to ask if you were doing alright – offer a listening ear, should you wish for it."

The fall of Insomnia still weighs heavy on all of them, though most of their collective efforts have revolved around helping Noctis deal with the grief of losing his father as well as reuniting Gladio with his sister as soon as possible.

Between Noctis' listlessness and Gladio's anger simmering just below the surface, it was easy to forget that Prompto most likely lost people too. Of course, that's not an excuse at all and Ignis is quite frankly ashamed that he did not think to inquire about Prompto's well-being any sooner.

Prompto eyes him with something akin to surprise. It stings a little, that Ignis checking up on him is something that elicits bewilderment, though he supposes it's not entirely undeserved with how long it has taken him to actually do so.

"Me?" Prompto says, too quickly. "Yeah, of course, I'm fine. I mean, sure, it's been rough, but I'm okay. Really. Don't worry about me."

It would be easy to leave it at that. Prompto is offering him an easy way out, a chance to drop the conversation and still feel like he has done his part by asking in the first place. Ignis and Prompto aren't as close as Noctis and Prompto or himself and Gladio, but he does like to think that they are at the very least friends.

But there is something about Prompto's statement that leaves Ignis incapable of dropping the issue, even if he wanted to.

Don't worry about me.

But then if he doesn't, Ignis wonders, who will?

"Forgive me if I'm overstepping," he starts carefully. "But… have you been able to contact your parents at all?"

Prompto stills beside him. His hand remains in the chocobo's feather's, clutching at the soft down.

"I, uh. I tried calling them a few times. Texted, too, but those never went through. I haven't actually heard anything from them since…"

The words, though not unexpected, make Ignis' heart clench. Of course, in the first few days after the attack, people would have been hard to contact due to a combination of power outages and overloaded phone lines.

But Ignis has sat in on meetings regarding the city's emergency protocols enough times to know that there are steps to be taken in the event of a disaster that have communication up and running within less than a week. By now, anyone still in the city should be contactable by phone once more.

If Prompto is still unable to reach his parents, then…

"I'm sorry," Ignis offers softly.

"Thanks, uh, I mean. It's fine, really," Prompto says with forced nonchalance. He's not looking at Ignis, instead staring straight ahead at Queenie who has started to shift impatiently beneath Prompto's still hand.

Ignis frowns. In the years that he's known Prompto, he's long since learnt that the boy is startlingly good at hiding his distress. But Ignis likes to think that he's getting somewhat skilled at reading Prompto's true emotions even if he tries to conceal them.

This feels different, somehow.

"Prompto, it's alright to be upset," he presses gently.

"But that's exactly the problem – I'm not!" Prompto blurts, then immediately blanches once he realises what he's said.

"No?"

"No! At least… well, I'm sad, sure, but I'm not devastated the way a guy who just lost his parents should be!"

As soon as the words spill from Prompto's lips, he claps a hand over his mouth, eyes wide and startled. It's clear he didn't actually mean to say any of it, but Ignis is glad that he did.

"I see," he says, keeping his tone neutral and deliberately free of judgment.

"You– You're just gonna accept that? That's not normal," Prompto insists. He sounds frustrated and upset, like he expects something from Ignis that he is not going to give. An accusation, perhaps, or being told that he should be ashamed of himself.

Wiping his hand – still wet from the chocobo's feathers, gods, he wishes his gloves hadn't been so thoroughly soaked by the rain – on his pants, Ignis lays gentle fingers on Prompto's back.

"I might be wrong, but I believe you may have already grieved your parents long before Insomnia fell. In your own way."

Prompto twitches but doesn't shy away from the touch. If anything, he seems to unconsciously lean into it.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ignis sighs. This isn't the conversation he thought they were going to have when he stepped out of the caravan, but they are going to have it if it helps Prompto feel better about himself.

"You know that Noctis spent some time in Tenebrae as a child after he was attacked, yes? And that Tenebrae was invaded while he was still there?"

Prompto nods, brows furrowed. "Yeah?"

"When the news of the invasion reached Insomnia, I absolutely lost my mind," Ignis admits. The memory is not a fond one, but Prompto deserves to learn of it more than anyone else, at least if Ignis' hunch is correct. "I was beside myself with worry about Noct – my uncle dragged me to the doctors to have me sedated because I wouldn't stop crying."

Even after all these years, it's hard to forget the terror he felt in the days after the invasion. Remembering it now is almost too painful to bear, but Prompto is visibly puzzled, so Ignis keeps talking.

"He thought I was concerned for my parents who lived in Tenebrae at the time, but… the thought that they may have been affected or even killed in the invasion hadn't even occurred to me. All I could think of was Noct, and I had not spared a single thought to my parents."

No one but Ignis' uncle knows – knew – about this. It's a story he hasn't told to anyone, not to Gladio, certainly not to Noct. To share it now, after all these years, is both terrifying and liberating at the same time.

"My uncle was concerned about my… lack of fear for my parents' safety, as well as my general mental state after learning of the news, so he had me attend therapy sessions for a while. My therapist at the time theorized that the potential loss of my parents didn't register the way my uncle expected it because I had already grieved them a long time ago – back when they sent me to Lucis and then failed to keep up contact."

He pauses, debating his next words but ultimately deciding that it hardly matters now – he's already shared so much, he might as well go all the way. "They were still very much alive when I'd grieved them, but they may very well have been dead to me."

Prompto looks a little horrified now, so Ignis offers him a reassuring smile. "It's alright. It's an old wound, long since scarred over. My parents eventually turned out to be alive – they'd managed to flee Tenebrae and resided in Lucis afterwards, but nothing much changed. I've not spoken to them in years."

"I'm sorry, Iggy," Prompto says quietly. "That's terrible."

"It's in the past now," Ignis promises. "But the reason why I share this story with you is because I believe you may be experiencing something similar. I'm not privy to the details of your familial situation, but I have put some things together over the years I've known you."

Prompto was always secretive about his home life and Ignis never pried – instead, he opted to make sure the boy was fed and cared for in the most inconspicuous way he could manage. But now, Ignis can't help but wonder how deep those wounds Prompto's parents inflicted truly ran.

"I'm not… I don't hate them," Prompto insists. "They weren't horrible to me or anything, they just… weren't there. I guess they felt more like strangers than like parents."

He sighs, sounding weary and worn out. "Maybe I was kind of done with them before Insomnia fell. I don't know. It feels wrong to not be upset the way I should be."

"It's entirely possible that grief will catch up with you at a later time, once our situation calms down a little and you've got more time to process," Ignis tells him. "But if it doesn't, that's alright too. You needn't feel guilt over it."

Prompto doesn't look convinced but doesn't argue. He remains silent, lost in thought for a long while before he speaks again.

"I think I'm gonna have to think about this for a little bit. Sleep on it, maybe." The look he gives Ignis is almost apologetic. "Is that okay?"

"Of course," Ignis says without hesitation. "Take however long you need. Just know that the offer for a listening ear still stands, should you wish for it."

Prompto smiles, although shakily, and his next words come out a little choked. "Thanks, Iggy. Really. And, uh, the same goes for you, yeah?"

"I appreciate it," Ignis says, finding that he really means it, too. "Now, would you mind terribly if we headed back to the caravan? It wouldn't do for you to get sick."

With a sigh, Prompto gives Queenie a final pat on the neck. "Sorry, girl. I don't have fluffy feathers to keep me warm, so I gotta go now. I'll stop by in the morning, though."

Then, he steps closer to Ignis so they both fit under the umbrella.

"Okay, let's go back."

Idk where the Ignis&Prompto bonding keeps coming from, lately it seems like that's all I'm writing, lol. I felt like doing something for when they weren't all that familiar with each other yet, I think especially at the start of the road trip, that may have been the case.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to those of you who are still reading this little project or who have just discovered it and decided to give it a shot, that really means the world to me. Even though progress is slow, it's very comforting to know that this project is just here for me to work on whenever I feel like it, and it's still so very dear to my heart.

I hope you have a great day, thank you for being here!