I would just like to say that the first scene set before the Fall of Insomnia was really hard to work out. lol I had the whole thing written out and then I remembered that Ignis had his own apartment, not a room in the palace. So… I changed the details accordingly. Then I read the Parting Ways prologue and found out they all crashed in Noct's apartment the night before the trip because they were helping clean it out. *le sigh*

The bed was too soft.

Ignis took a calming breath, trying to relax his shoulders in an attempt to ease the seemingly permanent knot of clustered muscle that had formed just below his neck on the left side. He couldn't remember when the first time he'd noticed it was. Somewhere between Insomnia and the Disc of Cauthess, he imagined.

Logically, the softer bed should have been helping, but it wasn't. The sheets were too crisp and clean again his skin, the mattress too pliable beneath his weight, the pillow's scent too fresh in his nostrils.

Was comfort truly so foreign to him now? So many nights spent with the chill of hard stone or the unforgiving wood of a poorly crafted chair in his back as he'd warred against the pull of sleep in favor of making sure his traveling companion was well protected…

He didn't like the literal walls Altissia had placed between them, even if the building was deemed secure. Lady Lunafreya was more adept at handling herself in a fight than when they'd started their journey, but were she to be taken off guard, one room away might be too much.

Ignis sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he stared at the slightly blurred ceiling above. The haze was almost enough to make the room feel like one back in Insomnia. Almost. His natural vision wasn't bad enough for him to ignore the obvious architectural differences, even in the dark.

A shadow swept by the window to the right of the bed, and Ignis bolted upright, one of his daggers appearing in his right hand as his left snagged his spectacles off the nightstand. The sharp clarity he'd become accustomed to over the years slid into place as his feet touched the floor. It had seemed like a small shadow, but it was only in the corner of his vision, so he couldn't be sure of its true size.

The carpet was push and floorboards too expensive to shriek like those of the other inns he'd stayed in lately, so he had no trouble with his silent advancement towards the window.

There.

The shadow was–

The shadow was from a butterfly that had landed on the windowsill.

Ignis let his hand drop, his dagger disappearing in a flash of magic. He sighed again, giving the shoulder with the knot in it a roll and then settling both his hands on the windowsill. He stood there, hands propping him up and head bowed in exhaustion as he focused on the butterfly with half-masted lids.

Butterflies – the insects commonly associated with the effect small things could have on the future.

It made him wonder… how would have things differed had he left Insomnia that day with Noct and the others?

Before the Fall…

He was going to vomit. Again.

His foot was asleep and his other knee was throbbing painfully after being pressed into the hard line between two of the bathroom's floor tiles for such a long time, but he dared not move. Not with the tidal waves of nausea that kept crashing over him.

He gritted his teeth, gripping the bathroom counter tightly with his left hand as his stomach gave another lurch.

This was not in the itinerary he'd prepared for the day.

A knock on the bathroom door jarred him from his misery.

"Ignis?"

Noct. Of course. There wasn't much of a chance of his condition going unnoticed when they'd all stayed the night in the same apartment. Even if the walls were thick enough to muffle his retching from down the hall, Ignis' absence would not have gone overlooked, particularly on the day he was supposed to be accompanying the Prince on his journey to Altissia to get married.

He really should have tried to get word of his predicament to the King, or at the very least Gladio, but his phone and Gladio had been in the other room. Down the hall. Much too great of a distance for him to cross without ending up heaving on the floor. He'd barely made it to the bathroom as it was.

"Yoooo, Ignis! You alive in here, dude?" Prompto questioned from the hallway. Likely Gladio was there as well, given the third set of heavier footsteps.

Ignis opened his mouth – fully intent on replying – and promptly emptied out what little contents had still been in his stomach.

"Well, I'd say that answers our questions…" he heard Gladio mutter a moment later.

Ignis wished he could sit up and make himself at least quarter-way presentable, but that was far beyond him in his current state.

"Specs?" Noctis pushed the door to the bathroom open.

Ignis resisted the urge to swallow, doubting his stomach's ability to even handle that. "Highness…" He cleared his throat. "My apologies for causing a delay in our departure." He somehow managed to maneuver himself so that he was facing the three of them while resting his back against the counter. "I will–"

"No." Gladio crossed his arms. "We all know what you're gonna say, and no. There is no way in hell you are going on a road trip to Altissia like this."

"I'll be fine in a few hours," Ignis protested, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "I need only rest a bit in the Regalia, and then I can continue on with my duties."

Gladio snorted. "Yeah, sure. And then all of us can catch whatever you've got – if we haven't already – including the princess right before he's supposed to see his fiancée."

Ignis dearly hoped the others wouldn't be subjected to this as well. The fact that they'd stayed up so late playing King's Knight would do their immune systems no favors, but after the utterly tedious job of cleaning out Noct's apartment, even Gladio had agreed to join in, despite the hour.

Noctis shook his head. "Gladio's right, Iggy. You shouldn't be going anywhere like this."

Click.

"Prompto!" Gladio smacked Prompto on the back of the head as he lowered his camera.

"Ow! Hey!"

Noctis shifted his weight to one side, giving his friend a look. "Seriously, man?"

"What?" Prompto huffed, rubbing the back of his head. "Two things I have never seen and am not likely to see again: Ignis without his glasses and Ignis with bed head. Now I've preserved the moment!"

Wonderful. Now this delightful time of indignity could be forever remembered by everyone.

Ignis heaved a sigh. "My faith in the safety of your trip continues to diminish."

Noctis tilted his head to the side, studying Ignis silently instead of replying.

"Something the matter?" Ignis asked, trying to keep his voice above a tired mumble.

"Just realized I'd never seen your face without your glasses."

"Yes, well, without them, I can hardly make out yours."

Gladio snorted as Noct maneuvered past him and left the bathroom suddenly. "Oh, quit being dramatic. Your eyes ain't even that bad." He glanced at the clock on the bathroom wall. "We need to get going to Altissia. Sorry, Iggy. I'll call someone to get you a ride home."

After spending the night on Noct's couch, his own apartment did sound quite a bit more comfortable, even if he was to be left behind.

Ignis tried to wave his hand, but it came off as more of a flop. "I won't fault you for tending to your duties. Just do try to bring him back in one piece."

"Hey, don't sweat it, Specs." Noctis re-entered the bathroom and squatted down in front of him, sliding his spectacles onto his face. "We'll be back before you know it."

Ignis blinked, adjusting to the clearer world. "That is what concerns me…"

Noctis frowned. "What're you sayin'?"

"That I'm no stranger to His Highness's driving habits."

Noctis gave him a flat look. "'Preciate the confidence."

Gladio chuckled deeply. "We'll try not to end up in a ditch."

"I can drive some!" Prompto piped up.

Ignis met Gladio's gaze. "You are definitely going to end up in a ditch."

"Heeeeeey! Come on! I can handle it! Driving isn't even hard!" Prompto held his hands out like he was holding the wheel of a car. He swayed his whole body back and forth. "It's just a tuuurn that way or tuuurn this way–"

Ignis practically shoved Noctis out of the way to get back to the toilet.

"Nice job, Prompto…" Gladio said.

"…Sorry."

A second later, Noct had a gentle but firm hand on Ignis' back as he continued heaving.

Noct, who was about to be in a different city than him for the first time in a very long while. The only large event in Noctis' life that Ignis hadn't been present for was his birth, but now he was going to miss his wedding.

If Noct made it that far.

Ignis finished heaving, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Make sure you wash that hand before you leave. It won't do any good to have you come down ill as well."

A soft laugh puffed out of Noctis' mouth. "Sure thing, Specs."

Poor sweet Iggy… you have no idea what's to come…