Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting, Prompto_Cam and istoleyourcheesecake

Well, this was it, this is the end. ;w; I hope everyone enjoyed it thoroughly, and I do have a couple other 'romance' ones planned. I know this one was more fluff and sap than anything, but to be honest, I's feel too awkward going much further, so I hope this was satisfactory for what it was. lol

Anyway, I have huge plans for the next chapter story, so I hope your bodies are ready. lol

Bagpipes5K2: I think Imma have Gladio be the one to do that, I think that would be the most appropriate. XD Plus, I doubt Noctis would bring it up, not straight forward enough. Lots of fluff for the camp scene. ;D I can't imagine what it must have felt like. - I'd be worried too if I had a friend with a disability like on of them and they went missing, it would be so horrible. D: Haven't figured out exactly how I'm gonna have them handle it, but I know for a fact that it's gonna be a really fluffy ending. ^-^

xYukiNoYume: XD Well, thank you for the lovely comment then, it was much appreciated. :D And yessssss, not sure why, but it's always the little gestures that I find to be more adorable and heart-warming and meaningful. They have a little talk about it in this chapter, it's nothing too major, so I hope it doesn't feel too brushed over or anything. And, thank you again, the next one isn't a pairing one, but I do have some pretty big plans for it nonetheless. :D

The atmosphere was so unbearably uncomfortable for both Gladio and Noctis; for about an hour now, they've been sitting there, sharing confused glances every so often. Both of them waiting for the other to bring up the elephant in the room - or camp - and ask the question they were both pondering. Like, what the hell happened between the others. Even here, in a relatively safe environment, well, safer than where they were, and still they hovered so close to one another. Almost as though they were uneasy about leaving each other's side.

The shield gave another glance to the prince and slightly nodded his head, urging him to speak up. But, of course, the raven was having none of that, not wanting to impose or anything of the sort, despite how much his curiosity begged him. Stubbornly, he folded his arms and leaned back, crossing his legs in a manner that said he was refusing to budge.

Sighing against the suffocating silence, Ignis finally put an end to it. "The rest of the people, did they make it?" he asked, hoping at least some of the patrons were able to make it out of this disaster in one piece.

"Yeah," Noctis replied, not missing a beat. "The moment we made it to a safe stop, we headed out to find you guys. There were a few minor injuries, but nothing… fatal." He opened his mouth to ask about the others on his end, but stopped himself, already fearing he knew the answer to that. He hadn't seen anyone else, so it didn't bode well.

As they fell into small talk, the brute kept an unwavering eye on the meager space between Prompto and the adviser. Ever since they found them, they hadn't so much as stepped away from each other. His thumbs rubbed together in thought as his raced a hundred miles a second, and before he could stop himself, it was already out there. "So, what happened out there? Why are the two of you… so… chummy with each other all of a sudden?" he asked, the question being blurted out, causing the adviser to perk up and tighten his mouth nervously.

Next to him, Noctis stiffened with the shift in the atmosphere, and he kind of preferred the uncomfortable quiet over this. Without even glancing at the brunet, he could sense his awkward hesitation. A man usually so quick to respond, caught off guard by one simple inquiry, it was unbecoming of him. "It's a rather long story," he breathed out, lowering his head as he did so.

"We have time," Gladio pressed, eliciting an inward groan from the raven. Why couldn't he just leave it alone for the time being? "Whenever you're ready to give the details," he added, leaning forward slightly in anticipation.

Meanwhile, the blond sat there, glancing between the three of them in utter confusion, noticing the slight shift himself. "Well, when it happened," the adviser started, "I seemed to have lost consciousness before I was able to understand what was going on. When I came to… everything was in disarray." Slowly, he went over the events as he remembered them, slowing down and pausing every so often when he got close to that particular moment. He was unsure if he should really mention all that or not, not when Prompto didn't have a say in it of whether he was alright with them knowing or not. So, for the time being, he skipped over it, leaving out the intimacy of that night, no matter how minor it may have been. It was a private matter and it would remain as such.

"And, that's it, huh?" Gladio asked, suspiciously as he flicked his attention between the two.

"All that's important," Ignis stated, his fortitude standing as strong as ever. For a moment, he faced the direction of the shield, holding what he could of that contact until he heard a sigh of defeat from the larger man. "If that is all you wish to know, then I'll probably be heading to bed, I'm rather tired," he informed, subtly hinting that the conversation was now over.

As he stood up, it wasn't a second later that Prompto was right behind him, never permitting the man to get more than a foot away without him. Barely conscious of the other two watching their backs, the gunner looped his arm through the adviser's ready to lead him in the right direction at a moment's notice. But, it wasn't long before that small gesture transformed into a more affectionate one, his hand wrapping around until his hand was on the other's waist. It still appeared as nothing more than an act of assistance, but they all knew better than that.

"Load of bullshit," the shield scoffed once they were hidden away in the tent, the words uttered low enough for only the prince to make out. "I'm not buying that for a second, saying nothing else happened." The man shook his head and leaned back in his chair, his amber gaze lingering on the tent for a few more seconds.

Noctis gave him an unbelievable stare for a moment, still slightly stunned that he would come out and ask like that, the man knew no subtlety. "Does it matter?" he arched an eyebrow, unease settling in him just at discussing this; it was awkward and it really wasn't their business. Sure, he was curious as well, but it didn't sit well talking about it behind their backs.

The other didn't appear to take the hint though. "It's just weird, they've never been particularly close, and now you couldn't get them away from each other if you tried." He kind of chuckled at the end, but it didn't exactly sound like a humorous one. More like a forced one.

"Yeah, but still, it seems harmless enough. They went through a lot lately, so it makes sense, I guess," he shrugged. "Just let them be."

He took a deep breath and slowly released it; guess he was alone to think about this himself seeing as no one else thought it was worth the light of day. The way he saw it, anything that concerned any of them needed to be addressed and known about should problems arise from it. But, there was nothing he could do if the others refused. "Have it your way then," he mumbled, closing his eyes and sinking further into his seat.

Ignis carefully lowered himself down, releasing a small breath of relief at the familiarity of his surroundings. He never thought he'd miss the essence of camping until now. As he took it all in, arms wrapped around him and a weight was placed on his shoulder, leaning into it longingly. Instinctively, his hand wandered up, gliding over the softness of his locks, well, not exactly soft anymore.

"Made it back alive," he muttered, dropping his hand back to his side. Damn, he was completely drained, exhaustion continued to tug at the edges of his being. Without making his desires known, he was pulled to the side, lured into a lying position as the embrace around him tightened, the chilled presence of a nose being tucked against his neck as the blond nestled closer. Then a breath fluttered over his ear, enticing a small shiver out if him.

Awareness hitting him like a truck at the knowledge that the other two were so close, the brunet, more harshly than he intended, squirmed out from the gunner's hold, sitting right back up with a jolt. "What's wrong," the other whispered, trying harder than before to keep his voice as low as possible, and he definitely succeeded when Ignis could barely hear it.

He hesitated, not sure how to word things, not even certain what it was that was bothering him all of a sudden. Maybe it was the fact that the others had noticed something was going on between them, perhaps he was afraid it wouldn't go over well with them; it was out of the blue, and none of them really knew what to make of it, including himself. Holding his breath, he pulled out his phone and held it out for Prompto to set up for him. As the device was switched to the right options, he started to figure out what it was that was making him so uneasy about all this.

"What do you think the others would think of this?" he asked, "...of us?" Prompto casually took the phone. Ignis waited in agony as his message was read over, the sound of the gears turning easily picked up. That subtle change in breathing and the belated exhale was the only indication he had that he had finally processed it.

The gunner scanned over the words, taking it in. He'd thought about how the others would react if they knew anything had happened between them, but until now, he hadn't dwelled on it a whole lot. 'I don't know,' he typed out, being completely honest. As well as he felt as though he knew the both of them, he had no idea what they would think of all of this. 'But… I don't think we can keep it secret from them, they're not dumb.'

"I know," the brunet replied, shoulders sagging with the realization of the matter. "Although, I have a feeling they already know…"

Now it was Prompto's time to blush at that; had they really caught on already? It hadn't even been more than a few hours yet. Maybe they really weren't that subtle about things, not as much as he thought they were. He swallowed thickly, an irrational sense of dread gripping him at the ideas of what they must think. The expectancy of them automatically being disapproving of the connection that formed between them. 'What did they say?' he asked, heart tickling the inside of his chest.

Ignis' brows furrowed and he averted his face. "Nothing really, just asking questions, is all," he replied. "I think we should talk about this first before explaining things to them," he suggested, knowing they would have to sooner or later.

'What do you mean, 'talk about it'?' the blond asked, his anxiety starting to flare up, fearing the worst. A million scenarios played out in his imagination, none of the having the result he longed for.

"What are we doing?" the adviser asked, the question vague and confused. "What I mean is, what are we to one another?" He already knew what he wanted, and he was pretty sure he knew what the other wanted, but he had to be sure, he had to hear it, had to have the response from him.

Prompto blinked a few times, slightly taken aback. That was a good question, one he didn't know if he could answer or not. 'What would you prefer?' he asked. 'What do you want us to be, whatever it is, I promise, I'm fine with it.' If Ignis wanted to pretend that nothing had happened and go back to the way things were, then so be it. He wouldn't entirely be fine with it, but he wasn't going to force anything that wasn't going to work. 'But,' he started, unable to just keep it all into himself, 'I wouldn't mind seeing where all this goes.' Even if it wasn't his voice saying it, his face still heated with the admission of that.

The blond's heart nearly stopped when he saw that slight smile slip onto the brunet's face, it was subtle and fought back, but there was no mistaking it. Even now, the man tried to keep his emotions in check. This managed to calm him down a few degrees, slowly putting his racing mind at ease. "Prompto, I'm fully prepared for what's to come if you are," he promised, hearing a small hitch in breath. "Are you ready for that?"

He heard the shuffle as Prompto went to lift his phone back up, and instantly held both of his wrists and shook his head. Holding both of them securely, he nodded his head slowly, urging the other to answer. The blond took a deep breath before muttering a small and subtle, "Yes." With that, the grasp on him was released and the air completely shifted. Once again, the older man relaxed enough to lie back down, and he waved a hand, inviting the other provide company, which wasn't necessary.

Carefully, Prompto eased his way next to the adviser, snatching the nearby cover to pull over the both of them. So far, this was much more comfortable than hunkering down under a root. Of course, he couldn't really complain at the time. Allowing himself to give in to the comforts, he pressed his head against the man's chest, closing his eyes as an arm draped itself over him and pulled him in securely.

"I love you," he heard a mumbled voice before the from beneath his arm relaxed, exhaling slowly and satisfyingly. To return the statement, he felt around for the gunner's hand and gave it a soft squeeze as he pressed his lips against the top of his head. From where Prompto was, there was a ruffle against his hair as the adviser spoke against it. And, although he couldn't hear, he had a pretty solid idea what it was.

The night was beginning to drag on now, the stars fully alight and thriving above. Noctis leaned back, gaze flicking from one white speck to the next, never lingering on one for very long before moving on to the next. His eyes prickled with the threat of a yawn creeping up, and his lids attempted with all their might to tug downward. "Da-wn," he swore mid yawn, vision blurring slightly with moisture.

"I think it's about time to call it a night," Gladio suggested, sagging more into his seat with each passing minute. It was everything he could do just to stay awake himself. But, he still didn't make any move to get up, his attention still on the same spot in the distance, his arms still folded, and legs still crossed.

The raven glanced over to him, easily able to read his face. "You're still thinking about it, aren't you?" he asked, knowing the man all too well.

"Nothing gets by you, does it?" he sighed, finally changing position from the lack of feeling in one of his feet from having been so still for so long.

"What if there is something between them?" the prince questioned, eyebrow raised. "Are you gonna have a problem with it, or something?" He rolled his head to the side, just enough to have a clear view of the shield as he awaited his response.

Gladio kind of half shrugged, half snorted. "I wouldn't say it would be a 'problem', but I can't say I would have ever expected it. They're completely different from one another, and I guess it would be a bit strange, yeah." He took a deep breath and brought his focus back to the tent. "But, as long as they don't let it get in the way of their duties, then I couldn't care less what they decide to do." He cut his gaze over to the other. "What?" he asked when he noticed that incredulous look.

"Nothing," Noctis replied immediately with a quick shake of his head. "Just, didn't think you'd be so open-minded if I'm being honest." He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at that. "I'm really surprised."

The brute glared over, his arms untangling to rest in his lap. "What kind of a person do you take me for? Not like I'm going to give them a lecture about it or anything. They're both adults and I'm sure they would both know what they're getting into. Only thing that worries me is if things wouldn't work out and how awkward that would make things for all of us." He stared off again, really thinking about it. "We'd have to choose sides and all that fun shit."

"I'm going to bed," Noctis flatly stated, pushing himself to his feet with a quiet grunt. "You coming too, or are you going to stay out here thinking all night?" He placed his hands on his hips and shifted his weight over to one leg.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'," he breathed out standing and stretching his arms up with a groan of satisfaction. "Man, where did the time go?" he asked himself, wincing when a few pops sounded out.

Turning on his heel, the raven strolled on forward, straight to the tent and pulled the fabric aside to freeze on the spot, his eyes narrowing by a margin. "Uh, Gladio," he whispered loudly over his shoulder, waving his hand frantically for the other to hurry it up. Once he was close enough, the younger man placed a single finger over his lips, urging him to remain silent. Using his thumb, he pointed back in the tent and stepped aside for the brute to get a better look in.

Gladio couldn't take his eyes away, there before them were Ignis and Prompto, the former embracing the smaller in his sleep. "Guess I was right after all," he muttered, taken aback despite his suspicions. They were both sound asleep, neither so much as twitching as the other two sneaked their way in and tiptoed around. "Damn, they're out cold," he commented, gazing down at their peaceful expressions. The promise of a safe place to sleep being totally taken advantage of.

"Sleepin' like babies," Noctis sighed, finding the whole scene to be rather amusing. Though, like Gladio, he, too, found it to be a bit out of the blue, but looking at them like this… Well, it was hard to argue with when it was clear they made the other feel safe.

"Sure didn't leave us much room," Gladio griped, scanning over the small amount of space they had left while they occupied the full center. "Do we scoot them over, or…?"

Noctis only huffed out a heavy breath and bowed his head. "After what they went through, I don't think it would hurt either of us to sleep on the ground tonight." Without another word, he snatched up the extra cover and headed back outside before laying it out over the rough surface of that haven.

The shield was close behind, complying with the suggestion. Besides, it probably would have been a little uncomfortable sleeping so close to them when they were like that. Intrusive, if nothing else. "Looks cozy enough," he stated and gazed down at the rather lumpy looking makeshift bed. "At least I can say I've slept in more off-putting places." Offering a sideways grin, he lowered himself down, rolling around for quite sometime before finding a position that worked well enough for him.

"Maybe it's the best thing for them," the prince said after some time. "I mean, like I said, they both went through something back there, and no one understands like they do. So, this might be the best way they have of coping with it."

"Pretty mature stuff for you to be spewing," Gladio joked. "But, yeah, you're probably right. The strongest bonds are between those that have shared trauma." He closed his eyes and relaxed a bit more, his exhaustion heavily outweighing the discomfort of their 'bed'. "Whatever it is, as long as they're happy, then it's fine by me."

The raven hummed in agreement, "Yeah, I guess they'll be alright after all."

Again, thank you to all who stuck through this, and I'm so glad it was much better received than I expected. Heard some stories about people getting unreasonably upset over shipping stories from some others, so that had me worried. Luckily, I got none of that, so thank you so much for all the support. ;w;