Hello all! This is definitely the last chapter of this short story! I hope you all enjoyed it! (And I'm sure Ignis is grateful to stop being sick finally too!)

Anyways, I own nothing. On with the story!

Sick Day

Chapter 3

Ignis sat up in the bed, trying and failing for the tenth time that day that he was strong enough to continue on to Altissa. He's been cooped up in the bed for the past almost two weeks since fighting his nasty cold (or flu, as Prompto was convinced), and he still wasn't quite 100 percent.

"For the last time, I insist we continue onward!" Ignis tried to argue. His voice still hadn't come back fully either, and it was still raspy. "I will be fine once we are in the Regalia and on the road and SAFE."

Prompto, Noctis and Gladiolus looked at one another and then Ignis, grinning and shaking his head. The bespectacled man let out an irritated huff and pinched the bridge of his nose before he gripped his head.

"Hmm... still have headaches, huh?" Gladio asked, placing his palm to his forehead. For what must've been the millionth time, Ignis's face heated up and he looked away from his friends. "Can't give you another potion Iggy, not yet anyways. You need something?"

Noctis blinked when he noticed Ignis's lips were moving but not a sound came out. Prompto leaned closer, nearly getting in Ignis's face.

"Huh? Didn't quiiiite catch that, Iggy."

"I said... I-I'm fine..." was all the man would say. He looked... uncomfortable and he was a bit twitchy under Gladiolus's hand. Prompto made note of that, and while the others tried to figure out what Ignis would need and what their next course of obtaining the money that was spent for the two weeks they were there, the blond decided that he needed to talk to Ignis alone.

"Hey Iggy."

Ignis looked up from a book he'd been requesting to read, his glasses slipping a bit down his nose. He pushed them up and smiled softly upon seeing their chocobo lover entering. "Hello Prompto. Where are the others?"

"They said they were going to talk to that owner at the store over there to see about any hunts that we could pick up before we head out." He sat on the bed, close enough that they were hip to hip. "We should be leaving tomorrow, depending on how you appear to be. How you holding up?"

Ignis thought about it and shrugged one shoulder. "I feel fine, to be honest. I can't fathom why you all won't let me drive the car- I don't have any other illness to worry about."

Prompto looked at the book in his hand. "I know you're feeling better, but... we just want to be sure. That's all..."

Catching the change in tone, Ignis let the book fall in his lap. "Prompto."

"Hmm?"

"What happened to me? When I was sick?" Ignis placed a hand on his shoulder to get his friend to look up. "To be honest, I cannot recall anything after we got here and it's been frustrating trying to get the prince or Gladio to talk."

Letting out a humorless laugh, the blonde looked at the window and nodded. "I'd imagine... you gave us a scare there, Iggy. Never saw you like that before... it was scary... and a little... weird..."

Ignis nodded. "I... I know the feeling..." he admitted quietly. "It was strange... I felt like I was trapped in another world. It was so hard to get out... and I was tired, more than normal." He then said in a softer voice, "And by the gods... my head... I'd never experienced something so painful, even after all our encounters... it felt like my head was going to explode..."

Prompto recalled the many instances Ignis contantly whined about his head. "Your fever's probably why. I don't know all the details, but... Gladdy said it was bad. Like, near death bad. You were really out of it for a good bit."

There was a pause of quiet. Then, in a quiet voice, Prompto spoke up once again.

"Iggy? Were... were you scared?"

Ignis looked at Prompto a moment, not saying a word, his face blank. After what seemed like forever of green hues staring into blue, the taller man looked at the sheets. "...yes. I think I was."

"You... remember why?"

"I don't know... perhaps its because I felt I... I was dragging you all down. That perhaps... I would honestly not wake up to see another day, I guess." He flexed his left hand, frustrated at himself.

"All because of a common illness... I could have endangered myself or you all... but I'm glad everything turned out alright."

At that thought, Ignis eyed Prompto, who seemed lost in his own world, although he was thinking about something important. "Prompto? Is there something else you want to tell me?"

The blond worried his bottom lip. "I... N-no, it's... not that..." He quickly switched the topic, not wanting to be put on the spot like he was. "U-Umm, do you remember being dunked in the cold water?"

Ignis knew Prompto was trying to avoid his orginal question, but decided to humor him. He thought... and thought... and finally shook his head no before something came to him. "Not... exactly that, but... I do recall feeling pins and needles, as if someone were poking at my arms and legs and it wouldn't stop. Is that what that was?"

Prompto nodded and leaned back on his hands. "Yeah. Had to put you in there or... you probably wouldn't have lasted the night."

"I am beginning to see that. Now Prompto..." Ignis sat up a bit to help with his back and firmly gripped his young companion's shoulder tight, enough to get a small yelp out of the gunner.

"O-Oww... kinda tight there, Iggy."

"Prompto. What is really on your mind? What happened?" he asked, his tone leaving no room for lies... or an argument. Prompto's eyes averted his gaze. "N-Nothing... it's really nothing, don't worry about it-"

"Prompto." Ignis was starting to get annoyed; why did his friends insist on making things so difficult and just not answer his questions?

What he wasn't expecting was the quickest break from his grip... or a hug. Mostly the hug.

"P-Prompto?! What is the meaning of this?!" Ignis demanded, feeling his friend's heart beating through his thin shirt. It was hard and a bit rapid, and it caught Ignis's attention.

"Prompto... what happened?" he asked, lowering his voice as he felt a small hiccup on his shoulder. "What is the meaning of this?"

The man shut his eyes tight and let out a shuddered breath, not bothering to hide the fact tears were rolling down his cheek. "N-Next time you decide to get sick... could you let us know?" the blond nearly whispered. "You seriously scared the crap outta me... I really thought you were gonna die."

Ignis's eyes widened at the open display of affection the blond was showing, along with the clear worry, and he relaxed before deciding to break his own normal behavior and return the hug. He smiled at the effect it had on him, feeling his heart beat a little less hard. "I... I apologize, Prompto. I didn't realize how severe things would have gotten. I just assumed I would be fine after a good night's rest."

"Promise you'll tell us? I-If something is wrong?" he hiccupped, hugging Ignis so tight he was pretyt sure he could snap his in two despite the muscle the older man had.

"As long as you do the same. You tend to hold things inside too, Prompto. It has to work both ways."

Letting go of his friend before it got awkward, Prompto tilted his head and wiped his face. "We all share that habit, I think. Noct and Gladdy hold in a lot too."

"But they eventually release it, whether it be through arguments or anger or just late night talks around the fire. You, Prompto... you always play things off, always believe you are expandable. And that bothers us, you know."

"I... I'm sorry..." was all Prompto could weakly say; how did this flip on him, anyways? He wasn't the one sick in bed! Damn Ignis and his ability to change topics so fast!

Ignis smiled, understanding where he was coming from all too well. "Don't be. We all have that trait that is very hard to break, but we trust each other. We are all just very stubborn."

"I... I guess old habits can't break like that, huh..." Prompto weakly chuckled.

"No. I suppose we can't."

Just then, the door opened. Gladiolus and Noctis walked in, arms full of food and more curatives for the road. "Yo, Specs. What's up?"

Prompto smiled widely and hopped off the bed, grabbing the bags Gladiolus held. "L-Lemme get these, big guy!"

Eyeing his very scrawny friend, Gladiolus questioned, "You sure?"

"Jeez! You act like I can't manage a few potions and some food!" Prompto exclaimed, feigning hurt as he hosted the bags in his arms. Noctis chuckled as he helped him place everything on the small desk in the corner.

"Alright. Tonight is our last night here- frankly, we're broke. The Regalia is still full, so we should be able to find a haven or another place to spend the night before we reach Altissa."

"We're pretty stocked up for the time being and we should be good on potions and crap. But we are running real low on gil- we're gonna hafta find a hunt someplace and fast. Which leads to my next question..."

Looking Ignis up and down, he asked, "Ignis, how are you feeling? And be honest."

Ignis sighed heavily; things weren't about to change anytime soon. He really wasn't used to being fretted over and pampered, and if Prompto's earlier mini-breakdown and talk were anything to go off... he didn't like being worried over. 'I told you that habit is hard to break...'

"I feel fine. Truly and honestly I feel perfectly fine." He crossed his arms. "If anything I would like to get out of this bed."

It wasn't like he wasn't lying- he'd broken the fever after about six days, and slowly regained his strength after that. He was able to hold down more solid food, eating soup for almost five days before being able to take more... normal food. Ignis would be lying if he said the food they'd been getting from the nearby diner was any form of good... he couldn't wait to cook once again, and from the way Noctis was picking at the near vegetable dish he had, he could tell the others missed him too.

"Noct, you're driving. Tomorrow morning." Gladiolus suddenly decided between bits of food. Both Ignis and the Prince glared at the tank and spoke at the same time, "Wait, what did you say?"

"I said"-at that, Gladiolus cut a death glare at the prince- "NOCT is driving the car for at least another two days until you're back at 100 percent, Iggy. And you're staying away from combat, too."

"Driving... as in, early in the morning, sun isn't even up, I'M not even up driving?!" Noctis was pissed. "Why not make Prompto drive?!"

"Need I remind you what happened the last time he drove?" Ignis piped up, a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes as he looked at Noctis with a small smirk. He wasn't feeling well enough to drive and deal with the usually everyday conversations and focus needed to keep them alive, if he were honest. "I'd like to arrive for your wedding in one piece and ALIVE, if that's okay with you."

"I second that. So now that THAT'S settled-"

"Wait a damn minute! Why the hell must I drive?!" the prince was getting angry now, and stood in Gladiolus' face to debete that order. Ignis groaned and rubbed his temples.

"He should have expected that at least..." Prompto looked at Ignis sympathetically.

After a tense argument, Noctis finally agreeing to drive for a few days, Gladiolus continued on with a suitable plan to get them safely to Noctis's wedding, earning more gil and finding a caravan for Ignis to comfortably rest in while he recovered a little longer. Prompto flopped back on the bed- and Ignis's legs- but the latter didn't mind or didn't comment if he did. He simply resumed reading his book.

"Awww man, more hunting?" Prompto groaned, tossing an arm over his eyes. "And the hunting... ugh, must we hunt as soon as we leave? I mean, Iggy's just getting better and someone should watch over him-OWWWW!"

Gladiolus made no attempt to hide the fact he kicked Prompto's foot. "Shut your whining."

"Well I think it's a fairly good plan. Noct?"

"Ugh.. early morning driving..." he moaned in annoyance, still irked his Shield's argument made sense... and Prompto was such a terrible omen to the poor Regalia that it was up to him to drive. 'I rely on Specs way too damn much, but... the morning... the sun...'

The Prince went back to his bed and flopped down on it before waving a hand towards the others. "Yeah, yeah, plan's fine... except for that damn driving..."

That night, Ignis found that he was tired of sleeping. The weather had improved, but not enough to want to go outside on his own, especially at the hour it was. So he sat in one of the room's chairs, a small lamp dimly lit to allow the others to sleep- although he knew Noctis was dead to the world no matter what. Prompto's light breathing and Noctis's equally light snores matched almost exactly.

"Can't sleep either, huh." Gladiolus was sitting up in the bed, checking to be sure Ignis wouldn't double over in any pain or wasn't hiding any symptoms.

Ignis, if he were honest, appreciated the late night company and just nodded, crossing his legs as he normally would, his sharp eyes landing on the reflection off Prompto's resting camera. "Yes. I found that my body is... tired of sleeping, if that makes sense. I finished reading a while ago."

Chuckling quietly, the tank stretched his arms and popped his shoulders before he leaned back against the bedhead. "I can only imagine. You've slept for two whole weeks; you can use the exercise."

"What about you?"

A shrug. "Eh. Couldn't really sleep either. Too much on my mind."

"Hmm. Same."

The due fell silent, listening to the nightlife outside their motel and the soft breathing of the two slumbering men nearby. "I had a talk with Prompto earlier."

"Oh? What about?"

Ignis's smile told Gladiolus it was something touchy-feeling, which seemed right up the youngest member's alley. "Must've been some conversation."

"Nothing in particular. It... it was... a bit of an eye-opener, actually. And... a bit... strange as well."

Gladiolus was getting interested. "Keep going."

"Prompto finally told me- well, summarized, anyways- what happened to me while I was sick. That I scared you all and nearly lost my life to a common cold." He paused as he tried to figure out where he was going with the conversation.

"It was strange because... I... well, I always knew I would die."

"Stop talkin' like you plan to check sometime soon."

Ignis scoffed lightly, but was touched at the genuine concern that seeped through his large friend's words. "I do not plan on leaving our young king behind until he had fulfilled his destiny."

"And after?"

"Hmmm. I never thought about that."

They fell silent again, Ignis glancing up at Prompto and Noctis. Gladiolus did as well, smiling as he listened to the prince's mumbling, more than likely over Lunafreya. "So what happened?"

"Well... it was strange but... Prompto... shed tears. Over my illness."

"Come again?"

"He believed I was close to death. That it... scared him."

Humming in agreement, Gladiolus simply nodded, his gaze at the many twinkling lights. "He wasn't the only one who was scared out of their mind, you know. Noctis and I were too..." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Iggy... you've never been sick for as long as we've all known each other. If anything, Noct or Prom have a higher chance of getting sick and it's something we're used to. But you... you were just sick- just a damn cold- and you literally stopped my heart at least twice the first three days."

Ignis's mouth dropped open slightly and his eyes widened at THAT admission, and he slowly understood why it hurt Prompto to tell him everything that happened. "Oh... I... understand..."

"Getting sick is normal for all of us, but it's... I don't know. Maybe because it's one of us. It just scared me more than it should have and honestly, I was shocked at how strong both of them were being- I know they were trying to keep it together but..."

"I see..."

Gladiolus chuckled at the expression Ignis had under the soft glow of the light. "Strange that we worry over you?" he called out.

Ignis didn't know how to reply so he just stared at nothing in particular and muttered, "It's... new. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble..."

"Just do us a favor and don't hide something like that again, hmm? Noct was about to lose his mind while you were out and it took a lot of work to calm him down, soooo yeah... do let us know, 'kay?"

"I promised Prompto I'd do that. But we all share that habit, you know."

Gladiolus opened his mouth to deny that, but realized- hey, he's right. "Yeah. True."

Comfortable silence fell over them again. Then Ignis stood up and walked over to the bed and climbed in bed. "Getting tired, huh?"

"Yes. Will you remain up?"

"Probably not much longer. Gotta wake up and prepare to roll Noct out of bed before checkout time." At that they shared a light laugh before Ignis took off his glasses and set them aside.

"Point taken. Someone must wake him in the morning."

As Ignis laid in bed, his mind went through the last few weeks, and even further than that. He realized just how blessed he was that he had such close, caring companions that they would feel afraid for him, and even shed tears over him... all because of a cold.

"S-Specs..."

He opened one eye and noticed a very black blob mixing in the dark room. "N-Noct... is everything alright?"he asked, voice thick yet soft with sleep.

He felt his hand touch his forehead and a soft sigh of relief- it appeared as if Noctis didn't hear him. Ignis knew that Noctis had a hard time expressing his feelings around them and this was probably the only time he would, while the others were asleep. So he closed his eye and evened out his breathing as Noctis began to speak.

"L-Listen, I... I know I should've said this earlier... and I know I'm a pretty horrible person for not doing it, but... thank you, Specs. You sacrificed so much for me, and you almost got too sick to be saved. And I... I almost..."

He heard a deep breath being taken and then a small sniff. "I know I don't say this enough- especially to your face- but thanks. For... damn, well everything." Noctis sighed.

"That... was a lot harder than I thought..."

Ignis was able to hide his sincere smile in his pillow and felt the bed shift as Noct got up. He shocked himself when a single lone tear rolled down his face and into his pillow. That was definitely a first for him.

'Your Highness... Gladiolus... Prompto... I appreciate this. I don't know what else to say except thank you...'

The next morning, with a bit of help from his friends, Ignis was finally seated inside the beloved Regalia. Noctis and Prompto bantered while Gladiolus sat in his usual spot, prepared for a long trip of whining and complaints.

"Oh man, I missed this baby! Let her purr, Noct!"

"Yeah, yeah. Sit back and shut up so I can drive and not get us killed."

"You get us killed and I'm killing you again, Noct."

"Well, where to, Specs?" No reply. "Specs?"

Ignis was fast asleep, head resting on Gladiolus's shoulder, mouth slightly agape. Gladiolus simply picked up his book and resumed reading. "Knew he was too tired to drive. Getting better my ass, Iggy."

Prompto glanced back and grinned widely before reaching for his camera and taking the snapshot of a lifetime- a sleeping Ignis. "I've gotten sleeping Nocts, and sleeping big guy, but never got a sleeping Specs."

"Wait, why are you taking pictures of me sleeping?!"

A sudden swerve had Gladiolus swatting both Noctis and Prompto upside the head, one arm protectively holding Ignis as he was about as dead to the world as Noct was on an everyday basis.

"Pay attention to the damn road!"

"OW! Did you have to hit me that time?!"

Narrowing his eyes was enough for the blond to yelp and turn around in his seat, shutting up quickly. "Thought so. Now listen- Ignis still ain't 100, so let him rest. Prom, stop taking shots, and Noct, just keep driving and pay attention. I'll tell ya when we need to stop."

"Ugh... damn it Specs... you just had to get sick..." Noctis complained as they drove on.

Ignis slept on peacefully as the trip continued, obvious to everything and everyone around him.

END

And complete! Well that was a fun little story to work on! I hope I added enough fluff factor for our spectacle-wearing friend, and I hope you all enjoyed it!

As always, please review and let me know what you think!

Until next time!