The Ghost in the Machine

It was mid afternoon on a Saturday when the royal retinue strolled into Penny's Arcade. They were trying (and succeeding) to avoid the crowd; the prince having nearly been mobbed by a group of screaming middle school girls the last time they were here.

No thanks to Prompto, who posted to Insomnagram before they left.

But that was beside the point.

The blond in question was dancing about, walking backwards in front of his friends, awkwardly leading them to the new game he'd been telling them about. "Guys, there's hot zombie babes and guns! What more can you ask for?!"

Ignis rolled his eyes. "Substance, perhaps?"

"Plot." Gladio grinned at the rapidly deflating blond, ruffling his hair as he paused.

"…Fishing?" Noct intoned, not even looking up at his friend. He was engrossed in a game on his phone, and he was definitely less than impressed.

Prompto went into a full body pout as he suddenly found himself trailing behind his friends, who continued ambling in the right direction, at least. "Ugh, fishing, Noct? Really? That's lame in real life, who would ever want to do that in a game?! It's meant to be fun, not life drainingly boring."

Noctis reached out blindly and shoved Prompto's shoulder (mostly) playfully. "Whatever, dude, you just can't sit still for more than five seconds and end up scaring the fish."

"Yes," Ignis chimed in, "or the flash of the camera does it, since you cannot resist taking photos."

"—Hey…."

"I don't think it's the camera, Iggy." Gladio smiled benevolently at Prompto, "I think it's his face."

"Aw, you too, big guy? And here I thought you were on my side, for once." Prompto sighed and hurried forward, matching two strides to each of Gladiolus' in an attempt to keep up. The larger teen slung his arm around Prompto's shoulders and gave him an affectionate squeeze.

They nearly ran into Noctis and Ignis as they rounded the bank of pinball machines. Ignis stepped deftly to the side and gestured forward, frowning back at Prompto. "Isn't that the game you were talking about?"

Prompto's heart stopped in his chest. "Nooooo." He moaned dramatically.

OUT OF ORDER

"Whyyyy? Of all the games on all the days in all the world, why'd this one have to be broken?!" He practically wailed while the others smirked at his distress.

A clunk and small metallic crash sounded from behind the machine, immediately followed by some decidedly unladylike language as the arcade's owner stepped from behind the large kiosk the fancy shooter game sat atop.

She was mid-thirties and pretty in a put-upon sort of way. Prompto groaned and Gladiolus puffed up next to him.

Prompto shot the warrior a side eye, holding in a laugh. "Dude," he said quietly from the corner of his mouth, "never gonna happen."

Gladiolus shoved him lightly before stepping forward to offer the woman one of his easy grins.

"Hey, boys. Sorry, this one decided to be an asshole today. Can't figure out what's wrong." She smiled in sympathy at Prompto, who had spent nearly every afternoon there in the past week mastering the game and talking about how happy he was going to be when he showed it to Noctis.

"Awww, Miss P, say it isn't so!" Prompto moaned as he took a few tentative steps towards the machine.

"Well, unless you know anything about fixing the computer systems in that thing—"

Prompto perked up at that. "I know lots about computers! Can I look at it?"

Penny shot a glance towards the other three boys and then shrugged one shoulder up at the youth. "Go for it. Tool box is still back there if you need it."

"Awesome!"

As he scampered around the kiosk, Gladiolus strode forward, giving a wink to the proprietor as he passed. "Hey, pipsqueak, need a little help?"

Prompto popped his head back out from behind the game and grinned wickedly. "Nah, Gladdy, I got this. You just stand there and look pretty."

Gladiolus did his best not to redden as Noctis and Ignis snickered behind him.

Before he could come up with something more to say, the game suddenly lit up in a hail of gunfire and several suggestive zombie moans.

Prompto strutted back out all grins and snark. He dusted his hands dramatically and swaggered back towards them.

Penny raised an eyebrow at him. "What was it?"

Prompto's grin slipped a little at that and he wrinkled his freckled nose. "Uhm, it was one of those palmetto bug things. Died on the motherboard and his legs were touching some stuff and messing up the connections. His carcass is…in need of pick up. I used the pliers to lift him out."

Penny's face split in a big smile, and she squeezed Prompto's shoulder warmly. "My hero of the day. This calls for pizza. On the house, of course. I assume you want the usual?"

Prompto shook his head vigorously. "Oh, Miss P, you don't have to do that!"

She shook her head, stepping away to retrieve her tools. "I insist."

As she walked away, Gladiolus snagged Prompto up in a headlock and roughly ruffled his hair. "Alright, smart guy, show us this damn game."

Their laughter faded out into excited shouts and shit talking as they each took up position and tried to save the world from the sexy zombie horde.

Lights Out

"I'm telling you guys, I can do it." Prompto's voice was firm, resolute.

"Absolutely not. The risk is too high." Ignis was equally firm, his expression screaming 'this matter is closed'.

Prompto grumbled a few unintelligible words and turned away, stalking over to the edge of the circle of light. Out across the roads, getting uncomfortably closer, were several menacing daemons.

Less than an hour ago, Cindy had burst into the caravan, waking them and nearly getting run through by Gladiolus' great sword. One of Hammerhead's lights had gone out and there was an influx of daemons exploring their new boundary that were getting too close to the little settlement.

They'd gotten dressed and were out the door in less than two minutes, only to find the light over the garage flickering. If that went out, too, they'd be well and truly fucked.

They'd escorted Cindy back over to the garage, where she was now working on the power grid; however the daemons were beginning to close in. Since Prompto was good with electronics, he'd offered to run to the one that first went out and take a look when Cindy informed them it was not a problem with the grid, but the actual units.

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose, the action causing his glasses to slide up his forehead. "The priority is to make sure this one stays on; we can guard you while you work on it, and take out any daemons that wander too close to the perimeter. That will have to do until morning."

Cindy nodded, removing her hat and staring up at the flickering light. "That's assuming I actually figure out what the problem is." The mechanic actually seemed perplexed, which unnerved the rest of them.

"Noctis and Prompto are both skilled ranged fighters. They can pick off daemons getting too close to the perimeter in relative safety. However, I believe the noise may attract more unwanted attention. Gladio and myself can stand close by you to ensure your protection while you work on the machinery. That way, if the light fails, we can buy you more time. Does that sound agreeable?"

Cindy nodded, gaining back some of her regular enthusiasm. "Yeah, I mean we may as well give it a try."

Ignis turned back to the others, ready to give his more precise strategies, but a frown creased his brow as he glanced around the group. "Where's Prompto?"

Noctis and Gladiolus, who had been standing with him and Cindy, merely shrugged. Ignis worried his bottom lip as he approached the perimeter of light, scanning the distance between them and the inky profile of the broken lamp post against the starry night sky.

There, flitting between a group of Bombs and a band of Imps was their blond companion, moving almost unnoticed by the daemons all around him.

Ignis tightened his hands into fists and hissed; "Sonofabitch."

Gladio joined him at the edge of safety, hands on hips as he regarded their young friend. "Look at him go." He whistled low; impressed.

Indeed, Prompto was doing quite well, considering he was sprinting near a half mile from where they stood in relative safety and his destination, dodging daemons all the while. They almost took off running after him when a red giant rumbled its way out of the ground, but the blond simply provided himself cover fire as he dashed straight for the hulking daemon, and slid between its massive legs on his knees, turning as he cleared it and jumping to his feet before summoning his circular saw and ramming it into the back of the Red Giant's right knee. He scrambled out of its path as it tumbled down, and dropped his weapon back into the aether before continuing his journey.

He made it to the post and scrambled up the ladder, and all they could see of him for a few moments were vague frantic shadows moving as the downed Red Giant righted itself and began making his way to the post.

However, it quickly stopped in its tracks and let out a howl of offended rage as the light flickered to life, driving it back into the ground from whence it came.

When Prompto joined them again some ten minutes later, he was wearing a grin of smug satisfaction on his face. Gladio and Noctis thumped him on the back and high-fived him, respectively, while Cindy swaggered up to ruffle his hair affectionately, which left his cheeks a ruddy color once she stopped.

His smile did not falter until his eyes met those of an extremely non-plussed adviser. His face was grim as he lifted up one hand to count off the points of stupidity.

"Regardless of how it turned out, Prompto, you took off without telling us, took unnecessary risks without backup, and completely disobeyed orders."

The smile was completely gone, now, replaced by a properly chastised expression.

"…I'm sorry, Iggy, it's just that…"

Ignis placed a comforting hand upon the younger man's shoulder. "It's just that we weren't giving you enough credit or trust. This will be rectified in the future. However, do not ever again run off into daemon infested areas without at least saying something to someone."

Prompto gave him a large, sheepish smile. "You got it, Iggster."

Ignis rolled his eyes, turning back towards the caravan. "Do not ever call me that."

Prompto fell into step behind him. "Ok….Iggmeister Flex."

The adviser scoffed and quickened his step. "I'm not even sure what that means."

"The Igginator?"

"…Prompto…"

"The Master Of Iggs-aster!"

"…I will lock you out."

"Awww, fiiiiine. Whatever you say, Iggly-Wiggly."

"Prompto!"

No one got much more sleep that night, and burnt toast was served to the trio of giggling idiots for breakfast.

Friday the 13th

"Awwww, maaaan. This day has been like…the worst. Capital T, capital W; The Worst." Prompto groaned and dragged his feet dramatically.

The final bell had rung, and they were heading home for the weekend…well Nocits was heading home. Prompto had detention.

"Can't you like—"

"Prompto, you know I'm not Prince of the school. I can't get your detention waived."

"Ugghhh then your title is pointless. You may as just be regular ole Noct." Prompto pulled an exaggerated pout, but quickly broke into giggles when he caught his friend's gaze from the corner of his eye.

"So exactly what did you do to get detention, anyhow? The teachers love you."

Prompto chuckled humorlessly. "Not all of them. Dr. Dickface—"

"Dr. Mickhouse—"

"That's what I said. Dr. Shitlips. Anyway, he's always on my case about something or other, and this morning I was late."

They turned down the hall leading towards the gym where detention was being held, slowing almost to a stop. "Were you taking pictures of dogs agai—" Noctis asked, a fond smile playing about his features.

Prompto chimed in at nearly the same time, "…I was taking pictures of dogs again."

"Prommmm, you have got to stop doing that. You are the only person I know that gets up at the ass crack of dawn and is still somehow five minutes late to school every day."

Prompto playfully pouted at his friend. "But, Noct, dogs. Dogs, Noct. And anyway, it had started to rain and when I go to class I was all squishy and he wouldn't let me go to change into my gym uniform, so I may or may not have called him Dr. Lickballs. I mean, he could have sworn he heard it, but none of the students would back him, soooo…detention."

Prompto gusted out a dramatic sigh. "Between that, the D on my history exam, and my locker getting stuck, this day can go directly in the garbage."

Noctis chuckled softly, rolling his eyes. "I thought you said you were doing extra credit for history."

"UUUHHHHHHhgggghhh. Don't even get me started on all the work I'm gonna have to do over the weekend. I guess I'm lucky, though. Ms. Coronos didn't have to let me do that paper to bring up my grade."

The prince just laughed and shook his head at his friend before starting back off down the hall. "Prom, you gotta watch it, you know. One of these days, your charm is gonna wear off."

"Dude, whatever. I got charm for days. Decades, even." He smirked as he swung open the double doors.

The gym resounded with an eerie vibe; it was usually full of several classes doing various exercises, but now there was a mere smattering of uniformed students dotting the only open section of bleachers. The large windows near the ceiling displayed the ongoing storm, trees swaying in the wind against the backdrop of lightning and thick black clouds. It was going to be one hell of a storm.

"Well, here is where I get off. See you tomorrow, buddy!" Prompto clapped the prince on the shoulder and gave him a brilliant smile before sauntering into the echoing space and bounding up to an empty section near the top of the bleachers.

Noctis gave him a half hearted wave and headed back to the main entrance, where Ignis was waiting for him, umbrella at the ready.

He looked impeccable as always; not even the storm could ruffle the older teen's feathers. It annoyed Noctis to no end. "Ready to go, Highness?"

Before Noctis could reply, however, a deafening crash and several screams sounded out behind him, and he turned around in confusion.

It took a few precious moments for him to realize where the sound had come from, but when he did, he took off running back the way he'd come. Ignis had little choice but to follow, not bothering to ask questions.

When they opened the double doors, they both froze at the scene laid out before them.

One of the larger trees on campus had fallen through the side of the building, making an almost clean line directly through the center of the bleachers where the students had been sitting.

"Prompto?" Noctis quavered out, barely above a whisper.

The limbs of the tree stretched half across the basketball court, and from the weak calls for help and crying, it seemed many students had been caught in its path.

"Prompto?!" Noctis tried again, this time his voice a strangled scream. Heedless of the danger of the still falling debris, Noctis lunged forward and began searching frantically for his friend.

Relieved apprehension flooded his system when he spotted the familiar tuft of blond hair. Prompto was crouched in the foot well of one of the mid-row bleachers, one hand resting on the trunk of the tree and the other raised in a placating manner. Three rows up, a freshman girl clung to the wood and metal mechanism that was slowly giving way beneath her.

"Come on, it's ok, I just need you to come down to me, and we'll get out of here, ok?" Prompto practically cooed up to the terrified girl, who responded by biting her lip and holding tighter.

Noctis tentatively climbed up the first few bleachers, hyper aware of it groaning and protesting beneath him. The whole thing was likely to collapse at any moment and drop them all onto the shattered bits below. Noctis would be ok, even if he couldn't warp, but the other two were up much higher and would have a near ten foot fall.

"Prompto, hey, let me help you out; why don't you come down, and I'll warp up to her and—"

Prompto didn't turn to him when he spoke; never took his eyes from the trembling girl. "No, you know you can't warp her back down here, and your added weight will probably make the whole thing go boom. She's gotta come down to me."

Prompto shuffled a few feet to the left, and Noctis' stomach bottomed out a little at the piercing squeal and abrupt sway of the mechanism.

But Prompto never lost his calming expression as reached towards her again. "Come on, now. There's no point in just sitting there and waiting for it to collapse. You may as well try to make it to me."

She bit her lip and nodded, lifting herself slowly and shakily. She kept her eyes on Prompto as she slithered from one bench seat to the next, the bleachers swaying and groaning beneath them. Once in reach, Prompto grabbed her by the hand to steady her, and together they made it back down to the floor just as the rest of the boards came crashing down.

Amongst screaming and crying and a lot of people rushing about, Prompto received his first kiss in the form of trembling lips pressed to his overheated cheek. The girl reddened to her ear tips before scrambling away and getting lost among the throngs of people coming to help and those escaping the disaster.

"You ok?" Noctis' voice had a slight tremble to it, his eyes dark with concern.

Prompto took quick stock of himself, glancing back towards the wreckage. "Y..yeah..I, uh, I think so?"

Ignis, who had joined them, lifted one eyebrow. "Is that a question or a statement?"

"A, uh, statement?" Prompto smiled up at the older teen, though it wavered just a little.

"Hmm, yes. Quite." Ignis rolled his eyes. "I'm assuming that detention is effectively canceled for the day, what say I give you a ride home, yes?"

"Is that a statement or a question?" Prompto shot back at the adviser, a little of his charming capriciousness creeping into the tone.

Noctis snorted beside him. "With Ignis, it's always a statement."

"Yes, quite." Ignis agreed as he led the two boys back towards the doors.

XVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

Cabin Fever

"Iggggyyyyyyyyyy…." Prompto leaned his head against the window of the caravan and veritably moaned in sorrow.

Iggy regarded the blond over the top of his glasses for a long moment. He attempted-and failed-to mask the note of aggravation in his voice when he replied. "For the fourth time today, Prompto, I cannot control the rain."

Prompto pushed himself away from the window and flashed him a nervous smile. "I know, I know. It's just….it's been raining for three daaays."

"Stop your griping." Gladio's muffled voice came from beneath his latest romance novel. He'd finished it earlier in the day, and was now using it to block out the light by which Ignis was sewing as Noctis snored softly next to him.

"I'm not griping." Prompto's tone was almost hurt.

"Whining, then." Gladiolus slid the book from off his face and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Between your bitching and Noct's snoring, I can't get any shut-eye." He stretched as he stood, grumbling a few other things under his breath.

"Whatevvverrr, big guy. You were whining about the rain for like fifty three years this morning, so I don't want to hear it."

Not missing a stitch in his sewing, Ignis gently scoffed. "Nothing about that sentence made sense."

"Your face doesn't make sense."

"Now you're just being rude." Ignis glared the blond into silence, frowning to himself as Prompto turned away to stare out the window once more.

It had been raining for three days. With them sharing such close quarters, they were starting to get on one another's nerves, however it seemed to be affecting Prompto the worst.

Ignis surmised it was because they were at Wiz's and were unable to even leave the caravan to see the chocobos due to the driving rain. Frankly, they were lucky they still had power.

The cabin was silent save for Noctis for a long while. Ignis was just putting away his sewing kit when Prompto straightened up with a gasp.

"What's that?!" He placed a hand to the window and got closer to peer through the rivulets running down the still-dirty pane. "Shit."

He gave no further explanation as he jumped over the chair to scramble out the door, leaving it to bang against the siding as the wind caught it in a violent gust.

Ignis and Gladiolus exchanged concerned glances. "How much you wanna bet it's a chocobo?" The latter rumbled, striding towards the door. He leaned out to grasp the knob as the rain pelted him.

Ignis made his way to the window, squinting into the near darkness. "Well, something certainly has him agitated."

Gladio looked over to him and him a half sneer/half grin. "It's a fucking chocobo."

Ignis huffed out a breath, heading over to the small cabinet in the bathroom that held the extra towels. "Of course it is."

Seconds later, Prompto barreled up the two wooden steps, holding tight to an overgrown chocochick who was kwehing in distress, its flapping wings scattering rain everywhere.

Ignis met them at the door, blocking the way in, steel in his eyes. "I don't think so, Prompto."

"Iggy, we can't just leave her out there! She might drown or something!"

"Absolutely not."

"Fine, I'll just stay out here with her." Prompto straightened up as much as he could, raising his chin up to the adviser. "Kindly give me my jacket. And an umbrella. And…a bag of chips….?" He cocked his head to the side. "Is that a good snack to eat in the rain, Iggy? Probably not, since they'd lose their crunch, huh?"

It took a lot of willpower on Ignis' behalf to keep his eyes from rolling. With a deep sigh, he stepped aside and gestured for him to come through. Gladiolus playfully shoved Prompto before shutting the door behind them.

Noctis snored on, oblivious to the scene.

Prompto cooed softly to the frightened bird, taking a towel and wrapping it around the squawking creature. He sat on the floor, heedless of the puddle forming around himself as he gently rubbed the cloth against the fat little bird's soft feathers.

Ignis, however, was not appreciative of the growing mess, and dropped another towel next to him. He stepped a safe distance away before crouching down to take in the sopping wet pair. "Is it injured? Perhaps I could—"

"No, uh-uh. You can't be all like," Prompto screwed his face up and affected a higher pitched, terribly accented tone, "…'My name is Ignis, I'm awesome at stuff and things, let me be in charge', now. I'm pretty sure I got this."

Ignis narrowed his eyes at him, then his face fell in resignation. "I suppose I deserve that. However, there's no need to be petulant. If she's in need of assistance—"

Prompto offered him a soft smile and a shake of his head. "No, it's ok. I think she's just cold. Thanks, Iggy."

"I'm sure she's not the only one." Iggy straightened up and then took the blanket from the couch and dropped it around the blond's shoulders.

"Thanks, Iggy." Prompto sniffed a little as he huddled beneath the blanket, pulling the chocochick even closer as she started dozing in his arms.

"I'd say some soup is in order." Ignis headed over to the kitchenette, pulling out a large stockpot.

"No vegetables." Noctis, still ostensibly asleep, stated clearly from beneath the blanket. Not three seconds later, he was softly snoring again.

Prom Night

They had been exploring Lestallum for a few days, now, spending up some of their hard-earned gil in a well deserved few days off.

Prompto especially had been enjoying himself.

With Noctis basically taking his time to nap, Ignis spending most of his time scouring the markets and visiting local eateries, and Gladiolus trying—and usually succeeding—in picking up a few dates, the photographer found himself with a lot of alone time. He spent it seeing the sights, mostly, and taking a lot of photos. Two memory cards full, in fact.

It was on one such excursion when he was approached by a young man with a flyer advertising a local club. It promised live indie music, hipster cocktails, and weird art.

Needless to say, he was pretty excited.

He knew his friends would not want to go, but he invited them anyway. One by one, they declined.

Noctis was too tired from all the sleeping he'd been doing, and wanted to relax.

Ignis had found an obscure cookbook, and was attempting a new recipe.

Gladiolus had a date lined up with one of the women from the plant.

So, he went to the bar alone, and sat quietly by himself, taking the occasional candid shot of one of the bands or of the crowd.

Though he had started the night with a few cocktails, he switched to soda once he reached that certain amount of buzzed he liked. So, he was surprised when the waitress brought over a peach colored concoction.

He'd smiled graciously, and tried to wave her away, saying he'd not ordered the drink. She gestured to a young brunette across the bar who smiled almost shyly at him.

Not wanting to be rude, Prompto accepted the drink and nodded to the young man, pointing to the empty stool next to him.

The man was taller than Prompto, but not quite as tall as Ignis, and had a stocky build; his eyes and hair were the color of mud. He told him his name was Kahlen. They talked bands a while; Prompto gushing about an Altissian rock group while the other man introduced him to a moody string quartet that covered videogame music. When Kahlen loosened up, his smile was sweet and his eyes twinkled warmly.

It may have been that on some level, Prompto was a little miffed at his friends for not wanting to come; that maybe he'd been kind of lonely these last few days while each man did his own thing. Or, maybe he was having a really good time, and didn't want to be interrupted. At any rate, at some point in the night, Prompto had turned his phone to silent.

It was not a smart idea, which was made abundantly clear to him at fifteen minutes to close, when Gladiolus, Ignis, and Noctis came bursting into the club, looking ready to fight.

Needless to say, Prompto was rather embarrassed when they approached Kahlen with suspicion. The embarrassment quickly turned to something else, however, when said the following words:

"If you can't be enough of an adult to answer your fucking phone when we call, you're just not going out alone anymore."

Adrenaline coursed fast and hot through Prompto's veins and he shot to his feet, cerulean eyes flashing.

"You don't get to tell me that. You're not my fucking keeper, Gladio, and I don't have to answer to you."

His hands shook as he stood toe to toe with the big man, refusing to back down. In the end, it was Gladiolus that relented and stepped back. Prompto glared at each of his friends in turn, having to take a moment to calm himself enough to speak again. "I'm going to walk Kahlen home. I'll see you all later. For now, just…" he bit his bottom lip, willing the stinging of tears away. He was in a turmoil, rage and hurt and betrayal all mingling in his chest. "…just leave me the hell alone."

He collected his things, throwing enough gil on the counter to cover his tab and include a generous tip. He didn't look at his friends again as he and Kahlen made their way towards the door.

On the way through the twisting back alleys, he ranted and vented and bitched about his friends; how they always made him feel inferior…

Worthless.

In the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't really it. He knew they were just looking out for him; but he was mad, and maybe a little drunk.

His cathartic tirade was interrupted by hot lips pressed to his and a sudden shove into rough bricks.

"You're so fucking beautiful when you're mad." Was whispered lustily into his ear while strong hands gripped him at the shoulders and pulled him into another passionate kiss.

Prompto stuttered and coughed, shoving back against the brunette and holding up a hand when he tried to approach again.

"Hey, I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression—"

Kahlen's soft smile turned sinister in the span of a second as he batted Prompto's hand away and shoved him into the wall again, this time reaching down and palming the blond through his pants.

He shoved the other man away, harder this time. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested." This time, when them approached again, Prompto was ready.

Two minutes and several grunts and crashing bangs later, Prompto left the alley and Kahlen was groggily trying to remove himself from the large metal trash can in Prompto wedged him ass-first.

No one said a word to him when he stormed into the hotel room, and he returned the favor.

Not meeting anyone's gaze, he quickly gathered a change of clothes and a towel, and went to take a shower.

And if a few angry tears were mixed in with the hot stream of water, no one had to know.

When he got out, Ignis and Noctis were both asleep, and Gladiolus sat on the rickety couch, reading his novel.

He put it away when Prompto sauntered past, reaching out and grabbing his wrist.

"Sorry…uh, about earlier. I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it. We were just worried is all."

On a different night, Prompto might have continued the fight. But, he was tired and worn thin by the gamut of emotions he'd run. So, he just nodded, and pulled gently away, and crawled into bed on the other side of Noctis, turning towards the wall.

Gladiolus was putting away the last of the gym equipment when it happened. He and Prompto had been doing some weight training to prepare him for Crownsguard training.

The Abyss

To celebrate the boy's graduation, Ignis—at the insistence of Gladiolus—organized a camping trip at Blackleaf Falls. It was a gorgeous forested region just on the outskirts of Insomnia that sported three different camping levels; beginners were able to hunker down near a lazy part of the river, a mere mile in from the parking area. Intermediates had a rockier region to stay in five miles in that offered more solitary spaces. Experts, or idiots as Ignis preferred to call them, trekked twelve miles in…or rather, up. But when he looked over the photos in the brochure of the segmented waterfalls and their plunge pools, he decided it looked rather worth the journey.

So it was on the following Friday morning Gladiolus showed up at his door already bright and chipper at six AM, which was frankly rude of him. Ignis had not even had his coffee, yet.

He glared at the slightly taller man balefully. "I thought you were going to pick up Noct and Prompto first."

Gladiolus grinned. "I did."

Ignis scoffed and stood aside to let in his long time friend. "And how did you manage that?"

The shield ruffled Ignis' unkempt hair, earning a less than polite shove in return. He chuckled and steered himself towards the kitchen. "I told you, I picked them up. Noctis was a piece of cake; probably thinks he's still in bed. Prompto was more squirmy, but I managed. They're both snoozing in the back seat, now."

Ignis frowned at his long time friend. "I'm not going anywhere without a shower and two coffees."

Gladiolus shrugged. "I left the window cracked, they'll be fine."

Beyond exasperated, Ignis stomped over to his coffee maker and pressed a few buttons. "Absolutely not; you will get them and bring them in, and we will all sit down and have a filling breakfast like civilized people." He rolled his eyes as he pulled out four mugs, muttering further under his breath.

Unperturbed, Gladiolus simply smiled and agreed before heading back outside where he delighted in rousing the two younger teens from their tangled slumber, and marched them into the house.

XVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

"Igniiiissssss. Iggy. Ignissio. Ignarimo."

"Prompto, if you say my name incorrectly one more time, I will not be held responsible for my actions."

"But Ig—"

"If you end that with anything but 'nis', I will shove you off the nearest cliff."

They'd been walking for quite some time, and everyone was getting a bit touchy. Well, almost everyone.

"Man, when we get up there, you're all going to see. It's so beautiful." Gladiolus' grin never wavered; he was at his most chipper when out-of-doors.

Most people thought it was simply that he had a love of nature.

It was partly that; the Amicitia family tended to enjoy nature. However, Ignis knew it was also because he was away from the constant scrutiny of council members and noblemen.

Within the Citadel walls, Gladiolus was a much different person than he was when it was just the four of them. He took his birthright as protector of House Caelum seriously, but being stern and serious and proper all the time was not built into his personality. This gave him a demeanor that some would generously call 'rough around the edges', and others—more accurately—would call 'being an asshole.'

Ignis agreed with Iris that it was just him being a big brother.

He started to regret the decision to come along about six miles in. Gladiolus was too damned cheerful about the whole thing, and Noctis quietly grumbled and whined about the occasional mosquito (but refused the 'stinky' spray that Ignis had brought along), and Prompto…dear gods, Prompto….had decided to ask a thousand and one questions ranging from the different subspecies of plants to the history of Blackleaf Falls (…but Iggy, the leaves aren't even black, they're more of a bloody brown. Or a dark purple…? Can leaves be purple? I mean, the color is definitely unique, but I wouldn't call it black….) to what was inside an acorn.

When he opened his mouth to ask another question, Ignis stopped in his tracks. "Prompto, I am in no mood for your prattling right now, charming as it is. Please direct your questions to Gladio." The adviser frowned down at the blond, hands on his hips and a mild glare to his features.

Prompto shot him a sheepish grin. "But he doesn't know all the answers."

Ignis pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes just so. "Well, he knows quite a lot, and frankly you have all your faculties intact and an internet connection on your phone, so you therefore have the power to answer all your questions literally at your fingertips. You needn't pester others."

Prompto failed miserably at hiding his crestfallen demeanor. "Sorry, Iggy. I won't, uhm, I won't bother you anymore." Though his smile remained, his tone was tinged with hurt, and the adviser softened his expression.

Ignis did his best to curb his aggravated sigh, but it seemed he wasn't any better at hiding his emotions than the blond before him. "Just….perhaps give the questions a rest for a mile or two, yes?" Ignis resisted the urge to pat Prompto's shoulder as he started past him and headed back up the path where Noctis and Gladiolus were currently disappearing around a bend.

The nervous blond bobbed his head in agreement even though Ignis was no longer looking, and started fiddling with his camera. He allowed the older teen to get ahead of him a ways before sauntering on, pausing to get a few shots of some wildflowers wafting in a patch of sunlight.

XVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

It didn't take long for them to set up camp and get lunch going. Much to Noctis' disappointment, he'd been outvoted and Ignis was preparing a stew that would take two hours to complete.

Noctis, finally alert enough to join in the activities, began trying to entice Prompto into doing some cliff diving with himself and Gladiolus, but Prompto politely refused claiming 'well someone has to keep Iggy company' and smiling that prim little smile of his that hid all his true feelings.

Luckily, they dropped the subject quickly and went on their way, leaving the other two in a semi-awkward silence.

Ignis quickly chopped the vegetables, adding them to the stockpot with some of the meat they'd brought with them. (Ignis drew the line at hunting on this trip, much to Gladiolus' chagrin)

The silence between them grew strained, and the weight of the need to apologize settled in Ignis' gut. He knew he'd hurt the boy's feelings earlier, but he also felt like he was sort of right in his anger. He'd been having a lot of conflicting feelings about, well a lot of things, lately.

But, it seemed that Ignis was not able to bring the right words out, for when he'd meant to say 'I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier', what came out was: "You don't need to keep me company, you know. I am capable of entertaining myself, should the need arise. I don't want to keep you from having fun with the others."

Prompto rubbed the back of his neck, a look like clouded sunshine upon his face. "Oh, well…I can't exactly swim? I never learned as a kid, you know? And by the time high school came around, I had joined the track team, which pretty much got me out of all the other gym stuff." He gave Ignis half a shrug.

"Oh, that is rather unfortunate. Had I known, I would have—"

"No, no, it's ok! I'm happy to be up here, there's so many photo opportunities!" Prompto rushed to reassure him. "Besides, I just…I dunno. It never really came up, and I didn't want to make you guys have to change your plans just for me. That wouldn't be fair."

Neither said anything for a few moments, and as the quiet grew, Ignis became unnerved and went back to cutting his vegetables to help steady himself.

He was just so…out of sorts of late. It was unlike him.

Prompto meandered about the camp for a while, but he eventually came back and sat on the ground in front of Ignis, squaring him up between interconnected fingers. Noticing, Ignis stopped stirring the stew and forced a smile. The blond merely frowned up at him, and leaned back on his hands, staring up at the adviser in thought.

Ignis slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose and smoothed his hair out. "Well, get on with it."

Prompto furrowed his brow. "Get on with what?"

"My apologies, I thought you wanted to take my photo."

Prompto cocked his head to the side. "I do. But, not like this." He sat up and smiled at the older teen, hugging his knees almost shyly. "I like natural pictures, you know? Like, not all posed. I mean, those are ok and everything, but it's liiiike. You. Take you, for instance. You look best when you're cooking…you get those like, uh, the 'eleven' wrinkles between your eyebrows and this like weird tug to the corner of your mouth that's really cute." Prompto's eyes widened in utter horror. "I mean, you know, in like a photogenic way. Like, you're really handsome and stuff? Fuck. I mean…shit. Fuck."

Prompto popped back to his feet and scrambled away, heading for the tent. He was in and out of it in a flash, having changed into his swim attire.

Meanwhile Ignis' stew began to bubble over and he did a little cursing of his own. He'd just got the sauce properly cleaned off his shoe when Prompto reemerged, face pink and breathing erratic.

"Hey, uh, I'm gonna go for a dip, I guess. I'll leave you to your stuff." Prompto's voice was high and erratic and…adorable. Really, really adorable.

This was not a thought that had ever occurred to Ignis before, but it was true, nonetheless. And he was more than a little flustered by it. "Oh, well, have fun, then. Do be careful. Don't go in too deep." Ignis stuttered a moment, stopping himself from saying other words. He'd gather his thoughts and talk to the boy later

Prompto just nodded, averting his gaze as he headed towards the path leading down to the river.

XVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

The water of the river was clear and Prompto smiled to himself as he watched little gray clouds puff up from between his toes as he dug them into the silt. He was kind of glad for this alone time; occasionally being around the others heightened his anxiety and he would say or do or say and do stupid things, like tell Ignis he was cute, or ask too many questions. He really needed to work on how annoying he was. And how lame.

Goooodddsss how lame. Ignis is probably back at the camp, laughing about Prompto's fumbled ramblings.

Well, he didn't seem mad, at least. Prompto had to be careful to not alienate anyone. He didn't need a silly crush to get in the way of their friendships.

Especially now that he and Noctis had graduated. The prince had more royal things to attend to, and with him went Ignis and Gladiolus. Prompto sensed the gap widening between them, what with his social status being so much lower than theirs. Of course, he knew it would happen eventually. It's not like most people kept in touch with their high school friends.

But, them inviting him on this trip was a good sign they planned on keeping him around. For the time being, anyway. So long as he could keep in their good graces…

Prompto knew his line of thought was both unfounded and unhealthy, but the narrative was like an old comforter he could draw around his thin shoulders; bury himself in his insecurities to help ensure he'd quickly get back on the right track. It usually helped.

He took a few more steps, shivering a little as the cool water lapped up against the bare skin of his stomach. Beneath the surface, the black swim trunks covered with surfing cactuars pulled in the current, fluttering about and tickling his legs. He stopped when the water was chest-high and just stood a moment, eyes closed and head tilted towards the sun. He relished the sensation of the radiating warmth juxtaposed with the coolness of the water. It was almost peaceful enough to drive his intrusive thoughts away…

"Hey, fishbelly! Enjoying wading through the kiddie pool?" Gladiolus and Noctis came splashing up to him, all smiles and good natured ribbing.

Prompto quickly plastered on a smile as he playfully sent a spray of water into the big warrior's face. Gladiolus laughed heartily, and scooped up the laughing blond and tossed him into the water a few feet away.

Prompto was quick to gain his feet, however, and scurried closer to shore. "How were the cliffs?" He asked as he pulled himself out of the river and slipped his flip flops back on. Noctis followed him out while Gladiolus waded deeper into the river before dipping in the water and coming up to float face up, basking in the sunlight much like Prompto had just been doing.

"It's actually really cool up there, you should get your camera and take some pics. We were about to head back up anyway, and try diving from one of the taller cliffs."

Prompto's cheeks reddened ever so slightly. "Ha ha, no thanks, buddy. I'm good down here on solid ground."

The prince rolled his eyes, affecting an exaggerated annoyed face. "It's solid ground up there, too, dummy. You know, until you jump off, of course."

"Yeah," Prompto gave Noctis a double 'finger-guns' gesture, "that's the problem. The whole 'jumping off into nothing' part. There's where you lose me."

Noctis bumped shoulders with him as thy ambled along the path back up to the campsite. "It's not that bad, Prom. Gladdy and I made it out alive."

Prompto lifted an incredulous eyebrow at his friend. "Uhm, you can warp, and Gladdy is made of some super strong stuff. Like, steel or something. No little river is gonna get the best of you. Me, on the other hand—"

As they entered camp, Ignis glanced up from his cooking. "It'll be another hour, yet, before anyone starts their whining."

He was looking at Noctis, but Prompto couldn't help but feel the jab was aimed at him. Maybe Ignis was mad at him, after all.

He would have to be extra vigilant, extra cautious, and pay close attention to everything the older teen said from now on. He'd have to—

"—ompto, are you even listening to me?"

Prompto froze, looking guiltily up at Ignis. "Uhhhh, …yes?"

Ignis stared at him for a long moment before rolling his eyes and turning away. "Nevermind. It wasn't important."

Prompto reddened and stuttered nonsense, shifting from foot to foot. "Iggy…"

But Ignis was done, and simply waved him off. "I said not to worry about it, Prompto."

Gladiolus joined them just as Prompto scuttled into the tent, zipping up the entrance behind him.

"What's with Blondie?" The big man gestured towards the tent as he bent to get a bottle of water.

Ignis huffed from by the stove, where he was needlessly stirring the stew. "I think I may have hurt his feelings. He's being extra sensitive today."

(There he went again; he'd meant to say: I'm not quite sure, but I think I may need to talk to him alone.)

Gladiolus and Noctis exchanged looks before having to stifle laughter. "Awww, you hurt is wittle feewings? What'd you do? Make fun of his hair?" Gladiolus grinned and shoved Noctis a little.

"No." Ignis turned back to his stew, glancing towards the tent flap.

Noctis sidled up next to his adviser. "Did you tell him how much chocobos smell again?"

"NO."

"Did you…"

"He didn't do anything, ok? It's nothing. My feelings are fine, thanks."

All three turned to where Prompto had quietly emerged from the tent, camera in hand. Before they could get any words out, he ducked his head and vaguely gestured towards the path leading up to the cliffs. "I'm just gonna go and take some pictures."

Noctis stepped forward, glaring at the older teens over his shoulder. "Prom—"

But the blond just waved him off with his patented fake smile; just as wide as the real one, but completely lacking in warmth and love. "It's ok, really. I know you guys were just messing around. It's just…you know…pictures…" He wiggled the camera in the air and glanced up the trail.

"Well, we were heading back up, anyway, so why don't we join you?" Gladiolus stepped around Ignis, offering his easy smile to Prompto, who relaxed minutely.

"Uhm, sure. But I'm not doing any diving."

Gladiolus elbowed Noctis as he strode past, and then grabbed Prompto in a playful headlock and roughly ruffled his hair. "Fine fine, Chocobo Butt."

Hurt feelings seemingly forgotten, Prompto shoved at Gladiolus' arm and scampered away, laughing with Noctis as they headed up the path.

Ignis watched them go, a knot of shame in his stomach.

What in the hell was wrong with him?

XVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

"Hey, Prooommmm. Prom. Prompto!" Noctis called to his friend who was about thirty yards away from the edge of the cliff, trying to get a good shot of a line of ants who were collecting a cookie that Gladiolus had dropped earlier one crumb at a time. He got to his feet, dusting himself off a bit; he'd changed out of his swim trunks earlier and was now wearing jeans and a tee shirt.

"Whaat?" He stayed where he was, not wanting to get too close to the edge.

Noctis impatiently waved to him. "Come look. You're gonna want a shot of this view. Trust me."

Taking a deep breath, Prompto slowly approached the edge, keeping back a few yards. Noctis was right; it was beautiful.

Though they were on a lower cliff, it did provide quite the view of the plunge pool below. Though there were several drops and pools and streams connected to the river, the one for which Blackleaf Falls was named was deeper and darker than any other. The big waterfall fed into plunge pool, which had several smaller waterfalls coming off the bowl of it, forming the rapids further down the river, which broke into several streams as it went. That is where they were camped; down near where everything broke apart.

If Prompto was brave enough to step all the way to the edge, he'd probably be able to make out Iggy tending the stove.

Gladiolus gave him a friendly shake, causing the younger boy to yelp. "Still afraid of heights, huh?"

Prompto disentangled himself from the warrior, putting a little distance between them, or more accurately, between him and the edge. "Among other things."

Gladiolus gave him an amused expression, stepping closer. "I can fix that."

Suddenly feeling less than safe, Prompto backed up a little. "N..no thanks, big guy, I'm ok with it, really. No problems, here, I—"

The rest of his words were cut off in a horrified yelp as Gladiolus swept him off his feet and slung him over one broad shoulder. He shuffled over to where Noctis stood, and directed the prince to take Prompto's camera, while the blond yelled and begged to be put down.

"Hush, now, Prom, there's no reason to be scared. It's like twenty feet. Just steer clear of the pull of the big waterfall and you'll be fine."

With no further words, Gladiolus readjusted his grip on Prompto and slung him out into open space, chuckling at the terrified look on the boy's face just before he plummeted to the water below.

Noctis cringed a little, dropping the camera into his armiger. "You sure he's going to be ok?"

Gladiolus pulled him away from the edge. "He'll be fine. My dad did the same thing to me when I was a kid, and I'm fine. The only way to get over a phobia is to face it head on. Now, he'll know there's no reason to be afraid of heights."

Gladiolus pulled him back towards the trail. "Come on, I thought you wanted to check out the higher dive spots."

"Yes, let's do it! I'll race you!" Not waiting for an answer, Noctis warped ahead and started running up the meandering trail, heading for the next set of cliffs.

XVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

When Prompto hit the water, he didn't know what to do. He sank immediately; his heavy jeans dragging him under and the pull of the waterfall helping him along. Panic rose deep in his chest, and it heaved breathlessly, his body going through the motions. He began to frantically kick his legs and flail his arms, and it seemed for a few moments that he was making some headway; but it was apparently in the wrong direction. He was able to break the surface of the water and gasp in one rough wet breath before he was forced under again by the cascading water.

It was like Leviathan herself was shoving him under; no matter which direction he turned in, he was tossed back down until he could no longer tell which direction was up. His body bashed against something hard, knocking the last of the breath from his lungs and forcing him to gasp in freezing water.

He knew he was going to die as his vision tunneled down to nothing.

XVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXV

Ignis was just portioning out the stew when his friends came laughing up the trail. Gladiolus thanked him as he grabbed a bowl and sat down, while Noctis headed towards the tent.

"Where is Prompto?" The adviser asked, settling into his own camp chair.

Gladiolus glanced around camp. "Shoulda been back here by now."

Ignis rolled his eyes at his long time friend. "Did you two leave him alone up there? You know he's prone to losing track of time."

Gladiolus took a bite of soup, grumbling out a laugh. "Nah, I cured him of his problem with heights, so he'd probably just pissed at me and sulking it off somewhere."

Ignis sat his spoon back in the bowl. "What do you mean you cured him of his problem with heights?"

Gladiolus shrugged one shoulder as Noctis rejoined them, bowl in hand. "Threw him off the cliff."

Ignis visibly paled. "You didn't."

Noctis snorted. "Yeah, he did. Threw him right in. Where is he, anyway?"

Ignis quickly got to his feet, setting the bowl down on the cook station. "Prompto doesn't know how to swim."

The other two exchanged looks over the fire. "What do you mean?"

"Just what I bloody well said! Prompto doesn't know how to swim!" Ignis was frantically putting his shoes on, glancing at the path that lead down to the river.

"Sure he does, we saw him earlier."

The adviser stopped in his tracks, glaring back at Gladiolus incredulously. "You saw him swimming? Like, actually swimming?"

"Well, no. I guess he was just kind of standing in the shallows…"

"Good gods, Gladio." Ignis spared no further words as he took off down the path, heading for the river bank where it connected to their campsite.

He began picking his way along the bank, calling out for the missing blond, more than a little relieved when he heard the other two join him.

Fortunately, well fortunately enough, it wasn't long before they found him. Prompto's body was caught up in a dam of driftwood a half mile up the river, all but lost beneath the detritus and foaming water.

They called to him and splashed their way towards him, ripping through the wet wood and dark leaves.

Ignis was the first to reach him, immediately disentangling the boy from the branches and pushing him into Gladiolus' arms. The warrior held him above the water as best he could and strode back to shore. He laid the boy out on the dirt and gravel beach, making room for Ignis and Noctis to kneel next to him.

"He's not breathing, Iggy. He..he's not breathing." Noctis' hand was upon Prompto's chest, fisting his soaked tee-shirt in his worry.

Ignis laid his head on the boy's chest, listening intently. When he heard nothing, he sat back up and shook his head at the prince.

"I..I fucking killed him. I killed him. He's dead…" Gladiolus paced a few feet away, feet continuously moving, but eyes staying on the still blond on the ground.

Wordlessly, Ignis positioned his body as flat as he could and tilted Prompto's head back. He folded his hands on the boy's chest and began to pump.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Breathe.

Sweat broke out on his forehead as the mutterings of the shield and worried whimpers of the prince faded away. He tried again.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Breathe.

…nothing but the cracking of ribs beneath his hands. Still, he pressed on...

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Breathe.

…nothing.

One

Two

Three—

Suddenly, Prompto was coughing, water spilling from his mouth. Ignis turned him to his side and rubbed soothing circles into his back as he finished heaving up half the river on the ground next to him.

The three whooped and thanked and danced, happy their friend had made it. Ignis was clapped on the back and congratulated as he administered a potion to the downed youth. After Prompto confirmed his ribs felt better, he was bundled up into the big warrior's arms and carried back to camp.

He did not say a word or look at any of them in the eye. Even when settled back before the fire and given stew and a blanket, he simply stared into the flickering flames.

Noctis and Gladiolus had sat next to him at first, each offering their profuse apologies; the big warrior wiping away more than one tear as he gushed his guilt upon the teen.

But still, no reaction. Nothing.

Unnerved by the silence, Ignis shooed away the prince and his shield, sending them to the tent to be alone. Once sure they were gone, he sat next to the freckled youth, draping an arm over his slightly trembling shoulders. "You're going to be ok, you know."

Prompto nodded, and leaned into Ignis' embrace ever so slightly.

"And you know Gladio is sorry, right?"

Again, Prompto nodded, but he also laughed quietly. "Yeah. He said it like five thousand times on the way back here. I..I know he didn't mean it."

Ignis drew him even closer, so that now the boy's head was leaning against his chest, and his lips moved against soft blond hair as he spoke. "Are you scared?"

A strange noise like a strangled sob erupted from the boy. "Yes. But…but not of like…dying or whatever."

Ignis hummed his interest, letting Prompto continue at his own pace.

It was long minutes before he spoke again. "I'm afraid…that you will…all just…leave me behind."

"Oh, Prompto." Ignis pressed a kiss to the top of the boy's head and slowly began to rock, the movement relaxing the boy enough for him to fully melt into Ignis' embrace. "We'd never leave you behind. We may get busy from time to time, but you're important to all of us."

Then, in a whisper so low even Prompto may not have heard, he added: "You're important to me. I'd never leave you behind."

Prompto hiccupped into his chest, curling his fingers into Ignis' shirt. "Promise?"

"With all my heart, I promise this."

Ignis held Prompto long into the night, eventually falling asleep with him next to the guttering fire.

It was sweet. Almost sweet enough to dissuade Gladiolus and Noctis from taking photo evidence of the cuddling to use against them later.

Almost.