Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Cor's back.” Gladio entered his office nonchalantly. 

Used to his non sequiturs and lack of concept of personal space, Ignis merely glanced up to make sure he wasn't about to sit on his desk. “Is he? He's got another three days left of mandatory leave before he's supposed to be working again.” 

“Seemed serious.” Gladio shrugged and sat down in a chair. “Said it was unforeseen circumstances. Confidential.” 

Ignis raised an eyebrow. There wasn't much that the two of them weren't allowed in on. “It may simply be a military matter, in which case you and I are hardly the foremost authority.” 

Ignis had found plenty of work in the Citadel to keep him busy ever since- well. It was mostly bureaucratic work. Gladiolus might be a part of the Crownsguard, but he was more of an independent member outside most of the chain of command. Even without a Prince to Shield Gladio held a lot of the same responsibilities. 

Technically, neither of their current positions allowed them access to current military operations. Only a long series of technicalities and should-bes kept them fairly well up to date on such things. 

“I dunno. He seemed pretty stressed. And you know Cor; he doesn’t usually get all worked up about the war.” 

Or at the least, did not show it. Cor’s composure was rather legendary. 

“Your point?” Ignis finally moved his eyes away from his desktop. “Regardless, if he says it is confidential, either you will learn about it when applicable or not at all.” There wasn’t any real point to wondering. 

“...I dunno. Just got a funny feeling.” Gladio shrugged. “Wanna go get lunch?” 

Ignis looked at his email and list of tasks for the day. “It is a bit early for lunch.” 

Gladio unfortunately was one of the few people capable of getting under his skin. Ignis ended up taking an early lunch. 

That was fortunate, as shortly after they were called to a meeting with the King and everything changed.

Regis had his head in his hands, breathing unsteadily. At his side Clarus put a supportive hand on his shoulder. 

“Your Majesty?” Cor said quietly. 

“I'm alright.” Regis said, head heavy and heart aching. Or perhaps the other way around. He wasn't sure whether he was more pained or relieved. 

Noctis was alive. Alive and in good shape if he could hold his own against Cor. 

But there was so much that didn't make sense. Much of Cor’s report was confusing and muddled. Cor did his best to be professional and factual, but it was clear that much of the situation was beyond their scope of understanding. 

The magical, mythical, and supernatural were hardly new to them. But these things- these curses were new. It was rare for there to be something unknown and unseen in today's world. Much less something that could apparently be lethal and yet was completely unseen to everyone but a select few. 

The story he brought them was incredible and unbelievable in turn. If Cor was not so firmly strong of character and mind, Regis would be heavily tempted to question his reasoning and state of mind. 

But he held the cursed glasses in his hands. The trace of magic that stuck to them… it was foul in a way nothing else was. A feeling he'd never forgotten. 

The same magic that had cursed his son. That had bedridden him for two weeks and left him sick and unresponsive. Not himself. 

“What is the likelihood,” Regis said slowly, painfully. “That he is… not in his right mind? That the curse has driven him mad?” 

Cor shook his head. “I wouldn't discount it, but… he's too stable. People who are delusional aren't so calm and… rational about their delusions when they're confronted. His Highness didn't care if I believed his story or not. He only cared that I believed that curses were real- after proving to me that they were.” Cor winced and rubbed his shoulder. He was visibly stiff and sore in a way that showed what a workout the fight must have been. “While much of his story could be delusion, those things are definitely real.” 

“I'd kill to know how they work.” Clarus muttered. “Invisible daemons that can go through you whenever they want but then hurt you whenever they want? Shit.” 

“Not daemons.” Cor said grimly. “The shikigami may be made of shadows, but they can all walk in the sun freely. Though apparently it's a deterrent, the sun doesn't harm them.” He tilted his head. 

“Damn.” Clarus whistled. 

Regis breathed a few times. He closed his eyes to think. 

Cor seemed to be relatively confident that what he'd been told was true, to the best of his knowledge and faith. Regis trusted his Sword's word unquestionably. 

But it was a lot to swallow. Curses. Invisible, intangible monsters capable of harming and killing. Noctis was a… jutsushi, a word without a direct translation to Lucian. Possibly sorcerer? A user of dark, foul magic that apparently just existed everywhere. 

His son was also a reincarnation. That in itself was not the strangest thing. There were records of supposed reincarnates in past ages. But a reincarnation of a magic user from another world? That was a large stretch. 

Regis picked up the folded up paper on his desk. A letter from his son. From his son who had been gone for six years with no sign of life. Only a note left below his pillow. 

Don't worry. I'm going to fix things. 

Why did he not want to come home? According to Cor, there was quite literally nothing they could do to contain him if they tried to force them. Noctis could teleport and travel through shadows at will. Hence the escape from Insomnia leaving not a trace. The only thing that stymied him was the Wall, but even then he had ways around it. 

Furthermore, his son was now nineteen years old. Old enough to make his own decisions. Ordinarily throwing aside one's Royal responsibility was unthinkable, but he wasn't ignorant to the weight of the role Noctis had felt even at a young age. If Noctis truly and fully refused to take up his duties… was there much Regis could do to make him? Was there anything Regis would do? 

He just wished he understood. Insomnia was dangerous, to a sorcerer; that was all they were told. But Cor - and Regis as well - suspected he had far more reason to avoid the city than just that. 

He took a deep breath and unfolded the letter. 

Dad,

Gods that's weird to write. I'm not sure how to go about this. I wrote like ten drafts of this letter. Formal sucked. So you're going to have to put up with me being informal I guess. I don't know how to say any of this any nicer than it is so I'm just going to be blunt about it all. 

I'm sorry. 

I'm actually, genuinely sorry for running like I did. There's a lot of reasons for it. But I’m still sorry. Reasons I won't tell you all of, but the least of was that as far as I knew I'd just died. I remembered being Megumi and dying and it wasn't gentle or painless. I died after watching the guy who raised me die by the hands of the curse possessing my body. The guy who was basically my dad. Except not, because he adopted me after that dad sold me for gambling money and I never actually called him dad. So I've got issues with dads to say the least. And I woke up after dying and losing everything to find I had a dad? Who had kept huge secrets about me, from me. 

I just died. And I woke up and found out my dad knew I was gonna die. Again. And he didn't tell me. It felt fucking awful. I didn't want to die. I don't want to die young AGAIN. I'm not going to let it happen. That's all I could think of at first, when I left. That it wasn't going to happen again. 

Then things got bad. I didn't tell Cor because I didn't know how. I still don't know how to explain it. But the curse that possessed me? Before I died? He killed me. But I took him down with me. The problem is, the way I did it, I found out after I left that I KEPT a part of him when I woke up as Noctis, and that part is one of my shikigami. I named it Cujo. Cujo is deadly. Cujo isn't totally under my control. The thing that Cujo used to be was a complete monster. The likes that would destroy Eos if given the chance. Cujo is limited, but if I took it inside the Wall, it would kill people. Without hesitation. I wouldn't be able to stop it every single time it tried to cause havoc. Traveling and staying on the road I can contain it more. Keep it occupied. Short trips into bigger towns is hard. Lestallum… I don't go there, not anymore. Not after the last time. 

Cujo is dangerous. It makes me a danger and a liability. It isn't the only reason I won't come home, but it is the biggest. Once I left and realized what it was - where it came from - I knew I could never go back. And I'm sorry. 

But I promise, I would visit if I could. If taking Cujo into the city wouldn't result in absolute havoc, I would have probably been back within the first month. Maybe it's weird to say, but between the shit first one, the well-meaning but still shit adopted one, and you? You're the best dad I've ever had. And I miss you. A lot. It's hard to put the words together and this is sappy as hell, but Prom threatened me if I took out this part.

I won't come back to Insomnia. I can't come back to Insomnia. I have things to do. I'm busy remaking a Prophecy out here. But I miss it. I miss you guys, in the Citadel. I don't think I should come back anyways. I'm not just Noctis anymore. I'm Megumi too. And Megumi went through a lot of shit that shaped him very differently. I wouldn't be the Noctis you knew anymore. It's not fair of me to make you face that. 

I wouldn't mind staying in contact. I don't have a phone, I travel in and out of areas with awful reception too much, but Cor has Prompto’s number. Him or Wiz can always take a message for me. Or hold a letter. If you still want to talk, that is. No pressure. 

Miss you. Love you. 

Noctis Lucis Caelum

(Fushiguro Megumi) 

P.S. Tell Ignis and Gladiolus that I'm sorry, and I miss them too. 

P.P.S. Please don't get Prompto in trouble for helping me stay hidden. I all but forced him to, initially. He owed me his life. He's a good guy. Loyal and determined to do what he thinks is right by me. He doesn't deserve to get in trouble for basically following orders, right? 

Regis choked on a chuckle. He could just see the little crease in Noctis’s forehead, the look he gave as a boy when he was trying to reason why he should be allowed to sleep in after staying up late to play video games. The chuckle quickly turned into a muffled sob. 

He'd messed up something awful, entirely unknowingly. Regis knew that keeping the Prophecy from Noctis wasn't a great decision. It was a poor decision amongst poor decisions. There wasn't a right or easy choice to make, about it. 

But it would seem that poor decision had backfired on him in the most unexpected, unpredictable of ways. 

‘I just died. And I woke up and found out my dad knew I was gonna die. Again.’  

Six, was there any way this could have gone any worse? Doubtless there was, but Regis was too overwhelmed by emotion to think of any. 

“Regis?” Clarus had a hand on his shoulder again, bending close. 

“I am fine,” He tried to wave him off. “It is merely… a lot to process.” There were a lot of emotions churning in his gut. Fear of losing his son again. Anger, of multiple stripes, for many things out of his control. Love for the boy who had become a man when he wasn't there. Joy in the fact Noctis wanted to keep speaking to him. Concern that his son would remain out of his reach, beyond the safety of the Wall, no matter his skill or powers. Confusion, over… all of it. 

“What'd he say?” Clarus didn't quite look to the paper, but it was obvious he wanted to. 

“...quite a bit.” Regis took a few deep breaths and folded the letter back up. It had been folded and unfolded enough in its short life to be flimsy. Almost as if it had been opened and closed several times already. “Did you read it?” He turned his eyes to Cor. 

Cor snorted, hand on his sword pommel in a habitual motion. “He has invisible creatures that can watch me at any given point. He has, in fact, listened in on our phone conversations already. Spying is well within his skillset. The only time I could've done so without risking him knowing was once I passed the Wall.” He shook his head. “I wouldn't have anyways. Trust is our main currency with His Highness right now. Risking the tenuous amount he gave me wouldn't be worth it besides doing cursory security checks.” 

Regis nodded as he thought. The ink lines of this letter were inconsistent. Shaky, in places. Some were heavy. Places where the pen nearly poked through the cheap paper. All of it relatively neat and orderly; definitely a final draft. But still rich with emotion. A lot of emotion. 

Trust was their currency, huh? 

“I think I shall keep this to myself.” He breathed slowly and steadily for a minute. “In the meantime, what can be done at current to help him?” He would write his response later, when he had time to dedicate to ensuring it was as perfect as possible.

Gladiolus barely resisted the urge to slam Ignis’s door open. Marching inside, he hardly waited for Iggy to close the door behind them before he started cursing. 

“I understand your frustration,” Specs wasn’t as composed as he liked to believe. His words were sharp and ‘frustrated’ too. “We cannot go against His Majesty’s wishes. If the King doesn’t want us to-” 

“FUCK what the King wants!” Gladio wanted to break something. “That’s Noctis! He’s out there! Cor fucking found him! We should be on our way there right fucking now!” 

“Noctis doesn’t want to come back to Insomnia-” Iggy’s voice was tight, thick with hurt and loss. 

“Then we go to him.” Gladio wheeled around, teeth bared. “That’s the fucking solution. I don’t give a single shit if he wants to go become a popoto farmer out in fuckin Cleigne. He’s not doing it alone.” 

Maybe the rage was because Noctis didn’t want to come home. Maybe his anger was because Cor and his own dad weren’t telling Gladio the whole situation. 

Mostly, it was just because he was pissed the fuck off. Gladio didn’t handle hurt very well. And Noctis going missing years ago had fucking hurt. All signs had pointed to him ‘running away’, as debatable as that was. 

He didn’t believe it. He saw how empty Noct was after that fucking curse got him. He saw Noctis not even moving for hours on end. Sometimes not even feeding himself, like it was too much effort. Noct didn’t just run away. 

Not without him. 

That probably wasn’t fair. Gladio didn’t know what was going through Noctis’s head, the night he disappeared. But he thought if Noctis did some crazy shit like that he’d know by now that Gladio had his back. 

“What are you proposing?” Ignis ran a hand through his hair, pacing the sitting room. “That we disobey the King and go after him ourselves?” 

“Why the fuck not?” Gladio growled. “He never ordered us to stay put. He barely said anything at all!” Barely explained anything. 

Ignis didn’t immediately turn down the idea, which said a lot about how upset he was about the whole situation. “Clearly there is more going on than we know-” 

“Because they didn’t tell us shit.” 

“-and we could do more harm than good, raring off unprepared…” Despite his words, Ignis looked like he was more trying to convince himself. 

“You wanna go after Noct just as much as I do.” Gladio poked a finger right in Ignis’s chest. “I’m going, whether you come or not. Question is whether or not I gotta knock you out so you don’t fucking snitch on me before I get out the gates.” Because Gladio would do it. 

Ignis pursed his lips, looking exasperated. “Now that is just unnecessary.” 

“So you’re coming with?” Gladio grinned; a feral thing, more bared teeth than anything else. 

“...fine, but we’re going to do this smart.” Iggy sighed.

Chapter Text

“Prompto.” Cor sounded… stressed. Like his patience was thin. It was hard to tell though because Prompto didn't know him all that well and his tone of voice was kind of scary to begin with. 

“Uh- h-hello, Marshall Leonis, sir?” Prompto winced, feeling Noctis’s chest vibrate with laughter underneath him. He had the rest of the day off and was fully planning on spending it snuggling his anxious boyfriend in his bunk. 

“Is Megumi around?” 

“Put it on speaker.” Megumi shrugged. Prompto did so, announcing as he did for Cor’s benefit. “It's a bit soon to hear from you, Cor. I thought I'd at least have another day.” It'd only been like, two. Megumi’s voice was even but there was a classic Worried Gumi crease in his forehead. 

“There's been… a problem. You're going to have some visitors sooner than we intended. Figured I'd give you a heads up and say it wasn't I or your father's idea.”

Gumi sat up, frowning. His eyebrow twitched in the way that Prompto knew meant he was getting the urge to drop everything and run. “What happened?” 

“His Majesty informed Ignis and Gladiolus that you were found with the intention of asking you your thoughts before sending them your way. Needless to say, they weren’t keen on waiting for permission. We just found out they left Insomnia’s gates four hours ago.” 

Prompto did the math. “They’ve gotta be to Hammerhead by now!” 

“I can call Cid and confirm, but yes, we assume so.” 

“What did you tell them?” Megumi’s hands clenched. Prompto grabbed one in his own, squeezing tightly. A reminder that he wasn’t alone. 

“Just the basics: that you were at the Chocobo Post and not intending to return. Nor were we intending on forcing you. His Majesty was quite intent on respecting your privacy. Pending your approval, we’d intended on sending them with his responding letter.” 

Megumi swallowed tightly. Prompto knew how anxious he’d been that the King wouldn’t want to keep an open line of communication. And anxious that he would respond. Either option was stressful for Gumi right about now. 

“But they jumped the gun, huh?” There was something fragile in his voice. Fond, maybe. 

“Indeed. Don’t feel compelled to meet them. I don’t think His Majesty would blame you if you aren’t ready yet.” 

Megumi was quiet for a few minutes, considering that. Prompto rubbed his thumb over Megumi’s hand, pulling it out of a fist to massage the callouses. 

“I… I’ll meet them. I don’t know if I’ll let them stick around, I’ve got places to be, but… I do miss them.” Megumi said softly. 

“Good, because neither of them are picking up their phones to tell them off.” Cor said, audible annoyance in his voice. “His Majesty sends his sincerest apologies. I’ll be on route tomorrow to follow them with his letter.” 

“Thanks for letting me know.” Megumi closed his eyes, biting his lip before letting go abruptly. “I’ll… see you soon, then.” 

Cor said his goodbyes and Prompto hurried to add his own before he hung up. He buried his face in Megumi’s neck, feeling how tense he was. 

It took about a full day and a half to get from Insomnia to Wiz’s Chocobo Post by car. Megumi’s old friends would probably not get here until tomorrow, but maybe they were speeding? Or maybe if they were in such a hurry, they’d risk the dangers of driving through the night. 

“You doing good, Gumi?” Prompto asked gently, still holding his hand. 

“...oh you know, just… going to meet my childhood best friend and bodyguard after six years of avoiding them and everything they’re associated with like the plague.” Megumi looked blankly at the bottom of the bunk above them. “They’re going to be looking for Noctis.” He whispered, even though they were definitely alone. “I’d hoped they’d at least be prepped for not finding him, before… before Dad sent them after me.” 

Prompto’s brow furrowed unhappily. “Do you really not want to see them again? Cause you can cut and run. Leave a bunny with me, I can let you know when they’re gone.” He didn’t want his boyfriend to leave him. But Megumi had a lot of issues with staying in one place. He was perfectly happy to let him come and go, knowing that Megumi would come back to him. Sometimes he even took Prompto with him! “Or wait, you’ve got that Thing with tall red and broody soon, right? You could just go do that.” 

“...I do want to see them again, though.” Megumi laid back down finally, rolling over to curl them up together. Prompto was happy to tangle their arms and legs into a cozy knot. “They were supposed to be my Retinue. Iggy was my best friend. Gladio has known me since I was born. I… I miss them.” 

Disregarding the regret and wistfulness in Megumi’s voice; “That’s a lot of emphasis on the word Retinue.” Prompto said. He’d gotten fairly used to picking up on weird magic/ juryoku shit over the past few years. “I’m guessing it’s not just a fancy name for royal assistants?” 

His boyfriend was quiet for a minute. “...I guess I don’t usually talk about Lucis Caelum shit, so much as jujutsu.” He contemplated. “And the crown avoids it being common knowledge.” Megumi cleared his throat. “The Kings and Queens of Lucis have magic, connecting them to the Crystal. Everyone knows that.” 

“Right.” Prompto nodded. “The Crownsguard and Kingsglaive can use magic because of like, a connection to the King.” 

“Exactly.” Megumi wasn’t looking at him, which was a little odd. “So… the thing is, it’s a pretty impersonal connection. Still powerful, still… pretty much permanent, but there’s a disconnect. But the Retinue is much, much closer.” 

“Like, magic bonding and shit?” 

“Like magic bonding and shit.” There he was, blue eyes flitting over to smile at him. “The Retinue is… kind of important to protect the King, and keep him stable. In no particular order: there’s the Shield, as always. The Amicitias have been bound to the Lucis Caelums as our Shields for a thousand years. They protect us. Then there’s the Hand, who serves as the right hand and acts in their King’s stead. Then the Sword, an extension of the King’s own weapon. And the Heart. The Heart serves a lot of purposes, usually, but they’re usually known for being like… the stabilizing presence to a Retinue.” Megumi squeezed his fingers. “I… I was kind of… thinking of you as my Heart, to be honest. It’s not necessary for any member of the Retinue to be in a romantic relationship, but it’s not uncommon either.” 

Prompto’s mouth popped open in a little ‘oh’. “Are we… bonded like that?” 

Megumi winced. “...no? But… almost. Kind of.” He grimaced. “The Shields are always an Amicitia. Magic has bound our bloodlines for too long for anything else. But Swords and Hands are usually picked and chosen. Hearts? Hearts can’t be picked. Our magic chooses them.” Megumi had a little bit of redness on his cheekbones. “My magic chose you a while ago, honestly, I just… didn’t want to push that on you?” He said awkwardly. 

Prompto had to stop for a minute to let himself start breathing again. “I… what does it mean, to be a Heart?” He squeaked a little bit, no doubt red as well. His face definitely felt hot enough. 

“I… well, it… pretty much just means you help me… remember that I need other people. That I don't need to go out alone. It’s been different over the generations, no two Hearts are the same, and it’s not like every Retinue has every position filled. Kings with only Shields have always been… unstable, though. Lucis Caelums have a lot of magic running through them. The Retinue kind of helps… spread it out, a bit, without the strain that the Crownsguard and Kingsglaive put on the King. And the Wall, of course-”  

“Wait wait wait-” Prompto’s heart did a little flip, and not in a romantic way. “Strain? Unstable?? Gumi,” He sat up, eyes wide. “Do you like, need a Retinue? For your magical health??” 

Megumi flinched and that was a guilty flinch if Prompto ever saw one. “Um- no?” 

“Megumi!!” Prompto hit his arm, frantic. “Dude, what the fuck!” 

“It’s not that bad!” Megumi protested, sitting up too. “I should’ve gotten the Retinue started at sixteen, with Gladio, and then Ignis whenever I was comfortable. But I left before then and what was I supposed to do? I have experience controlling crazy magic bullshit, my magic sucks to control but since I don’t ever use it that’s no big deal.” 

Prompto grabbed a pillow and started to hit him with it. “Dude!! You’ve told me how bad Lucis Caelum magic was fucking up your dad! You don’t think this means you might need a little help yourself?!” Megumi tried to dodge him, unsuccessfully because Prompto’s bunk was pretty tiny. “What’s gonna happen to you without a Retinue?!” 

“Since I’m not supporting a whole military and the Wall?” He caught the pillow, refusing to let him keep hitting him. “Not much!” 

“Noctis.” Prompto leaned over the pillow to hiss at him, to show how fucking serious he was. “What. Happens. When Kings and Queens don’t have a Retinue?” 

Megumi looked away, jaw clenched. “...they usually get… really unstable. Crazy. Most have even shorter lifespans than usual.” 

“And that’s not fucking concerning to you?!” 

“Prom, jutsushi didn’t usually make it to their thirties.” Megumi sounded so, so tired. Prompto instantly felt horrible. “Making it to twenty was cause for celebration. Most Lucis Caelums don’t make it past their forties, if they’re lucky. I didn’t even make it to twenty.” He sighed heavily and hugged the pillow to his chest. “I haven’t thought much on it. Yeah, not having a Retinue is bad. Yeah, it means I probably won’t make it to thirty. But I made it past fifteen this lifetime and that's… that's been enough for me.” 

“Your biggest goal is to live to twenty.” Prompto whispered. “Before that, it was eighteen.” 

“Before that it was sixteen.” Megumi added bemusedly. 

Gumi had certainly said his life's goal plenty of times. Prompto knew why. Megumi had talked about jujutsu society before. How shit it was. How kids dying was completely normal. How absolutely fucked up that made him. How he forgot normal people just didn’t look at death the same as he did. How part of the reason he'd run away in the first place was because he thought being old enough to use a sword meant old enough to be an adult. 

Prompto pulled him into a hug. Megumi allowed it, arms wrapping around his shoulders. 

“You’re right though.” He admitted. “I probably should’ve thought about it sooner. I’m still bad at remembering to think about the future.” 

“Yeah, well, you’re working your ass off to make sure you have a future instead of dying to that stupid prophecy,” Prompto mumbled. “So I guess I’ll have to keep reminding you, huh? As your Heart?” 

Megumi swallowed. “You… want to be?” 

“Well I apparently already am, huh? And I’d say I’ve earned it. I convinced your evil murder dog to let me stick around.” After over a year of stubbornly refusing to be scared by Cujo’s attempts to kill him, yeah. Prompto’d dealt with the jealous, possessive shikigami long enough that Cujo had finally decided to claim him. “Even if I didn’t love you, I’d have to stay around for that alone.” 

“You love me, huh?” Megumi’s arms tightened around him. 

“I sure fuckin do.” Prompto squeezed him tight, bad arm spasming from the effort. 

“I love you too, Prom.” His boyfriend breathed in and out slowly. “Being part of the Retinue is some serious stuff, though. Are you sure you want in?” 

“Well what’s it involve?” Prompto asked casually. “Will I finally get magic that isn’t me sticking premade sigils and tokens everywhere?” 

“I haven’t even used my own magic since leaving.” Megumi admitted. “I was afraid Dad could track me through it; I was pretty young when I left, so I didn’t know all it could do.” He snorted. “I guess that’s not a problem anymore, though. I… I could probably ask him.” Megumi sounded a little awed and even a little nervous about that. Fair enough. Prompto’d be pretty nauseated at the idea of reconnecting with his parents. 

“Alright so we've got magic powers and some kinda bond..?” 

“The bond isn’t super invasive, but it’s still… a lot. I’d always be able to find you. If it’s strong enough, I could sense your emotions. It’s only one-way in that though. Definitely an invasion of privacy.” His mouth pressed into a thin line. “And it’s permanent. If something goes really wrong, I could block it off, but it’d always be there, and blocking hurts.” Megumi winced. “Dad had to block off two of his Retinue and he… well, I think it really messed him up. It’s even worse when a part of the Retinue dies, it… it’s almost as bad as not having one at all.” 

“All I’m hearing is benefits for both of us if I do it, downsides for you if I don’t, and downsides for you if I change my mind later.” Prompto pointed out. “And let’s be real, like genuinely, I am already in this for the long haul, dude.” For many, many reasons. The most important of which was the fact that Prompto was head over heels for his weird, goofy, handsome as fuck boyfriend with a dozen mysterious pasts. “I am one hundred percent down to be magically stuck to you too.” 

Megumi huffed with a little smile. “Just… think on it, for a bit, okay? It’s a big commitment. And before you ask,” He rolled his eyes. “No, we can’t do it right now, alright? Sometimes Retinue have bad reactions to the bond and I don’t want to do that to you right when Ignis and Gladio are showing up.” 

Prompto groaned, burying his face in Megumi’s shoulder. “You just had to remind me?” He wasn’t looking forward to meeting two people who’d known Noctis so much longer than he had. “Are they gonna want to do the thing right away, then?” Since they were basically meant to do it anyways..?  

“I have no idea.” Megumi said, sounding anxious all over again. Prompto cursed internally. Right. He was trying to prevent the idea of them showing up from worrying Gumi. “I hope not? I don’t… I don’t know how they’ll react to… all the noroi stuff. Plus, yeah, I do need to meet up with Ardyn in like, two days. I think I can adjust the exorcism ritual to be a little less exhausting on both our parts. But I don’t know if they’ll be willing to just let me run off?” 

“Take them with?” Prompto suggested, maybe a little petulantly. If these guys couldn’t handle Megumi at his weirdest, they didn’t deserve to be part of his Retinue. “I know Mister Doom and Gloom doesn’t like strangers, but he puts up with me.” Someone had to be there to make sandwiches and make sure the two dramatic idiots didn’t stay passed out on the floor for hours. 

“I’d have to explain things first though,” Megumi complained. “And there’s so much to explain!” 

“Sucks to be them, then.” Prompto huffed. “It’s your weird bullshit life and if they want to be a part of it, they’ll have to get used to it being weird and full of bullshit.” He didn’t understand half the shit Gumi talked about. He just trusted that Megumi knew what he was doing and supported him. Like a good best friend and boyfriend. 

“Are you… jealous?” Megumi looked at him, eyebrows raised. 

“No!” 

“You are.” Megumi bit his lip. He was very obviously trying not to laugh. 

“No I am not.” 

“You’re jealous of them!” He grinned, eyes warm. “You know even if I care about them, that doesn’t take away that you’re my boyfriend.” 

Prompto huffed, definitely red faced. “I’m just… not used to you caring what other people think. You obviously think highly of them and… I dunno! This is the first time I’ve met anyone that’s- important to you! I’m not jealous, I’m… nervous.” This was probably the closest Prompto was probably going to ever get to meeting Noctis’s family face to face. He was never going into Insomnia again. 

Megumi pulled his face up into a kiss. “Don’t worry. It’s like you said, yeah? You’re the one that Cujo likes. You’re the one guaranteed to stick around.” He snickered. “Besides, you already met Uncle Cor. He likes you.” 

Prompto, still a little melty from the kiss, grumbled. “That doesn’t count. That whole disaster of us meeting doesn’t count.” Wait. “He likes me?” 

Megumi laughed at him.

Chapter Text

To say he worried about the reaction to their arrival would be an understatement. 

Ever since learning that Noctis was found alive and well, Ignis had been… emotional. Worried, happier than he could express that Noctis was alive, and filled with a deep burning frustration that others had refused to explain the situation in full. Perhaps if he’d been given a proper explanation, Ignis might have refused to go along with Gladio’s plan to go find Noctis anyway. 

As it was, Ignis was just glad he’d managed to get them smoothly out of Insomnia without any hiccups. Gladio stewed in the passenger seat of his car the whole drive. He’d barely convinced the other man to not do something drastic and offend half the citadel on the way out. 

The silent drive certainly gave him time to think. The empty road had his eyes burning. Gladio turned off the radio mere minutes after he’d turned it on for something to distract him. There was nothing but his thoughts and memories to fill the hours between gas stations. 

Was he anxious about this course of action? Unbelievably. But he still believed it to be the right one. Ignis had been raised to stand by Noctis’s side. To support him in all he did. To be an extension of his will. Not only that, but Ignis had grown to genuinely love the boy under his care. To abandon him now, to not go to his side after all this time? He couldn’t even begin to rationalize such a thing. 

Noctis disappearing had destroyed him. Ignis didn’t remember much of the week after his disappearance, too filled with frantic adrenaline and demanding he be allowed to help search for him. He’d only been sixteen at the time, so obviously that hadn’t been the case. To his and Gladio’s frustrations the two of them had been outright banned from the search. 

(Gladio… had not taken that well. It perhaps tied in to his willingness to disregard orders to this day. It most certainly resulted in a rift between the elder and younger Shields that had barely begun to mend and had definitely cracked right open now.) 

As childish as the sentiment was; it wasn’t fair. 

Ignis had been the one to find Noctis’s body collapsed on the library floor. He’d been the one to see the book scattered to the side. He’d seen Noctis’s face pinched with pain and red with fever, limbs unmoving. He’d been the one to secure the room, check Noctis for injury, call for help. 

Ignis had stayed by Noctis’s side those two weeks of blistering fever and mindless thrashing. He’d heard Noct’s whimpers and quiet cries. He could’ve left his care just to the doctors and nurses, but nobody denied him his right to be there. 

There had been relief, at first, when Noctis awoke. Relief that quickly turned to dread. Ignis worried that Noctis didn’t wake up after all. There was some sort of light missing, in his eyes. The life in him was just gone. It didn’t make sense. Nothing about that broken series of weeks made sense. 

The morning he’d entered Noct’s room to not see him was seared permanently in the back of his mind. Noct’s empty bed. His mild surprise, thinking perhaps Noctis had gotten up to use the bathroom without prompting. A bit of hope. Not even basic bodily needs had driven Noctis out of his blank state. This was progress, surely? 

Noctis hadn’t been in the bathroom. Ignis had been there early, before the sun rose, simply because he couldn’t sleep. His plan had been to read quietly in his chair while waiting for Noctis to awaken. He’d waited for the Prince to return to bed. When he didn’t, Ignis went searching for him out of concern. 

Obviously, nobody found him. The following investigation found a simple note underneath Noctis’s pillow. 

Don’t worry. I’m going to fix things.  

There was the thought that it hadn’t actually been Noctis who wrote the note. Ignis initially agreed. It hadn’t made any sense. What did Noctis plan on fixing? What could possibly compel a thirteen year old to run away so suddenly? 

They had so many questions and no answers. 

When the haze of panic and concern had faded to something he could see past, when there was nothing left for him to do, nothing constructive to distract himself with, Ignis began to look into the original incident simply out of need of something to do. 

Noctis was known for roaming the library when he was bored, before he’d begun to show interest in video games anyway. Ignis remembered finding Noctis at a young age perched in his wheelchair, hidden behind rows of bookshelves, with his face nearly nose to page to a book. He’d thought for the longest time that Noctis might need reading glasses but no, that was just how the silly boy wanted to read. 

Ignis migrated back to the library more out of familiarity. A part of him wanted to see Noct’s chair parked in a hidden corner somewhere. Out of idle curiosity, he picked up the book Noctis had left fallen on the floor. It had been reshelved after finding no trace of foreign magic or toxins, but Ignis remembered the binding. An older book, bound in leather. A collection of old stories and prophecies from Oracles, Kings, and Queens of old. 

Ignis found what Noctis had been reading, visible from the crumpled edges. His heart had climbed into his throat. 

He saw the Prophecy. He saw precisely what page Noctis had been on, before he collapsed. 

I'm going to fix things. 

It made a horrid kind of sense, really, though Ignis wasn't positive if things were truly connected. It was a bit of a stretch. Not to mention horribly out of character for Noctis. 

Then, much of those hellish weeks were out of character for Noctis. 

Ignis hadn't told anybody else what he'd found. He didn't know if anyone else knew about the Prophecy; he didn't want to know who else knew about it. He just wished he'd gone looking sooner. Maybe he could have assured Noctis that he would be by his side through anything. Mayhap even enough to convince Noctis to stay, or to take Ignis along with him, no matter the destination. 

If he'd been able to do that, maybe he could have convinced Noctis to take Gladio too. They could have left together, or stayed together, or whatever Noctis needed so long as it was together. 

He took a deep breath, eyes weary and far too heavy for the road. He hadn't been able to sleep very well last night. Gladio drove when he grew tired, letting Ignis take a break to nap in the back seat, but he'd barely managed a few hours. Gladio didn't exactly drive recklessly, but the roads were dangerous at night. He drove fast.  

Now in the early afternoon they were pulling into Wiz’s Chocobo Post and Ignis’s eyes were dry and irritated with weariness. The thin layer of snow on the ground crunched under his car's tires. 

Ignis got out and stretched carefully, adjusting his jacket. He only hoped he hadn't forgotten anything when packing. He'd been a bit rushed, and didn't want to pack too much to avoid suspicion… 

Gladio walked up next to him, practically emanating impatience. 

“He's supposed to be somewhere around. Let's get looking.” 

The crunching of footsteps. 

“No need.” A voice, familiar but deepened by age. 

Ignis turned his head. A young man walked up, hat pulled low over his head. 

“Noct?” Ignis breathed, breath stolen. 

The man lifted his hat a bit, revealing familiar eyes and a small, nervous smile. 

“Hey, Iggy. Gladio.” Noctis said awkwardly, shuffling in the snow. “Cor warned me you guys were on the way.” 

“Noctis you royal jerk.” Gladiolus growled, lunging towards him and pulling him into a bear hug. “You fuckin asshole. Six years. Six godsdamned years. You couldn't say something? Anything? No ‘Hey, guys, by the way, I'm alive’?” 

“Hey, keep it down with that,” Noctis drew back, glancing around. “I’m going by Megumi. Shout that the Prince is here a little louder, why don’t you?” 

“Oh I’ll show you shouting-” 

“Gladio.” Ignis scolded. “Megumi,” It was odd, but he’d call Noct whatever he wanted to keep him in sight. “It’s… it’s good to see you.” 

Noctis finagled his way out of Gladio’s grasp. “It’s good to see you too, Iggy.” He said quietly. 

“Hey Gumi?” A blond with an arm in a sling inched close to their huddle. Both he and Gladio went on alert. Noctis just turned his head with a small smile. “Wiz said you can borrow his living room to talk, if you want.” 

“Oh.” Noctis tilted his head. “That sounds good, actually. Bit more privacy for when Gladio inevitably starts yelling at me again.” He looked at the two older men with an even expression. “Come with?” 

“Uh-” The blond froze up, gripping the arm in the sling with his good one. “Should I even? This is like, incredibly personal, and you’re like- meeting again for the first time in years? I shouldn’t intrude, really, and I’d probably just be in the way-” 

Noctis interrupted the blond’s anxious babbling by slinging an arm around his hip and pulling him close against his side. “Iggy, Gladio, this is my boyfriend of one year, friend of longer: Prompto. Prompto, these are my… childhood best friends Ignis and Gladiolus.” Noctis said the last part quietly. 

Ignis quickly resituated the blond on his list of priorities. “And he knows..?” 

“Prom knows more than you guys do.” Noctis rolled his eyes and spun around, pulling Prompto with him. “Well? You guys coming or not?” 

Gladio actually growled under his breath. Ignis elbowed him in the ribs. “You will not do anything to antagonize him. That includes threatening, interrogating, or otherwise intimidating his boyfriend.” He threatened quietly. Ignis would not put it past Gladio to do something unfortunate just when they'd finally got Noctis back. 

They followed the two behind the tourist section of the Post, up to a modest sized home. Prompto led them all inside practically jittering with anxiety. Gladio seemed to be almost sulking. 

Noctis sat on the loveseat, arms crossed defensively. Prompto very cautiously sat next to him. Ignis sat down on the couch sitting perpendicular to it. Gladio reluctantly sat down next to him. 

“So.” Noctis took a breath. “Why are you guys here, exactly?” Somehow, that sent a stab of pain through Ignis’s chest. Gladio growled. “So, thing is, I'm not going back, and Cor swore he wasn't going to try to make me. And I sent a whole letter to my Dad about exactly why I'm not going back. And I just wanna know why you two are here despite me wanting nothing to do with Insomnia.” 

“Because I'm your Shield, dumbass.” Gladio rumbled deeply. Noctis blinked passively at him. “I'm- six fucking years.” He said like it was all the explanation he needed. “I'm not leaving your fucking side now that I finally know where you are.” 

Noctis watched Gladio without a change in expression, eerily stern and blank. Blue eyes moved to Ignis to hear his opinion. 

“I don't know what the situation is.” Ignis had his hands on his knees, trying to not squeeze. “I do not know precisely why you left or why you refuse to return. But I intend to be by your side again, if you would allow me, in whatever capacity that is.” Ignis said quietly, failing at keeping his voice from trembling. 

Noctis’s eyes softened. “You don't need to. Of all things, a seneschal is hardly something I need these days. You have no obligation to me.” He deliberately did not look to Gladiolus. The obligation for him was most certainly there. 

Ignis’s jaw clenched. “I do not care. Whether you should need a seneschal or a fellow hunter-” He saw those tags on the outside of Noctis’s dirty vest. “-or even just- just a friend. If you would allow it, I would be there.” He lost much of the volume he intended to use, feeling small underneath the heavy weight of Noctis’s gaze. Had his eyes always held so much force to them? 

Noctis took a slow breath in and let it out. He nodded. Then turned back to Gladiolus. “You’re obligated to be with me.” He said bluntly, a slight purse to his mouth. “But there's a lot going on that the both of you will need to know before anything else. And I'm not going to hold you to an obligation that doesn't cover all the weird bullshit my life consists of.” 

“It's not just fucking duty!” Gladio bared his teeth. “We missed you, asshole. And if you'd just said something, shit, I would've gone with you.” 

Noctis blinked. Something of the stoic facade finally cracked. “...there's a lot to go over. I'm going to be honest, here: I don't trust easily right now. Even you two. Shit is weird. Weird. If you two are going to be hanging around, you're going to have to get used to my weird bullshit life being weird and full of bullshit.” His lip twitched faintly and Prompto stifled a small sound next to him. “I won't blame you at all if you decide to leave. But I've got serious business in two days and if you're coming with me, we should get going now.” 

“Any chance we get to know what it is?” Gladio asked immediately. 

“Not until we get there.” Noctis said, oddly cheerily, before standing up. “You ready, Prom?” 

“Oh! Uh-” Prompto stood up with a panicked expression. “I thought I was going to be taking Peanut- uh, I'll have to let Wiz know she'll be in the stables, and uh- are we going… the faster way?” 

“No, not yet.” Noctis shook his head. He proceeded to speak in a language Ignis had never heard before. “Trying to not freak them out right off the bat.” 

“But you're taking them to meet Doom and Gloom right off the bat?” Prompto gave him an odd look. 

Noctis shrugged. That seemed good enough for Prompto, who huffed and hurried out of the house with a brief ‘nice to meet you!’

“That's it? Like two minutes of talking and we're on the road?” Gladio demanded. Ignis wanted to elbow him again. 

“I'll explain more when we get there.” Noctis said. “Or we can talk in the car. I doubt you two want to be having serious conversations while driving, though. And I can't exactly miss this appointment.”

Chapter Text

There was some challenge figuring out who would ride where. Noctis ended up in the front passenger seat, while Prompto sat nervously in the back seat with a cranky Gladio. Ignis, of course, was driving because it was in fact his car. He probably needed to keep his hands busy on the wheel or he was going to fidget his way into the woods. 

Gladiolus kept an eye on the blond next to him. Prompto seemed a real skittish guy. A real wimp. The gun in a holster at his waist didn't say much. 

The car ride was very quiet and awkward after a brief consultation of where exactly they were going. 

“South, toward Galdin. I figure we stop at Oathe Haven for the night, push on to Galdin Quay in the morning. Hitch a boat ride from there.” Noctis said without a hint of emotion in his voice and it made Gladio want to punch something. 

Eventually he got fed up with the silence. 

“So what's with the arm?” He turned to the guy next to him, eyeing the sling on his left arm. He saw his fingers fidgeting and could even hold things in it. 

“Gladiolus.” Ignis hissed and yeah, maybe it was rude, but he needed to know if it was going to get in the way of anything. 

Prompto jumped. He somehow managed to pale and turn red at the same time. “Oh, uh- old damage. To my uh. Nerves. And musculoskeletal system. Usually it's fine? But it's weak and sometimes spazzes out a bit so the sling and compression sleeve to keep it still.” 

Gladio had to wonder what ‘spazzing out’ meant exactly. He opened his mouth to ask and then saw Ignis’s glare through the rear view mirror and decided otherwise. 

“So what exactly have you been doing these past six years? Besides hiding amidst the chocobos.” He turned his attention to the front seat. Prompto practically wilted in relief to have the attention off him. Gladio was not impressed. 

“Hunting. Looking into things.” Noctis crossed his arms, looking out at the forests passing by. “...just keeping a low profile, for the most part.” 

“Are you both hunters, then?” Ignis asked politely, probably trying to connect with the skittish blond as well. Gladio rolled his eyes. 

“Prom usually sticks to a distance, but he's a good shot.” Noctis said plainly. “I don't usually take many hunts. Just enough to get by. Prom likes to take any that can get him some good photo shoots. We tend to work together when we can.” 

“You're a photographer, Prompto?” Ignis encouraged. 

Prompto sputtered and Gladio rolled his eyes with a scoff. This guy. Seriously, did he have any backbone at all? 

Another glare from Ignis had him keeping his mouth shut, but it didn't keep him from stewing in the back seat. Some very awkward prompting from Ignis had them both sharing what they'd been up to in Insomnia over the past few years as well. The conversation didn't exactly flow. More like it stuttered and died worse than the wimp next to him. 

The night at the haven sucked. It was odd that Noctis and Prompto were so ready to take shifts keeping watch when they were inside a haven of all things. Nothing with dangerous intent could enter. But Gladio figured it was a good idea anyways since they were kind of out in the middle of the woods. 

Setting up camp was awkward. Noctis had a tent in the big bag of his he hauled with him. But Gladio and Ignis had, for all intents and purposes, kind of left with minimal gear in the trunk. So they were going to have to share the tiny thing. Which was not comfy. But also sleeping outside was not exactly optional when there was frost on the ground. 

“Why not just use the damn armiger?” Gladio grunted as he struggled to get a fire going in the firepit. Noctis didn't seem to be having any trouble with his back, but he also distinctly remembered a time when Noctis couldn't carry a school bag without pulling his back. Much less that bigass hiker's backpack. 

“Didn't know if Dad could… tell, or anything.” Noct ducked his head, hiding behind the crazy mess of hair. 

Gladio wanted to scoff but it reminded him that Noctis was a kid who barely had access to his magic when he ran off. He should've been having lessons from a much younger age, but with how the accident had crippled him and his magic… no wonder he didn't know shit. 

“...why did you leave?” Gladiolus found himself asking quietly, as Noctis knelt next to him with an odd piece of paper. He placed it on the wood silently and frowned as Gladio watched him out of the corner of his eye. It was hard to see his face behind that mop of lanky hair. The paper burst into flames, making Gladio jump a bit. Guess he found a way to channel his magic after all… 

“A lot of things.” Noctis said quietly. “And… I'm sorry. A lot of them were stupid. But… I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I'm sorry I just left like that.” 

“Did you?” Ignis asked quietly. “Run away, I mean? Was it all… you?” 

Noctis was silent for a minute. Behind them, Prompto was practically holding his breath. Gladio wanted to turn around and hit the twink. 

“...mostly. It's complicated. But yeah. Mostly me and a bunch of stupid decisions one after another.” 

“Is the complicated going to be explained when we get to our destination?” Ignis asked quietly, coming up with a stack of firewood to last the night. 

“...yeah.” Noctis said. 

Gladio’s watch was the second to last, aka the worst, but he was more comfortable taking it and letting Ignis handle the final watch. Noctis ended up taking the first watch and none of them argued with him. 

This meant that Gladio woke up at his time with the experience of training and climbed outside the tent (trying to avoid stepping on anyone; Ignis grunted in his sleep and Noctis opened one eye to look at him blearily before closing again) to find Prompto sitting with his back to the fire cleaning his gun repetitively. 

“You any good with that thing?” Gladio grunted, doing some stretches to get the blood flowing. 

Prompto turned his head oddly and then hummed. “Haven't died on a hunt yet.” He seemed a lot… calmer, with oil and grease staining his fingers. 

Gladio sat on the opposite side of the fire, eyeing the blond’s shoulders. He was a little defined. From Ignis’s prodding during the drive, Prompto was primarily a farmhand at the Chocobo Post and a photographer more than a hunter. Working with the chocobos must've given him those muscles. He was lean, and didn't show much bulk, but when Gladio looked closer he could see it. Especially with the fire blazing against his back. 

“So. Look.” Prompto said awkwardly, but a little firm. “Megumi’s not good at… talking.” 

“I know Noctis.” Gladio growled. 

“Yeah, you do.” Prompto surprised him by saying immediately. “But I know Megumi. And he's been Megumi for the last six years, not Noctis. And I'm not- I'm not saying I know him total better than you, or anything, but- I uh-” He fumbled. 

“But you're saying you know him better than me.” Gladio said, unimpressed. 

Prompto huffed weakly but didn't turn around. “Look. I just… I care about him, a lot, and he's so nervous about seeing you guys again, and he's really good at not showing it, but he really is. I've known him for a few years now and he's told me things because I already knew he was messed up. You? He doesn't want you guys to know how messed up some stuff is, cause he really cares what you two think of him, even if he doesn't really show it-” 

“This going somewhere?” Gladio interrupted, a little softer than he could've been. 

“I'm just trying to keep him from bolting off in a panic because he thinks you guys hate him.” Prompto breathed out in a burst of air. “Which he will do.” Well that wasn't concerning at all. “So just. Maybe try to be a little less angry towards him? Things are… a lot. I've pretty much had to hold him down the past two days to keep him from bolting to Altissia to hide in a canal.” 

Gladiolus thought over that. He rubbed a hand over his face, then ran it through his hair. Prompto looked like a wimp and acted like one too, but apparently he did care about Noctis. So that was a point in his favor. 

“Fuckin shit.” He said under his breath. 

“Sorry, I didn't hear that..?” Prompto tilted his head in that odd way again and turned slightly. 

“I said fuckin shit. You deaf too?” Gladio meant it as a fucking joke but Prompto laughed nervously. 

“Um. A little, in my left ear.” 

Gladio paused. “Fuck.” Well he kept sticking his foot in his mouth. “How the hell are you a hunter?” 

“Dude, there's hunters out there that are half blind and missing whole limbs.” Prompto said jokingly, though still shaky. “A little lightning damage is nothing.” 

“Lightning?” 

“Uh- y-yeah. Got struck by lightning.” Prompto was beginning to put his gun back together, mostly one handed. Gladio kind of wished he could see how he did it but all he could see was the guy's back. “Blew out my eardrum on my left side, screwed up my arm, fucked my leg for a bit too but thankfully that didn't stick. Hunts don't go too bad, honestly, since I don't usually take actual violent ones. Recon or pickups, usually. My chocobo Peanut- she's the best. She makes travel easy and totally kicks ass when she needs to.” 

The immediate change in tone was surprising, Prompto falling into an easy, confident rhythm as he babbled on about an orange chocobo he absolutely adored. 

He yawned halfway through a sentence and Gladio told him to go get some damn sleep. Prompto clammed up sheepishly and practically bolted off. Gladio sighed and took his place, back to the fire so he wouldn't be blinded by the light. 

When he pulled the tent flap open to grab Ignis for his watch, he woke with minor grumbling. Gladio handed him a can of Ebony and the grumbling stopped. 

Curled into the other side of the tent, Noctis opened a single eye again to watch as Gladio settled down in Ignis’s space. Prompto was practically squeezed into Noctis like he was crawling into his skin, snoring lightly. Noctis’s eye narrowed slightly on Gladio until he rolled his own eyes and stopped staring at the two. 

So the twink was at least not completely spineless. Good to know.

Prompto was going to vibrate out of his skin. Ignis was being polite and cordial and not showing what he actually thought of Prompto. Gladiolus at least made it clear he didn't approve of Prompto at all. 

Which, was totally fair honestly, what did Prompto have to give Noctis? The only things Prompto was good for - photos, chocobos, and keeping Megumi from forgetting how to People - were either pointless with Ignis and Gladiolus around or just pointless in general. He didn't blame Gladiolus at all for not liking him. But at least his annoyance with Prompto was easier to read than Ignis’s weird nice guy thing. Was it a thing? Prompto felt like it was a thing. 

The drive to Galdin was less awkward than the drive to the Haven, but mostly just because Prompto was pretty sure Megumi was finally settling out of fight or flight mode. For the time being. Maybe. A little bit. 

…it was going to be a rough trip. 

Ignis kept up a soft stream of polite questions, happy to dodge anything that might bring up bad memories. Gladiolus would occasionally interject with those uncomfortable questions and Ignis would hiss something at him, then Megumi would either ignore them or answer them in a quiet voice. 

Strange, honestly, that Prompto knew all the answers to those questions, even the unpleasant ones. 

Once they pulled into Galdin Quay's sand-covered parking lot, Megumi got out and stretched in the sun. Despite his shadow related techniques he always loved sunlight. Prompto always thought it was cute seeing him stretch and curl up in the warmth. Maybe after this Megumi would want to go fishing? He needed a break after all the stress of seeing his old friends and their uh… “appointment”. 

Once everyone grabbed their bags (“We're gonna be camping when we get there, so bring things for a few days.”) Megumi led the way down a path around the western bend of the shore. Prompto ended up sort of behind, lagging at the tail end of the group to give them a chance to talk or something. He wasn't sure. He just knew he didn't want to get in the way of anything. 

Not that anything happened. Megumi was quiet and the other two were more focused on not tripping over sand or rocks. Prompto was just glad he had actual good shoes for this stuff. Poor Ignis looked like he was going to have to empty sand out of his loafers by the bucket full. 

“So. I did lie a little, there's no boat.” Megumi clapped his hands after taking a deep breath. “We've got a different way to get to the island we're going to.” He came upon a small little cave that wouldn't even protect them from the waves. “Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. Honestly could've done this from the Post but I didn't want you to have to leave your car there.” 

With a hand motion, closed eyes, and a small chant, the back of the cave turned pitch black. Megumi waved out at the island to the south. 

“That's our destination. Technically, boats going to and from are illegal.” He paused for a minute, thinking. “...I’m not sure if I'll tell Dad about this. It'll depend, I think, on what you guys end up thinking.” The last part was mostly just him muttering to himself. 

Gladiolus and Ignis looked clearly wary at the blackness. Megumi walked up to it without a concern in the world and Prompto skipped over. He could be the guinea pig! Show them it was fine! 

“Sorry, gonna have to be one at a time.” Megumi apologized. “I've never tried moving more than one person at a time and I don't want to mess up.” 

With a hand tucked in Prompto’s Megumi tugged him through the shadow. Prompto went with him easily through the soft darkness. 

Traveling through Megumi’s shadow spots felt like walking through blankets. Simultaneously cold and warm blankets. Like being pulled through soft blankets that were both freezing cold and pleasantly warm at the same time. Sort of. It was also a little hard to put into words properly. Prompto also knew that for those without the ability to see cursed energy it was three times as awful. For Prompto with his cursed glasses it looked like seeing the trip in fast forward. For a short hop like this it wasn't so bad. Without wearing his glasses Prompto always got a little nauseous. 

They stepped out of the shadows seconds after entering. A very short trip compared to some of the head-spinning cross continental ones Megumi had taken him on before. 

“You good?” Megumi said, arms wrapping around his hips briefly. 

Prompto smiled and melted into him. “Dude, you're the one who's dealing with all the crazy stuff right now.” 

Megumi huffed, pressing the side of his head into Prompto’s. He grumbled incoherently for a bit before leaning back and sighing. “Whatever. We've got the day free here to chat unless he shows up early.” 

Megumi turned and walked back into the second shallow cave he'd set a shadow point into, disappearing. 

He pulled Gladio through first. The man looked a few shades paler after. He stumbled as soon as his feet left the shadow, quickly using the nearest rock wall to catch himself. 

“Oh shit, I forgot how awful that is the first time-” 

“Whoops.” Megumi said, sounding unapologetic. 

Prompto dug in his backpack for his first aid kit. He snagged an ice pack and cracked it. “Here, um, this should help you settle. Just put it against your face and neck?” 

Gladio glared at him. 

“Don't be a dick.” Megumi punched him in the shoulder before going back through. 

Gladio took the ice pack begrudgingly. The grounding cold did seem to help. He gained a little bit of color back at least. 

When Megumi came back through with Ignis in tow, Ignis was positively green. He leaned over and dry heaved for a minute. Megumi kept a hold of his arm to make sure he didn't tilt over. 

“Goodness.” Ignis finally said, standing up. Gladio handed off Prompto’s only ice pack. “Thank you. My apologies, I wasn't quite expecting…” 

“Motion blur and gaussian effect at lightspeed?” Prompto offered. 

Ignis gave a half-hearted sound of amusement. Then looked up, pressing the ice pack firmly to one cheek. 

“Incredible.” He said, looking out across the rocky shore to Galdin Quay in the distance. Ignis checked his phone. “Is that… instant?” 

“Not exactly. Short hop like that? Maybe a few seconds.” 

“Short?” Gladio looked at the water, hand shading his eyes from the sun overhead. “That's at least… what, five? Ten miles out?” 

“Short by how far I can actually go with that technique, if I have a location.” Megumi shrugged. 

“That was not Caelum magic, was it?” Ignis questioned quietly. 

Gladiolus turned his head quickly. His eyes narrowed at Megumi. 

“No.” Megumi said, stepping over the rocky shore. “Come on.” 

The two protested, demanding answers, but Prompto followed after Megumi silently and they gave up talking to keep up.

Chapter Text

Angelgard was a pretty small island, all things told. There wasn't much to do or anywhere to go. Just about the only thing to do was fish from the sharp rocks if the weather wasn't terrible. 

Megumi led them all over the small trail that had built up over years of bi-monthly use. Right up to a solid rock wall that he pressed a hand against. Prompto could see the swirl of cursed energy he pulsed. 

Rocks moved aside, revealing a large chamber that looked almost like a coliseum. And had all the damage to prove it. Gashes and cracks and holes littered the walls and ceiling. Only the floor was preserved, perfectly even and smooth. 

“So the reason - the first reason - that I left Insomnia,” Megumi said, walking inside. “Is because there's this Prophecy. It says I have to die to save the world from darkness.” 

Ignis made a punched sound. 

“What?” Gladio rumbled, voice deep and dangerous. 

“Yeah. I wasn't too thrilled either.” Megumi knelt down by the floor, pulling his flashlight out of his bag and shining it on the markings across the floor. “So the Prophecy is a lot of bullshit, but basically I have to die to purge the world of the Starscourge. Well the gods messed up. I ended up having a soul a little older than it should've been, and I remember things I shouldn't. I'm “supposed” to fight the Adagium as part of the Prophecy, a man who is supposedly the personification of daemons and the source of the Scourge itself. Truth is he's not the actual source and I actually know how to exorcise the daemons from him without us having to duke it out.” 

Prompto walked up next to him, eyes flickering over the seals he'd worked so hard to memorize. “What do you plan on changing?” 

“These.” Megumi’s hand brushed over a portion that stretched in circles across the floor over six feet. If Prompto was remembering right, those were the parts responsible for translating the seal's original exorcism purpose - curses - into daemons. “You guys can get camp set up while I get started?” He looked behind him to where Ignis and Gladiolus still stood in the entrance of the cave. “Said Adagium and I have been meeting up twice a month to exorcise a chunk of the daemons out of him. Give me another half decade or so of doing this and I think he'll be free of them. That's half of the Prophecy knocked out already.” 

There was silence for a few minutes as Prompto hiked back over to set his bag down by the front of the cavern. He pulled a bright yellow notebook out, then picked a tag out from between the pages. 

“Um- do you two want to look outside any?” He motioned to the door he was about to seal. “Gotta close the place up… there's ventilation, don't worry.” He assured nervously. 

Gladiolus and Ignis traded looks. They stepped fully inside. Prompto put the tag against the key spot necessary and the stone slowly slid shut. He couldn't manipulate his own cursed energy, so seals were his only way to do it. Thank you Megumi for being such a nerd in his past life so he could pass all that info on to him. 

“This… Adagium. He's… cooperative?” Ignis asked, grabbing a flashlight of his own to look around with. 

“Well not at first.” Megumi was pulling chalk out and marking the floor in different places with it. Occasionally, he referenced a journal in his hand. “We fought. I basically triple-dog-dared him to fight me and let me try to fix things my way. I won.” Megumi sounded smug and given he was fifteen when he'd fought a two-thousand year old daemonic guy… yeah Prompto thought he had earned it. “Now he seems to agree I'm on the right track. Neither of us are particularly pleased with the gods, so following their plans isn't gonna happen regardless.” 

The two of them kept an eye on Megumi as he worked. Prompto was a little bummed he had to set up the tent by himself, but fair enough he guessed. He didn't like taking his eyes off Megumi after a disappearance either. Six years… Once that was done he was almost set. No firewood on the island meant no actual cooking, but it was easy enough to heat up food on a burner. 

Prompto’s main job, however, was to pull out some chalk of his own and start writing careful symbols on the smooth floor around the campsite. 

“What are you doing?” Ignis drifted over, face troubled but trying to look calm. 

“Uhhh.” Prompto froze. He wasn't… actually sure how to explain in Lucian. Megumi taught most of the sealing stuff to him in a mix of Lucian and Japanese. “Basically… he pulls the daemons out? But they've gotta go somewhere. So while they deal with the daemons, I stay in here. Used to camp outside the door but then there was a storm and that sucked big time.” Prompto got a lung infection after that. Megumi nearly buried him in blankets and guilt. 

“And the purpose of these symbols..?” Ignis tilted his flashlight to shine over them. Prompto didn't really need the light, by this point he could draw this in his sleep, but it was helpful. 

“They're… uh… how do I say it in Lucian…” Prompto swapped to muttering in Japanese for a bit. “Basically… uh… these are… sigils? Seals. Seals! That's the right word!” 

“Are you not from Lucis?” Ignis asked politely. 

Prompto almost choked. “I mean- technically, no, but I was adopted as a baby in Insomnia. No, that language is Japanese, I learned it from Megumi, actually. Part of some of the uh- complicated stuff.” 

Ignis didn't say anything else. Prompto moved to keep marking down what he needed until it was almost complete. Just needed the final burst of cursed energy from Megumi and then it would be good. 

Prompto got to his feet and brushed his pants off. 

“Um- just please don't smear any of the chalk?” Prompto asked shyly, then turned to go see what Megumi was up to. He wanted to see what changes Megumi was making. Just because Prompto wasn't a sorcerer didn't mean he couldn't find his own ways to manipulate cursed energy, especially given access to seals. And Megumi had been teaching him a lot about seals. 

Finally Megumi stood, brushing his own pants off in satisfaction. “That'll have to work for now.” He looked up, seeing Ignis and Gladiolus's odd looks. He shrugged and then braced himself. 

With great concentration, cursed energy began to emanate from his hands. It sank down, down into the stone as he hummed. 

Because this cavern was covered in seals, because this cavern had been regularly soaked in crazy amounts of cursed energy for a few years, they didn't need cursed energy of their own to see the blue glowing smoke pouring out of Megumi. They could see it just as easily as Prompto did with his cursed glasses. 

Even more importantly, in this cavern, everyone could feel it. 

Prompto tried to keep his shivers down. Cursed energy, when he could actually feel it, felt so wrong. Disgusting and cold cold cold. 

Ignis and Gladiolus seemed stunned. 

“What the hell.” Gladiolus choked out. 

Megumi lifted his cursed energy, examining the floor where he'd embedded it into the solid rock. He looked around carefully to make sure it was correct. 

“And now we wait.” He wiped his hands off and moved over to the camp Prompto had said up. 

“And now you answer some questions,” Gladiolus insisted. “Like what the fuck was that?” 

“That was juryoku, something everyone has.” Megumi sat down on the ground and fiddled with the small burner. “Only jutsushi can sense or manipulate it under most circumstances. It's how I got us to the island.” 

“And how exactly did you become one of those?” 

“My past life.” 

Silence reigned for a solid three minutes before Megumi sighed. 

Prompto turned away and focused on the changes Megumi had made to the seals on the ground. He should… give them some privacy, right? That would be best. 

He flipped to a fresh page in his own notebook, writing down what he could see of the different seals. If his limited experience said anything… Megumi was trying to make the seal work more efficiently? That was usually the goal, anyways. It had to be modified from its original purpose of curse exorcism to be able to exorcise the Scourge. Apparently, that was the most difficult part. It really limited Megumi’s ability to yank daemons out of Ardyn. 

Now there was a thought. 

“Hey, Gumi?” Prompto said idly while scribbling in his book. “Have you told them who the Adagium is yet?” 

A very quiet “...shit.” came from behind him and Prompto huffed. Yeah. Probably better to warn them ahead of time that the Chancellor of Niflheim was actually an immortal daemonic asshole who also happened to be one of Megumi’s ancestors. 

Just maybe. 

He'd give them another thirty minutes or so before wandering back over and giving Megumi his silent support.

Megumi was tired and restless. His cursed energy rolled under his skin. Cujo wanted out. But he wasn't going to expose Ignis and Gladiolus to the shikigami just yet. 

He'd shown them his rabbits to prove that the shikigami were real. Summoning animals was not a skill Lucis Caelums had. In this cavern they were considerably easier to see and touch. They didn't seem to believe him when he said they were intangible and invisible outside of specific scenarios. But they'd figure it out later. That was fine. 

Right now they'd just gone silent, thinking everything over. Megumi wondered if they thought he was insane. He wondered if he'd explained things right. He'd never really been in the position to explain curses to someone in his previous life, besides Yuuji, and Yuuji had… a lot going on at the time, to say the least, that made him pretty numb to the whole concept. He also got the world's worst crash course immediately after. 

Prompto had learned about curses over the course of months, bit by bit, starting with the knowledge that there were things he couldn't see or hear due to Peanut’s ability to sense them. He'd been careful not to scare Prompto off with too much too fast, and Prompto similarly was usually trying to make sure Megumi wasn't feeling pushed to share to avoid scaring him off. Cor had been easy to convince when he could simply set the man against the more combat useful of his shikigami. 

…call it a little mean of him for putting Cor through it, but he didn't want to prove things to Ignis and Gladio that way. Cor could take a beating in a way most humans on Eos just couldn't. Making his friends go through that felt like it was going too far. Even if it was odd to think like that. 

Taking the time to introduce everything gradually wouldn't work with Ignis and Gladio though. Ignis, maybe, but he was naturally inquisitive and would ask a lot of questions right off the bat. Gladio? Gladio wanted answers and he wanted them now. 

Maybe Megumi should be annoyed by it. The pressure and expectation was a lot when he'd been running primarily solo for a good few years (and most of one lifetime). But honestly he felt strangely at peace with it, knowing it came from a place of concern. 

“Idiot! If you'd just TOLD US you were still alive, we would've gone into hiding WITH you!” 

Nobara's words to Yuuji a lifetime ago echoed in his head. Megumi messed with the burner idly. Prompto leaned into his shoulder. 

“Well isn't this quite the welcoming party.” 

Megumi looked up at the sound of the familiar drawling voice. 

“Ardyn.” Megumi said, unbothered by the shadowed monstrosity towering over them. Prompto jumped in fright. Ignis and Gladio both jumped to their feet, reaching for weapons. “Easy, guys, he's just a dramatic asshole. Ardyn, chill the fuck out? This is Ignis and Gladiolus.” 

The monstrosity sank down and formed into a man with red hair and no fashion sense. Nobara would castrate him. “Ah, yes, your future Retinue… might I assume your current past has come back to bite you?” 

Megumi rolled his eyes and poked the burner again. “Something like that. I'm… back in contact with my dad. So that's something. They're here to see what's up. Don't be a dick to them.” A touch of cursed energy swirled around his shoulders defensively, a silent warning to Ardyn to keep himself in line. 

Gladio eyed the smokey energy warily. 

“Why my dear Megumi, whatever do you mean?” Ardyn grinned. “Good to see you as well, Prompto, have you decided yet?” 

“Nope. Not gonna decide on that. Never. Ever.” Prompto shuddered slightly. Ardyn enjoyed taunting him with the knowledge of his past and what he was ‘made’ to be. Megumi didn't know what offer Ardyn made his boyfriend, but Prompto kept refusing it and Megumi was fine with that. He didn't need to know so long as it wasn't an active problem. 

“Chancellor Izunia.” Ignis said stiffly, hands still on the daggers on his belt. “Or I suppose Lucis Caelum?” Gladio had his arms crossed, muscles rigid. 

“I see your wayward Prince has filled you in. It's very nice to meet you all.” Ardyn gave an exaggerated bow, smirk curling his lips. “Now, I seem to have noticed some modifications..?” 

Megumi stood up and walked over to the seal network. The two of them were busy for some time. Ardyn didn't understand much more of seals than Prompto did - if anything Prompto knew more - but he still preferred to know exactly what was going on with the ones that sucked the daemons out of him. Megumi couldn't fault him on that. So with every modification Megumi gave him an update and clarified as best as he could what the changes should do. 

This time, hopefully, the changes should make it easier to exorcise some of the daemons. Less cursed energy would need to be poured into the seal just to use it, so more cursed energy would be left to deal with whatever got yanked out of him. And hopefully also be more efficient so they could pull more of the Scourge out at once. 

Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto stayed in the circle of seals Prompto had made at camp. Prompto was working on making some food, while Ignis and Gladio kept sharp eyes on the two Caelums. Megumi couldn't help his internal amusement at how protective they were. Ardyn seemed amused for similar reasons. 

Once everything was cleared up, Megumi clapped his hands. “Are we good to start, then?” 

“I have no objections.” Ardyn simply walked over to the center of the seals, sitting down on the floor and leaning back on his hands casually. 

He headed to the camp. “Once this barrier goes up, you guys cannot cross it.” Literally and because if it broke every daemon he pulled out of Ardyn would gun for the normal human beings first and foremost. “Prom knows how to tell when everything's done. Listen to him.” Megumi said sternly. He waited for Ignis to nod and Gladio to begrudgingly agree before putting his hand down on the chalk seals. 

“Good luck babe!” Prompto waved, a tinge nervous but smiling. 

Megumi couldn't help smiling back. Prompto always tugged smiles out of him when nobody else did. He poured cursed energy into the seals, chalk burned into the ground and a dark shade going up around the camp. 

Megumi went back over to the center of the cavern where Ardyn was pretending he wasn't bracing himself. 

“Once more into the fray, hm?” 

Megumi grunted in agreement. 

“Showtime.” 

Chapter Text

The sounds coming from outside of the barrier were horrendous. Ignis was halfway torn between covering his ears and rushing to help Noctis. Only the solid energy under his palm kept him from trying to do so. It was ever so slightly opaque, just enough to hide what precisely was going on in the darkness beyond. All he could see was rapid movement. 

Prompto eyed him anxiously every time he touched the barrier. Gladio kept pacing angrily in the small space. 

“You're certain-” Ignis’s shaky question was interrupted by a chorus of abominable howls. He swallowed dryly. “You’re certain we cannot be of assistance?” 

“Gumi’s shikigami number in the literally infinite.” Prompto said, sounding defeated. “He’s only limited by how much energy he has. Not to mention he's really good at what he does. He won’t pull more daemons out than he can handle.” 

The howling sounded like it was getting closer. Red flames blossomed against the shield, heating it up and causing Ignis to snatch his hand away before it burned. 

“That would probably be Cujo, his… kinda strongest one?” Prompto was spending his time opening cans of food and stacking sandwiches together, setting them aside. “We’d all get in the way more than help. Especially since Cujo doesn’t like… anybody. He tolerates me at best. He’s likely to attack you guys on sight. He already pretty much mauls Ardyn every time he sees him.” The blond rambled. 

There were a few more minutes without conversation. The only sound was the echoing slams, screeches, and howling of whatever horrors stood outside their shelter. 

“We know how to fight daemons.” Gladio growled suddenly, interrupting the uneasy stalemate. 

“Dude.” Prompto put a sandwich down with a groan. “Megumi’s been doing this for years. Twice a month. Sometimes more if the two of them are super bored. Can’t you just trust him to know his own limits?” He waved a hand around. “Actually though, you guys would know, is it just a Megumi and Ardyn thing or are like. All Caelums kinda crazy when they’re bored? Because yoinking a bunch of daemons out of Ardyn to fight them is not the craziest thing Gumi’s done when he’s got cabin fever.” 

Ignis felt mildly compelled to say something about the stories he’d heard from Clarus about His Majesty’s youth, but he refused to say such about the royal family to an outsider he most certainly did not know. Even one dating the Prince. 

“Why the hell are you so casual about all of this?” Gladio rounded on him and demanded. 

“...Cause I already freaked out about it like, years ago?” Prompto fidgeted under the weight of Gladio’s glare. “And cause Gumi gets stressed when he thinks I’m weirded out by things. Like he thinks I’m gonna leave. I’ve pretty much gotten him to believe I’m around for good, but sometimes he gets pretty anxious about it. I think it’s gotta do with his past life being all… fucky.” 

“You know a great deal about his past life, then?” Ignis asked softly. The more they'd heard, the more he had the nagging feeling that Noctis had had nobody to count on all these years except the blond in front of them. 

“I mean. Yeah? Not like, a lot, but I know what he's talked around telling me, and he has told me stuff.” Prompto's fidgeting only increased. “That's why- I mean. You two know Noctis way better than I ever could, but I know Megumi.” 

Gladio made an odd grunt of acknowledgement. He didn't say anything else, which was a little odd with how antagonistic he had been so far, but Ignis would take it. 

“I'm very grateful he had someone by his side, when we could not be there.” Ignis sat down uncomfortably next to him. His discomfort was primarily due to the unceasing sounds around them, not the man or the harsh stone, but Prompto seemed to only get more anxious regardless. 

“It's- I'm just trying to be there for him.” Prompto muttered, refusing to look away from the sandwiches he kept messing with. “Last time- his last life not a lot of people were, if ever, so…” 

His honesty was welcome, even if Ignis wished he would stop acting like he was being interrogated. 

“It is good of you to do so.” Ignis said neutrally, unsure how to segue into asking more of Noctis’s past life. It perhaps wasn't polite to do so to Prompto, rather than ask Noctis himself, but he'd been remarkably stiff about explaining and had just about rushed through his name before delving more into what jutsushi were. Noctis’s ability to stonewall a conversation when he wasn't in the mood was certainly intact. “Is there anything you wouldn't mind sharing with us? About Megumi? Either of his past life, or the time you've known him.” 

Prompto glanced up briefly before returning to his task. Ignis suspected he was mostly making food as a way to stay busy. He certainly hoped they wouldn't need so much food in one sitting. 

“I'm not gonna-” Prompto cut himself off. It was the first time his voice had firmed around Ignis and he immediately wilted again. 

“I don't ask for secrets or anything he wouldn't want us knowing,” Ignis assured. His assumption proved correct when Prompto’s shoulders relaxed a smidgen. “Just… what you think may be appropriate. Or not, if you'd rather not share.” He didn't want to push the skittish young man. 

Ignis thought they were going to be sitting in (relative) silence for a long time with the length it took Prompto to decide, but eventually he opened his mouth shyly. 

“Wanna hear about how Gumi and I first met when he and his shikigami saved my life?” 

Ignis was pleased to listen to the tale. Noctis’s past life was surely important, but he was a little more interested in Noctis now. It was good to know that Noctis hadn't fundamentally changed. He sounded rather the same in Prompto’s softly spoken story, sometimes overshadowed by the chaotic sounds around them. When that one ran its course he moved onto another of a hunt Megumi took him on. Then a chaotic training trip that went sideways and so on. 

A part of Ignis wondered if Noctis sounded content in the stories Prompto shared. Prompto made no hesitation to say that Noctis was primed to leave or disappear on a whim at the slightest provocation, but he spoke so… domestically about ‘Megumi’. It was rather strange to witness. 

What was less strange and more comforting to witness was Prompto's clear and thorough infatuation with Noctis. He threw out words of endearment without pause. Though sometimes he would look a bit nervous as if they'd be bothered, he didn't stop. The way he said “Gumi” didn't go unnoticed- something soft and affectionate shone in him every time he said it. 

Ignis was fairly confident that if nothing else, Prompto cared very deeply for Noctis. 

After some unidentifiable time period - wherein Prompto became increasingly restless - the noises around them… dimmed. Prompto immediately stood up and approached the barrier, adjusting his glasses with a squint. He grabbed for the journal he kept at arms reach and held it in his weaker hand. 

The howling and screeching petered out to a dull silence that nearly buzzed in Ignis’s ears. 

Whatever Prompto was seeing was deemed acceptable. He pulled a slip of paper out of the notebook and slapped it against the barrier. The dark shadow wavered and dissipated. 

Ignis wondered briefly what the contents of the notebook looked like. He hoped Prompto wouldn't mind answering a few questions about sigils, later, seeing as he seemed capable of using the… cursed energy..? That Noctis used. He wondered how that worked precisely. 

“Noct!” Gladio called as soon as the barrier dropped. 

Ignis’s stomach sank. 

Noctis laid on the ground, on his back. Gladio and Ignis both hurried to him. 

“That took a bit longer than usual,” Prompto said, sounding casual. “Everything good?” 

Ignis looked to him briefly. The lack of fright at his state was a bit odd. Then it occurred to him. Noctis apparently worried about Prompto’s reaction to things. Prompto was suspiciously calm for the young man who'd spent the last two days nearly jumping in their presence. But Ignis spotted the tension in the corners of his eyes. Prompto was concerned, but hiding it. He should perhaps take Prompto’s lead on such things. 

“Megumi?” Ignis spoke softly, not quite wanting to touch him but almost reaching to check his pulse. 

“Mmm.” Noctis groaned. “Overdid it. Tired. S'fine.” His voice raised beyond a mumble. “You still kicking?” 

“I think my viscera was splattered across the ceiling again.” Ardyn responded with an edge of manic exhaustion; horrifically cheerful despite his statement. “That hasn't happened in quite a while!” 

“Woohoo.” Noctis gave a lazy fistbump into the air, not even opening his eyes. “I tripped on some at one point. You owe me new boots.” 

When Ignis looked over at the Chancellor, he had to swallow down the rapidly rising bile. The… man… was lying prone on his back, similarly to Noctis, and yet… unlike Noctis he appeared to have been ripped to shreds as if by a massive beast. Black mist swirled around him, slowly coalescing into the form he'd had previous. The sight of his limbs and other body parts scattered across the dark cave made Ignis glad it was too dim to see clearly. Even Gladio cursed and choked on his own spit when he looked away from Noctis. Prompto wisely kept his eyes firmly on the prince. 

“My organs dissolve into a misty miasma and then into nothing, your boots are undamaged, fool.” Ardyn said tonelessly, waving a hand. Ignis watched in fascinated disgust as clearly broken fingers straightened out. 

“So I guess the modifications worked!” Prompto said cheerfully, crouching on the balls of his feet to check his hand against Noctis's forehead. 

“Mhm.” Noctis hummed affirmatively, turning his head into his touch. 

“Well, huge bonus, Gladiolus here will have a way easier time dragging you to your sleeping bag than I do.” Prompto smiled, an ever so slight edge to it that proved his worry. He patted Noctis on the shoulder. “You're a bit too cold there and you can't call Cujo right now so I'm declaring you legally mandated cuddles from anyone willing.” 

Ignis's concern spiked. “Cold?” He asked evenly. Carefully, ready to pull back if Noctis reacted poorly, he checked Noctis's temper himself. He indeed seemed worryingly chilled. The cave was cool, but not that cold. Borderline hypothermia if Ignis’s First Aid knowledge said anything. 

“S'nothing.” Noctis rolled his eyes. He didn't otherwise react to Ignis’s hand, so at least he wasn't offended by it. That was a relief. 

“If he uses too much of one thing or the other his Caelum magic and his juryoku get into a little bitch fit and his temp can either start tanking or going up too high.” Prompto rattled off without concern for the annoyed grunt Noctis gave him. “Which I know hasn't happened in ages so I know you absolutely overdid it, dude. How'd you even manage to do that? You have so fucking much of both, it's ridiculous-” 

Gladio picked up Noctis in a bridal carry, much to the Prince’s protest. He carried him carefully to the little camp they'd set up despite his grumbling. He was well practiced in carrying people with concern for potential injuries. Or in Noctis's case, old injuries as well as new. 

Prompto hurried over to the camp, grabbed multiple sandwiches wrapped in paper napkins, and jogged over to Ardyn. He dropped the food directly onto his chest with only a small glance down at the man. 

“Dude, don't you even start.” Prompto said without explanation. 

“I didn't.” Ardyn said innocently. 

“Eat the food, Doom and Gloom.” 

Noctis was quickly wrapped in his sleeping bag and pinned firmly against Gladio's chest. He grumbled and complained halfheartedly. The way he shivered and leaned into him despite that complaining said a lot. Prompto fed him by hand because his arms were thoroughly pinned. Ignis let him, if only because Ignis wasn't entirely sure Noctis wouldn't bite him. He'd certainly done so as a child when he was fed up with being coddled. 

Something was vaguely familiar about the whole situation. Noctis’s limp fatigue and reluctant acquiescence. The tired slant in his entire body. Ignis merely watched with faux calm until it clicked. 

“You said it can be a fever as well?” Ignis frowned. 

“Mhm.” Prompto glanced back at him. “That's usually if he's pushing his magic though. Cold is juryoku. Not sure why?” 

“Caelum magic and… cursed energy can interact poorly inside of you, in a sense?” Ignis clarified, brow furrowing further. 

Prompto mouthed ‘cursed energy’ to himself. Ignis didn't trust himself to speak the language Noctis and Prompto used so casually without butchering it, though perhaps paraphrasing in Lucian was a bit rude as well. He'd ask later. 

“I guess that's a way of putting it.” Noctis yawned, head falling back against Gladio's shoulder. Gladio looked mildly surprised at him making himself comfortable. “I don't think it would be half as much of a problem if it weren't for the fact that my magic is light based and my juryoku is shadow based. I have to-” Another yawn interrupted him. “Have to use my magic a bit soon, even it out. But it can wait until I sleep off the exhaustion from overdoing it.” 

Ignis was unsure if this would be crossing the line, but he was compelled to ask anyway. “The fever you had before you ran away. Was that..?” 

Noctis blinked a few times, brow furrowed. “...probably? I'm not sure. Would make sense. I was a little busy being traumatized by the visceral memory of dying young to think of it.” He deadpanned in a distant, careless manner. Ignis flinched, Gladio hissing a breath through his teeth. “In retrospect? Probably. I know my magic and juryoku didn't get along at first. Took them a while to settle properly. Sounds about right though.” He shrugged as much as he could in his tight confines. Then yawned. His face was smoothing out already in his exhaustion. 

“Go ahead and get some sleep, babe.” Prompto ran a hand over his hair. Noctis tilted his head into his touch with a small sigh. The two of them were… cute, Ignis could admit. 

“We've gotcha.” Gladio said, voice low. 

Noctis grumbled something incoherent at him but drifted off almost immediately after. 

“Is this normal after… these situations?” Ignis was aware that it had been at least several hours since they'd sat in the safety of the sigils. A prolonged fight that lengthy… despite what popular media showed, most fights outside of prolonged warfare did not take more than a few minutes. He didn't know if Noctis had been given moments of reprieve in that time frame or if he'd been fighting nonstop. 

“Pretty much.” Prompto shrugged slightly. “He's a little extra tired this time but after enough food and sleep he'll be good to go. Ardyn'll usually crawl his way here for more food once he's feeling better and Gumi'll snooze for about… ten? Twelve hours? Probably more this time. Then we usually head off somewhere for Megumi to work on his magic a bit and go back to the Post or his cabin once he's feeling better.” 

In retrospect, that was probably extra notable because Ignis wasn't sure there was a way to get off the island without Noctis's form of transportation. But Ignis was currently more concerned about how lax and still Noctis was. He didn't think he was this still even when Ignis saw him asleep on the way here. 

“He hasn't been sleeping, has he?” Gladio said, confusing Ignis. “The last few days, anyway.” 

“Not really.” Prompto winced. “See… Cujo? The really scary shikigami that he can barely control? Is more likely to try pulling some shit while he's asleep. So since you guys didn't even know about him- Megumi decided he was just not gonna risk it. Napped a bit, I think, but he was mostly just resting enough to make sure Cujo was under control.” Prompto raised his hands placatingly. “Don't worry! Cujo's way chill after he gets to help with the exorcism, so it's fine. He won't be an issue right now.” 

“He wasn't sleeping for our sakes?” Ignis felt something in his heart twinge. Years apart, skittish and untrusting, and yet Noctis… put them first. 

“Yeah, he does dumb things like that.” Prompto huffed softly, eyes lingering over Noctis. “He can handle it for sure, but he does shit like that a lot.” 

Ignis wasn't sure how to react, but the mix of pain and fondness in his chest showed him how he felt about it. 

“That cannot continue.” Ignis said, a trace of firmness in his voice. Prompto straightened a bit. “He shouldn't be losing out on sleep simply to protect us. That is quite frankly our job.” 

Prompto laughed, a burst of light fluttering that quickly winked out. “Yeah, it's gonna be tricky getting that through his thick head.” He seemed pleased nonetheless.