The day had been particularly rough fighting creatures and Magitek soldiers one right after another. Everyone was ready for rest and food when Ignis suggested they make camp for the night.

Unfortunately, Ignis' arsenal of ingredients had depleted to uselessness and all they had left was Cup Noodles and small amounts of various spices. Ignis did what he could to dress up their instant dinners, but it was a far cry from what he was really capable of. Though tired and having had pitched the tent by himself, Gladio was the most excited about the choice of dinner and ate quickly as he sat by the fire. Noctis took a cup for both himself and Prompto after helping Ignis to his seat. He handed Prompto his and sat down next to him, a little closer than usual.

Gladio praised Ignis for his outstanding cooking. A playful jab that would have ignited some sort of joke or wise crack from Prompto, but the smallest member remained silent. He stared blankly into the steaming Styrofoam cup in his hand, mixing the noodles around listlessly. He stood and handed Gladio the cup.

"All yours," he said.

"What, Prompto not hungry?" Ignis asked. He had always teased Prompto about his appetite; Prompto was always asking for a food break.

"No." Prompto walked toward the tent, his boots kicking up dirt with each sluggish step. Out of sight and safely behind the walls of the tent, he removed the leather bracelet that covered his brand and brushed his fingers over it. He wondered about its origin all his life, what it meant, if it was why his parents abandoned him. The face of a Magitek he had shot in the face that afternoon flashed before his eyes. That could have been him. He could have been the one staring at the deadly end of any one of their weapons. He could have died at the hands of Noctis. Noct. Prompto slapped a hand to his mouth to stifle the sob caught in his throat. He forced himself to swallow. He couldn't stand the thought of that possibility.

"Prompto?"

Noctis' voice pulled him back to reality. Prompto quickly threw a blanket over himself and lied down, back to the opening of the tent. The zipper whined as the tent door was opened. He did his best to keep his breathing regular as he heard Noctis take a step into the tent.

"Hey, is everything okay?" he asked. His voice was quiet enough not to carry to the other men by the fire.

Now was Prompto's chance to talk to Noctis. No one knew how much time they had left before they caught up with Ardyn. He swallowed the ever-growing lump in his throat and opened his mouth to say it.

Noctis sighed. The zipper "wheeed" closed. "He really did fall asleep," Noct informed the others.

"He's been through a lot. It's no great surprise," Ignis said.

Gladio scoffed. "We all have. Doesn't mean he can shut down now."

Prompto pulled the blanket over his head. Hot tears dripped off the ridge of his freckled nose and soaked into his pillow. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will the tears to stop.

"Leave him alone," Noctis shot back. Prompto could feel the guilt in Noct's voice.

Another wave of tears and more choked sobs. He knew Noctis didn't mean to push him off the train. He knew it wasn't his fault, Ardyn was the one to blame. Yet, he watched Noct blame himself every day for what happened. He could see Noct blamed himself for the torture for every bruise and scratch and scar Ardyn had inflicted. Prompto hated himself for allowing Noctis to feel this way, but he couldn't bring himself to face him. He couldn't bring himself to tell the prince of all people how his high school fantasy of one day truly being with him and having his love reciprocated kept him alive. He still struggled with believing Noctis would ever befriend him, let alone love him.

And yet…

It was was always Noctis that was first to comfort him when he woke in the middle of the night screaming, reliving the darkest days of his life. The first few nights back with the gang were hard, but he hadn't had the dreams for a week and every night he prayed they would stay away. He reached under his pillow and clutched the Carbuncle figurine Noctis gave him one particularly bad night. He brought his fist close to his face and allowed himself to eventually drift to sleep.

"Noo!" Prompto screamed. His eyes popped open and he flailed to fight back the darkness he saw. A hand collided with Gladio's side.

"God damn it, Prompto. Not again," he growled. "Noctis do something with him."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Noctis' gentle whisper cut through Prompto's panic.

Prompto struggled against the strong arm that shifted him to a new spot on the ground. His body shook as the chill of his cold sweat set in. His chest ached as his heart pounded, his breathing ragged.

"Shh, it's okay."

A heavy warmth encased his body and the familiar earthy, minty smell of Noctis filled his lungs. He slowly stopped struggling as Noctis held him close. The feeling of immediate danger faded as he fought to regain control of his heartbeat and breathing. His muscles relaxed as Noct slowly ran his fingers through his hair, still quietly reassuring him everything was okay.

As Prompto tried to process what had just happened, he realized how quickly Noctis had reacted. There was no way he had been asleep. He closed his eyes at the sudden sting of fresh tears in his tired eyes.

"I'm sorry," he choked. He clutched Noctis' shirt and pressed his face against his chest. I'm sorry I make you worry. I'm sorry I'm like this. I'm sorry I'm such a screw up.

Noct's arms tightened around Prompto's body. Warm lips pressed against the top of Prompto's head and Noct breathed in deeply. Prompto could feel the shudder as Noctis exhaled and gave him a small squeeze.

"You're okay. I've got you. You're safe."

He couldn't hold it in anymore. He couldn't hold back. Prompto tightened his grip on Noct's shirt and the cotton fabric quickly dampened with tears.

"The…thought…of you," he hiccupped, trying his best to not wake the others, "kept…me…alive." I want to be so selfish. I want you to stay with me. Forget finding the crystal. Fuck the light. I'll be your light. Please, don't let go of me.

"I know," Noctis whispered. "Prompto, I know. Shhh, it's okay." He pried Prompto off of him and wiped the tears off his cheeks. He placed his lips against his clammy forehead a brief moment, then once for each damp cheek before allowing them to linger against Prompto's lips.

Prompto's eyes widened a moment before a strong hiccup broke the kiss. He could have sworn he saw Noctis smile in the dark, though he couldn't be sure.

"Come here," Noctis said. He pulled Prompto's head back to his chest and rolled onto his back.

Prompto adjusted so he could listen to the steady rhythm of Noct's beating heart. His eyes slowly closed as he started to drift.

Noctis stroked Prompto's hair sleepily. "I've got you."