Summary: When Noctis cannot hold back his tears any longer, Prompto is right there to comfort him as they fall.
(Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Established Relationship)

"We'll be but a moment," Ignis said, softly, as he and Gladio got out of the car, not bothering to ask this time if their two youngest companions wanted to tag along; he knew they wouldn't. The sky was dark and overcast, and Prompto watched his friends go into the convenience store to pay for the freshly pumped gas, and pick out a few snacks for the road.

"Hope it doesn't start raining before they come back," Prompto commented, only to earn a grunt from the backseat. He hadn't expected to hear much more, really. Noctis had gone through quite a few different emotions since Insomnia had fallen—the first being disbelief, the second pure anger where he had yelled for most of the car ride, then once Gladio had quieted him, a silent mourning.

Prompto seemed to recall these stages of grief as being quite normal, even though he couldn't say he'd thoroughly read all of the assigned chapters of his psychology book back in high school. Still, seeing Noctis so quiet made his heart hurt.

"You okay back there, buddy?" Prompto asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah," Noct replied, immediately, but there was something off about the response. Noct's voice was breathy and hoarse, like he was biting something back.

Prompto turned his attention to the side mirror beside him, where he could see the prince staring straight ahead at the seat before him. His teeth sunk down into his bottom lip, and despite it being an effort to hold back his emotions, the beginning of tears shimmered in his eyes.

"Oh, Noct..." Prompto uttered, half surprised, half consoling. In a second, he had opened up his car door, and was one-handedly hoisting himself up and over the back door. Quickly, he scooted into the seat next to Noctis, sitting completely sideways as he took in the sight of his prince, who turned to look at him with weary, red eyes—eyes that practically begged him for help.

"What can I do?" Prompto asked, hands reaching out to gather Noctis' into his own, where they rested limply in his lap. Noctis shook his head, defeated as his eyes travelled back to the seat in front of him.

"I don't know," Noctis whispered, before he began to sob. His eyes closed tightly, causing fresh tears to fall, and the sight made Prompto tremble. He had never felt so helpless, so unable to help this man he loved so much. Still, he had to try. He had to do something, even if it was only small.

"Noct," he murmured, and he unlaced their hands to pull Noctis in against him instead. To his surprise, the prince didn't need much coaxing, even though he normally would have had reservations about showing their affection in plain sight like this. He nestled his head in against Prompto's chest, one hand clutching to the front of his shirt that was quickly becoming damp with tears. Carefully, Prompto wove his arms around Noct's back, and adjusted himself so that he could sit back against the seat of the car, making himself more comfortable as he held the prince close.

"We're gonna be okay. We're gonna get through this together, okay, buddy? I promise," Prompto vowed to him, as Noctis weakly nodded along with him, the sounds of his sobs coming out in choking sounds and sharp breaths. Nothing could bring Insomnia back, nothing could reverse his father's death, but being in the safety of Prompto's arms... something about it did ease the pain.

Noctis focused on his breathing, focused on slowing it down and keeping it steady. He closed his eyes, and forced himself to relax even further, and as the exhaustion of the day's events caught up with him, he eventually drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't long before Ignis and Gladio returned, and Prompto's eyes flickered up to meet their gazes, while his head rested atop Noct's. There was a simple acknowledgement in the meeting of their eyes, something that gave permission for Prompto to continue to hold Noctis this way. Ignis gave Prompto a small nod and Gladio a bittersweet smile before reaching for the door to the passenger's seat.

"Guess I get to ride up front this time, Iggy," Gladio said, climbing inside.

"Maybe even for a while," Ignis added, with a glance at the rear-view mirror. If this kind of comfort was what Noctis needed to deal with his fallen kingdom, then by all means, he could have it for as long as was necessary, and as long as Prompto would provide. And Prompto would provide—always. No questions asked.

Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long to get a new chapter up. I've been pretty busy with my other Promptis story, so this one fell by the wayside a little bit. But here's a little sprinkling of Promptis for you! I also just uploaded a separate oneshot called "Credence", which is based on Dissidia Opera Omnia, and focuses on Prompto/Noct, so give that a read, too, if you'd like! Thanks for the continued support on this story! It means so much to me. You are all awesome!