Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting and istoleyourcheesecake

Day two for FFXVWeek

Prompt: A Day at the Beach

Like all the other stories I'm doing, this one has been twisted to match my style~ And, unlike the first one, this one will definitely need to have more chapters, since both betas have already told me that I have no choice. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one. :D

And I want to say it here will quick, but you have no idea how many hours of research and reading I've done for this, not for this first chapter, but for things later on. Like, pages upon pages of searching and articles, so if I get things a little wrong or inaccurate, then please be civil about it, because I honest to God tried my best with the research on this, more than any other story. And, I have had no training in the medical field and have not taken a single class retaining to such things, so of course my knowledge is limited; everything I know on this stuff, came from me looking things up and searching subject after subject.

I did have help with late chapters in terms of information on this sort of stuff, so when I get the those parts, those people will be credited.

Noctis leaned against his door, eyes staring out vacantly and disinterestedly as he sighed deeply and exaggeratedly. He glanced in the adviser's direction to see if that caught his undivided attention, and of course not. So, he tried again, this time letting out a frustrated groan along with it. And, this time he got a frustrated exhale in return, followed by an annoyed, "What is it, Your Highness?" Ignis gazed at the prince through the rearview mirror.

"Nothin'" he shrugged, leaning back in his seat, "Just thinking, ya know, hasn't it been a while since we had a bit of downtime? We've been going non-stop." He closed his eyes and let the wind ruffle his hair.

The brunet flicked his eyes back to the road, "That's because we have important matters to attend to, and you know that. Surely you don't need to be reminded."

"Yeah, yeah, save your breath," Noctis waved a bored hand. "Though, still doubt one day would hurt much." He placed his hands behind his head and gazed up towards the sky. "And it issss a nice day, sunny, not too hot, just the right amount of breeze," he tried to sound casual, but the hints were coming out pretty strong.

He heard the blond sigh now as well from the front seat, "He does have a point, Iggy." He turned his head to gaze longingly at the strategist, "It really probably wouldn't be a bad idea to relax once in a while, would it?"

Gladio chose to join in now, honestly just sick of being in the car for hours on end if anything, "You of all people could probably benefit from it; I'm surprised you haven't suffered an aneurysm yet. Come on, you of all people should understand the importance of a day off." He reached over the seat to jab a finger against the other's cheek, which was swiftly swatted away in irritation.

"If it means I get to be spared of your childish behavior, then so be it." Though, they could see right through his 'reason' for agreeing. "But, only for today, seeing as it is a rather slow day," he muttered, looking to the time, which continued to creep along; it was barely noon as it were. "But, don't expect anymore 'breaks' until after we get some of these hunts taken care of. We're low on funds, and we can't afford to do this often."

"We get it," Prompto replied, effectively cutting off the man's ramblings, "Let's just get going already, my legs are getting stiff in here."

"We are near a beach," Noctis hinted less than subtly. "And I do hear it's the perfect time of year for fishing, and you know, I've never had the chance to give it a try." He averted his eyes to look back at Ignis', just waiting for him to agree to it.

For a split second, he met those twilight eyes and quickly looked away. "Very well," he finally complied to the raven's wants, "If that's what you wish, then we'll go." Glancing to the others, he saw the same relief on their faces, so, it would have been three against one if he hadn't given in, it seems. Smiling slightly to himself, he easily turned down a side road, taking the little detour necessary to reach their new destination.

It hadn't been even five minutes before they could make out the shimmering of the water's surface, the shine glaring invitingly in their eyes. The blond was practically sitting on the edge of his seat, and to Ignis, it looked as though the kid had never seen the ocean before by the excitement in his expression. There was a barely detectable bounce that slowly worked its way into his form. Noctis couldn't stifle the small grin that slipped onto his face at the sight, his hands itching to cast that line for the first time in weeks.

"Finally, going to get to work on my tan," Prompto leaned back as they drew closer, his eyes closed as he relished in his momentary daydream.

"Five minutes, and I bet you'll be a blistered mess," Gladio commented, ruining his hope with that single sentence.

The blond opened his mouth to respond, and raised a finger, but nothing came out as he thought about it. "You know what... yeah, you're actually probably right," he breathed out forlornly and sank back into his seat as he proceeded to gaze out over the approaching waters. "A guy can dream though, can't he?"

"Dream all ya like," the shield shrugged. "Not gonna change a thing," he teased, chuckling softly at the slight jolt he caught out of the corner of his eye. "Well, if you weren't so pasty as it were, that wouldn't be a problem."

"Not my fault I have fair complexion," Prompto mumbled, scanning up and down his left arm. He swiped a hand over it as if that would magically change the brightness of it, "Well, at least I normally tan a little after a burn, so there's that at least."

Ignis rolled his eyes at the minor bickering as he finally pulled over to a stop and turned the key, "Alright, here we are." He looked to each of them and instructed, as if speaking to a group of children, "Do try not to wander off too far, as I don't plan on us spending the night here." His gaze settled on the blond for a few seconds more than the others, something that the younger easily picked up on.

"What're you looking at me for?" he asked, a tad offended, "Noctis is the one that warps around everywhere." Prompto glanced back just as the prince was working his way out the door, his fishing pole already flashing in his grip in a light flash of light. "See what I mean, he's not even listening anymore." He waved a dismissive hand in his direction and opened his own door. "Hey Noct!" he called when the raven was nearly five yards away.

"Hmm?" he glanced over his shoulder, but didn't bother to slow down, forcing the other to jog to catch up.

"Mind if I join ya? Maybe get a few shots here and there," he waved his camera next to his face, drawing in his attention immediately with the unexpected showing of it.

Noctis flicked his attention from the device to his friend's face, "Sure, I guess. Do whatever ya want. As long as you don't get causing trouble, then I really don't care."

"You know me, I wouldn't dare," he placed his hands on his hips as he fell into a mirrored pace that matched the prince's. "And who knows, maybe we can even see some 'exotic' sights, if ya catch my drift," he winked and nudged with his elbow. "Eh?" he nudged again, trying to get a response out of him.

"Prompto," he stopped to turn and face him as he placed a hand on his left shoulder, "Keep dreaming." And with that, he was headed back towards the docks, whistling quietly to himself. The blond stared at his back for a suspended moment of offense, blinking a few times until he processed what was said as he swiftly ran back up; he almost lost his balance when the ground beneath him abruptly switched from sand to wood.

Noctis took a deep breath when he reached the end of the pier, honestly thriving in the salty scent of it as he gave his rod a few test swings. The 'clicks' he heard going on behind him only distracted him for a mere fraction while he hooked on his bait and made sure it was on securely. "At least try to get my good side," he mumbled, finally casting his line.

"Easier said than done," he took a couple more quick shots and took a look at them to see how they turned out. Satisfied with the results, he snapped a couple more, and eventually worked his way around. Taking pictures of the horizon, then slowly panned his focus over until he caught sight of the others through the lens. He clicked a couple times with Gladio, sitting on a towel with his book, completely engrossed in its pages. Drifting a few more inches to the left, there was Ignis, and with a bit more zoom, he saw his finger lightly tracing over what looked to be a map. "Hmm, boring," he decided and switched back to Noctis. He was a bit more interesting at the moment to say the least, not that that was saying much.

"Catch anything yet?" he asked, practically pouncing next to the prince, his face just a couple inches away.

Noctis jumped a small amount and snapped his head to face him, "Really? No, we just got here, it takes patience." He slowly turned back, but kept his eyes on the other for a few second more out of the corner of his vision, "Just, try not to scare anything away." Brushing a few strands of hair out of his face, he carefully lowered himself to sit on the edge, knowing he'd be there for a while before anything would show.

Surprisingly, Prompto actually sat next to him, and for once in his life, didn't make a sound. If he weren't literally next to him, the raven probably would have been concerned about his unnatural silence. But, he could feel his boring gaze upon him, and as much as he cared for the blond, it was a bit unnerving, "Are you sure you want to sit here and watch, it must be rather boring."

"Nah, this is actually pretty peaceful," he leaned forward to lean his elbows on his knees and placed his head in his hands, "A pretty nice change of pace if I'm being honest." He then changed positions and leaned back on his hands to gaze out over the ocean, intently watching the waves as they came in and out of existence. "Not to mention how gorgeous it is out there."

Noctis slowly nodded along, "Yeah, it really is, and I'm sure the fish are better out there as well." He glanced around, "And with as many people as there are out here, I doubt I'll be catching most of anything this close to shore." He looked around a bit more until he saw what he was hoping to find, "Hmm, what would you say about going out there, farther out I mean. They do have boats for rent here if you're interested."

His eyes widened with the idea of it, "Do you even need to ask? Can you imagine the photos I could get out there? Of course I do." He was already on his feet and marching down the length of the dock. "Well, what're you waiting for, let's get moving," he waved a hand, gesturing for the other to hurry up.

"Hold your horses and give me a moment to get up, geez," he brushed himself off as he pushed himself up with a small groan and twisted from side to side, the action rewarding him with a few marvelous pops. "Ok, I think I'm good to go now."

"Sweet," Prompto spun on the ball of his foot with a quick jab at the air, then suddenly stopped mid stride, "Uh, think Ignis will be alright with this? I mean, it does cost money after all, and I'm not too sure he'd be so willing to spend it on things like boats." He stole a few quick glances in said man's direction.

Noctis simply shrugged, "It's just a rent, not like we're spending a fortune, besides, we have a few hunts tomorrow, so we'll easily make that money back, no problem." He offered a reassuring smile and clapped the blond on the back in passing, "It's fine, alright? Don't worry about Specs so much, either way, he'll get over it."

"If you say so," Prompto raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, but followed nonetheless. His curiosity of being out there in the open heavily outweighed his worry of being scolded at the moment. They went up to the rental area, the gunner standing back and keeping to himself while Noctis did all the talking, it was better that way, they both decided. As he waited, he kept staring out into the water, watching the small ripples that formed so far away, they seemed almost captivating in a way.

"Prompto." He jumped at his name, almost forgetting what they were doing. "Come on, we only have a couple hours before we have to get back," he cocked his head in the direction of a boat being prepared for them, and to his relief, he saw the motor on the back, meaning at least there wouldn't have to be much effort into getting out there.

"S-sorry, got a bit distracted there," he chuckled nonchalantly, glancing back out there to see the water as smooth as ever. "But, I'm just as ready as ever." And just like that, he was back to his perky and excitable self. Soon, they were both situated and listening intently to the man's instructions of how to control this thing. Well, Noctis was listening, Prompto was too busy admiring the vehicle with sparkles in his eyes. "This thing is freaking amazing," he near worshiped, his hand running over the edge of it, gliding over its surface easily.

"You understand all that?" he asked, a hand scratching at his graying beard, "Or do you need me to go over that again for ya?"

Noctis waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, I think I got it," he gave a nod of thanks before he turned to head back to his stand, and it was quite obvious he didn't quite trust the care of one of his boats to these two that were less than half his age. "Ready to go, Prom?" he asked, not waiting for a reply before starting it up.

"Guess I don't have a cho-oice!" the blond exclaimed, grabbing on to the sides for dear life as it jolted forward and soon evened out as the prince quickly got a hold of it. "Are you trying to give me whiplash?!" His eyes were still enlarged from the shock of it. He slowly relaxed seeing as there were no signs of getting jerked around again.

They didn't go too far until they ceased their travels, Noctis not waiting any time to retrieve his fishing rod and casting it once again. "Hopefully, I'll actually get something to bite this time," he muttered when the splash from his lure reached his ears. And, for a while, the only sounds he heard was the light breeze teasing his hair and the occasional snap from the blond's camera.

After some time, Prompto had fallen into a trance of sorts, leaning over the side of the boat, staring down into its depths as his finger traced circles along its top. He'd been doing this for at least ten minutes now, the first hour already gone without much going on. Noctis had managed to catch one thing, but it wasn't anything worth keeping, so it had been sparingly tossed back in. He let out an exaggerated and drawn out groan, dropping his head to rest against the now heated side. "I thought you actually knew what you were doing," he prodded with a sideways glance.

"And, I thought you wanted to be out here?" he shot back, reeling in to replace the bait, hoping that using a fresh piece would help his chances.

"That was before I knew how dull it was going to be; I think it looks better from a distance," he decided, removing his vest.

Hearing the shuffle, the other looked back just in time to see the gunner removing his pants as well, "What... are you doing?" he narrowed his eyes, when his clothing, aside from his tank top and boxers were tossed to the side.

"What's it look like, it's boring up here, so I'm getting in," he spoke as if it were the most normal thing. "Gonna swim around for a bit until it's time to go back," with a shrug, he faced the water, and before the other could reply, he dove in, a few splashes making it back into the boat. Noctis huffed as a bit of it struck his face. It took a few seconds, but soon his head broke back through and he took a couple deep breaths of air, "Hoooly, it's cold," he said once he had enough oxygen.

"Welp, probably won't catch anything now," Noctis pursed his lips slightly as a few ripples disturbed the water on his side.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot about that," Prompto quickly apologized, swiftly paddling a few feet away, "I'll just uh, do my thing over here," he whispered, continuing on until he was a good few yards away and deemed that far enough. "Is this good enough?" he questioned, flipping over to his back to float effortlessly.

The other didn't bother looking over, "Do you know how tempting it is to just ride back and leave you out here?"

"You wouldn't!" he panicked slightly at the prospect of that and flipped back to treading and keep a watchful gaze on him. "You couldn't leave me out here, you love me too much," he cooed, turning to his side to slowly work his way around so he could see Noctis' face.

"You wanna bet?" he reeled his line back in to dismiss it and teasingly hovered his hand near the motor. "All it takes is a simple pull and a few switches, and then it's 'bye'," he leaned back comfortably, watching his expression in amusement.

Prompto bit his lip as he waged his options of a good response to that, and he opened his mouth ready for the perfect reply, but a tickling sensation brushed by his leg, so all that came out was a startled gasp. "Wh-what the hell was that?" his voice raised a couple pitches as his body twisted to the side where he assumed whatever it was to be.

"Was it your dignity?" Noctis mocked his startled cry, his face quickly faltering at the darkened patch he saw drift by. "Prom..." he uttered, about to give his warning, but the other was swiftly alerted to the danger as a pained yelp escaped his lips.

One second, everything seemed deathly and eerily still and silent, and the next there was nothing but searing pain, shooting straight up his leg. He only had time to let out a panicked and agonized yell before he was caught off guard and yanked downward. Most of what happened after that was a haze; there was the pain and a flash of blue, but other than that the only other thing he could make out was the spreading red that trailed out in front of him.

There was something wrapped around his waist, and his confused and fear-driven mind couldn't discern what it was, so instincts took over and he tried his best to fight against it, to get away from whatever had him in its grasp. All he knew was, he couldn't breath and something was very wrong. He was barely aware when they broke through the surface, his body instinctively gulped in a few greedy breaths as he felt himself less than gently being dropped onto a hard surface.

"-ompto!" he shot his eyes in the direction of his dismembered name, the blurred features of the prince hovering over him. "Prom!" he tried again, patting the side of his face, his expression screaming hysteria.

"N-ct," he tried to move, the action sending a new wave of scorching torture through his left calf, his hand instantly reached down to grip, but his wrists were swiftly clutched and forced away from it.

"Don't," the prince almost pleaded. "Don't touch it." He ripped his own jacket off to hastily bind around the appendage, and Prompto could hear a couple gags come from him as he did so, which really did not sit well with him at all.

"Wha- Noct, what's..." he swallowed thickly against the rising bile, both from pain and fear. "What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything, but instead rushed to start the boat up, and not long after that, the blond felt them moving, which did nothing but cause more panic deep down. Cutting his eyes over, he found Noctis dialing hastily on his phone, visibly getting frustrated as he waited for an answer. "Ignis," he blurted the moment someone picked up. "Ignis, I need you to call an ambulance." Prompto's heart thrummed with those words. "I-I don't know, something... something bit him, and it's-," he flicked his eyes towards the blond, taken aback at seeing his own wild eyes staring back, "It's not good," he chose those words instead.

The blond took a few deep breaths, which quickly began to shorten and grow faster as his adrenaline began to wear off and he could feel the burning throbs in his leg. Against Noctis' warnings, he reached down and placed a now shaking hand over the fabric covering his lower half; and, holding his breath, he lifted the jacket off to peer underneath. To say he felt sick was an understatement. There was so much blood; he could hardly make anything out from the amount of it, but he could still see the way a decent sized chunk wasn't attached in the manner it should have been.

His breath came out tight and shuddering, and he couldn't quite will himself to look away. "Noct," he choked out, vision wavering, it felt as though he couldn't get enough oxygen and things were beginning to feel almost like a dream, a very painful dream. "Noct!" He called louder, his heart battering against his ribs as a shudder racked his body.

He glanced back at his name, phone still in hand, "Hang on, Prom," he blurted out, his own pulse quickening at the pale hue of his face. "Not long and... and everything will be fine." He kept a watchful eye on the blond, but he didn't respond, only leaned his head back down and stared up, his chest heaving far too fast for comfort. "Prompto? You with me?" Still no reply. "Ignis? S-something's really... wrong," he whispered, unwittingly speeding up, despite the fact that they were merely a few seconds away now.

The first time he glanced away from the other, he found the other two waiting for him on the pier, and as soon as he was close enough, they didn't spare a second before hopping on; the adviser was already looking him over. "The ambulance should arrive in a few minutes, what the hell happened?" he questioned, none too kindly. He began removing the gunner's shirt as he spoke and swiftly removed his own jacket to drape over him. "Gladio, give me your jacket," he thrust out a waiting hand, "We need to keep him warm until the paramedics arrive."

"I-I don't know," Noctis finally snapped out of his momentary trance, "It happened so fast, I didn't see much." He saw the brunet slowly work his way down to Prompto's leg and an involuntary shiver ran through him and he had to look away, but he still heard the subdued gasp leave the other's mouth.

"Prompto?" Ignis asked, turning his attention to his face. For only a second, he met the shield's gaze and nodded towards the wound, indicating that he should try to do what he could with that before help could get there. "I need you to look at me."

Slowly, hazed blue orbs drifted over, a startled and agonized cry sounding out when he felt an unwelcomed pressure on his throbbing leg. "Calm down, help is on the way, ok? Do you understand?" Sluggishly, he got a nod. "Good, Gladio is trying to slow the bleeding right now, so it will be a bit painful, but you just have to try and bear with it." He reached a hand to cup his face when he noticed it trying to look down, and the coolness didn't bode well with him, "Keep your eyes up here." He risked a quick look down at the brute, his chest clenching from the crimson that coated his hands and the concerned and alarmed look on his own face. By now, he was using the prince's jacket to stunt the flow the best he could, but it was swiftly soaking through.

Thinking quickly, he waved Noctis over, "Noct, where are the rest of his clothing?" The other nodded over to the boat, "Alright, I need you to grab his bandanna and hand it to Gladio so he can tie the wound off", with that being said, he turned back to Promopto. And, his heart eased up a little bit when he heard the sirens in the distance. Alright, not much longer and professionals could take over. "Hear that?" he tapped his face lightly, and he groggily met emerald eyes, another jolt going through him as more pressure suddenly greeted his leg and he couldn't stop another pained gasp from leaking out.

His face visibly relaxed when his eyes wandered around a bit and found Noctis, his breathing finally slowing slightly with him in sight. "What's," he shivered and cleared his throat, "happening?" his eyes pleaded his friend for an answer.

Said person crouched next to his head and stroked his hand over his hair, moving it away from his face., "Prompto, you're hurt, and... it's not good. So, you're going to have to go have that taken care of." He took a deep breath before continuing, "Everything will be fine though, just stay calm, and try not to give them a hard time, alright?" He glanced over his shoulder and nodded before giving the blond a reassuring pat on the arm and backed away to make room for the paramedics. Gladio and Ignis did the same as soon as they felt they were close enough to immediately take their places.

He was sure he didn't take a single breath the whole time; not when the mask was placed over his face, not when they covered him in thermal blankets and quickly tended to his wound. And, still not when they prepared him on the stretcher. All the while, small whimpers, gasps and groans could be heard while they worked, each one was like a knife straight into his gut. "He-he'll be alright, right?" he asked, grabbing hold of one of the men's sleeves in passing.

His hand was swiftly brushed away, "Sir, there's not much we can say at the moment, but we are kind of in a rush. You're free to follow us to the hospital though." He went to turn, but Noctis' voice turned him back,

"I want to ride with him."

The man bit his lip, clearly hating this part, "I'm sorry, but we can't let you do that, we need all the space we can, I hope you understand." He offered the prince a sympathetic smile before turning back on the spot, this time with no intention of stopping again.

Seeing the raven almost reach out again, Ignis placed a halting hand on his shoulder, "Noct, let them do their jobs. As much as it pains me to say this, you'd only be in the way if you were to join him in the back of that vehicle. We'll just have to follow them there, but the longer you pelt them with questions and requests, the longer it will take them to get Prompto the help he needs. Try to keep that in mind." The words weren't harsh, but that didn't stop them from stinging any less.

Words danced on the tip of his tongue for a few moments, but the closing of the doors snapped him back, just before the sirens started up again, "Let's just go," he decided on, shoving past Ignis and heading to the Regalia.

He made for the driver's seat, but the adviser was quick to stop him as soon as his hand touched the door handle, "I think it's best if I do the driving; you're not exactly... stable enough right now." He tried to choose his words carefully, but the raven still scoffed and nearly snatched his hand away to round over to the other side where he slid in with a huff.

"Fine," he sighed, almost snappily. Gladio looked to Ignis with a slow shake of his head, saying to just leave him. But, Ignis' eyes only stared down at the blood covering the man's hands and lower arms. Catching the stare, he hastily hopped in the back and folded them over his chest, trying to hide the majority of them from view. The brunet lowered his head, hiding his face from the both of them as he too climbed in and instantly started the car up. Now, all there was to do was wait until the ambulance left, which of course didn't take long.

The strategist didn't have to look, nor ask to know that Noctis was practically no longer in his seat anymore, but he chose not to comment on it, not now anyway. With a heavy sigh, he pulled out after it and began the short, yet still too long trip to the hospital, and every second was a second spent in agonized anxiety.

After only about ten minutes or so, it may have been faster, but to them it felt like an hour, they pulled in and found a place to park. The prince was the only one in a rush to get out, fumbling with the handle in his haste. "Noctis," Gladio called from the back. "Take a deep breath will ya? You can't be barging in there like this," he gestured to the raven as a whole. "They won't be able to tell us anything yet anyway, so it's probably best if you stay out here for a moment to compose yourself."

"I don't care," Noctis almost slammed the door behind him. "This is my fault, so I'm going to be there."

Neither tried to stop him, both knowing it would do no good; in fact, all it would do is cause a scene and this was probably the worst place to start something like that. "Just leave him be," Ignis waved a hand. "He'll calm down once he's inside, I'm sure."

"Or you hope," the brute corrected, opening his own door. "You should stay with him and make sure he behaves himself, I'm going to..." he looked himself over and his expression dropped. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up." Pulling a few of his clothes from the trunk, he headed towards the building with a wave to the other.

Ignis returned the gesture, but chose to sit where he was for a few minutes more, needing a bit more time to process what the hell just happened; it was so quick, and... out of nowhere. He removed his glasses and ran a hand down his face to try and calm himself. Though collected on the outside, he was a mess on the inside. Checking himself once in the rearview mirror, he decided he looked together enough to be presentable and went ahead and exited, locking up behind himself before walking briskly after the prince. Who knows what kind of trouble he'd start if left alone for too long.

He strolled on in, the cool air and clean smell hitting him the moment he stepped in, and it wasn't until that that it really struck him. But, there wasn't time to internally freak out yet, he still had to locate the prince, and with a simple glance around, he spotted him; there he sat, elbows on knees and with his head resting on his hands. His face was locked onto the floor, clearly avoiding looking at anyone, or anything, else. Carefully, he took the seat next to him and kept a gaze on him. "Noct," he finally spoke after a few seconds, "Did you ask where he was yet, or for any news as to what's going on?"

The prince nodded, but didn't look up. "Yeah, they don't really have anything yet," he whispered, shaking his head now. "But, they did say it was likely that they would need to operate on it." His hands began to shake slightly as they tightened their grip on one another. "Said they'd let me know as soon as they know anything."

Ignis chewed on the inside of his cheek before answering. "Well, it's not bad news per se," he offered, but his own tone sounded doubtful, the image of the wound surfacing in his head again. "He got here quick enough, so, it is likely the leg can be sav-"

"Just stop it, will you?" For the first time, he turned his head enough to cut his eyes up at the older man, "I don't want to hear it." He gradually straightened up, and folded his arms over his chest, his clothes still clung to him as he never even bothered drying off. "I saw it, I know how bad it looked, I don't need to be reminded."

"Of course not," Ignis replied quietly, throwing a few glances around at the others that occupied the room, "And I know you don't want to hear this either, but you should still prepare yourself, just in case things don't go... the way you'd hope them to." He could almost hear the other grinding his teeth in agitation, but he continued to go on, "All I'm saying is, you need to be prepared for the worst, no matter what that may be; you don't want to get your hopes up-"

"I'm already expecting the worst!" he snapped back, on his feet the instant the first syllable left his mouth. "Ignis, I could... I could see the bone, I'm pretty sure I'm not expecting the best out of this."

"Sit back down and calm yourself," Ignis hissed out, glancing around.

The raven took a few shuddering breaths. "You want me to calm down?" he asked rhetorically, "How the hell do you expect me to 'calm down' when Prompto, my friend, almost had his damn leg ripped to shreds? And, we don't even know what's going to happen to it or him!" He was left panting for air, "He wouldn't have even been out there... if I hadn't suggested such a stupid idea. And now..." blinking a few times, he turned to face away, the feeling of his eyes stinging was sign enough that he didn't want to be seen anymore.

Ignis breathed out through his nose and stood himself to join the other, "Your Highness, first, you need to understand that things like this cannot be expected, and therefor can be no one's fault. It's nothing more than an unfortunate event that can't be helped."

"'An unfortunate event' that could have been avoided if we hadn't made a little detour," Noctis retorted, his hands balling into fists.

The adviser looked around one more time, seeing a few curious eyes flicking in their direction. "I think we had best step outside, maybe get some fresh air," he offered, already guiding the other towards the door. "We can talk about it out here until you feel fine enough to head back in, but I think that environment won't help any." To his surprise, the other was moving willingly now, complying without complaint and walking ahead of him, ready to get out of this place himself apparently. But, he kept a supportive hand on his upper arm regardless of that, not trusting him to be one-hundred percent for the time being.

"Alright, here we go," Ignis took a seat next to him. "Gladio is in there right now, I'll tell him to let us know if he hears anything, alright?" He waited for that nod before continuing, "This way, you won't miss anything of importance, so there's no need to concern yourself with any of that." He tapped away quickly at his phone, occasionally flashing his eyes over to make sure Noctis was still staying situated. He gave a quick 'thanks' and hung up. "Ok, just take a few breaths and relax; look at the positive side, he's alive, and he'll be fine."

"It could have gone so much worse," Noctis sighed out, the moment it all went wrong replaying in his mind. "It would have been so much worse." He gazed down to his hands, the feeling of his sword in them still fresh in his mind. Hell, the whole thing was still far too vivid for his liking. "You didn't see that thing, it should have been able to do so much more, but it didn't get the chance to," he lowered his head to run both hands through his damp hair. "I acted without thinking, and I think it's dead, but I'm not sure, I didn't think to check if it was still alive or not."

"That doesn't matter," Ignis assured. "You were able to get him out of there in... alive, and that's more than enough, and you know he'll be more than grateful for it, despite the price of it." His hand unconsciously placed itself on the other's knee to grip supportively, "And, when he's awake and ready, he'll let you know that himself. So, until then, don't beat yourself up over it."

For a few seconds, they sat in silence until Noctis eventually muttered under his breath. The other didn't quite catch what it was, but it sounded something like a 'yeah'. He was about to ask what was said, but his phone dinged, pulling his attention immediately to it. "It's Gladio," he answered the prince's unasked question. "He has news. Are you ready to head back in, or would you rather him come out here to discuss things?"

"I-I think I'm good now," Noctis allowed his muscles to release some of the tension and got to his feet with a much more relaxed demeanor. "Alright, let's go."

They met him back in the waiting room, and with the day gradually coming to an end, they were relieved to see that a majority of the people had cleared out now. "What's going on?" Noctis cut right to it, not wasting time with pleasantries as he stepped to stand directly before the larger man.

"Back up a bit, let me breathe will ya?" he easily placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back by a few inches, "They're working on him now, all they said was they're doing what they can to repair the muscle. He'll get to keep the leg so long as infection doesn't set in and get too bad, and it will take some time, but he will be able to walk on it," his voice was low and there was something about it the prince didn't appreciate.

"There's more than that, isn't there?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "What aren't you saying?"

Gladio took a deep breath and looked away for a second, "Well, he should be able to walk again, but that will be a while. And... they said it's not likely for him to regain full use of it even after recovery and physical therapy." His mouth formed a straight line as he awaited the reaction he knew would come.

"W-wh-what are you saying?" Noctis stammered, glancing between him and Ignis, "You just said he'd be able to walk."

"Yes, but walking is one thing, fighting and... doing what we do, is another. And even then, Noctis, it's likely he'll need some sort of assistance, even after all is said and done." It was obvious it hurt him to relay all this info, but it needed to be said, and it needed time to set in. "What I'm saying is, he won't be like he was, and nothing can be done about that."

Noctis slowly shook his head and took a step back, "No, no, no, how can they be sure about that? You can't know that for sure yet, not this early on. This is Prompto we're talking about, he's stubborn and determined enough, so they do not know that for sure."

"Noct," Ignis reached out for him, but his hand was swatted away.

"No, I don't care what they say, they're wrong. It wouldn't be the first time doctors were wrong about something, they've made plenty of mistakes before and this is no exception."

The others shared a knowing look with one another, and Ignis decided it was time for him to take over, "It'll be a while before we hear anything else, I'm sure. Let's go have a seat and I'll go get us all a cup of coffee until there's more news." He cocked his head towards the waiting room and gave Gladio another look that said, 'talk about something else,' before he went off to carry out his said task.

Noctis held his coffee in both hands, the paper cup still over half filled and had long since cooled. Meanwhile, the others had gone through at least three cups of their own, maybe more. He didn't know, he barely paid attention to what was going on around him. But, he was too preoccupied with staring down in the contents of his cup, watching as they swirled around, and with each swish all he could see was that damned ocean, tinted with red and the splashes as his friend fought to get out of- "Excuse me," he glanced up for his eyes to meet a coated man, "I'm assuming you are the party for," he glanced down at his board, "a Mr. Argentum?" he asked, giving them a quizzical look.

"Yeah, we're the only ones in here, aren't we?" Noctis retorted less than patiently. But, he was still on his feet, his eyes begging for news.

"Noctis, we know you're eager, but how about you at least try to act civil," his shield near lectured, but chose not to carry it out longer than that and turned to the doctor. "Whatcha got for us?" he asked with a lot more kindness than the prince had.

Nodding, the man glanced back down to his board, "He's out of surgery and should be waking soon, so if you want, you have permission to see him. Just be warned, he won't be all there for a little while. The anesthetics are still wearing off and he is on a pretty generous dosage of pain killers. So, don't be alarmed if he says anything that seems out of the ordinary." He gave them a moment to process that, "If you wish, I can show you to his room, but I ask that you try to keep it down, we've already had him, uh, let's just say he didn't react well when he first came to."

"Just take us to him," Noctis again bit out, quickly growing agitated with waiting. He met the man's eyes and quickly added, "If you don't mind, of course."

"Not at all," he kept his professionalism up, never once did a flash of annoyance appear on his face, only understanding and compliance. "Right this way," he waved a hand as he turned on the spot and began leading the way. It was a bit farther than they would have liked, none of them were even sure what floor they were on anymore, they only focused and concerned themselves with what they would walk in to see. "Here we are," he sighed, stepping to the side to allow them to approach the door. "Nurses' station is right around that corner, and if you need anything, or if anything seems too off, don't hesitate to call for one of them and they'll be happy to oblige."

"Thank you," Ignis gave a quick and curt bow and gestured for Noctis to head in first. "After you," he whispered, Gladio stepping back as well to provide enough room. Swallowing hard, the prince placed a slightly trembling hand on the handle, and carefully pulled it down, and with a reluctant exhale, he pushed it open.

"Prompto?" he uttered, eyes going immediately from the blond's still pale and confused looking features to his heavily bound leg propped up on a couple pillows. His glazed blues gradually met his own, and a flash of recognition graced him and he tried to say his name. But, due to his dry throat and hazy mind, a mere croak was all that came out. A few pitiful coughs sounded out in an attempt to find his voice, but Noctis was next to him in the next instant, trying to hush him. "Sh, you don't need to speak, just take it easy," his heart was again thumping painfully, right after it had finally calmed down too.

Ignis stepped in next, still keeping his distance to allow the two of them to have a moment to themselves before intervening. He too found himself drawn to the gunner's thickly wrapped limb, his chest tightening at Gladio's words. Sure, he had seen the extent of it himself, but it was still something hard to accept, and for once he dearly hoped Noctis was right about them being wrong.

"N-ct," he got a portion of his name out at last, "Wh're am I?" he asked, the fingers in his left hand wandering ever closer to the IV in his left arm until they reached it and started fidgeting with it.

"Prom, don't touch that, that has to stay where it is," the prince gently pulled his hand away before he was able to yank it out, only for him to then reach for the cannula across his face. "That too, that has to stay too, alright? I know it's not comfortable, but you can't mess with either of those."

He only breathed heavily in clear agitation at being told what not to do, "I kn-w that," he weakly tried to swat the prince's hand away. "Did'ya catch an-thing?" he asked, as if nothing had just happened.

Noctis had to blink a few times in confusion before it fully registered, "Oh, uhh, no, not exactly," he replied, turning to pull one of the nearby chairs closer, "Nothing worth keeping anyway."

"Cooool," he drawled out, turning his head to the other side. "Wh're we?" he asked again, realizing he never got an answer the first time he had asked. The puzzlement and growing panic was clear in his widening eyes as he took in unfamiliar sights and smells, and Noctis was the only thing keeping him from going over the edge.

He chewed on his lip, really dreading this part, "Prom, something happened and you're in the hospital, but everything's fine now, you're going to be alright." He reached out to grab a hold of the blond's continuously wandering hand to keep it from prodding anything else. "The others are here too," he leaned a bit to the right so they could more easily be seen. And, they in turn took this as an invitation to come closer, both of which occupied the other side of the bed.

"Glad-y, Ig," he mumbled, squinting in an attempt to make sure it was really them he was looking at, "Hmm, you two look a lil'... weird." He looked back over to Noct, who being closer also looked a bit more normal, "Wha' happened?"

It was already obvious he wasn't retaining any new information well at the moment, so Noctis figured he would just have to gloss over things, say just enough to satisfy his impaired mind. "Well, you were in the water, and something... something bit you. But, like I said, it's fine now."

"Oh," he answered simply. "If it's fine, then lesgo," he gave a poor effort at a shrug and tried to move, but the moment his left leg was jostled in the slightest he whimpered lightly and ceased his movement. "It'urts," he slurred, closing his eyes against the dull throb.

"I'm sorry, but you can't go, you have to stay here for a little while," Noctis kept his tone calm and light, not wanting to cause more reason for negative reactions.

"Prompto," Ignis finally spoke up, crouching down next to him. "It's as Noct said, something happened, and you should just try to take it easy for a while, think you can do that?" He spoke clearly and slowly, making sure each word was heard and understood. And, surprisingly, he got a nod out of the younger man. "Good, you should try and get some rest now, I promise, we'll still be here when you wake up."

"Kay," he groggily answered, already struggling to stay awake as it were. "M'tired," he murmured, allowing his head to lull uselessly to the side.

Noctis easily brushed blond hair from his face, "I know, you can go to sleep now, we're not going anywhere, so you don't need to worry about that. We'll be here if you need anything, so just focus on relaxing, alright?" He waited for a reply but never received one and realized quickly that he was already out, his breathing evening out and his hand loosening in his own. The prince let out a relieved sigh and leaned back slightly, but never retracted his hand. "That didn't take much convincing," he chuckled for lack of anything better.

"Yeah," Gladio answered, rounding back around to the raven's side to sit in the chair next to him with a huff. "But, didn't expect him to stay awake long. Next time he should be more lucid, and you know what that means."

Noctis gave a curt nod. "I do, it means he'll need a real explanation," he breathed out, dreading that moment to come. "But, we'll be here to help him through it," he promised. "Even if it means it'll take a while."