Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance.

Chapter 8

Once Prompto had finally finished getting dressed, he headed back out to the living room. He hadn't realized how difficult showering or just changing his clothes would be with the limited range of motion of his arm, taking him much longer than usual.

The bruise that had started forming on the upper left side of his chest was a bit concerning, the very center of it a bright blood red color where the bullet had hit him. A roughly two-inch radius around that looked fine, although the entire thing was ringed with red splotches that were slightly darker than the center and noticeably thicker along the bottom. The blond had only ever had dark blue or purple bruises before and didn't know if this was a bad sign or not.

"Sorry it took me so long-" Prompto apologized as he walked into the living room only to cut himself off when he saw the prince. Noctis was fast asleep, slumped over the table next to the computer with the paperclip still loosely clutched in his right hand while he used his left arm as a pillow.

"Come on, dude, I didn't take that long," Prompto muttered to himself, keeping his voice low as he quietly moved into the kitchen. The cup of instant noodles Noctis had pulled out was still sitting on the counter, forgotten in the wake of the broken tracker. The blond replaced it in the cupboard, ignoring his own hunger as he got a glass of water instead. He'd missed dinner but didn't plan on staying up much longer and didn't want to eat so soon before bed.

A knock on the door broke him out of his thoughts and he glanced at the clock out of habit. It was almost midnight. He briefly wondered who would be knocking on his door at this time of the night before realizing Noctis had probably called for someone to come pick him up. He figured the prince must have been tired if he couldn't even stay awake until his ride got here.

Not wanting to keep whoever it was waiting out in the cold, Prompto quickly crossed the room and opened the door. All words of greeting died in his throat as he recognized Cor the Immortal standing on his front porch. The only thought running through his mind was that Noctis had gone back on his word and Cor was here to dissect his abysmal performance during the test. He could only hope they wouldn't make him pay for the tracker, as well.

"Prompto Argentum?" the marshal asked, raising an eyebrow as the boy in front of him snapped to attention. The blond was unable to hide a flinch of pain, though Cor couldn't tell where he was injured. "I'm Cor Leonis, Marshal of the Crownsguard," he introduced himself, keeping his expression neutral though he did wonder at the odd reaction. "Is Prince Noctis here?"

"Y-yes sir," Prompto managed to stutter, heart thudding in his chest even as relief coursed through him. Of course Cor was just here to pick up Noctis. Who would do an evaluation in the middle of the night, anyway? "He's, uh, sleeping over there," he said, opening the door wider to let Cor in as he gestured toward the prince's slumbering form across the room.

Instead of coming in, Cor stepped to the side and allowed the person previously hidden behind him to enter first. Prompto was suddenly painfully aware he was standing in his pajamas- a pair of black flannel pants with yellow chocobos running across them and a white t-shirt with a two cartoonish chocobos dancing -in front of the King of Lucis. To make matters worse he'd had difficulty drying his hair with a towel due to his arm, leaving the majority of it sticking out at odd angles all over the place while the rest of it clung to his face and neck, with the odd trickle soaking into his collar. He hadn't bothered brushing it, as he'd been planning on going to bed shortly, anyway.

"Oh, um, Your Majesty," Prompto said, belatedly remembering to bow. "I, uh, wasn't expecting you. Can I, um, offer you something...to drink?" he asked, wincing as he realized the only things he had at present were packets of hot chocolate, energy drinks and water.

"No thank you, Prompto," the king replied, stopping in the front entryway as Cor closed the door behind them. "Did Noctis not inform you we were coming?"

"Uh, no," Prompto said, still bent over as he wasn't sure how long was proper to remain bowing. "I just got out of the shower and...he was already asleep."

Regis chuckled, shaking his head. "That boy can certainly sleep anywhere," he remarked, gazing at his son fondly before turning his attention back to the blond. "I must extend my deepest apologies to you, Prompto, as well as my gratitude. There is no excuse for involving civilians in a training exercise such as this, and the cadet responsible will be severely reprimanded for her actions," he assured the teen. "However, it warms my heart to know Noctis can rely on a friend as brave and loyal as you in times of need."

"I didn't do anything but make a mess of things," Prompto deflected, feeling his face heat up at the undeserved praise. "It's...kinda my fault that we got lost in the first place."

"Learning to deal with unexpected situations is also a part of this test," Regis informed him, raising his eyebrow as the youth remained bowing. "You may rise," he added, realizing the boy had no intention of doing so until he had been given permission.

Prompto did as he was instructed, although he kept his eyes on the ground. He couldn't help the start of surprise when the king placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You did well today, Prompto, and you should be proud of yourself," Regis said, offering him a warm smile. "While I don't know what happened in the sewers, the presence of a friend makes any difficult situation much easier to bear. Despite the circumstances leading up to it, I'm certain Noctis was glad of your company."

Not sure if it was considered treason to argue with the king, Prompto just nodded. "Yes sir- uh, Your Majesty. Sir."

Regis offered another smile to the clearly flustered boy before moving over to the table where Noctis was sleeping. The tension was just starting to ease across Prompto's shoulders when a soft clearing of the throat reminded him that he still had another prominent figure standing in his house.

"Where would you like these?" Cor asked once he had the blond's attention, holding up a couple of plastic bags.

Prompto just blinked at the marshal, having been too caught up earlier by the fact that the legendary man was standing on his doorstep to notice the bags dangling from his hand. The flush across his cheeks that was just starting to fade came back in full force as the blond recognized the logo on the side, realizing Cor had retrieved the groceries he'd left in the alley.

"Uh, I'll take those," Prompto said quickly, all but snatching the bags from the Cor's hand.

"A few of the items were damaged when the bags were dropped, some of which ruined other items," Cor continued, following the blond into the kitchen as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "I made a list of what was unsalvageable, but I'll need you to go over it and make sure we didn't miss anything. I'll have someone deliver the replacements tomorrow."

"You don't have to do that," Prompto said, ducking his head slightly as he set the bags on the counter. All the attention was kind of embarrassing, considering it stemmed from a mistake on his part.

"It's no trouble at all," Cor assured him, noting how Prompto refused to use his left arm as he started putting the groceries away. "Not only did this happen on my watch, but Ashley is under my command. I take full responsibility for her actions and will make the reparations thereof," he stated, pulling items out of the bags and setting them on the counter so the blond could sort through them more easily.

Prompto just nodded, not sure how else to respond to that. So far, he'd had an apology from the King of Lucis and his groceries hand-delivered by the immortal, with the promise of the rest to follow in the morning. His nice and comfortable version of reality had been shattered and thrown out the window. The blond couldn't help but wonder what other surprises were in store for him before the night was through.

Regis stood by the computer table, gazing at the scene before him with an amused smile. Given the bent pieces of metal in front of the keyboard, along with the name of the video still paused on the monitor, it was obvious what Noctis had been trying to do. The metal cuff still encircling the prince's wrist showed he hadn't been as successful as he probably would have liked before succumbing to the siren song of sleep.

The king put his hand on his son's shoulder, shaking him gently. "Noctis," he called softly, not wanting to startle him. "It's time to wake up."

Noctis stirred enough to bury his face in the crook of his elbow, muttering something unintelligible into the table.

"Come on, Noctis," Regis called again, continuing to shake his shoulder. "You need to get up now."

Noctis groaned as he was pulled from sleep and greeted by a pounding headache. His brow drew down into a scowl as he took a breath to tell Ignis off when several things suddenly occurred to him. One: he was lying on a table, not in his bed. Two: Ignis didn't come by in the morning to make sure he got up since he'd moved to own his apartment. And three: the voice calling him, while one he knew very well, didn't belong to his advisor.

Noctis managed to pry his eyes open as he turned his head, staring blearily at the figure standing over him. "Dad...?" he asked, voice soft with confusion as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick you up," Regis answered, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you remember calling me?"

"No, I meant why are you here?" Noctis clarified, covering a yawn with his hand. "I thought you were just going to send someone like usual."

"I was worried. You were missing for hours, Noctis. Surely you can't fault an old man for wanting to make sure his son was alright?" he asked teasingly.

Noctis gave a half-hearted shrug, fiddling with the paperclip on the table. Even though it couldn't be helped given the situation, he still felt guilty for making his father worry like that.

Regis' frowned at the stand-offish gesture, wondering if he'd somehow offended Noctis by showing up. Children were so much easier to read, wearing their hearts on their sleeves and saying exactly what they meant. Teenagers were a different beast altogether. "Would you have preferred I sent a car instead?" he asked, careful to keep his voice neutral. Even though he tried to make time to spend with his son, it was never enough and he could tell they were slowly drifting apart.

Noctis turned to his father in surprise, eyes wide. "What? No!" he denied, shaking his head sharply. The sudden movement made the throbbing worse and he flinched, closing his eyes and massaging his temples. "I just wasn't expecting you," he explained.

Regis smiled, still unsure of what had caused such a reaction but relieved Noctis didn't resent him for coming. "Neither was your friend," he replied, summoning a vial to his hand with a muted flash of white light.

The prince sighed, remembering he'd fallen asleep before giving Prompto a head's-up. "In my defense, he takes really long showers," he said, looking up when he felt his father's hand on his shoulder.

"This should help your head," Regis said, pushing the vial into Noctis' hand. It was cylindrical in shape with a tapered metal cap on one end and filled with a pale blue liquid that seemed to glimmer with an inner light. "Just give it a good squeeze."

Noctis did as he was instructed, the vial literally bursting apart into crystalline shards as a softly glowing blue mist settled over him, quickly absorbing into his skin. He couldn't help the faint gasp that escaped him as a warm breeze seemed to pass through his mind, reducing the throbbing to a dull ache and leaving him feeling refreshed. "What was that?" he asked, turning his confused gaze back to his father.

"As you know, our magic can be used to enhance a number of energy drinks, herbal teas and the like, giving them remarkable healing properties," Regis explained. "What I gave you was the equivalent of an energy boost for your magic. I trust you're feeling better?"

"Yeah, much better," Noctis agreed, pushing himself to his feet. "When am I going to learn to do that?"

"Normally it would be after you mastered spell-crafting, but after tonight..." Regis let the sentence trail off, shrugging. "Well, I think you may be ready for it now."

"What do you mean? What does tonight have to do with it?" Noctis asked, curiously.

"Enhancement requires a delicate hand and even finer control in order to be done properly," the king explained. "And, well, carrying a small flame around for any length of time...is not as easy as it sounds," he admitted a bit sheepishly.

Noctis blinked, jaw dropping slightly as the full meaning behind the words sunk in. "You couldn't do it, could you?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face.

"I can summon fire just fine," Regis stated, matter of fact. "Just...not something I'd be comfortable carrying around with me."

Noctis just continued grinning, enjoying being able to do something better than his father for once. The teen held his hand out, conjuring a small flame about the size of a golf ball. "Let's see it," he challenged.

Regis raised an imperious eyebrow at the cocky attitude, though he couldn't help the small grin pulling at his own lips. He held out his hand, large swirls of magic being drawn to his palm in a rather impressive display before condensing into a roiling ball of fire about the size of a basketball. The flames gave off an intense heat as they leapt about, straining to get free and rein fiery destruction upon everything they could reach.

"This is about the smallest I can manage," the king confessed, his face a mask of concentration. If asked previously, he'd have said fire magic was much too unstable to be carried around as an impromptu torch. The slightest slip of concentration and it would literally explode in the caster's face. Seeing Noctis holding such a small flame almost negligibly in his hand filled him with both pride and bewilderment. "How do you do that?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but it kind of feels like trying to drain a pool through a straw," Noctis admitted, rubbing his neck with his free hand.

Regis nodded in understanding, quenching the fire before it got out of hand. "That is still no easy feat," he stated, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.

A clearing of a throat drew both royals' attention to Cor standing in the entryway between the living room and kitchen, his expression as stoic as always. "Perhaps you can wait until we've reached a more suitable location to practice such magic, Your Majesty?" he asked pointedly. "I think Prompto has been through enough without the addition of his house catching on fire."

"Ah, I must ask your forgiveness, Prompto," Regis apologized as Noctis quickly snuffed out his own flame. "I should not have let myself get carried away like that."

Prompto was standing to the side of and little behind Cor, watching the proceedings with wide eyes. While he'd kind of gotten used to Noctis summoning fire over the last few hours, it was just surreal watching the king playing with his magic as well. "Um, it's...cool," he said uncertainly. How exactly was someone supposed to reply to that?

"In any case, I think it's about time to leave," Regis continued, glancing around the group. "It's rather late and you two still have an appointment to keep."

"Wait- what?" Prompto asked, blinking in surprise as the king met his gaze. "Me?"

"His Majesty has one of the royal physicians waiting to take a look at your arm," Cor explained, crossing the room to open the door for the king.

"Uh, no, that's okay- really," Prompto said, shrinking back. "It feels much better already-"

Noctis rolled his eyes, moving over and grabbing the blond's uninjured arm. "If I have to get checked out, you have to get checked out," he said, dragging his friend toward the door.

"Alright, alright!" Prompto said, embarrassed enough without being manhandled in front of the older men. "Just let me grab my keys, okay?"

The group headed outside, Cor opening the back door of the car for Noctis and Regis while Prompto locked the house. The blond paused as he suddenly realized he'd be walking into the Citadel wearing his chocobo-themed pajamas. He almost put the key back in the lock to go change into something else, but didn't think that was a good reason to keep the king waiting. Plus, with how the night was going, he wouldn't put it past Noctis to use more of his magic to drag him out by the ear or something.

With a deep sigh, the blond turned toward the car with heavy steps. Cor was waiting for him, holding the front passengers' side door open. "You'll be riding up front with me," he informed the teen.

Somehow, it had slipped Prompto's mind until that moment that he'd actually be riding with these people, all the way back to the Citadel. The discomfiture of Cor helping him put away his groceries had nothing on the awkwardness likely to ensue in the close quarters of the car. He gingerly climbed into the front, sitting rigidly as the marshal closed the door for him.

Cor quickly crossed to the drivers' side, starting the car and pulling away from the curb as he glanced between the two teens. While the prince was animatedly sharing his latest adventure with the king, his friend looked more like someone being led to his own execution. The boy had been nothing but a bundle of nerves since they'd arrived, which made the fact he'd stood his ground to protect Noctis when threatened at gunpoint all the more impressive.

"You did a good job out there, Prompto," Cor said, trying to reassure the boy but pitching his voice low so as to not disturb the conversation in the backseat. His word's seemed to have the opposite effect, causing the blond to tense up even further.

Prompto sat ramrod straight in his seat, feeling like his spine had been replaced with a lead pipe. Were they really going to do this now, with both Noctis and the king in the back seat? Then again, why would Cor wait to give him a dressing down in private? It probably wasn't anything he wouldn't report to the king afterward, anyway. "Uh, Noct mentioned this was some kind of test," he said hesitantly, unconsciously lowering his voice to match the marshal's. "Are you...um, are you going to grade my performance now?"

"No," Cor stated, brow furrowed slightly in confusion. His gaze slid to Noctis' reflection the rear-view mirror, wondering if the young royal had anything to do with Prompto's misconceptions or why he would have told his friend something like that in the first place. Although that might explain why the boy was so jumpy around him in particular.

"This exercise was designed to give us measure of Prince Noctis' strengths and weaknesses based on his current level of training, as well as that of those who want to join the Crownsguard," the marshal explained. "There's no basis for comparison for any bystanders who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Oh," Prompto breathed, sagging back against the seat in relief. "That's...good." There were no two ways about it- Noctis was a huge jerk.

"Still, not many people would have done what you did out there," Cor continued.

Prompto gave a half-shrug. "I didn't really do anything," he said, remembering the fireball Noctis had thrown at the woman afterward. Even if it had been a real kidnapping attempt, Noctis could clearly take care of himself.

"Only if you think defending the Prince qualifies as 'nothing,'" Cor stated, his tone not giving anything away as he turned onto another street. "It's not as easy as it sounds to put someone else's wellbeing before your own when staring death in the face."

Prompto blinked, suddenly realizing that putting himself between the royal family and danger was what Cor- what the entire Crownsguard -was expected to do each and every day. "Yeah," he whispered, remembering the terror he felt staring down the barrel of the gun. "I...don't think I could do it for a living though," he admitted, shaking his head.

"That type of life isn't for everyone," Cor agreed easily, lowering his voice a bit more as he casually glanced in the rear-view mirror again. Both royals were still engrossed in their own conversation, not paying any attention to the front seats. "And I'm sure His Highness appreciates having a friend not connected to his royal duties...and everything that entails," he stated quietly, his words intended for the blond's ears alone.

That statement was obviously rife with subtext, but Prompto couldn't decipher any of it. "What do you mean?" he asked softly.

"The crown can be a heavy burden indeed," Cor said, choosing his words with care. "While there are many in service to the royal house who have dedicated themselves to ensuring His Highness will be fit to wear it when the time comes, it's easy to forget that he's just as human as the rest of us. A friend who sees him as a person, and not a title, is just as important as his advisors and bodyguards."

Prompto stared at the marshal for several seconds, mouth hanging open slightly before quickly turning back and facing forward once he realized what he was doing. Apparently, Cor was telling him to focus on being the prince's friend first and foremost. The blond sat back in his seat, resting his chin on his hand as he stared pensively out the window.

A friend who sees the person and not the title... Was that who he was? He wanted to say 'yes,' but after tonight he wasn't sure. As much as he hated to admit it, when it came down to it, Prompto's first response was to save Noctis because the prince wasn't expendable but he was. Did it count if he'd done the right thing for the wrong reason?

Prompto wasn't sure, but he decided it didn't matter. From now on, he'd be the type of friend that Noctis needed him to be.

. . .

The morning dawned cold and crisp, people bundled up in jackets and scarves and they headed to work or school. Prompto quickly walked down the sidewalk, adjusting his grip on his bag as he turned the corner onto the street where the school was located.

Overall he'd had a good vacation, albeit with a bit more excitement than he was used to. Due to the lateness- or, rather, earliness -of hour after their 'adventure,' both Prompto and Noctis had spent the night at the Citadel. The blond's parents had actually beaten him home on the following day and, as he'd broken his phone, both were understandably shocked to see him at the door with his arm in a sling and Cor the Immortal standing behind him. To say they weren't happy was an understatement (the looks of disappointment hurt even though the blond knew he'd done nothing wrong), but the marshal quickly cleared up the confusion. In hindsight, even Prompto had to agree that he looked every bit the part of a juvenile delinquent being escorted home after getting into trouble.

He was about the enter the school lobby when a familiar voice called out his name, closely followed by the slamming of a car door. He turned to see Noctis jogging toward him, leaving a sleek black car parked in the loading zone- was that even legal? -as his driver hurried to catch up.

"Do you always leave your house this early?" the prince asked in lieu of greeting, coming to a stop in front of the blond.

"If I don't want to be late I've got to leave early," Prompto pointed out, shrugging. "You know I don't exactly live close by."

"Dude, I didn't even know where you lived until last week," Noctis returned, folding his arms.

"You still don't," his driver muttered, earning himself a withering glare from the prince as he joined the teens. Prompto recognized the emblem on his jacket, identifying him as a member of the Crownsguard.

"Anyway," Noctis said, pointedly ignoring the comment, "we were going to deliver this to you at home, but you weren't there," he said, gesturing toward his escort.

The man nodded, presenting Prompto with a sleek black box before clicking his heels together as he straightened his back. "On behalf of the Crownsguard, I would like to present you with this small token of our appreciation in recognition of your selfless acts of bravery," he stated formally, placing his right fist over his heart a giving the blond a short bow.

Prompto felt his ears heat up, suddenly aware they were still standing in the entryway to the school and rapidly gathering an audience. "Uh, y-yeah. Don't mention it," he stammered, clutching the box tightly to his chest and looking like he wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"For what it's worth, Ashley is sorry about your shoulder," the man apologized, dropping the formal attitude. "But I'm afraid I can't stay. His Highness promised we'd be done ten minutes ago and I'm now late," he said, giving the prince a pointed look.

"I'm sorry Kenrick, I figured he'd still be at home," Noctis said with a shrug. It sounded like they'd had this conversation already.

"Hopefully Lars doesn't mind covering for me a little longer," Kenrick muttered, shaking his head. "In any case, I've got to get back. Good day to you Highness, Prompto," he said, bowing to them both before heading back to the car.

Prompto turned on his heel and walked quickly toward an unoccupied bench in the corner of the courtyard, away from the prying eyes of their classmates. Noctis followed leisurely behind him, long used to ignoring the stares. "You going to open it?" he asked, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

"What was that?!" Prompto demanded, dropping down on the bench. "Why make a spectacle in the middle of the school?!"

"To be fair, it was supposed to happen at your house, but I couldn't just send Kenrick back after coming all the way out here," Noctis stated, unconcerned by his friend's ire. "And it's called 'payback.'"

Prompto just gaped at him. "For what?!"

"You remember all those buttons and levers you were messing with down in the sewers?"

"Yeah..." Prompto said, thrown by the seemingly random change in topic.

"Well, apparently you hit a few that you weren't supposed to," Noctis explained. "They caught the flooding before it backed up into the buildings, but after it hit the street. When Cor asked, I told him I was the one who messed with all those panels."

"Why?"

Noctis raised an eyebrow, as if it were obvious. "Uh, do you remember how freaked out you were by just the thought of Cor giving you an assessment? I figured you'd have a heart attack or something if he came to talk to you about something you actually did wrong."

Prompto blinked, a bit surprised Noctis had taken the fall for him. "So, what'd they do?"

"Oh, nothing much- just gave me a comprehensive course on what the control panels do in the different areas, which buttons to never touch under any circumstances, an in-depth explanation of the sanitation system and how it works- including guided tours..." Noctis shook his head, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Never. Again."

"So you thought you'd get even with this?" Prompto asked, holding up the box. "What is it, something that will jump out and scare me? And why wait until now? I mean, you could have just given it to me when you replaced my phone instead of doing...all this," he said, gesturing to the small groups of students talking quietly amongst themselves while blatantly staring in the pair's direction.

"Actually, a couple of the Crownsguard approached me about that- they were impressed by what you did and now view you as an honorary member or mascot or something," Noctis answered, shrugging. "It's a gift."

Prompto still looked a little suspicious. "Are you sure a snake or something isn't going to jump out when I open it?"

"Only one way to find out."

Still staring at the package a bit dubiously, Prompto set his schoolbag on the bench next to him before carefully opening his 'present.' Despite his expectations, nothing happened when he lifted the lid and revealed...a black t-shirt? He held it up to read the white script, unable to hold back a laugh. "Seriously, dude?" he asked, turning it around to show Noctis. 'TOOK A BULLET FOR THE PRINCE' was scrawled across the front, complete with a target where he'd been hit.

"You said you wanted a t-shirt," Noctis pointed out, leaning down to pick up a paper that had fallen out when Prompto lifted the shirt. "This is yours, as well."

The blond took the paper, skimming over it. "A note excusing me from PE?"

"Just certain activities," Noctis corrected. "No heavy lifting for two weeks, remember?"

"'For being injured in the line of someone else's duty?'" Prompto read out, eyes widening further as he reached the bottom. "And signed by Cor?!"

"Yep."

Prompto just gaped at the paper. He'd made the comment jokingly, trying to lighten the mood down in the sewers, but to see the verbal equivalent of thumbing his nose at the Crownsguard written down and signed by Cor, of all people... "Why..." He just shook his head, gazing helplessly at his 'friend.' "Why would you tell him I said that?"

"Mm...mainly just to see your reaction," Noctis said, smirking. "Check the top."

Prompto glanced back at the paper, looking at the formal letterhead he'd skipped over initially. It had a picture of the royal crest at the top, with the words 'From the desk of Noctis Lucis Caelum' written in a neat script underneath. At least, that's what it had said initially. 'From the desk of' had been crossed off with the small words 'Forged by' penciled in above them. Another line had been added underneath, curved slightly as if it was part of the design, and read 'Bet I got you good.'

"What?" he squawked, holding the paper closer to his face to make sure he'd read that right. Who knew the prince was such a troll?

Noctis laughed, watching the kaleidoscope of emotions cross the blond's face. "Come on, you didn't think that Cor could write you a doctor's note, did you? Last I checked, he doesn't have an MD after his name," he said teasingly. "To say nothing of me basically having him write out that he's leaving his job to someone else."

Prompto honestly didn't know what to think. Noctis seemed to be opening up to him more, showing a much more playful side the blond hadn't seen before. Clearly the shared experience in the sewers had shifted something in their relationship.

The bell rang before Prompto could reply, sending both teens running toward the classroom. Cor's words and his own decision about being the type of friend Noctis needed came back to him, pulling an answering grin across his face. After all, it didn't seem like much of a friendship without pranks. And where there were pranks, there was payback.

The End

And that's it. If you enjoyed the ride, drop me a line!