The Saddening

[want_to_belong]

Who: Prompto, Chocobros, OTA
What: Event catchall for Prompto stuff
When: Over the duration of the event
Where: Mostly around the chocobro house
Warnings: Angst, pain, sad saps, sickness, potentially very poorly done confessions to girls. Dates may vary depending on what happens over the event.

August 6~7 - Running off - Chocobros
Prompto messily scrawled the words on a piece of wood using chalk from the noticeboard.

"Going to help unbury people. I'm fine."

The piece of wood was left at their house when no one was there and he snuck off. As soon as he started showing symptoms he knew he had to do something. He couldn't get Ignis or Gladio sick, but he didn't want them to worry about him. He couldn't live with himself if something happened to the guys because of him.

At first his intentions were true. He figured he might as well go help with the new people. That changed quickly as his symptons worsened. It felt like he was getting hit by a fever, and he decided to take a detour instead, looking for some small bit of cover that he could hide under and curl up. He'd really rather be snuggled up in a bed. His mind wandered off, thinking of all the cozy hotel rooms they used to stay in, all curled up in blankets. The best he had for now was his winter coat, which was at least warm if nothing else.

August 10~11 - Confessions - Chocobros
After being dragged back home and spending much of the time trying to become one with the few scrappy blankets they had, they had eventually learned that honesty was a cure. How did that even work? He half wondered if it was a bad joke. He didn't really think of himself as dishonest. He might put up a front or hide, but he was just trying to help his friends. He wasn't trying to be bad.

There was a lot he hid, of course, and he didn't even know where to begin. What would he have to say to make the sickness go away? Rather than sit up, he stayed curled up on the ground of their 'living room' of sorts, using one of the pillows they had from the tent as a headrest. He wasn't the big tough guy. He handled illness like a big baby - but at least a mostly quiet one. If he had a plush he would have happily been hugging it.

His eyes lazily followed the going-on's while he remained mostly silent, until he finally confessed quietly, "'m glad I'm home."

August 12~15 - Confessions - Girls
Sitting out by the water, Prompto half wondered if it would be easier to stay quiet and die rather than be open and honest to everyone. On the best of days he had trouble talking to girls, and they tended to travel in packs which was scary and intimidating. In his mind it was so easy - just tell the girls that he thought were pretty that he thought they were pretty. In practice he might have an easier time trying to digest a pile of dirt. Rejection was a lot more tolerable when he didn't take it seriously.

It didn't help that he found most girls his age attractive. It wasn't as if he even stuck that strictly to his own age - Iris had been 16, and Aranea had been 30. It wasn't his fault all girls were so damn pretty. It was unfair! The odds were stacked against him from the start.

He noticably tensed whenever a girl neared him, fearing confessing to them more than death itself. Moreso than usual. If he was rejected this time, it was really him they'd be rejecting. He couldn't dare to actually approach, so he sat by the water, choking back the symptoms of the illness while he skipped some rocks.

August 12~15 - Confessions - OTA
Prompto tended to keep negative feelings to himself. He didn't like to insult people, didn't like confrontation and didn't like to hurt anyone. Even when he was in pain he resisted. He wasn't the type to lash out.

Which made the whole honesty thing that much harder. He might end up burning a few bridges. Because of hurty limbs and overall aching, he stayed near the house with his back pressed up to a wall. He stayed mostly reserved, but he wouldn't ignore anyone who approached.

Comments

confessions!

[shogis]

Things are starting to get bad. Flowers--Snapdragons, to be exact--are blooming from her palms and her shoulders. It's so painful, and it's becoming increasingly more and more difficult to function. She feels like staying in bed all day, but she needs to help. Akira never gave up on her, even if she'd brought him so much pain; Hifumi wants to do the same for others, too.

But she needs to try to bring her temperature down a little, first. She's weak, she's dizzy, but she manages to get to the water. She goes onto her knees and splashes some water on her face--as best as she can, considering the state of her hands--before she hears the sound of something else splashing nearby.

She turns, and she sees a boy skipping rocks next to her. "Oh--I'm sorry, please excuse me. I'll move out of your way."

[want_to_belong]

Bouncy as he usually was, he just couldn't with the stiff joints. Some purple something-or-others were hindering his movements. He was quick to cut off anything that had grown where people could see it, but it hadn't helped the symptoms at all.

When he glanced up he sputtered out his words, "Uh? N-No, you're not bothering me."

In a way she wasn't. He didn't mind at all that she was there. It was only a matter of his own nerves. He could let her be.

But she was obviously sick, too. Even as he ached and felt like barfing, he couldn't sit there and leave a woman in need. Strained, he forced himself out of his cross-legged position and stumbled to his feet.

"Do you... need any help?"

[shogis]

She's trimmed off whatever she could, too, but the flowers don't stop growing. It's horrifying. What a way to be welcomed to the island.

"Ah--no, I'm alright..." The way her voice trails off, though, indicates that she is certainly not fine. That's definitely not going to do her any favors towards stalling out the affliction. "I wanted to splash my face with some water, because I--"

Hifumi's cut off by a coughing fit. She's coughing pretty hard, covering her mouth with her hands. "S-Sorry. Please excuse me..."

[want_to_belong]

Oh no, she was sick. Somehow that was worse than the guys being sick. He'd rather take it than see a girl go through it.

Hard as he tried, his movements were stiff and jerky because of the illness as he stumbled towards her.

"Go ahead and sit down! I can bring you a bowl of water to drink, too. There's..." he glanced around, seeing part of one of the structures Gladio had built on their islet, "some shade over here. And a shower! We have a shower."

If it was water she needed he would give all the water.

[shogis]

A bowl of water and a shower seems really nice, but she feels terrible for troubling the poor young man. She frowns, watching him stumble, and she starts to feel an itch near her ear. Not a good sign.

"Maybe just a bowl of water. But...are you okay?"

She sounds a lot more concerned for him than herself.

Boy collecting 7th

[piercetheheart]

At least Prompto had given them an idea of where to look for him. The area around the memorial was something of a mess now, though, with all of the new arrivals that had been pulled from the wreckage of the rooms under ground. The very thing Gladio had been worried about when he'd been tearing up the floor where Lance and Laurent had asked turned out to be true.

It was a little terrifying and made him very cautious of where he stepped through that area as he looked for Prompto.

In the end it wasn't even Gladio that found him. Instead Prompto would find himself being nudged gently by a wet nose snuffling through his hair as Leopold chuffs at him, scent marking him with broad rubs of his cheek across Prompto's face. Gladio isn't far behind, of course.

"Leo what're yo- Prom!" And then, caution be damned, Gladio is rushing over to where Prompto's settled in to nap, hands on his shoulders.

[want_to_belong]

The aches made it difficult to sleep but he'd at least been getting some rest when a wet nose suddenly touched him and there was snuffling right by his ear. He turned his face away and pushed back the big guy immediately, flailing his limbs a little as he woke abruptly.

He shook what grogginess he could from his eyes and glanced up from the ground to see what in the world was going on.

"Gladio...? What are you doing here?"

At least he'd found a shady spot. They didn't need a fried chocobo.

[piercetheheart]

"Leo, enough." Not sharp but definitely an order and the feline sits back on his haunches and yawns out his irritation, tail lashing. It's enough to make Gladio turn to glare at him for a moment, long enough for Leo to finally blink and turn away to sulk.

So Gladio rolls his eyes and drops to one knee beside Prompto, clearly worried, gaze flicking from one limb to another, trying to determine if Prompto is actually in one piece and undamaged. "You didn't come home last night, dude. I was worried you fell through the floor of one of these places or something."

Give him a fucking heart attack, Prom.

[want_to_belong]

"I left a note! Didn't you get it?"

He really hadn't wanted to worry them. He figured he could leave a not telling them where he was and they wouldn't need to worry because he could take care of himself, rather than having disappeared mysteriously. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he did his best to stretch out his aching limbs.

"'m fine."

Confessions

[suspecteverything]

Jules didn't usually hang around where everyone else lived. He was a loner by nature and had purposely chosen not to live on the islands. He visited from time to time however since most did live there, and there were a few people he looked after (mostly unbeknownst to them). Typically he would head straight back to his own home after unanimously dropping supplies off, but today he spotted Prompto on the way. Prompto's conflicted emotions hit him without Jules even reaching out.

He paused, glanced over, and then bee-lined Prompto's way.

"You alright, chizzi?"

[want_to_belong]

Many times he ducked his head behind his knees and wished for the aches to go away, but it never seemed to work. His arms were wrapped around his legs, fingers digging in tensely when Jules approached. Instinctively he wanted to deny, deny, deny, but he knew it was pointless to begin with. He wasn't looking good no matter how he tried to hide it, and by now they discovered that honesty was important.

"Been better," he finally tried to joke in a strained voice before being quickly cut off by a cough. "You?"

Of course he remembered him, and really had nothing bad to think about him.

[suspecteverything]

It would have been pointless to deny anything around Jules anyway. It was one of the downsides of being around someone who could read minds, especially someone who had that happen without actually trying to read them.

"The whole "been better" thing has always been amusing. I mean, come one, you could basically say that almost every moment of your life minus the absolute best one."

[want_to_belong]

"Yeah, well. Still accurate."

He did his best to joke around despite feeling like absolute crud. Thus far he had no reason to dislike Jullien, though they'd only interacted once. A sore throat and aches all over made a jovial response futile. The best he could do was strained.

"...'m worried about this whole illness thing. I mean, everyone who had it before died."

Confessions

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet's been doing her best to keep an eye on everyone, as per usual, so it probably isn't a surprise that her reaction to seeing Prompto huddled up by the water is to come over and check if he's all right.]

Hello, dearie. Are you well?

[At least she's not likely to spur him on to any awkward romantic confessions, despite being a woman...?]

[want_to_belong]

Hey, Muffet.

[She really was one of the few girls he'd probably never have to worry about being nervous around. At least, not for that reason.

Cheer was gone, as was bounciness. Limbs were too stuff for that. His mind was mostly lingering around dark thoughts.]


...Don't like being sick.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[She nods sympathetically, expression rueful.]

No, I can't blame you for that, it's quite unpleasant. Is there anything I can help you with? Food, perhaps, or water?

[want_to_belong]

Water. Water is good, if that's not a bother.

[Normally he didn't ask for much beyond weaving or any other skills that people had, but today he thought he could get away with it.]

Are you sick?

10th

[piercetheheart]

Prompto was sick, Iggy was sicker than he was letting on and it was driving him crazy. Gladio was a little frustrated that he was actually pretty okay. A little stiff, a slight tickle in his throat, one infuriating red vine that kept trying to snake down from his wrist. But otherwise he was fine, not at all like Prompto. Which meant that he was also the one tending to all of the animals. There was a gate he'd tied in place to keep the chicks in the spare room at night and he'd left them in the pen for most of the day so he could also keep an eye on Prompto.

They may not have had any plushies but there was a tigerlily that kept curling up next to Prompto, using the blond as a pillow, his large, heavy head resting on Prompto's hip. Which is where Leo is when Prom finally speaks up, making Gladio pause where he's carrying some fresh bedding in to the girls. He smiles softly, tosses the bedding in with the chicks and comes over to where Prompto is curled up.

"'m glad you're home too... Do you wanna sleep in our room?" On a larger bed where he can cuddle with Leo and still have space left over.

[shatteredlenses]

"It is home now, isn't it?" Ignis is seated nearby, a great many of their medical supplies spread out in front of him. He's taking stock and trying to see if anything will be of use against this frustrating little plague. Can honesty really be the cure for such a sinister disease? It's so simple, so neat. He doesn't like it.

His distaste for the 'cure' aside, Ignis can't help but find himself pondering Prompto's use of the world 'home' to describe this place. Never would he have imagined calling any place without Noctis home, but here they are and this does feel like home. Is it because he knows Noctis may return here someday? Is it because he knows this world is separate and it's here they are going to make their stand to fix everything back on Eos?

Ignis isn't really sure what he thinks about that train of thought, so he keeps it to himself for now, and instead of thinking on it more, he takes a small pouch he's pulled out of the supplies and settles it into his jacket pocket. He got the beans inside it from the Storyteller long ago--something to give him access to his magic should Noctis be taken from the island. Never once did he think that something like this would be when he would end up using them.

[want_to_belong]

"Almost. Just need Noct..."

Couldn't quite be home without him. Still, they'd done well enough on their own.

Well. If dying on the floor counted as 'doing well'. He was highly skeptical of truth working, and he wanted to hold things in like always, but he also didn't want to throw up anymore. Or ache. He missed moving around and he was scared.

"In your room? Wouldn't that make it kinda... awkward for you two? And... 'm not sure about making it on top of a bed right now." Trying to talk like normal was a real hassle. He wanted to have a conversation like nothing was going on, but as hard as he tried his throat was parched and sore. If he was alone he doubted he'd even be able to get food. "I've been thinking. Maybe we should try the talking thing?"

They were barely hanging on, it seemed like the final card they could play. He had some trouble lifting his head, slumping back down on the ground to catch his breath after a brief moment of trying to sit up. But, gathering what strength he had left, he started crawling, or wriggling his way towards Iggy.

[piercetheheart]

Gladio looked from Prompto, who seemed like he was dying, to Ignis, who was trying his damnedest not to seem like he was dying and finally sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"Talking's probably a good idea. I doubt Connor'd have said it if he didn't have some evidence that it at least helped and we aren't getting anywhere on our own." There's a pointed look at Ignis to go with that last bit and enough frustration in his tone to make it apparent even when Iggy couldn't see it. "You both need to rest and your bed isn't big enough for all of us, Prom."

Which is Gladio for no it's not awkward and he doesn't see why it would be. It's just practical. And unless Prompto's going to protest that bit of logic Gladio is going to lean down and scoop the blond up to relocate him to the bedroom. The obvious implication, of course, that Ignis should follow.

15th okay?

[shatteredlenses]

They had talked some back around the 10th when Gladio brought Prompto home...or at least, Prompto and Gladio had talked. Ignis, true to his nature, had mostly listened and offered comfort where he could. After all, he was a healer and a helper. It wasn't his place to be a burden whether or not the the 'cure' to this little plague was honesty. Still days later, with Prompto and Gladio in much better condition than he is, Ignis really can't keep denying the truth of things nor can he continue keeping silent, not if he wants to avoid burdening them with his death.

He's doing better than he was when he woke up and realized he couldn't walk. That's all thanks to Gladio's patience and persistence, but as much as he keeps to himself, Ignis knows that one conversation--no matter how heartbreaking honest it is--won't be enough to rid him of this curse. That's why, when he hears Prompto's light footsteps near the room door, he calls out to the blonde.

At least he can call out now. Another thing he can thank Gladio for.

"Prompto? Can...we talk?"

Everything's always ok with me!

[want_to_belong]

Prompto had, thankfully, been recovering some. He'd tried to hide a lot of his problems from Ignis and Gladio while he was sick. Funny enough, since he didn't mind whining and complaining, but he tried to go somewhere else to throw up. Why, he almost wasn't sure. Obviously they knew how bad the sickness was, but he still didn't want to make them worry too much.

After much straining and talking about problems, it had finally started clearing up for him. He was still stiff, but he could walk around mostly normally again. Gladio had somehow managed to avoid getting bad at all. That left Iggy. He had tried to convince him to talk because he cared about him but with little success. He had no idea what Iggy would even have to hide - a secret crush, maybe? Who knew.

But it was why he perked up when Iggy said something to him.

"Huh...? Yeah. Yeah, of course we can!"

Much as it was still a bit achy to move, he trotted over. Perhaps a bit of desperation was in his voice, a little eager to have what would probably be a difficult conversation, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to see Iggy get better. So he moved to sit down on the edge of the bed and make himself comfortable. "What is it, bud?"

\o/

[shatteredlenses]

"Bud," Ignis says the word softly, head tilted down, bandaged fingers picking at the edge of the blanket he's curled under as much as they can. It's probably a strange sight seeing him acting so much like his actual age for once...or maybe it's just a sadly familiar one. Far too reminiscent of Altissia, of the last time he was hurt anywhere near this badly.

"I've not been a very good friend lately, have I? Thinking far too much of my own wants and letting myself come this far before doing something about it."

He still can't walk, after all. Gladio may have cut away the excess vines and flowers around his legs, but the Shield can't go into his joints and remove what has threaded through them. Only time and honesty is going to fix that.

[want_to_belong]

His nervous smile faded for a moment, and immediately he leaned towards him to try and comfort him.

"Don't worry about that. It's fine. I mean, things were super messed up and stuff. Just... We just want you to get better now."

He didn't want Iggy to worry about any grudges or anger or anything getting held against him. Prompto certainly had no ill feelings towards him. A hand unconsciously went to rest on Iggy's leg.