Roadtrip Headcanons: When you need some TLC.
Hello! This is just a little comfort thing I thought up. I hope you like it. Not really any warnings, the reader as just been having a rough time adventure-wise lol. There's also a bit of undressing but it's SFW. You're all together in this. Gender neutral.
The past two days were hell for you.
It had been one tough hunting mission from Noctis after another, and somewhere in between the running around, fighting monsters, and the running from and fighting Magitek soldiers, you've found yourself more exhausted than you thought you ever could be.
(Also, at some point you got completely owned by a bee, and had a great tumble down a steep incline in the middle of the wilderness during a battle. Thankfully the guys were too preoccupied with more bees to notice.)
But now there probably are bruises on your bruises. Your muscles scream in protest at any movement you make, and the ride back to civilization after your last hunt is proving to be much longer than anyone anticipated.
There's no end in sight, and you're not even sure you'll make it back to town alive.
But you know what is for certain?
Gladio’s chest has always been the best pillow.
The sound of rain smacking against the windshield of the Regalia has been pulling you deeper and deeper into a sleepy haze. Your eyes are half-lidded and brain all gooey as you smoosh yourself against your boyfriend's bare chest.
The shield’s arms are wrapped around you, his book balanced in his hands to your side as he cranes his neck a bit to read it. His breath tickles at your scalp and sends a small shiver down your spine that you really hope he doesn't notice.
Sitting in between the two boys in the back didn't usually bother you, but the ache in your bones that started to settle in had you begging for any sort of relief.
Gladio didn’t put up much of a fight when you asked (very nicely, with puppy dog eyes and all) if you could climb onto his lap and sit on him as if he were more of a lazy boy recliner than a man.
Your legs are stretched out across what's left of the back seat, feet tucked up on Noct's lap while he taps away on his phone with one hand.
The other is wrapped around one of your calves to hold you in place. He sounds almost as tired as you feel as he talks to Prom about something you haven't been paying much attention to.
Poor guy's always in need of a nap regardless of the situation these days.
Ignis glances back at you from the rearview mirror long enough to gauge how far in dream land you're getting, and you can't see the small, fond smile gracing his face when he focuses back onto the road before him.
"You alright back there, love?" He asks, somehow sounding both amused and concerned through the electro-pop Prom's been playing for the last hour and a half.
You mutter out a drunken reply, and Noct's not even sure you're speaking english when he looks up from his phone.
"They're dead on their feet, Igs." He sighs, "Honestly, I am too."
"Ditto. We haven't had a good nights sleep in, well, forever." Prompto sighs wistfully from the front seat, turning all the way around to peek back at your sleeping, cute, form. "Don't you think we should set up camp? Catch some Z's?"
"It is getting rather late." Ignis agrees, and Noct can practically feel his mental laser beams as he waits for the Prince to give him the go ahead.
Noctis doesn't even try to argue with them. His usual stubbornness to keep going dissolves at the exhaustion he sees in you.
He's been pushing everyone too hard, he thinks.
It’s not long before you feel the regalia pulling over onto a side road, the rumble of the car beneath you waking you just a little as you glance around the car.
At some point the rain has stopped, you notice, and you could cry when you see the light of a campsite up ahead.
The Regalia pulls to a stop as you rub sleep away from your eyes with a loud yawn. Before you can even think about popping the door open and getting out, Gladio is grabbing your hand.
He rumbles low into your ear about how "You're not going anywhere until we set up camp, sleeping beauty."
And Ignis, who's already out of the car and messing around in the trunk, interrupts you before you can complain by popping his head into the car from his ajar door and saying. "He's right. I fear if we let you out now, you'll fall asleep in a puddle somewhere."
That has you pouting, but you can't really say he's wrong. Weirder things have happened.
Gladdy gets out to help with the tent, leaving you to slide back into the middle seat.
You immediately snuggle up close to Noct, who has yet to make a move to leave. He's more awake than he was before as well, and you feel him laughing at you when he tucks you into his side.
You both just sit there lax against each other, and he listens all amused when you complain about how rude Ignis is even if he happens to be correct.
The two of you chat lazily about nothing too important while you wait for them to set up camp, and you kind of suspect he is using "keeping an eye" on you as an excuse to get out of doing manual labor, but that's fine with you.
He speaks to you all soft and honey sweet, through a smile that makes him so beautiful it hurts.
If your brain wasn't gooey before it totally is now.
Soon enough Prompto is coming over to let you know the tent is all set up, and suggests you take a nap even after you offer to help with dinner.
He insists he'll be Iggy's helper tonight, winking at you even though Ignis is standing behind him looking a little scared.
Noct climbs into the tent after you, and starts undoing the laces and straps on your shoes without so much as a warning. You begin to protest, insisting that you're not that useless when he shushes you.
"I just want to help. " He murmurs as he finishes sliding off your boots, "You can't sleep in your gear, anyway. Think of it as an apology for running you around all week."
"Alright, but no funny business." You joke, and he definitely notices your little wince when he starts tugging your jacket off of your shoulders.
Is more gentle with you as he helps you out of the rest of your clothes, not knowing just how sore and stiff you are from your injuries. Is honestly the perfect gentlemen and keeps eye contact with you the entire time.
His carefulness makes you blush. And then your blush makes him blush.
You get to wear one of their t-shirts. By the smell of the cologne and how oversized it is, it's Gladio's.
"I am sorry, you know? I didn't realize how tough I've been on you guys." Noct admits when you're laying down together. You're both on your sides, and your nose pressed to the middle of his chest for safety.
Later, you'll pull him aside and give him a better answer than the "S'okay." you give him before you drop off into slumber.
It’s only about an hour or two later when you wake up, the feeling of a different body pressed against yours and your hair being brushed away from your forehead.
Prompto's there, and he wants you to know that dinner is ready whenever you are.
A little delirious, you scrub sleep from your eyes and sit up. A tense muscle in your back just decides to spasm and you gasp a little, straightening out ram rod straight.
Prompto notices the way your hands fist in the blankets, rests a gentle, warm hand on your shoulder and leans into your space to ask, "What's wrong, sweetie?"
That's when you finally cave. You practically beg him not to tell any of the other guys about your little bee induced tumble when you finally fess up, and his eyes get all soft and knowing like that sometimes do.
He presses a little smooch to your cheek that definitely wakes you up more.
"I think Iggy's got some kind of gel for muscle cramps." He just about sings in your ear as he remembers, and you really can't help but giggle at his eagerness when he bolts out of the tent at the speed of nyoom.
Gladio is adding more wood to the campfire and Ignis is ladling stew into bowls from a bubbling pot when you come out.
You can hear Prom digging around in Ignis’s bag of medical supplies, and Noct is puttering around, sniffing at the air around Ignis like a wild animal.
"You look pretty hot in my shirt." Gladio tells you as soon as he notices you're out, and you see Ignis's head nearly snap off to look at you.
He mother hens a little bit, asking you how you're doing and asking you if you need anything. At one point he has his gloves off and his feeling your forehead to check your temperature lol.
You thank him several times when he presses a mug of warm tea into your palms, guiding you to sit in the pop up chair closest to the fire. He sits as close to you as the seats allow him to.
The stew is so good you eat your first bowl in less than a minute. Ignis, who has just sat down to eat, immediately stands back up and is getting you more before you can realize what's going on.
Prompto is panting like he's run a marathon when he comes up to you, and you have to steady him just a little. He's holding out patches and gel for muscle pain and a little bottle of pain killers, and insists on applying it to you while you finish eating dinner.
It's so sweet how they're doting on you like this. You're really not used to it, and it almost makes you want to cry.
It's not even awkward when you tug the back of your shirt up and let Prom do his work.
He is probably applying way too much gel but that's okay because he means well.
You take your time with your second bowl of stew. It's hot and filling and leaves your whole body warm and satisfied.
Everyone's eyes are on you when you sit your bowl down, tentatively reaching your arms up to give a good stretch now that you're all patched up.
Your sigh of relief is what finally lets them settle down into their own seats.
"Thank you." You say, shy as your eyes glue themselves to the flickering flames of the campfire. You know they can see how hot your face is.
"It's no problem, my dear." Ignis insists from your side-- lets you know just how much they care about you with a warm, bare palm to your cheek and a look in his eyes that is so intimate you could implode. The kiss he gives you doesn't make matters any easier. either.
Gods, you really do love all of them.
You tell them so, loud and clear for the first time, but certainly not the last.
"We love you, too." Gladio grins from his place on the other side of the fire as you pull away from Iggy to look at him with giant heart eyes. You don't quite understand the mischievous look he's got until he continues with "Even if you got your ass kicked by a bee."
Your gasp is scandalized, pointing at the accused traitor "Prompto Argentum!"
