Rayne Drops: Bickery for Two

Icky Sticky

            Late in the afternoon, the fog has cleared and the sun beams down hotly overhead. We haven't made much progress toward anything today; the only packing being done is signaled by the clatter of Ignis's pots and pans on the opposite side of the haven. Noctis is finally awake, slouched against Prompto's back with a tired scowl drawn across his lips, his dark hair shielding his face from the sun. The blonde at his back looks completely absorbed in his phone; he downloaded a new game last night and hasn't broken away since. The light gives the bruise on his nose a better color.

I turn away from the scene with a small smile and go back to digging through Ignis's bag. There it is. At the last outpost we stopped in, there was a small marketplace he shopped at for ingredients and such. A woman who recognized us gave us three jars of some sort of jelly she made at home. Long story short, it smells just as awful as it tastes and, after each of us tried some, we collectively agreed to never touch it again. I'm ready to get Gladio for his one-sided food fight.

The jar is slim and short, filled to the brim with sticky red jam. Grinning, I zip Ignis's bag back up and shove the jar down the front of my shirt. No one would be able to tell the difference aside from the slight edge of the lid that presses lightly against the blue material. In my back pocket, I've already stashed a plastic spoon. Metal would be too cold. I step out of the tent carefully, pulling my hair tie out and ruffling the long strands that fall around my shoulders.

"We've gotta find somewhere to wash up soon, Iggy," I huff, snatching my jacket up off the ground and tying it around my waist. "Oh, and I saw some more of those peppers over by the woods."

"Which way?" Ignis asks crossing his arms. I point left to the group of trees about a hundred feet away. The tactician looks at the located and then back toward me. There's a moment of silence before he sighs and starts walking toward the edge of the haven. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Try not to kill each other."

And then he drops down, taking steady, long strides toward the edge of the woods. The second I'm sure he won't look back, I fish down the front of my shirt and grab the jar, earning an eyebrow raise from Noctis. Silently, I point to Gladio, whose been napping on his back peacefully for at least an hour. I walk closer, kneeling carefully at his side and unscrewing the lid.

"You can't be serious!" Prompto hisses with a quiet laugh. Noctis shakes his head, going back to hiding behind his hair, but I can tell he's still watching.

I take the spoon from my back pocket and dip it into the red substance. My nose crinkles automatically at the smell; the only way to describe it would be a fish that digested some strawberries and then started to rot on top of a pile of coins. It's potent stuff.

I scoop out a good amount of jam and carefully place the blob on Gladio's stomach. Thankfully, it's warm enough that he doesn't immediately wake up. He only stirs the slightest bit, adjusting his arms behind his head before going still. I empty the entire jar onto his bare front before using the back of the spoon to spread it thin. Prompto snickers, muffling his giggles behind his hand. I resist the urge to gag at the smell and toss the jar into the grass below.

"You want to do the honors?" I ask Noctis. He raises an eyebrow.

"And get my @#$ kicked? I'm good."

I shrug indifferently and get down on all fours, leaning my face down close to his ear. Taking a deep breath, which I come to regret because of the smell of the jam mixed with the scent of sweat, I decide on the best way to wake our giant friend up.

"Gladio, get up! Noct's in trouble!" I shout. He jumps, sitting up quickly and summoning his sword to his hand. And then he does a double take, frowning at the snickering pair of boys across the haven. I can't help it; I fall onto my back, laughing so hard I think I might lose my lunch.

"What's that...?" he starts, grimacing and looking down at his chest. Dropping his sword, he turns with so much anger my heart actual stops for a second. "You son of a...!"

I roll to my feet when he grabs for me, laughing and running across the rock. He growls something under his breath and drags himself to his feet. Prompto groans, covering his nose.

"Ew, dude! Take a bath or something!"

"This day hasn't been too good so far," Gladio mutters, his expression lightening as he takes slow steps toward me. "You know what I could use?"

"A shower?" I guess innocently, unable to contain my amused grin.

"No, not quite," he shakes his head, stepping closer. I hold my breath as the smell creeps toward me. "I could really use a hug."

"@#$% you!" I laugh, dodging his lunge toward me. "Hey...!" My foot slips on the edge of the haven and I wind up falling backwards off the edge. I wince as my arm slams into a jagged rock on the way down, grunting when I hit the ground with a hard thud. "Holy Shiva!" I hiss, clutching my arm. The bleeding scrape on the back of my arm burns when my fingers brush it, my entire arm throbbing and sending shooting pains through my bones.

"Are you alright?" Ignis asks, kneeling by my side. I sit up, grimacing as he reaches out and examines my arm, setting his pile of peppers and mushrooms to the side. He frowns, glancing up at the three men looking over the edge of the haven in silence. "It seems you've broken your humerus. I thought I told you not to get each other killed?" He holds out his free hand and summons a hi-potion.

"No one's dead," I huff, wincing when he presses his fingers in too deeply into my arm.

"Hey Iggy," Gladio calls down, motioning to his chest. "She covered me in that smelly #@$% from your bag."

"You— "Ignis cuts himself off, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. I frown as the glittering green bottle disappears, replacing itself with a plain potion.

"Iggy, what..."

"Stop acting like a child and you may receive an adult's dose," he replies simply, pressing the potion into my hand and gathering his vegetables.

"What are you...?" I watch in disbelief as he turns and walks away, Gladio chuckling and clapping a hand down on Prompto's back. The blonde's laughs quickly turn into a strangled shout of surprise as he tumbles over the edge.

"Gladio!" Noctis protests, watching Prompto writhe on the ground beside me.

"Astrals, my butt!" Prompto cries, throwing his legs in the air and clutching his rear. "Ignis help!"

I sigh, looking between Prompto and the potion for a moment longer before shrugging and crushing the curative in my hand. "My arm still hurts," I mumble, stumbling my way back to camp.