#Prompto woke him up at 12 am for this

[heyhollow]

It's his birthday!!

[atomic-taco-muffin]

Lucis princess timeline:

During a meeting:

Noctis: Suki’s late. again.

Gladiolus: I woke him up at 8 and pretended it was 11

Prompto: I wrote a fake schedule saying we started at 9 instead of 12

Ignis: I set his clock to PM instead of AM

Noctis: you all may have overdone it.

Suki, bursting through the door: WHAT YEAR IS IT?!

Riku: Did I stutter?

Noctis: what

Riku: you heard me *cocks toy nerf gun*

Yui: *replaces the toy with her pistoleer*

[amarabliss]

Oaths and Hearts - 15 (Ignis Scientia/Reader)

So this is a crossover between FFXV and Dragon Age Inquisition.

You fell through a rift into the fade fighting the demons you swore to protect your world from. When you popped out you were no longer in the lands of Ferelden instead trapped in Insomnia. The gracious king allowed you to say recognizing power when he saw it. One thing led to another and now you were part of the procession of the prince to his wedding years later. Before the final battle, after years of fighting, losses, and love…your friend…your king…Noctis has asked you to change it all…

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11  Part 12  Part 13 Part 14

“It’s really you.” You reached up, holding Hawke’s face. It felt worn and weathered as if it had been through many storms. Streaks of grey shot through his dark hair and beard that had grown longer.

“I will answer all your questions Inquisitor, but we cannot stay here. He will come back and I doubt the same tricks will work twice.” Hawke squeezed your hands before reaching for his staff and standing.

You stood up looking around seeing the pungent greens and browns of the fade, “…the Fade…”

“Yes…now come.” He held out his hand to you, “You’re not really here…but we have to find the door back to you. I’ll take you someplace safe until we can figure out where that is.”

You nodded taking his warm hand in his and followed behind him in silence. He seemed to know every path, nook, and crack to take them away. Finally, hours later when you could take the silence no more you spoke softly, “I’m so sorry…”

He stopped and looked down into your eyes. He shook his head, “Please tell me you have not held onto my memory as a burden?”

“It was an impossible choice…I would have stayed myself…” You began to tear up and fell silent when his free hand fell to your shoulder firmly.

“It was the right one. Alastair…as strong a man he is…do you really think he could have survived here?” Hawke smiled chuckling, “Sarcasm only does so much here…it had to be a mage, one who’s dealt with the fade before…and it couldn’t have been you, you held the power to close the rifts that plagued our home. It had to be me.”

“You can’t possibly be alright with it…” You asked as he turned continuing down a narrow path, “Hawke…”

“I admit…there was a time I was angry…” He nodded a little, “I gave up so much to keep you safe…My home, my life…Fenris…”

He looked at you again sighing, “Then I remember…if you hadn’t gone, I would have likely never made it back to Fenris anyways. Orlais is quite far from the Free Marches. I’m sure the world would have crumbled before I stepped foot in Ferelden. At least this way, I know he’s safe and alive.”

“…Varric…he wrote a letter…” You hung your head a little, “He wrote two actually…one to Carver and Fenris…Carver apparently responded, but Fenris…I never heard if he replied.”

“I doubt he would respond.” He kept walking as he reached back undoing a bag on his back as he stepped inside a cave of some sort. You looked around seeing how it was set up like a small home. Books lined a shelf, a fire was in the center a cauldron over it bubbling with something, nearby a cot and stool rested comfortably against the wall, “It’s not how Fenris would react. I’m sure he went out and found some of the Tevinter slavers to work out his grief.”

You watched him laugh a little setting down the bag pulling out what looked to be cheese and bread, “Hawke it’s been almost a decade…how have you survived?”

“Well…for a while it waves of demons…soon they backed off realizing I wasn’t just some helpless sleeping mage…” He looked over to you gesturing to the stool before he began slicing the bread and cheese, “I looked for a way out. There was a way in, so logically there’s a way out, haven’t been successful yet.”

“Then there are the spirits.” He looked at you, “Not always helpful, but not malicious like demons. I began visiting with them more and more. They helped me not feel alone, but it’s not the same as your own loved ones. After that it was just adapting…you begin to see things from different angles and perspectives. It’s that or you die.”

“And you were never one to quit.” You smiled a little.

“Well you’re here now, so things must be looking up.” He smirked a little bit before it faded seeing you look away quickly, “…or not…”

“I need to tell you what happened…” You met his gaze finally as he sat across from you, “Starting with…I haven’t been home in a long time…”

“Ignis! Just wait a second!” Gladio shouted at him as he rushed down the hill of debris after his friend, “You can’t just run off!”

Ignis looked around the area as the trio ran up behind him, “Look for something out of place…almost like you’re seeing double or feeling déjà vu.”

“Iggy, are you sure…” Noctis began to speak.

“Noct…” Ignis turned to him seeing his blue eyes widen as he spoke with firm authority, “I would go to the ends of the earth to protect and serve you. But for Y/N…please understand that I would traverse further into any unknown…and then one step more.”

Noct took in a deep breath nodding slowly, “I understand.”

“I don’t!” Prompto looked at them all as surprised filled all their eyes, “I mean I get we need to help Y/N, I do…she’s one of us! But I don’t understand why you think you have to go alone. We need to stick together. We’re stronger together.”

Ignis looked at the young Crownsguard before he spoke, “Prompto, you still have a lot to learn, but your loyalty is commendable. I will not be here…I will need you to make sure our king is safe and well cared for. My responsibilities will be split between you and Gladio.”

“But…wouldn’t it be faster…” He frowned hanging his head as he clenched his fist tightly, “We’ve just lost so much already…”

Gladio stepped close to him put his arm around Prompto’s shoulders, “Don’t let Iggy’s lanky appearance fool you, he’s capable of doing everything we can do together all by himself. He did all the training we did and more…one day he’s going to be General to the King, Noct’s right hand.”

“Damn straight.” Noct slapped a hand on Ignis’ back looking at him with pride, “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Okay…” Prompto looked at Ignis with worried eyes, “But you have to come back, you have to promise. Come back with Y/N.”

“That I can do.” Ignis offered his hand to Prompto who took it tightly, “Now…help me find the way.”

They began scouring the area looking for any abnormality. Ignis had his journal out explaining over and over how you described the doorway to hime. Evening was setting on them as he scanned the area for the thousandth time.

“Hey Iggy?” He looked over to Noct who sat on a broken desk, “I just had a thought…Y/N has been there before…you’d think she’d be able to come back quickly.”

“Yes…what’s your point?” He shut the journal looking at the young king.

“What if it’s hard for her because he body isn’t near the door?” Noct watched Ignis stand straighter as he went on, “Libertus wouldn’t have known any better, he just wanted to get her help, but she told you that people fell into this place by falling asleep. Obviously, she knows that because they woke up.”

“She has always talked about needing anchors to come back…she could have meant herself...” Ignis took off his glasses wiping a hand over his face as he looked toward the setting sun.

That’s when he saw it. Almost indistinguishable from the sun’s glare. A soft shimmer, he took a step forward, “Noct you should follow that lead.”

“I can give Cor a call now.” Noct stood up watching Ignis carefully, “Maybe we can set up a tent nearby, once we find the way.”

“You won’t need to look much further.” Ignis told him as he kept stepping forward toward the shimmer. He could hear soft voices calling toward him. Voices he’d almost forgotten, it had been so long, “Mother?”

He blinked once and as a bright light blinded him momentarily. When he opened them again his eyes adjusted slowly seeing his old home. He stood there confused trying to get his balance back. He jumped as a warm voice washed from behind him, “Ignis, we’re going to be late.”

He turned seeing his mother smiling at him his father helped her with her jacket, “Mother?”

She tilted her head a little as she stepped toward him, “Darling is something wrong?”

He leaned into her touch as she cupped his cheek. He felt himself tearing up as your voice came to him, “The Fade gives you everything you ever wanted as it sucks the very life out of you.”

“Ignis?” His father stepped up behind his mother.

Swallowing down the painful knot in his throat he took a step away from them, “I-I know you’re not real.”

“…wha…” His mother looked to his father, “Roderick…”

“We knew this might happen, Eleanor.” Roderick put his arm around her shoulder before looking at Ignis, “Son, do you remember the accident?”

Ignis shook his head, “There was no accident…I came here to look for someone…”

He stepped around them to head for the door. His mother reached out grabbing his arm with both hands, “Ignis please…you need help…”

She felt so real to him as she tried to pull him back, “You’re not real…”

“Baby please…I’m your mother…” Tears welled up in her eyes. His eyes…he had his mother’s eyes. He had almost forgotten, “You were in an accident…it confused you.”

He pulled his arm from her with difficulty only of his have his father step in his way, “Ignis, be logical…”

“Though it pains me…I am.” He looked at his father balling his fist, “You are just…just a dream.”

“…” His father stared at him for a long time before bits and pieces of the room behind him began to fade away, “You’re not going anywhere…”

“I will find Y/N,” Ignis’ eyes narrowed on Roderick, “and I will leave with her.”

The image of his father began to shift and distort into a disgusting creature with insect like arms protruding from his back as his legs hovered over the ground. The rags it wore shifted around its skeletal frame as it clicked and hissed, “Humanssss…ck…fragile thingsss their mindsss…fear would be more appropriate it me thinkssss…”

“He has heart, but he’s too keen…” He looked back to where his mother once stood seeing a naked woman with purple skin and horns. She smirked tilting her head letting the purple flame that was in place of hair trail through the air as her tail flicked like a cat ready to pounce, “we’ll try it your way next.”

Rain began to fall thickly against his face as everything darkened around him. The two hideous creatures, who he determined were demons, disappeared from view. He spun around as the rain only got worse.

He could feel his heart beating loudly in his ears. He could hear your other reminder to him. This place could show your deepest desire, your deepest fear, and everything in between. Right now, he was inside a night that he ran from for years.

He looked around trying to steady his breathing as the road became clear under his feet. The rain was bouncing of the pavement. Each drop raising the water.

He turned again seeing the lights coming towards him. Quickly, he jumped off the road in time to see Roderick glance out the window toward him. Ignis felt a sick cold weight drop into his stomach as the car rode off down the road into the darkness.

The sound of screeching tires and crunching metal echoed in the space. He felt himself tense and clench his fist tightly as he shook his head, “It’s not real…”

He turned to walk away only to find himself once again on the road.  He shook his head spinning around in the rain. Again the headlights in the distance came towards him. He stepped out of the way this time seeing his mother in the passenger seat.

He felt himself involuntarily reach for her. The same noises as before echoed around him. He put his hands to his head shaking it, “It’s not real…it’s not them…”

You watched Hawke putting things in a bag. Provisions, blankets, water… He had taken your story very well and had only asked to clarify a few things. The main one focusing on your child.

Your form here in the Fade wasn’t one that showed how far along you were. In fact, the more you were talking with him you found your clothes seemed to change into what you would wear around Skyhold. You asked him about it, he only smiled pointing out that I was the dreaming.

“We should head out. I don’t know how this would affect your unborn son.” Hawke threw the pack on before moving to his staff, “There’s a reason why mages in the circle terminate anything that resulted after fraternizations.”

“I’m aware…” You shook your head standing to your feet, “It wasn’t like I planned it…”

“No…but you of all people knew how to be careful. Especially you…” Hawke spoke quietly, “I never apologized by the way…”

“You needn’t…Cullen and I weren’t exactly being discreet that day.” You reflected to the moment he referred to.

“What is it all for then?!” Cullen shouted at you across the room, “What is all of this fighting for if not to have a family and preserve the future?”

“It’s different…when you’re a mage.” You crossed your arms trying to remain calm, “You wouldn’t understand…”

“Then help me to…” He stepped over to you putting his hands on your arms, “My darling, please…I love you…I want…I want to have a family with you.”

You looked into his eyes feeling tears come to your eyes, “It’s not possible…”

“What do you mean?” His brow crinkled in that particular way that always made you worry about him. You hated that you were the cause of it, “Y/N, what do you mean?”

“Cullen…” You sniffed looking away, “I…I won’t allow it.”

You watched as his face went blank as he took a step back, “You won’t allow it…”

“Cullen, you know what it’s like for a mage…you-you witnessed two circles and all of their cruelty.” You watched him turn away from you, “You can’t expect me want that for a child! Andraste’s grace, I was fourteen and privileged because of my nobility and I was still…”

You stopped letting your arms fall shaking your head, “I don’t need to defend my decision to you.”

“No?” He turned to you anger clear on his face, “Did you ever consider what I wanted? Ever?”

“Cullen…” You sighed shutting your eyes.

“I want children!” His voice raised as he stepped toward you, “I want to be a father so I can change the world and teach my children that magic is not to be feared if you’re willing to understand! So that what you went through at Ostwick will never happen to another mage!”

“I don’t!” You shouted back at him, “It’s not my responsibility to change the world! I’ve done enough as it is, and I will see it through, but I don’t want more!”

The creak of the door made you both look over and Hawke stared at the both of you for a long time. He apologized asking to speak with the Inquisitor. You kept seeing Cullen for a long while after that…but you knew that had been the end of the relationship.

“This Ignis…he must be something special for you to lose yourself.” Hawke smirked a little walking next to you down the path.

You looked at him and smiled, “He is, he really is. He’s understanding…strategic…and kind, so kind.”

“You, my friend, have a type.” Hawke nudged you, “Strong strategic blonde gentleman, no doubt easy on the eyes, and a smile that dazzles for days, right?”

“When he does smile, yes. And I never said he was blonde…” He laughed telling you he assumed simply because you had good taste as you chuckled a little before sighing. You missed Ignis so much, you could swear you heard him calling your name.

Hawke grabbed you by the arm taking you from your thoughts. He gently pulled you off the side pressing himself against the wall, “There’s a nightmare over there.”

“A nightmare demon?” You felt yourself grow cold, “Hawke…”

“No…just a nightmare…probably a lost soul trapped in memory…or a fabrication…” He pointed out the dark area, “It’s in the way…I’m certain your way out is on the other side of it.”

“We should help them.” You told him trying to peer over.

“Are you mad?” Hawke looked at you with furrowed brow, “Stepping into someone’s nightmare…it could shatter you. Make you forget who you are.”

“But that person is in danger!” You pointed over his shoulder, “If we can help-”

“There’s no time…I can’t focus on saving you if we’re saving them!” He snapped at you taking your arms in his hands, “You have to think of your unborn son.”

You stared into his eyes for a long time before you nodded. You hated that people kept using Ulric against you. You knew your condition…you knew your limits…and yet you always fell in line, “Fine…then what do we do?”

Hawke looked back at that black mass for a moment, “We go around and play it safe. You have to do exactly what I tell you. It’s going to bring us close to where I found you before…do you understand?”

“I do.” You nodded slowly before taking in a deep breath, “What about Ardyn?”

“One problem at a time.” Hawke sighed adjusting the pack on his shoulder, “If we’re lucky we don’t have to worry about him.”

“When have we ever been lucky?” You hissed at him as he started down the path again.

He didn’t answer you as you both moved down the path. Tension only seemed to rise with each passing hour. Your nerves felt on fire as you looked around the open area. Nothing seemed amiss as you moved a good distance away from the nightmare, but you knew better then to just relax.

…Y/N…

You stopped whipping around looking around the area as your heart thumped in your ears. You could hear Hawke behind you, “We need to keep moving…”

“Sh!” You held up your hand to get him to stay silent.

…Y/N!...

You took a step toward the nightmare swirling like a hurricane, “Did you hear that?”

“…yes…” Hawke stepped toward you, “It’s not him…it can’t be.”

You heard your name again calling out the distance, “Ignis…”

“Y/N, be reasonable. Logically think it out…” Hawke grabbed your arm, “What are the chances…”

“You don’t know him.” You looked at Hawke shaking your head, “Ignis would find a way…”

“Stop…” Hawke grabbed your arm, “We are so close to getting you home and the more we linger here, the more likely your other friend will show back up.”

Again you heard your name, it sounded like it was in so much pain, but you had to be sure, “I’m sorry Hawke…”

He called after you as you ripped your arm running full speed toward the swirling darkness. As soon as you entered the void you were jettisoned back in a memory from long ago. You shivered instantly drawing your arms close and across your chest.

You struggled walking forward through the thick snow as the blizzard only seemed to ramp up. You back in the ruins of Haven after meeting Corypheus for the first time.

You jaw chattered as the cold sunk deep into your bones, “No…nono…Ignis!”

You stopped looking around at the wind blew your hair around wildly. You didn’t hear a response…feeling dread sink into your gut you began to doubt your decision.

“Y/N!” Your spun looking in the dark toward the voice.

“Ignis!” You shouted again running, falling toward the voice, “Ignis!”

Snow mixed with rain. Terrain shifted under your feet as the nightmares began to overlap with one another. You could just make out a silhouette in the distance. You forced your self to move faster as his form became clearer with every step.

You rushed into his arms the nightmare ripple out away from the both of you. Rain and snow stopped in place swirling around as if a protective shield enclosed the both of you. He pulled away brushing your hair from your face before resting his forehead against yours.

“How…” You stared into his eyes as tears dripped down your face, “How…”

“You give very good instructions on what to look for.” He brushed them away with his thumbs, “I couldn’t let you stay here.”

“Ignis…” You shook your head until he took your face in his hand kissing you. He was here, he was really here.

“How…I’ve been here so long…how did you two…” Ignis moved in front of you instinctively when Hawke came upon the two of you as the void began to fade away from the area, “You should both be…not sane…”

“It’s okay, Ignis.” You put your hand on his arm looking at Hawke, “This is my friend…he’s gonna help us go home.”

[yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy]

Crowe Week Day 1- Late Nights

I know, I know I’m very late, but in my defence I didn’t know croweweek was a thing and I didn’t find out until the second to the last day so I know I’m late in my submissions but better late than never. So without further adeu, here is my submission for Day 1 of Croweweek2019 for @crowedeservesbetter this takes place in my Magic and Miracles universe that’s a modern AU. And yes that is the black rose bathbomb by Lush that inspired this fic to begin with. 

Crowe Week- Day 1- Late nights. Magic and Miracles modern AU universe. Rating G. Pairing Crowe/Libertus. 

Crowe was usually always a night owl. It didn’t help that her baby, Raven, still in the womb was one too. Between midnight and 2 am was her ‘must be awake and do my exercises’ time and if Crowe didn’t fall asleep before that, she couldn’t fall asleep until Raven wore herself out and went to sleep herself at 3 am.

But the closer Crowe got to her due date- the more uncomfortable she became and the more the kicks which had sparked joy and giggles before now began to become uncomfortable because Raven was running out of room. Sylva had offered that the moment Crowe went into labor, to call and she would fly Crowe’s and Libertus’ family out who were back home on stand by.

In the meantime, Crowe had busied herself getting Raven’s nursery just the way she wanted it. Raven was going to be an unconventional baby in that the nursery was monochrome. Shades of white, gray and black. Not that Raven would never wear pink or purple or anything like that, but that was the aesthetic of the nursery is all. Crowe made sure all of Raven’s clothes were washed, folded and organized and packed and repacked her hospital bag and made sure that was ready to go as Libertus and Nyx were still taking classes at Culinary Institute of America in New York to become chefs while Lunafreya was in class at New York Medical Collage working on her doctorate nearby and Crowe already did all of her bartending classes during her pregnancy even though it sucked to go through school and not be able to actually partake in what you were making but she made due. So now that Crowe was certified and all that, all she needed to do was focus on Raven and just..waiting.

Sylva and Selena had sent a ‘mommy care package’ with bath bombs, face masks, special shampoos and conditioners and lotions and nail polish and just everything imaginable so Crowe could pamper herself while she waited for Raven to arrive. Libertus and herself had even gone through every parenting class at the hospital to make sure they were ready for this baby.

It was finally week number forty and Crowe was now due any day now. And once Crowe was finished with the last load of ‘baby laundry’ and was done with her and Libertus’ laundry, she decided to make herself a steak, smothered in sauteed mushrooms for lunch and ate it from the comfort of her bathtub as her favorite bath bomb, the black rose by Lush, dissolved and fizzed away in the water and once Crowe was done eating, she washed her face and put on a mud mask, also by Lush and simply relaxed in the hot water.

“Any time now, you can come out.” Crowe muttered to her daughter as she relaxed in the water. Crowe had lost her mucus plug already and Raven had shifted down and was already head down and seated in Crowe’s pelvis and all Crowe needed was to go into labor and for her water to break and she was hoping that Raven would come on her own and if not, Crowe had already made plans to be induced on Saturday and Crowe really did not want to be induced but she couldn’t risk Raven getting too big in the womb and having complications that way.

And then, as if on cue, Otis, Crowe and Libertus’ bulldog got up and stared at Crowe’s belly as if through the wall of the tub and barked and only a few seconds later- Crowe felt her first contraction as her eyes snapped open and she looked down. Because she was in the bath tub, the weightlessness of being in the water lessened the pain of the contraction as she put her hands on her belly and waited, for several long minutes, a few minutes turned to five minutes which turned to 10, 10 turned to fifteen and fifteen turned to twenty and just as Crowe was about to give up and think it was a fluke- Otis barked again and there was another one, and then she felt it, the gush of her water breaking as it gushed between her legs in the bath water and it made her gasp before she squealed in delight and quickly washed her face off in the water and kicked the drain with her pedicured toes to drain the tub as she reached for her phone to call Libertus as she pet Otis and cooed to him that he sensed that it was time for his ‘little sister’ to come.

“Hey, you’re daughter’s coming, the water just broke and I’m getting contractions.” Crowe informed her husband excitedly as she stood up and drained the tub before she had to crouch before she got on her knees when another contraction hit and as soon as all the black bathwater drained she rinsed the tub and refilled it again. The contractions were too far apart to head to hospital yet and she was going to relax and labor in the bathtub and sat back down before she remembered to call her moms and Sylva as well as Libertus’ parents to let them know the baby was on it’s way.

Fifteen minutes later Libertus burst into the house and started hollering for her, clearly already in a panic. “Crowe!” Libertus called out as he looked through the apartment.

“Up here!” Crowe answered before she snickered a laugh when she heard Libertus tromp up the stairs to see Crowe still in the tub, Otis, their bulldog sitting down next to the tub, standing guard over his mama as he had refused to leave her side through any of this.  

“What are you still doing in the tub?!” Libertus asked as he knelt down next to the tub.

“Because this shit is easier to do in the tub. These contractions hurt but they’re not close enough together to go to the hospital yet, they’re only 12 to 13 minutes apart.” Crowe explained. “Once they get like seven minutes apart, then I’ll get out and get dressed and we’ll go. But we’re ok, we don’t need to rush yet. I already called everyone, they need an hour or so to get ready to go to meet up and the flight will take an hour and a half, we have time.” Crowe explained calmly.

“Oh,” Libertus frowned. “Well what do you want to wear to the hospital, I can at least get that out for you.” Libertus said as he got up and kissed his wife before he went to the bedroom as Crowe directed him to pick what she wanted to wear- out for her.

“Lib! Lib! Lib!” Crowe called out as she got a contraction as he came rushing back in and Crowe reached out to get his hands to put them on her belly so he could feel the contractions which woke Raven up who kicked in retaliation to the contraction. Then Nyx and Lunafreya got home and Crowe put on a bra nursing bra so Nyx could come into the bathroom as Nyx and Luna were the first to offer their congratulations as Luna came in and insisted she braid Crowe’s hair while they waited for the contractions to speed up before she washed her hands and put on exam gloves and checked Crowe to see how dialated she was.

“Wow, Crowe, you’re at four centimeters already, you’re doing really good.” Lunafreya informed Crowe since the hot water helped relax all of Crowe’s muscles both inside and out as the water was starting to stain pink.  

Crowe caved and at 9 minutes apart, got out of the tub and had Libertus help her get dressed as they got their go bags and got in the car and Crowe couldn’t look out of the windshield as Libertus drove to the hospital because he suddenly seemed to drive like a mad man and Crowe didn’t want to get worked up and slow down the labor but she did hit him quite a bit and about half an hour after they got to the hospital, got checked in and were shone a room and Crowe got hooked up to monitors and in her hospital gown did everyone arrive from the airport.

Sylva and Luna slipped into doctor terms as they talked about the labor with Crowe’s doctors and nurses as Prompto took pictures of Crowe and Libertus and all their friends who gathered around to support Crowe, filling the room with flowers galore as Crowe’s mothers each got on a side of her as her little siblings hung out in the room.

Once everyone settled down and settled in and hotel rooms were booked and luggage was taken to said hotel rooms, it was a waiting game, all the girls surrounding Crowe to talk catch up as the guys kept Libertus entertained and talking on the other side of the room to let the girls talk and gossip as all the girls then revealed their ‘push presents’ aka bottles of wine and six packs of really good beer before Sylva revealed her own push present, a black diamond jewelry set that Crowe oohed at that Prompto captured on his camera.  

Crowe labored long into the night and right at 1am, she finally transitioned into her final stage of labor and kicked everyone out except for her moms and Libertus and the doctors and nurses and Prompto since he was the photographer as everyone else waited patiently and anxiously outside the room, huddled around the door as they listened closely. Crowe’s BFF Ada doing so the most as she held onto her own five month pregnant belly with Luche right behind her, anxiously rubbing her back because even he was anxious as this was for him a preview of what he’d be going through in just a few months himself.

And at 1:37am, Raven Grace Ostium was born and immediately let herself be known by belting out a very loud scream as everyone in the hallway burst into happy tears as Prompto’s camera was shooting as fast as it could to capture this moment as Libertus was practically sobbing because finally, FINALLY his daughter was there and she was perfect and the labor had gone well and Crowe didn’t have any complications which was all he had been praying for all night.

Within minutes, Raven was cleaned up and Crowe was cleaned up too as Raven was put to Crowe’s breast and got her first feeding as Libertus was still crying and holding and kissing his wife, praising her and marveling at his daughter and once Raven was done nursing, it was finally Libertus’ turn to hold her as he held her carefully but securely and still kept crying and vowing how he was going to be the best father ever and he was going to take care of her and love her and protect her always. Then he let Crowe’s mothers hold her before he let his own parents in so they could hold her and get their first pictures with her before Crowe was moved to her recovery room with Raven on her chest and that’s when everyone else got to see her for the first time and once in the recovery room, everyone else got their turns to hold her.

And then right around three everyone left to go rest for the night in their hotel which was just a few minutes away which left Crowe with Libertus at the hospital as a bed was brought for Libertus so he could sleep next to his wife and rest and recover as the two finally cracked open that beer, Crowe chuckling at fact that finally, after ten months, she got to share a beer with her husband before they went to sleep themselves. It had been a late night, but the best one yet.

[noctisyoulikeahurricane]

The Light-Bearer and the Void-Beast

-Prompto’s TV Show?!-

(Chapter 4)

~POV Prompto~

Prompto woke with a start as he realized he was not in the tent. He felt heavy clothes on him and when he looked down, he discovered he was wearing some sort of snow gear? When he returned his gaze away from his clothes and looked around, a vending machine with the words, “Ebony,” on them rested behind him. Why was this machine here? Why did he have snow gear on? What is this place?

When Prompto got up, everything suddenly seemed very quiet. He stood at the end of an office-like hallway. The only sounds he could hear was the rise and fall of his own breathing. The silence felt deafening as his footsteps fell silently as he moved through the hall to the first door.

Prompto tried to open the first door in the hall, but the handle wouldn’t budge. He shrugged a little to himself and moved onto the next door. It swung open quietly, but the light from the hall didn’t break past the doorframe.

“Well, that’s not creepy at all...” Prompto said sarcastically to himself. Nothing but blackness greeted him when he looked inside the other room. He carefully put his foot through to test if the floor felt solid, and when it did, he went through the door and into the room.

Once Prompto walked away from the door, the door slammed shut on its own accord. Prompto braced for something bad to happen, but for a few moments, not a thing happened. Prompto opened his eyes and lost the words he was about to say. Stars shone above for a while before a harsh wind started to pick up. His arms went up to buffer the sudden cold wind that moved against his face, but then Prompto gasped in surprise.

He no longer wore the winter clothes. Instead, a long navy blue suit adorned his arms and shoulders. A matching set of dress pants were also present. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why is he suddenly dressed so formally? A bright light broke his trail of thought and he lifted his hand to prevent himself from seeing spots. The sudden roar of clapping thundered ahead of him as an unfamiliar voice introduced him.

“And here’s the man of the hour, Prompto Argentum!” We welcome you all back to the show!” The announcement said in a singsong voice. Prompto made his way downstage over to a desk and waved at the audience. Prompto did not recall moving however. A familiar happy chirp caught his attention and he looked off to his right to see Alyssa curled up on a comfortable looking chair with leather armrests next to his desk. Somehow her presence calmed him down. Prompto’s movements were his own this time.

“Yes! We are back with our very special guest, Alyssa, the Queen of the Stars! We will continue with the interview now to get to know our guest a little better.” Prompto said, recalling his lines easily. Alyssa watched him in interest, still seated so that she faced the audience still.

“So Alyssa, what brings you to our show tonight?” Prompto asked. He suddenly remembered that she couldn’t speak, but before he could do anything, Alyssa seemed to abruptly have the ability to talk to Prompto’s shock.

“A messenger by the name of Gentiana brought me to you and your friends after I arrived on this world. Do you not remember my friend?” Alyssa said. For such a tiny dragon, her voice held so much power!

“Oh, right! We already went over that in our last interview, my bad!” Prompto chuckled and the audience laughed with him.

“We were trying to figure out something correct?” You might have to remind me. Prompto said once the audience calmed down.

“I am trying to find a way to restore my magic. We ran out of time earlier to discuss ideas.” Alyssa responded in kind.

“Oh, that’s right! Well, I have a few ideas on how to help, but we might need to change things up a bit!” Prompto said enthusiastically. He motioned to the left of both of them and motioned for Alyssa to follow him there.

A pedestal stood out from some sort of game area. Off to the left of the podium seemed to be a chair and table combination with a button on the table. A dark LED screen hid the bottom half of the chair from view, probably for some sort of score-keeping.

Once the two were situated, Prompto decided to clue in the audience on what was happening. He straightened his red tie, then swept his hands in a way to point the crowd’s gaze in the direction of the spinning wheel nearby on the wall.

“Ok folks, here’s how this works. Our esteemed guest will guess a color and when we spin the wheel, the pointer on the wheel will tell us if our guest can move onto the next game. There are four colors: red, blue, green, and yellow. These four colors represent what game will come next.” Prompto started to explain.

“Each color represents one of our group members, excluding our guest. Blue represents Noctis, green represents Ignis, red represents Gladio, and yellow represents me! If our guest can guess what color the wheel lands on, we get to go to a different game altogether. If the color is predicted incorrectly, then we have to do an activity in order to progress. For example, if the wheel lands on blue (Noctis) and Alyssa does not guess this color, we have to go fishing. If green (Ignis) is landed on and not predicted, then we will have to cook up a recipe. If red (Gladio) is spun and not chosen by our guest, we will have to train with Gladio. And finally if yellow (Prompto) is spun but not picked, we will need to ride chocobos! Oh I really hope we can ride chocobos!” Prompto said excitedly.

“Okay Alyssa, what color do you think the wheel will land on?” Prompto asked. Alyssa thought a moment, tapping her little claws on the table. She picked the color blue and they examined the wheel. 12 sections of alternating colors spun quickly before landing on green (Ignis).

“And there you have it folks! We will be getting our queen’s magic back by making something divine to eat! We will be back after these messages!” Prompto said. The dream faded to black as Prompto woke up with a start.

Prompto picked up his phone to take note of the time. It was a normal time for him to wake up at surprisingly. He got up a bit disoriented as he started getting up for his morning routine.

However, he nearly yelped when he opened the zipper of the tent only to be met with Gentiana waiting for him outside. Luckily she shushed him before he could wake anyone.

“Prompto, your dreams are giving you guidance in this situation. Your new dragon friend is unconsciously giving you and your friends aid on how to help her. Please, see if you and Alyssa can beat the game she provided for you.” Gentiana said, then disappeared.

Prompto decided that the others needed to know about this as soon as possible. He planned to explain the situation once everyone woke up. However, he soon realized that he would need to wake the other two once again after a few hours. Prompto wondered if the shenanigans would happen again, and couldn’t hide his amusement as he entered the tent.

He saw Alyssa already awake when he ducked inside. Noctis tried comically to coax the small dragon off of the top of his head. Prompto couldn’t help but laugh at the display. Oh why didn’t he have his camera in his hands right now?

Once everyone had breakfast, the group chatted about what Prompto discovered about the gameshow dream and what it meant for them.

“Perhaps we should make a special meal tonight?” Ignis suggested. Alyssa’s ears twitched forward in interest.

“But what are we supposed to make?” Noctis asked.

“Maybe it needs to be her favorite meal?” Gladio thought out loud. They all knew that meals could boost their stats, so maybe that would work with their dragon friend? Alyssa made a happy chirp at the mention of favorites.

“Okay, so what can we make that you like?” Prompto asked Alyssa, who had curled up to rest on his lap. Alyssa had a notebook and a pencil on a nearby armrest this time so she could answer questions.

“I’m not a picky eater, but I do really like sweets.” Alyssa wrote. Prompto read the information out loud for the others.

“What kind of treat do you like the most then?” Ignis asked in an amused manner. Alyssa wrote an answer.

“I really like ice cream actually.” She scribbled. Alyssa’s tail swished happily.

“Do you have a favorite flavor?” Noctis asked her. Noctis’ face arranged itself in interest in the idea of ice cream as well.

“I like berries, but I also really like chocolate too.” Alyssa wrote. Prompto read aloud the dragon’s notes each time since he could easily see the notes. Ignis snapped his fingers after thinking for a moment. His expression softened a little as he began looking forward to making the next dish.

A few minutes later after writing a shopping list and packing up camp, the group made the short trek to the Regalia. Most of the supplies were already acquired, but they all soon discovered that the berries were much harder to come across.

“So what do we do now?” Prompto asked. The group made a pit stop to refuel and stretch their cramped up legs from the drive over.

“We should ask around to see if we can find anything about the berries. We don’t know if someone has some to sell or if we have to go out and find them. We have most of the ingredients already.” Ignis sighed.

“Maybe the cook at Galdin Quay knows something? She did mention a dish with berries in it before right?” Gladio said as he crossed his arms in thought.

“I suppose it’s worth a try.” Noctis said with a smile. They all piled back into the car after that. The ride over, with the exception of the wind roaring past their ears from having the top down on the car, was a quiet one. The weather felt clear and sunny! The sun warmed everyone’s skin as it welcomed them.

The calming waves soothed the five friends as the salty air cleared their thoughts. Their feet clicked against the wood of the the long pier on their way to the famous restaurant. They chatted a little with their friend as she worked and found the location of the missing ingredient.

The group told their goodbyes as they headed out of the seaside restaurant. By this time, it was just a bit after midday, but they still had a bit of a drive before they could get the berries.

Conversation lost in the wind passed the drive along, helping the trip feel much faster than it actually was. Alyssa sighed as she became aware of how close the others connected with each other. She felt a bit homesick, but decided to keep it to herself for now. The only one who noticed was Noctis, but he didn’t comment on it.

After a long struggle, the last ingredient acquired, and a short interruption to set up camp as the last of the sun’s rays faded behind rocky cliffs into night, Ignis got to work with the ingredients for the ice cream at last. Alyssa observed quietly as she perched on Ignis’ shoulder. She watched curiously as her tiny mouth watered in anticipation as the scent of the mixture came her way. Noctis had to use ice magic in order to speed up the process of freezing so they could enjoy the treat at a decent hour.

They all started eating the ice cream, but not before admiring Ignis’ handiwork. The treat was purplish red in color and speckled with the seeds from the berries and wrapped up with a quick dip into melted chocolate. A sprig of mint was placed strategically near the popsicle stick for decoration upon serving. Everyone dug into the ice cream at the earliest opportunity then sat in contentment afterward.

“Okay that was the absolute best feeling after a day like today.” Prompto declared happily. Alyssa gave a happy sigh as she finished the last bit of her ice cream. Noctis chuckled a little amused with her antics.

“I think she agrees with you.” Noctis said. Alyssa’s scales seemed to sparkle and glow softly in waves to everyone’s surprise.

“Whoa...What was that?” Gladio asked.

“I suppose the dream seems true then. That looked a lot like when Noctis gathers magic into flasks.” Ignis commented.

“Oh, it really did look like that!” Prompto agreed. Noctis found himself curious, but kept his thoughts to himself in that moment. Once it got late, they all made their way to bed and hoped that tomorrow held another way to help their friend again.

[rosekun25]

All the ones ending in 6 for the selfship meme!

Okay! Self shipping with Prompto Argentum!!!!! 6. Who is the more dominant one in the relationship?I would honestly say Prompto has his Moments in the bedroom. But its probably me tbh. I mean I can never say no to Prompto. But when it comes to somebody being in danger or I’m too shy to speak up or if for some reason I need protection its defiantly Prompto. But I overrule him when it comes to, “Can We get ice cream instead of veggies?” 😊 16. Are you or will you ever get married?I would love to get married, LiKE Right now. Hint Hint Prompto lol. But no, Prompto wants to save up so we can have our “dream wedding” or whatever that means. I told him a court house wedding would be fine. But he wants to fulfill my overrated wish of getting married at Disneyland. But it’s super cute to see him bring home bridal magazines and tell me how pretty I would look in all of the dresses. He has bought me an engagement ring. It’s two amethyst diamonds and the inscription is “Stand by me” But he has refused to pop the question until we’re at Disney Castle. 26. What was your first kiss like?Prompto was as shy as ever. But I enjoyed every moment of it. It happened outside of Galden quay. We had just finished lunch and were packing up the essentials. Something was up with the Regalia and Ignis and Noct were taking a look. (Or so I was told. Because when we got back I saw Noctis high five Prompto) Gladdy was off doing a quick set of training. I was gathering seashells. Because I honestly love the beach When I realized Prompto was taking a few snap shots of me. Honestly it just kind of happened. I went over to look at the photos I turned my head to get a better view and before I knew it we were kissing. Prompto was blushing so hard. I’ve never seen him so red. But I was the one who went back for a second one, and some tongue :). 36. Who apologizes the most?Both of us TBH. Prompto apologizes for being too rough. I apologize for saying something weird. Prompto apologizes for being touchy feely. I apologize for being weird. Prompto apologizes for taking photos at bad times. I’d say we’re even. And nobody else is going to ask so I’m going to answer these. 2. Was it love at first sight, or did it take awhile for you to warm up to each other?I think it was kind of a slow boil. I mean Prompto made me laugh a lot. But I didn’t even know his name for a bit. I thought his name was Promptis, I thought he looked kind of like my dad tbh. He was kind of annoying too. I remember wanting to break his camera. But I kind of warmed up to him. I think I knew I was in love with him, When we were laying in the tent and he had insisted sleeping by me because he claimed he would “have more room” than if he slept by Gladio or Ignis. Which is kind of true because I’m tiny. But I woke up in the middle of the night to him kind of throwing his arm around me. I didn’t mind because sometimes I did that. I knew I was in love, when I woke up to myself squeezing his hand and him squeezing back. Then It just kind of happened. I realized I wanted to be with him forever and kiss all of his little freckles and just hold him and never let go. 9. What do you two do to get each other “in the mood”?If we’re being honest Prompto just has to kiss me or maybe ask if I want to take a bath together. If we’re being totally honest I am not the one that needs convincing lol. Prompto likes sex. I like sex too. Prompto however will respect me when I say no or if I say not now. But he’s the fucking energizer bunny. 12. Do you want/have kids?Prompto wants kids. I want some too. I don’t think we’re ready yet. But if I get pregnant I’m keeping the baby. We haven’t really decided firmly on names. But I told Prompto I wanted to name our little girl Ariel. To continue my family tradition of naming our daughters after Princesses. He’s mentioned wanting to name our son Noctis. But I want to name our son Cloud. After my Father But I’m sure we can work something out. 4. Do you have pet names for each other?I actually like this, Prompto calls me Aurora, Rory or ‘Rora (Roar-UH). Because my name is Aurora and literally nobody calls me that except for Prompto. I think its super intimate. I don’t have any names for Prompto. I call him Honey, sweetheart, etc sometimes I mix his name and Say Promp-baby or Prom-honey but I guess the name I use the most is Darlin’ or Darling. 35. Who is more likely to surprise the other by joining them in the shower?Depends on who gets in first. I’ll bathe and if I know Prompto is awake/in the mood I will wash as fast as I can lol. But If Prompto has had a hard day and I know he needs some cheering up I’ll get in with him. A lot of the times its not about sex. It’s just a sort of intimacy thing. I know me and Prompto have both had a lot of insecurities about our bodies and what we think is beautiful etc. But when we’re under the hot water all that kind of melts away. No beauty standards. Just Rose, Prompto and how much we love each other. 37. Has anyone ever walked in on you two? What happened?Nooooooo….. But Prompto is super fucking sneaky around the other guys. Like we’ve made love in the Regalia. I’m not ashamed of it. I think the riskiest thing he’s done is fuck me while we’re in a hotel room with the other guys. I fucking swear to god they were all awake too. 38. How do you comfort one another during difficult times?We have sort of a non verbal agreement. Prompto always tries to be all smiles and happy. But I let him cry on me. I let him cry for as long as he needs. Because sometimes you don’t need somebody to cheer you up. Sometimes you need somebody to hold you and let you know life is hard and you don’t need to be perfect. When Prompto wants to cheer me up he’ll kiss me a lot and if I cry he’ll sort of wrap me up in his arms and wait until I’m finished. If he knows I’ve had a bad day at work or something he’ll offer to just take me on a walk or go swimming something to get it off of my mind. 33. What’s your favorite place to have sex?I’m gonna pick the shower or the bathtub. Prompto likes wherever and whenever. But if I got to pick. I like when the bathtub is filled with warm water and the candles are lit. I’ll make him carry me to the bedroom if things get too heated. But I really like our bathtub. 30. Who is more possessive over the other?Def Prompto. But he’s not an asshole. Like he wont tell me he doesn’t want me to be friends with a guy because he’s a guy. But I’m really bad at flirting. So if a guy is flirting with me and I cant tell. We’re defiantly going to have some “make up” time. Whether its sex or just a heated make out session. But he gets pissed if somebody is being mean to me. Like if we’re out and I go to the market and the salesperson is giving me attitude for no reason he’ll step in. But he’ll also tell me I need to calm down if I’m the problem. 31. Who is better at dirty talk? What sorts of things do they say?Fucking Prompto. Prompto knows exactly what to say to make me fucking explode everywhere. Like we’ll be going at it, and he’ll just start whispering things “You’re so fucking wet babe” “Fuck, you really wanted me didn’t you?” “Fuck you’re so hot. You’re so hot.” “I’m fucking you… *heavy breathing* God, I’m fucking you.” Yuppp… Lol hope Prompto never sees this.23. Who is the most affectionate?Both of us. Like Both of us. I’ll always kiss Prompto when he comes home. I love him so much. He likes cuddles and kisses. He always brings me flowers. I love when he brings me flowers for no reason

[oodanijadeoo]

Nature’s Balance Chapter 7

Author’s Note: I am extremely sorry for the long wait to get this chapter out. The first few months of Quarantine just kicked every ounce of motivation out of me. However, I am now getting back in the swing of things and should be updating more frequently. This is a slightly shorter chapter, but big things are happening. I wanted to try and get something out. Longer and quicker chapters to come. Huge thank you to everyone who has been leaving notes and reblogging, it means the world to me.

Drix groaned and shifted as she slowly woke up. As she regained consciousness, she felt something soft beneath her head.

“A pillow?” she thought drowsily, her eyes still screwed shut. 

“Wait… pillow?... cave?...” She felt something touch her face and shot up, slamming her head into a hard surface.

“Ow!”

“Agh!”

Drix opened her eyes with a hand to her now throbbing forehead. Looking for the source of pain, she set her gaze upon Prompto who was currently writhing around on the floor.

“Prom?” She sat up from the bed. “What are you doing? How did we get in a hotel room? Where are the boys?” Drix walked over to a mirror to inspect the damage caused by ricocheting off of Prompto’s skull.

“Don’t tell me, am I bleeding? Oh Astrals, is it swelling? AM I GONNA NEED STITCHES, DRIX?!”

“Fucking Six, Prom,” She turned to him with a hand on her hip. “I think you’ll live. Can you please explain now?” Drix asked more gently, coming to sit cross-legged on the floor in front of Prompto.

Prompto slowly sat up from his place on the floor. He was still whimpering when she pulled his hand away from the “life-threatening” wound. “You got sick or something right after that weird guy left and passed out. Iggy thought you needed to lie down so he carried you up to this hotel room.”

“He carried me up here? He didn’t need to do that,” Drix said, smacking Prompto’s hand away as he tried to poke at his wound.

“Well you were pretty out of it,” He laughed. “You’ve been passed out for a few hours. Iggy thought someone should stay here for when you woke up, so I volunteered. They went to go check on the boats and Noctis called and said some reporter named Dino was blackmailing him into getting him some gemstones in exchange for not running him out of town.”

“Blackmail? Seriously? What are people coming to these days?” She said with a shake of her head. “Do you know when they are coming back?” She looked out the window and saw a steadily sinking sun, “It’s getting pretty late.”

“They should be back any minute, Iggy said they would be back around-”

Then the retinue came bumbling through the door.

Drix looked at Prompto with a smirk, “Speak of the Infirnian and he shall appear.”

“Sleeping Beauty finally wake up from her nap then?” Gladio sassed as he walked toward his bed. Shifting her leg on the floor ever so slightly, Drix placed her foot in Gladio’s path successfully tripping him in the process. 

“Oops,” she said with a shrug as the group watched the Grumpy Giant flop to the bed, every ounce of grace abandoned. Noctis received a harsh glare from his Shield and Advisor as he laughed. Ignis cleared his and turned but Drix still caught the small smirk he wore. 

“So Prompto tells me our lovely Prince here got blackmailed?” Drix leaned back on her hands to look up at Ignis and Noctis as she was still seated on the floor.

“Er, yes,” Ignis said, pushing up his glasses. “It has since been taken care of. We are set to depart tomorrow morning.”

“Great,” She replied. Noctis let out a generous yawn and she continued, “Seems like you guys are done for the night.”

“Yes, it would appear so,” Ignis glanced over to an unmoved, snoring Gladio. Walking over to where Drix sat, Ignis held out his hand to her.  “I can show you to your room, if you like.”

“You guys got me a separate room?”

“Yes, I assumed you would cherish some semblance of privacy when you can get it along our trip.”

Drix looked up at him in shock. In all her time in the Kingsglaive, privacy was a luxury that was never to be considered on a mission. It was something she had grown accustomed to never expect. It was also something she missed dearly.

She muttered a “Thank you” with all the sincerity she could muster while she took Ignis’s hand. 

“Think nothing of it,” 

~~~

The next morning…

Vedrixia sleepily wandered down the stairs leading to the restaurant area of the hotel, eager to get some Ebony flowing through her veins. She checked a clock on the wall as she passed by: 06:12. Drix threw her head back and groaned at the sight. She had never been a morning person but Cor had drilled it into her head that she had to get up at the ass-crack of dawn and the habit stuck. 

Finally reaching the restaurant, she was shocked to find another living soul sitting at a table.

Upon realizing who the individual was, that shock dissipated entirely. 

“Good morning, Vedrixia.”

“Mornin’ Iggy.”

After ordering a coffee, Drix sat across the table from Ignis as he finished his breakfast. 

“I do hope you slept well,” Ignis began. “And I hope you are feeling well after yesterday’s events. We are set to depart and board the ship at 9:30 a.m. After that, we will b-”

“Sssshhhhhh,” Drix placed a finger an inch away from Ignis’s lips. “Too much, too early Iggy.” 

“Ah, yes, I suppose it might be,” He said with a small smile as she sipped from her cup of coffee. 

Drix nodded and shut her eyes, pleased at the newfound quiet. Opening her eyes, she assessed her surroundings. “Oh, a newspaper,” She whispered, spotting one laying upside down on a nearby table. Reaching out, she grabbed the paper and flipped it over to the front.

Her cup of Ebony crashed to the floor and her blood ran cold.

The shattering glass startled Ignis, “Vedrixia! Whatever is the matter?”

She threw the offending paper down on the table.

“INSOMNIA FALLS”

Ignis let out a shuddering breath as he picked up the paper so delicately, one would have thought it might shatter at any moment. He unfolded the paper, tilted it, turned it backwards, turned it forwards, folded it, and unfolded it again in disbelief, trying to find some trigger to prove the nightmare to be false. He rose to his feet swiftly, sending his chair clattering to the floor as he strode across the room to another pile of newspapers. Drix watched, unmoving as Ignis threw paper after paper, trying to find some alternate story, but they both knew he wouldn’t. 

When Ignis reached the bottom of the stack, he stood there staring at the scattered papers for a moment. Finally, he turned and lethargically made his way back to the table, picking up the chair only to throw himself in it.

“It’s true then. Everything’s gone,” Drix stated, voice devoid of any emotion.

“It… would appear so.” Ignis’s voice was just as blank.

“How are we going to tell Noctis?” She whispered.

“I have no earthly idea.”

[prophetparadox]

Birds of a Feather Chapter 12: Mending Bonds (A Prompto x OC Soulmate AU)

Chapter 11 <-/AO3/-> Chapter 13

Masterlist

Word count: 3,089

Alternative chapter title: Noctis Has To Tell These Two To Stop Being Stupid.

Holy shit, I got this whole chapter done in one day? Don’t think that’s gonna happen again, but who knows. Anyway, to those of you who are sick of this drama, I have good news! It’ll be done with next chapter! There will be a confession and there will be emotional junk and all that stuff. Though it may take a while since I need it to be just right. But the story won’t end there, oh no, there’s still a lot these two have to go through before we can reach a happy ending. But until then, don’t mind the fact that these two can’t spit it out for the life of them. It comes with being awkward.

Tagging: @themissimmortal, @blindbae, @cupnoodle-queen, @nifwrites, @takuahijackedthetardis, @lunarlapin, and @mini-moogle-queen. Let me know if you want to be tagged in future updates!

For a moment, Noctis could only stare at her in shock. The last thing he'd expected to come out of Katia's mouth was something like that. "Seriously? You want to leave?" he asked, making absolutely sure that he'd heard her correctly. She nodded her head, unable to look him in the eyes. "Kat, are you sure about this?"

"Honestly? No," Katia answered. "But with everything that's happened lately I just don't think I can stick around. My heart just keeps hurting and I think the only way I can get it to stop is if I stop travelling with you guys. Things are just so weird between me and Prompto, I can't even look at him without feeling upset! It's just better if I leave now so I don't hurt myself any further."

Noctis sighed, he really needed to fix this now. "Kat, that's a stupid excuse to leave. Do you really think being away from Prompto is going to make you feel better? You two need to talk this out already."

"That's easy for you to say. What, am I supposed to go up to him and tell him how he broke my heart without even realizing it and that I'm a jealous person who can't get over it? Especially since it's been a week since I actually talked to him?"

"You two seemed to be enjoying yourselves last night."

"I already told you, it's because I tricked myself into thinking things were different," Tears began to pool in her eyes as her hand shook. "I got so lost in everything that happened that for one moment, I felt like he loved me and only me. That he looked at me the same way he'd look at Cindy or Aranea, and not just as a best friend. But then I snapped out of it, my selfish desires never to be granted, and I remembered how stupid it was to think I could have that. That's when I realized I couldn't stay here, with the rest of you."

"Kat, it's not selfish to want to be with someone you love," Noctis had to do something, there was only so much damage control he could muster. "And if your reason for wanting to leave is just you being unable to tell Prompto the truth, then that's pretty stupid."

"It's not just Prompto!" Her voice raised, almost to a yell. "In case you haven't noticed lately, I can't fight for shit! All my skills just seem to have vanished, my Crownsguard training meaningless! How am I supposed to be useful if I can't swing a weapon without tripping or dropping it? I'd just slow you down, Noct! I don't want to be a burden to the rest of you!"

That's it, he needed to be harsh. Nothing would get through to her otherwise. "You can't fight because you can't focus. You're still shaken up from what happened in Caem to the point that it's affecting you negatively. If you just say something to him, actually talk out your feelings, than maybe you can let go of this."

"I told you, I can't!"

"Fine, so let's say you do stop travelling with us, what'll you do then? You told us yourself you have nowhere to go and no one to look for. And if you can't fight, you can't hunt. You can't hunt, you can't get money. You can't get money, you can't find a place to stay. Did any of that cross your mind at all, Kat?" The young woman was silent, realizing that he was right. Noctis didn't like getting angry like this, but both of them were being ridiculous at this point. If nothing else, he needed to get Katia to reconsider this idea of hers.

She couldn't think of anything to say to him. She really hadn't thought any of this through, but she couldn't stay here and let her heart break further than it already had. "Noct, please, you don't understand..."

Six, why did she have to be so stubborn about this? "You know that Prompto's worried sick about you right?" That seemed to get her head to look up, her eyes finally meeting his. "Ever since you've been acting so distant from him and refused his help, he's been miserable. He's been more concerned about you than his own well-being. Hell, he's gotten this idea that he's done something to make you hate him. Is that really what you want?"

Katia froze. She didn't realize just how much she was hurting Prompto. That was never something she wanted. She couldn't possibly hate him, no matter how upset she was or how broken her heart was. Hating him was just impossible. "N-No, I..."

"Then you two need to talk. Now," He walked over to her, pulling something from out of his pocket and giving it to her. It was the bracelet from Galdin Quay, she thought she'd lost it when she had her breakdown. "Look, there's still some things I need to take care of before heading out to Altissia, guess you could say they're errands. We can't go anywhere until Gladio's hangover dies down. Obviously, you have no idea what you're doing with this plan of yours, so you can stay here in Lestallum while the rest of us go finish that stuff up. You can take the time to figure out if you really want to leave, but when we come back you have to be certain about it. If there's even a shred of doubt or reason for you to stay, you're coming to Altissia with us. Got it?"

Katia looked at him, uncertain as to why he was doing this. "Um, okay. But what about money?"

"I'll have Specs give you enough cash to stay here and get food while we're gone. Will that work?" Katia nodded her head. "Good, now that's the end of that." Noctis began to make his way back inside, hoping this would buy them some time.

"Wait, Noct?" He turned around to see her still standing there, clutching the bracelet in her hand. "Has Prompto really been that worried about me?"

"Oh yeah, he can't even sleep at night. He cares about you a lot, Kat. More than I think you realize. The two of you are also a lot more similar than I think either of you realize." With that, he went back inside. Well, now that he had that settled out, it was time to find Prompto. He had a plan, and this time he was certain it would work.

Back on the balcony, Katia just looked at the bracelet she'd so quickly discarded. She thought she never wanted to see this thing again, but having it back gave her some kind of relief. She couldn't put it on though, it still hurt too much. She stuffed it in her pocket, she'd figure out what to do with it later.

She heard a faint camera shutter. Looking down over the balcony, she saw Prompto with his camera, taking pictures of the city and maybe some selfies. Noct's words echoed back to her. Of course he'd be worried about her, his best friend stopped talking to him for no reason as far as he knew. How could she have been so stupid to not have realized that sooner? It didn't matter what he'd think, she didn't even deserve to be his friend because of how stupid she'd been. Prompto deserved better than someone like her anyway. At least she'd have some time away from him to figure things out. She went back inside, feeling worse than she did when she woke up.

-------------------------------

He thought that taking pictures would help take his mind off things, photography had never let him down before. But every snapshot Prompto took looked awful to him. He couldn't capture the beauty of Lestallum like he used to. Not even his selfies looked very good. It looked like his eyes were bulging out of his skull, and every smile he made looked too forced. He kept deleting every single photo, he knew he could do better than this, so why wasn't it working?

He looked through some of his more recent shots, maybe looking through them could tell him what was wrong. But he started to notice that even they weren't up to standard. None of them were as bad as the ones he'd just tried taking, but a lot of them were blurry, unfocused, had bad lighting, some of them didn't even follow the Rule of Thirds! He groaned, wondering why his photography had gotten so bad.

"Hey Prompto, you busy?" Noctis' voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he put the camera away.

"Nah, I was just taking bad photos. What's up?" he asked.

"We need to talk. Not here though, let's go by the lookout."

Prompto raised an eyebrow, but didn't object. Whatever this was sounded serious. "Okay. Let's go."

They reached the lookout, and Noctis went straight to the point. "Kat wants to stop travelling with us."

"What?!" Prompto felt his eyes widen in shock. "Please tell me you're joking, Noct!"

"I wish I was," No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. Katia really did hate him, she didn't want to speak to him again, why did he have to learn that they were soulmates? "But I managed to convince her to think it over."

"You did? How?"

"Doesn't matter. The point is, she's gonna be staying here in Lestallum while we handle some last minute things before we go to Altissia. And you're staying here with her."

"Wait, what? But why, Noct?"

"Because the two of you need to fix this mess together, and the only way to do that appears to be isolating you here."

"But Noct, I can't even get her to talk to me, how am I supposed to stay here with her while you're taking care of all those side-quests?!"

"If you'll let me explain, I'll tell you," Prompto shut himself up. Surely he knew what he was doing by leaving them here. "Dancing last night definitely affected her. She's only making herself more miserable by staying away from you. I think if you keep doing things with her, she'll start to open up and get back to her old self. And Lestallum has no shortage of things to do. Once she's started acting like herself again, you two have to talk."

"Noct, I already told you I can't-" He felt a sudden slap on his cheek, interrupting what he was saying. "What was that for?!" he asked, rubbing his face.

"Sorry, but I had to knock some sense into you," Noctis explained. "Because that whole 'you can't tell her' thing isn't gonna cut it. Because if she does decide to stay behind, you'll never be able to tell her anything. She'll never know the truth, you'll never know why she's upset at you. It's now or never, Prompto."

The thought of Katia being left there, their friendship strained forever, scared him. Prompto didn't want her to never speak to her again. He needed to know what was going on, but he couldn't do it, could he? "You're right, but how am I supposed to do stuff with her?"

"You know what she likes to do, go from there and spend time with her. It's not like she has anyone else in Lestallum she can go to. Besides, if there's anyone who can bring back the old Kat, it's you. You have this affect on her that no one else does. You're her soulmate. You can keep telling yourself she deserves better, but you love her and want her to be happy. And that's what she deserves more than anything."

"Okay, but I don't think that'll be enough."

"Just call me if things aren't going so well. I'll give you advice as best as I can. Just be your usual self and try to get her to smile, think you can do that?"

If he was being honest with himself, he didn't think he could. But if Noct believed in him, than that had to mean something, right? He had to try at least, for Katia's sake. "Yeah, I think I can."

"Good. Oh, one last thing. I think this is for you." He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Prompto. The blonde was confused at first, but upon seeing what it was, his eyes glowed. It was a necklace, nothing fancy or extravagant, just a simple necklace with chocobo feathers on it. There were multiple colors too. The standard yellow, a beautiful sky blue, and some black ones as well. They were all real feathers too. He could tell just from looking at them. And they weren't plucked off either.

"Is this...a chocobo feather necklace?" he asked, still in awe over what he was holding.

"It sure is. Kat made it herself, she even looked for the feathers and everything."

Prompto turned his gaze away from the necklace. "Wait, she did? Just for me?"

"Yep."

"But why do you have it Noct? Shouldn't this be with her stuff or something?"

"She dropped it on the ground and never picked it up. So I held onto it. You should show it to her when you tell her the truth. I think she'd like to know it made it to its intended owner. And no, she won't think you stole it."

Prompto just looked back at the necklace in his hands. She went to all the trouble of collecting those feathers just for him? He swore the thought made him fall for her even more. Just holding it was giving him a confidence he didn't have before. "Alright Noct, I'm gonna fix this. Then I'm gonna tell her that I love her. That we're soulmates." Noctis just smiled. Things would be just fine after all, he could feel it.

------------------------------

The next day came, Gladio's hangover finally gone, and the boys were heading out to the Regalia. Katia walked there with them, figuring this could be the last time she might see them and wanting a proper farewell just in case. Though it'd only been a day and she was already starting to have doubts about her staying behind. But she had to figure this out, and perhaps some alone time was just the way to do it. At this point, she just wanted her wrist to stop feeling cold.

Noctis and Gladio had already gotten in the car, while Ignis stood just beside the car door counting out their gil. Surprisingly, Prompto hadn't gotten in the car yet and was just standing there watching the adviser. She'd expected him to have gotten in the front seat with a sad look on his face. Yet there he was, standing there and trying to smile. What was going on?

"Now you're sure you want to do this?" Ignis asked, looking away from the money and at her.

"Yeah, I have to." she said.

"I suppose that means I'll get some peace and quiet for a while then," Katia wanted to make some snappy comeback, but she just didn't have it in her. Ignis pulled out a sum of money and handed it to her. It seemed pretty large for one person. Before she could ask though, her thoughts were answered. "Here you are, that should be more than enough to take care of the hotel and whatever meals you decide to purchase. I can only hope the two of you don't spend it all in one day."

"Wait a sec Iggy, did you say 'the two of us'?"

"Of course I did. I was told that you and Prompto were waiting here while the rest of us dealt with unfinished business."

Prompto laughed sheepishly, not that much effort being put into it. "Surprise?"

Katia could only glare at Noctis, who looked pretty pleased with himself, knowing this was his doing. The last thing she needed was to be around Prompto right now, not while she was figuring things out. "In any case, I'm trusting you with the money, Katia. Whatever you two plan on doing, try not to go too expensive. Should any problems arise, you need only call. We shall return in a few days. And don't get into trouble."

"Come on Ignis, you can trust us," Prompto said. "We're not like Noct, you don't have to watch over us like you do him," Noctis briefly glared at him. "Everything will be fine, promise."

"I'll hold you to that. We'll be on our way now."

Without getting a chance to ask any questions or raise an objection, Ignis took his place in the drivers seat and drove off, leaving a confused Katia with Prompto. There was an awkward silence, neither of them knowing what to say.

"So why didn't you go with them?" Katia finally spoke up. She couldn't avoid Prompto anymore, she was stuck with him. And after the conversation she had with Noctis yesterday she couldn't just stay silent.

Prompto looked surprised at the question. He didn't expect her to be the first one to talk. He took a deep breath before responding. "Isn't it obvious? We're gonna be heading out for Altissia soon and there's still a lot we haven't gotten to do here. I want to have some last-minute fun with my best friend. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" He wasn't lying, but he was still hiding the truth from her. He just hoped it was convincing enough for her to believe.

"I guess not. It just seems strange I guess."

"Come on Kat, you know me. It's not that strange. Now come on, there's a lot to do and we're wasting time just standing here."

"I-I don't know Prompto, I don't think I'm up for much of anything right now."

Prompto grabbed a hold of her hand, giving her a smile as bright as the sun. Katia thought she felt heat rushing to her cheeks, internally begging for it to stop. She couldn't let herself think for a moment that it was possible, she'd already resigned herself to being nothing more than a friend. "Sorry, but that excuse is officially unusable. You and I are gonna have some fun around here, and no excuses are allowed. Now come on, I think we need to get some ice cream!" And with that, Prompto led her towards the ice cream shop. For just a moment, she thought she felt her wrist feel the tiniest bit warmer.

[captain-zajjy]

Solstice, Chapter 12 - A Final Fantasy XV Story

Pairing: Ignis x Female Original Character

AO3 | Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

A/N: Chapters 10-12 of this game broke me. 

After clearing the final Royal Tomb in Cartanica, the group had reboarded the train, and Ignis had laid down on bottom bunk of their sleeper car after showering and almost immediately passed out from sheer exhaustion. Exploring the murky swamp of the abandoned mine had left him physically battered and emotionally drained, far more than he was willing to admit to the others.

He only hoped his words had left some lingering effect on Gladiolus and Noctis - their little party was already beset on all sides; internal bickering was the last thing they needed, and he absolutely wouldn’t tolerate it being on his account. The pair of them had at least seemed cordial in the few moments Ignis remained awake after his head hit the pillow.

He couldn’t say how much time had passed before he woke, only that it must have still been night time (although the definition of night was apparently getting rather murky these days); the car was quiet, save for Gladiolus’s constant snoring and the rhythmic rumbling of the train riding the rails.

All the bruises, bumps, and scrapes he’d gotten trying to make his way around the slick, uneven terrain of the Caestino had truly begun to ache in earnest, each pain a protest from his body to remind him that continuing on this journey literally blind was a foolhardy venture. But he had to. He couldn’t abandon his friends, his King, no matter the toll it took on him.

Still, the pain was enough to prevent Ignis from falling back asleep, and it kept those pesky, intrusive doubts circling around his mind. Suppressing a groan, he sat up, felt around the end of the bunk until he found his jacket, and pulled his phone and sunglasses from the pockets. As quietly as he could manage, he rose and fumbled around for the door. Unlike his suite in Altissia, which had seemed chasmally large, everything on the train was narrow and cramped, which meant it was only a short matter of time until he bumped into what he was looking for.

Once in the corridor, Ignis slid the door shut behind him and sat down against it to ensure he didn’t lose his way. And to ensure that he didn’t frighten any fellow passengers who might happen to be about, he donned his sunglasses, covering up at least some of his scars. He had yet to get a straight answer out of Prompto about just how bad it looked; Gladio would tell him the hard truth, but the man had been too moody to bother.

Ignis pushed the home button down on his phone and instructed the device to call Valeria. He could at least manage to do that much on his own.

It rang several times before a sleepy voice mumbled on the other end of the line, “Hello?”

“I apologize. It’s late.” I think.

“Iggy... It’s fine.” Valeria still sounded only half-awake. Ignis felt guilty for rousing her, but he needed someone to talk to, someone to help him clear his head. “Are you...is everything okay?”

“It’s alright,” he said, gingerly rubbing the sore spot on his knee where he must have fallen at least a dozen times down in that bloody swamp. “We got what we came for. We’re headed to Gralea now.”

“Gralea...” Valeria sighed and Ignis heard a shifting sound in the background, like she was sitting up in bed. “A lot of the Niffs are talking about Gralea. It sounds like things are getting pretty bad there, like the MTs have gone berserk.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Ignis said, making a mental note. “Magitek running amok might work to our advantage.”

“You’re going after the Crystal?”

“Indeed,” he replied. “And if we happen to bump into the Emperor or the Chancellor, we’ll bump them off for good measure.”

“Do you really think killing them will change anything?” Valeria asked.

“Cut off the head of the snake...”

“And its heart keeps beating.” Given his current traveling companions, he forgot that such an analogy was less demonstrative on someone who had actually paid attention in biology class.

“For a time,” Ignis conceded. “But it lacks direction and purpose. The Empire has already overextended itself. Without those men holding it together, it will surely crumble.”

“I hope so, Iggy. If nothing else...” Valeria sighed. “They deserve to pay for what they’ve done.”

“You’ll get no argument from me there.” They sat in silence for a spell, Ignis taking a quiet sort of comfort in the steady sound of her breathing on the other end of the line.

“Ignis.” Valeria’s voice dropped, her tone gentle and forlorn. “Your eyes... They aren’t getting better, are they?”

He exhaled sharply, shifting on the cold floor of the train. Somewhere on the ride to that swamp, he’d accepted it, accepted that he’d never again see the sun rising over the Citadel, never watch himself and his friends grow old and grey, never look upon her lovely face once more. He’d accepted it, and yet it was so damn hard to say out loud.

“No,” he finally admitted. “I...no.”

Valeria let out a long sigh, as if she’d already known his answer. “I’m so sorry, Iggy. It’s like...it’s like it’s all a bad dream. But it’s not. Everything’s gone wrong.”

We’ll put it right, he thought. The things that could be fixed, anyway. “Tell me, Val. Do you think I’m being selfish? By insisting I continue on, despite my...impairment.” The word left a sour taste in his mouth, one that he knew he had best get accustomed to.

She paused. “Reckless, maybe. Not selfish.”

Ignis frowned. “‘Reckless’ isn’t a word I usually like to associate with either.”

It was a few moments before Valeria spoke. “You said it yourself: ‘Cut off the head of the snake’ and the rest falls apart. Do you really think the three of them can penetrate the Imperial capital without you?”

“Hmm...through sheer force, perhaps. But, certainly a more clandestine approach would prove most effective.”

“You need a sharp mind for that, Iggy. Not eyes,” she said gently. “I...I can’t begin to fathom how difficult this must be for you, but you mustn’t doubt yourself. You can do this. The others can tell you what you can’t see.”

It was difficult - extremely, painfully difficult - to ask the others for help with basic things right in front of him, that he should have just been able to see, but he knew he had to stop thinking of it that way. They didn’t seem the least bit chagrined when they called on him for his historical or political knowledge, for battle strategies, for advice. He would just have to start thinking of it as a give-and-take now, instead of just giving.

“You’re right, of course,” Ignis said.

“I usually am.”

That elicited a small smile from him, perhaps the first real smile he’d had since he woke to constant darkness.

“I miss you. Terribly,” he said suddenly, without thought. “Ah, forgive me. I know you don’t like it when I say such things.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it.” Valeria’s voice had grown thick. “It just...hurts.”

“I know.” Ignis didn’t want to hurt her either; but it was the circumstances, not him. “When we finish in Gralea, we’ll be coming back to retake the Crown City. Noct could use another sharp mind, one that has first-hand knowledge of the Imperial occupation.”

“Are you offering me a job?” Ignis was relieved to hear her resume her normal, glib tone.

“I can’t guarantee you any sort of steady pay. And, at the moment, the food is quite lousy, but I assure you that the chef plans to rededicate himself to the craft as soon as he is able.”

“Hmm...” Valeria mused. “A job working for the King. I guess I could do worse.”

“Much worse.”

“Plus, I heard that his chamberlain is stylish and brilliant.”

Ignis felt heat rising in his cheeks and a fullness spreading in his chest. He hadn’t realized just how much he needed her playful flattery until now, how good it felt to be handled by something other than kid gloves.

“I don’t know about all that, but I suppose there’s only one way to find out.”

As soon as Valeria got off the phone with Ignis, she buried her face in her knees and sobbed. I miss you. I miss you.

Dammit, Iggy, she thought. He was marching into the heart of the Empire, the Empire that had destroyed their home and killed her mother, the Empire that had blinded him and murdered the Oracle, the Empire that had by all accounts lost control of its own monstrous creations. The possibility that she might never see him again was very high, very real, and too much for her heart to bear.

And even if he did make it back to her and to Lucis, he would never see her again, period. That thought caused her to cry even harder.

He was acting so strong, so stoic about the whole ordeal, but she knew him and knew he had to be suffering, not only with the sudden physical limitations, but even more psychologically, and the only thing she could do about it was try to give him some kind words over the phone. It wasn’t enough.

She wanted to take him and disappear somewhere safe and quiet, where there were no kings or princes or emperors, where she could just hold him close and let him know that he was wonderful just the way he was. That he was enough.

Valeria hated this world and what it had done to him and to her, to the thousands just like him and her who had been ripped apart by other men’s ambitions. And the worst part of it was that she could see no end in sight. Even if they somehow managed to succeed, if Noctis managed to retrieve the Crystal and kill the Emperor, it would still come back to war. Men like Caligo Ulldor would rise up in the Emperor’s place, and there would be more death, more destruction, more daemons. All that would be easier to endure by Ignis’s side, it was true, but that wasn’t comfort enough to stem her tears.

I miss you. Terribly. Valeria missed him too. And she missed the mornings of waking up before dawn, being the first one in the office and the last one out. She hadn’t even been particularly happy  with that life, but at least it was steady, safe, and stable. At least then, surrounded by her employees and shareholders and business acquaintances, she could convince herself that she wasn’t all alone. That all her years of schooling, her sacrifices, her daily existence was all for something, even if that something had never really been her choice all along.

Now, she was no one, just an ID number on a bracelet, another faceless refugee to be herded by the Empire, to pasture or to the slaughter. It didn’t make any difference to the Niffs. Everyone who had ever cared about her was either dead or far away. And even though she was surrounded by hundreds in the exact same situation, she still felt all alone. No one had the energy to care anymore. All she had now was that lingering fear that the Niffs would come and haul her off again, this time for good.

Caligo Ulldor would be returning to Insomnia soon - and empty-handed, since Valeria knew Ignis and the rest were on an entirely different continent - and Loqi Tummelt wasn’t going to leave her be in the meantime. She wouldn’t entertain his proposal, not even for a second - despite her real fears that this war would end exactly as he predicted, she knew that Ignis wouldn’t want to be spared, not at the cost of the Prince’s life. He’d placed Noctis’s life above his own since he was a child; he would never just lie down and accept his own safety.

There was only one thing to be done: Valeria had to leave. She didn’t know how she would avoid the soldiers and all the blockades, and she certainly didn’t know what she’d do with herself if she managed to make it outside the city walls, but she knew to remain here much longer was a death sentence.

Valeria’s experience outside the Crown City was limited to meeting her father for lunch at a diner once every few months, where he always made the same bad jokes (“Well, I guess you don’t need any money”) and forced her to pose for a photo with a rusty old Kenny Crow statue or some other stupid landmark. But Ignis had spent a considerable amount of time roaming the Lucian countryside, and had surely made at least a few allies along the way - hopefully ones that would be willing to put her up until the Prince and his entourage returned.

There was just one last thing Valeria had to do before she left. Human experiments in the Manufacturing District. Felix had been the only person who’d showed her any sort of kindness or friendship, and she couldn’t quite bring herself to abandon him, especially to a fate as terrible as that. If it were her - no, if it were Ignis - she would hope that someone would at least try to help.

Valeria set her jaw and wiped her face with her shirtsleeve. Enough crying. Her tears would help exactly no one. And enough sitting around and waiting. Waiting for Ignis to come back, for the Niffs to cart her off, for someone to take pity on her.

The world may have gone mad, but her fate was still her own.

It seemed that, for Ignis, Tenebrae Station was never meant to hold pleasant memories.

He’d been here once before, a long time ago, traveling alongside the uncle he’d just met to a kingdom he’d only ever heard about in bedtime stories. He couldn’t remember the layout of the station or how it had looked at that time - much as that might have aided him now that he was unable to see - but vividly recalled the bright cordovan leather of his shoes, polished to a sheen for his parents’ funeral. Five-year-old Ignis had stared down at them, his feet hanging off the bench as he waited on the train, trying to understand just why he had to go far away, how Mummy and Daddy weren’t ever coming back home.

He’d been confused, terrified by the uncertainty of his future - much the same as twenty-two year-old Ignis was feeling now. The uncle that had taken him in was dead, the faraway kingdom he’d come to think of as home laid in ruins back across the sea. And him, scarred and without sight, in service to a young, unprepared King, with no army or resources to take down a seemingly infinite Empire. The outlook was as dark and murky as his ruined vision.

Adding to that was the more immediate concern for Prompto, snatched by that snake of a Chancellor for ends Ignis couldn’t quite bring himself to contemplate. In many ways, Prompto was the most vulnerable member of their group, and Ignis knew he wasn’t the only one who’d begun to think of him as something akin to a younger brother during their journey. A sentiment Ardyn Izunia was almost certainly counting on.

Something hard and unyielding collided painfully with his side, snapping his attention back to the present. Ignis grunted, swallowing a curse aimed more at his own infirmity than the sudden throbbing just above his hip.

“Watch out, Iggy.” Ignis felt Gladio’s broad hand on his back, steering him away from whatever it was he had just run into.

Poor choice of words aside, Ignis knew Gladiolus was every bit as unprepared and uncertain on how to behave in this situation as he himself was. Ignis constantly vacillated between wanting to assert that he could manage just fine on his own, and gratitude for a familiar guiding voice or hand when he found himself adrift and rudderless in the endless sea of darkness. But this was his burden, his deficiency, and it was his responsibility alone to instruct the others on what sort of assistance he did or didn’t require.

With that in mind, Ignis stopped, calling out Gladio’s name. “We ought to restock our supply of curatives.” They were certainly going to need as many potions as they could carry if they were going to make it through Gralea intact. “Surely there must be a vendor near the station.”

“Sounds good,” Gladiolus replied, sounding about half-interested. “Shop’s off to your left.”

Ignis waited, listening for Gladio’s footsteps and the creak of his leather jacket as he moved, but nothing happened.

“Are you...occupied with something?” Ignis asked, frowning in confusion.

“Huh?” Gladiolus replied. “What are you asking me for? You’re the one who knows about all that crap.”

Ignis’s frown shifted from one of confusion to consternation. “I...I can’t...” I can’t read the prices, I can’t see what’s in stock, I can’t even be certain of how much gil is in my own bloody wallet.

“‘I can’t.’” Gladio’s tone was almost mocking. “Words I never thought I’d hear coming out of Ignis Scientia’s mouth.”

Ignis parted his lips to retort, but was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder, spinning him to his left. “Stall’s about forty feet in front of you.” Gladiolus pressed a crumpled wad of paper into Ignis’s hand. “Here’s five thousand gil. Don’t let ‘em rip you off.”

Ignis stood there for a moment in indignation before he heard Valeria’s voice in his head. You can do this. Then he understood. Gladiolus wasn’t cutting Ignis loose to humiliate him, but because he, despite his earlier objections, believed in Ignis as well. You can do this. You can do this.

Squaring his shoulders, Ignis made his way forward, silently counting steps as he went. At thirty-four, his cane struck something - hopefully the shop stall.

“Uh...” Ignis cleared his throat, praying he wasn’t speaking to empty air. “Pardon me?”

To his right, there was the sound of creaking wood, and then creaking joints, and Ignis shifted toward it, his free hand finding the stall’s counter.

“My word!” The voice belonged to a woman, who must have been quite old from the way she rasped and half of her body seemed to click and pop as she moved. “My word!” she declared again.

Ignis frowned. He knew his scars were obvious, even behind his sunglasses, but at least Aranea had brought it up with some tact.

“Good afternoon,” he said flatly, hoping to move the transaction along.

“Oh, that posh voice! It really takes me back,” the shopkeeper crooned. “I haven’t heard highborn speech like that in years! Aside from Lady Lunafreya, of course. Stars guide her soul.”

Oh, Ignis thought, feeling slightly chagrined. She was startled by how I speak. He was well-accustomed to his accent being regarded as a peculiarity, a topic of idle conversation, but here in Tenebrae, particularly to the older set, it was a very real, tangible indicator of class and status.

“Have you come to see to the Manor, m’lord?” She sounded so hopeful, Ignis almost felt guilty for his response.

��Just passing through, I’m afraid.” He wasn’t certain if the Imperials had bombed the ancestral home of the Fleuret family or merely set it ablaze, but either way, the acrid smell of smoke made its way to the station with every passing breeze.

“Oh, that’s a shame,” the woman said with a sigh. “I guess they’re just going to let it burn... Anyway, what can I do for you, m’lord?”

Ignis didn’t bother correcting her about his title. He doubted a woman who had spent decades addressing anyone who spoke like him in such a manner would suddenly stop now that he asked her to.

“What...er, what do you have for sale?”

“Everything I’ve got listed here.” He felt her tap on the counter. “Best prices in Tenebrae, m’lord.”

“I, uh... I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you for some assistance.” It’s her job, Ignis reminded himself, trying to chase away the embarrassment that Ignis Scientia, best and brightest of his day, couldn’t bloody read a list of inventory right under his nose.

“What...? Oh, oh my word!” the woman whispered, then he heard scrambling as fast as her aging joints would allow. “I am so sorry, m’lord. I’m over here with my head buried in a book, not paying attention, and I-”

“No need to apologize.” Ignis held up his hand to arrest her babbling. “If you could just tell me what’s for sale, please.”

“Of course, m’lord! Now, let’s see...” The shopkeeper ran through the inventory and prices - which weren’t terrible, but he highly doubted they were the best in the country - and Ignis was able to procure a full set of restoratives, throwing in a few extra for Prompto. Ignis wanted to be prepared for anything (well, almost anything - he couldn’t quite bring himself to prepare for the worst) when they found their erstwhile companion.

With the bag in hand, Ignis turned around and made his thirty-four steps back to Gladiolus.

“Well, well. Look at that,” Gladiolus said playfully. “What was it you were saying before?”

Ignis shoved the change into Gladio’s burly chest. “Don’t push it, Gladio.”

But despite the bag full of potions, Ignis had to admit he felt just a little lighter than he had before.