#deathbyfluffweek

[noxulric]

NyxNoct Fluffpocalypse

Oct 21 Seasonal: Autumn  

[jazzraft]

NyxNoct w/Hoodies

part four of the cabin getaway for day eight of the deathbyfluff challenge @nyxnoctocalypse. the theme is favorites/piece of clothing. (prompted from here)

Nyx smoked for three years after he moved to Insomnia.

It was stupid. He knew it would kill him, but not before hismother did if she ever found out. Although at the time, both of them were tooaggrieved with the loss of Selena to notice much of anything about each other.Least of all over the phone, with landlines upon landlines to hide behind.

He smoked and he drank because they made everything hurt less,and Libertus, foggy from his own vices, couldn’t do much to help – not that Nyxwas asking for it. He threw away a lot of things with the habits once hecleaned up – lots of ass-kicking from Crowe and long talks into the dawn withLibs. And once, a subdued heart to heart with the King of Lucis himself.

He couldn’t stand the smell of smoke on all of his clothes.He scrubbed them and soaked them in his sink for days until they were cleanenough to give away to those who needed them more. And those that couldn’tsmell his shame no matter how much soap he used.

He didn’t recognize the hoodie when Noctis threw it into hissuitcase before they left for the cabin. He forgot about it entirely once itwas buried under the rest of his clothes he was taking on the trip. It onlydrew his eye again once Noctis was wearing it.

The weather had finally cleared up to the temperate,blue-skied beauty the news had promised. The air was cool and the sun wassteady, and they were determined to get out to the pumpkin fields at the edgeof town before the weather turned again for the worse. They didn’t need tobundle up against the chill, but Noctis grabbed the first jacket he saw on theway out that was light enough for the day.

It was a ratty, dark navy rag of a thing, draw-stringsfrayed down to the threads and holes in the sleeves. A few cigarette burnscurdled into the arms, phantoms of the poisoned years wasted on self-prescribedanesthesia. He felt his thoughts harden and his jaw tighten, a reflex trainedagainst the darkness of those old thoughts. He expected them to collide backinto his brain, cruel and unwanted with the reminder of his past in front ofhim.

But as they climbed up into the hay wagon to take them tothe fields, with a smattering of happy families enjoying the day and Noctisbouncing down onto a hay-bale seat next to him, Nyx found that his thoughtswere much softer than he feared they would be. Noctis caught him staring andsmiled, bumping his shoulder into his, the over-sized hoodie sagging around hisneck.

“I have a confession to make,” Noctis said, winding his armthrough Nyx’s to hold on as the tractor lurched forward, sending all thepassengers keening to the side before settling back against the bales. “I’venever done this, but I’ve always wanted to.”

“Roll around in the hay?”

Noctis scolded him with a glare that quite loudly said,“Nyx, there are children present.” He glanced at the kids at the other end ofthe wagon, climbing over bales and bringing woe to their parents by leaning outthe edges to better see the fields when they got closer.

“Pumpkin picking,” Noctis corrected. “Any picking, really. Iheard about it online, but for a while I thought that places like these weren’teven open anymore with the war and stuff.”

“We used to have places like these all over the place inGalahd. Agriculture was a big thing. Everything ‘outdoorsy.’ Fishing, hiking,sailing in the summer. Harvest in the fall.”

“Is this anything like home?”

He remembered rocking back and forth in the back of a redtractor with Selena and his friends. He remembered Crowe hanging off the sideslike the little girl at the other end of the wagon. He remembered his motherand Libs’ mother trying to wrangle them all into sitting still until they gotto the fields. He remembered that Selena always picked the biggest pumpkin inthe field and that Libertus would always try to out-weigh her every year, butcould never quite find a squash that rivaled the monsters she sniffed out.

“Yeah. It’s a lot like home.”

He pulled Noctis closer, relieved that he couldn’t smellcigarette smoke on the hoodie. Noctis curled around his arm for the rest of theride, hands kneading absently against the inside of his forearm. He occasioneda smile up at Nyx, assuring him that he was there for him if he needed him. Andeven if he didn’t. It made Nyx smile as much as the memories did. As much asthe smell of hay and the crispness of the air did.

He could breathe, clear and easy. The only smoke he couldtaste in on the back of his tongue was from some faraway chimney. There was atang of charcoal and wood-fire somewhere past the orange leaves fencing thepumpkin field. It was comforting, and familiar in a much sweeter smokiness thanthe nicotine.

He followed Noct’s bouncy stride out into the field whenthey were dropped off, watching him and how the hoodie drooped around him. Itwould smell like Noctis now, he realized. This awful thing that he wished henever had to remember would be washed clean with the scent of the prince’sskin. This object of his past that he never wanted to touch this beautifulfuture, yet Noctis wore it with pride. Because it belonged to Nyx, and Noctisloved him. Everything about him. All the good and all of the bad, too.

“Do you think that they’ll even let me bring something thishuge back into the city with me?”

Noctis crouched next to a big orange bulge resting againstthe soil. The thing was nearly the size of one of the toddlers that rode withthem. It was as big as his sister had been when she was six.

“I’m sure we could work something out. Assuming you evenwant to carry that thing out of here?”

Noctis looked up at him, eyes sparkling with defiance. Nyxpulled the collar of his coat over his mouth to try and keep himself fromlaughing when Noctis attempted to tackle lifting the thing. He rolled it offits side so it was standing straight, stem up, and tried to clasp the pricklyprotrusion and lift it that way. That quickly proved to be more painful thanproductive.

“Don’t hurt yourself, Noct. You’ll mess up your back nomatter how you try it.”

The only way to pick up these stones in squash form was likepicking up a baby. Nyx hefted the orange giant into his arms with a groan.Noctis pouted in defeat, but picked up a consolation prize for Nyx’s gallantry.He got a much tinier pumpkin that he could tuck beneath his arm. He looked alltoo proud of himself for the giant in Nyx’s arms.

“You okay carrying that?” he asked as they walked back tothe field entrance to wait for the wagon’s return.

“I’ll manage. Just for you though. I don’t show off thesemuscles for just anyone, y’know.”

Noctis snorted and rolled his eyes, pulling up the hood ofthe jacket so that he could pretend he didn’t know the ridiculous man with thegiant pumpkin next to him. Hard to pretend he didn’t know him when he was wearinghis clothes. Wearing his past with so much ease and respect for what he’dovercome to be the type of man that a prince could fall in love with.

He wouldn’t have loved him if he knew him when Nyx used towear that hoodie. He hadn’t even loved himself when he used to wear thathoodie. But he loved Noctis in it now. Learned to love how it represented allhe overcame and all he had received for it when it was on Noct’s shoulders.

The tractor grumbled up to the entrance and they piled backonto the hay bales, Nyx hefting the big pumpkin onto the floor between them andgroaning in relief. Noctis smiled, gratefully, rewarding him with a quick kisson the cheek.

“My hero.”

“It’s a pumpkin, baby.”

“Still my hero.”

Noctis resumed his place around his arm, tucking the pumpkinbeneath his knees so it wouldn’t roll along the wagon bed when they moved. Heheld the smaller prize like it was a stuffed animal, precious andirreplaceable. Nyx hugged him just the same.

[amidalogicdive]

Before Sleeping

Title: Before Sleeping

Rating: General Audiences Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Characters: Nyx Ulric, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Sazha the Cat, Crowe Altius Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Love, Texting, Dorks in Love, Long-Distance Relationship, Fluff

Ao3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12524576

OCT. 27 - Written Word: Texting

-

Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, Noctis noticed that it was ten in the evening and wondered why he was still awake. Sahza seemed to have the same idea in mind, making a fuss on his chest, curling up and purring when he’d become content. Stroking the soft fur a few times, dark eyes closed and he was ready to sleep for the night - that was until his phone chimed. It was a catchy little tune that Nyx had transferred to his phone a few months after they had started dating. He hadn’t seen the point in changing it from default, but Nyx had, stating: ’I’m a Hero and your boyfriend. I don’t need to sound like everyone else.’

Noct hadn’t had the energy to argue, and let the glaive do as he liked. He wouldn’t admit it to Nyx, but it was nice knowing it was his lover without having to look. Curling up on his side, Sahza made a sound of annoyance, sharp green eyes glaring at his owner for daring to disturb him. “Sorry buddy, papa is messaging.” At first, Nyx has scoffed at the idea of being a dad to a cat but got his revenge by calling Noctis the cat's daddy.

Fingers ran across the smooth wooden surface before finding the phone and pulling it from its perch to unlock it. Seeing the man's name across the screen made him smile, it meant that he was safe. Meant that he was alive.

[22:07:42] Nyx: Guess who.

[22:10:30] Noct: It tells me who, love. Aren’t you on a patrol mission in Duscae?

[22:11:57] Nyx: Fine, smart ass. Yes, I am, but I missed you.

[22:13:20] Noct: It has been two days, Nyx.

Hitting send, it was that moment Sahza decided he needed the prince to pay attention to him, shoving his head against Noct’s hands. “Sahza!” The phone slipped through his fingers, a loud thump echoing in the room as it hit the floor. “I know you want company, give me a minute!” With a huff of annoyance, he reached over the edge to grab the phone, hitting send in the process.

[22:16:11] Noct: erfghjk

[22:16:58] Nyx: What?

[22:18:37] Noct: Sazha knocked the phone over, sorry. He doesn’t like when you aren’t here, neither do I.

[22:20:11] Nyx: I feel the same, hate when I can’t be there. Miss holding you, I even miss the furball.

That made him chuckle, showing the fussy cat lying by him the screen. “See, papa misses you.” Sharp green eyes glanced at him, meowing loudly as he butted his head into his chest. “I know, attention.” Noctis idly stroked the cat, texting his boyfriend back with the other.

[22:24:07] Noct: I feel the same, Hero. Come home in one piece.

[22:25:51] Nyx: Forever, love. After all, you’re my home.

A light flush crossed his cheeks as he read that, his free hand rising to play with the charm that laid against his chest. Reaching down to reply, Noctis couldn’t help but laugh as the next message popped up.

[22:28:03:] Nyx: Loverboy needs to sleep, stop being romantic and gross!

[22:29:15] Noct: Hi Crowe, glad you’re safe and she’s right my love. You need to rest.

A few minutes passed with no response, and he knew that Nyx was trying to get his phone back from the woman. She might have been small, but Noctis knew first hand what a powerhouse she was.

[22:38:40] Nyx: What I need, is for her to stop fucking with my phone. I did rest.

[22:39:21] Noct: When?

[22:40:18] Nyx: Earlier…

[22:43:02] Noct: The trip there doesn’t count. I’m cutting you off. No more texting until you get some sleep. I’ll be here when you message me again, I promise.

[22:45:49] Nyx: I will, I…I needed to talk to you before I could rest.

Seeing that made him smile, knowing that the distance affected the glaive in the same way it affected him. The longer they were together, the harder it got to say goodbye and while he knew their job came first, Noct still wished he was lying there with him. He knew that Nyx felt the same.

[22:47:45] Noct: We talked. I’m safe, you’re safe, sleep. I love you, Nyx… please come home.

[22:49:06] Nyx: Ty - lyubov’ moya, zhizn’ moya. I will come home soon.

[22:51:50] Noct: I know, now sleep. Please.

[22:53:29] Nyx: Good night, little prince.

[22:54:57] Noct: Good night, love.

Setting the phone on the pillow that Nyx usually occupied, Noctis pulled their cat closer and nuzzled him. “Papa will be coming home soon, Sahza.” Purring louder, he glanced up at the prince. “You miss him too, don’t you brat?” Seeming to take offense, the cat looked away, laying his head on his arm and closing his eyes. Smiling, dark eyes fell on the phone for a moment longer before closing and soon the two were fast asleep.

[yeollie-bells]

Title: The Changing of Seasons Chapter: 1/1 Words: 3312 Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Rating: Gen. Summary:  Nyx ferries Noct way from his world for a little while. (This is for the death by fluff week the wonderful @nyxnoctocalypse​ made! Im!!!!!! honestly terrified to post this!! its my first work for the fandom, at least publicly, and i totally feel like im not good enough AND encroaching on others territory!! BUT i promised myself id do this, i havent had time to do like, the WHOLE thing, like a prompt a day, so I just chose my favorite topic from each day and combined them all into this pitiful mess! Hopefully someone likes it! the prompts i chose are) Seasonal: Weather Animal: Pets    Clothing: Wearing the other’s clothing     Hobbies: Shared interests     Events: Festival days/nights     Dates: Surprise dates     Written Word: Handwriting      Favourites: Way to spend time     Time: The years ahead      Light / Dark: Candlelight Read on AO3 here!  (please just read it here im not formatting for tumblr this is just so much better)

Noct loved the changing of seasons. He loved the way the heat ebbed and the cold crept in. He loved the frost on the window above his head. He loved feeling a warm body beside his own and strong arms wrapped around him. One would think that with the congested space of Insomnia it wouldn't get cold that there would be no weather that things wouldn't change, that it would always be rather warm and steamy-- sticky with the humidity and smoke. But the cold could always find a way. It crept in in the early mornings at the beginning of the shifting of seasons, it suffocated the heat clinging desperately to the streets. Fog replaced steam and smoke bringing a wet chill with it.

Noctis used to hate the cold. Used to hate the dark. Still hates the loneliness that accompanies both. Even with his friends there was always something villainous about the cold and the dark. Prompto’s light couldn't break through it nor could Gladio’s heat. Not the warm and colorful foods Ignis would present them with.

But Nyx.

Nyx.

He was a different animal altogether. There was something about him that cut through the biting loneliness the changing of seasons brought. His warmth and his light. It was almost funny, considering he was named after the darkness.

Noctis mused silently in the early morning light, soaking in the warmth of Nyx’s body behind him and the small body at their feet-- a small white fluffball they found months ago shivering in a cardboard box. She was a pathetic little sight, but she fits into their family quite well. She’ll let Prompto dress her up and take her picture with absolutely no complaint, she’ll “help” Nyx and Gladio with their respective trainings, she’ll even help  Ignis with his cooking (Read: she’ll wait and beg for scraps- Ignis is weak for her bright green eyes) and best yet, she’ll lay in Noct’s lap whenever he needs company- when Nyx is beyond the wall and the others are home. When the loneliness sets in with the dark and cold her bells and bright fur bring Noctis a sense of love and safety he wouldn't have otherwise.

Carefully, Noct picks his way from the warm bodies on the bed, shivering when his bare feet touch the cold floor. Standing, he looks back as Ophelia crawls her way up the bed snuggling closer to Nyx, happily taking over the warm spot Noctis left behind. The prince smiles and shakes his head as he pads quietly through the room, grabbing the nearest warmest article of clothing he can find-- it just so happens to be one of Nyx’s sweaters. He gets dressed quickly, sparing one final glance Nyx’s way before leaving the warmth of the small apartment to face the chill of the day. To a meeting he couldn’t care less about, he already looking forward to the end of the day when he gets to see Nyx again.

~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-

Nyx wakes up not long after Noctis leaves to a face full of fluffy white fur. He sputtered and sat up, spitting out fur and wiping his mouth. He stared down at the cat a moment who was happily stretched out on the bed taking up way more space than anyone would think a small cat could  then realized Noct was nowhere to be seen.

“Noct..?”

He looked around the room, not seeing a single sign of his little love, and with a small sigh he pulled himself up to get ready for the day. It was for the best that Noct had left before he had woken, Nyx was a weak man that loved sleep and loved Noct, but it didn’t diminish the sadness of not being able to see his little Prince sleep soft and content. He knew his little love had Princely Duties to attend, but Nyx was a selfish man as well as weak- he wanted Noct all to himself.

Especially in the morning.

He’d get his lazy morning tomorrow though if he had any say in the matter. With Noct’s absence Nyx realized he had things to do, places to go and things to plan, and a quick glance to the clock showed he’d spent enough time distracted.

In the mad rush to get out after seeing just how late it truly was he almost missed the little note on his table-- held down by a strategically placed, teeny tiny pumpkin. Nyx laughed as he lifted the small pumpkin and tossed it in the air a couple times before shaking his head and replacing the pumpkin in his hand with the small note. He recognized Noct’s handwriting immediately but had no time to read it. He carefully pocketed the letter, making sure the house was in order and Ophelia would be fine until he got home before locking up and making his way out- he had surprises to plan.

~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-

His plans were perfect.

His plans were always perfect.

Don’t listen to Crowe or Libertus.

Nyx’s plans were the best plans. He’s had this specific date planned for weeks. He knew Noct likeed autumn, he knew Noct likeed the festivities that took place around this time of year. He also knew Noctis had only seen them in passing, or through a screen. He’d almost gotten out to play-- once, a couple years ago with Prompto- but alas his little Prince’s stealthy skills were not yet developed enough to pass by undetected. But now, now he had Nyx.

And Nyx was great at plans.

His first stop was a nearby store. His favorite clothing store to be exact. He would never live it down if any of his friends knew what he was doing, but he didn’t care. It was for Noct, the damn clothes stealing hopeless romantic that he was. Nyx knew he liked his clothes, his sweaters and flannels and jackets in particular. Nyx liked seeing his slight frame in his larger clothes anyways. Noct just spent so much time at his apartment, he figured the little thief could do with a couple things of his own. Though Nyx doubted it would halt his thieving ways he bought a couple big warm fluffy sweaters. Sweaters that incidentally matched several of the ones Nyx already owned. Sweaters that he knew would compliment Noct’s complexion. Nyx was a simple man with simple likes. And he liked Noct.

 While he was waiting to be rung up he remembered the note Noct had left him and pulled it from his pocket.Note in hand, he read it while the line progressed, his intended purchases under his arm.

Nyx,

    I’m sorry I had to leave before you woke-- you know how meetings are. I wish I could have stayed, you know I do, but I’ll see you again soon enough! (Unless I die of boredom). You know, you were drooling in your sleep when I left. Were you able to make it out of bed without being glued to your pillow? I bet you’ve got Ophelia’s fur stuck to your cheek huh? She really likes to get in your face, and you, you sure as hell like to cling. I’m running late now but i’ll see you at home!

   -Noctis

Nyx laughed as he read, subconsciously rubbing his other hand against his cheek to rid it of phantom fur and drool.

“Brat.”

   He made his purchases and took them back to the apartment, setting the finely packaged bags on the table beside the little pumpkin. Ophelia trotted up to him and rubbed against his legs silently requesting his attention and marking him as hers so the entire world would see her white fur on his black pants. He let out a long suffering sigh and picked the little girl up before taking her to the kitchen. Absent mindedly rubbing his scruffy jaw against her head. Her purring so violent she could practically launch herself into space. He set her on the counter and got her some breakfast. Nyx watched the cat eat while he thought about the rest of the day ahead.

Ignis had already messaged him, letting him know that the days meetings were running a bit longer than anticipated, and gave an updated ETA for his Prince. It wasn’t too much longer than Nyx had planned for already, about an hour or so out. He finished watching the cat eat, cleaned her dish, pet her a few (dozen) times then made his leave once again- setting out towards the Citadel to pick up Noctis. To save his damsel from the belly of the beast that is Royal Politics.

~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-

Noctis really hated these meetings, he had no idea why they were even a thing to begin with. It was just old men talking circles around each other for hours on end, getting nothing done and then setting time aside at a later date to do the same damn thing all over again. He wanted to rip his ears off, he really did. He just wanted this to be over with, he wanted to leave this hell hole behind and make his way back to his cat, back to Nyx-- back to his home. Another fifteen minutes, that’s all he had to deal with- just another fifteen minutes.  

It was another thirty minutes on top of that before he got his reprieve.

“We will meet again in two days time to discuss this in more detail, that is all for today.”

Noct didn’t need to be told twice, he patiently made his Princely niceties and then politely bolted out the door-- only to be stopped by Ignis not ten feet from freedom.

Noct held back a very un-Prince like whine and listened to what Ignis had to say, though he retained next to nothing from the exchange.

   “--And make sure to be careful.” Ignis had finished his report, or rant...or lecture (He wasn’t entirely sure) and Noct nodded sagely along.He doubted he fooled Ignis for one second,judging by the look in his eye, but he stepped backwards. Step by careful step. Maintaining eye contact with Ignis throughout his retreat. When finally released he turned and dove through the doors as fast as he could, glad to finally have escaped!

During his valiant escape he didn’t realize there was someone waiting outside the doors, and in his haste he ran right into the person.

The very Solid Person.

The very Solid, Familiar Person.

Noctis looked up at the owner of the hands that had steadied him to meet a steely blue gaze filled with a familiar loving warmth. The steely blue gaze he had missed seeing this morning.

A smile overtook his face as he registered Nyx while a sly grin spread on the older man’s as he took Noct in.

“Glad you didn’t die of boredom in there, I was beginning to think I wouldn’t see you again.”

Noct rolled his eyes and sighed, “It was a close one Hero, a minute longer and I would have been toast. Nothing left of me.”

Nyx laughed at Noct’s put upon tone as he wrapped an arm around his little loves slim waist and began leading him off and away from the Citadel.

Noct laughed with him and followed his lead easily, “What’re you doing here anyways? How’d you know i’d be released? I was gonna come right back to you, you didn’t have to come get me.”

“It’s a secret baby doll. I’ve got plans, you see? They’re real intricate, and step one involves kidnapping the Crown Prince.” Nyx grinned conspiratorially, ending the sentence with a wink at Noct’s surprised, yet slightly affronted expression. He shushed whatever retort his little raven was about to make and ushered him onto his motorcycle. “Keep all comments to yourself, I’m not telling you where we’re going, no hints no tips no persuasion. Just be patient, be quiet and trust me. You’ll be glad you did.”

~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-

Noct did as he was told, unhappy as he may be. He stayed quiet, didn’t ask where they were going, how much longer they’d be, or anything of the sort pertaining to the topic. It was eating at him but he remained silent and pouted the entire way through, his cheek against Nyx’s leather clad back. Every once in awhile one of Nyx’s hands would come down to Noct’s and give it a little squeeze-- silently letting him know he was doing well. It took much longer than Noct was expecting, and even still he had no idea where they were going. All he knew was that Nyx kept driving, and they were moving further out of the congestion of the city and closer towards the rural areas, if you could call them that. Noct may have no idea where they’re going, but he was enjoying the changes he was seeing and feeling.

The air was sweeter, fresher and the colors were so vibrant. All the trees in different shades; browns and reds, oranges and yellows, even the ever persistent green remained. The smells were more nature, less machine-- though to be fair cows weren’t the most aromatic animal in the world. It was somehow quieter or at least more peaceful, less sounds of angry people, machinery and the city and more of the county life but there was something else to it too. But that something Noct couldn’t place until they had arrived to their destination.

The sun was just beginning to set when Nyx had begun to slow down. The amount of transport had significantly increased and Noct, curiosity piqued began looking around. Nyx carefully maneuvered  through cars and bikes and past people, finding a small space perfectly fit for his motorcycle. He parked and removed their helmets, helping Noct off after him- steadying his stiff gait.

Noctis didn’t halt his wondered stares as Nyx fixed his hair and soon enough met Nyx’s bright eyes, “This….Nyx what is this?”

Nyx smiled gently at the pure wonder in his little Prince’s eyes and ran a thumb along his cheekbone, “It’s an autumn festival. I’ve figured you’d been cooped up most every time this time of year rolled around, could hardly persuade your dashing Knights to ferry you away here, and I know how much you love autumn and festivals so I thought I could spirit you away for a night to the festival you’ve been dreaming of. Don’t be too disappointed though, it’s more about the harvest and less about the partying.”

Noctis couldn’t believe it. This is what he had been dreaming about for years. Leave it to Nyx to snuff out one of the things he had desperately wanted to do. “Nyx, I could care less what the focus of the place was, just the fact you brought me here. You. That’s….That’s everything.”

Nyx smiled, soft and gentle as he hooked his arm with Noct’s, “Well then, what d'ya say we partake in the festivities?”

Noctis’s blinding grin was answer enough and Nyx led the way through the other festival goers. Keeping his little Prince close to him as they went.

~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-~_~_~_~_~-~-~-

Hours had passed and the sun was well below the horizon. The cool day had brought about an icy chill to the night, and without the hustle, bustle and building of the city- it got cold.

Very cold.

Very cold very fast.

Nyx was used to the cold, was well prepared for it but Noct on the other hand wasn’t. Turns out his fancy clothes were more fashionable than practical. Noct was good at hiding discomfort, but Nyx could read him like an open book.

He took one of Noctis’ cold little hands in his own and brought him closer, “Cold?”

Noctis shook his head, but the chatter of his teeth was revealing a different truth. Nyx just shook his head fondly exacerbated and stepped back far enough to peel off his extra layer; a nice plaid flannel in greys and blues.

“What happened to that sweater you stole this morning?” He teased and Noct grew pink cheeked.

“I….may or may not have forgotten it in the meeting.” Noct looked away and Nyx laughed.

Classic Noctis.

“Well, good thing one of us is prepared.

“My Hero.”

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The two walked through the festival grounds hand in hand, enjoying the chill and the warmth the other brought. They saw exotic creatures with colorful plumage and drank warm apple cider and hot chocolate. It seemed to be some sort of apple festival with all the food and drink being sold tended to be made from them.Noctis never knew just how many different types of apple there actually were. There were a couple of games and shop stalls littered throughout as well. Nyx having stopped them to buy a little crown made of small delicate  flowers and placed it upon his Prince’s head.

Noctis tried to be annoyed at his boyfriend’s foolishness but found it hard to even act peeved with the childish glee written clear all over his face. He found a similar crown, one that used more leaves and green and moss than flowers and placed it atop Nyx’s head. Nyx’s answering grin was more than enough to make up for the looks from passersby and the silliness of the situation.

The night got colder and darker, and before long the crowds thinned, the stalls closed and people were packing it away to go home. Noctis didn’t particularly want to leave, but followed Nyx back to their ride and got on. The two left as everyone else did, silently promising another visit sometime soon.

It was a silent ride home, Noctis holding tight to Nyx’s waist, pressed as close as he could get. The noise of the city barely reaching through to their little haven, even  when they finally got home. Still in the bubble of their own little world.

They made their way back inside the apartment and showered together. No words were spoken and the warm water thawed the chill from their bones. Soft kisses and softer caresses were shared between them and Nyx carefully bundled his little raven love in a nice new warm sweater, dark blue to match his endless eyes. Noctis smiled as Nyx led him to the bed and had him sit, then made a point of going around and lighting candles. He had planned this, and like he said, he was the best at making plans. He crawled into bed after Noct after having lit several candles and held his Prince close.

“So how was it, Little Prince? Did you enjoy yourself?” His first words between them were spoken softly.

“You know I did, “ He responded, just as softly with a kiss to the tip of Nyx’s nose, “how could I not when I got to spend the day with you? You know it’s my favorite way to spend the time…”

“I thought this was your favorite way to spend the time?”

Noctis laughed softly at the ridiculous expression on his Hero’s face then pulled him into another kiss. “It’s one of my favorite ways.”

Nyx huffed a chuckle and kissed up Noct’s cheek, to the corner of his eye, then pressed a kiss against each eyelid.

“Nyx?”

“Yeah, little love?”

“Think we could go back? Soon?”

“Of course, Noct. Anything for you.”

[antimundi-blog]

Freestyle

Title: Freestyle Pairing: Nyxnoct Event/theme: Nyxnoct Fluffocalypse, Day 4: hobbies Summary: When your boyfriend is a major Assassin’s Creed geek, it was destined that you’d eventually have a date with it as the central theme. Princes and their hobbies, right?

@nyxnoctocalypse

There was a special sort of mortification that came from your friends discovering your interests, especially if they weren't shared. With Prompto, there was a lot in common. Video games, comics—of a comfortably shared variety that only best friends could have in common. With Ignis, it was a little tougher; sure, he indulged the prince with times nods, approval, listening as best he could even though the interest just didn't seem wholly there. With Gladio? Not so much. Beyond being his Shield, barriers of interest existed there, too.

Now, the ultimate level? Getting your boyfriend in on it.

Your boyfriend who happened to be a busy Glaive who didn't have the disposal income enough to haphazardly throw it into whatever hobby or video game videos that toddled along. Noctis had learned that the hard way when he'd tried coaxing Nyx into picking up World of Warcraft, only to sheepishly learn that he didn't have a rig powerful enough to run it, nor the extra funds to maintain the monthly membership fees.

Lesson learned.

That didn't mean Nyx couldn't come and spend a rainy day at his apartment, right? It was something they adored doing, traipsing between their homes and spending time in the city when princely duties weren't keeping the prince from seeing his boyfriend. That, and Glaive duties on Ulric's end.

Noctis startled from his thoughtfulness when a rapping sounded at his door, messily scampering to his feet as he slid on his socks to a halt before the door, a bit of puerile elation lighting his face before he peered through the peep hole to see who it was.

Seeing a certain Galahdian in flannel and jeans caused his heart to leap, maybe a little too excitedly. “Okay, cool—“ he murmured to himself, trying not too appear too enthusiastic.

Swinging the door open, Nyx had no time to say hello before Noctis unceremoniously grabbed Nyx by the sleeve and yanked him in with a bemused smile catching the older man's features. The inertia seemed to be enough to briefly close their bodies together, Noctis impishly winding his arms around the older man's neck and kissing him enthusiastically.

An inquisitive sound emanated throatily as Nyx took a moment to adjust and smile into the kiss, winding his arms around the small of Noctis' back and cant his head to kiss back just as deeply. “Hello to you, too,” the Glaive grinned, Noctis leaning into him with a grin just as giddy. “So, what's the grand agenda today, Highness?”

Noctis gazed at him with a brief look of pensiveness on his features, taking both of Nyx's hands and holding them with hopefulness in those sapphire blues. “Promise me you won't laugh.”

Nyx quirked a brow. “Can't make any promises if it's a joke.”

“For our date, what if we went around the shopping district, but...just not in the usual way?” Noctis hinted with a puckish smile on his face. Had Nyx been anyone else, it likely would've been waved off as ridiculous. But Nyx had this synergy about him that Noctis adored, like he could bounce off ideas and find a complementary match.

The smirk only seemed to grow on Nyx's face, mischief twinkling in those stormy blues. “I dunno, highness. That might mean you having too much fun. You sure your buddies wouldn't mind?” He folded his arms, releasing Noctis when the prince grinned again and raced down the hall into his bedroom.

“Hang on, wait here!” Noctis shouted from his room, rummaging through the contained chaos signature of it. Finding them draped on the bed, he raced back into the living room with two red-lined, white hoodies that didn't seem tremendously special to Nyx, but by the way Noctis beamed, it surely seemed to be. “I got these from Roen's stall back at the Assassin's Festival from a few months back. Can you believe it? Actual replicas of Desmond Miles' hoodie, down to the sticking. You know, the white one? From Assassin's Creed in all those modern segments.”

Nyx eyed them with an approving smile, one inevitably larger due to the Glaive's own height. Though he wasn't exactly keyed in completely with the story, but from Noctis' own happy ramblings on the saga and playthroughs when they spent rain nights in together, it garnered his interest. Didn't seem too much different from what he did as a Kingsglaive, even though assassinations weren't exactly their specialty.

“So, we going incognito tonight? Leaping from roof to roof?” Nyx replied with a growing smile, always glad to see Noctis so enthused and not feeling abashed for it. It certainly would be a little less mortifying than donning Bayek's Medjay robes in this weather, this much was certain.

“Yeah, you bet!”

It didn't take long for both men to don their new attire, Noctis bristling with jocular excitement as he dramatically pulled the hood over his head, attempting the smirk signature to the assassins in the series. He availed himself in the mirror, replete with the shoulder bag slung across his back and the baggy jeans, though Nyx was happy to remain in what he wore over his lower extremities. They both hitched the subway to the shopping district in the east side of Insomnia, a place seldom frequented, but eager to sojourn to. With their hoods drawn over their heads, there was the added advantage of concealment Nyx found advantageous, especially given how it was often for the better that Noctis be disguised from his geekier inclinations.

“There's this scene when Desmond's escaping Abstergo—it's during the second game, I think. You know, during Ezio's trilogy? When he was escaping with Lucy Stillman. Wait...no, I think that was another game. Brotherhood, maybe?” While Noctis pondered over the details, Nyx kept his eye on the LED screens that indicated their stops. Of course, he wasn't exactly zoning out from Noctis' excited chatter. He was interested in being part of his life outside of their respective duties, hobbies included.

The bell rung when their stop was reached, Noctis almost bolting through he was so excited. “Hang on, Auditore. Think we might want to plan this out a bit first.” Though most might not think it, Noctis had taken lessons in parkour to the side. Useful to navigating a cityscape when Warping was too conspicuous. The terminal wasn't too crowded with people, Nyx guiding the rambunctious prince where it wasn't too crowded. Nobody seemed to be coming down the down escalator much at all. In the grand station, Sunday nights didn't see much activity, which was advantageous to them.

“Race ya!” Noctis suddenly crowded when he took off at a low sprint, leaping on to the rail that guided the escalator down and tip-toeing up it with ease, arms barely needed to keep his balance. Nyx laughed as he set off after him, leaping on the opposite as both men crossed paths in their ascent, looking acrobatic as several people caught on and began filming with their smart phones, Noctis snickering when he realized he and his boyfriend would be trending on Wark tonight.

Once they emerged from the underground, Noctis bolted and leapt on the back of a bus that was beginning to pull away, clinging to its bike rack that was fortunately empty. “Nyx, over here!” Noctis called as it began picking up speed.

“Fucking Six—“ Nyx cursed to himself as he raced after Noctis, leaping just in the nick of time to Noctis clapping him on the back.

Deciding it was better to follow Noctis' lead, they rode on the precarious transportation before the prince nodded sharply and allowed his feet down enough to gingerly gauge an appropriate stopping point. Slowing around a bend, he ran for a few strides before letting go and dodge-rolling from the path of an oncoming car. Its horns blared, but Nyx simply smirked in a cavalier fashion before leaping back on to the car's hood with indignant shouts from the drivers, then somersaulting off and into a street corner where Noctis waited.

“Hey, you alright?” Noctis asked breathlessly as he laughed, helping Nyx to his feet, leather gloves saving him from bruised and bloodied palms.

“Yeah, think so. Where to next?” Nyx replied, smile admittedly elated as he stole a quick kiss before Noctis playfully shoved him away, laughing jubilantly. Gods, this was more fun than he'd had in awhile.

“Up there—slowpoke!” Noctis called retroactively before bounding away towards a scaffolding and hefting himself through an open gulf, scrambling to his feet again as he rounded the exterior and shimmied his way upwards.

Nyx called out something indignant before he bolting after him, more or less following suit of the energetic prince as he was already ascending a pipe that jutted from the facade of the building. It wasn't long before they met halfway on the twelve story building, almost colliding into a fire escape they'd been racing upwards on. Nyx was almost shoved off, but wormed his way out and beat Noctis to the punch.

“Not fair!” he called up after Nyx, the older man laughing at Noctis' consternation.

“Aw, come on, Highness! You've always liked my ass, so enjoy the view!” Noctis admittedly blushed at that, but furiously renewed his pace with vigor as he found another angle, racing upwards between the protruding windows that provided fantastic purchase. Smugly, he hefted himself over the ledge and hefted himself over and collapsing, breathless, on a bed of pebbles waiting. Unfortunately for him, Nyx was already waiting for him.

“Best two out of three?” Noctis offered with a breathless smile, evolving into a grin when Nyx sat himself on Noctis' back, the prince barking out strained laughs under the strain of Nyx's weight. “Get off, lard ass!”

Nyx re-positioned himself when Noctis rolled on his back, the Glaive straddling his hips with a smug grin. Before Noctis could rebut, he leaned down and snaked a deep kiss from the prince, the price of his victory. When Noctis shoved him away again, he made a face. “You're still an ass.” Feinting, he quickly capsized Nyx and rolled them over, Nyx grunting when he did. “Best two out of three, like I said.” With that, the warmth on his pelvis lifted, Noctis hopping to the ledge as he smiled with a challenge in his eye. Spanning his arms, he smirked rougishly and leaped from the roof in a free-fall, something below muffling the impact of his fall.

Determined to win another kiss, Nyx yanked his hood back over his face that had been upset in their playful scuffle.

“You can bet on it, Noct,” he murmured to himself before Warping from the roof to meet the prince in their renewed race once more.

[jazzraft]

Title: Bundled Up Words: 2175 Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Rating: General Audiences Commentary: for day one of the “death by fluff” challenge @nyxnoctocalypse. the theme is seasonal, and i think i jammed this full of every little thing i love that arrives with fall. prepare for cavities. Summary: Once the air starts cooling in the city, Nyx misses home the most. Noctis makes it his mission to find the cure for his seasonal nostalgia. also on AO3

Autumn manifested differently in the Crown City than it did in Galahd. For the longest time, Nyx thought that Insomnia had only two seasons: gross hot and “Shiva’s tits, it’s cold!” He didn’t feel, couldn’t even see the transitional seasons in between for the first few years that he lived in the city. Where he knew spring and fall were supposed to be on the yearly calendar was overwritten with extended swaths of blistering summer and the brutality of winter.

There was so little color to help mark the passage of time within the city. Insomnia was a somber place, all gilded ash and onyx, multi-storied monuments to a forgotten history. When he was a child, he would wake up every morning in October to a new color outside his window. The lush greens of summer would soak up the last golden rays of sunlight and hold them close to warm them yellow in the cooling months to follow. Trees burned orange and red, the bay darkened with every gulp of discarded leaves, and the gentle nip in the wind blew away the summer seafood menus of the restaurants to prepare for the upcoming harvest.

He saw autumn, he felt autumn, and he tasted it everywhere he went on his island. It had its own identity and energy that enveloped everything in a nostalgic coziness. The air got colder, but everything else felt warmer.

Insomnia didn’t really have that.

He remembered his first few “autumns” in the city being overcast, both in weather and in temperament. The Wall diluted the color of the sky, reflecting the concrete colors of the skyscrapers instead of the bright blue sea. The sky rippled with the strain of a dying soul instead of the weightlessness of white clouds.

He remembered cracking open cheap beer cans for himself instead of mixing seasonal cocktails for the islanders back home. He remembered ordering take-out that was a poor imitation of the traditional recipes of Galahd he hoped were still being served in what little was left of his home. He remembered the vacant echo of his own apartment as he lit a votive for the dead at the end of the season instead of celebrating their life out in the streets like he used to.

He got used to it. He had to get used to a lot of things he didn’t like about city life. He worried about his job and his friends and little else for the longest time. He didn’t worry about the change of seasons or missing the little indulgences that came with them. Sure, the local cafes tacked on their “homemade pumpkin spice lattes” to every menu and the grocery stores cleared out whole aisles to fill with brightly-wrapped bars of sugar to pelt at kids for stepping on private property, but there was no soul to the season.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Look!”

Noctis pushed his phone into Nyx’s face like a toddler bringing home a finger-painted masterpiece from pre-school. Nyx’s eyes squinted against the bright light of the screen in the dusky gloom of the apartment. His tiny TV screamed in terror as the leading lady of the slasher flick they were watching was accosted by the masked serial killer in the back-lot woods. Noctis lowered the volume while Nyx held his phone at a less bruising distance from his face.

“Soul of the Season,” the digital article read. “An authentic harvest celebration! Cider and doughnuts and more to be served along pumpkin-lit pathways! Stroll by bonfires and stop for ghost stories at your leisure. Free to the public, all ages welcome. Begins at sunset in Meridian Park.”

Nyx glanced up at Noct’s bright stare, fluorescent blue in the thriller light, looking eagerly for Nyx’s approval. He never had to search for it, but Nyx didn’t know how to tell him this time that he always saw plugs like these, and that any of the ones he hazarded a visit to were just full of hastily thrown up snack tables and under-payed teens in witch hats reading assigned lines off their phone.

“Come on, even if it sucks, we can still just walk around the park,” Noctis pressed, reading the skepticism in his eyes. “Have you ever been to Meridian Park? It’s pretty in the fall. You’ll like it.”

He said it with such certainty, having decided that they were going long before he showed Nyx the advertisement. He snatched back his phone and settled against Nyx’s side for the remainder of the movie. Nyx smiled to himself, obediently obliging Noct’s choice with a hand through his hair, pressing the prince’s head back to kiss him in agreement.

The event wasn’t for another few days. Nyx had never been to the park. The Meridian district was well off his beaten loop between the Citadel, Malbo Smul’s, and home. Noctis seemed familiar with it though. He drove them straight to the most secluded little corner of the parking lot, well out of the way of any other cars, like he’d claimed the spot years ago and it belonged to him by habit alone. He took Nyx’s hand immediately upon exiting the car, leading him through the open gate that welcomed pedestrians into the park.

“You’ve been to this thing before?” Nyx asked, eying the confident bounce to the prince’s stride.

“Not to this event, no. But yes, I do come here often.” His smirk curled flirtatiously into his cheek and he hugged himself closer against Nyx’s arm. The unashamed affection was something that Nyx was still getting used to, still adored and somewhat feared in public. But once the thick trunks of the pines lining the main walkway closed around them, shading the crunch of the gravel in crisp fall coolness, he felt just as safe with the prince as he did in his own apartment.

When the park opened up before them, Nyx felt as if he’d walked right back in time. The forever greens of the pine trees slowly struck into golden maples and deep, ochre oaks. Long carpets of trimmed grass were evenly coated in crumpling leaves and he could hear the subtle hiss of movement in the boughs as the air brushed through the bursting colors. They were the same color as the sunset, bleeding through the Wall far overhead. The falling light blazed through the wreaths of crimson and amber to print their shadows across the ground.

The thin gravel footpaths were, as promised, lined with carved out squashes of varying shapes and colors. Each had a different face or pattern or creature cut into them, and each had a little name tag wrapped around the stem to proudly announce the artisan behind each. Some were shakily written in crayon, others were neatly scrawled in ink. There were tents and campfires scattered throughout the park, wood-smoke sharpening the frigid city air. The flicker of the flames were like friendly arms beckoning strangers out of the cold.

It wasn’t too busy. It wasn’t set up like every other agro-tourism attraction he’d been disappointed by in the past. The prices on the food and wares they passed along the pumpkin paths were modest, and a lot of the vendors had hand-made signs assuring customers that proceeds from the event went to immigrant relief efforts. That was the most surprising part of the whole event for Nyx. He recognized braids and ink-marks and beaded jewelry on many of the participants in the cozy event. And, likewise, he recognized the complete opposite. Galahdian and Lucian alike hosted tents and fires and craft demonstrations.

“How many years have you been doing this?” he asked the woman serving cider near the middle of the park. Her skin was fairer than his own people, but darker than Noct’s. Her hair was brown and long and braided down her shoulder with fake autumn leaves.

“I think this is our third or fourth year?” she said, ladling the dark, steaming liquid into striped paper cups. “It was really just for the kids when we started. The daycare center was closed and they all wanted to play around on Spirit’s Eve. So, we ended up here because it was free and we could fit and got some tiny pumpkins to fiddle with. People took an interest in what we were doing, we talked, we shared, and we started building this up every year!”

The cider tasted real. Not that over-pasteurized, concentrated piss they sold by the gallons in the supermarkets with the lie of “natural” on the packaging. It was sweet and it was warm and he could feel it seep into his whole body instead of landing like acid in the pit of his stomach. Where the signs said “homemade,” he could actually believe that they were true. While every vendor was reasonably priced, by the end of the night, he didn’t want to know how much they had spent on trying absolutely everything.

“You want it, I want it, I’ll pay for it,” Noctis insisted every time Nyx suggested they should stop. “It all goes to a good cause, anyway.” The thirteen-year-old manning the dreamcatcher stall beamed when Noctis told him to keep the change.

There was a woodcarver that whittled away on sculptures beside her table, gathering spectators before selling her crafts. There was handmade jewelry and charms, a candle-maker, a soap-maker, a little old lady that knitted scarves and socks and gloves and quilts. Noctis bought a thick blanket of orange plaid and a crocheted Carbuncle keychain. They bought pumpkin butter and apple preserves, cute little goodie bags of granola, and vintage candies sold from out of dark, wooden barrels.

By the time they sat down on a log bench by one of the bonfires for the ghost stories, they had a brown paper bag full of seasonal treasures. Noctis wrapped the knitted blanket around the both of them, chasing off the night chill at their backs and catching the glow of the fire at their front. He smashed himself against Nyx’s side as if they were on their own couch, helping Nyx’s arm around his waist and rustling around his bag of goodies for those freshly baked cider doughnuts he’d bought two bags of.

“You know that impulse buying is a very real problem for people, right?” Nyx teased.

“It’s charitable donations. The royal treasury should be very proud. Look, I’m even feeding the hungry.” He tore a sugar-coated doughnut in half, revealing fluffy, golden dough inside, and pressed one half to Nyx’s mouth.

Nyx snorted at the childish insistence, but obliged the prince with a bite. Real flavor, baked in an oven with love. He could taste it in the dough. Brown sugar and cinnamon and apple cider. As light as a cloud on his tongue. Noctis moaned in ecstasy next to him.

“We have to come here again,” he said around a mouthful of the baked delicacy. “Like, tomorrow again. And next year again. Right?”

He glanced up at Nyx expectantly, gauging his review of the event. As if he needed to say in words how much he loved the place.

“Of course we’re coming back,” Nyx said for him anyway, brushing a thumb against the corner of Noct’s mouth where granules of sugar had gathered. “Thanks, by the way.”

“It’s nothing.” Noctis nods out at the storyteller and all of the vendors beyond the darkness of the fire. “They did all the work.”

“Not what I meant. Although thanks for that, too. I meant… thanks for listening.”

It wasn’t always easy to talk about the traditions of home. Sometimes he was afraid that he sounded ungrateful for the chances he had in Insomnia. That he didn’t appreciate the opportunity Regis had afforded him by bemoaning all that Insomnia was not. He had his grievances with Lucis, yeah, but it had saved him from desolation when no one else would have lifted a finger to do so. By entrusting himself to the city that didn’t want him, he found the one person who did.

Noctis smiled at him, the firelight warming his face and tangling ombre colors into his hair. He was everything that Nyx had been missing between the country and the city. He had made Insomia feel like home to him, long after the rent he paid on the apartment told him it was.

“After all the bullshit problems I make you listen to?” Noctis chuckled. “I think I owed it to you to listen to some of yours. Now, quiet, I want to hear this.”

The storyteller loped around the campfire with his tale of ghostly woe, flashing his fingers at some of the kids to make them startle and laugh. It was so much like home that it almost hurt to feel so happy. The fire licking their knees, the blanket wrapped around them, the hot food in their bellies, and Noct cuddled up to his side; it was the warmest Nyx had felt in far too long.

“You’re too good to me, little king.”

“That’s not being quiet, hero.”

[jazzraft]

Title: Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice - Quiet & Light Chapter: 5/5 [1][2][3][4] Words: 964 Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Commentary: for day ten of the “death by fluff” challenge @nyxnoctocalypse. the them is light/dark to finish out the week. also a prompt fill for #15. Fog from this list, requested by @aithilin Summary: Paradise says goodbye in the same way it said hello; gently and full of promise. also on AO3

Light acted differently out from underneath the Wall. It was still and steady where the light of the city seemed to always be shifting. Insomnia was in constant motion, the ripples of his father’s magic stirring an ancient haze over the towering planes of glass. But out in the countryside, when the autumn winds settled and the amber plumes of leaves suspended, motionless, in the brisk evenings, Noctis could feel the tranquility of the earth sink deep into his very bones.

Time sighed through the dawn mist with the rising rays of sunlight. The shadows turned so slowly that he couldn’t even see them move. They were in one place – dark fire struck beneath the oaks – but no matter how intently he stared out at them, he never saw them move to the next. Wherever the sun cast them, they looked like they had always been there and nowhere else.

The fog rolled in leaden clouds across the lake. It reminded him of the closed eyes beside him. Constant, captivating, enigmatic, capturing his imagination for immeasurable lengths of time. All of the valley reminded him of Nyx. Maybe that was why he loved it so much. It was quiet, steadfast, but bursting with adventure. The hills closed around the cabin, intimately concealing the escape from colder, curious glares.

He didn’t feel like he was under a microscope when he was here and he was with Nyx. He felt welcomed to a place he didn’t think would want him. He felt belonged in a way he had tried to feel with Insomnia for all of his life, but never did. He felt found in the misty morning, where the grays glowed with their own colors and their strange stillness that was always in motion.

He loved the air, clean and crisp and driving deep into his lungs every time he pulled a breath inside. He loved the noise, a silence of sounds that he didn’t hear in the city. The closing strum of the crickets as the night paled into morning. The croak of the frogs on the shores of the distant lake, the humble symphony for the wild. He could hear birds singing the first notes of the sunrise choir. All hidden beneath the safe shroud of the morning mist.

The bed croaked awake beneath him, arms folded against the headboard to gaze out the window above it. The sheets rasped across naked skin, then an arm rested loosely around his waist. Coarse hair itched into the small of his back, tickling his own lips into a drowsy smile. Nyx kissed the shallow dip, warm and slow.

“Do you know what time it is? I thought you wanted it to be against the law to be awake this early.”

His voice was as rough as the hair on his chin, brushing up Noct’s spine to settle in the slope between his neck and shoulder. HIs eyes were as misty as the morning and just as quiet with half-sleep. Noctis rolled his head against his, bumping against frizzy braids, dismayed from their intricate design by desperate hands in the midnight.

“The sounds woke me up.”

“The cat again?”

“No,” Noctis laughed. He nodded out the window, barely lifting his head, the languor of the valley too heavy to want to move. “Everything else.”

Nyx hummed in agreement, or just to make a sound to tell him he was listening. His eyes drifted shut as he nuzzled back into Noct’s skin. Noctis felt his breath against his neck, the rise and fall of his chest against his side, instinctively matching the rhythm of his own breathing.

Everything was so vulnerable in these hours. So innocent. So pristine and untouched by the burdens of the day. And Noctis felt like he was a part of it at last. He didn’t feel like he was on the outside looking in, begging to know what utter contentment could possible feel like. He was here. He breathed with the heartbeat of daybreak. He was whole with it, not apart from it.

“I don’t think I can go back, Nyx,” he confessed. “I know there’s Dad, and the guys, and your job, and your friends, but…”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

The cabin was strewn with everything that Noctis wanted. Two coffee mugs on the kitchen counter, the coffee pot standing expectantly beside them and a tea kettle shadowing it on the stove. Thick coats thrown across the couches, warm scarves nestled in the hoods, hand-me-down sweaters slung on the hangers in the open closet. Pumpkins by the fire place, woolen quilts draped across the bed and spilling onto the wooden floors, claimed with a few strands of fluffy white cat fur. The ghost of wood-smoke and cinnamon drenched into the walls and the sheets and everything.

“We’ll come back,” Nyx promised in the dopey certainty of slumber. “Whenever you want.”

“Whenever I want is always.”

“I won’t object if you want to suddenly have a change of character and enact the spoiled royal brat policies we’ve dreamed about.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“That’s all I know how to do.”

He kissed along the pathways of sleep-tendered skin. Noctis smiled, lop-sided and lazy and so far away from his own cares. About the Crown, about Insomnia, about anything he’d been told should be the world to him.

This was his world. These were the things he wanted to protect with the power he was destined to inherit. The lazy mornings of hidden lovers. The earthy perfume of the fall wilds surrounding them. The close, snugness of the pillows and the blankets and the pumpkins and the coffee.

Noctis pulled himself away from the view to sink back against Nyx, returning the wandering kisses. Lazy laps of wistful love in the foggy autumn light.

[amidalogicdive]

Heir

Title: Heir

Rating: General Audiences Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Characters: Noctis Lucis Caelum, Nyx Ulric, Sazha the Cat Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Dorks in Love, Kissing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Engagement, royal duties, Love vs Duty, Idiots in Love, talks of the future

Ao3 Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12538300

Summary: What starts as a night of bedroom fun, turns into something totally unexpected; and Nyx realizes he should have done this a long time ago.

Written for the NyxNoct Fluffpocalypse (Fall 2017)

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OCT. 28 - Favourites: Way to spend time

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Nyx made his way across the room, two cups of water in his hand, as dark eyes watched him from the bed. Handing one to his lover, Nyx sat the other on the bedside table before arching a brow at the younger man. "Like what you see?" He teased, climbing back into the bed and claiming Noctis' mouth with his own before he could comment. The glaive had all but moved into the prince's chambers a few months back, though he could be found at his apartment now and then. Especially if he'd stayed late at the compound and had to be back early the next day. But his life was at the Citadel now, something that he never thought would happen.

Breaking from the kiss, Noctis was about to tease Nyx but noticed that something was off. "You're thinking again." The words were breathed out as a pale finger rose to run down his forehead to the tip of his nose. “You get these little wrinkles right here when you’re thinking about something important.”

“Do I?” Watching the prince take a sip of the water, his lips turned up into a half smile before affirming the question. “Well, you make me think a lot. Anyway, they aren’t wrinkles; I’m not that old.”

“I never said old, just wrinkles.” Dark eyes twinkled with mischief as he nuzzled his face into the glaives neck. “Anyway, you’re not old. You’re perfect.”

Snorting, Nyx shifted so he was lying beside Noctis and looked up at the ceiling. “Far from perfect, little prince.”

Rolling onto his side, Noct propped his head up and stared down at his lover. "Perfect enough for me, or I wouldn't have wasted all these years being yours." Icy orbs glanced to the side, watching as the prince took another drink from his cup. Reaching across Nyx, he set the cup on the side table, before dropping his hand to the glaive chest. Gentle fingers traced along the scars but never left his gaze. "I don't need anyone but you, Nyx."

“Council thinks different.” He whispered, running his hands across the pale chest and down to his hips.

"Council always thought different where you were concerned." Pulling from the glaives touch, Noctis flopped on his back and buried on hand into his hair, tugging lightly. Obviously, all this movement was the final straw for Sazha. Giving an annoyed yowl of protest, he stretched and hopped off the bed with a glare.

Nyx could care less if the cat was pissed, he could tell his lover was frustrated and that bothered him more than the furball's mood. Noctis wasn't the one to fight, yell or make a fuss when it came to the Council. He held it in, which usually hurt him more than helped in the long run. While the citizens of Lucis might be unaware of the relationship between its prince and Nyx, the Citadel was. It was brought up in meetings at least once a week, how it could affect the people, the kingdom. There was also the concern for a future King or Queen of Lucis, which Nyx couldn't give Noctis.

"Stop that." Pulling him back over, Nyx buried his face into his neck. "They aren't worth ruining tonight over. This is supposed to be our night," Nipping his neck, he could feel Noctis start to relax again. "Anyway, they are right. You'll need an heir, and I always knew it would come to this. I can't be selfish and claim your mine when I can't give you the one thing you need."

"Don't worry, it's taken care of."

That caught the glaives attention, pulling away as he sat up to stare down at the prince below him. "Taken care of? This isn't like going to the corner market and grabbing a bite to eat, little prince." Noctis chuckled at the analogy, shaking his head. "Don't laugh, what do you mean it's taken care of?"

"Exactly what I said," Cerulean met icy silver, smirking as he ran a finger down his cheek. "My place is here, in the Citadel. I am the Prince and heir of Lucis, and that is a station that I can't... I won't abandon it. I have a duty to the citizens of this city, to this crown and kingdom. But I refuse to give you up. You are the only one I love."

Despite the fact that they’d been together for so long, and Nyx knew the depth of Noctis' feelings for him, he could still surprise him now and then. To know he'd been plotting out the future and was just bringing it up, well that left him a bit confused. "Seeing this involves both of us, were you planning on telling me how you expect to have an heir?"

“Maybe?" Arching a brow, Noctis tugged on a braid. "You're not planning on running if I do, are you?"

"You know I wouldn't do that, brat. You're stuck with me until you get rid of me, and the Council can go fuck off." Noctis opened his mouth to speak, but Nyx cut him off with a kiss. "Now, stop trying to avoid the subject. I know you're a smart little shit, so what plans have you made?"

Pushing on the glaives chest, he made Nyx lay back as he straddled his lap. Sitting there for a moment, teeth bit his bottom lip as he thought of the best way to explain his arrangement. "Ok, well you know that Luna is in love with Cindy and there is no way that is going to change. She can't have a child either and one day we were speaking and the subject of heirs came up."

Pale eyes widened, his mouth falling open as if Nyx were about to make a comment, then snapped shut. Everything clicked together with those words, and he didn't even have to hear the rest of this plan but allowed Noctis to continue anyway.

"So she asked if I would... you know?" A warmth arose on his cheeks, fingers outlining the scars on his chest as his eyes lowered. "Um, if I would... donate, so she could. In return, she said she would be a surrogate for me." He was trembling at this point, orbs rising to meet his own again as he uttered two more words. "For us."

"So you agreed?" A nod, "I see." Nyx sat up, wrapping his arms around his waist. "Noct, I love you. I love you so much, and I'll admit I was afraid that I would only hold you back. Still am, actually." The prince leaned back, concern in his eyes, but it subsided when he saw the smile that Nyx wore. "The fact that you thought all this out so we could be together. Damn, I'm honored, love."

Their lips came together, it was gentle, needy and expressed everything that they felt. Fear. Hope. Love. It all came together as they embraced one another. All of the stress and uncertainty melted away, and they knew everything would be alright.

"I love you Nyx. I would do anything to keep you by my side."

"I can see that." Tanned fingers played along the younger man's spine, tender touches making his boyfriend's body shiver. "I feel the same," Resting his forehead against Noct's, his free hand rose to brush across his jawline. All he could see was pure love looking back at him, and he knew what he had to do. "I want you to marry me, little prince."

Noctis pulled back, watching Nyx for a moment. "You know I wouldn't refuse." His words were cautious, trying to conclude if Nyx was sincerely asking. "Is that an offer, or..."

"An offer, a request. Marry me?" Noctis sat there in his lap, continuing to watch Nyx. "I'm being serious, I know we've been together for what, five..”

“Six.”

“Six... years now. Damn, I probably should have asked sooner. I think your father will kill me if I don't ask after all this time. But I mean it, love."

He could see that Noct was trying not to laugh, but the humor was apparent in the sapphire eyes that met his own pale orbs. "I know you're a loyal man, an honest man, Nyx Ulric."

"Loyal to you, to this." He motioned between them, grabbing the prince's chin gently. "You're my everything. This, us being together, is all I need. It's what I enjoy the most. I'd live for you, die for you, kill for you."

Biting his lip, a smile appeared. "Say it again."

"Noctis Lucis Caelum, lyubov' moya, dusha moya. Marry me?"

The smile broke into a grin as he threw his arms around Nyx neck and kissed him. "Yes! Now, forever!

"Longer than forever?"

Noct tugged on one of the longer braids as he nodded in affirmation. “I swear.” Wrapping his legs around the glaives waist, he tugged him closer. “Now, fiancé. How about getting back to the fun we were having. What is it you said earlier? You were going to pound me into the bed until I couldn't move?” He knew he didn’t need to ask twice as Nyx laid him back into the bed, leaning over him.

“Anything you want, my love.”

[jazzraft]

Title: Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice: Sweater Weather Chapter: 2/5 [1] Words: 973 Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Commentary: for day three of the “death by fluff” challenge @nyxnoctocalypse. the theme is clothing, which is my weakness when it comes to these boys. also a prompt fill for #10. Sweaters from this list, requested by @aithilin. Summary: Noctis is a collector of comfy sweaters. also on AO3

Nyx liked the way Noctis dressed.

Understated and contemporary, full of nondescript shades and blank fabrics. He wasn’t big into patterns or prints unless it depicted characters or symbols from his favorite games, and those he didn’t wear unless he was slouching around indoors with his friends. When he was out, it was in his favorite boots, maybe sneakers in the warmer months. Jeans or cargos, always. T-shirts when it was hot, sweaters when it was cold.

Noctis liked the cool weather more. Nyx realized this when he could count more long sleeves on the man than he could short ones.

His summer wardrobe consisted of more repeat outfits than originals. Nyx seemed to recall seeing the same skull and crossbones tee throughout most of May. Once mid-September abruptly veered into the headlong rush of the northern winds, Noctis dragged down a new set of sleeves over his arms every day.

He liked layers. He liked adorning himself with all the different accessories he collected throughout the year. Like the humble gray squirrels indigenous to the thick forests of Duscae, Noctis hoarded “survival necessities” for the winter. Cashmere scarves, warm leather gloves, even hats, which Nyx had been all but certain Noctis hated until the first frost cut through Insomnia. He had a different coat for every week, some with faux fur-trimmed hoods, others with high collars; some with dark blue plaid on the insides, more with warmer and fluffier insulation. He had turtlenecks and cable-knits and plenty of Henleys in various cool, dark shades – Nyx’s personal favorites.

He liked complimenting Noctis. Whether it was with words or hands, he liked the subtle flush to his cheeks whenever Nyx openly admired him. He liked the way he pulled on his sleeves because he needed to give his hands something to do that didn’t involve latching onto Nyx and letting him show Noctis just how much he appreciated the outfit. He liked how the soft fabrics of fall relaxed the fine lines of his face and blunted the sharp fronds of his hair. He liked how the dark, dyed wools steeped a little bit of the penumbral autumn evenings into the blue of his eyes.

“That’s a new one.”

Nyx nodded at the newest addition to Noct’s fall wardrobe. It was a mottled black sweater, with a cowl neck and thumbhole sleeves. Loose about the torso and slim down the arms, it folded around him as cozy as a blanket at the corner of Nyx’s bed on a rainy evening. The lightness of his skin haunted against the edges like the most kissable ghost. His lips were nipped pink beneath the cowl he’d pulled up to guard them, coming in from the late October winds buffeting the town. Beneath the windblown wilds of his hair, his eyes were as bright and dreamy as candlelight.

“It is,” he confirmed, kissing him across the booth as he reached him. “It reminded me of you.”

“What?” Nyx laughed.

Noctis nestled into the faded maroon cushion of the booth like he’d been coming to the place his whole life. The town was bundled deep down in a valley between the northern hills that they’d fled to for the fall. It was a ten minute drive from their rustic cabin paradise in the woods, down a scenic road lined in fiery trees and over-looking the stretch of glittering lake that cushioned them from the rest of the world. The water lapped gently just outside the window to the diner. The tiny port town was built along its bank, all old stone cottages from a bygone era, with all the modern accoutrements applied to stay in business.

Noctis loved everything about it. He loved raiding the thrift store for comfy hand-me-downs like his new sweater. He loved renting a canoe off the docks and taking it out upon the misty lake in the evenings to fish. He loved ordering a new hot drink off the café menu every morning for as long as they were staying. He loved the old movie theater with only two screens – one for classics, and one for the newest blockbusters. He loved all of the farmland that reached beyond the edge of town where they raised produce and livestock and offered homemade goods for the curious traveler.

And Nyx loved watching Noctis be so in love. He loved the sight of him, perched on the wooden fence encircling the corn fields in his sweaters and boots, steam clouds of coffee warming a nose reddened by the October chill. And he loved watching him in the warm diner, the sunlight off the lake beneath the window glowing along the edges of his smile as he looked at him. He tugged on the cowl of the new sweater, grinning coyly into the black material just for Nyx’s benefit.

“It reminded me of you,” he said again. “It’s dark, it’s warm, a little sexy…”

Nyx lifted a brow. “Only a little?”

“Just a tiny bit.”

Nyx pouted in dismay. Noctis made it up to him by ordering lunch. The diner served seasonal sandwiches that he was sure Ignis would pay his life’s savings for the recipes. “The Harvest Veg” was quickly becoming Nyx’s favorite – steaks of roasted butternut squash, baby sprouts, pickled beets, and a tangy yogurt spread that he would kill to know the secret ingredients of. Noctis still went for the sweet and savory – and Nyx couldn’t even blame him – ordering a grilled cheese sandwich of apple butter and pepper jack.

“Still want to head out to the mill after this?” Noctis asked, teasing strings of peppery melted cheese past his lips.

“Do you?”

Noctis glanced up at him, considering the intent way Nyx studied the new sweater. “I do. Think a little bit of hay will be a nice way to finish off this look.”

[amidalogicdive]

Weather Permitted

Title: Weather Permitted

Rating: General Audiences Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Tags: Fluff, Kissing, First Love, Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Love, Friends to Lovers

Ao3 Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12444246

Summary: When they first met, it had been the night of his birthday. Where they got to know one another was in the Kingsglaive arena - weather permitted.

Written for the NyxNoct Fluffpocalypse (Fall 2017)

-

OCT. 21 - Seasonal: Weather 

The first time they trained together it started to rain.

Some might have perceived that as a bad omen, but Nyx knew better than most. To his people, it symbolized rebirth, renewal, devotion… and love. Looking back, he knew everything happened for a reason. Rain, like emotions, found ways into the dried and cracked earth. It flowed deep within and allowed life to burst forth once again.

Like the earth, Nyx had closed himself up for so long without knowing the rain, he should have known that there would be cracks. Realized that a young man, with eyes like the ocean depths, would find a way through those cracks and into his heart. That one silly little prince would help him learn to live, to breathe. In the end, he would be the one to bring life back to him again.

But he wasn’t one to look at things any deeper than he had to. In the end, rain was rain, and his past was unchangeable. This arena was just another building that sat in the middle of the capital city. A place where a glaive and his prince stood, damp and laughing, as the storm passed overhead. Stubbornly, he told himself, it would never be more than that.

The first time he missed the prince it was snowing. 

They had been training for several months at this point, and Noctis had become a common sight around the compound. None of the glaives ever treated him like a prince, because he refused to treat them like common immigrants. Over time Noctis had memorized all their names, where they were from, families, birthdays. They didn’t know how he had, but it didn’t matter. It had grown into a mutual respect, which had made an impression on them, and so the glaives had adopted him as one of their own.

Even Drautos, who seemed live and breath, 'annoyed', couldn’t dislike his presence when he’d found a bottle of his favorite Lucian whiskey on his desk for his birthday.

So when the prince wasn’t around the glaives noticed, Nyx noticed. It was too quiet, and the arena didn’t feel quite right without laughter echoing within its walls and a familiar smirk flying by as the glaives played warp tag. But, the prince had fallen ill, and the king had declined all visitors aside from his advisor, Ignis. Of course, that didn’t stop them from letting Noctis know he was missed. Pelna had gotten a card, and all the glaives had filled it with a mix of well wishes and threats to get better soon. Three of the glaves had then cornered the man and made sure the card got into Ignis Scientia’s hands to be delivered to the prince.

Upon his return, he’d chided them while trying to hold back his laughter, for scaring his poor advisor. Nyx would later find that the card had taken a special place on the shelving behind Noctis’ desk.

The first time he realized he might love the prince the cherry blossoms fell.

Nyx had been assigned as a guard to the heir at Noctis own request. The two wandered the spring festival where the Prince has spoken to the crowd in place of his father. It was a cool spring day, and the sun was high the sky as they talked. He had tried denying the truth, the feelings that had started to well up within him. But, seeing him like this made it harder for Nyx to hold it in.

It wasn’t right for a glaive to love their monarch, or in this instance, future monarch. Nyx knew he couldn’t control his emotions, so he kept the feelings locked away. When Noctis laughed, looking up at him with eyes like sapphires and tugged him towards one of the festival’s booths; Nyx denied the flutter of his heart was anything more than what he'd felt for Lib’s or Crowe. Having been alone so long he couldn’t think straight, and he was simply mistaking duty with desire.

So he pushed it down deep within him, continuing to make excuses, and hoped that no one would see his true feelings.

The first time he said those words the summer heat had been unforgiving.

They had practiced throughout the day, coats discarded as the people of Insomnia called to their numerous gods for the rain to fall. Summer had run long this year, and the two had given up on any real training early on. Now they sat at the top of one of the ruined monoliths that occupied the arena, watching the sunset. Nyx laid on his back as Noctis talked of his coming birthday party in a few days, though his true day of birth had officially passed. He was eighteen now, a man, and would officially take the oath accepting his place as his father’s heir.

But Nyx had noticed something wasn’t right. He’d been too quiet, preoccupied with other thoughts and seeming distant at times. When he pointed this out, Noctis had simply looked at him, an oddly sad smile on his face.

“Do you think it’s wrong if royalty falls in love with a commoner?”

Those words had hit him like ice water, making him sit up to meet his gaze properly. “Little Prince, I think you can love whoever you want to love. You’re the sole heir of Lucis, and I have a feeling your father would get over it. Anyway, you’ve got a good heart… who could deny you someone that you’re honestly in love with?”

“You think so?”

He nodded, even though his heart rebelled against the words he spoke. “Yeah, I really do. Your father cares for you and so do the Lucian people. All they want is your happiness. Besides, anyone who loves you should consider themselves lucky. You’re quite a catch, Your Highness.” Chuckling as he said those words, Nyx could only pray it came off as supportive. After all, he knew all too well what it was like to love a prince. Knew that they couldn't be more than what they were at this moment. Friends, comrades, associates… A Prince and his Glaive.

So, to say he was surprised when a pair of soft lips covered his own, was an understatement. His mind shut down as his body relished in the fact that the prince was kissing him. As hot as the day was, the kiss was scorching. As a wandering tongue met his own, he wrapped his arm around the man’s waist to pull closer.

When they did part, panting and gasping for air, Nyx held those dark eyes for a moment. Trying to read them, to see the truth behind the veil that Noctis so often wore. But the veil was gone, his feelings were written there like a book that had been laid open before him. “Noct, am I..?” He stopped the words, afraid that speaking them would ruin everything.

“I think I love you, Nyx.”

He could have died at those words. The walls that he’d held up for so long cracked and crumbled around him as he leaned his forehead against the prince’s and smiled. “I think I love you too, Little Prince. Very much…”

Noctis returned the smile, cupping his cheek gently - and in the distance, it rained.

[jazzraft]

Title: Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice Chapter: 1/5 Words: 2014 Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Commentary: for day two of the “death by fluff” challenge @nyxnoctocalypse. the theme is animals for maximum fluffage. also a prompt fill for #16. Blankets from this list, requested by @aithilin. Summary: On their fall retreat away from the city, their privacy is interrupted by a neighbor in need. also on AO3

There was this fluffy white cat.

He had pale blue eyes and a pushed-in face that made him look like he was always unhappy. But he ran up to Noctis and creaked out a meow so small and genuine for such a grumpy face that it damn well near broke Nyx’s heart. The cat had a little silver bell on his collar that barely emitted the faintest jingle, yet somehow, Noctis always seemed to hear it. He always jumped up out of nowhere and hurried to the screen door of their tiny rental cabin and crouched down into an incoherent, crooning fool to greet their friendly, four-legged neighbor.

The rustic retreat was a secluded one, further up in the northern regions of Lucis where the trees grew thicker and the roads thinned to fewer. Noctis told him that it had been one of many hiding spots before he was born for his mother to whisk Regis off to when the Crown dropped too close to his father’s head. The cabin had seen no use since her passing, nearly two decades ago now. But Regis had been too sentimental to take his name off the deeds to all the hidden paradises he shared with his wife.

Noctis thought that it was about time they made use of them again. Especially since fall in the Crown City got so hectic. School started up again, department stores got in the new trends and products for pedestrian traffic to flock to, and the laze of summer was chased away by the perpetual roar of the work commute.

The north cabin was quiet, tucked far and away from any highways or main roads. It was on a tiny little street in the backwoods to nowhere, dotted with equally tiny houses, perhaps for more anonymous nobles to run away to. Maybe the cat was one of theirs. It was well-groomed and had a collar, but no tag with a name or address to send it back to if it was lost. It didn’t seem like the kind of creature that got lost though. It seemed to know exactly where it was and where it was going.

Nevertheless, it made Nyx anxious. While the little animal only ever appeared in the day, some nights he worried whether it got inside before the daemons came out. Not that they could ever get close to the street, with all of the floodlights surrounding it far out in the forest around them, but still. He hoped the animal wasn’t stupid enough to stay out there when the sun went down. Or that his owners weren’t careless enough not to find him and bring him inside.

His hopes were dashed the first day it rained on their little getaway. In both the cat’s and the owners’ defenses, it was technically daytime. As far as he knew, they were still smart enough not to get the animal killed by daemons. Not smart enough to keep it in when it was overcast though.

“W-Wait, stop. Do you hear that?”

Nyx groaned into Noct’s neck, pressing his hips down hard to demand back his focus. It was the perfect, rainy fall day to stay inside, stoke up some flames in the old stone fireplace, and build a nest of quilts and pillows on the floor in front of it. The floor was a deep, woody red, reflective of the fire light and a wonder for Noct’s back. Nestled down in the thick sea of woolen blankets, reclined on the expertly constructed mound of pillows stolen from every couch and bed in the house, with a little mulled wine trading between their lips, Nyx just got his hands in his pants when Noctis suddenly pulled away.

“It’s rain, Noct. It’s been rain all day.”

The prince squirmed out from underneath him, much against Nyx’s protests and the insistence of his hands tugging at his clothes and his mouth chasing the flushed skin of his throat. He was left with nothing but a forlorn whine as Noctis wriggled from his embrace. Nyx sprawled against the blankets with a grunt, arm thrown out after Noctis as he padded across the room to the front door. Noctis opened the door a crack to look through the screen beyond it. The plaintive noise that came out of his throat had Nyx sitting up and shaking the lust from his head in an instant.

He could barely get a question out before Noctis was shuffling back to the blankets and snatching one of the extras folded up to the side of the fireplace. He rushed back to the door and pushed open the screen. The drum of the rain roared against the awning, dragging down dead leaves to plaster the porch. Noctis crouched down, gathered up a dismal mop of pale hair in the burgundy blanket, and closed the doors. The sound of the autumn rain thudded quietly against the roof as Noctis retreated back to the fireplace, muttering comforts to the drenched skeleton of fur wrapped up in the blanket.

“Seriously?” Nyx growled, glaring out the nearest window as Noctis set the cat down in front of the fireplace.

“What do you mean, ‘seriously?’ I’m sorry, alright, I just…”

Nyx looked back to a wounded Noctis, eyes wide in shock and brows furrowed in annoyance. He turned hunched shoulders to Nyx and rubbed down the cat. Nyx quickly reached out to him.

“No, Noct, I’m not mad at you.” He laughed because the idea was just too absurd. “Please. I might be horny, but come on, I’m not heartless. It’s just that some people don’t deserve to have pets.” He scoffed outside again, to whatever house the cat’s owners resided in.

Noctis gave him a cautious glance. He was still flushed from the work Nyx had done on him just moments before, lips dark with wine and kisses, the neckline of his shirt pulled down his shoulder. The clasp of his belt snaked undone against his thigh, the hem of his jeans wrestled below his hips, and the black band of his boxers against the skin of his waist, all soft and ruined with that teetering look between guarded and forgiving on his face. Nyx kissed him, apologetic – and so damn hungry for him, gods, he’d been looking forward to the perfect privacy of the cabin since they planned the trip. But the cat whined next to them and the moment was lost. Noctis bit his lip in that precious, rueful way that drove Nyx crazy, and he whined in the back of his throat himself.

“I’ll go get some bowls,” he sighed, defeated.

The intensity of the moment was long past, but the warmth of it lingered in a softer heat than the blistering passion he’d set out for. Nyx set out cereal bowls of fresh water and some shredded chicken he had pre-cooked for further along in the week. Noctis gently rubbed the blanket in circles throughout the cat’s fur, coaxing out the dampness of the rain and fluffing the creature back to the pillowy softness that so enchanted the prince. The blanket was coated in messy clumps of white by the time the cat was dry and huddled over the water bowl. It was set aside for a long soak in the washing machine later, and Noctis sat back against the pillows beside Nyx again, watching the cat eat.

“Do you think it was just an accident?” he asked after a while.

“Wouldn’t they have noticed he was gone by now if it was?”

Noctis quieted again. Nyx didn’t like the crestfallen look on his face or the way he hugged an arm around himself and took a liberal gulp of the cooling wine left at the edges of the nest to cope with the concept of a person being so careless with their pet.

“But, you know,” Nyx tried instead, “he’s an outdoor cat. Lots of animals out in the country are. They’re a lot different than indoor pets. More independent, sharper instincts, better sense of direction. Maybe the owners did leave a window open for him, but he just decided this house was closer when the rain started.”

Noctis nodded, a slow bob of the head, barely listening. He’d convinced himself that people were evil and he needed to adopt every animal in all of Eos to spare them from mankind’s stupidity. Nyx rolled his eyes and tugged him closer to his side, happier when Noctis relented to the touch and melted into the crook of his arm where he belonged. Nyx wrapped one of the blankets beneath them around him, let him take another bracing gulp of the wine, and kissed his temple.

“Look, he’s fine.” Nyx nodded at the cat, licking his lips of the remaining chicken and dragging a paw across his face to start grooming. “He’s just a drama queen. We’ll go door to door when it stops raining, and you can yell at whoever we find if they’re not beside themselves with the right amount of worry. Okay?”

“Okay.”

He liked the verbal response much better than the silence. He liked the look of his eyes even more when they looked up at him of their own accord. A little misty with concern and liquor and the fading imprint of lust, the fire striking yellow flecks through his irises like floating leaves on a deep blue lake.

“I’ll make this up to you,” Noctis promised, nodding at the romantic refuge they had built for themselves.

The cat decided that he would indulge in the comforts of his sanctuary from the rain. He marched right up between the two of them when he was done grooming and tucked himself in the little nook behind where Noct’s knee touched Nyx’s thigh. His paws kneaded the blanket to a comfortable consistency, he walked himself in a couple circles – one clockwise, one counter-clockwise, another the other way – and settled down into a tiny ball. He stared up at Noctis, blinking slowly. Hypnotized as only cats could do, Noctis scratched his head and earned a purr of contentment for his obedience. He rolled his eyes over to Nyx as Noctis pet him. He managed to resist the temptation only until Noctis matched the imploring stare. Nyx gave the cat a scratch beneath the chin and he happily tucked his nose beneath his tail to go to sleep.

A tiny motor-boat of heat between them. The fire crackling, the rain beating mutely overhead, spiced wine still just as good cold as hot. Noctis still a little sloppy beneath the heavy blanket next to him. Still looking at him with the echoes of his begging for him in his eyes. He supposed it wasn’t the worst way to end a day.

--

The rain stopped in the morning and the cat was gone when they woke up. Which freaked Nyx out because there was no way it could have gotten out of the house without thumbs. The windows were shut, the doors were locked, there was no place for the creature to crawl out of, and Nyx didn’t think it was the type to go through all that effort when it could just scratch and howl until it woke someone up to let it out.

Noctis wanted to go looking for him, confused, but still worried about the animal. But sure enough, in the late afternoon, when they had walked the street and peered in windows at the safest distance they could without seeming like voyeurs, the cat jingled up to their porch again for a belly rub. It stayed for about half an hour, let Noctis look beyond the porch in search of another soul that might know who the cat belonged to, and then the cat was off. Vanished into the fallen leaves.

One more walk down the street, and Nyx quickly realized that there wasn’t a damn person living there but the two of them for the week. Which only led Nyx to a single conclusion. Their house was cursed by the ghost of a cockblocking kitten.

[amidalogicdive]

Symbolism

Title Symbolism

Rating: General Audiences Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Characters: Noctis Lucis Caelum, Nyx Ulric, Crowe Altius, Titus Drautos | Glauca Additional Tags: Fluff and Angst, Lost and Found, Established Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Love, Culture, 

Ao3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12468792

OCT. 23 - Clothing: Lost Items

“No, no, no…”

Nyx wrapped a towel around his waist, one hand rising to run through damp hair as he exited the tiny bathroom in his apartment so he could get ready for work. He hadn’t expected to find his lover sitting on the floor, having a mild panic attack. Pausing, he watched as Noctis sifted through the clothes that they had removed hastily the evening prior, muttering to himself as pale fingers patted down every piece.  

“Lyubov’ moya, what’s wrong?” Dark eyes glanced up quickly, glassy with tears as he shook his head. It was unlike Noctis to act this way, which instantly worried him. “Noct, what is it?” Nyx knelt quickly, feeling the prince cuddled against him and bury his face into his bare chest.

“I’m so sorry.”

The words confused him as he watched the figure in his arms that was on the verge of breaking down. Stroking his fingers through dark strands to calm him, Nyx tried to determine what had set Noct off to the point he felt he had to apologize. As far as he knew, he’d done nothing. “Little Prince, what happened?”

Shaking his head, he glanced up at the glaive after releasing a few deep breaths. “The necklace you gave me, I-I’ve lost it Nyx. I’m so sorry, I know how much it meant to you…”

Icy orbs fell to the man's bare neck, and though he tried, he couldn’t stop the frown that followed. It had been a gift to him on their second anniversary, a promise… and binding commitment that he wouldn’t leave Noctis. “Baby, calm down. It can be replaced, just breathe for me.”

The prince shook his head, a tear running down flushed cheeks as he held Nyx eyes with his own. “I don’t want a replacement, I want the one you gave me. The one you made me!”

Nyx could see how upsetting this was to his young lover, rubbing his back in slow circles as he spoke again. “Alright, come on breathe. Think, love. You had it last night, right?” He nodded, hiccuping as he did. “Well we haven’t left the apartment, it’s gotta be here baby. Please stop crying. We will find it, I promise.”

“A-Alright…”

Leaning down, he placed a sweet kiss on the tip of his nose. “Not the end of the world. I’m here, we can look together.”

The two combed over the apartment again, checking under the bed and sorting through the blankets. Nyx removed the sheets next, seeing they needed cleaning anyway, and checked the pillowcases. When nothing turned up, Nyx checked the small love seat he’d moved into the apartment shortly after they’d started dating.

The necklace had vanished.

The prince sat on the mattress as Nyx finished putting the small couch back together. Pale fingers ran over his lower neck, over the spot that the charm should have been sitting, and watched as he dressed for work. Noct didn’t know what to say but felt awful nonetheless.

“Noctis, I know you’re upset. I’m not gonna stop loving you because it’s gone, accidents happen and I can make another. Ok?” He knew the offer might end up refused again, but his boyfriend looked so upset he wanted to do something to ease his mind. Pulling on his boots, he made his way over to the prince, kneeling down and took his hands. “Please, don’t give me that look. I have to go to work and I don’t wanna leave you this upset.”

“I just,” He squeezed the tanned hands that held his own, dark eyes avoiding his lover's gaze. “it’s important to you and your culture, to me. You made it with your own hands, and I just… I lost it.”

Cupping his cheek, Nyx caressed his pale skin with a thumb as he made those midnight orbs his loved so much, meet his own. “Noctis, you are what's important to me. Yes, my culture means a lot, but I would give it all up for you. In the end, it’s a piece of metal, but you? You are the only person I am ever going to love. Alright? You are my world, baby.”

Releasing a shaky breath, he hesitated before nodding. Nyx could see that his boyfriend was still upset, but the words had started to calm him. “Yeah, alright. I-I’ll just keep looking while you’re gone. I’m just panicking and it has to be here.”

“Of course, and if it’s not you’ll get another. Now stop crying, got it?” Kissing him, Nyx could taste the salt on his lips, and on his tongue as the prince clung to him. Pulling him closer, he continued to dominate the kiss until Noctis backed away, panting and flushed. “Now rest, don’t want you making yourself sick.” Nyx moved down as light kisses found his lover's pale jaw, continuing down his neck before standing back up. “I changed the sheets, Now I gotta go or I’ll be late. Should only be a few hours, when I get back we can eat.”

“Ok.”

Giving him one last kiss on the forehead, Nyx grabbed his coat and exited the apartment. He hated leaving Noctis alone knowing he’d been crying, but he had no choice. When they had agreed to be a couple, they had agreed that their relationship would come secondary to their jobs. As Prince, Noctis couldn’t make Nyx a priority above his kingdom and Noctis didn’t expect him to do that with his position at the Kingsglaive.

Thankfully the walk from the apartment to the compound was short, and he’d made it there with a few minutes to spare. Entering, he was instantly waved over by Crowe. “Cutting it close, Hero.”

“Sorry I’m late, there was a problem at the apartment.”

“Oh?” Crowe was one of the few that knew of the relationship that had occurred with himself and the prince. She also knew how to keep her mouth shut. Seeing the look he gave her, a slight arch of his brow that spoke volumes, she dropped the subject. “Better get your coat on,” She said, helping him button it up as he straightened the collar. “formation is in a few minutes.” Pulling at the heavy fabric, a glint of silver caught her eye from the interior. “Something came loose?”

“What?” Nyx glanced down at well, realizing what it was she’d found. “Shit, we were just looking for this.” Pulling the chain from where it had caught, a silver charm came into view.

Rich brown eyes shot up to meet his own, her mouth opening to speak, but nothing came out. She knew what that piece of metal meant, but hadn’t expected to see it. “It’s gotten like that, hm?”

Giving her a look that told her, in no uncertain terms, that she needed to mind her own business; Nyx looked down at the chain. “Damn it, the latch came loose. It must have caught on my coat last night.”

“Crowe! Ulric! Formation, now!” Both glaives looked up as Drautos glared at them, motioning for them to get their asses in gear. Slipping the necklace into his pocket, Nyx knew he would need to get it fixed so he could take it home to his boyfriend.

Now, hours later, he found himself standing in a tiny dark shop in the Galahdian district and just a short walk to his home. Nyx watched the elderly woman as she leaned over the delicate piece of jewelry to examine it. “Mm, the clasp is not good, it has snapped. I’m not surprised to see it is broken.” She whispered, rummaging in a drawer until she found a small metal hook. “It looks like it had been damaged when it was attached to the chain.”

“That’s my fault,” The woman looked up as he spoke. “You see, I made it for my boyfriend. It’s very important to him, can you fix it?”

Humming lightly, work-worn fingers ran over the metal as they followed the curve and crossing of the design. She knew this symbol representing love, protection, unity… and knew the meaning of it. In some tribes, it was a gift, given to the other half of one's soul. Their reason for living, the one they would die for, would kill for.

She smiled at the glaive when she looked up at him after the examination. “Made it, you say? It is a very well crafted, you are from the Northern Islands of Galahd then?” He could feel a flush rise in his cheek, realizing that she knew its symbolism, and gave her a look of annoyance. Of course, it didn’t phase her. “It is meant to bind two souls that have found their other half for all eternity, he must be very important to warrant such a gift.” Pausing, the old woman stood, taking the necklace with her. “It can’t be fixed, but such an item shouldn’t be away from its owner. I’ll replace it with a better chain and clasp.”

Nyx hadn’t expected that. “Look, I don’t know if I have enough too...”

Waving off the comment before he could finish, she grabbed a thicker woven chain and checked the clasp. “Yes, it will do and will handle wear far better.” Moving the charm from one chain to the other, she secured the clasp and handed it back to him. “Take care of your soulmate, it is all the payment I need. Go now, you must return your promise to him; child of Galahd.”

"Thank you..." Turning, he made his way out of the cramped shop and back into the streets.  Navigating the narrow alleyways, Nyx knew it would only take him a matter of minutes to finally be home with Noctis once again.

Noct had curled up on the bed, blankets tucked around him, as he watched the small TV across the room. He’d decided to look one last time, and still found no sign of the necklace that his lover had given him. Thinking back on last night hadn’t helped him either. He remembered it had been there when he’d arrived at Nyx apartment, and it wasn’t until he’d woken up he’d realized it was missing.

The Prince’s eyes were still red-rimmed with tears as he let out a breath, knowing he would have to give in and ask Nyx for another and that broke his heart. Despite what he’d said, Noctis knew it was an important gift when it came to his lover's culture and was brushing it off to save his feelings. It was a gift given to one's true love, Nyx had told him that much, and why the loss of it upset him.

Hearing the door open pulled him from his thoughts, watching as Nyx slipped off his coat and hung it up. “Little Prince,” Making his way to the bed, Nyx sat next to him and pulled Noctis into his arms. “I told you to stop crying.”

Chuckling, he tried to brush off his sadness. “I’m sorry, I know it’s silly to be upset over. But, I also know how important it was to you that I have it.” Resting his head on Nyx shoulder, he felt familiar fingers run through his hair. “I did try looking again, but I never found it.”

Placing a kiss on his forehead, Nyx reached down and pulled the chain from his pocket, allowing Noctis to see it. Deep ocean blue eyes widened, looking at the necklace and then to his lovers own pale orbs. “I found it, somehow the clasp broke and it caught on my coat. Took it to a shop a few block away, and the woman there said it couldn’t be fixed. She’s replaced it with a thicker chain and stronger clasp.” Undoing it, he slipped the chain around his neck and fastened it. "There, back where it belongs."

A pale hand rose, lying over the charm as a look of relief washed over him. “Nyx, thank you so much. You were understanding, and you found it, you returned it to me.” Noctis knew it was the same one, he’d memorized every curve and dent pressed into the metal as he’d shaped it. His free hand rose, curling into ashen braids, pulling the elder glaive down. “I love you so much, Nyx.”

“Little Prince…moya lyubov’, dusha moya,  zhizn’ moya.” Their lips met, sweet and gentle, holding a longing for one another they hadn’t been able to deny. Pulling away, Nyx laid his lover back against the bed as he nipped at the pale column exposed to him. “Now that it’s returned to its proper place,” He whispered, kissing the charm that rested there. “let me teach your body who it belongs to once again?”

Noct nodded, midnight jewels expressing the need and desire he couldn’t find the words to say. He couldn’t remember a time he’d felt this whole, this complete, as he felt when he was with Nyx. Noctis hoped that this feeling wouldn’t end, like the promise that sat wrapped around his neck. Together as one, they were a perfect compliment to one another… and that wouldn’t change.

Nyx was his home, forever.

[jazzraft]

Title: Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice - Scarves Are For Snuggling Chapter: 3/5 [1] [2] Words: 1032 Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Commentary: for day six of the “death by fluff” challenge @nyxnoctocalypse. the theme is dates, which these two are very cute at. also a prompt fill for #9. Scarves from this list, requested by @aithilin. Summary: Noctis is very bad at pretending he’s not cold. also on AO3

Noctis didn’t regularly drink coffee. He didn’t loathe it for some childhood slight like he did carrots and all things green, but if he was presented with the choice, often he’d pick tea.

It wasn’t something Nyx noticed about him until they started eating out. Once the waiter asked for “tea or coffee with dessert,” Noctis always chose tea. But when Nyx brewed up a pot of coffee in the mornings after he spent the night at his apartment, Noctis took his mug with a dreamy smile and a grateful kiss. On the rare occasions where Nyx could stay over at Noct’s plush, high-rise apartment, he would brew coffee for Nyx and boil water for tea. He wondered if Ignis thought he was living with a heretic.

Once fall rolled around though, and the cafes put pumpkin spice lattes on the menu as if they were their saving grace, Nyx sniffed less Earl Grey and more sweet roasts. And since arriving at the hilly little hamlet where the royal cabin retreat over-looked, Noctis couldn’t get enough of the local diner’s homemade lattes.

“You’re turning into one of those pre-teens liking pretty pictures on that photo app Prompto loves so much.”

Noctis looked like he could dump the steaming beverage over his head for such an insult. Instead, he huddled deeper into the bench and wrapped his fingers around the paper cup, as if to assure the drink that the horrible man beside him didn’t mean anything by it.

The sky was blanketed with thick, gray clouds beyond the awning overhead, drizzling rain and looking about as cold as it felt. It hadn’t exactly been the bright, temperate week of weather they had been promised before setting out from Insomnia. They had a couple good days, and there were still a few more to look forward to before they had to go back, but for the most part, it had been cloudy and rainy and damp with cold. As much as Noctis shivered and curled himself into balls against the chill, he never complained once. Nyx thought that he actually kind of liked it this way. The coffee probably helped.

“Still got some time to kill,” Nyx reminded him, eyes raking over Noct’s clenched up ball of defiance to the cold. “You going to make it?”

Noctis glanced between the time on his phone and the time on the movie poster behind them. Nyx could see the despair in his eyes, no matter if he didn’t express it. “Yeah, I’m good. It’s fine.”

The chattering of his teeth said otherwise. He cracked open the lid to the cup to let some of the steam pour over his nose before taking another sip. It was so pitifully adorable that Nyx’s chest hurt. He shifted closer on the clammy bench, unwinding the patterned scarf Noctis had bought him because he said the dusty reds and browns reminded him of home.

“Come on, come here. Pretend like you know me.”

“After you scorned me for my artisanal coffee choices? You’re lucky this relationship isn’t over.”

Nyx wound the scarf around the both of them, tucking Noctis close and tying the scarf snug around his face, effectively crafting them a little nest of winter apparel and trapping Noctis so close to his face that he couldn’t escape the kisses begging for his forgiveness. He tickled butterfly kisses against his cheeks, along the ridge of his eye, grazed his chin along his ear and down the edge of his neck where he knew he was most ticklish.

Noctis put up a valiant fight of squirming and mewling and trying to rustle a fabric between his skin and Nyx’s mouth, but he was laughing in seconds and cursing his name, careful not to spill the coffee in the assault.

“You get away with everything,” Noctis whined.

Nyx wrapped his arms around him and burrowed his face deep into the scarf to help warm the prince up, breathing hot air against the tops of his ears that pricked cold against his lips. “You say that like it’s news.”

“I say that because maybe if I hear it enough, I’ll remember how to avoid it.”

“Then you keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.”

Noctis snorted, escaping a kiss by occupying his lips with more coffee. It was because it was so sweet that he loved these lattes, Nyx knew. It was like dessert in a cup, and the Six knew that the prince had a sweet-tooth that would put every toddler in Lucis to shame. Nyx didn’t mind his indulgences. They tasted all the better on his lips when they were from Noct’s.

“Hey,” Noctis murmured suddenly, while they were stuck so close and it was just the two of them waiting outside the vacant theater. “I love you. I know we don’t say that a lot, because we don’t really need to. But I wanted to say it at least once.”

“I don’t mind hearing it every once in a while. Don’t mind saying it even more.”

Nyx smiled at him. Few moments were more perfectly peaceful than this one. No traffic on the little dirt roads, the crunch of falling leaves skittering beneath their boots in the breezy drizzle, sweet, spiced coffee steaming up between them in the nest of a cheap, thrift store scarf, whispering “I love you” just for the sake of hearing it. Nyx kissed his nose, red with cold, then nudged Noct’s face beneath his chin for him to snuggle into the scarf.

“I love you back, little king.”

A pleased little purr nuzzled against his throat. They sat on the bench for a while longer, drinking in each others warmth and love and lazy affection in the autumn weather. After a few moments, Nyx check his watch.

“Still want to see this movie?”

“Gods, yes, please. It’s freezing.”

Nyx laughed in disbelief, Noctis piercing a vengeful elbow into his side as they stood up. They stumbled against each other, still bound together by the scarf, and every time Noctis tried to free them, Nyx would catch his hands and keep them both trapped. He had no intentions of letting Noctis go. Not now, not ever.

[jazzraft]

nyxnoct | flannel! (because come on, nyx in a flannel, sleeves rolled up, 100% hot and cozy, my friend)

set back in the fashion model au for day five of the deathbyfluff challenge @nyxnoctocalypse, events. ended up less about the event itself and more about nyx in flannel… although, i suppose that qualifies as an event

Noctis paused in the doorway, leaning against the frame tocatch his breath. A counter-productive spot to coax his lungs into workingorder, when Nyx was so close at hand and looking so damn good. He looked up atNoct’s sudden arrival, bemused by his breathless rush. He smiled at him, slowand sympathetic, and taking his time pulling on the shirt for the next set.

“They’re really putting you to work today, huh? Runninglaps? Thought that was the interns’ jobs.”

“As if I’d ever let an intern sneak this view.”

Noctis drew in his staggered breaths, yanking on thecashmere scarf that just finished getting shot so the air would reach hislungs. Cardio never had been kind to him. And Nyx never did help lower hisheart rate, the fucking tease.

Taking off a shirtwas one thing. Anticipation was strained with every button nibbled through ahole. Expectation ignited with every shift of fabric over warmed skin. It waspurposeful, a singular focus, an artistic suspense that Nyx had mastered wellbefore Noctis had come onto the scene.

But pulling a shirt on…Noctis didn’t know why he was surprised that Nyx could make covering up just assexy as stripping down.

There were promises in the movements, made just for him.There was a long apology in the languid shrug of sleeves up firm, olive arms.There was a humble vow that he would be allowed to undo what was done, eachinch of the washed-out flannel drawing him a road-map of how he could take itoff later.

He didn’t think he was a fan of plaid. Certainly not onhimself. But damn Nyx if he couldn’t make absolutely anything look good. The shirt looked shy on him. The distressed blues checkered around him in tentativelittle touches of color. Flannel was soft where Nyx was all hard, taught skinand sinewy muscle. The contrast was what made it. That the casual commonness ofthe shirt could chasten the provocative cut of his body.

“Your casual-wear spreads were always my favorites,” Noctistold him.

“Is that right?”

Nyx smirked, that slight pull of lips to one side that firstmade Noct’s pulse race. The shirt hung open as Nyx rolled up the sleeves,carefully abiding by designer instructions and knowing full well that itabsolutely tortured Noctis. It wasso… domestic. So innocent, and yet so, sonot. He played dumb so well. It was so “boy next door,” so trash-romancenovel, so B-movie rom-com. And Noctis loved the guilty little pleasure withouta drop of shame. He watched each deft fold of the sleeve into a neat, wrinklingline at the elbow. He watched fingers roughed with work that a man with hissalary never had to do. He watched those eyes look more silver than blueagainst the subtle dyes of the plaid, and crease at the corners with hiscrooked smile as Nyx looked at him.

“Were you supposed to retrieve me? Or did you run down herejust because you missed me so bad?”

“They need you on set.” Noctis rolled along the doorframeand into the dressing room, shutting the door behind him with a wickedly quietclick. “But I want you here.”

“I just got this on.”

“Didn’t say you had to take it off.”

Nyx paused, midway done rolling up the other sleeve,watching Noctis lope towards him. His grin spread wider, finishing with thesleeve to wrap his bared arms around him. Noctis leaned between the undonebuttons of the shirt, pressing against the hot flesh of his chest. His handsgripped the edge of the vanity behind Nyx’s hips, liking the way it creakedwhen Nyx leaned back into it. He dipped his head forward, caressing a breathover Nyx’s parting lips before pushing against them.

He surprised himself with the slowness of the kiss, thegentle press and pull of flesh caught beneath teeth and skin sliding socarefully across skin. Nyx was hot against him, and his own skin tingledbeneath the warm fall outfit, but he liked the laziness of it. The half-dressedlanguor of Nyx, the delicate softness of the clothes, the fuzzy feeling in hishead as he reached up to cup Nyx’s face and press it deeper to his own.

Nyx drew in a breath from Noctis, an almost soundless hissof air between them, impassioned by the depth of their closeness, how ferventlyNoctis pressed himself to him in the lulled quiet between barking photographersand cackling camera shutters.

“It’s the fall catalogue,” Nyx murmured between them whenNoctis let him breathe on his own. “When do you want to do it?”

Noct’s neck bent to the side, half in curiosity and half totempt Nyx into kissing it. He was rewarded for both halves, Nyx nosing down theloose scarf around his throat to plant easy kisses and pleading whispers to hisskin.

“When do you want to stop sneaking around? Stop pretendingthat we hate each other? Stop jerking the message-boards around and finallygive the finger to the tabloids?”

“You’re really ready to go public?”

“Aren’t you?”

Nyx gazed up at him, eyes wide and entreating and so muchlike an adoring puppy in a flannel collar that it made Noctis laugh. “I kind ofthought you liked the privacy. I know I did.”

“Ah, I see. You just don’t want to share me.”

“Can you really blame me?”

He ran his hands down the open sides of the flannel shirt,bumping the buttons beneath his thumbs and tugging the loose collapse of thefabric into even lines. The gesture put pressure on the collar, gently pressingdown on Nyx’s shoulders to bow them beneath Noct’s grin.

“Just a little longer?” Noctis pleaded, mouthing along thebraid that curved against his scalp. “Just the two of us? I don’t care whoknows. It’s not that I’m ashamed of us. You know that.”

Nyx’s arms squeezed around his waist, making Noctis sigh. Heloved that feeling. He loved how secured he felt between those strong arms,pressed possessively against that broad chest, caressed so softly by theselazy, autumn clothes. He’d never said that he loved Nyx, but by the way hismoonlight eyes melted like midnight rain as he pressed his forehead to his andkissed him again, he knew that he didn’t have to say it for him to know.

“Okay,” Nyx conceded. “Just the two of us. For as long as ittakes for them to figure it out?”

“Might be a while. You okay with that?”

Nyx smiled, as drowsy as the fall of his shirt and wrappingNoctis up in just as much cozy, coveted softness.

“Yeah. More than okay with that.”

[amidalogicdive]

Arrival

Title: Arrival

Rating: General Audiences Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric, Cindy Aurum/Lunafreya Nox Fleuret Characters: Noctis Lucis Caelum, Nyx Ulric, Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, Ignis Scientia, Original Child Character(s) Additional Tags: Most mentioned in passing, Fluff, Established Relationship, Married Couple, royal couple, Children, Dorks in Love, Idiots in Love, Loving Marriage, happiness, Cuddling & Snuggling, Joyful, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Bliss, Love, Affection, honoring the dead

Ao3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12553792

Summary: Years have passed since their engagement, and now happily married; they are ready for the next chapter in their life together.

Written for the NyxNoct Fluffpocalypse (Fall 2017)

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OCT. 29 - Time: The years ahead

When it finally happened they were deep into one of the coldest winters that Insomnia had seen in generations. Dark clouds filled the sky as heavy snow fell, making the early afternoon into an artificial night. Luckily for the royal couple, the room they were in was filled with warmth due to the fire and the long-awaited event. Luna had arrived weeks before, heavy with child as Cindy followed, a squirming three-year-old in her arms that they'd named Sol Nox Flueret.

The Citadel was filled with a nervous energy for days, and then it happened. The children were born, twins. It hadn't been expected but was celebrated, nonetheless. Especially by Nyx, who never dreamed he'd be married to the man he loved, much less have a true family once again. The boy had come first, long limbs and flailing arms as he cried loudly until he was set in Noctis' arms. The Prince smiled down at the small bundle, rocking him until the child stopped fussing.

"Isn't that better." He whispered, Nyx looking over his shoulder at the child. "You will be a Prince among men, and one day a King of King's."

"He looks like you, love."

Noctis smiled up at him, feeling his husband tug at one of his braids. One that Nyx had woven into his hair on their wedding day and every day since. "He has Luna's eyes, gonna be a heartbreaker."

Before he could respond the nurse walked out again, holding out the second bundle for Nyx to hold. Taking the child, he watched the little human in his arms. It was a mix of emotions that rushed through him, happiness, nervousness. But this was his child, his daughter cooing in his arms. Eyes like the midnight sky looked up at him, calm, gentle - Noctis' eyes. Glancing up at his husband, Nyx could stop the tears that formed.

“Are you ok, love?” Handing his son to his father, Noct moved to stand beside him, the little girl in his arms falling into an easy slumber.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. I just, it reminds me of my time in Galahd. When Selena was born, mother let me hold her like this. She was so small, so beautiful." Reaching up, he scrubbed a hand over his eyes, then looked at his lover. "It's good to feel this again like I have a true family."

Placing a kiss to his cheek, Noctis watched the little girl for a moment. A slight nod was Nyx only warning before he spoke. "Selena, it fits her.

Pale eyes widened, looking from Noctis to Regis, and back. "Noct, no... I couldn't ask you to do that." His eyes darted back to the King. "Tell Noctis it isn't necessary!"

Regis simply chuckled, gracing the glaive with a smile. "It's not my child and not my decision. But, I agree with my son; it's quite a lovely name."

"It suits her, my love," He fell quiet as the two men watched one another, trying to decipher the others thoughts. "but only if you don't mind."

"Y-You know I don't mind." The words were whispered, laying his forehead against Noctis' as a single tear ran down his cheek. "She would be ecstatic to know we named her niece after her, probably wouldn't shut up about it for days."

"Then, Selena it is."

"Why are you so good to me?" He asked, looking back down at the little girl lying in his arms. "When I came to Insomnia I was nothing. You have given me a reason to live, your love, and now a family. I, sometimes I feel I don't deserve it."

"You do Nyx," Reaching up, his fingers grasped a braid and made the glaive look at him. "You deserve all of this and more, after all, you put up with me every day."

"Thank you, Noctis."

"You're welcome, my love."

-

Noctis and Nyx remained inside the following day with the children, snow still heavy on the ground, though the storm had passed overnight. Ignis Scientia, as the adviser to the crown, was given the honor of announcing the Royal birth. Making his way out of the Citadel doors, he stood upon the steps where a rather large group had formed.

"Good Morning citizens of Lucis. It is an honor that I stand before you day in place of His Highness, Prince Noctis and Sir Nyx Ulric, to make the following announcement." The crowd was silent as he spoke, only the light crunch of snow underfoot breaking the stillness. "The twins arrived yesterday afternoon in good health to the delight of the royal couple. This blessing was delivered to Lucis by the grace and kindness of the Princess of Tenebrae, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret." Pushing his glasses up, he couldn't help but smile. "It is my honor and pleasure to announce the Royal birth of Crown Prince and heir apparent to the throne; Helion Lucis Caelum Ulric. As well as his sister, the Princess Selena Lucis Caelum Ulric. His Majesty, King Regis Lucis Caelum is overjoyed and gives thanks to the citizens of Lucis for their well-wishes and support. More information will be forthcoming, and I thank you for your time." Bowing, he turned to re-enter the Citadel, tapping at the small earpiece. "The message has been delivered at this time."

"Tell Iggy he did a wonderful job, love! Didn't he, my little loves? Uncle Iggy did a good job telling everyone about you!"

Ignis shook his head, as Nyx spoke. "Love, I'm pretty sure he heard you. But yes, we listened on the radio. Well done, now get up here. We have coffee, and Prompto just went to fetch breakfast with Gladio. Crowe and Lib's should be here soon."

"On my way." Tapping off the earpiece, he made his way back to the couple's suite.

[amidalogicdive]

Off Time

Title: Off Time

Rating: General Audiences Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Relationship: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Nyx Ulric Characters: Noctis Lucis Caelum, Nyx Ulric Additional Tags: Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Love, Falling In Love, Hobbies, Secrets, Established Relationship, two dorks in love

Ao3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12484072

OCT. 24 - Hobbies: To shy to share

Nyx had a secret hobby he was too embarrassed to share, and had kept under wraps. That was until a certain prince showed up without notice and blew his cover.

Written for the NyxNoct Fluffpocalypse (Fall 2017)

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Nyx had to thank whatever astral created Friday. It was finally the end of the week, training was done and he had no border mission to run. Nyx had the whole weekend off and was free and clear of all responsibility. Even his lover had plans, well he vaguely remembered some conversation about him and the Ambassador of Niflheim's son going out that evening. Prom was a good kid, so he knew they wouldn't get in too much trouble. But that was beside the point...

It was Friday, and he'd received the package he'd been waiting for three days ago. Three days of wishing time would go faster, and that the glaives-in-training would stop fucking up their warps and eating arena dirt. He deserved this damn it and had planned accordingly. The apartment door was locked, his fridge had been stocked with beer and at least three days of take-out Galahdian. Freshly showered and changed, he grabbed one of each and made his way over to the loveseat that now sat in his room. It was a recent purchase, mostly for Noct's benefit, but Nyx loved how comfortable it was. Setting the food on a small side table, he popped a disk into the player and sat back, familiar music started to fill the room.

But it was short-lived as he heard a rattling at his front door. For a second he played it off as the wind or some annoying neighbor. Then, his greatest fear happened as the apartment door opened and he was Noctis.

“Hey Nyx, sorry for the surprise visit but…”

Nyx moved faster than he'd ever moved in his life, trying to block the television screen as he reached for the remote. As for Noctis, he just stood in the doorway blinking at his lover's odd behavior. Slamming a finger down on the power button, the screen went dark as words rushed from his lips. "Hey, love, what's up? Why didn't you call, you weren't supposed to be here?"

Noctis stood there silently, jeweled orbs glancing from Nyx to the TV, then back to his boyfriend a few times. "Um, I left my phone here this morning.” Making his way over to the bed tucked in the corner, the prince picked up the forgotten device and slipped it into his coat pocket. “Did I disturb you?” Once again those eyes glanced between Nyx and the dark screen of the television.

“No! No, no… of course not, baby.” He needed an excuse, anything to placate the man before him. “I, you see it was…” Noctis arched a brow, waiting for him to speak as his arms crossed. “Training!” He spat the word out, instantly regretting it.

“Training?”

“Mm, training. Yep, good old training.”

Taking a few steps over to his lover, dark eyes glanced around for a moment. “Training, with beer and take-out?”

“It was a really long week, little prince.”

A few more steps and Noctis was standing before Nyx, a slight frown pulling at his lips. “I bet, and you know you can’t lie for shit, Nyx.” He opened his mouth to defend himself when Noctis picked up the box from the table and held it up. “When does glaive training involve… ‘The Many Adventures of Malboro-Kun’, or is this a recent development?”

A bright green malboro with huge eyes stared back at him, his tentacles happily flailing as a monster catcher chased after him down the street. Nyx was so fucking busted, and he knew it. “Sorry.”

“Sorry? Why did you lie to me?”

Retreating a few steps, his back hit the chilled wall as he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I thought you might think I’m childish, you know?”

“Too late for that.”

That earned the prince a glare. “Look, when I first came here I wasn’t in a good place...mentally. There was a lot of shit that I carried from Galahd and had just signed up with the glaives. If I wasn’t training and taking my frustrations out in the arena, I was… sulking here. Libs, he got me a tv and said I needed to get my mind off shit. Well, one day I randomly turned it on and that show was on.” Noctis looked down at the case in his hand, smiling at the bright exterior. “It was the only thing that took my mind off all the shit I couldn’t control.” Shrugging slightly, he saw Noctis look back up at him. “It was something that made me smile before I had you to brighten my day. Between training, missions and being with you I miss episodes so I just started buying the sets when they came out.”

“Why didn’t you tell me.”

“I-I just thought you’d laugh at me, you know? An adult watching Malboro-kun…”

“You should have been honest with me, Nyx.”

“I know, you’re right.” Running a hand across his face, a silly grin crossed his lips as he flung his arms open. ”I’m sorry little prince, your glaive boyfriend loves the Malboro-kun show. Now, do you forgive me?”

Noctis stood there quietly for a moment, his eyes dropping to the box in his hands once again as he flipped it over. Reading the description printed on the back, he held it back up for the glaive to see a moment later. “I swear, I seriously thought that you were watching porn, asshole.”

“What?” Nyx reached out, pulling the small man to him with a smirk. “Why the hell would I watch porn, when you’re all the porn I need?”

“At least I know you’re not lying anymore because that was cheesy.”

“Just being truthful… but I really am sorry.”

Acknowledging the apology with a nod, Noctis cuddled closer and looks at the cover. “This is season five?” Nyx let out a hum, making the prince look up. “I’m guessing you have the whole set then?” Once again he hummed, trying to figure out where Noct was going with this. “I’ve never seen it… maybe do you feel like catching me up?”

“You really don’t think it’s silly I like the show?” He shook his head, and Nyx kissed him lightly. “I was kind embarrassed, ya know?”

“Seriously?” Pushing away from the glaive, he sat the box down and went towards the kitchen. “Prom and I have 48-hour gaming binges, play King’s Knight on our phones religiously and dragged you guys to the Assassin’s Festival like… three weeks ago. You thought I would think this is silly?” Well, his boyfriend did have a point. “So, are you gonna teach me about your hobby?”

“I would love too baby.” Having grabbed his own beer, the two made their way back to the loveseat as Nyx put in the appropriate disk from the first season. “Speaking of Prom, didn’t you two have plans?”

Noctis pulled the bottle from his mouth, his shoulders raising slightly. “Something about his mom and some dinner tonight she wanted him to stay for. Guess someone came in from Nifelheim… I don’t know I really wasn’t paying attention. Anyway, we had to reschedule for tomorrow.”

“Going to stay the night then?”

Pale skin flushed lightly as he met Nyx eyes. “Is that an invitation?”

“You know this place is your home as much as the Citadel. Do you really need an invitation?”

“Not really, and yes I’ll stay.”

Sitting beside him, Nyx pulled him closer as offered Noct a skewer as the music began to play. “So, Malboro-kun is a shit, he goes on all these adventures with his friends. He also has a nemesis, this fucking monster hunter who’s always trying to catch him. Usually, Malboro-kun one-ups him, but if he does get caught Cactar-chan usually saves his ass with a thousand needles. Still, I can’t believe you’ve never seen this show before, you know Crowe has a keychain of him?”

Listening to his silly boyfriend babble about the show with a stupid grin on his face made him realize what a nerd his boyfriend really was. But he was his nerd, and honestly, the two made a great pair. “It sounds wonderful love.”