#i just think the fact that noct remembered prompto after all that time is great

[calamity-jam]

Promptis Week 2022 - Fav Era | Red | “Hey there, Prince Noctis! I’m Prompto, nice to meet you!”

they may not have met in this time or become close friends til later on, but i think seeing them meet at this time would have been neat!

[scottymcgeesterwrites]

Final Fantasy XV Review

Year: 2016

Original Platform: PlayStation 4

Also available on: PC (Steam), XBox One

Version I Played: PlayStation 4

Here we go. The final Final Fantasy review of the main single-player games. I just want to say, first off, we’ve been waiting for this game since 2006. It took them ten damn years to finally release this game. I clearly remember the teaser trailer they released when it was called Final Fantasy XIII Versus, and my next-door neighbor and I were so hyped for this game when we were freaking teenagers. After years of delays, Square Enix revamped it into Final Fantasy XV.

Did it live up to the wait? Well, read and find out.

Synopsis:

Noctis Lucis Caelum is the heir to the throne of the kingdom of Lucis. On his birthday, he sets off with his three best friends and bodyguards (Ignis, Prompto, Gladio) to marry his betrothed, Lunafreya. The marriage is supposed to be a political one, though Noct and Lunafreya had grown up together and become fond of each other. But peace turns to war as the empire of Niflheim betrays Insomnia and invades. Noct, now on the run, has to reclaim his right to the throne by collecting the necessary family heirlooms which will banish the darkness.  

Gameplay:

Open-world Final Fantasy.

That is the big selling point for this game. 

A MASSIVE step up from Final Fantasy XIII’s gameplay, Final Fantasy XV has you roaming around and attacking enemies on the field in real time. The battle system returns to something slightly more conventional by having you cast spells and use items. It seems like this is what Square really intended to do after Final Fantasy XII. Looking back, Final Fantasy XIII feels like some prototype before Final Fantasy XII, so it really becomes apparent that Final Fantasy XIII’s gameplay comes off as a huge mistake.

This game’s major’s strength comes from the player engaging with a massive world. You camp. You take on hunts. You take on a bajillion sidequests. You run across the world. You drive across the world. You can ride a chocobo across the world.

However, the dip in the gameplay comes from how easily accessible these sidequests are. The map tells you exactly where you go 24/7. I started to have an existential crisis around my 50th sidequest in a row. Why am I doing this? What’s the point? I go here to kill a thing, or go there to help someone by giving a potion or taking a picture. You start to realize that a good bulk of sidequests are either hunting daemons or fetching an item. You start to deconstruct the meaning of playing a video game as you think to yourself, “Why do I play video games?” while also thinking “But wait, one more and then I swear I’m done.”.

I get it, not everyone has the time nowadays to figure out a huge game like this. I get it, video games are now marketed to everyone for ease. At the same time, I personally love a good challenge. I mean, I’m the guy who has Dark Souls as one of his favorite video games of all time, so my opinion on the matter might definitely be skewered compared to most. I generally want to feel like I actually figured something out by myself rather than following a tracker on the screen and walking from task to task and then saying, “Okay done. Next.”.

Too much of that and playing a video game starts to feel like a 9 to 5 job to me. This game is great to play during quarantine, but at one point I saw playing this game as feeling like an actual job. Wake up, eat breakfast, time to hunt some daemons.

This is the growing conflict some people have with story-driven games versus open-world games. I see the argument focused too much on words like “linear”, but in reality we should be talking about “automation”. If a video game is too automated, then did you really play a video game? Or did you watch a movie that allows you to control the camera angle? At first, the idea of driving around an open-world Final Fantasy game sounds amazing. Isn’t that what fans always dreamed of? In reality, you don’t really drive around at your leisure. Even when you have the car set to “manual”, you can’t speed up, drive off-road, or pull off a sick drift like in The Fast and the Furious. Your car still automatically stays on the road wherever you’re going. It’s not so much “manual” as it is “I can control where and when to stop and which road to take”. Riding chocobos at your leisure is much more fun, but becomes increasingly impractical as you can just fast-travel to necessary locations in your car.

The sights and sounds of the fictional world of Eos are enough to gloss over these shortcomings though. It IS still fun to roam around and fight monsters and save the day. My bottom line is, “You don’t think about just how mindless the tasks are unless you keep playing for many days straight.”. And I poured hours into this game day after day because of the 2020 pandemic quarantine.

Graphics:

Obviously the best thus far. However, in-game facial expressions on the NPCs are still quite stilted and awkward. This game made me realize that we’ve yet to jump a hurdle when it comes to in-game graphics. The game is so polished but there are still limitations when it comes to giving the characters natural movements, both in body and lips. So an NPC could be shouting “WOW THAT’S AMAZING!” but have a straight face jumping up and down, despite the fact that the character model is the most realistic we’ve created so far in a video game. I was looking back at in-game cutscenes of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, and found it ironic that they can portray body movements so much better, but that’s the trade-off. Less graphics power to portray realistic bodies, but the graphics power can then be allocated to focus on natural movements. Nowadays, all the graphics power is focused on making things look good, but that hardly leaves room for making things move naturally.

Story:

After the overly-complicated plotline of Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XV feels like a breath of fresh air. On the surface, it’s a straightforward tale of a boy seeking to become a king after his father is brutally murdered by enemy forces. The bromance between the young king and his bodyguards is endearing. Each character feels distinct and genuinely makes you laugh. The setup sounds like prime real estate for an emotionally charged storyline.

Unfortunately, it falls apart somewhere around the last quarter. What should have been a strong and straightforward story turned into a rushed, hasty mess by the final act.

The story started SO strong, they practically had it in the bag, but then it became apparent that many important elements were glossed over - especially when it came to the main villain. I realized that some things required me to read between the lines, or even were only explained in character dossiers in the archive section of the menu. Supposedly, the movie Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV explains more, but do you really expect me to have to watch a separate movie to understand the actual game? The final quarter of the story feels like someone was trying to finish NaNoWriMo, realized they were running out of time, and quickly jumped from scene to scene to reach that 50k word goal. The ten-year time-skip is a joke. The final chapter is sorely disappointing.

The ending was appropriate though, and even beautiful. However, the overall story didn’t have the necessary emotional weight to really make me feel anything. I thought to myself, “I feel like I should be tearing up but instead I feel nothing.”. Even Final Fantasy XII, which lacked a romance, had me swelling up at the end. Final Fantasy XV didn’t make me swell up until literally the last few seconds of the post-credits scene.

People complained about the advertising (Coleman, Cup Noodles) but that didn’t bother me.

What does bother me is the lack of variety in the main cast, and in numerous ways. There were so many interesting side characters that didn’t receive much screen time, or use at all in the story. The strong focus on only the four male leads made it a sausagefest. I was craving more out of Aranea Highwind and Iris Amicitia. They are important but don’t get any screen time at all in the final chapter, nor do we ever hear from them ever again after the time-skip. Aranea Highwind was such a cool character, but once again ends up being wasted potential.

The main cast lacked distinctive styles. When I first saw the main cast, I had a hard time telling them apart. They looked like a k-pop band. Compare the main cast of Final Fantasy XV to literally any other Final Fantasy main cast and you can immediately spot the difference.

The four main leads do have distinct personalities, and I quite loved hearing their comments and banter. It felt realistic, but at times it became ridiculous. I rolled my eyes when Prompto would say things like, “Hashtag sorry not sorry.” That was a bit too on the nose, and came off as Square trying to pander to the current generation.

But what really rubbed me the wrong way is the incredible lack of non-white characters in the entire game. Lestallum feels so wrong to me as a Hispanic. Lestallum is supposed to be modeled after Havana, Cuba.

Its music, its buildings, its activities. It has a tropical climate, and yet every single denizen is pale white. Every. Single. One. I am not exaggerating. It feels so absolutely wrong walking around that city and not seeing anyone with the slightest shade of brown. This isn’t some uncalled-for SJW rant, it’s a simple fact. Tropical climates breed tanner skins. My brain naturally did a double-take when seeing the all-white population, saying, “Hmmm, something’s wrong here.”. For God’s sake, Final Fantasy XII, made over a decade earlier, did a better job at displaying the various nuances in skin tones, and that was on the PlayStation 2! Final Fantasy X, even older, seemed to properly portray tropical beach populations, inspired by the Philippines, with the character Wakka.

I noticed that they really took the time to incorporate elements from virtually every single Final Fantasy game. Aside from the crystals, the modern settings, and other obvious elements, four male leads are reminiscent of Final Fantasy III, the sinister chancellor hearkens back to Kefka from Final Fantasy VI, the enemy Yojimbo resembles Final Fantasy X’s version of Yojimbo, a certain boss battle reminded me of Cid Raines from Final Fantasy XIII.

Also, there’s Dino. Quite possibly the most annoying Final Fantasy NPC ever.

The overly obnoxious Italian stereotype made me want to punch his face, and also took me out of the experience of the fictional world. Every time you spoke with him he's all like "HEY HOW YOU DOIN WELCOME TO OLIVE GARDEN YOU TALKIN TO ME BADA BING BADA BOOM SPICY PIECE OF MEATBALL CAPISCE? AMIRITE??"

Square seemed to treat this game as a milestone in the series, alluding to everything the series ever did. It’s a shame that the story itself wasn’t quite up to snuff to be held in such regard.

Music:           

The game’s major lyrical song is copyrighted, which is a first for a Final Fantasy game. It makes sense why they chose the song “Stand by Me”, both in literal and figurative terms of the story.             

The score to this game is quite fantastic. The series has its first female composer, Yoko Shimomura. I have absolutely no complaints about the music. Nobuo Uematsu didn’t even pop into my head during the entire game. It’s the first time since Uematsu’s departure that I felt immersed in the score. The motifs are distinct and strong. The battle music is vibrant and an orchestral orgasm to listen to.    

Notable Theme:            

“Somnus”  

The main theme of the game. It plays right away in the main menu. I love how it is incorporated into the rest of the score, and my brain kept wanting to hear it to its completion.   

Direct Sequel?           

Nope. However, there is downloadable content that fills in the gap of events within the game. Supposedly, Final Fantasy XV is loosely connected to Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-O, all sharing common themes and possibly set in the same universe. You can also watch the prequel movie, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.

Did it Live up to the Hype?           

Eh.           

Yes, and no.            

It was cool to play around, but the rest is a flaccid attempt at being a notable entry in the series “for fans and first-timers”, as the words proudly display every time you load the game. It’s not the worst in the series, but certainly not the best. It’s somewhere in the mid-to-low tier.

[secret-engima]

So in your Naruto FF cover where Noct/Yoru is believed to be a god, what are the reactions of the families of the Chocobros? Cause their Clan member just got poached but they've also been really strange ever since their near death experience that woke up their memories (or did they always remember)? Especially the Hyuuga because they basically had Hikaru/Ignis enslaved and branded. Or even some povs from the Chocobros. (Poor Prompto, being an Aburame lol)

Ooooo tricky. Kinda depends on the family?

Lemme see- Ignis’s family are Most Displeased. They are super possessive of their eyeballs and treat their branch members as slaves anyway so they see it more like theft than a powerful man claiming a friend. Of course, there’s not much they can DO about it considering it’s Yoru and he burns Ignis’s seal off in .05 seconds and also threatens to burn the rest of the main branch to the ground if they touch Ignis again (not in so many words, but his magic does flatten a few of the members with its intensity when they got too close to Ignis.

Tbh that’s probably a blood grudge the Hyuga hold until Naruto’s time even though they stay in Konoha and Ignis is known among the hyuga not only as the blind member but the Stolen Hyuga. A warning to all hyuga of what will happen if they are not careful with their eyes and other such nonsense that only works because younger Hyuga don’t interact with Yoru enough to know that he’s a really chill dude and Ignis is happy where he is.

The Inuzuka are not too thrilled at first, but more laidback about it? Gladio still visits and they can tell that he’s Super Happy about being reunited with Yoru, and Yoru is polite and respectful to them and their dogs like him and you can never go wrong with the opinion of dogs in an Inuzuka’s eyes.

The Aburame ... are honestly the most chill about this? They aren’t too thrilled at first, but Yoru already has a Hyuga and an Inuzuka by then, so there is a precedent, and after a bit of watching it’s clear that these four are basically a Hive unto themselves and Prompto is happy to be there, is healthy and well cared for so they just kinda- shrug and move on. Maybe use the fact that one of their own is “Favored by Yoru” to their advantage during tricky Council meetings generations later.

The oddness and memories thing were long commented on, but ... mostly unnoticed in Hikaru’s case? Among the Branch Clan it was noted, but no one said anything or really thought about it because honestly I doubt the Hyuga have never had an Incident where Branch Members get a bit ... weird post Sealing and post a traumatic experience. That’s a chakra doohickey tattooed to your SKULL, side-effects are not impossible. The Inuzuka noticed it too, but Gladio was still ... himself, just a big more jaded and mature so they let it slide.

The Aburame maybe spent a good few years trying to figure out what the freak happened with Prompto though. Because they’ve never had a bug-a-phobic member before and it’s weird. They love him tho. He’s their disaster child.

Tbh in the Warring States Era nobody was really focused on mental health. If you were loyal to the Clan and could fight that was all that really mattered, weirdo personality changes aside.

Uhhh POVs but only short snips, and pls forgive any inconsistencies with previously establish AU lore my brain is tired and I may not keep all the details 100% straight. Just roll with it.:

Ignis:

After a lifetime of being blind, being able to SEE everything, all around, at any given time is unnerving. This entire era is unnerving and Hikaru has bitten his tongue more than once to keep from railing against it. Against sending CHILDREN, some not much older than toddlers out into the field, against the brand on his head and the heads of so many others that burns on the whim of a Main Branch member.

He keeps his head down, but inside ... he hates. More than a little bit. He is a fractured piece of glass and he knows too much pressure with make him snap, so he does his utmost to avoid those situations (because if he snaps children will get hurt even more than now and nothing will change in the Clan).

Then one day they go to meet Hashirama and Madara, to speak of peace, and of course Hikaru has heard of Yoru, the mysterious forest spirit that supposedly watches over the new village and ensures no fighting happens, but he does not actually think this Yoru will be all that impressive.

He never expects it to be NOCTIS. Noctis, who looks at him with hope and wonder in his eyes, who looks so very unchanged despite lifetimes, who rises and calls him brother and Ignis and friend and CLAIMS him in a way the Clan Head cannot dispute. No one can dispute against Noctis, because he is still a Lucis Caelum and a king and to him, their chakra is pebbles in an ocean.

And for the first time in a long time, Ignis is happy. Ignis has hope.

...

Gladio

Gladiolus loves his new family, and he knows they love him back. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t miss his old life like a wound in his side. Iris’s presence makes it a bit better but also not, because war is cruel and no one cares that she is still so young (older than the other Clans children sent to the field, because Inuzuka treasure their puppies, but still far too YOUNG to the mind of a Shield and Crownsguard). He loves his canine partner and the Pack, he loves that they don’t really question his memories, how his personality has matured and changed since the incident that woke him up.

Even so...

Even so, the absence of his brothers is a bleeding wound in his heart, and when the Clan Head looks at him, Gladio knows the man can see that in his heart of hearts, Gladio is not part of their Pack. He is family, but he has another Pack, another Alpha he swore to a lifetime ago, and that loyalty still howls in his soul far stronger than even the ties of blood and Pack and love that binds him to the Inuzuka.

So perhaps that is why the Clan Head does not look as outraged or surprised as he could have been when Yoru finds him, when NOCTIS looks back at Gladio from an eerily familiar yet not face. That is why, while the Hyuga sputter in shock when Gladio hugs Ignis tight and spins him in a circle for joy, the Inuzuka just watch with comprehension dawning in their eyes. Gladio looks to his Clan Head and says he’s going with Yoru and there is not request for permission. Just a courtesy of announcement. Because THIS- this is his Pack, his Alpha, his Beta, his brothers and littermates. He will follow them above all.

And the Clan Head lets him go.

...

Prompto:

Prompto wants to know who he ticked off in his past life that had a say in the next, because he HAD to have ticked off someone. Why else would he have been reborn into a clan of LIVING HIVE PEOPLE???????

He thinks he distresses them- no, he knows he does, when he flinches from the clan techniques and hives, from the little insects and their pheromones that the Clan uses as essentially an insectoid, chakra-based texting system amongst themselves. He knows he stresses out his hive for a long time, flinching from the feel of them inside him, from the skitter of their legs and wings and the whisper of their tiny, simple little thoughts in his own when they talk to him.

It .... it’s bad for a while. A WHILE. Bad enough the Clan won’t let him fight (which is fine with him) but also bad enough he loses weight and can’t sleep from the hive buzzing buzzing buzzing under his skin from his distress toward them.

It’s his great great grandma that saves him, quite literally, because an Aburame that rejects the hive is an Aburame who dies, not by any malicious intent on the Clans’ part but just- biologically. Just like starving to death will kill him, rejecting his Hive will kill him too and he KNOWS that but he can’t just- turn off his fear.

Then one day Elder Maya, the oldest living Aburame, sends for him. He comes to her private house with shivering skin and jumping senses and the hyper-awareness of the things inside him buzzing buzzing buzzing trying to remove the source of his distress and making it worse because they WERE his distress-.

Elder Maya takes his shaking hands and leads him to her garden.

It’s- it’s beautiful. It’s so beautiful he could cry for his long lost camera of another life. There are colors everywhere, blues and greens, reds, pinks, whites, and mixed splashes of yellow and purple- flowers that stand tall, flowers that droop, flowers dangling from the vines growing up tree trunks.

And everywhere there were flowers, there were butterflies. Butterflies and ladybugs, the two insects he wasn’t completely creeped out by because they were so pretty and photogenic, and for a moment Prompto is so awed his shaking stops, the Hive inside him goes quiet. A butterfly flaps lazily over to him, a glorious thing with vivid blue wings the color of magic and black dots and swirls that remind him of fire. It settles on his hand and he doesn’t flinch from it like he does the kikachu of the clan, just stays quiet and watches it with a bit of awe.

“You are not scared of these ones,” Elder Maya hums.

“U-um ... no,” he whispers as he watches it, “they’re ... pretty. Cute. They don’t ... they don’t look like they’ll hurt me.” And that’s not really his issue with the Kikaichu, but he can’t explain a phobia to ninja, not well anyway.

“Good,” says his great great grandmother, but not with her lips, with the soft splash of impression-scent-sensation from the butterfly on his hand and he gapes as he realizes THIS is her hive. These ladybugs and butterflies are Elder Maya’s hive. He stares at her and she adjusts the dark glasses she wears, “I will give you some of mine. Why? So you can cultivate a new Hive that you will not be afraid of.”

And she does. And it’s CREEPY, but also ... kinda not? It’s ... it still freaks him out to have bugs under his skin, but these ones ... he knows these ones. He chose them, he hatched them, he raised them. They are beautiful and deadly and soft looking and can strip flesh from a target in seconds and he wishes he had a camera because it would be so cool to have butterflies that can pose on command.

It’s a rocky road, but his shaking stops, and his weight goes back to normal, and his sleep schedule returns, and all the Clan breathes a sigh of relief when they see Prompto ambling around, not flinching from the glittery blue butterflies flitting on his shoulders.

And it’s not like his old life, his brothers he misses so badly, but its kinda nice to never be alone. Wherever he goes, his Hive goes, and his new Queens are kinda ... bossy almost and its endearing in a creepy kinda way. The only thing that would make life better, make it perfect (other than to not need a Hive in the first place) would be to have his brothers again.

And then they go to the new village of Konoha, and he meets the famed and terrifying Yoru, who isn’t terrifying at all, but is instead old and tired and blue eyed, and a fish lover and when he smiles, crooked and shy at Prompto all his Hive SINGS under his skin because he KNOWS.

And suddenly the world is perfect again.

[404gendernotfound]

Picture Perfect: Part 1 (Prompto x Reader)

Summary: You just wanted spend some quality time at the park when a cute blond boy fell from the tree you were laying under. You befriended him and his best friend Noctis and spend the rest of the day with them.

Contains: fluff

Warnings: none              

Wordcount: 2,6 K

Enjoy!

________________________________________________________________

It was a beautiful Monday morning. Finally after one week of terrible weather with a lot of rain and stormy days it had cleared again. The sun was shining right into my face as I woke up this morning. It was pleasantly warm and the sky was almost completely cleared from clouds. I stretched in bed and then stood up to get dressed and eat breakfast. I was really happy about the weather since I really wanted to go to the park again to just chill under a tree and maybe read a book or listen to some music. I packed my bag with a little something to eat and drink, one of my favorite books and of course my headphones before I left the house. The park wasn’t very far from where I lived so I just had to walk a few minutes before arriving there. It was already pretty crowded so I decided to maybe find a more secluded spot were people wouldn’t usually go. Since the park was actually pretty big I had a few options to choose from. I could get closer to the lake which was a very welcome way to cool down but I was sure that there would be the most commotion. Another possibility was to get closer to the forest which would be a bit colder and darker since the sun couldn’t really manage to break through the treetops. The last spot that came to my mind was the space right before the fields behind the park began. There would be a lot of insects like wasps and bees which made that park of the park pretty uninteresting for people that planned to go picknicking cause as soon as you took out some food they would be everywhere. I decided to find a place in the shadow of a tree near the field since I was sure that there wouldn’t be a lot of people. As I arrived there I was right. There were a few single people sitting or laying in the sun and there was a shadowy spot under a near tree that was still free. I walked there and laid down in the grass. I grabbed my headphones and plugged them into my phone before I used my backpack as a pillow and closed my eyes listening to some calming music. I loved to just lay in the park and do nothing for hours. Just feeling the cool summer breeze and smelling the fresh air would keep me at balance. I was laying here for some time until I got startled by a loud thump next to me before I hear a quiet “Ouch” right next to me. I sat up and looked next to me to see a blond boy with a camera in his hand who looked like he was a little bit in pain. I removed my headphones. Did he just fall from the tree?

“Are you ok?”, I asked slightly laughing at the thought that he had just fallen from the tree.

He turned his head towards me and my heart almost stopped to beat. His cheeks and nose were painted with a ton of beautiful freckles. He was dressed in black and dark brown clothes which really looked good on him and his beautiful blue eyes and blond hair were mesmerizing.

“Oh hi there. Yeah I’m fine”, he laughed and smiled back at me.

I couldn’t stop smiling. He looked so cute as he awkwardly scratched his neck before he stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothes. I kinda wanted to start a conversation with him since I thought he was cute. I remembered the camera again and spoke up as he was about to leave.

“Are you a photographer?”, I asked and watched him turn around to me again.

I could see his eyes sparkle from here. It looked almost as if he had waited for someone to finally ask him about that.

“Yeah. I love photography. This here is actually a pretty good spot to take photos”, he started to explain and walked towards me again before he let himself fall onto the grass next to me.

“Is that why you were in that tree?”, I asked curious.

“Yeah. I like taking pictures from higher up and you have a great view from up there. I’m sorry if I scared you with my fall”, he apologized which just made me laugh.

“Don’t worry it’s fine. I was a bit startled but I was more worried about your wellbeing than about myself”

“It’s not the first time he fell from a tree”, I suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice say.

I looked up to see another young man with black hair standing next to us. The cute blonde turned to him and sighed.

“Oh come on, Noct. You didn’t have to say that”, he protested and the black haired just smiled.

“I’m sorry if he was bothering you. He can become very smitten when it comes to beautiful women”, he said and I noticed the boy next to me look at him with an almost killing gaze.

I felt flattered by his comment and noticed my cheeks get a little warm. They both seemed to be very nice young men. The black haired stepped closer towards me and reached out with his hand to shake mine.

“I’m Noctis btw. This idiots best friend”, he introduced himself and looked at the blond one.

“Hey! I’m not an idiot. I’m just naturally clumsy that’s all”, he whined and then looked at me.

“I’m Prompto.”, he added and also shook my hand.

“I’m Y/n. Nice to meet you two”, I introduced myself before I watched Noctis sit down in front of me.

“So what were you up to on this beautiful day?”, Noctis asked.

“Oh. I was just thinking about spending my day here in the shadow listening to music and enjoying the fresh air. Nothing special”, I explained.

“Well…we were about to get lunch and maybe you’d like to join us?”, Prompto asked and fumbled with his camera while looking at me.

I looked at Noctis who was just smiling at me. Going to lunch with the two boys didn’t sound that bad and I would have time to get to know them better.

“Sure. Lunch sounds great”, I answered and noticed Promptos bright smile.

“Great. Then let’s get going.”, he said and stood up holding out his hand for me to take so he could help me stand up.

I had to giggle at his enthusiasm and packed my stuff back into my backpack before I grabbed his hand. He pulled me up to my feet and smiled down at me as he noticed that I was smaller than him. We three walked next to each other as we left the park together.

“So where do you plan on getting lunch?”, I asked.

“There is a diner about 10 minutes away from here that has the best food in town. We could walk there”, Noctis explained.

“Yeah…or we could…NOCT LOOK”, Prompto said and pointed towards something.

Noctis and I looked into the direction he pointed and both started to laugh. Right in front of us on the other side of the street was a chocobo rental. Noctis leaned over to me and grinned.

“Prompto is OBSESSED with chocobos”, he explained and I had to smile.

That fact made him even cuter. Prompto crossed his arms and looked at us.

“I’m not obsessed. I just really like them”, he tried to defend himself and fake pouted.

Could he get any cuter? I just giggled and playfully hit his shoulder. Riding chocobos didn’t sound bad to me.

“So how about it? Let’s rent some chocobos”, I suggested and Prompto looked as if he had just seen an angel.

Noctis rolled his eyes saying “Fine” and started walking towards the chocobo rental. As we arrived there Noctis talked to the person responsible for the renting while Prompto and I went over to the chocobos the feed and pet them. As I watched him practically cuddle with a chocobo I had to grin like an idiot.

“Hey Prompto”

“Yeah?”, he asked confused about me suddenly calling his name.

“Give me your camera for a second”

He looked at me a bit confused before he took the camera from around his neck and gave it to me. He didn’t pay much more attention to me and more to the chocobo in front of him that happily puffed his feathers. I took a few pictures of him and the chocobo until he noticed what I was doing. His cheeks turned a faint pink as he looked right into the camera as I took another picture.

“Hey stop that.”, he said and hid his face in the chocobos feathers.

“Never. You two look way too cute”, I admitted and heard the chocobo kweh.

Just after that Noctis returns. He laughed as he saw Promptos slightly flustered state and posed for the camera as I turned it towards him.

“The chocobos are rented, but I only managed to get these two since the others were already reserved. So I guess you two have to share one”, Noctis said and winked towards me which made me roll my eyes.

“We have no problem with that, right Prompto?”, I asked and watched his cheeks darken.

“Yeah…a-absolutely n-no pr-problem”, he stuttered and Noctis almost died laughing.

“If there is no problem then let’s go”, Noctis said and already mounted his chocobo ready to go.

Prompto got onto the chocobo first and I squeazed myself into the saddle behind him. I put the camera around my neck and then held onto his waist.

“Ready?”, Prompto asked.

“Ready!”, I said happy and snuggled myself closer to his back.

“Alright. Then let’s go”, Noctis announced and we began to ride towards our direction.

Prompto was riding in front of Noctis which gave me the opportunity to take some pictures of Noctis. He smiled for the camera while I struggled to keep myself steady with just one arm around Prompto. He must have noticed that I was barely hanging on since he reached with one arm behind him to put it around my waist to keep me from falling down.

“I don’t want you to get hurt”, he said as he looked at me.

The look on his face was so heartwarming that I had to take a quick picture of it. Prompto smiled as I took more pictures of him and then concentrated back on getting us safely to the diner. As we arrived there we left the chocobos at the entrance and walked into the nice little diner. There weren’t too many people there right now which was pretty nice since we could choose where we wanted to sit. We chose a booth at the windows and sat down. I was expecting Prompto and Noctis to sit on the opposite side of me but as Prompto was about to walk past me Noctis pushed him into the seat next to me and sat down across from us with a huge smile. A blind could see that he was trying to play the matchmaker for us and I wasn’t complaining since Prompto really was a cutie and I couldn’t wait to get to know more about him. He on the other hand looked like he would rip Noctis head off as soon as he was alone with him again. A waiter came over and handed us the menus. Since we couldn’t really choose what to get we decided to get a few dished and just share them. While we waited on the food Noctis started to talk about his car. He showed me a few pictures and it looked really cool.

“I would love to ride the Regalia one day”, I said fascinated by the cars beauty.

“I mean if you want we could just take you for a ride whenever you like”, Noctis said and smiled at me.

“I’d love to”, I said and watched Prompto look a bit jealous next to me.

To change the topic I grabbed the camera from around my neck and gently nudged him into the side with my elbow. He turned his head towards me.

“Let’s see how the pictures look that I took”, I suggested and his eyes began to sparkle.

“I’m sure they came out amazing”, Prompto complimented me and I noticed my cheeks heat up a bit.

We looked through the pictures together. They really didn’t look that bad. While we were concentrated on the pictured our food came and we started to dig in right after. We spend some more time in the diner talking about different stuff before it slowly got dark outside.

“I think we should take you back home before it get’s too late”, Noctis proposed and Prompto nodded.

“Yeah. You never know what’s lurking in the dark at night.”, he added and we left the diner.

We got back onto the chocobos and I told the boys where I lived. Prompto and Noctis brought me back to my apartment in no time. I hugged and pet the chocobo one last time before I turned towards the boys.

“Today was a really fun day. We should hang out more often”, I said and yawned shortly after.

“You can just call us whenever you like to hang out. And maybe we’ll pick you up in the Regalia next time”, Noctis suggested and smiled at me.

“That would be so cool”

I yawned another time. I hadn’t even noticed how tired I suddenly was. I saw Noctis whisper something to Prompto before he turned to me.

“I’ll accompany you to your apartment”, Prompto said and I whispered a small “ok”.

Noctis stayed with the chocobos while we walked up to the third floor. As we arrived my apartment I unlocked the door and stayed at the door looking at him.

“I really enjoyed today”, I said suddenly feeling a bit shy with just him here.

“I did too.”

“I’m really glad you fell from that tree”, I laughed and watched his cheeks flush a little bit.

“Me too”, he answered and softly smiled at me.

“Then I guess good night”

“Goodnight, Y/n”, he said and turned around to leave.

“WAIT”, I screamed after him and he turned around again.

“Yes?”

I just held my phone towards him and he instantly got what I wanted. He came back, grabbed my phone and typed in his number. Prompto gave the phone back to me and smiled.

“Text me”, he said.

“I will.”, I whispered and stepped forward, got on my tiptoes and quickly kissed his cheek.

Promptos eyes widened and his cheeks turned pink again.

“Goodnight, Prompto”

“Goodnight, Y/N”, he whispered and I watched him walk away.

I went into my appatment and squealed happily. I got his number and I had the courage to kiss his cheek. I was really proud of myself. I checked my phone and saw that he had saved himself as “Prompto❤” which made me blush a little bit. My heart was still racing as I walked towards the window facing the front of the building. I saw Noctis and Prompto still standing in front of the apartment. As Noctis spotted me he waved in my direction and Prompto noticed shortly after and joined him. I waved back and then watched them get back onto the chocobos and ride away.

to be continued...

[bgn846]

Regression FFXV Promptio Fic

Summary: Gladio gets hits with a status effect and becomes 17 again.  This would be somewhat bearable if it weren't for Prompto's terrible crush on the guy. 

--

Hands roughly shoved him, sending Prompto sailing off to the side.   Landing in the dirt he covered his head instinctively to avoid getting clocked by the monster they were fighting.  Gladio was already sprinting after it, yelling like a madman and swinging his great sword at the thing.  Of course, it had to be Gladio that had rescued him this time.   Getting up quickly he ran after his friend to try and help.

Stupid, big, loud, annoyingly handsome Gladio had saved him.  One of these days he was gonna repay the favor. Taking aim with his pistol, Prompto fired off a few shots.  The monster slowed somewhat allowing Ignis and Noct to attack next. This day needed to be over, he was tired and not looking forward to the teasing he’d get later for needing help. Maybe he had gotten distracted, Gladio’s fighting style was hard to ignore after all.  The guy was a wall of muscle and even sweaty he looked good.

Six, he needed to clear his head; this wasn’t the way to think during the heat of battle.  Running closer Prompto took another shot and hollered in glee when the monster fell over.  They were finally getting the upper hand, or so he thought. Sure, the big ugly monster thing had tipped sideways; the only issue now was the plume of yellow-colored gas coming out of its mouth.  

Ignis’ voice rang through air ordering them all to take cover.  He clearly didn’t like the look of the stuff either.  Noct came out of nowhere and tackled him, sending them both behind a rock.  Holding his breath and watching the air around them, Prompto waited for the yellowish tint to disappear.

“Is everyone alright?” Ignis asked from somewhere nearby.

“Good here!” Noct replied as he stood and hauled Prompto up with him.

Emerging from their makeshift hiding spot Prompto realized they’d not heard from Gladio yet. “What about the big guy?” he asked trying not to seem too concerned.  Noct knew about his crush but he didn’t really want to have that rubbed in his face at the moment.

“Shit, you’re right,” Noct supplied nervously as he ran towards Ignis. “Any sign of Gladio?” he checked with worry.

“No, the last I saw him he was over here.” Ignis offered as they ran around the monster.

The weird yellow stuff had literally been his last dying breath.   Prompto never wanted to see another one of those things again; it was aggressive and hard to kill. Ignis’ gasp of surprise when they’d reached the other side of the battleground made Prompto panic slightly.   Running up beside him to get a better view he was left dumbstruck.

A dude was standing there looking around like he was lost.  Once he spotted Ignis he huffed out a breath and ran over.  Prompto felt as though his chest might explode as he watched the guy.  He looked like Gladio in a way, but there were some major differences.  Height wise he’d shrunk and his clothes were baggy, plus his hair was short!  What had happened?

“Iggy, thank the six, what the hell is going on?” This, Gladio look-alike, asked with an air of frustration in a voice that wasn’t the normal deep baritone Prompto was accustomed to. He was scanning the rest of their little group and when he landed on Noct his eyes lit up.   “Shit, Noct’s here too.  Who’s the scrawny kid?” Gladio asked with a nod directed at him.    

Prompto chose to sulk as they picked their way back to the car.  It appeared Gladio had been affected by some weird-ass status effect.  He had been de-aged, to the wonderful age of seventeen.

How charming, in the most terrible way possible.  

Dealing with his feelings for twenty-four-year-old Gladio was hard enough, now he had the pubescent teen version to contend with.  One that kept questioning his skills since they’d never fought together before. This stupid status effect needed to be over, like yesterday.

“So you don’t remember anything that’s happened so far?” Noct asked for the third time as they drove along to the next outpost.

“Seriously, I just remember training like usual along with all the other stuff, like school and then boom there was that gross monster dead in front of me.”

“Huh, that’s strange.”

“Yeah, tell me about it, how do you think I feel?  All of this is new and I’m so confused.  I’m supposed to be twenty-four, right?”

“Yep,” Noct offered without batting an eyelash.  The prince was clearly not bothered by Gladio version 2.0 or was it version 1.0, this was so messed up!

“Damn, never thought you’d be able to look me in the eye princess, it’s weird.”  

Noct laughed and leaned back in his seat. “You’ll need to be careful though, you’ve not had the real-world experience your older self has gained.  Stick close and don’t do anything brash kay?”

“Me?” Gladio scoffed, “Never!”

The day was definitely terrible, it had to be cursed or something because not ten minutes later the stupid empire attacked them.  Two dropships full of those irritating tin cans fell from the sky.  With no other choice than to engage them, they all piled out of the car and prepared for battle.

Teenage Gladio was freaked, it was obvious, but the second one of those things went for Noct, the shield in training sprang into action.   His moves weren’t as polished, but he held his own for the most part.   That is until he got overwhelmed.  Training one on one was good and all but when four MT’s came stomping towards you that was a special kind of hell.

This time Prompto was ready, he didn’t need rescuing he was going to be the one helping.  However, he had to figure out how not to hit Gladio.  The guy wasn’t exactly staying in the clear, that kind of fighting style had been fine-tuned since they’d all left Insomnia.

Running faster to get closer Prompto almost had a heart attack when one of the MT’s took a swing at Gladio.  Thankfully, he ducked and fell to the ground.  Without thinking, Prompto rushed over and fired a shot point-blank into the enemy.  It sputtered and sparked falling in a heap nearby.  Hovering over Gladio’s body Prompto fired his gun at the remaining MT’s.  Each shot rang out loudly as he hit his targets with deadly accuracy.  Maybe Gladio wouldn’t be so unsure of his skills now!

Jumping up in celebration when the last MT fell, Prompto turned his attentions back to Gladio.  The not so big guy was staring up at him in awe.  Oops, perhaps he’d overstepped his place when he’d helped out.   Noct and Ignis hadn’t been that far away, they could have easily stepped in to lend a hand.

Slipping into silence he backed away and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry didn’t mean to freak you out there, figured you could use some backup.”

Gladio was pushing himself up off the pavement, that odd look still plastered on his face. “Nice shot, where’d you learn to shoot so well?”

“Crownsguard training, same as you went through.”

“Nah, I don’t remember anyone being that accurate in the range. Seriously where’d you learn?” He asked walking closer with a raised eyebrow. “That was amazing!”

Taken aback by the compliment Prompto suddenly felt his face heat up.  Great, he was blushing in front of teenage Gladio.  Someone needed to shoot him to put him out of his misery.  Laughing nervously he waved him off, “its just practice I guess.”

“You’ve got skill that was impressive.  Thanks for saving my butt.” Gladio offered with a wink as he sauntered past and got back into the car.

“I’ll remind you Prompto that he is technically underage, don’t do something you’ll regret later,” Ignis added coolly as he walked past a moment later.

“You told him!” Prompto bellowed as he turned and ran after the person he thought was his friend.  Noct, the tricky bastard, warped away and got back to the car without having to answer for his crimes. Grumbling at the injustice of it all Prompto slumped in his seat and scowled at the scenery going by.  

Ignis had cited the concern of getting attacked again for the choice to stay in a hotel for the night.  He didn’t want to risk anything with Gladio, not at his peak performance level.  Praying that Ignis would book two rooms so he could hide in one, Prompto almost yelled when Ignis arrived with one room key once they’d checked in.  This day sucked so bad!

Taking a deep breath he followed his friends to the room.  He could do this; the status effect would only last a couple of days at most.  If they were lucky Gladio would wake up taller and less cocky tomorrow morning. Dinner went without incident; he supposed fighting all day had made them hungry.  You can’t talk much when you’re shoveling food in your mouth.

Once the dishes were cleaned and put in the drying rack of the small kitchen, Gladio began asking questions.  He wanted to know everything that had happened to them.  Why were the niffs around? What had happened to everyone?  That wasn’t a pleasant conversation to have at any time. Ignis took the reins on that one and carefully retold the events they’d all suffered through.

He only explained enough to give Gladio an understanding of why the enemy was out and attacking them.  They didn’t want Noct to marry Luna. Ignis left out the part about Insomnia falling and everyone’s fates.   Gladio didn’t ask for more specifics so Ignis didn’t technically lie, he merely omitted certain facts. There was no need to let Gladio relive that moment again that would have been cruel.

Teenage Gladio shook his head in disbelief at the enemy being brazen enough to attack in broad daylight but didn’t comment further.  Standing up he began pacing the room.  “So what’s next, where are we going?”

“We’ve been en route to meet up with Lady Lunafreya.” Ignis offered.

“Cool, so we’re just waiting here till this funky effect wears off?”

“We can’t risk you getting injured, that wouldn’t be fair as you’ve not trained with us all.”

Sighing Gladio nodded but didn’t look too happy about the idea. “I guess that makes sense, I just don’t like waitin’ around for stuff to happen.  We gotta get out there and show the niffs we mean business.”

“Yes, well, all in due time I’m afraid.  Enjoy the break while we have it, we’ll be on the move again soon.”

Humming in acknowledgment Gladio paused when he passed the mirror above the dresser. “So older me is pretty buff huh?”

Prompto quickly looked away when Gladio began flexing and had to bite his lips to stifle a moan when Gladio took off his jacket.  Dear six, his back was bare. No tattoo, no scars, nothing.  Just smooth skin and muscles.  Apparently even at seventeen Gladio still looked like a freaking supermodel.  Unable to look any longer Prompto bolted up from where he’d been sitting at the table and jogged to the door. “I’m gonna go grab a soda or something. Berightback!” he blurted before throwing himself out into the hallway.

Taking off like a flash Prompto ran all the way to the vending machines.  He had to clear his head, this wasn’t good.  Crushing on regular Gladio was bad enough, this was downright painful.  Ducking his head he sighed heavily and began digging for money in his pockets.

“Need some change sugar?” An unfamiliar voice announced, causing Prompto to whip his head up. Standing a few feet away was another hunter.  The guy looked drunk and had his hand extended holding up some gil. “Come on sweet thing you can take it, I won’t ask for much in return.”

Prompto backed away from the machine like it was on fire. This guy was super creepy and he wasn’t planning on sticking around much longer. “I’m good, thanks,” he managed.

“Don’t get all bent about it, I’m just offering you a good time.”

“I don’t think he wants any kinda time with you buddy.”

Turning around Prompto saw Gladio stalking over like he was on a mission.  Despite the situation, Prompto nearly had another heart attack.  Gladio was wearing a t-shirt now instead of his usual jacket.   The only thing was the shirt was one his.  There, dangerously stretched out over his still developing muscles was Prompto’s moogle t-shirt.

Prompto didn’t have time to react when Gladio stood in front of him and stared down the drunken hunter. He was prepared to fight this guy.

“I suggest you shove off buddy, he’s with me,” Gladio growled, not at all sounding as young as he was.

“What are you gonna do about it?  I saw him first.”

The thing Gladio ended up doing was breaking the guy’s nose.  One minute the dude was mouthing off, and the next he was stumbling backward holding his face. He’d gotten the message this time, and shuffled off swearing about how kids didn’t respect their elders these days.  There was nothing to respect, that guy was a douche.

“You okay?” Gladio asked once it was quiet again.

“Sure, just dandy!” he quipped shakily. “We should get back to the room.”

“Not without our soda!  We had to survive that asshole, we deserve a reward.”

“Fair enough,” Prompto mused as he took out his cash.

“So, uh, do you wanna do something later?” Gladio asked casually as he stepped closer.  

“We could play some kings knight if you want, that mi--.”

Gladio laughed and grinned, “No, I mean like hang out somewhere later, ya know when Iggy and Noct are asleep.”

“And do what?” Prompto squeaked as he was starting to grasp what Gladio really meant.

“I dunno, stuff, we can take it slow,” Gladio smirked with a devilish grin.  “I’m young but I still know how to have a good time.”

This wasn’t happening; Gladio wasn’t hitting on him and suggesting they go do ‘things’ to each other in the middle of the night.  That couldn’t be possible. However, everything seemed to indicate that was the younger man’s intentions.  Gladio was attempting to unleash his un-honed skills of seduction on him.  “I can’t!” Prompto yelped, “You’re only seventeen!”

“Aww come on, you know you want to, besides I’m really twenty-four.”

“I can’t, I just can’t. Ignis told me I couldn’t, earlier.  We can’t make Ignis angry. That would be very bad.” Prompto sputtered as he backed away and bumped into the vending machine.

Gladio pouted but there was a twinkle to his eyes.  He wasn’t upset about how this was going.  The jerk was having fun.  Thinking fast Prompto threw out the only idea he could think of that might save him. “Why don’t we wait until you’re older again, and then you can ask me out?  That way we won’t make Ignis angry and we’ll go have some fun, uh later.”

“So you’ll go out with me?” Gladio checked seriously.  “I just have to wait until I’m back to normal.”

Nodding so fast he gave himself a head rush Prompto agreed. “Yeah for sure, just ask me first and I’m all over that like cheese on pizza.”

Gladio barked out a laugh and reached out to punch Prompto in the arm.  “You got it sunshine, let’s buy these drinks and head back.  I’m gonna ask you out tomorrow and you better be ready.”

Smiling at the statement Prompto got the sodas and the rest of the evening was filled with gaming and talk.  Though he knew nothing would happen in the morning.  Gladio would go back to normal and forget any of this ever happened.  He would never ask him out and Prompto would go back to pining from a distance.

Ignis saved the night so to speak when he announced the sleeping arrangements.  Noct and Gladio would be sharing one bed and he and Ignis the other.  At least he didn’t have to worry about Gladio making a move in the middle of the night.

Sleep didn’t come easily once they’d all turned in.  Prompto kept thinking about what Gladio had said.  Maybe if they’d met under different circumstances things could have worked out.  Gladio was Noct’s shield and he had a duty to uphold.  He wasn’t about to go chasing after him.  That shit didn’t happen in real life.  Finally pushing the thought from his head Prompto fell into a fitful slumber.

Morning came eventually and Prompto had all but forgotten the previous night’s escapades until he opened his eyes.  Flinching in shock he almost fell off the bed.  There lying next to him was older Gladio, watching his every move.

“Easy there sunshine,” he hummed slowly.

“What –what are you doing? Where are the others?”

“They are out getting breakfast.  Ignis said you didn’t sleep well last night so I figured you could use a little extra shut-eye.”

“I can sleep fine without you watching me!”

“Sure, but maybe I wanted to be alone with you, didja ever think of that?”

Prompto couldn’t get a handle on what Gladio was thinking.  Was the man teasing him or being serious?  “Okay we’re alone, so now what?” he spit out helplessly.

“I was thinking we could do something later if you’re up for it.”

Letting out a breath, Prompto groaned. He didn’t want to train with Gladio later that was the worst idea ever.  Figures the big guy turns back to normal and his first thought is training. “I don’t wanna train with you later okay. I’m not re—ompffff.” Prompto’s brain short-circuited. Gladio was kissing him, morning breath and all. Gladio had his hand securely in place at the base of Prompto’s head, keeping him from moving away. When the need to breathe became greater than the desire to continue kissing, Prompto tapped out and Gladio released his hold.

“I never said anything about training,” he offered with a salacious grin. “I thought I was told to ask you out once the status effect had worn off?  Did I misunderstand that request?” Gladio’s teasing tone of voice and smirk wasn’t helping Prompto make sense of what was happening.    

“You remembered?!” he whispered, hardly daring to believe it.

“Sure I remember, sunshine,” he chuckled. “I think the next step is for you to say yes.”

“Om em gee, yes!” Laughing like an idiot Prompto leaned forward again and kissed Gladio a second time.  So maybe de-aged Gladio hadn’t been such a terrible thing to endure; now he just had to figure out what they could do later!

[shianhygge-imagines]

Middlemarch: Alternate Universe [Ravus/Reader] Finale

AN: This final chapter of Middlemarch was a long time coming. I’m so sorry for how long it took! 

There are purposely some stuff left unanswered and open ended, though if asked, I will elaborate on it :3

|Masterlist Link|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the Trial of the Archean

It was immensely awkward, you decided in that moment. Why? Because after that moment of affection and intimacy from the High Commander, it seemed as if the both of you had taken five enormous steps backwards in terms of your relationship. Despite your past together as playmates, and despite the fact that he had saved you, Ravus still seemed to resent you immensely. The morning after you recovered your memories of your connection to Ravus, you’d been greeted with the old stoic and borderline antagonistic attitude you’d seen briefly. When confronted, Ravus had simply huffed, stated that nothing good could come of any relationship with a Lucian, he’d taken his paperwork and all but stomped out of the room. Occasionally, you’d see Ravus come check on your recovery progress, but it had been the last that you had personally spoken with him.

His eyes are not the same. You observed during one of his visits to check on your health. A metal arm, and a different colored eye. Probably from the aftermath of trying to wear the Ring of the Lucii. There were so many questions that you wanted to ask him. Why did you stop writing to me?

Had I done something wrong?

Why are you so cold to me now?

It’s been three days since you’d last spoken with the broody man, and the bitterness was starting to build up again. Just like it did when Noctis abandoned you in favor of his love, Lunafreya, you felt the loneliness build. Except, unlike the last times, where you had Ravus and then Cor, this time you had no one. With Ravus seemingly abandoning you as well, you’d been left as prey for the one person you knew who liked to mess with people the most.

Yes, as of right now, you were being dragged around from location to location by the Chancellor of Niflheim himself, Ardyn Izunia. You’d protested heavily when the auburn headed man practically stormed your room and swept you off your feet, carrying you like a sack of potatoes as he seemed to teleport in the same manner of those blessed by the Crystal.

Once Ardyn seemed to touch back down onto solid ground, he let you squirm out of his hold, aiming a rather mischievous look at you. “So? How was my driving?”

What in the- Driving? You groaned as your stomach turned unpleasantly, “I think I’m gonna puke.” You’d used the King’s power to phase and teleport before, but never through such a long distance. At least, you gathered this from the sudden fact that you were outside the airship, in a military base. Though appreciating the fact that Ardyn had given you some time to regain your footing, you still gave him a stern glare. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Aww. You don’t want to see your beloved friends? I thought I told you that your beloved Prince was waiting.” Ardyn pouted heavily, and while you admitted that the look worked for him, it still didn’t seem right that a man his age would pout. 

The twitching in your cheek came out of nowhere as you opened your mouth to shoot out a snarky reply. You were interrupted by a loud thud when you tried to snark back, bringing a halt to your statement as Ardyn tsked, waving his hand for you to follow. “Come hither. Wouldn’t want anyone getting killed now.”

Ardyn walked off before you could answer, leaving you following behind at a slow pace. What the hell is wrong with this guy?

“I’d say that’s far enough.” you suddenly heard Ardyn chide, like an adult scolding children, though you snickered at the irony. “A hand, Highness?” Your eyes narrowed, Highness?

“Not from you.”

“Oh, but I’m here to help.”

“And how is that?”

The familiar voices had you sprinting at full speed, catching Ravus’s eye as you practically slid around the corner to see your friends.

“By first bringing back something you lost.” you heard Ardyn answer.

“What do you mean by-”

“NOCT!” You practically screeched, sprinting past Ravus and Ardyn to glomp your friend.

All around you, there were gasps of surprise. The man in your arms froze, unable to move in his disbelief, afraid that everything was a dream. That you weren’t really in his arms. “Y-Y/N?”

“I’m so glad you’re all okay!” You cried in relief at seeing your childhood friends and brother.

“We thought you died!” Gladio looked on the verge of tears as he ran to engulf you and Noctis in a great hug. Prompto and Ignis followed soon after, and you allowed yourself to grin in happiness at being reunited with those you had considered your family.

“Y/N… You shouldn’t be running around so soon.” Ravus protested, extending a hand, something resembling worry passing over his face for just the briefest of moments. When you only ignored the older man, his face hardened, schooled into another stoic mask as he turned his attention to Ardyn. “I told you not to bother them.”

“I could let dear Y/N die of boredom, now could I?” Ardyn argued with a tone that suggested a lack of seriousness. “To torture your Little Light by abandoning them in that cold metal prison… how cruel.” The Chancellor tsked, a knowing glint to his eyes as he started to walk away. “Come now, Commander. Make haste.” His sly gaze spoke volumes as he stared at Noctis, “When next we meet, it’ll be across the seas. Just so happens we have business of our own with the tutelary deity, don’t we?” 

Ravus refused to acknowledge Ardyn, his gaze set upon your form, still surrounded by your friends. There was an almost pleading sadness to his eyes when he stared after you, but you stubbornly refused to acknowledge him in return. Something about Ardyn was hauntingly familiar as he bid the group farewell and walked away with Ravus. You shook your head in confusion, forcing your mind away from the matter, simply happy to have been reunited with Noctis and Gladio.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During the Trial of Leviathan

You missed being able to throw your weapon and teleport, especially now that the entirety of Altissia was under siege by the Hydraean and Niflheim forces. Noctis, Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis had all begged for you to stay with the evacuated civilians, but you couldn’t sit back and let your friends do all the fighting. The minute that the Hydraean appeared to answer Noctis’ call, you’d sprinted back into the city just before the waves rose to form a barrier. When the Niflheim airships encroached upon the city, seeming to head towards the Alter of the Tidemother, you sprinted faster, slipping the communications earpiece that Ignis had given you into your left ear. The floor rumbled as the waves shook the water bound city, and still you didn’t stumble. “Ignis? What’s going on?” “Y/N! Whatever you do, stay far away from the city!” It’s your brother’s voice that advises you from the earpiece, sounding like he was running somewhere.

“Uh…” You paused your sprint to look around for a higher vantage point, “Maybe too late for that.” There’s an exasperated groan from the other end of the comm link from your older brother. “Fine… just… play it safe, okay? I can’t lose you.”

You’re about to respond when an angry roar shakes the area. Stand on top of a building after having scaled the walkways and side tiles, you could see the Hydraean screech in anger from afar before attacking a flying speck… who you assumed to be Noctis. Remembering that you should have responded to Gladio, you spoke in a winded voice. “I’ll stay away from anything overwhelming, but it’s still my job to protect Noctis.” The tired sigh from Gladiolus brings a regretful frown to your face, knowing that your big brother only wanted you to be safe from harm. “I guess that’s all I can really ask for, huh… Love you, sis.” “Love you, too, big bro.” Was the response you gave before jumping towards another rooftop, making your way towards the Altar of the Tidemother.

You’re just about halfway to the altar when a bright beam lights up the sky, the ground shaking violently following. The Archenn rises from the water to challenge the Hydraean, and your comms piece crackles to life, Ignis’ voice filtering through. “Noct! Do you read me?” You could hear Ignis call over the comms unit before Titan slammed a fist into the water, creating a shockwave that knocked the approaching airships out of the sky and into the city. 

Too focused on keeping your balance on top of one of the Altissian buildings, you failed to notice that one of the airships had crashed into a towering piece of architecture, sending debris plummeting down around you.

“Ah! Damn!” You cursed, eyes darting around for a building that was still stable. When you didn’t see any to climb up towards, you sprinted over to the edge of the building, deciding that down into the water was better than getting crushed by pieces of building. “Let’s hope the water isn’t too turbulent.” You muttered before jumping off in a pencil dive.

Not even 15 minutes later

You coughed and sputtered as you tread water, once more having been knocked under the Altissian waters from the violent waves that crashed around the once beautiful city. The communication device fizzled in your ear, emitting only a few words from your brother, Prompto, and Ignis before dying from all the water damage.

“Great. Just great.” You muttered as you swam towards the closest ledge and pulled yourself out of the tepid water. Yanking the device out of your ear before it shocked you, you took a minute to rest your muscles, sea water dripping off your body as an exhausted groan left your lips. “Okay… Altar… that’s where I need to go.”

Climbing to your feet, you glanced around the street for any sign of enemies before allowing your gaze to drift upwards, wanting to get on top of another rooftop. Even among the rubble that littered the street, there wasn’t any easy way to climb up to the rooftops. “Okay then… I guess we’re doing this the old fashion way.” The sigh that escaped your lips was cut short by the distinct sound of a screeching Magitek soldier. “Astrals preserve me.” You cursed with a roll of your eyes, turning in place to summon your greatsword in a flash of crystalline light just as a large group of Niflheim puppet soldiers rounded the corner of the building towards you, surrounding you on all sides.

You’d seen the inhuman soldiers fight before, but had never personally fought one until now. As such, you remained a cautious distance away from the Niflheim puppets as they attacked with random patterns and seemingly zero team coordination. There was no technique for you to be weary of, no pattern for you to exploit. Just the overwhelming number of them. They were just mindless toys of the Niflheim Empire, but that was fine. You’d faced greater odds before. It took a little bit of time on your part, as well as the use of some thunder elemancy, but all the Magitek soldiers eventually fell at your feet.

“Waste of my time!” You growled, moving to scale the nearest wall in order to get a better vantage point of the city. Explosions and gunfire could be heard all around you, though you barely paid attention to anything besides the beam of light from the Altar. “Gotta get to Noct and Luna.” You muttered before sprint forward once more, doing your best to dodge the magitek armors that patrolled the ruins near the Altar.

The closer you came to the Altar, you began to notice the skies darken, rain falling as the Archaean and Hydraean departed. The beam of bright light that was once your waypoint dimmed and disappeared just as you rounded the corner and onto the path towards the altar. “No, no, no, no!” You pleaded under your breath, “Please don’t be too late to save them.”

For all the resentment you held towards Lunafreya, you didn’t hate the older woman. She had supported and protected Noctis during the darkest times of his childhood, and you swore to protect those that your King cared for.

But now, as your eyes took in the scene before you… of two tall familiar figures standing over the fallen lovers, you realized that you’d failed. The radiant glow from Lady Lunafreya dimmed until it was extinguished, though you still forced your tired feet to stumble forward, stopping to stand beside Ravus and Ignis, an expression of horror on your face.

“No…” the grief in Ravus’ voice gave you pause as he stumbled disbelieving towards Luna’s body. You could understand part of the grief, having lost your father only days before, but you couldn’t imagine losing your entire family. 

“Ravus…” you lifted a hand to reach out to him, but the Prince of Tenebrae continued forward, a growl to his tone.

“First, the Lucians stole from me my mother…” Your breathing paused as you scrambled through your memory for what little you remembered of the old reports on the attack. We didn’t… But we weren’t the ones that killed the Queen. Eyes darting to rest on Ravus’ back, your body tensed as he continued to speak, drawing his sword to strike down the unconscious Noctis. “And now they make a sacrifice of my sister!”

Ignis reacts just a split second faster than you do, stopping Ravus’ downward strike. Bewildered and still shocked from the lack of life in both Lunafreya and Noctis, you missed the two protectors’ exchange until Ignis roughly shoved Ravus back, taking the enraged and grief-stricken Prince on and pleading for him to return to his senses.

Trusting Ignis to handle calming Ravus down, you dashed forward and fell to your knees, checking both Oracle and King for heartbeats. “If I can do one thing right this day, please let it be to save them.” You pray, utilizing what little first aid you learned. As was expected of a King’s Sworn Shield, you confirmed that Noctis was okay first before moving onto Lady Lunafreya. The rain had long since washed away most of the evidence, but from the trail of blood from the altar proper to where the two lovers lay, you knew that Luna had lost too much blood for your meager first aid to be able to do anything about. Still, you worked to staunch the bleeding, using as much Curative Magic as your body could produce, hoping that you could at least prolong her life enough for proper aid to arrive.

Don’t die, You begged, pulling at all your magical reserves as you forced yourself to use the unnatural magic. Don’t die, Lunafreya. Don’t leave Noctis. Don’t leave Ravus. Please! Healing magic was never supposed to be used by a Lucian, only the Oracles of Tenebrae, and despite using everything you had in your body, the spell did nothing. Exhausted and without energy, you slouched forward with a miserable sob. “No! What good am I if I can’t even save one life?”

Before you knew it, a body sank heavily to the floor beside you, reaching out towards Luna’s body. “But… part of me always hoped… that I might see you happy one day. Your burdens lifted, free to live and love as you please.” Your eyes darted away from such a private moment between brother and sister, though it didn’t stop you from hearing, “You would have made a beautiful bride.”

Your eyes darted to stare at Noctis, silently agreeing that Luna would indeed have made a beautiful bride for Noctis. The Fates are cruel. You lamented as the darkness was briefly illuminated by Luna’s passing, her spirit appearing above the water… beautiful, benevolent, and lively as she smiled towards her brother, who begged for her not to go. And as you watched Ravus sob, something within you mourned with him.

Once upon a time, Ravus had been the light to coax you away from the darkness. As you shifted weakly to sit beside him, you knew that it was time you acted as his light.

Hesitantly, you extended a trembling hand to rest on his Magitek arm, drawing mournful heterochromatic eyes to your own. Nothing was said between the two of you, though Ravus raised his right hand to grasp your own. 

Please stay with me. His eyes plead, tears trailing downwards with the rain.

A squeeze of your hand was all the answer that the Prince needed, I won’t leave you.

After a small lot of time, the group of you could hear thudding footsteps approach. “Gladio!” You raised your head from where it rested on Ravus’ shoulder to stare at your older brother, only to furrow when he ignored Ignis’ follow up questions in favor of staring at the man beside you.

“Well, well.” Your brother muttered a little too elegantly as he approached. “What have we here?”

You rose, your greatsword summoned with the intention to block your brother’s attack upon Ravus, but even summoning your weapon proved too exhausting, and you slipped, slumping into Ravus’ firm back, which remained steady even as he blocked Gladio’s strike, “You… “ Ravus growled, staring up at your brother’s towering form. “Ardyn.”

“Ardyn?” Blinking in confusion, you watched in horror as the illusion dropped, and Ardyn Izunia stood before the lot of you, Niflheim soldiers surging forward to detain all of you.

Watching as they manhandled Ignis and Ravus ignited a fury within you. And despite how exhausted you already were, you called upon the power bestowed to you by the late King Regis. A powerful surge of electricity discharged from your body, shocking the troops around you and Ravus enough for the Prince to distract Ardyn. Weakened from reaching far over your limit, you reacted too late to block the descent of Ardyn’s arm to your neck, hearing only the cry of your name from Ignis and Ravus before your vision went black and you slumped forward into the Chancellor.

The next you woke, Noctis had sealed himself into the Crystal and eternal night had fallen over the world.

Y/N

I know if you were awake, you would have yelled at me for doing this. But I have a destiny to fulfill. I wanted to be there for you when you woke up, but the world couldn’t wait. While I take care of what I need to, I’m leaving everything to you, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto. And do me a favor? Live for yourself. I know you spent your entire life training to protect me, but I don’t want your life to go to waste. Ravus promised me that you’d be safe in Tenebrae, and I hope that when I do return, you’ll have your own story to tell me.

With Love,

Noctis

You sighed as you read the letter in your hand for probably the fiftieth time since you woke up. The pristine room seemed to taunt you as you sat in the soft bed, mulling over Noctis’ request. “Live for myself, huh?” An anxious laugh escaped your lips, “How to even begin…”

“You could start by trying to leave the bed.” A voice suggested dryly from the room entrance.

The smile that rose to your lips didn’t go unnoticed as Ravus stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him as he balanced a tray of food you. “Good morning, Ravus.” You greeted your host… though caretaker seemed a more appropriate title for the Prince of Tenebrae at that point.

Setting the tray of food down onto the small tea table, Ravus strolled forward to extend a hand, urging you to your feet gently as he stood by you for support. “It is actually closer to the afternoon, but that is of no consequence.” With one arm supporting your waist, the ex-Commander extended his left arm to pull out a plush chair before guiding you to the seat. “You should eat to recover your strength.” The last of the Nox Fleurets suggested, buttering a slice of bread for you before handing it over.

Muttering a soft ‘thank you,’ you took the buttered croissant, noting with affection that Ravus had remembered your love of spreading a copious amount of butter onto your bread. “You remembered how I like my butter.”

The ex-High Commander allowed his lips to curl at the edges, “I don’t think I could ever forget your bad habits.”

“Hmph.” You stuck your nose up and pouted haughtily as you bit into the bread, chewing and swallowing before answering Ravus. “Butter makes everything better, Rae.” Ravus merely continued to smile, his only answer being a soft chuckle as he set about fixing you a cup of tea. 

Now that he wasn’t looking at you so closely, you could see the well hidden exhaustion on the twenty-eight year old. Having been trained to read people, you could tell that recent events had truly taken a toll on your childhood friend. “I can practically feel your stare burning a hole into me, Y/N.” Ravus’ blue and purple eyes suddenly meet yours, “I suspect you have some questions.” Unfortunately, you were never that subtle with your observations…

Licking your lips to get rid of the butter and crumbs, but also as a nervous habit, you set the croissant down. “I understand all that Ignis told me… about the Starscourge… about Ardyn’s true identity… and about Noctis’ role in all this. But what I don’t understand is why I’m here in Tenebrae. I appreciate what you’ve done for my friends and I… and I’m more grateful that you’ve allowed me to stay here but… Surely your contempt of Lucians has not magically disappeared.”

“You needed a safe place to rest and recover.”

“I could have done that in Lucis. My brother and sister would have looked after me.” You quickly refuted Ravus’ reasoning. “Ravus… I know you promised to protect me when we were children… but… in light of what happened… I don’t think you should feel obligated to protect me.”

Blue and purple eyes gazed upon you with hurt and outrage, “You think that I allowed your stay here out of some misplaced sense of obligation?”

Not letting his tone affect you, you merely stared back at the Tenebraen Prince calmly, “Ravus… What else am I supposed to think of this situation? You cut off all connection with me for over ten years, and when I see you again, you make it no mystery that you abhor Lucians. And now, for whatever reason, you’ve suddenly taken an interest in my well-being.” Ravus almost looked ashamed for a moment, “So, I’m asking you now, Ravus. Why am I here?”

The silence that descended upon the room was tense and awkward. And when Ravus wouldn’t meet your eyes, you just wanted to kick yourself. And why can’t I keep my fat mouth shut. He was being nice, Y/N. Nice after ten years of ignoring your existence. And now he’s lost his little sister, and you’re being ungrateful. Sighing heavily, you took a breath before speaking, an apology on the tip of your tongue.

“Ravus, I-”

“... Is it too much to not wish to be alone?” 

The heartbroken and stressed edge to Ravus’ voice brought a wince to your face. And there you go, Y/N. Congratulations on being the most insensitive a-hole on this side of the planet. “Rae…”

“My sister is dead, Y/N. The last of my family has been taken from me and I…” His voice caught as his head turned to look in your direction, tearful eyes meeting yours. “She was all I had left. And now I have nothing.” You weren’t entirely sure if Ravus had even allowed himself to mourn. “Would you fault me for wanting a friend?”

You were on your feet before your brain had time to think about it. It’s not too much to ask. You want to say, but what leaves your lips is, “I’m here.” Your legs fail the moment that you put weight on them, and while you don’t scream or emote, you cry on the inside when Ravus catches you. WHAT IS THIS HORRIBLE CLICHE. 

Hoping that the moment hadn’t been ruined as you’re gently guided to the floor, you continue to speak, sinking to your knees alongside Ravus. “I’ll be here for you, Ravus. Until you no longer need me.”

Something in Ravus’ expression cracks and he pulls you close, embracing you as his body trembles, “Oh, Little Light. I don’t think there will be a time where I won’t need you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[amarabliss]

Oaths and Hearts - 18 (Ignis Scientia/Reader)

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

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

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11  Part 12  Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16  Part 17

Ignis yawned as he walked onto the site of construction. He took in a deep breath before raising his coffee up for a drink. His peace was broken by Gladio giving his two cents, “Duel wielding is illegal in some countries.”

Ignis turned giving him an exasperated look, “I know for a fact that duel wielding is completely legal in Insomnia, but I suppose you’re referring to my coffee and thermos.”

“Rough night still?” Gladio looked at him with concern.

“Her contractions are getting more frequent.” Ignis brought the cup up again, “She nearly said it was time last night.”

“She did?” Gladio’s eyes widened before he smiled, “Wow…It’s hard to believe you’re going to be a dad soon.”

“Did it happen? Are we uncles!?” Prompto ran up to him.

“Do you really think he’d be here if Y/N had the baby?” Noctis walked over wearing a safety hat on smirking, “Better get used to sleepless nights buddy.”

“So, I have been reminded daily.” Ignis sighed before setting his thermos on a bench, “Enough about me, where are we in the project?”

“Iggy…” Noct stepped close to him, “we do have a handle on this. You can go and get some rest.”

Ignis smiled at him, “I appreciate the concern, but I am getting enough rest. Y/N assures me we still have a couple of weeks…”

He looked at them all staring at him. Gladio was the first to speak, “Did you…read that in a book?”

“I…no…she just…I trust her.” Ignis set his empty cup down, “She is a woman after all…”

“Ignis, babies aren’t like calendars…” Gladio sighed shaking his head, “I can’t even remember the amount of false alarms my mom and dad had with Iris…and she was early…like three weeks early.”

Ignis stared at him a moment before shaking his head a little, “This is different.”

“You’re delusional!” Prompto rolled his eyes before smiling, “Regardless…I have the camera close by so we can get all the pictures we need when our little man arrives.”

“Our?” Ignis watched him and Gladio walking toward the contractor.

“Yeah…” Noctis smiled at him, “You’re the first of us to have a kid. We’re excited and knowing your baby is a little man…expect many gifts and a spoiled rotten kid. At least for a little while…”

Ignis looked at him, “You are Luna have talked then…”

“More then that.” Noct blushed a little, “She has her duties and I have mine, but…we can’t help wanting more then just our kingdoms and responsibilities.”

“Well…in time, you’ll get your wish.” Ignis put a hand on his shoulder, “You’re both young yet…”

“You say that as if you’re so much older then I am.” Noct laughed as they both walked to catch up with the others.

“In terms of maturity, until recently…” Ignis smirked chuckling as Noct glared at him a little.

The work was hard and honest. Rebuilding took manpower they didn’t have and everyone had begun to wear thin. But hope was in the future.

Luna had convinced Altissia to send aid sooner than later. The boys capture of the crystal had made a significant impact in how the world viewed Insomnia's young king. Not to mention the flocks of Insomnian citizens returning home. Everyone wanted to help.

It was the beginning of a new world view. Status barely mattered, just assisting your fellow man was enough.

Ignis looked up at the bright blue sky wiping is brow. Noctis had decided that rebuilding the hospital and other public venues needed to be priority one. The people rallied behind and progress was good despite the lack of supplies and people.

“Ignis!” The alarmed cry from below Drew is attention away from a flock of flying birds. It was Libertus and Tor running up to the work crews.

“Right here…what’s wrong?” He pushed through the crowd to get to them.

“Its time.” The both told him breathless, “She…Y/N…she’s…”

“What?” Ignis felt his hair practically stand on end as he shook his head, “No…no we’re supposed to have more time…we…”

“Iggy…” He looked at Gladio who stepped up next to him with Prompto, “it’s time…”

“But…nothing’s ready. I was supposed…I…we don’t even have a crib…” Ignis frowned putting a hand to his forehead.

“Hey hey!” Prompto waved his hands at him, “You only have one thing to worry about right now and that’s getting to Y/N and helping her. That’s your job right now.”

Ignis looked at him finding a strange comfort from his words before he nodded, “Right…yes, of course.”

“So, let’s get you there as fast as we can.” Noctis stepped up next to him putting his arm around Ignis’ shoulders, “Hold on.”

Ignis had warped before in short spurts when he and Noct performed maneuvers in battle. Galdio and Prompto both said that it made them sick afterwards. Ignis didn’t find he had that problem until now as his nerves fell into overdrive.

“Breathe Specs.” Noct reminded him as they landed already halfway to their destination.

Ignis looked at him seeing sweat drip down his friend’s face, “Noct, I can manage the rest.”

“Nonsense…” Noct shook his head warping to the next spot taking in a deep breath, “I can get you a bit closer.”

“Noct…” Ignis gently pushed him away toward a bench, “Sit…call Gladio and Prompto to come pick you up…”

As he turned away he heard Noct speak, “You’re gonna be great…just…breathe.”

Ignis looked back at him giving him a sturdy nod before turning back and taking off in a run. Every single step felt like fire began coursing through him. He didn’t know how to be a father…his was taken from him when he was young.

Not that his father hadn’t done well…but he remembered Roderick. His father was kind and gentle, but always seeking the truth and never giving up to find it. Brief images of riding his shoulders through their home, a proud smile, dancing in the kitchen…

He burst into the Citadel rushing to the stairs feeling his legs beginning to burn. As he pushed the door open, he heard a loud wail and he felt his stomach drop. He walked forward pushing through people standing in the hall. Nurses, doctors, patients…

“Y/N…” He heard Dr. Reed speaking, “Y/N you have to calm down…”

“What’s going on?” Ignis pushed forward and a nurse intercepted him as Dr. Reed turned around, “Dr. Reed…”

“Mr. Scientia…” Dr. Reed stepped close to him, “There’s been a…complication…”

“Complication…” Ignis eyes jumped to the open door as something crashed inside and you let out another groan, “Y/N!?”

Dr. Reed put his hands on Ignis’ chest with the nurse, “I can’t let you in there.”

“Ignis…” Your voice sounded weak and scared.

“Get out the way.” Ignis began pushing through them but was held back, “Move!”

“It’s too dangerous!” Dr. Reed raised his voice, “If I let you in there, there is a chance you will not walk out.”

“I don’t care, my wife needs me. Now move.” Ignis voice was low as he glared at the doctor feeling their hands move off him. He adjusted his shirt before stepping into the room.

His eyes widened as the scorch marks on the walls and floor. All the medical equipment was strewn about away from you. You were standing gripping onto the bed railing shaking.

“Y/N…” He began to step forward, but you raised you hand toward him.

“Stay back…” You turned shaking your hair from your sweating face, “…you…you have to leave.”

He stood still staring at you, “Y/N…I will not leave you. Not now…not ever…”

“I-I can’t control it…” You cringed putting you hand to your stomach letting out a painful groan. He took your distracted state to his advantage stepping right over to you. Your eyes opened and you started shaking your head, “No…No Ignis…”

“Shh…” He took your hand tightly in his as his other reached up pushing your hair away from your eyes, “We knew this might happen…”

Your face contorted as tears slipped down your face, “It’s so much worse…it’s so…”

“Shh…” He kissed your forehead, “We’re going to do this together…people with magic have been having babies for thousands of years from your land, you said so yourself.”

You let out another loud guttural groan as contractions came upon you, with it came an uncontrolled spell of chained lighting. It erupted through the floor around them. It was as he expected, his proximity to you protected him from the spell.

“Dr. Reed…” Ignis looked over at the door, “Be ready with everything you need for the baby…we’re doing this alone until we need you…assist with advisements only, do not enter unless I tell you.”

Dr. Reed confirmed as Ignis began turning you toward him have you hold onto his shoulders for support. You hands dug into his shoulders painfully, “I shouldn’t have….done this…mages shouldn’t…there’s too much chaos…I could hurt someone…you…our baby…”

“None of that…you are exactly as you should be…now look at me…” He brushed your hair away from your face, “You’re strong…”

“No…” You shut your eyes hanging your head again.

He lifted your chin looking into your eyes, “Yes. The strongest person I know. You fell through worlds, lost everyone and everything you ever knew, adjusted to an insane new lifestyle…with insane new people.”

“Y/N…you don’t remember but you traveled in time itself to save your family…the one we’re starting here and now…” He pressed his forehead against yours and smiled, “For a daughter we will one day have…so believe me when I say, you can do this.”

“Ignis…ooo….” You balled up his shirt in your hands as another contraction overtook you.

“It’s time.” Dr. Reed spoke from the doorway, “You’re going to have to push…I…I suggest laying down…”

“No…” You shook your head, “No…I…”

“It’s alright…we can stand…” He looked around the room before helping you toward a chair, “Brace yourself on this…I’ll need to be below to catch him.”

You nodded as you took in a deep shuddered breath grabbing onto the chair with one hand, “If…”

“I won’t let it come to that.” He took your other hand pressing it to his lips shutting his eyes. You wanted him to put you under if it came to it. You had researched c-sections, and even Dr. Reed had considered it but felt your concerns weren’t merited.

He could see Dr. Reed was reconsidering his position as he looked back as he reached for some gloves, “Doctor?”

“Ignis, you’ll need to reach up and check her cervix…based on her contractions…I’m positive she’s ready, but to be sure… insert two fingers…” He walked Ignis through what he was and wasn’t supposed to feel. Based on what was described back to him Dr. Reed confirmed full dilation, “The next time you feel a contraction you need to bear down…deep breath…and push…Ignis you’re going to see the head first…and gravity will probably work quickly.”

Ignis looked up at you as begin letting out quick short breaths trying you best to remain in control, “Darling…we do it now…just let go and think of Ulric.”

You nodded as you adjusted as the contraction wracked your body. He saw the immense strain you began to put on yourself as you pushed letting out a warrior’s scream. He could indeed see you taking down hordes of demons and dragons for those you loved in that moment. The moment you were becoming a mother, the joining a league of strongest forces the universe could create. His focus shifted quickly from your face to the small life beginning to join them in this world.

The process repeated. He hardly acknowledged the lights shattering above them as the storm you let loose raged everywhere around them. His heartbeat was so loud as he couldn’t hear his voice as he instructed you for one final push.

Then everything happened so fast…he was holding his crying son in his hands. Tears flooded into his eyes as he spoke, “He’s here…he’s here…”

“He…Ig…Ignis…” You looked back at them both.

Ignis saw your small smile before your legs started to give out. With precision reflexes he was up catching you with his one arm, “Y/N…”

“Go, go!” He heard behind him as he set your tired form into the chair. Nurses and Dr. Reed rushed into the room around them.

One nurse made eye contact with him taking his son from him to be examined. His eyes went back to you as they carefully lifted you to the bed. Dr. Reed confirmed everything had gone well as you began to come back eyes cracking back open when Ulric began to cry.

“…mm…my baby…” You reached up weakly and Ignis took your hand.

“He’s right here…just one more moment.” He whispered moving in to kiss your forehead, “You did so well my love.”

“Here we go…” A smiling nurse came back holding Ulric in a clean blanket as he cried, “meet your momma…”

Tears flooded his Ignis’ eyes again as you were handed him. Instantly his son’s cries disappeared as you pressed your cheek against his head, and the most miraculous sight occurred. A spell he’d only ever seen you use once to save everyone in battle rushed over everyone in the room.

Every nerve that had been set afire calmed in his body as tingling warmth replaced it. He felt energy being restored, as did everyone else who had their anxiety shooting through the roof. A knight’s resurgence…a revival.

You looked up at him as the calm feeling fell over everyone in the room, “Ignis…he’s wonderful…”

“He is…” A nurse handed him some towels to clean up before he leaned back to his family touching and kissing them both, “You both are…”

After sometime everyone shuffled around before taking Ulric back to be put in the nursery to give you time to be tended to. Before you were wheeled away you grabbed his arm, “Don’t leave him…”

There was such fear in your eyes, he could not refuse you. He followed the nurse down the hall looking in the bassinet at his perfect creation. Having no traditional facilities yet, they had converted a small office into the nursery.

“Would you like to hold him again, dad?” The nurse smiled at Ignis as she finished reswaddling him.

“I…” He wasn’t really given the option as she placed the boy back in his arms. He choked up looking at him, “I love you…I love you so much.”

Ulric fussed a little as he brought him up kissing his little hands. Staring at him made all time seem to stop that he didn’t notice three onlookers standing in the doorway until he heard the sound of a shutter. He looked up seeing Prompto snapping photos grinning just as big as the other two.

“How long have you been there?” Ignis walked over to them.

Noctis beamed up at him, “Oh…just fifteen minutes or so…”

“You should have said something.” Ignis bobbed his arms up and down as Ulric began to move a little, “But that’s beside the point…everyone…meet Ulric.”

“Wow…” Gladio whispered reaching over touching Ignis’ arm gently, “You did good.”

“I’ll say…hey little dude!” Prompto whispered, “I’m your Uncle Prompto…and I’m gonna be your favorite!”

“Nah…his uncle the king will be.” Noct nudged the blonde a little getting everyone to chuckle.

“We got him something.” Gladio stepped out into the hall before coming back inside holding a bag.

Ignis watched as the boys smirked at him before pulling out a book, “Oh…well it’s a little early…”

“Well in time he’s gonna want to know about everything…this is just a fun way to do it.” Gladio stepped in opening the book to show Ignis, “It’s yours and Y/N’s story minus some parts, plus others…see…”

Ignis looked at a beautifully illustrated child’s book showing how you met them all including Nyx, but everyone was drawn in a cartoonish way. Gladio flipped through it and it showed you both going on a date in Altissia, then fighting side by side to save Noct all the way leading up to being brought home.

“It’s wonderful…thank you…” He looked at them all before turning to Noctis who had nonstop been staring at the small child in his arms since he walked over, “Would you like to hold him?”

“Oh I…” Noct began to shake his head.

“There is no one I would trust more with son.” Ignis told him gently handing him over, “Support his head…”

Noct looked at Ulric and smiled before looking at Ignis, “So how’s it feel? We heard it was a special type of delivery.”

Ignis sat down looking up at them, “I never anticipated delivering him myself…but I can’t imagine doing it any other way…When I held him…it was…it was like everything inside me began to reset and reform…there’s really no words…except that I love him. I love him and I would do anything for him.”

He lifted his glasses off his face wiping the sudden tears away as the boys crowded around him in support. Everything was finally right in the world. Everything was just as it should be…

[lisatelramor]

Truth and Lies

I’ve wanted to write something for FF15 since I started playing the game and reading fic, but hadn’t had any ideas my brain latched onto. So here, finally, is something it deigned to write. @vulcansdarkest, hope you enjoy <3 (It’s not detective!Ignis, but it is Ignis-centric ^_^ ) To everyone in quarantine or living their lives, hope you can keep safe! 

***

“I’m bored,” Noctis groaned, flat on his back in the tent. It was raining outside as it had been all evening. Ordinarily, this would mean a round of King’s Knight, but their phones were on the last dregs of battery life after days of hiking in the wilderness. Their second-best option would have been a card game, but a mishap during one of Noctis’s fishing marathons had taken away that option.

“Read a book,” Gladio said, tossing one of his paperbacks at Noctis’s head.

“Ow! Not all of us are into whatever historical epic-romantic whatever you’re reading at the moment,” Noctis grumbled tossing the book into the Armiger.

Ignis was about to suggest Noctis help go over their inventory and funds if he had such a dire need to keep himself engaged when Prompto sat bolt upright with a wide grin.

“Ooh, I got an idea!” He pulled something out of the Armiger and set it on the tent floor with a soft thump. “Ta-dah! We could play a drinking game!”

“Prompto,” Ignis said looking over the bottle of high proof vodka he’d pulled out. “Where did you get the funds for that?”

“Psh, I didn’t raid our budget, Iggy,” Prompto said with a wave of his hand. “I sold off some bits and bobs I collected a while back. Sometimes you can find neat stuff near all those fishing spots. I figured it might be nice to relax and have a drink once in a while.”

“I’m not sure we can really afford a night of drunken revelry,” Ignis said, though it was tempting. They’d been working hard lately, pulling hunt after hunt to gather up a better buffer of money. And when they weren’t doing that, they were looking for any hint of a royal tomb around them. It was wearing them ragged even when they weren’t roughing it camping for over a week straight.

“Please?” Prompto asked with the puppy eyes that were far more effective on all of them than they would ever admit to Prompto lest he abuse them. “It doesn’t have to be drunk-drunk, just like, a few shots?”

Gladio examined the bottle. “Vodka’s crap, but you got a less shitty brand so, sure, sign me up. Noct?”

“Sounds better than staring at the tent ceiling,” Noctis said.

Outnumbered three to one, Ignis sighed. “Very well, but we’re not drinking straight vodka.” He had a can or two of fruit juice in the Armiger to water it down with.

“Yes!” Prompto did a little seated dance. “Ok, what’re we playing? Never have I ever? Buzz? Most likely?”

“Dude do you just have a list of drinking games you want to play?” Noctis asked.

“Uh, maybe if you’d have come to one of the parties in school you’d recognize them.”

“Yeah, that was never going to happen back then and you know it.”

Prompto pouted and Ignis and Gladio exchanged an amused look. Ignis pulled out juice and a carafe and started mixing the alcohol. “Well it’s not like we can do the games with other props,” Prompto said after a moment. “No cards. No cups and balls for beer pong. Not drunk enough for the games like Thump.”

“I can’t even remotely imagine what any of those games are with names like that,” Noctis said with a yawn. “Hey Ignis, what game do you think?”

“Well, considering there’s only four of us and we don’t have props, games like never have I ever are probably the better choice. Although given how many shared experiences we have here…” Everyone grimaced. Between growing up together in the citadel to running around all of Lucis on this trip, Prompto would likely get them all drunk very fast on the sheer principle that he had more unique personal experiences that the rest of them lacked. But a game that involved talking was more or less a given. “How about… two truths and a lie?”

“Not truth or dare?” Prompto asked.

Ignis gave him a look. “With everyone’s competitive streak and magic to fuel drunken shenanigans, I think not introducing the possibility of wild dares is the best option.”

“Ok, yeah, fair enough.”

Ignis still remembered a memorable occasion where Noctis got stuck on a roof when he was still new to warping thanks to one of Gladio’s dares. They were not going that route. “Besides, two truths and a lie will be a good test to see how well we actually know each other.”

Prompto sighed. “Dude, you guys all grew up together. Kinda rigged.”

“And yet we have very little knowledge of your life,” Ignis countered. “So if any of us has an advantage, it’s Noctis for knowing all of us.”

“Ooh, good point. Guess it works in the name of bonding.” Prompto grinned. “Gonna know you guys better than I know myself at the end of this trip.”

“Quite.” This hadn’t been what any of them expected when they left but leave it to Prompto to find a glimmer of brightness in the mess. “Here’s how we’ll play: we each have a cup, no more than two helpings of the drink to work with, and will take turns telling various facts and lies while the next person in the circle guesses which was the truth or lie. If they guess wrong, they take a drink, if they guess right, the person whose turn it was takes a drink. When you run out of alcohol, you’re out of the game. Does this seem fair?”

“Geeze, Iggy, that’s a lot of rules for a drinking game,” Prompto says. “But sure, sounds great, gimme the booze!”

Ignis rolled his eyes and handed around glasses of vodka mixture.

Gladio sniffed it. “Smells more like juice than vodka.”

“The point is not to have a debilitating hangover tomorrow,” Ignis said drily.

“Ok, but those two are lightweights and I have an iron liver.”

Ignis rolled his eyes again and added a shot to Gladio’s cup. “Is that satisfactory?”

Gladio grinned. “Yeah, that’s a bit more like it. Now who goes first?”

“Specs,” Noctis said, sniffing his own cup with a wrinkle of his nose. “Since you chose the game.”

“Very well.” Ignis sat in their loose circle. Two truths and a lie… “I speak six languages, I stabbed a man when I was five, and I can do a backflip in heels.” He looked pointedly to his left at Prompto.

“Damn, starting things out on hard mode,” Prompto said with a grimace. “Uh… The flip in heels is the lie?”

Ignis smirked.

“Aw man.” Prompto took a drink. He at least didn’t seem to dislike the taste. “Wait, you can do a flip in high heels?” A beat. “You’ve worn high heels?”

Ignis kept smirking.

“Iggy!” Prompto groaned. “What was the lie?”

“He only speaks three languages,” Gladio said. “He can read six. I don’t remember you stabbing anyone when you were five though.”

“It was an accident learning how to use daggers.” Ignis’s lips tilted into a real smile. “I never said I stabbed someone purposefully.”

“None of you are surprised by the heels?” Prompto asked.

Noctis and Gladio exchange a look. “A bet,” they said in unison. “Though only Ignis would take it as a challenge to master movement in high heels in general,” Noctis added.

“One never knows if that skill might be useful,” Ignis said. He wasn’t exactly going to admit that he’d liked how they’d accentuated his legs.

“The more ya know,” Prompto said. “Okay. My turn! Uh, lesse…” He tapped his cup absently. “My first kiss was with Jessia from eighth grade, I love cucumbers, and I have a whole USB filled with nothing but dog pictures.”

Noctis pointed at Prompto. “The first kiss is the lie.”

“Bzzzt,” Prompto said.

“What? You’d have told me if you’d had your first kiss!”

“Dude, I had it before we were friends. Also, like, it went horribly and she never talked to me again so I don’t really bring it up much.”

“Wait, so either you don’t have a USB of dog photos—which you totally do—or you secretly hate cucumbers? I thought you liked vegetables.”

“I eat healthy cuz it’s healthy not cuz I like all of it,” Prompto said. “You should try it.”

“Pass.”

Ignis made a mental note to avoid giving Prompto anything with cucumber in the future. “Drink up, Noct,” Ignis said when Noctis kept giving Prompto a look like he’d just destroyed one of the pillars of his understanding.

Noctis rolled his eyes and took a swig. “Whatever. Ok, Gladio. My favorite character in King’s Knight is Toby, I once pet a cat that had ten toes on each paw, and I caught a two-headed fish one time.”

Gladio raised an eyebrow. “That’s not even hard. You’d have talked our ears off if you caught a two-headed fish.”

“Eh, fair enough.” Noctis took another swallow of his drink.

“You just want to get drunk, don’t you?” Gladio said, amused. “My turn. I can bench a hundred and twenty kilos, on one of my camping trips I hiked forty kilometers in one day, and I once ate eight cup noodles in one sitting.”

Ignis hummed, turning the numbers over in his head.

“You know,” Prompto said, “I honestly would believe all of those actually happened. You’re not normal.”

Gladio snorted. “Thanks for the backhanded compliment.”

“You’re welcome.”

“The hiking one is a lie,” Ignis said after a moment. “I know your average bench press numbers and I remember you trying to prove something stupid with how many cup noodles you could eat in one sitting—and definitely remember you throwing them back up.”

“Worth it.”

“So the hiking distance has to be the lie.”

“You would logic it out,” Gladio said, snickering. “Yeah, you win.” He took a drink. “Your turn again Iggy.”

“Wait wait wait,” Prompto said. “I’m not going to have to guess Ignis every time am I? He’s like, way too good at deadpan for that.”

“Hmm, you have a point,” Ignis said. “Noctis and I can swap positions this next round and then you can swap with Gladio and by alternating like that we can keep things fair.”

“You’re making this way too complicated,” Noctis said, but he obligingly swapped places in the circle with Ignis.

“It makes things more interesting,” Ignis countered with a sharp grin. He had every intention of playing this game to win—by which he meant he intended to stay as sober as possible while watching his friends fall into drunken antics.

“Whatever, just get on with it,” Noctis said with a sigh.

Ignis glanced at Gladio. Gladio was privy to far more of Ignis’s private life than perhaps anyone in part because while he couldn’t always talk to Noctis—because friend or not, there were still the occasional professional boundary lines—Gladio was someone who shared a responsibility in caring for Noct and as such someone who could commiserate over some of the worse aspects of their prince’s personality. Still, he didn’t know everything about Ignis’s life. “My favorite knives are a gift from my uncle, I’ve always loved the taste of Ebony…” He pretended to put an extra second of thought into this, like he was hesitating over a lie. “One of my earliest memories is of reading a book.”

He could see Gladio labeling the knife fact as truth; Ignis hadn’t been subtle about his preferred weapon choice in combat and the topic had come up before. But Ignis was also banking on Gladio’s association of Ignis and Ebony; he’d been drinking some form of coffee since his early teenage years, and for as long as he and Gladio had any significant interaction.

“As hilarious as the idea of baby-Iggy reading is, I’m calling that out as a lie,” he said after a moment.

Ignis smiled triumphantly. “While not my earliest memory, I was reading full sentences by the age of three, so yes, it is one of my earliest memories. I actually detested Ebony the first time I tasted it and poured the can down the drain. It was only the lure of caffeine that ever got me to pick up another can.”

“No kidding.” Gladio didn’t look the least upset by guessing wrong, but he was probably happy enough to be ingesting some alcohol. “Sometimes I think you pretty much run on the stuff like the Regalia does gasoline.”

Ignis snorted. “It’s not an inaccurate assumption.” Thank goodness for caffeine for his overworked, frequently sleep deprived body.

Gladio took a larger-than-necessary swallow from his cup. “Right. So. I ran away from home when I was six, I tried to give Iris away when she was first born because she kept crying, and I can’t float when I swim.”

Noctis frowned. “I’m pretty sure everyone can float. That’s swimming 101.”

“Take a drink because I can’t.” Gladio grinned, then grimaced. “It’s actually a downside to muscle. It’s dense as hell and sinks more than my lung capacity can make me float. I can swim just fine, but it’s kind of hell trying to tread water for long.”

“Huh. You learn something every day,” Noctis said taking a drink.

“Did you really try to give Iris away?” Prompto asked. “Because I can’t see it.”

“No. I mean I was tempted because she was the worst, colicky baby ever but I was old enough that I wasn’t that impulsive.” Gladio picked at the edge of his cup. “Now if I was a couple years younger at the time…”

“I remember hearing your dad complaining to my dad,” Noctis said. “She was only quiet when she was asleep and even then that was almost never the first month.”

“Yeah, I feel so lucky she grew out of that.”

“Noctis’s turn!” Prompto chirped. “Go easy on me, buddy.”

“You wish,” Noctis said, sticking his tongue out at him. “Okay. I’ve killed every plant I’ve tried to grow, I broke three priceless vases as a kid and told no one, and I set Iggy’s first boyfriend on fire once.”

“Noctis Lucis Caelum!” Ignis said, scandalized and more than a little annoyed. “That was you?!” Ignis had been dumped very soon after that incident.

“That guy was a jerk,” Noctis said.

“I could have dumped him myself instead of the indignity of it being the other way around!”

“Uh,” said Prompto. “I’m guessing that’s not the lie.”

Ignis huffed, and Noctis waited.

“Plants are the lie?” Prompto said tentatively trying to steer things back toward the game.

“Nope. Actually it was Gladio that set the guy on fire.”

“Way to throw a man under a bus, Noct,” Gladio grumbled. He held up his hands when Ignis turned his glare on him. “Hey, he’s right. The guy was a dick.”

“Gladiolus!”

Gladio leaned a bit away from Ignis, a sheepish grin on his face. “I mean, no one got permanently injured.”

“Which of you ran off my next boyfriend, then?” Ignis demanded. Neither of them met his eyes.

“Uh,” Prompto said again into the tense silence. “So… Iggy, you like dudes?”

And Ignis had the horrifying realization that Prompto didn’t know.

“Oh shit,” Noctis said. “Uh, sorry Specs…”

“It’s fine,” Ignis said, hoping that it actually was fine and this revelation hadn’t just made their current close-quarters living arrangements strained. He’d forgotten for a moment, too comfortable with Noctis and Gladio being in the know, that not all of his friends actually had the knowledge that he was more interested in men than women.

“No, hey!” Prompto waved his hands frantically. “It’s cool, I’m fine with it, shit, I wasn’t trying to make things weird!”

“Prompto…” Ignis took a breath. “If this is—”

“My turn next,” Prompto blurted over him and Ignis frowned, trying to cut in only to have Prompto keep talking over him. “I’ve only kissed girls,” he said, which stung a bit considering what was just revealed, “I’m bi,” oh, “and I’ve never, uh, never had a crush on anyone here,” Prompto finished, his confidence draining into nerves. There was a faint blush on his face.

“Prompto,” Ignis said softly, “you didn’t have to do that.”

“What, continue the game?” he said with a forced smile. “Uh yeah I did, we still have booze so…” His gaze pleaded for Ignis to play along.

And Ignis couldn’t refuse considering his friend had chosen to out himself just to make Ignis feel less uncomfortable. “I take it the last one wasn’t a lie,” he said gently.

“You got me there.” Prompto took a large swallow of his drink. His cheeks were pink and he couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

“Shit,” Noctis mumbled. “…I wasn’t trying to make this real, I just wanted to tease Ignis.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Full disclosure, you’re not the only one who’s had a crush on someone here, Prom.”

Prompto’s jaw dropped. “Wait, is Gladio the only one here that’s straight?”

Gladio snorted. “I mean I’m mostly straight,” Gladio said. “But if we were playing a game of never-have-I-ever, the only one of us who wouldn’t drink to having a crush on Ignis is Ignis.”

Ignis went bright red.

“There was more than one reason we didn’t think your boyfriends were good enough,” Gladio said with a snort of laughter.

“…Did either of you approve of any of them?”

“Uh, the one Glaive was okay but…”

Noctis finished for him, “You weren’t into him half as much as he was into you.”

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to have to reevaluate so many previous interactions with a new perspective.

“Wait, Prompto, is that why you keep taking ass shots of Gladio?” Noctis asked.

Prompto sputtered. “I do not take ass shots! Of anyone!”

Gladio laughed. “Uh, hate to break it to you but you kind of do. Don’t worry, I don’t mind.”

“You take ass pics of Gladio, Ignis whenever he’s doing acrobatics, and usually half of what you take of me is mid-warp.”

“That’s just because you’re always warping, Noct,” Prompto said, settling into an embarrassed pout. “And Iggy’s usually doing backflips or setting something on fire like a boss so…” His shoulders hunched. “Also Gladio’s always rushing in so of course I get pictures from behind in battle.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Noctis said with a shit eating grin.

“Well,” Ignis said, feeling vaguely uncomfortable and ready to finish the game, “I think we’ve learned enough about each other for one night.”

“No, no,” Gladio said. “Prompto’s right. We still have booze. Also you and Noct haven’t interacted yet and I haven’t traded lies with Prompto.” He swished his cup around. “Besides, we’re still bored. Scared you’ll get embarrassed more?” he teased.

Ignis rolled his eyes. “Not at all.” It was just that if things continued along the current lines of affairs things could get complicated in ways that their trip didn’t allow for. From the way Gladio gave him a teasing eyebrow wiggle, he was thinking along the same lines without considering the fallout. He sighed. Ignis was not going to let things run in even more flirtatious directions thank you very much. “Noct.” Coming up with something for Noctis was about as hard as Gladio. On the one hand, Noctis could be unobservant. On the other, when he did use his powers of observation, they were uncannily accurate and stuck in his memory. “I choose to keep my accent,” he said after a moment of thought, “I had tutors before I was chosen to train to be your chamberlain, and I hated cooking when I first started learning.”

Noctis frowned. “I could see you keeping the accent because you like it and it reminds you of home. I know nothing of your life before you came to the Citadel more or less, and knowing you you’re probably banking on that. So, weird as it is to think of you hating cooking, I’m calling the second one a lie.”

Ignis smiled ruefully. It figured that he’d apply logic to it. “You’re correct.” He took a swallow of his drink and was pleased at its flavor, the alcohol a faint aftertaste on his tongue.

“If you didn’t like cooking, why’d you stick with it?” Prompto asked.

“Because it’s a useful skill,” Ignis said. “Knowing it is an important life skill as well as useful for caring for others; it was non-negotiable to learn. It just took a bit of a learning curve to get good enough at it that it wasn’t troublesome. Once I started looking at it as a puzzle made of ingredients it was a lot more enjoyable.”

“You know, you’re allowed to like or dislike something based on other things than usefulness,” Noctis said with a slight edge to his voice like he was somewhere along the lines of sad and exasperated.

Ignis, of course, knew that. But when growing up with a large job to fill, there had never been much room for non-useful things. Even his hobbies were chosen to be practical. “I can also enjoy things that also happen to be practical,” he pointed out. He liked languages. And while he couldn’t say he liked cleaning, it gave him a sense of satisfaction. Cooking was similar. These days it was one part puzzle, one part challenge, and the satisfaction of an end result. Baking on the other hand… “I do enjoy baking though.”

“Oh?” Noctis said.

Ignis smiled. He’d started because he’d hoped to make Noctis smile. And every time Noct ate one of his desserts and looked a bit happier, it had made Ignis happy. “I’d have to to make the same dessert over and over with slight changes for years.”

“Wow, that almost sounds like you’re accusing me of something,” Noctis joked.

“Accuse? Never,” Ignis said, grinning back. “I am surprised you never got sick of me trying though.”

“They were good,” Noctis said. “Even the worst of the failures. And they were…”

“They were?”

Noctis looked faintly embarrassed. “They were part of how you showed you cared so… it meant a lot.”

More than the cleaning and cooking or giving condensed reports ever did if Noctis’s embarrassment meant anything.

“And this is getting weirdly emotional,” Gladio cut in. “I know Noct drank a bit, but you only took a sip.”

Ignis rolled his eyes. “It’s reminiscing and nostalgia, Gladio.”

“Uh huh. Sure.” Gladio gave him a look that had Ignis blushing slight enough that hopefully no one would notice. “Anyway, Noct, either you go or I’m going next.”

“Fine.” Noctis drummed his fingers for a moment. “I like traveling and helping people out. I don’t like how crowded we are. I sometimes wish that things could always be this simple.”

Ignis had the strong desire to give Noctis a hug, like he’d done when they were children. There was vulnerability and defensiveness warring under his attempted nonchalance and if they still had the sort of uncomplicated relationship that children had, he’d already have Noctis in an embrace. But they were adults and Noct might accept side hugs and slaps on the shoulder from Prompto and Gladio, there had been a wall of propriety between him and Ignis for a while. A wall that he should really start to take down. Propriety was pointless when there wasn’t anyone left who would care.

“The second one is a lie,” Ignis said softly.

Noctis smiled, lopsided. “Yeah.” He took a drink.

“Aw, we like crowding you too,” Prompto said, nudging Noctis with an elbow. “I mean, sometimes a little privacy would be nice, but honestly you can’t feel lonely like this and that’s been good.”

Left to their own devices they weren’t the sorts to spend every waking moment with another person, but they had been spending more or less that for months now. Ignis, if asked before their trip started, would have thought that they’d have gotten on their last nerve at some point or another, but they hadn’t. There was quiet, introspective time on car rides, or brief moments at havens to break away from the group and have a private moment, but surprisingly they hadn’t needed more than that so far. It was almost nice if Ignis didn’t think about the circumstances. And for Noctis who had never really had enough time to spend with friends with his busy life… Well, Ignis, having a busy life of his own, could more than understand why the lifestyle they’d been living appealed.

“We can’t forget our purpose though,” Gladio pointed out.

“Dude,” Prompto said, “I don’t think any of us could no matter how many fetch quests people send us on.”

“I’m just saying,” Gladio grumbled.

“And I’m just saying that tonight’s time to not think about the things that are always looming over us,” Prompto said, pushing back more than he normally would. “Please? Like we’re all strung out, that’s why we gotta relax and recharge sometimes or we’ll just burn out.”

Gladio rubbed a hand down his face and took a drink even though it wasn’t part of the game. “Yeah.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Noctis added in a quiet voice. “I promise.”

“We’re really missing the point to this game,” Prompto said with a sigh. “Getting too real, guys. On that note, Gladio—Two truths and a lie. I’ve always wanted a pet, I bought my first camera with allowance money, and I am naturally a morning person.”

Gladio took a second to switch gears but when he did he relaxed in a very deliberate looking manner. “Well considering how you go on about chocobos, I wouldn’t be surprised if you always wanted one as a pet. And how you’re friends with Sleeping Beauty over there, it’s a mystery because you don’t need coffee in the morning like Ignis and you don’t sleep in like Noct. So, how’d you actually get your first camera?”

“I bought it with money from a part time job,” Prompto said after taking a drink. “Technically I had a phone camera before, but I was kind of frustrated at the limitations and after taking a photography class… Yeah, I was hooked.” He smiled. “So I saved up and bought this beauty,” Prompto said patting his camera. “It’s not like high end, but with multiple lenses and filters and a hella good zoom, it’s a pretty dang good first camera, you know?”

“I commend your work ethic,” Ignis said, though Prompto’s work ethic had always been good, even if he and Noctis were enablers in indulging in their gaming interests at the expense of other tasks at times. Prompto had gotten decent grades his whole life, and worked from no prior combat knowledge to full-fledged Crownsguard, pulling his own weight on this trip purely because he cared for Noctis. It wasn’t really surprising that he’d seen the goal of a nice camera and put the effort into getting it.

“Thanks, Iggy,” Prompto said with a pleased grin.

“Now if only Noct had a bit more of that,” Gladio joked.

“Of all of us, I think Prompto and I have the best work-life balance,” Noctis shot back.

“Besides,” Ignis added, “Noctis is hardworking. Unfortunately he just has a tendency to drop less pressing tasks in favor of immediate ones.”

“Is this about not sewing the button back on my shirt? Because I’m going to sew the button back on my shirt.”

“I’ve actually been impressed by how much help you’ve been with tasks like dishes and laundry,” Ignis said, a bit mean to do, but it was a sore point between them. Then again, Noctis was more likely to drop what he was doing and help than Gladio. Prompto was fine if given directions at least. Goodness knew Ignis couldn’t run every minutia of their lives no matter how much he wanted to.

Noctis groaned. “You’re never going to let high school go are you?”

Ignis smiled. “If it was only high school, I would.”

“He’s got you there, dude,” Prompto said. “You’re kind of a trash master when you get distracted.”

Distracted being anything from work, to a gaming binge, to one of Noctis’s occasional depressive episodes. Ignis was sympathetic to the latter and exasperated by the former.

“It’s Gladio’s turn,” Noctis said pointedly turning the conversation away from himself.

“Fine,” he sighed. “I am a dog person, I kill houseplants no matter how I try to keep them alive, and I kind of wish I’d gone to college.”

Prompto squinted at him. “This is the sort of thing I was worried about playing this. I have no idea which of those is a lie.”

“Guess,” Gladio said unhelpfully.

“Plants?” Prompto asked more than stated.

“Bzzt. I’m not a dog person. They’re cute and all but they’re high maintenance compared to cats.”

“Harsh, dogs are great,” Prompto said taking a drink. “They’re loyal and hard working. Don’t get me wrong, cats are adorable, but they’d abandon you for a sardine.”

“Lies and slander,” Noctis said.

“Dude, they’re super picky and you fall for their begging every time.”

“You feed every dog that looks your direction,” Noctis countered.

“Uh, no, we’ve seen like three dogs and one of those is Dave’s. You’re the one busting out super expensive cat food. Anyway, we can all agree chocobos are best.”

Noctis laughed. “I think it’s just you there.”

“Nah, chocobos are more useful and better fighters than either of them,” Gladio said, “so they win in my book too.”

“Why didn’t you attend university?” Ignis asked.

“You think I’d have had the time? I don’t know how you did it, honestly. I had my plate full learning everything I needed to protect Noct.”

Ignis could see a small, guilty twitch from Noctis. Ignis’s own university years had been…hmm, eventful. And the largest reason for his caffeine addiction. “Out of curiosity, what would you have studied?”

Gladio shrugged. “I dunno. I like history, and some of the stuff I’ve talked with Sania about’s pretty cool.”

“Oh yeah, you are friends with her aren’t you?” Prompto said. “Are frogs really that exciting?”

“Okay, the frogs are just one of the things she studies,” Gladio said. “Her greater research is on wildlife in general and you’d know that if you listened to what she said when we help her that she’s been looking into the change in daylight and the increase in scourge infected wildlife—”

“Holy shit have you been hiding a nerdy side this whole time?” Prompto said with the expression of a man who’d just witnessed something life changing. “Gladio, are you a science nerd under all that muscle?”

Gladio frowned. “Could you not say it like that? Also, I haven’t been hiding anything. I already know a lot about physiology from training, and nature is a thing I clearly enjoy as you guys love to complain about how I like camping. At least one of the books I’ve read on this trip was Sania’s research.”

“Well shit, man.” Prompto downed the rest of his drink. “The more you know. I think we all learned something today.” He blinked. “I should not have drank that all at once.”

Noctis laughed. “So we’re all on board to just drink now, huh?” He took a pointed swallow of his drink. “Might as well.”

“Really?” Ignis sighed.

“Eh, let ‘em,” Gladio said, taking a drink from his own cup. “As you guys keep saying, we’re trying to relax. Besides we were getting nowhere fast with the game.”

“That’s the point,” Ignis said. “To not get drunk.”

“They can’t get that drunk,” Gladio pointed out. “You made sure of it.”

Ignis pursed his lips, but Noctis and Prompto were elbowing each other and laughing and no one was going to end up so inebriated they were hung over the next day. It was almost like back in Insomnia…

Gladio slung an arm around him. “Don’t think too hard.”

“I am trying not to but…” They hadn’t really given themselves any proper time to grieve had they? One moment they were watching Insomnia burn and the next they were throwing themselves into seeking out royal arms and helping random strangers and going on hunts with barely any time to breathe because if they relaxed too much it might all fall apart. Ignis was used to setting how he felt aside, and so were the rest of them, but that didn’t necessarily make it healthy. Noctis and Prompto could laugh like this, so they would be okay. But sometimes Ignis wondered if he would be. That if he ever stopped he’d pull himself back together again.

“Drink if you think it’ll help,” Gladio said softly under the shriek of Noctis engaging Prompto to an impromptu tickling fight. “If you think it’ll be worse, leave it. Be in the moment, not the past.”

“I know that,” Ignis said. “I have been.” But the game had been about the past. On automatic, he saved the alcohol from getting spilled all over the tent floor as the tickle fight got wilder. Gladio gave his shoulder a squeeze.

“How about we team up against them, hmm?” Gladio offered.

Ignis pushed the mess of feelings back to deal with another day and managed a smile that almost reached his usual standards. “Would that be fair?”

“Anything’s fair in a tickling fight,” Gladio said. “Noct or Prompto first?”

“Noctis; Prompto is easier to subdue.”

“I’ll get his arms.”

“And I’ll handle his feet.”

Noctis and Prompto jumped when they entered the fight and Noctis yelped as Gladio caught him and Ignis exploited his weak points until he was gasping. Prompto laughed at his misfortune. At least until Ignis and Gladio shared a glance and turned to him, leaving Noctis to recover.

Later, much later, after more alcohol and Gladio ultimately emerging the victor of the tickle fight—he was only ticklish on his neck and that was hard to reach even when he wasn’t guarding it—they collapsed into a comfortable pile of bodies, curled up around each other, propriety and personal space be damned. They needed this, Ignis thought hazily on the edge of sleep. The laughter. The contact. The reassurance that they were still friends and close even after—or perhaps because of—everything that had happened.

“I haven’t done something like this in ages,” Gladio said, breaking the silence. “Not since… Hell, I don’t know. When I was a teenager?”

“Same,” Noctis said.

“Do our elbow fights over racing games not count?” Prompto asked. “Because we did that less than a year ago.”

“Yeah, but that’s… different,” Noctis muttered. “For one, Ignis joined in this time.” He lifted himself on one elbow long enough to fake-scowl in Ignis’s direction. “You’re brutal, by the way.”

Ignis laughed and had to stifle it on the nearest surface, which happened to be Noct’s thigh. When the laughter ran out though, he felt a bit drained, happy and sad at the same time. “I don’t think I’ve let go quite this much before.”

“Eighteenth birthday?” Gladio countered.

“Mm, but not everyone here was present for that.” And it hadn’t ended in a cuddle-pile on the ground. This was much better and would hopefully have less hangover-induced nausea the next morning.

“Well we’re all here now,” Noctis said, and like that was all that needed to be said, they went quiet, just the soft sounds of breathing and the occasional shift of limbs as they got comfortable.

Ignis ended up with Prompto’s head on his stomach and his own in Noctis’s lap. Gladio was both Noctis’s pillow and a heat source in how he managed to curl around Noctis and half of Prompto in the process. They were all going to wake up with limbs asleep and cricks in their necks, but for the moment it was all terribly comfortable.

Ignis drifted, letting the familiar sounds of his friends existing lure him toward sleep.

He was almost there when Prompto shifted against his chest.

“Ignis?” Prompto whispered, easily heard above the whistle-y start of Gladio’s snores and Noctis’s softer breathing.

“Mm?” When Prompto was silent, Ignis let a hand curl against his back, reassuring.

Prompto breathed out, relaxing minutely. “Do you think we’ll do this again someday?”

Ignis hummed. They didn’t have much downtime, though playing games happened when they did, but he knew that wasn’t what Prompto meant. They’d all shared parts of themselves tonight and boundaries had been crossed in other ways too, or they wouldn’t be curled up like this. But would it last beyond the morning?

Altissia loomed in their future and Ignis, for all that he would be glad to reach the city safely, equally dreaded it. It was one more step along some pre-destined path Noctis had laid out for him that only seemed to grow more burdensome the more Ignis let himself dissect what little he knew about Noct’s fate.

No, Ignis didn’t think that they would do this again. Not with this level of uncomplicated friendship, with their burdens as easily set aside. Those burdens only grew as days trickled by.

But he knew that wasn’t what Prompto needed to hear though, so for the moment he pulled on comforting hopes instead of his more realistic fears.

“We will,” he said, making himself sound sure.

“Promise?” Prompto asked.

He was so young, all of them were, but Ignis felt it in this fragile moment. All the more so because Prompto didn’t come from a life where things were predetermined. He’d forged his own path here, and perhaps that made him the most driven out of all of them. But because of that, he didn’t hold the same assurances. He didn’t see that he’d forged his own bonds here or that they were just as strong—if not more—as anything Ignis or Gladio shared with Noctis. Or with each other truly.

They were all friends and more than by this point. Comrades. A family of a sort, the last that each other had.

Ignis wanted to protect that with all his heart.

“I promise,” he said gently.

“Double promise,” Noctis slurred, patting randomly in Prompto’s direction. “Now go t’sleep.”

Prompto stifled a giggle. “Back at you, dude.” Noctis, apparently, fell truly asleep at that. Or perhaps he was already asleep and in one of his odd, in-between lucid moments.

“You’re one of us,” Ignis murmured, “and we’re going to stick together.”

“I’m holding you to that,” Prompto said, getting comfortable again.

As Ignis relaxed again, letting sleep pull him under, his last thought was how lucky they were to still have so much in each other.

[calligraphist-artemisia]

The Sun Prince (Chapter 5)

Summary:  It was an accident. A simple misstep that sent him plunging into the darkness and waking an ancient magic. Now Prompto has to deal with the consequences of making a deal with an Astral and learn how to control the magic blooming inside of him.

Also posted on AO3 and fanfiction.net under the username “kishirokitsune”

-----

Chapter 5: Into the Fire

After all of the running around they'd done, it felt odd to be left with nothing to do except wait. There was little reason to set out and take up a few hunts when Cid promised that he was less than a day away from completing repairs, and so Ignis insisted that they remain on Cape Caem.

There was a sort of logic to it that Prompto couldn't deny, but it didn't stop the boredom from creeping in.

Ignis and Gladio quickly found ways to keep themselves occupied by helping out around the house, while Noctis snuck away to nap in various places until he was inevitably discovered. Prompto entertained himself by walking around and taking pictures of whatever struck his fancy, and eventually his feet led him to the elevator of the lighthouse.

His heart lurched at the thought of rising up to the top in an old lift, but the chance to catch a photograph from the top was too appealing to pass up. He could stomach it for a minute or two, and then he could get back down to solid ground.

That was until he got to the top and found Noctis's most recent hiding spot. The stray cat who kept turning up was there as well, curled up on the prince's chest.

Prompto quietly sat down with his back against the wall, giving himself a moment to breathe and ignore the fact that he was eighty feet up off the ground. His camera offered him a distraction as he scrolled through the pictures he'd taken and deleted the ones that turned out too blurry or were near-identical duplicates. Being near his best friend also helped calm the anxiety he felt.

They would leave for Altissia soon.

Prompto should feel excited about that. He had always dreamed of getting to explore beyond the Wall and see the beauty of the world beyond through the lens of his own camera, and Altissia was supposed to be the most beautiful of all! He would get to take so many photographs – well, hopefully. They weren't going for a vacation, after all.

But...

The more he thought about sailing across the Cygillian Ocean, the more dread he welt, welling up in his chest and threatening to choke the air from his lungs.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was coming.

Maybe it was just his anxiety talking. Or it could be a side-effect of his powers. Either one would explain the awful nightmares that plagued his sleep, preventing him from getting more than a few hours of rest at a time.

Prompto looked over at Noctis, who was still sleeping soundly.

Their time at the chocobo post was short, and Prompto didn't have nearly as much time as he wanted to cuddle the baby chocobo's before Noctis whisked him out of sight for some extra training, while Ignis and Gladio were busy watching some of the races going on.

His magic came to him more easily each time he used it. Noctis expressed his own surprise at how quickly he was advancing, but Prompto brushed it off, remembering what Rhyos said about his body already being used to magic. With a little extra work, he learned how to craft his magic into a sphere shape, rather than the formless light he produced in the beginning.

Prompto wondered what Rhyos was doing and when he would decide to show up again. He hoped it was before they left for Altissia. There were even more questions he wanted to ask and hopefully the Astral would stick around long enough to answer some of them.

Maybe he was waiting until Prompto improved some more? Either that or he got some sort of glee out of making him wait.

Yeah. That second one sounded about right.

Prompto set his camera to the side and held his hands out, palms up. He guided his magic to swirl around, gathering until two golden orbs floated in front of him. He grinned, pleased by how easy it was becoming. With just a little focus, he could direct them to slowly fly around and move independently of one another.

The stray cat made a “mrrp” sound as she woke and watched the orbs with great interest.

“No, kitty,” Prompto said quietly. He pulled the orbs back to his hands and was about to absorb the remaining energy back into his body, when a voice cut through the air and startled him badly enough that they fizzled away.

“What are those?”

Prompto squeaked and twisted around to find Iris standing at the entrance, hands on her hips, and staring down at him with a determined expression.

“I, uh, what are what?” Prompto winced at his poor attempt at a cover-up.

Iris raised an eyebrow.

“Please don't tell anyone,” Prompto tried again.

“Hard to tell anyone when I don't know what's going on,” Iris responded lightly. She shut the door behind her and joined Prompto against the wall, casting a curious look over at Noctis. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Iris was truly a marvel. At only fifteen, she carried herself with such poise and maturity, even when faced with something unexpected, that it was easy to forget how young she was. Prompto supposed it was because she was from a long line of Kingshields and had also grown up in the citadel. Hard to relax and be a child with that amount of pressure.

“It's kind of complicated,” Prompto said, not sure whether or not he wanted to tell her everything. He still hadn't worked up the strength to tell Gladio or Ignis about it! Gladio would never forgive him if he told his little sister first.

Although, it would be good practice.

“Prompto has magic now.”

Or Noctis would take the choice away from him.

Prompto whined and tilted his head back, letting it thunk against the wall. “Dude, not cool.”

“I promised not to tell Gladio or Ignis, but you never said anything about Iris,” Noctis said as he sat up. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it out so it didn't look as disheveled after his nap.

“It was implied,” Prompto said crossly.

Iris looked between them apprehensively. “I can just, y'know, go and pretend I didn't see or hear anything?”

“No,” Prompto bit out. He sighed and sat up straight, forcing a smile on his face as he looked over at her. “I mean, I've got to tell everyone eventually, right? And you already saw it, so I'm not going to make you pretend you didn't.”

Iris relaxed. “Okay, well take your time. Or you can let Noctis explain...?”

“Noct isn't allowed to explain anything anymore, but it's like he said. I have magic now,” Prompto told her, taking charge before Noctis could say anything else. (Not that he looked like he wanted to. He was definitely avoiding looking anywhere near his friend after blurting out his secret.) “I fell into these ruins while we were helping out one of the hunters and found this, um, artifact and it gave me magic. Noctis has been helping me control it.”

Simplicity was best, right?

Iris didn't need to know every last detail, like the deal he made with an unknown Astral, or even that Rhyos liked to pop in unexpectedly to talk. Nor did she need to know about the nightmares that plagued his sleep ever since his illness. Even Noctis didn't know about that last one.

“Can you do anything cool with it, like warping? Do you have your own armiger? Not that the magical balls aren't cool, but...” Iris shrugged, apparently unsure of where she was going with her questions.

“No warping, no armiger, and excuse you but the orbs are super cool,” Prompto responded, hoping he came across as joking in the end. He grinned at her for good measure. “I dunno. I can almost make a shield, but I haven't gotten it to hold up against anything. It might have just been a fluke.”

“It's still impressive when you've only been practicing for a few days,” Noctis pointed out.

Iris looked awestruck by everything she was learning. “Seriously? It took Gladio three days just to figure out how to access the armiger and pull out the correct weapon.” She turned immediately to Noctis. “Do not ever tell him that I told you that. Anyway, I think I'm starting to understand why Gladio won't let me travel with you guys. You're both beacons for trouble. He couldn't handle the three of us running around, even with Ignis's help.”

Noctis chuckled.

“You won't tell anyone about this, will you, Iris?” Prompto asked, seized by sudden worry. “I'll tell them eventually. I just haven't figured out how. I will. Soon. In Altissia?” He winced and shut his mouth.

“I think you're making a bigger deal of this than you need to, but I'll keep it a secret for you,” Iris promised. “And because I'm so awesome, I'll let you practice how you're going to tell them on me! It'll be fun!”

Prompto wasn't sure that it would be fun at all, but it was nice of her to volunteer.

Iris grinned at him, taking his silence as agreement. “I'll even do my best impression of Gladio! I'm pretty good at it, right, Noctis?”

“I dunno. I don't think you've got that patented grumpy stare down yet,” Noctis said thoughtfully.

Iris proceeded to prove that she was very good at impersonating her brother, though the glare looked wildly out of place on her sweet face.

-----

A woman with fiery red hair woven into intricate braids led the way down a well-lit passageway. Water flowed down the tall, white stone walls and pooled along the sides, but never moved closer to where she walked. She was draped in blue silks decorated with golden symbols, and the fabrics flowed as she moved towards a massive door.

Behind her, a crowd of people slowly followed, leaving proper space for those carrying two white caskets, one behind the other. All were silent.

The towering white walls were bathed in the golden light of the sun, though as it began to set, shadows rose from the floor and began to cover the walls. Neither the woman nor the procession behind her faltered in step.

The door, with bands of gold representing the rays of the sun, over which a bird with rainbow feathers was placed, began to shimmer with a red light. It spread across the walls, lighting up hidden symbols, and the door soundlessly opened.

A melodious hymn filled the halls as they began their descent into the depths.

At the end of the procession was a familiar man with long dark hair and red eyes.

“Rhyos?” Prompto gasped in bodiless form.

As though he heard him, Rhyos turned to look around. When his eyes met Prompto's, everything went black.

Lady Lunafreya appeared in the darkness and Prompto opened his mouth to scream a warning, but no sound came out. He was forced to watch, helpless, as a featureless figure stabbed her in the side and red spread across the fabric of her white gown. She fell back and her trident slid form her grasp.

-----

Prompto gasped for air as he woke, tears streaming down his face. He sat up and pulled his legs to his chest, trembling as he tried to silence his sobs.

Nearby, Noctis mumbled in his sleep.

It took him a few minutes to calm down, but even as his heartbeat slowed to a normal pace, he knew he wouldn't get back to sleep that night. He lifted his head from his knees and that was when he saw the figure sitting near the window, moonlight illuminating his form.

“Rhyos,” Prompto whispered, too drained from his most recent nightmare to feel surprise.

“I apologize for visiting at such a late hour, however it came to my attention that things are progressing more quickly than anticipated.” Rhyos gave Prompto no chance to respond. “There has not been a wearer of the crown who experienced visions like yours since the height of Solheim power. Why did you not tell me?”

Prompto glanced worriedly at Noctis, but his friend showed no signs of stirring. “They're just nightmares. It didn't seem important,” he whispered.

Rhyos narrowed his eyes. “You speak of more than the funeral you glimpsed. Tell me about this nightmare of yours, and do not worry about your prince. He is a heavy sleeper.”

That didn't mean Prompto wanted to risk waking him up, but he also couldn't let his chance to talk to Rhyos go to waste. “I keep seeing... someone getting hurt. Someone important,” he said, being purposefully vague.

“You will need to be more detailed than that.”

Prompto closed his eyes. “I keep seeing Lady Lunafreya being stabbed. I can't see who's doing it or where she is. It's like I'm floating in this dark void.”

“It is not unusual for visions of a probable future to look that way. Nothing is set in stone and there is always the chance that the future can change. If you are seeing something, it is either to prepare you for what is coming or it is a hint of something that needs to be changed,” Rhyos explained. “Visions of the past are more clear.”

Visions.

Nausea roiled in Prompto's stomach and he took a moment to try and calm it down. His thoughts wailed profanities.

Lady Lunafreya was in danger and he didn't have the first idea of where or who the threat was. Was he not meant to know? Was it like Rhyos said and the vision was meant to prepare him for what was coming?

No.

Prompto refused to let that be her fate.

There had to be something he could do. His powers had to be good for more than just killing daemons!

“How can I stop it from happening?” he asked.

“The visions themselves will ease up now that you understand their warning, but it is likely you will occasionally glimpse moments of the past. Some are to help you in your life. Others, such as the one you had tonight, are because of me,” Rhyos said.

Prompto frowned. “You sent me that vision?”

Rhyos shook his head. “Not intentionally. It was a moment I was dwelling heavily upon. The crown and I have a connection and it likely picked up on that.” He paused for a moment. “Perhaps the next vision you have will be the creation of the crown. I think you would enjoy that one.”

As long as it let him get a proper night of sleep, Prompto wouldn't complain. He took a deep breath, trying to remember the questions that he forgot to write down. “Um, so... are those all of them? The visions and the magic, I mean. Or should I prepare for anything else because of the crown?”

“Your magic will continue to grow stronger, as will your control over it, but I cannot say for certain what other abilities the crown will grant you. It decides for itself who is worthy and of what,” Rhyos said as he stood up. “Long ago, I granted it to the Kings of Solheim, blessing it with the power so that they may protect their people. Now it is in your hands. The power you now possess will enable you to protect your people; those you care about most. That is its foremost function.

“It is not a tool of war, nor of greed. A lesser mortal could not command the abilities to come forth. What you have been granted is a mark of the purity of your soul. Of your desire to do good.”

Prompto could feel the burn of Rhyos's eyes on him. “But I'm not anyone special.”

Rhyos smiled. “And that, perhaps, is why you are the perfect candidate.”

“And what of the cost?” cut in a new voice.

Even Rhyos looked surprised as Noctis sat up and ran a hand through his hair. Dark eyes met red, and the Astral gave a respectful bow.

“What ever do you mean, Prince Noctis?” Rhyos asked.

“There's always a cost,” Noctis said, wholly serious. “I've spent my whole life watching my father's life be drained away. I know what it feels like to ask an Astral to come to our aid. What is the cost that Prompto pays for all of this?”

For a moment, Rhyos did not speak.

Prompto looked between them, wondering if he should be the one to break the silence, but he was curious too.

Rhyos smiled, his expression more gentle than Prompto had ever seen. “Worry not, young prince, there is no price to pay. That crown will not drain his life away nor make him grow weak. I always preferred lifting my chosen people to new heights rather than limiting what they can do.”

Relief washed over Prompto. It hadn't been one of his worries until Noctis brought it up, but the relief came nevertheless.

“I fear my time with you is coming to an end. I would hate to be the reason you lose anymore sleep than you already have,” Rhyos said. “There is one last thing I need to speak with you about, and that is your voyage across the Cygillian.” He waited until both of them were paying attention before continuing. “Altissia is the domain of Leviathan and her favored Messengers. It is not a place where I am welcomed, and as such, I will be unable to help you as long as you are there. Both of you, be cautious. The Tidemother's memory is long and her mood changes with the ebb and flow of the tide itself. Prove to her your strength and she will aid you. Fail and she will devour you.”

“Bleak,” Prompto commented.

Rhyos grinned. “I look forward to your return.”

The last thing Prompto remembered was Rhyos walking across the room and the feeling of warm fingertips against his forehead. Comfortable darkness rushed to greet him and he sank into the depths of slumber, where only pleasant dreams awaited him.

[tarotdeckshuffle]

Headcanons for the chocobros meeting their future child (4yrs old) with the reader even though they're not even together yet. Each kid has a different quirk like Notcis's kid just instantly falls asleep when held longer than 2 minutes by him, Prompto's is terrified of Chocobo's due to their father's obsession, Gladio's can read way above their reading level, and Ignis's already drinks ebony due to an accident and loves cooking with him! please and thank you! and congratulations on the wedding!!!

Thank you so much, Anon! 😘

Let’s be honest, these are tiny fics, not hcs lol. 

There are even some bonuses! I hit some writer’s block and couldn’t think of what to do for the other characters, today. If anyone wants me to do Ardyn, Cor, Aranea, and/or Nyx, just let me know. 

Taglist: @idiotflowerex, @laststory1013, @sayaoqueen, @jophinabean

If you like what you read, please consider supporting me on Patreon or buying me a Ko-fi!

Scene: Shiva visits each of the following characters individually in their sleep. She wants to show them the future they’re fighting for, and that happens to include a child. In this dream, they get to interact with their future child, even if neither will remember it when they awaken.

Noctis

His child instantly falls asleep when held longer than 2 minutes by him

Like, they can sleep anywhere.

But he loves it.

He stands there, just holding them.

Their little arms around his neck.

It warms Noct’s heart that they WANT to be held by him.

In the dream, there’s no hesitation.

The child sees him and walks right up to him, arms outstretched.

Noctis isn’t sure what to do with kids, normally.

He’s one of those “I’ll break your baby” types.

But this kid is easy.

They simply want to cuddle.

Noctis absolutely loves it.

He stands there, bouncing the child lightly and petting their hair.

Their every sound and movement is adorable to him.

Eventually, he would sit down and nap with them.

When Shiva returns to him, beckoning him to the waking world,

Noctis sets the child down in a bed,

It rubs its eyes with little fists, but goes back to sleep.

“Sleep well, little one. I’ll see you when you wake.”

Prompto

His child is terrified of Chocobo’s due to their father’s obsession.

Prompto appears in a child’s bedroom in the dream.

It’s brightly lit, with stuffed animals everywhere.

A little child looks up at him from the floor.

They’re playing with toy vehicles.

“Er…hey there!” Prompto greets.

They’re silent, shyly looking up at him.

Prompto would sit down next to them, asking about their toys.

Eventually they play together.

It doesn’t take long after that before Prom has the child in giggling fits from his sound effects.

“But you know what this game really needs?”

Prompto gets up, looking around the room.

Any child of his HAS to have tons of these.

It takes him awhile, but he finds what he’s looking for stuffed in a cupboard.

“A Chocobo!” He presents the yellow plush with jubilence.

The child looks horrified.

They start to cry!

“Oh no! OH NO! Oh no!”

Prompt is panicking!

He made a kid cry!

His kid!

“What’s wrong? Oh, don’t cry, it’s ok! See?”

He trys to bring the plush closer to the child, but they scoot across the floor away from him.

Finally, it dawns on Prompto.

“Look! No more chocobo! It’s gone!”

The child still has tears in their eyes and looks scared.

But they let Prompto get close.

“Come’ere,” he says, sitting on the floor.

They come over and cuddle up next to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Chocobo’s are scary!” The child states matter of factly.

“They’re what?!” Prompto is honestly shocked.

“They’re mean and they don’t like me!” The child is full on pouting now.

“Why do you think they don’t like you?”

“Because they peck at me.”

Prompto can’t help but laugh. He was scared of things as a child, too.

“I’ll tell you what, how about we find you a really really nice one.”

“No! I don’t want one.”

“Ok, ok, no chocobos.”

Well, there goes Promp’s dreams of owning a chocobo farm.

But this kid might be worth it.

“I want a moogle!” The child pipes up.

Prompto laughs.

“You like moogles? Tell me more!”

Prompto listens as the child regales him with “facts” about moogles and how much they love them.

He loves their enthusiasm.

When it’s time to leave, the child gives their (future) father a big hug.

Prompto is shocked at first, but hugs them back.

“Take care, bud. I’ll see you soon.”

Ignis

His child already drinks ebony due to an accident and loves cooking with him

Ignis appears in the kitchen of a home.

The sun is rising outside.

A small child is awake, standing in the middle of the kitchen.

“Well, hello,” Ignis greets it.

The child doesn’t even look at him.

Instead, it goes straight to the fridge.

It has to throw it’s body back to open the stubborn door.

At least half of the fridge is just cans of Ebony.

The child takes one.

Using both hands to support the can, they start to drink.

Barely stopping to breathe.

“I doubt that is recommended for a child.”

Ignis crosses the kitchen to them.

“Dad lets me.” Finally! They speak!

Ignis is doubtful.

“I drank his once when I was a baby, now he lets me drink them.”

“Why would your father leave coffee where you could get to it?”

“He didn’t, he gave it to me.” The child finishes the rest of the can.

“What?!”

“He wasn’t awake and put coffee in my cup instead of milk.”

Ignis’s head is in his hand.

Is HE truly going to do that?

“Duly noted…”

They stand in the kitchen, simply staring at each other.

This is not a touchy child.

“Well…Do you want some breakfast,” Ignis asks, figuring he may as well do something.

“Sure! I’ll get ready.” They perked up at this idea.

Iggy is expecting them to get washed and set the table.

Instead, they get out a child’s apron, a stool, and a colorful whisk.

With some struggle, they bring the stool over to where Ignis is standing and set it down next to him.

“OK! What are we making.”

The whole scene is honestly adorable.

Ignis decides to make them pancakes and fruit.

Everything he does is met with, “I want to help!”

The child pours cups of ingredients into the batter and stirs everything.

Ingredients go everywhere, but the child is trying their best. 

At first, Ignis won’t let them near the stove.

But eventually he gives and lets them flip one pancake.

He certainly won’t let them near the knives!

Fruit pieces do go missing from the counter as they continue making breakfast.

Ignis’s heart is so warm.

He’s smiling ear to ear when they sit down to eat.

As they finish their food, Shiva returns to take Ignis away.

The child looks scared as he gets up to leave.

They jump up and hug his legs.

“Don’t go!”

The scene breaks Ignis’s heart.

“I’ll return soon, little one,” he whispers as he kisses the top of their head.  

Gladio

His child can read way above their reading level

Gladio is in the library of the Amicitia Estate.

In among the towering dark shelves and countless books,

He sees large stacks of random books on the ground.

Small eyes peer out at him from behind them.

He crouches down to be level with them.

“Hey there.”

“Hi,” is all he gets back.

“Whatcha reading,” Gladio asks, taking a nearby book.

“Stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“All of it.”

Gladio smiles. They respond just how Iris used to.

“Cool.” He sits down and takes a nearby book, opening it up to read.

“That’s not a good one,” the books squeak.

Gladio looks up before examining the cover of the book.

“The Metamorphosis…Nope! It certainly is not.” Gladio sets the book down suddenly.

What was that doing in a child’s book pile?

“This one is better!” Finally, they come out from behind their books.

They bring an old red leather bound book to hand to Gladio.

He takes it.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream, huh? Have you read this?”

The child sits down next to Gladio.

“Yeah. I liked it.” They lean up against him.

“Well…ok,” Gladio cracks open the book and starts reading.

The child is reading over his shoulder.

He smiles at them and starts reading out loud.

He makes all the voices and uses his best dramatic reading skills!

They love it! Laughing often.

They’re to the second act when Shiva returns.

Gladio sighs as he stands, handing the book back to the kid.

“Can we finish it later,” they ask, looking up at him.

“Absolutely, kiddo.” He ruffles their hair, looking down at them lovingly.

He starts to walk towards Shiva when he feels them tackle his leg.

The scene makes him want to cry.

He picks them up, hugging them.

“Daddy will be home soon.”

Bonus

Ravus

Oh baby, this kid has the scowl down pat!

They stand in Fenestala Manor, staring at each other.

It’s a scowl off.

But, just like Ravus, they can’t hold it forever.

They turn from him, suddenly taking off through the halls!

“Get back here!” The High Commander of Niflheim chases after a child through his own home. 

They run off towards the conservatory, slipping through the doors just before Ravus.

He pushes the great doors open, stopping for a moment as the feeling of the room hits him. 

It is warm and humid with the smells of flowering plants from all across Eos.

It’s silent, except for birds chirping high overhead.

All the eye sees are greens and bright colors from the flowers. 

Breathing deeply, Ravus can taste the flowers in the humidity.

This was always one of his favorite rooms.

If this truly is his child, it’s no surprise that they ran here. 

Ravus and his mother had tended many of these plants.

It was always a place where he could feel closer to her memory.

The bushes rustle.

Ravus takes a moment to close the great doors, before walking the halls between the great plants.

More rustles.

He follows the noise.

He comes upon a very unique bush.

The plant is massive, stretching from floor to the 30 foot tall ceilings and at least half that in width.

The branches are greenish bark, bushing out from the ground.

The leaves on it are small, especially in comparison to the palm sized white blossoms that appear amply over the bush.

Currently, the bush looks to be more blossom than leaf.

This particular plant is extraordinary and only an expert would know it’s secrets.

Ravus can hear small noises behind the bush. 

He whistles. It’s a half second long high note made between the tongue and the lips.

The plant shakes, coming to life.

Swish!

All of the flowers close, the petals folding inwards to protect the pistil.

The child is revealed, their hiding place behind the bush now obsolete.

They look utterly shocked.

“How did you do that,” they demand of Ravus.

He can’t help it.

He smiles at the scene.

Many years ago, he said similar words to his mother when she showed him the trick.

“There’s much you don’t know about the occupants of this room.”

“Show me!” The child creeps out from behind the bush to stand before him.

“Only if you say please.” Ravus can hear his mother saying those exact same words.

“Please…” The child adds.

“Come.” Ravus begins to walk the halls of the great conservatory, stopping at each plant to discuss it with the child.

“What about that bush…will it be ok,” the child asks, looking back on their hiding spot.

“Yes, with a little time, the flowers will open back up.”

As Ravus makes for another plant, the child takes his magiteck hand, holding it.

He’s shocked!

His instincts almost kick in to push them away.

But something else holds him back.

They walk through the gardens, hand in hand. Ravus answers every question the child can think of.

Coming full circle, they see that the bush’s flowers have reopened.

“Look!” The child bounces excitedly.

“I see!” A smile graces his harsh face.

Shiva appears, framed by the great flowers, holding a hand out to Ravus.

“NO!” The child folds into him, gripping his leg. “Please, don’t go!”

You can hear the High Commander’s heart shatter.

Images of his mother’s smile flash in his mind.

He leans over, wrapping the small child in his arms.

“When you awaken, I will be right here, little blossom. I will never leave you.”

Luna

Luna’s child is mischievous, just like she used to be.

Shiva takes her to the doorway of a grand bedroom.

It’s a child’s bedroom; there are toys everywhere.

But it appears no one is here.

“Hello,” Luna asks the room.

Silence.

Luna takes a step forward.

“BOO!” A child jumps in front of her from behind the door.

Luna gasps, startled, hand flying to her chest.

The child giggles.

Then Luna does.

“Gotcha,” they tease.

“Yes, you did!” Luna bends over to greet the child, a warm smile on her face.

The child smiles back.

“Want to color with me?”

“Yes!”

They settle on floor cushions at a low table, crayons and paper spread out before them.

“Here, you can use this one!” The child hands Luna a silver ink pen.

“Thank…” Luna responds before the pen shocks her!

The child laughs at their prank.

“You really are a trickster, aren’t you?” Luna is giving them a mocking side eye.

“Yep!”

Luna does her best to come up with a way to trick the child.

“Do you want a snack,” they ask some time later.

“I’d love one,” Luna responds.

“I’ll go get us one!” They take off running out of the bedroom.

In that time, Luna switches the caps on all of the markers in the box the child was using.

Then, she hides in the closet.

The child returns with fruit.

They’re quiet at first.

“Are you still here,” they call.

Luna watches, waiting.

The child puts the tray of fruit on the coloring table.

“BOO!” It’s Luna’s turn to jump out in front of them!

They squeal.

“You got me,” they shout through toothy giggles.

They both laugh and settle in for snacks.

Luna gives them a look before biting into an apple.

“It’s safe! I promise,” they plead.

She smiles and bites into it.

The child goes back to coloring.

Soon, they dramatically sigh.

“What is it,” Luna asks.

“I have a purple sun…” the child holds up a purple marker with a yellow lid on it and their paper with a large purple circle in the corner.

Luna starts to giggle.

“You did that,” they shout, giving her a fake pout.

Both of them laugh and enjoy the day.

When Shiva returns, Luna stands to leave.

“Wait! Here!” The child hands her their drawing.

It’s of the two of the under a big purple sun.

Luna smiles fondly at it.

“So…you don’t forget about me,” the child says.

“I could never forget about you, little star.” She holds her future child tight.

[reggxe-a]

Necklace | Ignis Scientia x Reader

So Iggy is either my first or second favorite character in all of FFXV (his only rival is really just Ardyn sksksksk) and honestly there’s not many XV fanfics on here so take my horrible fluff :) Actually, not many authors include the fact that Iggy wears his skull necklace and I disregard it to so here is my way of remembering it.

Where Ignis Scientia accidentally leaves his skull necklace at Noctis’ apartment and finds out Y/N is wearing it.

Warnings: None

--- 

You quietly stared at the small chain necklace laying on the glass coffee table, fumbling with the buttons of the dress shirt you had on. Sunlight warmed your back and spread all around you throughout the vast, modernly decorated room. The small dents and curves of the skull pendant were glazed with rich highlights and dark shadows. The actual chain of the necklace was a little short, nevertheless a charming accessory.

Giving a quiet sigh before leaning back into the couch, your thought train was interrupted by the voice of your best friend. “What are you looking at?” Noctis questioned while weaving his way around the couch to face you and the small piece of jewelry. His lazy blue eyes made their way to the skull and he smirked once he figured out why you were so quiet. “Iggy left his necklace.”

“Yeah.” You huffed before standing up, taking hold of the school blazer on the couch and enveloping yourself in it. The jacket was your friend’s, or really, the prince’s. Your closest friend was the future king of Insomnia—and you were happy with that. More time to stare at his beautiful royal advisor.

You had always been close friends with Noct. Ever since your childhood, you and him would constantly banter and trail each other around. His kingly father even took note of your relationship and invited you to one of the royal galas a few years back. Your eighteen-year-old mind still can’t really comprehend why your little thirteen-year-old self was so stupid back then

You had worn a simple dress that night and seemed a bit childish due to its loose fit but heck, you were thirteen. The whole night was filled with trailing Noctis around until one of the songs. The prince had gleefully introduced you to his shield and advisor, who was a total cutie even back then. A small face was framed with quite large glasses and despite you thinking he was stuck up, you didn’t know you would fall in love with him now. Noctis ended up forcing you to dance with the fourteen-year-old advisor that night and boy did you hate it. You simply wanted to stay with the prince that night and you ended up ditching him at school the next day.

The present is a different story. Ignis Scientia, a prim and proper royal attendant, had stolen your heart. So as you returned your gaze to his own necklace that was in your reach, you thought about possible scenarios on how he would react if he saw it in your possession. Before you could elaborate more on your ideas, Noctis bent down and snatched the chain as you started to reach out for it. He gloated confidently as your eyebrow rose in annoyance.

Noctis wagged a finger in front of you before straightening. “It’s better that I return it. After all, I am his prince.” He beamed while you scoffed and stood from your place on the couch, grabbing your bag as well. “Unless,” He started while walking forward towards the door. “my great friend here would like to wear it for the day. She’s got a small crush on him anyway.” Your face reddened at the teen’s statement before you stomped in front of him, taking your place at the elevator after you exited the flat.

“It’d be a shame if she missed out on this opportunity to finally hint that she likes him.” Noct beamed as you seemed to grow even more annoyed. Your feet brought you outside to feel a slight gust of wind rush against you and the sun intensely firing down. As you walked in silence, Noctis sped ahead of you to gloat even more once he started to walk backwards to face you. “I bet little Y/N here would love to know if her crush liked her back.”

You have had enough of this boy! Noctis had been dangling the necklace loosely at chest-height the whole time so as you grasped the thing by the skull, you found it very easy. Unlocking the chain, you bowed your head and had it circle around your neck. Due to Noctis fondling with it the whole time, the chain was warm but the skull was cold against your skin. As you finished adjusting the accessory, you looked up at Noctis before raising your arm. “Tease me again and I won’t be afraid to rip your oh-so-precious jacket here.” You threatened but Noctis nonchalantly laughed it off.

“Please do. Ignis will just buy another one or repair it.” You swore to the Six that you would torture the future king yourself one day. The school building came into view quickly and as Noctis started to meet with his own friend group, you rapidly dashed to class.

Throughout the whole day you had been questioned about your new necklace. People swarmed around you to see the new type of fashion you had acquired and you brushed them off with “oh, I just found it lying around,” which wasn’t lying, but surely wasn’t telling the whole truth either. Prompto did have the nerve to boldly state that he knew who the necklace really did belong to and you had to bribe him to get him to shut up. Now with the new information, the gossipers of the school started thinking about who you were ‘dating’ if it wasn’t the prince. You had to quickly dismiss their thoughts once they came to you during lunch.

However, with the necklace, you felt safe. A weird feeling for you to have with a necklace. During language arts, you started thinking about the feeling, wondering if you and the royal advisor were connected somehow. You deemed it to be inappropriate to have these thoughts and tried pushing them away but they kept coming back.

Not only were you questioned about it, but you kept messing around with it too. While taking notes in math, your hands magically found their way up to the skull and rolled it along. It was calming to say the least. Some people took in the sight of you playing with it and made it evidence that you were very fond with it. They weren’t wrong but you didn’t want to admit that.

Now, you sit patiently at your desk during homeroom, waiting for the tardy bell to ring as students scampered in. Usually, you would have band during this period but all students had to work on their festival decorations. Leaning back, you closed your eyes and felt a weight on your desk. Grimacing, you opened them to find one of your friends (other than Noctis and Prompto, of course) crossing her legs and smiling down at you. You confusedly peered back as the tardy bell rang and your homeroom teacher announced to just work on the class decorations. Your friend smirked before leaning down. “I bet you are dating someone, aren’t you? You’re just hiding it because your boyfriend’s a sugar daddy.”

You angrily pouted and playfully punched her shoulder. “I’m not dating anyone. Plus, if I was, he wouldn’t be a sugar daddy.” You stated while getting your supplies out. She jumped off your desk and plopped into a chair from another one while sighing and crossing her arms. You felt like she was acting quite weird as she maliciously glared at you trying to get work done. Noctis and Prompto started to goof off while working so you had no one to run to for help. You tried to focus on cutting and coloring but her gaze was simply stabbing you. You bit your lip as your pencil’s tip broke, causing your hand to shake as you sketched a line.

“You’re lying to me. To us. To this whole school. You know, I wouldn’t mind if you just spat out that you’re dating his Royal Highness. At least you would be honest.” She devilishly stated. You gawked at her behavior but tried to keep on working on the project. “But I think the prince would never go for someone like you. He’s much more deserving of a—” “Don’t you have work to do? Like, the festival decorations?” You cut her off while skimming across your to-do list. How could you think this girl was your friend?

You felt a strong urge to punch her but instead your hand came up to squeeze the small skull resting upon the hollow between your collarbones. The small craters and dips of the object instantly calmed your nerves and you felt happy once again. However, your happiness was cut short as the girl jeered another insult. “I’ve got better things to do like listen to your sad love life story of how you deny having a boyfriend.” Oh, your blood boiled now. “I think that skull is just a memory of how your relationship is right now—sad and dead.”

Your eyebrows knitted together and you really wished the boys could help you. Giving a glance towards their direction, you saw them laughing about. You screamed in your head as you found the teacher laying back in his chair, taking a lazy nap. Pursing your lips, you rolled your shoulders in anticipation and stiffness.

A wish briefly crossed your mind. It was that the one and only Ignis would come to your rescue from whatever was happening right now.

Alas, things like that don’t happen in Insomnia. The girl cocked her head to one side and also seemed to become more and more frustrated. This caught the attention of some people as the girl started another rant. “Why don’t you just spit it out already!? It isn’t going to hurt anyone! Just say you’ve got a boyfriend.” She quipped with venom lacing her words. You stood from your chair abruptly, garnering the consideration of the rest of the class. Your flaming scowl pierced her soul now as you stood at a taller height than her.

At least the teacher finally noticed the situation as a visitor knocked at the door of the class. You widened your eyes and quickly sat back down. Your classmates mirrored your action as you impatiently waited for the door to open. Presuming it to be the principal, you tried to look like you were doing your hardest with your construction paper.

Remember when you dear author wrote down the words, “alas, things like that don’t happen in Insomnia.”? Ah, well this situation was an exception.

The teacher hollered for whoever was out there to come in and when a shiny, leather, dress shoe made it’s first step into the classroom, Noctis immediately knew who it was. He rose from his desk loudly and expressed a face of disbelief. “Iggy?” He queried as the tawny haired visitor entered the area fully. His hair was slicked back, a new style for the advisor that came about a few days ago, but a few strands still fell onto his forehead due to the lack of time invested into the hairstyle this morning. His sharp eyes were hooded by his glasses and were directed towards you and the girl still looking like she was going to murder you. His usual vest that accompanied his white button-up was gone but his slacks and shoes remained. He even had his gloves hanging out of one of his front pockets.

Your hardened exterior softened but you soon realized that his necklace was out in the open for him to see. The girl noticed your change of mood and looked behind her to see the royal advisor judging her. She quickly turned her face away to look at something else for the period of time he would be there.

Ignis wasn’t an uncommon sight at the school. If anything, he had his own secret fan club there. Be that as it may, he did not come to disrupt classes like this. “Ah, hello Mr. Scientia. If you need Noctis, he’s all yours.” The homeroom teacher welcomed him. Ignis swiveled around to smile gently at the man before nodding and returning his thoughts to what was going on. He gave a small grin at you and his eyes hinted at the little necklace around your neck. He sighed contently as you gave off your own little smile and recomposed himself to glare at Noctis. “Your Highness, you have been called by the council to visit Tenebrae. I have come to escort you though,” he paused and gave a little time to ponder for a moment. The class attentively had their attention on standby. “—I think the king would love for your friends to come along. It’s Friday and the end of the school day, after all.”

Noctis bit his lip in excitement not only to see Lunafreya, but to bring along some other people. He aligned his posture and skimmed along the waiting faces of the classroom. It wasn’t a joke to say they all expected to be brought along. You, on the other hand, wanted to be brought along for a reason different from theirs.

Noctis looked to his side to Prompto. “I pick Prompto and Y/N.” He gave you a look as you gasped at his choice. “Very well. I suggest you three to pack now.” Ignis stated and backed out of the room to wait in the hallway. You quickly gathered your belongings and exited with Prompto while Noctis had to take a little longer due to the chips he spilled on the floor.

As you exited, you felt a thousand frowns follow you and you sighed once you went out to stand by Ignis. He held his hand out to hold onto your suitcase of school supplies and you reluctantly handed it over. He already had Prompto’s in his other hand and planned on holding Noctis’ in that hand as well. You looked the other way, trying to avoid his eyes as much as possible as your fingers unlocked the chain from behind your neck. A voice stopped you. “Leave it on. It looks ravishing on you, Kitten.” He smiled and you felt your cheeks get a little hotter. You had heard Ignis call you the pet name before but it felt way more humiliating now. You clicked the necklace on again and let your hands fall by your sides as you leaned with your back against the wall, imitating the advisor’s stance next to you.

The door opened to reveal Noctis hunching over with his arm holding his bag over his shoulder. Multiple students rushed to see what was happening in the hallway and, without you noticing due to Ignis now resting his right arm on your left shoulder, had been brought back to their seats due to your friend’s intense gaze that made them feel it was fixed on them.

The four of you started to saunter your way to the exit of the school, Noct and Prompto snickering at the site of Ignis walking closer and closer to you. The action made your heart flutter and your thoughts crash into each other. The duo continued to walk in front of you and the advisor, making you feel much more comfortable with the nineteen-year-old at your side.

Ignis handed the school bags to a chauffer waiting patiently at the door of the building, freeing his arms of the weight. He then instructed him to drive to Prompto’s apartment before going to yours, you saying nothing out of pure nervous unease. The walk to the vehicle was tiring and awkward. That was, until you felt an arm wrap around your waist protectively. “I heard the ensuing insults thrown at you earlier, kitten. It truly pains me to know you had to suffer such a thing.” You giggled childishly, not leaning into Ignis’ embrace due to your own feelings. “I should have never thought of her as a friend—”

“I mean, how could a woman as beautiful as you have no significant other? It really is a sad thing.” You stopped your sentence once Ignis cut you off. He‘s talking about how you’re single!? His accent coated his words heavily but you could understand every single thing he was saying. Eyes widening, you looked up at the man. “Though,” He paused, stopping his steps as well. You instinctively looked down once he also tried to catch your eyes with his own jade green ones. The cement was a wonderful sight to you at the moment.

“...I could fix your little relationship problem. Yesterday, a child claiming to be the prince told me that the person who I fancy, has been in love with me as well for the past two years.” Do you want to slap Noctis right now? Yes and no. Thanking your best friend mentally, your mood changed from embarrassed to excited with the news.

“So do tell me, kitten, would you accompany me to a dinner at Tenebrae once we arrive? After all the important meetings, that is.” Ignis questioned smoothly before continuing. “It would also be a great time to return the necklace. I could ask for it right now, but it suits you so well I can’t bring myself to. Who knows? I may fail to ask for it again at the dinner.”  You felt a smile tug at your lips as you finally returned your gaze to meet his. “You little smooth snake!” You exclaimed enthusiastically while blithely slapping his chest. “I would take you as my ‘significant other’ any day, Mr. Scientia—even without that little dinner date!”

“So, I’ll take private supper at Tenebrae off the to-do list?”

“What? No! I still want to do that! That was just a joke—I mean I’m serious about having you without the fancy dinner because I just love you that much but like, I want the food—”

“I was kidding, my dear Kitten. And, I love you too.”

AN: I’m sorry this turned out so bad but I’m tired and I do not want to rewrite anything hhhhhnnngggg

[fallintosanity]

this is not a shipfic i swear, i just have strong Feelings about bros being bros okay

part 1

part 2

Before Noctis could say anything else, the conference room’s door opened. The Crownsguard beside it snapped to attention as Clarus entered the room, followed by Regis, with Cor Leonis bringing up the rear. Cor visibly started when he saw them, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping before he got his expression under control. “I see what you mean,” he said to Regis.

“Stars,” Gladio muttered under his breath at the same time, too quiet for Cor to hear across the room. “He really did get old, huh?”

“Yeah,” Prompto agreed, just as quietly.

Noctis didn’t say anything. This was still how he thought of Cor: a man in his prime, his face stern but mostly unlined, his cropped hair and beard a rich brown. The Cor he’d met briefly ...yesterday? this morning? how did you even begin to tell the passage of time when there was no sunrise or sunset? had been old and grey and worn from ten years of darkness.

Regis made a subtle gesture to the Crownsguard at the door, who bowed crisply and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Regis, Clarus, and Cor took up seats at the other end of the table, the utter normalcy of it jarring. It was almost like the last horrible few months and the decade Noctis couldn’t remember had never happened. He could almost pretend he was just a prince again, meeting with his dad and their respective advisors on some matter of state or the other.

“So,” Regis said. “You are my son Noctis, yet my son is currently at school.” He looked at Ignis, then Gladio. “Likewise, Ignis Scientia is four floors below us, in a meeting with representatives from a trade union; and Gladiolus Amicitia is training with the Crownsguard in the courtyard.”

That was a creepy thought - that younger versions of themselves were out there somewhere, innocents who knew nothing of the fate rushing toward them. It was obvious in retrospect, but Noct’s mind still wanted to shy away from the idea. Thinking about the spoiled innocent child he’d been before the fall of Insomnia hurt in ways he didn’t want to think too much about.

But if they were really in the past, he was going to have to deal with it. “This is going to sound crazy,” Noctis admitted, “but we think we’re from the future.”

“The future,” Cor repeated skeptically.

“Twelve or thirteen years,” Noctis said. “What year is it?”

“Today is March seventh, ME seven fifty-four,” Regis said.

“Approximately twelve years, four and a half months, then,” Ignis said. “Before we arrived here, the date was July twenty-third, seven sixty-six.”

“This is still incredibly difficult to believe,” Regis said. “Yet I can’t deny the physical resemblance. And while there have been rumors of the Imperials developing cloning technology, it would be impossible to create clones older than the originals.”

From the corner of his eye, Noctis saw Prompto shift uneasily in his seat. His left hand picked worriedly at the cuff of his right sleeve, beneath which hid the tattoo that marked him as one of the Niffs’ clones. Then to Noctis’s surprise, Gladio reached out and, without looking away from Regis, Clarus, and Cor, casually dropped his hand over Prompto’s, nudging his fingers away and gripping his wrist around the tattoo. Prompto twitched again but then relaxed slightly, and once more Noct felt that surge of jealousy, that his friends had… whatever that was, which didn’t involve him.

But his dad was still watching him, clearly expecting an answer, so Noctis forced down the emotions and said, “We’re not clones. I guess we could do the ‘tell me something only you would know’ thing, if you want.”

Regis shook his head. “You already demonstrated possession of the glaives of the Lucii. And... you’re wearing the Ring.”

There was a heaviness to his voice, an unspoken acknowledgement of the fact that Noctis would only wear the Ring of the Lucii after Regis had died. Clarus’s expression turned even stonier, and Cor looked away, frowning. That had to be painful for them to hear: that the king they served would die within the next twelve years. It would be even worse when they learned how soon it would really happen.

Regis glanced between his two companions, then sighed. “Perhaps you ought to start at the beginning. It’s obvious that a great deal has happened to you.” His eyes flicked over Noctis and his retinue again, lingering for a moment on Prompto. Noctis tried to remember how well his dad had known Prompto twelve years ago. Probably not well at all - their senior year hadn’t been one of Noct’s best, shadowed as it was by Regis’s failing health and the knowledge that as soon as Noctis graduated, he’d be expected to step up as Crown Prince in preparation for his dad’s death. Noctis had treasured his time with Prompto as an escape from all that, and had taken pains to keep those two parts of his life as separate as possible. Still, Regis clearly recognized Prompto enough to be curious how a common-born high school friend had come to be part of Noctis’s inner circle.

Likewise, Clarus was studying Gladio, probably trying to recognize his laid-back, cheerful twenty-year-old son in the grim, stoic mountain of a man Gladio was now. And Cor was watching Ignis, his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. Ignis had been doing a passable job of pretending to not be blind, but Cor was both shrewd and observant. It probably wouldn’t matter if Regis, Clarus, and Cor knew the truth about Ignis’s sight, but Noctis still wanted to respect his advisor’s concerns. So he cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. “The beginning,” he said. “I guess the important part started about ten, ten and a half years ago. About two years out for you.”

He laid out the basics of the Niffs’ ploy with their giant daemon and the sham of a peace treaty they’d offered. The pretense of an arranged marriage between Noctis and Luna, and Regis’s decision to send Noctis out of Insomnia ahead of the invasion. He had to fight to keep his voice from wavering as he described that part, unspoken questions nearly choking him. In the days and weeks after his dad died, all Noctis had wanted to know was why - why Regis had sacrificed all of Lucis for him, why he hadn’t told him anything about the destiny that awaited him. But this Regis hadn’t made that choice yet, wouldn’t be able to give him an answer. So he swallowed back the questions and the grief, and forced himself to keep going.

He only got as far as the Niffs’ attack and the betrayal by the Kingsglaive when Regis held up a hand to stop him. “The Kingsglaive?” he demanded. “My Kingsglaive? Traitors?”

Noctis nodded, but looked over to Ignis to explain; he knew Ignis had followed the reports more closely immediately after the fall of Insomnia. Ignis said, “According to those few who survived, the Glaive as a whole were - are, I suppose, at the moment - unhappy with the status quo. Their homelands sacrificed to the Imperials while Insomnia hides behind its Wall. They were… easy to convince, when General Glauca made his move.”

“Why would the Glaive follow an Imperial general?” Cor demanded. “I understand their frustration; it’s nothing new. But Glauca?”

Right. They didn’t know. Ignis turned his head, his blind eyes very nearly meeting Noctis’s in a clear question. Noctis clenched his fists on the table, the memory of the last time he’d seen his dad, the last words he’d said, burning in his chest. The Crystal had shown him how his father had died. “Because Glauca is Titus Drautos.”

Regis jerked like he’d been slapped. Cor’s eyes widened, and Clarus drew a sharp breath. “What?!”

“He infiltrated the Kingsglaive years ago,” Ignis said. “He’s been planning his betrayal for a very long time.”

Regis said, very quietly, “How is that possible?”

“We don’t know the details,” Ignis admitted. “But Libertus Ostium and another Glaive who was there confirmed both his identity and his treachery.”

Regis traded a look with Clarus, who stood up from the table and retreated to a corner of the room, phone to his ear, talking quietly. To Noctis, Regis said, “The Kingsglaive is deployed to western Cleigne at the moment, but we expect them back in the next few days. We’ll speak with Drautos.”

“That all?” Gladio asked. His voice was mild, but his eyes were hard, and Noctis remembered that Glauca had been the one to kill Clarus, too.

“That depends on what he says,” Regis said, equally mild, though Noctis knew his father well enough to know he wasn’t fooled by Gladio’s apparent calm. “In the meantime, we’d do best to know what else to expect. Please, Noctis, continue.”

“Right.” Noctis took a deep breath, marshalling his thoughts. Clarus returned to the table as Noct picked up the story: the four of them learning of the fall of Insomnia from a hotel room in Galdin Quay. The weeks of wandering Lucis seeking royal tombs, forging covenants, and preparing to travel to Altissia. The covenant with Leviathan, Luna’s death at Ardyn’s hands. The trip to Gralea, the covenant with Shiva - though Noctis left out what had happened to Prompto on the train. What he’d done to Prompto. Gladio hadn’t let go of Prompto’s wrist the whole time, and both of them seemed to relax when Noctis didn’t bring any of it up.

The fight through Gralea and into Zegnautus. Reaching the Crystal, being sucked inside. Here Noctis stopped talking and glanced at Ignis, who took up the thread of the narrative smoothly, summing up ten years of darkness and ruin in a few concise sentences. Finally Ignis said, “The Crystal returned Noctis to us five days ago. We made our way here to face Ardyn, but when we confronted him…” Ignis spread his hands, indicating their current predicament.

[errantknightess]

Practice makes perfect

Pairing: Noctis/Prompto

Word count: 2,790

Summary: It’s only natural for best friends to share things, like a bowl of popcorn, or their most personal thoughts... or even their first kiss.

[Read on AO3]

The popcorn has lost all flavor half an hour ago. Noctis is pretty sure his taste buds are dried up and dead at this point. His tongue has gone numb with the stale taste of salt. But he still shoves another handful into his mouth and munches on it without conviction, because if he doesn’t, he’s bound to fall asleep. The movie is just that bad. It’s some new action flick, but the action is barely there to speak of and hard to see through the stormy darkness shrouding the conspicuous CGI. He stopped making sense of it after the first explosion. On his left, Prompto’s head drops onto his shoulder like he’s about to bow out too, even though he sounds lively as ever and only stops chattering long enough for breath.

“Seriously? You’re just gonna follow this guy? Dude, he’s obviously shady! Who the hell wears a coat like that at the beach?”

His running commentary doesn’t really help to keep track of the plot, but at least makes it bearable. It’s more fun than the movie itself, so Noct tunes out the cheesy dialogues and tunes in to Prompto’s groans and indignant outcries instead.

“That’s not how you hold a gun! You’ll smash your teeth out with the recoil! You were a soldier, you should know that!”

It’s almost amazing how he still has the energy to get worked up over this dumb movie. His shoulder bumps into Noct’s as he gestures at the screen, shaking his head in frustration. His hair is floppy after the shower, falling over his forehead and eyes. They seem even more blue now in the low light from the screen. If he looks really closely, Noctis can see the reflections flickering in his pupils. If he looks even closer, he thinks he could almost watch the movie like that. Except then Prompto turns, and all Noct can see now is his own shadow.

“Noct? You okay?” The shadow wavers as Prompto looks him over, eyebrows pinched in concern. “You’re kinda spacing out here. We don’t have to watch this if you’d rather go to sleep.”

Noct leans his head back onto the cushions. They’re so soft underneath him. The blanket is a warm weight across his legs, holding him like a fish caught in the net. Prompto’s an even warmer weight, with his curled up knees resting against Noct’s thigh. Noct chews on his popcorn, cheeks burning up from all this warmth.

“No,” he mutters quickly. “It’s fine. Let’s finish it.”

He feels Prompto sink into the sofa beside him, and makes a valiant attempt to focus back on the movie. On the screen, the hero pulls the heroine up from the crumbling ledge of a cliff. She quips at him for the effort, he quips back, and then they’re kissing so vigorously it’s a wonder they don’t tumble down again.

“Ugh.” Prompto’s knee digs into Noct’s ribs as he reaches for the popcorn bowl in his lap. “Why do they always have to cram romance into every movie?”

Noctis doesn’t usually care one way or the other, but right now, he agrees with that sentiment. It’s embarrassing to keep his eyes glued to the screen so intently, but he thinks it would be even more awkward to glance at Prompto. He’s not sure where to look. Nowhere is safe.

“Yeah. It’s so forced,” he says, at last settling his gaze on the popcorn. “They’ve known each other for what, three days? That’s just unrealistic.”

Prompto lets out a pained sigh and rolls his eyes.

“I know, right? Man, I could kill to get someone to fall for me that quickly.”

“That’s… not what I meant.” Noctis frowns, closely inspecting an unpopped kernel. “I just… Don’t people usually need more time before they…” He gestures helplessly to the screen, where judging from the sounds the couple is still at it.

Prompto elbows him lightly in the arm, and Noct can feel his teasing smile before he hears it in his voice.

“What, you’re telling me our very own Prince Charming doesn’t believe in love at first sight? Way to ruin the fairytales, dude.” He grabs a handful of popcorn, catching Noct’s thumb in it. Noct pulls free and jabs him in the knuckles – playfully, but hard enough to make him drop a few kernels.

“Fairytales aren’t exactly right about being a prince. Or about anything else.” But what about the movies? Are they any more accurate? Prompto has been pointing out stupid mistakes since the title screen, but he doesn’t see anything wrong with this. So maybe that’s how it really goes. What does Noctis know about romance, anyway? Not a whole lot. But it doesn’t sit right with him the way they do it in movies. Like all this kissing stuff – it always seems rushed and weird. Not that he thinks kissing in general is weird. Seems like it could even be nice, probably. Apparently. But he can’t imagine himself doing it with a random person he’s just met. Maybe if it was someone he was really comfortable with, someone who clicked with him instantly? Like with Prompto. They hit it off right away, so maybe it can happen after all?

He feels there’s a gap in his reasoning somewhere, like a crack in a cup; he can’t see it, but he knows it’s leaking and his thoughts are spilling all around. He mentally puts a hand over it for now, stuffs his face full of popcorn and turns his eyes back to the TV. The couple on the screen is still making out, so he didn’t miss much. They’re in some kind of a camper, and the guy has lost his shirt between then and now. So maybe he did miss a little.

“Must be nice being an actor,” Prompto says dreamily. “You get to kiss all those pretty ladies… Maybe even multiple times for retakes! And you get paid for it. Like, a lot.”

Noct feels his stomach lurch.

“That’s pretty gross.” He doesn’t like the thought of Prompto kissing random people, either. Maybe it’s just really not his idea of fun. “You don’t even know them. And you don’t even get the choice.”

“But at least you get the chance.” Prompto’s voice all but melts with longing. “It makes things so easy! Come on, we’re almost out of high school and I still haven’t ever kissed anyone.”

“Anyone? So you don’t care who it is?” Noct frowns; the crack in the cup keeps trickling. “I thought the first kiss was supposed to be some one of a kind experience with the right person?”

In fact, he’s never actually thought about it. That’s just what he heard, last week or so, from a heated discussion among the girls in their class. But maybe it’s different for guys. He doesn’t know. Guys in their class don’t really talk about kissing.

Except him and Prompto, apparently.

“I dunno, man,” Prompto says with a shrug. “Sure, it would be great to nail it on the first try. But what if you meet this right person and then blow it because you have no idea what you’re doing?”

“Guess you have a point.” He still can’t find that crack, but it’s just a matter of time now, because his thoughts are starting to overflow. “So what, you’re saying you want to kiss someone just to practice?”

“Well, you know…” Prompto picks at a loose thread in the blanket, flashing a smile that tries to be cheeky and gets maybe halfway there. “A bit of training wouldn’t hurt.”

Noct swats him on the shoulder.

“You sound like Gladio.”

“That’s wrong?” Prompto jabs him in the armpit out of duty. “I’d listen to him on that one. Man, I bet he gets to train on the regular, I mean, you’ve seen the guy—”

“Let’s try,” Noct says quickly, cutting him off before he can gush any more. He doesn’t want to hear that. It’s the same uncomfortable itch as before, when he thought about kissing strangers. About Prompto kissing strangers. Only now for some reason he’s starting to think about Prompto kissing Gladio and it’s not better at all. There’s a sinking feeling in his stomach that only gets worse when he realizes Prompto is staring at him with open mouth.

“Try…?”

“You wanted to practice, right?” It takes Noct some effort to meet those wide blue eyes. “And you said you don’t care who it’s with. So. I can practice with you.”

The crack bursts, and it’s so obvious now.

“Dude, are you serious?” Prompto still gapes at him like an anak caught in the headlights. Noct frowns.

“Yeah. Why would I joke about this?”

“Wow.” Prompto’s mouth twitches into a grin, but at least he’s cool enough not to laugh at him. “What happened to the right person and one of a kind experience?”

Noct shrugs. He’s not sure how to explain that Prompto is just about the only person he could consider kissing at this point.

“You’re good enough.”

“Oh.” Prompto’s grin turns into a tight line. He clears his throat, sits up a little straighter. “Right. Okay. So… how are we gonna do this?”

“I don’t know,” Noct admits. It feels like he forgot to bring his part for a group homework. “How do people normally do this?”

“I guess they just… do.” Prompto doesn’t look too sure, and maybe that’s a good thing. In a weird way, it’s reassuring that they’re both clueless. Whatever they do, at least neither of them will know how badly they mess up.

“So let’s just do it,” Noct decides, and it’s final. A royal decree.

He twists on the sofa until they’re facing each other. Their knees touch. Their knees touch all the time, though. He wonders why he’s so aware of that now all of a sudden. Prompto seems to notice it too, because he’s shifting – but doesn’t pull away. He moves even closer, then pauses, as if waiting for something. For him, Noct realizes. He leans in too, and a hard edge digs into his stomach.

“Hold on.” Noct picks up the popcorn bowl and puts it safely on the floor. It’s not that he’s stalling. He wants this. But he wants it to be good. Because for some reason that matters.

When he looks up again, Prompto’s face is right in front of his. If not for the dim light, Noct could count all his freckles. Maybe he still can; he knows them so well. He can’t remember ever seeing them this close, though.

“Are you sure about this?” Prompto asks, so softly that Noct feels it more than hears. He nods, bumping his nose into Prompto’s. His throat is scratchy and tight all of a sudden. Like when he’s just starting to warp, and it’s a long, long way, and he’s never made it that far before.

Then Prompto closes his eyes and puts his lips over Noct’s.

The light pressure catches him off-guard. It’s not entirely unfamiliar – like drinking from a cup of steaming tea, only instead of the hard porcelain edge it’s soft, pliant skin. It lingers, and Noct wonders idly if that’s all there is to it. He kind of wishes he’d paid more attention to the movie. Maybe he could’ve gotten some last minute tips. But it’s too late and he’s doing it now, and it feels pretty nice, so maybe he’s doing fine. He closes his eyes too and tries to do the same as Prompto, leans his head forward a little and

oh.

Yeah, there’s definitely more to it, and it definitely feels nice. He leans in closer. He’s not sure how he can possibly get any closer than this, but he does. His nose is smushed against Prompto’s, and maybe that’s why it’s a little hard to breathe. It comes out with a whimper, stifled and weirdly pitched. Prompto snorts at that – a puff of air that sweeps between them and tickles his cheek. He’s smiling against Noct’s lips, and Noct starts to feel warm, so warm, with embarrassment flushing his face and with Prompto’s breath on his mouth.

It’s too much, and somehow still not enough.

His head spins. He sucks in another breath, loud and shaky. He doesn’t want to stop, but his chest is throbbing so hard it threatens to explode if he keeps going. It’s throbbing so hard that maybe even Prompto can feel it, because he draws back – slowly, but still too suddenly.

“Something wrong?” Prompto’s eyes are wide and worried and so, so blue. Noct stares deep into them until he’s not sure if he’s looking at Prompto or at his own reflection in the blown pupils.

“It’s nothing.” He shakes his head, but that does nothing to clear it.

Prompto is still looking at him, with an anxious gaze that Noct knows all too well. “You… didn’t like it?”

He did like it. He thinks that’s the problem. He liked it maybe a bit too much. Too much for something that was supposed to be just for practice. Way too much for something that’s not going to happen again.

“It was fine,” he says at last. “You tasted like popcorn.”

Prompto’s smile twitches, but it’s a smile nonetheless. “Is that a compliment, or a complaint?”

“A bit of both.” Noct returns the smile with ease. “You might want to work on that.”

“Yeah? Well, you might want to work on your noises.” Prompto pokes him in the arm with his finger. “You sounded like a baby chocobo. Not like that’s a bad thing! Baby chocobos are cute,” he adds quickly.

Noct pokes him right back. “Thanks. Glad to know I didn’t ruin your first kiss with my animal impressions.”

“Nah, dude.” Prompto bites down on his smile. “You didn’t ruin anything. You were… It was a good first. I’m glad we did it.”

He keeps chewing on his lips, and Noct can’t stop looking at them.

“Want to practice some more?” he blurts out.

Prompto looks at him with surprise. His mouth hangs open, skin worried pink on the bottom. Then he looks away.

“No.” It’s quiet and hoarse, and a little guilty.

Noct swallows the disappointment. It sinks to the bottom of his stomach like a chunk of ice. He’s used to hearing that – but not from Prompto. Was it wrong of him to expect he’d agree? Would it be wrong to ask why he didn’t? He wants to, but his tongue is stuck to the roof of his mouth, dry and numb and tingling with salt. And then, Prompto takes a breath and beats him to it.

“Can we do it for real now?”

Noctis stares, his head swimming as if he spun around too fast.

“You… want to kiss me?” he asks, which is pretty stupid considering they just did.

“Only every day since I met you.” Prompto’s voice is light, but it frays on the edges. “Sorry. Forget that. I shouldn’t—”

His lips are still moving against Noct’s, but the rest of his words melts into a muffled groan. Noct can feel it trembling through him, settling at the base of his spine like a buzzing nest of bees. Then Prompto finally stops talking and starts kissing back.

The difference between practice and the real thing is – everything, really. The real thing is just so much more. It would be completely overwhelming if Noctis didn’t already know what to expect. It still makes him dizzy even now. Prompto’s mouth is almost scalding, and he’s pressing into him like he needs it to breathe. Like he’s afraid Noct might change his mind any second. That’s a conversation they’ll need to have later, but for now it can wait. For now, Noct just holds onto Prompto’s shoulders and pulls him closer. That’s enough. Under his touch, Prompto’s muscles lose some of the tension. His hand wanders up, to cup the back of Noct’s head, hesitant fingers slipping into the hair at the nape of his neck. It’s like a rush of electricity. Noct lets out a rough breath; when his lips part, he thinks he catches just the slightest brush of Prompto’s tongue – just the tip, but oh gods, even that is a lot to take in. He tightens his grip, and Prompto obliges eagerly, crawls into his lap until they’re pushed flush chest to chest. And even further, until they tip over.

The room sways and turns around them. In the corner of his eye, Noct sees the credits rolling on the dark TV screen. Then his vision fills with spots, golden and familiar.

He closes his eyes and kisses Prompto with tingling lips until that’s all he can feel.

[secret-engima]

Okay but how does Regis' dinner with his Demon King not-so go???? U can't just LEAVE that there, do Chocobros 1.0 get an explanation? Does tiny!Cor attack Noct and get gently put down by the the Dark Retinue and just, instantly idolize these SERIOUSLY OP but also v tired warriors?

XDD Well technically I COULD but I won’t. FICLET TIME.

The Chocobros 1.0 do NOT get an explanation (not a full one anyway) because nobody is up to explain the whole “your kids from another dimension that died and woke up here and accidentally usurped a kingdom with the crash landing”.

Instead, after the Night King blandly warns that any attacks on his person will end badly, so please don’t, and please don’t attack the servants either they’re just doing their jobs, he waves a hand and the daemons release Regis and Co. Very slowly, warily, they stand up and rub feeling back into their limbs. Their weapons were taken away, and in this AU while Regis and co have Elemancy and other fancy magic, they DON’T have Armiger (it’s a lost art in this world, so Regis would have to be taught how to access it) so they can’t just yank more out of thin air as they assess their situation (heart of enemy territory, at the feet of the Immortal Accursed who is acting surprisingly nice but has been terrorizing their kingdom off and on for literal centuries). Regis opens his mouth to maybe cautiously ask a question when Cor shakes out the last kinks in his back-.

Then dives for the Night King with bare hands sparking with lightning.

Regis doesn’t get time to tell Cor to stop and the Accursed doesn’t even blink or startle. He doesn’t even move because he doesn’t have to.

The board-shouldered man with Amicitia gold eyes and two scars on his face stops Cor in his tracks. Regis isn’t even sure where the man came from, he moved so fast. He was just there, casually deflecting Cor’s attack without flinching from the lightning, then catching Cor’s follow-up attack with an almost lazy gesture.

Cor winds up winded on the floor at the man’s feet. The man in question rumbles a laugh while letting a frantic Weskham and cursing Cid drag Cor back into their group by his ankles, “Nice try kid, but you’re about three decades too early to pull that off.”

“I’m sorry for him,” Regis manages past the vice in his throat, because Regis can see the Night King watching Cor with a contemplative expression he can’t understand (why is the Accursed looking at Cor like that, with an expression that could ALMOST be called fond-), “He’s young.”

“I remember,” the Accursed says, but does not elaborate on what he remembers (being that young? Others who were like Cor? Information his spies brought him on Cor?) The king shakes his head and looks over at the shadows, “Prompto.”

Yet another human slides out of the shadows, this one as clearly of Niflheim descent as the grinning bear of a man is of Amicitia blood (and Regis can feel Clarus trembling at that, is trying not to think of it himself, because that paired with the Night King’s black hair and blue-blue eyes....). The newcomer smiles like the sun, a shockingly genuine expression in a place like this, “Lemme guess, guest duty?”

The Night King’s expression shifts from mild and unreadable for the first time, a delicate half-smile sliding onto his face that makes him seem unnervingly ... human, “Iggy should be finished soon, just ... escort them to the dining room. Maybe a tour.”

The blond man (Prompto? Is that his name?) laughs, calm and easy, and gestures for Regis and his Retinue to follow him, “Sure thing, Your Majesty. Come on intruder-guests, His Royal Highness needs to finish business in here without gawkers.”

Numb and confused, even Cor meekly follows the man out past the daemons and into the strange, endlessly tall building that served as the Night King’s home (hard to call it a castle with no ramparts or walls, just a tower as large as a small village that reached-reached-reached for the sky, the methods to build it lost centuries ago). The man (Prompto, he introduces himself as) leads them down halls lit by ghostly blue lights where torches should be, past daemons dressed like servants, who bow deeply to their guide as they pass and make no move to attack. Along the way, the man chatters amiably, pointing out meaningless trivia that would do nothing to help should they try to escape but was almost amusing were it not for the circumstances.

At one point, Cor lunges for Prompto’s back before Regis can stop him (Cid curses as the boy worms out of Cid’s grip unexpectedly, he’s getting better at escaping each time they try to stop him from getting into trouble). Cor snatches a decorative but razor sharp knife from a display rack as he goes, diving for Prompto’s back.

The man sidesteps without even looking, easily swipes Cor’s feet out from under him, then sidesteps again when Cor rolls with the fall and comes up swinging. Regis is tempted to try joining in, to try to get AWAY but by the time he’s thought it, the fight is already over and Cor is dazedly staring at Regis from where he’s been pinned against the wall by Prompto, “Dude,” says the member of the Dark King’s court, “rude. Wait until after dinner or something yeah? Pretty sure His Majesty will let you borrow a training room if you want to go a few rounds with me or Gladio.”

Cor twitches against the hold, but doesn’t really dare move because Prompto is holding the knife now and it is dangerously (lazily) close to Cor’s neck, “You’re faster than Gilgamesh,” Cor wheezes angrily, “How are you faster than Gilgamesh?”

Prompto doesn’t even blink at the mention of the ancient Swordmaster’s name, just lets Cor go with a shove that propels him into Clarus’s arms, “Please. Gilga-brat,” Clarus choked on his spit at the nickname, “has got nothing on Iggy when it comes to speed. Not even close. Assuming you stay for a day or two, ask your king if you can spar with Gladio a few rounds or something”

“Assuming we survive the night?” Weskham asks dryly.

Prompto blinks at him as if surprised, then grins, the expression sharp with something Regis can’t place (it almost seems like grief, but that can’t be).

They arrive in the dining room to find another human, a man with horrible scars mostly hidden beneath strange glasses that have to be too dark to see through and oddly stretched to wrap around the front of his face rather than being small, round little lenses like Regis is used to. The man is expertly directing a positive mob of Tonberry and Arachne, pointing out where to put the plates and where to adjust something all without so much as turning his head in the direction of the people he’s instructing. Regis wonders with a prickling chill if he has some kind of power given to him by the Night King. Surely all of the human inhabitants have SOME reason for staying in this place, either curses, thrall marks, or the promise of unnatural magic. Regis glimpses the woman from before, but she disappears through a different door before he can really look at her.

The blind man tips his head in their direction, “Ah, our guests. Your Highness, you sit in that chair if you will,” he gestures to the plush seat opposite the one clearly meant for the Night King and Regis falters at the implied equality between him and the Accursed, but the man is already directing the others to their seats and all they can do is tentatively creep past the bustling Tonberry and sit as food more fitting for an Altissian Royal Banquet than a castle of evil is laid out before them. He knows he should be wary, but after weeks of travel on only rations and campfire cooking, the sight and smell makes his mouth water.

Moments after they are seated, the Night King sweeps in, his Amicitia on his heels. The woman reappears alongside a boy who must be Cor’s age (physically anyway) and they seat themselves. Regis notices that the arrangement is a mirror of his own Retinue.

The prickling feeling increases.

They eat only because Regis is terrified of pushing the Accursed into acting like- well- the Accursed, even though he’s half afraid he’s eating people or something with every bite (it tastes amazing though, like fine dishes and rare spices, not like daemon food at all so maybe he’s okay?). Over dinner, the Accursed makes very light, easy conversation, never asking why they tried to break into his kingdom or mentioning the fact that they were- you know- mortal enemies. Regis doesn’t understand what the trick is and that scares him.

Finally Clarus breaks. He does not slam the table, he is more controlled than that, but he puts his utensils down and clears his throat, “May I be permitted to ask a question, Your Majesty?”

The Night King looks up and there is surprise in his eyes for just a moment, “Speak freely,” he answers dryly after a moment, “you’re hardly going to say anything I have not heard before.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Weskham shoots Clarus a sharp look and Regis pinches the bridge of his nose. The Night King tilts his head like he doesn’t understand, “Clarify.”

“Why are you entertaining us as honored guests? We are all members of your sworn enemies, of Lucis that you have spent centuries trying to destroy. Why show us courtesy? Why have the attacks on Lucis stopped to begin with?”

The Night King sits back and looks ... so genuinely flummoxed Regis almost finds himself believing it. The Accursed looks at his Dark Retinue, who all openly shrug save Ignis, who adjusts his strange glasses without comment. The Accursed frowns, then calls to the rafters, “Sheria?”

An Arachne, so old she’s massive, easily descends from the rafters (Cor’s breathing goes pointedly measured, he never could stand arachnids of any kind). The Arachne leans down and murmurs something into the Night King’s ear that the Dark Retinue can apparently hear because now all of them are blinking. The Accursed nods slowly and dismisses the giant daemon, then rubs his forehead, “Lovely. Just great. Why did no one tell me this when I took the Astral-cursed job-.”

The blind man’s lips twitch, “Noct,” he murmurs softly and there is an entire conversation in that one word. The Night King throws his head back and groans like a teenager, sits up straight and shatters Regis’s world with a casual, “Yea I didn’t do any of that stuff. I’ve only been King for ... I think a year now? About a year. Still catching up on all the paperwork and stuff.” He pauses, “The raids on your kingdom DID stop right? I ordered all raids be put on hold indefinitely on my first day.”

Regis is pretty sure he’s not breathing anymore, “You ... have only been ... for a year?” He manages a strangled gasp, squeaks out, “Then you aren’t the Accursed?”

The man waves a hand impatiently, as if the title was an annoying fly, “Formal title. Blame my uncle, he was always a drama queen.”

“...Uncle?”

The Dark Retinue is definitely snickering now as the Night King (?) props his chin on a hand and says, “Yeah, my Uncle. The original Accursed. I finally killed him a year ago, which makes me the new Night King.”

Cid runs a hand through his hair, “Ah thought the Accursed was immortal.”

“Yes, he was. Only one of his blood could kill him, everything else just bounced off. We fought, I won, so he died. That’s ... how it works. Next question.”

Cor speaks up next, because Regis is still trying to get his world to stop shattering, “So you ... aren’t going to kill us?”

A fractured expression and the deceptively human, amiable mien cracks to show ancient, terrible, grieving anger. In that moment the man before him seems centuries old, not somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties and Regis can BELIEVE that the man (men, and woman, because the others have similar expressions if not so deep and ancient) is an Immortal. Has seen things too old for Regis to comprehend.

“No,” the man answers and his voice cracks with emotion as he looks away, “No, I’m not going to kill you. I don’t want to kill anyone. I did my killing. I don’t want to do anymore.” And there is ... something so very fragile in those words, so very broken and tired and Regis suddenly realizes that ... this was the first Accursed’s nephew, family, he had assumed this man killed the other out of desire for the throne but what if...

What if it have been a desperate desire to make the death and madness stop?

“Is there something we can call you,” Regis hears himself saying, his heart going out against his will to this dangerous, strange immortal, “other than your titles? Is there a name you prefer?”

The looks the Dark Retinue send him are approving and surprised, and the tight line in the Night King’s shoulders unwind, “...Noctis. Please, call me Noctis.”

[endwalkr]

this is an ask based thingy but im really in the mood to infodump so im just gonna answer them all under the cut !

Favorite video game?

starting off with the absolute hardest question huh? i can’t possibly name ONE favorite game of mine because i adore my favorites for many different reasons. my overall favorite video game is ffxv or botw. ffxv because it has brought me so much joy for such a long time, and because i have such a connection with the characters. botw because i was actually in the fandom when it first got announced in 2016 so i got to be there when the hype was at an all time high– and finally being able to play the game after waiting for so long was an unforgettable experience. i have more favorite games but ill talk more about them in the ‘’special place in ur heart’’ question.

First console you owned?

my first console wasn’t a console. my friend and i used to play on her nintendo dsi all the time and at one point tiny little me reeeally wanted one of my own so i saved up and got one in [redacted] when i was 7. my first actual console was a wii though, we got that around the same time.

A game that holds a special place in your heart?

ffxv and botw mean the absolute world to me, but super mario galaxy and skyward sword are very important to me too. skyward sword is the game that got me into zelda which got me into anime which got me into final fantasy etc etc etc.  super mario galaxy was the first non-mini game collection and more adventure story-ish game i played. i was so proud when i beat it for the first time and mario was my first ever ‘’fandom’’ :’) 

Favorite video game character?

bro. i cant pick just one so i’ll choose one per game : prompto, ryuji and link. they were all my comfort characters at some point and i projected like crazy onto them. this doesnt mean that i wouldnt absolutely die for noct or zelda. 

Least favorite video game character?

i dont think theres anyone i distinctly dislike? i always talk about hating ardyn but that’s because he’s just a salty bitch. as a character i think he’s a great villain and i rly love him. i honestly always end up liking everyone somehow, maybe there is someone i just forgot about but i cant remember at all. 

Favorite genre?

adventure games, or action rpgs. 

Video game character you’ve had a crush on?

every character ever, but i distinctly remember the moment i fell in love with prompto sjghfkshd i was watching a playthrough of xv in december 2016 because i didnt have a ps4, and the guy got to the scene in galdin quay where the bros learn insomnia fell. i had watched about 6 hours of the game by that time and wasn’t particularly interested in the characters but not uninterested enough to drop it. i hadnt even gotten a good look at the characters faces yet, so when the camera zoomed in on prompto when he said ‘’might not be save for us here!’’ i noticed he had freckles. oh god. oh fuck. oh my god hes fucking cute. oh my god better watch 30 hours of this game now

First video game you remember playing?

wayyy before i got my own gaming systems, my then-best friend had a gamecube in her attic. i was around 5 or 6 at the time. whenever i was over at her house and we didnt know what to do, she’d sometimes propose to play ‘’mario kart’’. important is that we are dutch, and i was a literal child. i thought mario KART meant it was a fucking card game, so i always declined whenever she asked. on one fateful day, i finally gave in and was pleasantly surprised it was in fact not a card game, but a viddy game. so we played mario kart double dash. (…i had never played a video game in my life besides browser flash games and was Very Very bad)

Age you started gaming?

so i played my first video game that i didnt own when i was about 5 or 6. then i got my first supply of games at age 7/8, but i dont really consider that time to be when i started ‘’gaming’’. i’d say that was when i started mario galaxy, so i’ve been playing video games for real (ie. story adventure games with boss battles) for about 6 years now.

Hardest video game you’ve played?

this is gonna sound stupid, but the witcher 3. there’s like 7 difficulties and i played on the EASIEST and still had a hard time, i just couldnt get used to the combat. i had the same problem with assassin’s creed syndicate, but after about 10 hours i actually knew what i was doing, and ive played the witcher longer than that and still am clueless. this is kind of an unpopular opinion but i dont particularly like that game

Video game you’ve spent the most time on?

i guess i am what you’d call a casual gamer; i really like video games but during a normal school week i only game for like 2-6 hours. most of the time i dont play for like 2 weeks if im busy. gaming has kind of taken over my life not because i play so much but because i get so emotionally invested lol i’m currently on summer break and even now im not playing a lot because of exhaustion and executive dysfunction. this derailed slightly but the game i’ve played the most despite my casual gamer status is …. … …. ffxv. surprise, right? the runner up is botw, but xv wins by a landslide. 630+ hours. botw is 350. my main save in ffxv is almost 200 hours i think. damn. i really managed to keep myself entertained with that game… (………i was thinking recently, since the loading screens in xv are so long, how much of this total amount was spent watching screens. i imagine it’s several hours, especially if you fast travel a lot.)

Most embarrassing gaming moment?

many moments in my gaming experience are embarrassing, but a more recent one: i was in xv’s postgame, beating some dungeons on my new save file. i had just finished daurell caverns and hadn’t saved in about 2 hours. (uh oh) i was driving around in the regalia type d and got to the big cliff near lestallum, and remembered someone made a gif of jumping in there so i wanted to try it too. i imagined the game would just put me back on the road, like it does when you crash into something. except it didnt. i got a game over. where was my last save? 2 hours back all the way in hammerhead. yippee.

Scariest video game you’ve played?

i never play horror games, cuz for me games are supposed to be relaxing experiences. no hate towards horror games of course, they just stress me out. the only time ive played horror is when friday the 13th was for free on ps+, and my friends really wanted to play it. (theyre kinda addicted to it now. huh) they had already gotten over the initial fear of having jason chase you, but i was still terrified. i can play the game without getting scared now tho. the horror sound effects just rly freaked me out at first jhsdkghsd

Most memorable gaming moment?

playing breath of the wild for the first time, or beating it for the first time. both experiences were filled to the brim with excitement and nostalgia. seeing botw as a blank slate, a world for you to explore, having no idea where you’re going… that was pretty incredible. now i know every nook and cranny of the map, so i wish i could play it for the first time again. i was so incredibly immersed. beating it was insane. i cried for 30 minutes and the end wasnt even sad, i was just so amazed at the fact that i was really here, playing breath of the wild, it was really real. the fucking main theme in the background (which i cannot for the life of me listen to without crying) didnt help with my emotions sgkdjh

Video game character you wish you could meet in real life?

…………..its prompto again. maybe 2017 me …. was .. kind of a kinnie

PC, Xbox, Playstation, or Nintendo?

i dont care about console wars at all, but i think hardware-wise, pc is the best, because if you have a good pc you can basically do anything. i however do not, so i just play on consoles. ive never particularly liked xbox, so i only play ps4 and nintendo. not the switch though. its kinda petty, but my best friend and i really dont like the switch djghks

Gaming company you’re most loyal to?

none. i used to call myself a nintendo nerd (oh my god…. i m. gonna die) in like 2015 but since the switch came out and since i got a ps4 they kinda lost me. i still like their game series of course, but as a company i don’t care for them. the only reason i see square enix as one of ‘’my’’ gaming companies is because ffxv took up like 70% of my gaming experience, but besides final fantasy i don’t really love them too much either.

If you could only play one video game for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

atm i’m really into ffxiv because theres just so much to do, but that’s just a new, possibly temporary interest. if i had to choose, i’d say botw. maybe i’d say ffxv, but i feel like running around doing nothing in that game isnt very fun, because the world is sorta empty after completing every quest and getting to level 120. in botw, just fucking around on your horse is still really relaxing and nice. 

Do you use strategy guides?

yup. in certain games i try to avoid them but i usually end up stuck or in need of advice. i couldn’t have gotten so many p5 trophies if not for the internet lol

How often do you use cheats?

never, simply because the games i play often do not have cheats. unless im playing the sims and are in need of a motherlode, i dont use them.

Competitive or single player?

single player. im bad at video games and like to do stuff at my own pace. online multiplayer can be fun every now and then in games like mario kart 8 or splatoon, and i also like teamwork stuff like ffxiv or comrades. but ultimately, i prefer playing on my own.

Video game character you want to/have cosplayed?

have never cosplayed, dont have plans to either, but it would be fun to cosplay link. omg. i just remembered i have that fucking chocomoogle shirt… sorry link im gonna slap on some sasuke hair, black jeans and ugly sneakers 

Ever go to a video game convention?

i have not, i have however gone to three (3) video game concerts which is basically the same thing. 

Hardest boss fight you’ve been in?

the hardest bosses for me are usually the ones with a gimmick. you have to use a certain item or tactic to beat them or something. other hard fights for me are when you fight someone with a similar skill set. (in ffxv, this happens twice, once with the iggy-noct sparring match and once against ardyn. somehow, the final boss was easier than getting the prince to eat vegetables.) i don’t know an actual example of THE hardest boss fight ive been in though. at the time, the first bowser battle in mario galaxy was the hardest thing in the universe and i got stuck for like a month. currently, i’m having trouble with the riku-ansem fight in kh1. 

Video game you wish you could burn from your memory?

the zelda cdi games? no, i dont really know. i dont hate a game so much that i’d want to forget about it altogether, but i dont exactly love ocarina of time that much. it hasnt aged well and playing it on the gamecube for the first time in 2015 wasnt a good idea. im sure it was revolutionary at the time, but i cant handle the outdated controls gsdgksjs 

Favorite gaming series?

see, i love ffxv itself more than the entirety of the zelda series, but i dont love ff as a SERIES more than the zelda games. so if were talking series, zelda for sure. i fucking love those games and they mean a lot to me. 

Do you skip tutorials, or find them useful?

i often skip them because i cant pay attention, but then find that i need them anyway. so i usually do skim through them. 

Best online gaming experience?

one really good one happened a few days ago in ffxiv, some guy and i exchanged emotes for like 30 minutes and it ended with us becoming friends on psn :’) ppl dont usually emote back at me in that game so this was really wholesome and nice gjshksdj 

Worst online gaming experience?

i dont really have a worst? theyre more annoying. think try harders in gta online killing you 15 times in a row because they want to show you how good they are or something. magically, online gaming hasnt been too hard on me (mainly because i dont game online that much)

Why do you game?

it brings me joy. it’s a fun way of relaxing, while being stimulated at the same time. games have meant a great deal to me the past 6 years and i wouldnt want to lose them for the world.

[bgn846]

One Giant Warp - FFXV Promtis

         Summary:            

Noct wants to show Prompto how he warps, how hard could it be? Very hard, like the wall he just threw himself into attempting to demonstrate.  However, the one nice side effect of his miscalculation is Prompto fawning over him.  Maybe he should throw himself into walls more often. a.k.a. Noct likes Prompto and doesn't know how to tell him.

--

It turns out the old adage of keeping your eye on the ball wasn’t just meant for sports. The same reasoning applied to warping. This fact made itself known when Noct decided to risk a quick glance over at Prompto. The prince had wanted to ensure his friend could see the feat he was about to perform.  Sure, his best friend was paying attention, and subsequently got to watch as Noct slammed himself into the wall of the training room.  One small note of comfort being, no one else had been there.  

The feeling of pain was first and foremost in his brain as he writhed on the floor.  Thank the six, the walls were covered in mats. Though he was pretty sure they weren’t meant for warping into. Noct was dimly aware of the floor vibrating as Prompto ran over.  His frantic shouts also helped clue Noct into his approach.

“Noct! Buddy! Oh em gee please tell me you’re alright?!” Prompto yelped in a panic.

Only able to manage some sort of guttural sound in acknowledgment, Noct reached out his hand to grab Prompto’s arm. Squeezing firmly he held on in hopes the gesture would calm his friend. Typical to Prompto, it didn’t work.

“Dude, shit, are you dying or something? Why are you holding me like that? Say something I don’t know what t--.”

“M’fine!” Noct blurted. “Hurts, give me a minute.”

“Did you break anything? If you did then you shouldn’t move. How’s your neck feel? What about your back?” Prompto rapidly fired as his blue eyes darted to and fro. “When you said you wanted to show me how you warped, I didn’t think you’d do it so forcefully!” he finished with a wince.

The shock of literally throwing his body at an immovable object was wearing off, and Noct attempted to roll on his side, albeit slowly. Thankfully, nothing twinged and the only part of his body that was starting to throb was his head. A headache he could handle.  Having to explain why a potion was missing later due to a broken bone wasn’t something he’d been looking forward to.

He knew he’d never be able to say the real reason why due to certain people like Ignis being able to see through him in a heartbeat. That was the only issue with practically growing up with someone, they knew all your tells.  Fibbing to Prompto, on the other hand, was easy.  Not that admitting he’d merely been trying to show off for his secret crush would work well either.

Noct simply had to survive this moment and move on, or rather move up. The floor was very comfortable right now, and the idea of even attempting to walk wasn’t sounding promising.  Fighting gravity combined with relearning how to balance was the least of his worries. He already knew he’d need Prompto’s help getting back home. The prospect of having to hang onto the blond was proving to be a worrying thought.

He didn’t mind being close to Prompto, quite the opposite, he wanted nothing more than to stay close. Having a crush on your best friend was fun and torturous all at the same time. Resigned to keeping his fantasies in dreamland Noct focused on trying to sit up.  No need in delaying this process any longer.  He needed to rest and forget this ever happened.  However, when Noct did sit up the room spun.  Guess he’d hit his head harder than he thought. Muttering a curse under his breath Noct clamped his eyes shut and reached out for the nearest thing to steady his movements. Prompto’s warm and slightly clammy hand enveloped his a second later.  Right, he forgot, Prompto was the nearest thing.

Laughing nervously to detract from his now equally sweaty hands, Noct began rambling. “I’m fine, really, it’s all good,” he lied opening his eyes once more.  Big mistake. Prompto’s blue eyes were right there, brilliant and bright, staring straight at him.

“You don’t look so fine, buddy. You sorta look ill.”

“You try throwing yourself at a wall and see how you fair.”

“Not funny, you didn’t see it from my perspective, or hear the noise either.”

“What noise?” Noct asked bewildered. “Did I yell?”

Prompto huffed out a breath and rolled his eyes. “No, dude, the noise I’m talking about is when your body hit the wall. It sounded like a sack of potatoes dropping.”

“Oh, yeah it wasn’t supposed to go like that.”

“We should get you to the clinic or something, just in case.”

“Huh? Clinic? Six, no, I’m not going to the doctor.  I’m fine,” Noct defended while attempting to stand and promptly grabbing his friend for support.  Stupid head, spinning around and making the simple act of standing an issue.

“Whoa, I gotcha,” Prompto supplied as he slung Noct’s arm over his shoulder.  “I know I just started crownsguard training but I’ve already learned about first aid,” he beamed proudly.   “Which means we need to go to the clinic.”

“Seriously Prompto, I’m good, I’m not gonna go,” Noct tried again as they hobbled along to the door.

“I’m not going to be responsible for killing the crown prince of Lucis because I let him bully me.”

Noct scoffed, “I’m not dying, my head hurts I need to sleep it off.” This statement got Prompto even more animated.

“Your head hurts? Shit, dude, that’s worse. You shouldn’t go to sleep.”

Noct was about to tell Prompto that he was perfectly capable of reading his own injuries when an idea struck. If he needed to stay awake then this was a perfect excuse for them to spend the rest of the afternoon and night together. Prompto slept over all the time but always used the guest room if he hadn’t already fallen asleep on the couch.  This time Noct had a valid reason for him to share his bed.

Impressed by his own cleverness Noct voiced his brilliant idea without pause. “Why don’t you keep an eye on me then, make sure I don’t pass out or something worse.”

“I’m already doing that dummy, and I’m going the extra mile by taking you to the doctor.”

Thinking fast Noct remembered that Cor might still be around. “What if Cor clears me? Would you accept that instead of the doctor? He’s got a medic certification too, remember?”

Prompto pouted but eventually nodded. “I trust his judgment, but I still think you’re being a baby.”

Noct waved Prompto off with his free hand motioned for them to go in the direction of Cor’s office. Needless to say, Cor was not amused by his appearance five minutes later.  The man took one look at the pair of them and scowled. “Noctis, why do you have a rather painful looking bump developing on your forehead?”

“I hit the wall with my head, but that’s not what’s important right now. Can you make sure I’m not going to die so Prompto won’t make me go to the clinic?”

Taking a deep breath Cor stood from his desk and sauntered over. “I warned you not to take your eye off the ball.”

This time Noct scowled and gave Cor a look that he hoped would stop the older man from pressing further. “You can’t even warp,” he grumbled.

Cor hummed in agreement, “I still saw your father do plenty of stupid shit, so I know the principle behind the magic.”

“Yeah, yeah, am I okay? You’ve seen real dead people before so you’ll know what to look for.”

“Noct, shut up,” Prompto whispered. “He’s the immortal for six sake.”

“Yes, I know,” Noct hissed. “That’s why we are here.”

Cor took all their comments in stride and if Noct was being honest he would swear Cor had a slight smile on his face. After some cursory questions about how he was feeling and Cor examining his head, he was given the clear to go home. A stern warning to call if anything changed was given out as Prompto steered them out of office once more.

The next challenge on the long, terrible journey home was transportation. Noct knew he shouldn’t drive, and he was not going to call Ignis for a lift. If he could keep this little accident a secret it’d be even better. Ignis wasn’t even scheduled to visit later. If Noct played his cards right he’d have Prompto all to himself for the whole night.

Convincing Prompto to drive the car back to his condo was tricky.  Noct laid out how terrible it would be if Ignis showed up, and how degrading it would be if Gladio found out.  They were best friends this was a moment between them, and them alone.  Noct was babbling and he knew it, but it worked.  Prompto finally took the driver’s seat and slowly navigated them to his place. Noting to never ask Prompto to drive again Noct focused on staying upright on the walk to the elevator.  Having someone to lean on was immensely helpful; otherwise, he was sure he’d have fallen over in the parking garage.

Curse living on the ninth floor, the elevator made his head throb painfully and he wasn’t about to take the stairs. Prompto noticed immediately when he sucked in a labored breath once the elevator began moving.

“You’re still feeling awful aren’t you?”

“I’m not in pain if that makes you feel better.  My head still hurts, but not anything unbearable,” he added quickly.  Prompto might take this admission as a sign of weakness and decide to call Ignis or something worse.

“Cor said to make sure you ate and to take it easy, let’s focus on that for now.”

“We can order pizza!” Noct exclaimed making them list sideways. This using his crush as a crutch was great.  Maybe he would stay ‘dizzy’ for a little longer. He was starting to enjoy this moment for all the wrong reasons.  Noct wasn’t even sure if Prompto liked him back that way. Asking that question of his friend though was another matter entirely. Noct didn’t want to risk losing one of the best things that had happened to him.  Prompto’s friendship had been a relief from the mounting daily pressures he faced.

Ignis and Gladio always had his back but this was different, Prompto didn’t come from their world. He wasn’t familiar with all the pomp and circumstance of being a royal. They were friends because they got along and had fun together, nothing more and nothing less. Noct was loath to ruin such a great thing by offering up his true feelings. Something about ‘hey I like, like you’ felt like a good way to seriously rock the boat.  Things were smoothly humming along; there was no need to destroy a perfectly good friendship.    

Lost in his own thoughts about how nice Prompto’s body felt Noct didn’t notice they’d reached his front door. It wasn’t until a hand began patting his pockets did he realize the issue. Prompto wanted his keys to get in.   “Huh, sorry, they are in my other pocket,” he offered sheepishly.

“Well then, we gotta switch sides for me to reach them,” Prompto announced right before ducking out from under his arm and moving. The sound of jingling keys erupted soon after.  

Noct was about to whine at being jostled until Prompto’s body pressed up against him once more. Smiling like an idiot he leaned further into his friend.  Unfortunately, his timing was terrible, and Noct merely made them both fall forward. The newly unlocked door swung open forcefully, and Prompto barely had the strength to keep them both upright.

“Dude, warn me when you’re gonna do that!”

“Sorry, you feel really good,” Noct murmured sleepily.  It wasn’t until a healthy blush developed on Prompto’s cheeks did Noct pick up on what he’d said.  Shit. This was bad. “Ya know like ah, um--,” he trailed off completely at a loss for words.  There wasn’t really a good way to explain away what he’d just said.

“You should sit down, I’ll order food,” Prompto quickly cut in as he looked everywhere but Noct’s face.

The walk to the sofa was deathly quiet as Noct desperately tried to think of something to say. Nothing came to mind. Prompto eased him down gently a minute later and then disappeared like his butt was on fire. Groaning at his own inability to function like a normal human Noct leaned back and stared at the ceiling, resigned to drown in his own insecurities.    

--

Prompto’s hands were shaking by the time he made it into the bathroom.  Noct’s apartment was open in the main living area so he couldn’t seek refuge in the kitchen.  He also knew he couldn’t stay in here forever. He needed to keep an eye on Noct and hiding in here wasn’t the way to do it.  His mind was still reeling from the simple comment his friend had made.

‘You feel really good’ was a benign statement in of itself, but combined with all the soft smiles and other things Prompto had noticed recently, it took on a whole new life. Maybe he hadn’t been imagining all of it before.  Maybe Noct liked him as more than a friend.

Pulling his phone out he called the one person who might be able to give him some advice. Prompto had wanted to let someone else know what had happened, just in case they needed help later, despite Noct’s protests.  He wasn’t about to put his friend in harm’s way.  Suddenly worried he opened the bathroom door and looked down the hallway.  Noct’s fluffy head of hair was still visible over the couch.

He was about to wander closer to really check when Noct’s hand came up and touched his fresh bruise.   Thank the six, he was still okay. Going back to his little haven, Prompto hit the call button and waited.

Gladio picked up on the third ring. “Hey Prompto, what’s up?” he asked jovially. “We didn’t have a training session today, did we? I thought it was on Monday.”

“No, no, you’re good I uh just need to tell you something real quick.”

The shield must have picked up on the stress in his voice due to his next reaction. “What’s wrong? Are you alright? Where’s Noct? Is he hurt? Are you hurt?”

“Whoa big guy, calm down, I’m fine.  Noct’s mostly fine. Cor checked him out if it makes you feel better.”

“What do you mean Cor checked him out?”

Prompto had to cover the speaker on his phone for fear Noct might heard Gladio hysterically laughing. The tale of Noct’s great warp strike to the training room wall was very funny to him. After Gladio had quieted down again he continued. “So yeah, I wanted you and Ignis to know, so you could like be prepared if something else happens. I felt like it was the wise thing to do considering the circumstances, and the fact that he refuses to go to the doctor.”

“Okay blondie, I’ll alert Ignis and make sure he promises to keep his mouth shut.  I appreciate you callin’ You’re a good friend to Noct, he needs more people like you in his life.”

Gladio’s comment made Prompto remember the other reason he’d called.  “Uh, so you were also right about the other thing.”

“Huh, what other thing?”

“The thing you relentlessly tease me about when I miss a move in training. The thing about Noct like, liking me and being to chocobo to admit it.”

“Seriously?! What’d he say?”

“Nothing much but I think hitting his head has made him a little loopy.  He’s super relaxed and saying things and hanging on me.”

“You gonna tell you like him back?” Gladio asked.

“Should I? I don’t want to ruin things.”

“You’re not gonna ruin anything. Noct likes you, just tell him and see how it goes.  I’d suggest you not try to ya know do anything tonight, he’s injured after all but talking about stuff is fine.”

“Oh em gee too much info Gladio, I’m not gonna jump him tonight, he needs to rest.”

Gladio laughed again but there was no malice behind it. “Go back and sit with him. You’re hiding in the bathroom, aren’t you? I can tell by the echo.”

“Yes!” Prompto hissed. “I got nervous, shit, I still need to order pizza.”

“Hey, calm down. Go sit with him and I’ll order for you. I can use his account to pay and then you can focus on making sure he’s alright.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Sure kiddo, you’re my friend too.  Besides, I know what you two like to eat.  Go check on him; make sure he’s not passed out or somethin’.”

“Okay thanks, Gladio.”

“No problem, call me straight away if anything changes. It sounds like he needs to rest and take it easy for the weekend.  I’ll let Ignis know so don’t worry about that either.”

“Alright, I’ll keep you posted. Thanks big guy.”

Pocketing his phone once more Prompto opened the door to check on Noct. His friend was still in the same spot and moving his arms around like he was having a conversation. Expect no one was there.  Wondering if he’d gone temporarily insane Prompto slipped out into the hallway and listened.   Sure enough, Noct was talking, but after a second Prompto figured out he was simply talking to himself.

The dialog was all over the place. Noct was berating himself for being stupid and messing everything up. What in the hell was his friend going on about? Not wanting to see Noct act so self-deprecating Prompto ran back into the room. “Hey you didn’t mess anything up,” he chided while coming to a stop next to the sofa.

“You’re still here?” Noct exclaimed with a pained look. “I thought maybe I’d messed up so bad you’d snuck out.”

“You’re such a dork, I’m not gonna leave. I told you I’d take care of you and I meant it.”

“Oh, you’re not mad at me?”

“Dude, how hard did you hit your head? No, I’m not mad at you.”

‘Sorry,” Noct mumbled as he looked away and stared at the floor.

“Sorry for what? Pizza is on its way and we get to hang out for the rest of the night and watch movies and like uh, you know be idiots together.” Prompto offered with a smile.

“What kind of pizza did you get?” Noct asked with a pout. “I’m hungry.”

Unable to stop the burst of nervous laughter from escaping his mouth, Prompto blurted the first thing that came to mind, “It’s a surprise buddy. You’ll love it don’t worry.”  

“Okay, I trust you.”

“So ah, how’s your head feel now? Is it still pounding?”

“It’s getting better, but I think I’ll be glued to the sofa for the rest of the night.”

Sitting down next to Noct, Prompto gathered his thoughts. He wanted to talk to Noct about how he felt, but he wasn’t sure right now was the best time. Gladio’s words flashed through his mind at that moment. Prompto should try and talk about stuff. He didn’t think he was reading the signs wrong, Noct sure seemed like he was interested in him.

“Um, what did you think you’d messed up?” he asked finally.

“Huh?” Noct whispered as he settled down into the cushions further.

“You were saying something earlier about messing up, what did you mean?” Prompto was sure Noct’s face was turning pink. That had to be a good sign. No one would blush if they didn’t have feelings to admit. Noct looked stricken; he clearly wanted to speak but couldn’t seem to find the energy.  Time dragged on as Noct stalled.  Gladio has been right, Noct was never going to say anything first. Prompto couldn’t believe he was about to do this but his friend needed him, now more than ever.   Taking a deep breath he voiced his own feelings in hopes it would prompt Noct into revealing his own.

“You--you felt good too,” he managed through the lump in his throat. Noct didn’t immediately react. Prompto watched as various emotions played across his friend's face. Noct was confused at first; it was an odd statement to make when they weren’t actually touching. It was understandable that he’d be wondering about the context. Then, in a flash Noct turned his head and looked at him with wide eyes. He’d figured it out, hopefully.

“Say it again,” he demanded, but not in a condescending way.

Licking his lips Prompto gathered what little bravery he had left and repeated his comment, “you felt good too.”

“You mean it?” Noct checked as he leaned forward and gripped Prompto’s arm. “I didn’t destroy our friendship?”

“Is that what you thought would happen?” Prompto exclaimed. “I’m always gonna be your friend. I don’t know what life would be like without you buddy.”

Noct instantly relaxed and flopped back into the sofa, “I was so worried I messed everything up.”

“What? By telling me how you really feel about me?” Prompto asking hoping this might bait Noct into saying more.

“I’ve had a crush on you for soooo long, I just didn’t know how to tell you,” Noct admitted with a relieved look.

“Were you trying to impress me with your warping abilities?” Prompto queried with a smirk.

“Maybe, but don’t tell anyone else that! I don’t wanna get yelled at for abusing my magic just to impress someone I like.”

“You’d already won me over the moment we met.” Smiling at how that made Noct blush even harder Prompto continued on. “I’m flattered that you were willing to risk life and limb to impress me, but next time, tell me how you feel.”

Noct laughed and winced immediately afterward, “Shit, oh man I gotta take it easy tonight.  That sucks.”

“Sounds kinda nice actually.”

“We could be trying out so many different things tonight, but I can’t even stand up without the room spinning.”

The true meaning behind what Noct had said, sunk in a second later. Oh, damn he was referring to those kinds of other things.  One idea did come to mind that they could do. “So, we can always cuddle until you feel better,” Prompto suggested slyly.  “Ya know, and then later we can do some other uh, stuff.”

Prompto didn’t have much warning before Noct slumped to the side and tackled him in a hug. “Thanks, buddy, falling asleep against you sounds really good.”

“Hey, no sleeping yet, you need to eat.” The sound that came as a response didn’t sound like the English language. Had Noct already zonked out? “Dude, no come on wake up!”

“Sleeeeep nowwwwww, pizza laterrrr.” Noct mumbled as he began to rearrange them on the sofa.

Prompto patiently waited until Noct was fully sprawled across his chest before he pulled out his phone again.  He needed to send a text to Gladio but he was waiting for the inevitable. Noct falling asleep.

However, once Noct had stilled he took a breath to speak. “Why is your heart racing?”

That was an easy one to answer. “We just confessed that we like each other more than friends and now you’re lying on top of me.  Why do you think my heart is racing?” He questioned jokingly. “I’m excited and nervous, and happy all at the same time.”

“Sorry, my macho display delayed our fun.”

“Honestly, I’m okay taking things a little slow. I like what we are doing right now and maybe later after dinner, we can uh, you know, try kissing?”

Noct giggled like a freaking two-year-old once he’d finished talking. “We can kiss now if you want.”

“Nope, gonna make you wait since you laughed at me.”

“Hey, I can’t help it, you sounded really cute.”

“I’m not cute bro, I’m manly just like you.”

Noct laughed again even moved his arm to hit him in the shoulder. “Fine, you sounded really handsome and strong. How chivalrous of you to wait on my account, so as not to spoil my virgin body.”

“If you weren’t injured right now I’d have shoved you off on the floor already. You should thank me for being so nice to you.”

Snorting and groaning in pain Noct stilled again. “Stop making me laugh. I gotta take it easy remember?”

“Sure, buddy,” Prompto drawled out. “You’re taking it easy, and picking on me at the same time. I don’t think that should be allowed.”

“Okay, truce, I’ll stop until I feel better.”

“Deal, but I’m gonna fight back once you get better too, don’t forget.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  Noct asked indignantly.

“If you pick on me I’ll retaliate.”

“How? You can’t hurt me I’m the crown prince.” He offered haughtily but Prompto could tell Noct was teasing.

“I have my ways. I know someone who’d be more than willing to tell me where you’re ticklish.”

“Iggy wouldn’t betray me like that.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“Shhh, enough talk about that, lets enjoy this moment before the food gets here.”  Noct went so far as to cover Prompto’s mouth with his hand to silence him. One well-placed lick of his tongue had Noct crying out in disgust. “Not fair, no licking.”

“Ever?” Prompto asked coolly.

“Never!” Noct replied but he seemed to realize what that might imply and quickly changed his tune. “Licking s’okay,” he nearly whispered a second later.

“I thought so, but that’s for later remember.”

“M’sleep nowww.” Noct hummed.

Prompto let Noct rest this time.  Once his friend's breath had evened out, he texted Gladio to get an ETA on the food. For once the Friday night rush meant the hour-long time was actually welcomed, considering his current situation.  Gladio had of course asked how it went and Prompto was happy to reply that they’d confessed their feeling to each other.  He was graced with a thumbs-up emoticon and a smiley face.

Putting his phone down Prompto hugged Noct closer and rubbed his back. He was going to make sure they had the best weekend ever! Happy to simply be with Noct and hold him Prompto drifted off until the door buzzed.  The night was just beginning as was their new relationship.  Prompto couldn’t wait to have more adventures with Noct.  So long as he didn’t throw himself into a wall again!

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