#i would have more faith in prompto than him!

[shnurf]

i just started final fantasy xv and i love it- HOWEVER ignis cannot drive for SHIT he has missed our turn so many time and his parking is worse than his haircut

[goddessofroyalty]

I wonder what Cloud would do if Prompto ended up following Sephiroth. Like, he's not gonna kill his kid, and could he really sit back and let someone kill him? Maybe he'll just give up and go hang out with Lucrecia. Ignis and Gladio probably are more motivated to try and change Prom and Noctis' minds but Cloud tried for so long to change Sephiroth's that he just doesn't have any faith in doing it. (But I could also see Ignis and Gladio trying to change their minds by pretending to be on their side and casting doubts in them? Just knowing how stubborn their friends are, lol. (And what if that worked better on Sephiroth than Prom and Noct?))

Yeah it’s a really difficult position for Cloud to be in. Because he absolutely doesn’t want to kill his kid or even just his kid to die generally but he’s also all too aware that Prompto has to be stopped. He probably feels a lot of guilt TBH - firstly and probably mostly for having a child with Sephiroth. He loves Prompto but maybe if Prompto’s father had been someone else then Prompto wouldn’t now be trying to destroy the planet. Secondly because Cloud does eel like he should be doing more to protect the planet and not be letting the fact it’s his ston stay his hand.

Honestly Cloud probably tries to prevent Sephiroth and Prompto from succeeding through like getting to the things they need to destroy the planet and either destroying them (if possible without making the situation worse), or hiding them. He’s still protecting the planet without risking his sons life.

And hoestnly he’s damn lucky that unwillingness to kill goes in both directions of the relationship and Sephiroth & Prompto don’t want to kill him either.

Ignis and Gladio are similarly torn because hoenstly they were raised and groomed to protect Noctis and serve him. Their life’s purpose is for Noctins. And while it’s a painful shock to them when they find out that Noctis was destined/meant to die to save the planet they still aren’t convinced destroying the planet is the right choice. And surely if you have the power to the destroy the planet than you also have the power to find a different way to save Noctis without... destroying the planet.

They are both also aware that they are the people most likely to convince Prompto and Noctis off their plan. They already have both Noctis and Prompto’s trust and both Noctis and Prompto are already used to listening to their positions and at least considering them. So they join them and then try to convince them not to destroy the planet.

[synnefo-nefeli]

Polyship Roadtrip as King and his Prince Consorts headcanons

And also about that time, Prince Consort Prompto, became Regent of Lucius:

Some set up:

After the sun’s back and the Kingdom of Lucius is rebuilding, Noct decides for once in his life he’s going to be selfish and pull rank- he tells the counsel (a fair amount did survive or at least their heirs did) that he’s marrying his boyfriends. “It’s the worst kept secret, you all know we’ve been together since I was 18...fuck if I ever do a politically arranged marriage again”

* It is a bit unorthodox- not the King having multiple consorts- Ignis found an old law regarding the ancient Kings of Lucius who had multiple partners, so there is precedence.

What *is* unorthodox is that the consorts are also the King’s Hand, the King’s Shield (head of Lucius’ army), and Prompto who will one-day succeed Cor as Marshal.

* There is surprisingly little pushback and an amicable agreement of what Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto can and cannot do as both consort and their official counsel positions/capacities in the Crownsguard/ what happens if if any of the consorts become Regent.

* Essentially if there is a time when Noct must appoint a Regent, the order goes: Gladio (as his bloodline is as noble blood and ancient as Noct + his and Noct’s line have intermarried), Ignis, due to him being the Hand & as well of noble birth, and lastly Prom.

* If Gladio or Ignis are Regent, Prompto and Iris are their Shields. If Prom is Regent, Cor and Iris are the Shield.

* Being Regent only occurs if Noct is way from the capital or if he’s incapacitated. The only times when Gladio is Regent is when Noct is sick and cannot attend royal functions where the King or Regent’s capacity is required. All other times he’s with Noct as his Shield.

* The Regent capacity is more out of ceremony- The Regent presides over Counsel Meetings, rules in the King’s stead (but cannot order laws), attends functions on behalf of the Crown. Things do get tricky when the King is literally in bed with 1/2 the counsel, but Noct’s consorts are trusted.

* The Regency is marked by a “Crown passing ceremony”, which is self explanatory and is ended by a ceremony where the consort re-crowns Noct.

* Only Noct can sit on the throne. there are three smaller seats besides his throne for his consorts. Only if they are Regent, and ceremony demands it, can they sit on Noct’s throne.

So now that’s all out of the way let’s get to the time Prompto found himself as Regent.

* Prompto honestly never thought it would happen. He’s comfortable with doing Consort duties and appearances as they’re often extensions of his Crownsguard duties. What are the chances that Gladio or Iggy cannot be regent right?

* Well. Noct and Gladio have to attend a function at the Niff Border for a trade agreement so Noct passes his crown to Ignis. It’s quiet mostly at the capital. Just him and Ignis running to counsel meetings as the Regent and Regent’s Shield. Ignis doing work as the Hand and Prompto spending time with Cor and the Glaives. 

* He and Ignis retire back to their home ( I hc the Bros have a home in the residential neighborhoods (the few that we’re still standing) the Citadel; the Citadel is being used to house displaced Lucians, fire department and medical resources as Insomnia rebuilds its infrastructure + Noct wants to only be in the Citadel when he absolutely must) and they’re having a nice few days of enjoying each other’s company; have a date-night where Prompto, bless him, cooks. But Cor comes over to say that they must come back to the Citadel, Ignis is needed to preside over something.

* Turns out, Tenebrae needs help sort issues Ravus is having (oh yeah, Ravus is alive in this AU because he got done dirty too in the game); Tenebrae is on the verge of collapse because of infighting on Ravus’ council, Ravus pleads to Ignis to come as a neutral party as distant Tenebraen nobility, and help them restructure a new system

* Sooo Prom is crowned in the middle of the night by Ignis (with Noct and Gladio calling in on video), and Ignis is whisked off to a drop-ship with a kiss to Prom’s cheek and a “I’ll be back soon, you’ll be fine”.

* Prompto has to sleep in the Royal apartments alone, in the King’s chambers per tradition; he and Noctis spend the whole night texting, “what if I mess up?” “Prom you’re going to be fine” “what if I cause an international crisis?” “Prom, you’re Regent, there’s no way - you don’t have that power- and also you’re super smart. We’ll be home soon don’t worry. Just ride it out for a few days. One of us will be home soon”.

* The first few days are fine- no royal duties to attend to, so Prom sticks to his Crownsguard’s duties. He *does* have extra security around him via Cor and Iris but life is normal. After work he takes Iris shopping because he loves spoiling his little sister-in-law, and they just chill out together watching movies at night. 

His husbands all call to check in and they’re super pleased with how Prom’s handling stuff in the capital, “honestly, I’m not doing anything! Which is probably for the best.” He blushes through his husband’s encouragement.

* By day 8, no one is home and Prompto has to attend his first council meeting as Regent. He’s dressed in a simple raiment- one specifically made for such a situation. Black high-collared suit, a black and silver brocade half-cape, a sash that denotes his status as a consort but fringed with the silver patterned satin of the Crownsguard, and his consort’s circlet- a simple silver band with a horned decoration similar to Noct’s crown.

It’s stuffy and tight fitting and honestly now he understands why Noct chafes at wearing his, and why Ignis basically has to threaten Noct with vegetables to wear it. He spends the entire meeting longing for his Crownsguard uniform.

* A week into being Prince Regent, soon turns into WEEKS. Noct, Ignis and Gladio apologize...well, Noct and Gladio do, Ignis is (politely) frustrated with Prompto’s lack of confidence, “you are one of the Chosen King’s Prince Consorts and retainers, you helped save the world when the sun was gone, you lead dangerous supply and recovery missions into the heart of ruined Eos, you took down The Empire’s magitek operations...have some faith, Prompto. If anything, you pledged yourself to this duty when you married Noct. This is our lives now.”

* Prompto manages with Cor and Iris’ help and fortunately most of his Regent duties are behind closed doors...until “Remembrance Day”, the day of Insomnia’s fall. Noct has still not returned, in fact the Niff leaders want to hold a joint ceremony with Noct as a sign of apology for the tragety and for a sign of peace. Noct can’t say no. A similar ceremony is being held in Tenebrae to remember their fallen and to enforce Tenebrae’s alliance and peace treaty with Lucius. So it falls to Prom to lead the Remembrance Day ceremonies - both public and private in Insomnia.

* The first time since his Wedding Day, Prompto is dressed in his full formal Prince Consort raiment and is thrust into the public eye as Prince Regent Prompto.

* In the car to the Memorial Grounds, a spot that is slowly being constructed into a formal memorial to those who died in the Fall, Prompto is a mess of nerves. However when he steps up to the podium to give the address he prepared- and he did prepare it, and then tweaked it slightly with Cor and Ignis’ help, a calm comes over it and he delivers the address flawlessly. He holds his head high, while maintaining a solemn mood- and he doesn’t have to fake it, he *is* grieving in the inside. It seems like forever ago he was 20, naive and going out into the world for the first time; when his only cares were “am I good enough for Noct; am I meant to be besides them or am I only here because ‘I’m Noct’s friend’”, and figuring out this relationship between the four of them. He left Insomnia bold and brash, returned a week later to find it a smoking ruin, and then 10 years before they could finally return. Now he’s 34, married, a *prince consort* and a hero of Eos.

* He goes through the motions of the public ceremonies at the memorial, at the Insomnian temple. Visits reconstruction sites and lunches with the civilians who are working to rebuild their homes. He gets shy handshakes from a few children who are brought by their parents to meet him, and hugs from a few of the bolder kids...and despite Cor’s disapproving expression, Prompto does take a few photos with some of the teenagers eager to meet a Prince and an elite Crownsguard veteran.

* Afterwards Prompto is whisked back to the Citadel for the ceremonial Remembrance Day formalities.

 Prompto is nervous because this address, which is also televised, as it involves  him sitting on Noctis’ throne- Cor asks him why is he so nervous now. And Prompto is essentially like, “I don’t think some of them will like seeing a Niff sitting on The Throne...I know I’m Lucian by citizenship but I’m clearly not Lucian...heck, I can’t even pass for Tenebraen - which I think would be better for optics...considering that today,we’re remembering those who fell when The Empire betrayed the peace talks.”

And Cor just adjusts Noctis’ crown to sit nicely ontop Prompto’s head without obscuring Prompto’s Consort’s Crown and says , “If anyone of those people out there, hold judgement against you based solely on your appearance, rather than your character and all you’ve done for the realm, their lives during the dark, and their King...they are fools and not all loyal to The Lucian Crown and its protectors. You’re more Lucian than anyone of them- you may not have the look but you have the loyalty and honor. You have humble beginnings and a an even humbler heart....don’t you dare cry on me Argentum...now get out there and show them *why* the King married you and not one of their overly entitled brats”

* Prompto does pull himself together and walks head-high and poised enough that he can hear Ignis’ praises in his mind as he moves to take his seat on the throne

* This involves another address, this one written by Noctis but with a few of Prompto’s own remarks for the nobility and gathered officials of the Kingsglaive and Crownsguard.

*  Afterwards he attends a ceremony for the Kingsglaive, he lays a wreath of flowers of the memorial outside of their barracks as well as an Honor Sash at the spot where Nyx gave his last stand

* He dines with the Glaive, which is the most comfortable moment of his day as most of them are his friends and he can be more of himself.

* However he must have second dinner with the nobility. It’s a stuffier affair but blessedly Iris bails him out of there early as “the Prince has a family matter to attend to”. Iris doesn’t know what Prompto meant by this when he asked that “time for family” be built in, but she enforces it so Prompto can give the requisite parting pleasantries to his guests and leave.

* Regis and Clarus’ remains were recovered by the first surveyors into Insomnia after the Dawn, and were interred in the palace gardens that were mercifully not destroyed beyond hope and were back to full bloom after ten years without sun. The Lucian Royal Crypts where rulers and their consorts, who didn’t have tombs constructed for them, were too ruined for any new burials. There’s talk of after restoring them, that Regis will be moved there to be besides Noctis’ mother’s tomb. But for now, Regis, lies facing the sunset with his best friend. It’s gated so that only a few  enter this part of the gardens, but that doesn’t mean people haven’t turned the gates into a makeshift memorial for the “King who held the Wall”, placing flowers, notes, and small tokens against the fencing.

* In the quiet of dusk, away from the eyes of the public, Prompto takes two bouquets down to the private burial site, opens the gate with his key, and goes to visit with Regis and Clarus. He lays his flowers next the the ones that most likely Iris had laid earlier in the day.

* He tells them “thank you again for your sons” that he loves them and he hopes he’s doing an okay job at the “whole consort thing”. That he’s sorry Noct and Gladio aren’t here today but “they’re off making you both proud and making for a better future for everyone”; he’ll make sure they and Ignis visit first thing when they get back.

* Prompto doesn’t mind “talking” to his fathers- in-laws, he wishes they were around to see how much they’ve all grown. Besides, he no longer speaks to his adoptive parents- the last time he saw them was at the wedding ceremony and that’s because the wedding planner had guilted him into inviting them. Besides the few times he met and spent time with Regis, Prompto felt “like a son” in the way Ignis had describe his and the King’s own personal relationship.

* Prom leaves to finally take off his reignments and “actually eat something”. Maybe he and Iris could play a board game or he’d be able to catch one of his husbands on a video call. He totally misses that Cor’s been watching him the entire time from a bench underneath a tree- I mean it’s dark and all. Cor stands and smiles at the graves of his best friends, “Between him and Ignis, your sons are lucky. You’d be so proud of all of them.”

* Prompto eats small dinner and winds up passing out unceremoniously across the master bed in the royal apartments; Cor lets him sleep in as late as he wants. Prompto wakes up to the news that Ignis’ transport has just reached the Insomnia City Limits.

* Prompto practically stumbles out of bed, and throws clothes on, runs down the halls to the throne room with Noct’s crown clutched in his hand. He reaches the throne room practically disheveled-the crown warmed from his hot and sweaty hands to find, Ignis, Cor, and the royal officiant waiting. Ignis is quietly laughing while he kneels to accept the crown which Prompto practically jams into Ignis’ well coiffed head with a “thank the Six you’re back”.

* Ignis and Prompto walk arm and arm back to the royal apartments, “thank god that’s over!” “Was it really so bad, darling?” Prompto blushes and shakes his head, “Not really, but gods I was STRESSED, Iggy.”

* Ignis only smiles, “Oh? By the sound of thing I am hearing from private and public channels, Insomnia was quite dazzled by the ‘People’s Prince’, you must have done something right. Everyone is delighted by you and think you handled Remembrance Day with aplomb.’ Prompto just blushes as he and Ignis go in search of breakfast.

* Two days later Noct and Gladio arrive and things get back to normal. Gladio of course teases Prompto about him being “Insomnia’s newest celebrity...watch out Noct”, “he can have it,” Noct says as he kisses Prompto.

[secret-engima]

Last one! - the future’s blurry (but the past is a trap)

Time-Travel fic!!!!! Hmmmm- what fandom what fandom so many lovely choices....

FFXV. Because that’s my mood right now (as ever).

COR.

Cor Time-Travel fic. Cor who lives to see the end of the Long Night, Cor who HOPES and dreams of helping Noctis rebuild the kingdom after he restores the dawn, Cor who is Noctis’s godfather, Cor who PROMISED Regis the first time he held the tiny sleeping infant that is now a brave and wise king that he would PROTECT Regis’s son-.

Cor who stumbles into the throne room to see three brothers sobbing over the lifeless body of their fourth and king.

And Cor ... Cor breaks. He hides in some random, rundown apartment in the empty city and drinks and drinks-

“So this is how you’re going to accept fate? By drowning yourself in a bottle?” Scorns a voice he’s only heard one time in his life but still sends him scrambling for his sword. He whirls, heart in his mouth, blade in hand and sees not a towering suit of armor with glittering eyes, but a ghostly version of a fire-eyed twenty-something adult. A towering man of nearly seven feet, board shouldered and scarred on one side of his face, dark brown hair and piercing amber eyes that mark the Amicitia line, “I had hoped for better.”

“Gilgamesh,” Cor rasps and wonders if he’s lost his mind in his grief, “What are you doing here?”

“Well,” says the man with a sneer, “I should be moving on to the afterlife. I have been freed from my prison after all. The Prophecy is fulfilled.”

“Then why haven’t you?”

A pause, and the sneer, the confidence, fades away and leaves behind someone very tired and wrung out, “Because I have regrets, and you are the only one still alive for me to speak of them to. The Last Shield will not listen, he is lost in his grief and surrounded by the living. You are alone and you are open to my voice.”

Cor doesn’t like the sound of that at all, “You are not allowed to possess me.”

Gilgamesh laughs, short and sharp but oddly genuine, more animated than he ever was as a murderous suit of armor, “No. I have no desire for that.” Burning gold eyes lock with his, “I wanted to know if you still meant what you said that day.”

It takes Cor a minute to remember. Even if he knows what “that day” Gilgamesh means, it was years ago and he was an idiot at the time. Then Cor remembers, and his already broken mood sours, “I did. For whatever good it did. I’ve failed. They’re dead. Both of them.” Cor laughs and the sound is poison even to his own ears, “You were right. I am no Shield.”

“No. You are a Sword,” Gilgamesh corrects, “and you should have been treated as such. Instead you were sheltered and lied to, and those lies dulled your edge until you were useless to stop the death of those you cherished.”

Cor throws the bottle at the ghost’s head, listens to the shatter of glass as the ghost lets it phase right through him without a blink, “What do you want?” He roars at the ghost, fragments of his wild temper from his youth coming back to his bones.

“What my brother’s dear Shield is trying to say,” purrs another ghost that Cor hates even more, who also doesn’t blink when Cor draws his blade and tries to behead him, “is that we both feel terribly guilty. More than that, the rest of those who once were in the Ring feel guilty, and angry. We’ve also got a very spiteful and a very remorseful Astral respectively on our side in the matter, now all we need is a living human member of the conspiracy.” Ardyn Lucis Caelum, blue eyed and purified and just as dangerously mischievous as ever, grins at Cor as the human forms of Shiva and Ifrit manifest in his apartment, alongside far too many royal ghosts for Cor’s comfort (he firmly does not look at the ghost of Regis, sagging tiredly in a corner, the only one he recognizes other than Mors now that they are all human looking rather than giant statues with face masks).

“So,” The ghost of Ardyn purrs with a rueful smile, “what do you say to saving the world and your precious kings in one fell swoop and maybe spiting the Draconian along the way?”

And it���s a stupid idea. Cor probably isn’t even seeing any of this. He’s probably lying in the apartment, dying of alcohol poisoning and grief right now, hallucinating all of this as he goes. But if he isn’t.

If he isn’t...

“What do you need me to do?”

Their plan is simple on their end, and painful on Cor’s. They grab him and throw him back through time, drag him with them as one by one they use up the last of their magic and finally vanish, because for all Cor calls them ghosts, they are not. Living souls do not linger after they die, but memories can. Memories given shape and form by magic, and when that magic was used up and given away, the memories are shattered, turned back into the formless nothing they really were.

They carve open Cor’s being and pour their magic into it, Gilgamesh at the fore, leading the way through the howling abyss while each king and queen carves Cor open a little more and pours in the magic keeping him alive and sane as he plummets through time. Regis’s touch lingers longer than the others, a breath of apology on his brow before that memory too, shatters and falls away.

Mors’ fingers wrap around his wrist and Cor struggles for the first time as his blood burns under the king’s touch in a way the others had not, “Hold still,” snarls the man coolly, “I do this as a favor for my son and grandson alone. Hold still and let me work or you will die the moment you reach our destination.” Cor stills and his blood burns until Mors too shatters.

Then it is only Gilgamesh, Cor ... and Ardyn.

“Free me,” he whispers as he presses something into Cor’s hands (or maybe into Cor’s soul, it’s hard to tell where reality ended and magic began in this place), “Find my past self and free me, then give me this.” A chuckle, “Let’s see the Empire grow so strong without it’s Accursed to feed from.”

“What about Prompto?” Cor asks desperately, because he is here to save those he cares about, not condemn the man who was like a son to him to nonexistence.

“Have a little faith,” laughs the former Chancellor, “a King needs his Heart, and Noctis will have his. Now,” hands on his shoulders, a final yank from Gilgamesh, “Go.”

Cor wakes up.

He promptly rolls over and vomits onto the stone.

Gilgamesh, a towering suit of armor once more, watches him gasp and wheeze and shake under the too-sharp sensation of magic living in his veins and reality existing again after so much time falling through time and void without comment. When Cor is done and has staggered upright, Gilgamesh hands him a sword.

Cor leaves the Tempering Grounds unbothered by the things that lurk there and makes straight for the Rock of Ravatogh. He gains the waiting Infernian’s Blessing, then collapses in a caravan for the night after several days and nights spent walking without pause and sleeping on cold Havens without so much as a blanket.

After waking up and showering, he spends a good twenty minutes the next day cursing at a mirror.

He’s fifteen again. He’s fifteen years old when in the original timeline he would have been six (is six, somewhere out there the original Cor Leonis still lives and grows, unaware of an altered future counterpart).

He’s also not Cor anymore. His eyes are the same, icy blue and angry, his face shape is very similar-. His hair is not. His hair is black and thick and wavy, and under his skin, magic coils, deep and effortless and his, not a gift from another.

Those blasted ghosts turned him into a Lucis Caelum.

He thinks of Mors’ cold fingers on his wrist and burning in his blood, Mors’ angry demand he stay still if he wanted to “survive the destination” and swears louder.

Then he picks up his sword and disappears into the wilderness again. Let Shiva come find him. She had a talent for finding Lucis Caelums anyway.

She finds him in the Quay, as Cor steals a boat to make for Angelgard, she Blesses him and disappears, and in her wake is a winter mist that shields Cor’s journey to the isle from prying eyes.

He cracks open the prison with the magic he now has in excess, falters at the sight before him.

Ardyn looks a lot less like evil incarnate and more like a shivering, frightened, half-starved cat this way.

Also who hung up their prisoners on MEATHOOKS like some kind of slasher from a horror film?

Overdramatic Lucis Caelums, that’s who.

Cor hauls Ardyn down from his chains and carries the weak, disorientated Accursed outside. He can hear Ramuh stirring in the clouds as he takes the nameless Thing that Ardyn of the future gave him (magic, pure magic, an orb of it as bright as gold and the dawn) and crushes it against this Ardyn’s chest like he would a potion.

He sidesteps the black bile Ardyn heaves up like a drowning man ejecting water from his lungs, writhing and whimpering on the stone as Scourge smoke recoils off his body like it’s trying to escape, only to be burned clear by golden magic. Well. That was convenient. Pity he doesn’t have enough of those to cure the whole planet.

Ardyn stays silent, dazed and wide-eyed as Cor hauls him back to the mainland, steals some proper clothes and then bundles him in a caravan for the night. The man out of time flinches at every modern amenity, stares at the soup Cor roughly puts in front of him with confused eyes. Finally, tentatively, as if afraid of being struck (and that shouldn’t make Cor angry, it shouldn’t, this man killed both Cor’s kings and threw the world into darkness. He deserved whatever fear he felt, yet looking at him now Cor can feel nothing but pity and anger on the man’s behalf) he speaks, “Who ... who are you? You ... you healed me. I ... do not understand.”

And Cor pauses, because he ... isn’t Cor now is he? There is already a young Cor Leonis out there somewhere, and no one can know that Cor is one and the same person as that youth.

In the end he shrugs, “I don’t have a name.”

“...What?”

“I don’t have a name. I gave it up. It was the price for healing you.”

“Then why,” Ardyn asks incredulously, “did you heal me? I am a stranger to you, a monster.”

Cor scoffed. The Chancellor of his time was a monster. This man? This man was about as monstrous as a starving kitten, “Not anymore you’re not, so stop that.” At the sight of Ardyn’s frown, Cor rolls his eyes and says gruffly, “If it bothers you so much, give me a new one.”

Ardyn gapes, “You ... want me to name you. Just like that.”

“Is that a problem?”

The redhead stays speechless for a while and Cor busies himself polishing his sword and ignoring the fact that he’s now distantly RELATED to this man (and also, if he doesn’t miss his timeline, OLDER than Regis by several years. Thanks a lot Kings of Yore).

“Glaucus.” Cor twitched and looked up sharply, Ardyn shrank in his seat a little, “You don’t like it?”

It sounds too much like Glauca. But he couldn’t say that, and it was better than lots of other names Ardyn could have come up with. Even if he had no idea where Ardyn had come up with that name. Cor forced his shoulders to relax and went back to caring for his blade, “Do as you please.”

“Glaucus,” repeated Ardyn softly and Cor- Glaucus, resigned himself to having a name very similar to that of a traitor and imperial experiment.

Kind of fitting, considering the company he was keeping.

Glaucus set his sword aside and gestured toward the bed, “If you’re done eating, go get some proper sleep. We’ll be leaving once you wake up.”

“Where will we be going?”

Glaucus smirked and knew it was not a nice expression, “A place called the Tempering Grounds. There’s someone who owes you an apology.”

(anyway hi yes I have a new AU to keep. In it “Glaucus” is now an LC, specifically and according to blood test MORS’ kid and he’s about 4 years older than Regis. I shall expand on this new AU another time. Tagging @sparklecryptid @hamelin-born @a-world-in-grey @ean-sovukau @ertrunkenerwassergeist behold my newest insanity).

[promptis-imagines]

How about Promptis go on their first ever date at an arcade or a fair and they're both nervous at first. They relax after a nice chat and some junk food and Noct notices a giant chocobo plush at a stall/prize counter and tries to win it for Prompto

nananasonatra: Noctis taking Prom on a summer carnival date. They both act like teenagers in love and at the end of the night they ride the Ferris wheel .Noctis bribes the operator to make them stop ontop .Sorry my heads fried in this heat lol 

yes this is exactly what I need. You two have galaxy brains. So I will combine them: first date to the fair complete with shitty carnival games and a ferris wheel extravaganza

They are both very obnoxiously awkward. Prompto can’t stop talking even when he desperately wants to shut up. Noctis is having a hard time speaking at all. They went to the fair because hey, it’s in town! Surely that’s gotta be cheesy and fun. Thing is, both of them are too shy to admit that they love cheesy things (even tho they literally...are going on a date there. They’re doing their best). It’s the way there and the getting tickets where they’re still acting the nervous couple bit, but once they feel the adrenaline of a rollercoaster and stock up on junk food (a horrible choice before going on more rides), they start to loosen up and laugh off the nerves. 

Also I can just...picture that scene. So vividly.

The sky was growing darker by the minute, which was only accentuated by the carnival lights dotting the view. Most of the rickety rides had been conquered, though not without a fair share of screaming on the couple’s part, so the tired boys decided to take a break for snacks before taking on the rest of the event. 

Okay, maybe calling them “snacks” was a bit of an understatement. Two orders of fried oreos, an entire funnel cake, some wildly-oversized corndogs, and a large lemonade. They might have forgotten to grab dinner before the fair in their nervous endeavors, and nothing was healthy at the fair.

Sitting on that bench, laughing and munching on their food, any hint of awkwardness or fear was left behind in some gross seat of a rollercoaster car. Well and truly, this was a real date.

There was only a bit left of the funnel cake in the end. Prompto heaved a sigh, shoving the plate onto Noctis’ lap while his head flopped onto his shoulder. “You eat it,” he murmured.

Noctis pouted. “No, you.” The plate was passed back.

“Noooo, I’m so done, dude,” Prompto whined. “Just take one for the team.”

That earned a snort from Noctis. “What team? And why do we have to finish it?” he questioned.

Prompto paused, then sat up straight again. “I dunno. Feels wrong to just throw it away?” he reasoned. Especially considering that Noctis was the one who paid for all of it. He would feel bad, prince or not.

Noctis lightly bumped him with his shoulder. “It’s not that big of a deal. It’s the last thing we have, and I’d rather toss it than have either one of us get sick before our date is over.”

He couldn’t lie, Prompto’s stomach still erupted with butterflies at legitimately hearing Noctis say they were on a date. He’d been dreaming of this for so long that he’d chalked up his hopes to wishful thinking. But no, they were here, and they were having a good time. It was enough to make him grin. “Fine, fine. Throw it away, and we can walk around for a while before hitting something that could make us lose all that food we just ate,” he conceded.

“Right.”

The two of them hauled their trash to the nearest trash can, and Prompto had to laugh at just how much powdered sugar had attached itself to Noctis’ all-black clothing. “Y’know, I applaud your choices to start wearing white,” he teased, making Noctis look down at his shirt.

“Oh, come on,” Noctis grumbled. 

Prompto ran his hands along the worst parts. “No worries, I got you.” It only took a few seconds more for him to note how low the powder had gotten. “Um...”

Noctis huffed a laugh, getting the rest off. “You’ve got some on you, too.”

“I do?” Prompto asked with a confused expression. “Could’ve sworn I dusted myself off, already. Where’s it at?” he rambled, hoping he didn’t look like a mess.

“Hm, right here.” Suddenly, Noctis’ hand was on his cheek, his warm lips pressed gently to Prompto’s in a kiss that lasted all of three seconds. Nonetheless, his cheeks were absolutely burning afterwards.

When they parted, it appeared that he wasn’t the only one. Noctis’ cheeks were dusted a soft shade of pink, though it was hard to see under the harsh lighting around them. 

It took a moment for either of them to say anything. “Did...you get it off?”

Noctis’ lips turned up in a faint smile. “Think so.”

Now it was Prompto’s turn to smile. “Cool. Thanks. What would I do without you?” he joked.

“Dunno. Have powdered sugar all over your face?” Noctis returned teasingly.

“All over? You saying I’ve got more on me?”

Noctis hummed in thought, once again brushing his fingers along Prompto’s cheek. “Nope, got it all,” he confirmed.

An eye-roll from Prompto. “Dork. Let’s move away from the trash can, yeah?”

The two headed back into the bustle of the fair, hand in hand without Prompto even realizing they'd reached for each other. It made him giddy all over again.

Before long, they stopped. A long row of carnie games sprawled out before them, vendors shouting for patrons to step up and take their chances. Stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes were presented along every surface, and it was a safe bet to assume they’d been waiting to be claimed for far longer than necessary.

Prompto looked over to his date. “Got something in your sights?” he questioned.

That got Noctis tugging him towards a nearby stall. “Does a giant chocobo sound good? I’ll try to win it for you,” he stated, all the determination in the world lighting up his eyes. It was rare to see Noctis this enthusiastic about something. Gods, it was cute.

Still, Prompto couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. The thing Noctis had pointed out was giant, which also meant that it was going to be near impossible to get. “I mean, it sounds great, Noct,” he started, leaning against Noctis’ shoulder. “But I’m not gonna get my hopes up.”

Noctis knocked his head against Prompto’s. “What, don’t believe in me?” he returned in mock-offense.

“Oh, c’mon, you know these things are rigged,” Prompto reasoned. “Plus, this is a shooting game. One, that’s even more rigged. Two, we should both know by now that I'm the better marksman out of the two of us."

His boasting earned him a scoff from Noctis. "While I might cave and admit that, it doesn't mean that I'm bad at it. Have a little faith," he requested, giving Prompto's hand a light squeeze. Without waiting for a response, he was off towards the unattainable holy grail of stuffed animals. Oh, to be the carnie that got to proctor this little event in history.

Watching with an air of amusement, Prompto leaned on his elbows over the counter. "Heya! What's the requirements for getting that Behemoth up there?" he asked, gesturing to the comically large bird in question.

The carnie's polished grin focused on him. "Well, buddy, it's fairly simple!" he chirped. "All you've gotta do is shoot at those little targets that are moving across the planks." He made a grand gesture towards the back wall, which sported plenty of painted wooden ducks with red and white targets on their sides meandering in a single file. "Each duckie has a different number on the back. Shoot as many as you can before the time runs out, and your score will be tallied afterwards. Get over fifty points, and the chocobo is all yours. But watch out! Some of the ducks are hiding negative numbers that will reduce your score. So, care to test your skills?"

His speech had sounded so trained and NPC-like, Prompto had to laugh. "No, not me. But this guy wants to give it a go." He tugged on Noctis' sleeve, a grin of pride bright on his face. Noctis, on the other hand, had lost some of that brazen confidence in his expression.

 It was always funny to watch people's eyes go wide. "O-Oh, Prince Noctis! Er, that is you, isn't it?"

"Nah, but I get that a lot," Noctis replied nonchalantly, rolling his shoulders in preparation. "Just a guy trying to win a chocobo for his boyfriend. Can I start?"

The man, seemingly recovered, nodded with his previous vigor. "Of course! Here is your weapon, good sir." After ducking down to grab one of the dingy guns from under the counter, he handed it over. "The timer starts when you first shoot."

Prompto cast a smirk at his boyfriend. "Let's see what you got, sharpshooter," he teased.

Noctis took aim. "Oh, hush. I'm doing this for you."

After a quick "Good luck!" from the man behind the counter, Noctis started the timer with a pop from the toy gun. One duck down, who knew how many more to go.

"Wohoo, got one!" Prompto exclaimed, beaming at a smug-looking Noctis. "Think you can keep it up?"

Still keeping his eyes on the targets, Noctis gave a little nod. "You bet I will. I've got someone to impress," he replied before knocking another off of the shelf.

Prompto snorted, slumping more over the counter. "You say that like you're on a date," he continued.

Another duck toppled. "And what if I am?"

That earned a dramatized gasp from Prompto. "Are you, now? Didn't know you had it in you to snatch a date. Always thought you were too shy." The mocking edge to his words were light, and he couldn't hide the slight giggling that followed. The next few shots hit the wall. He poked Noctis in the shoulder before wrapping an arm around his middle. "Trying to win him something?"

Noctis gave him a knowing glance. "I would be, if he wasn't doing stuff to distract me. Don't be disappointed when I can't get the prize for you," he warned, getting another target down.

Prompto leaned in to press a kiss to Noctis' cheek. "A good marksman should be able to work well under pressure." Still, deciding that he'd messed with him enough, Prompto let go and returned to being an encouraging spectator.

As the timer drew nearer to zero and the little duckies came crashing down, Prompto did have to admit that he was impressed. Especially considering the hindrance that was a rickety carnival gun, the sizeable amount of targets Noctis had managed to hit was most likely more than the average. Though he hadn't expected much of a reward from this mess, part of him was thinking he might be going home with a giant stuffed chocobo.

When the timer sounded, the carnie bounced back to life. "Aaalrighty, let's see how you did!" he said in his merry speech. He collected the last few fallen ducks, then laid them face up on the counter in front of them.

"Sweet, let's count 'em up!" Prompto was grinning as he began to turn over the targets. "Noct, count with me. This one's five," he stated, "and then eight, and…damn, negative six." Oh well, there were plenty more to bring the score up.

Noctis continued flipping over the next few. "Hey, got a fifteen," he boasted, shoving it over to the counted pile.

"Aw, so proud."

The scores varied for the rest of the ducks, some on the smaller or negative sides, presumably to keep the prizes from all being taken. Still, Noctis had gotten a few of the higher numbered ones. With one left to check, he had reached a whopping forty-five. Prompto was tingling with excitement; that chocobo was as good as won.

The last one stared them down with its chipped paint and bright, ducky smile. "You want to do the last one?" Noctis offered.

With a nod and bated breath, Prompto turned over the last one to add the number….

"Negative twenty?" he cried. "Why is that even in here!" Noctis groaned as well, and the two boys slumped against each other in defeat.

The man behind the counter drew up an apologetic smile. "Sorry, fellas, luck of the duck. But you still get to choose from one of the smaller prizes!"

He gestured to the side wall that sported the rest of this booth's treasures. They were way smaller than the grand prizes, more hug-to-your-chest size, but they were still something.

Noctis nudged Prompto's shoulder. "Go ahead and pick one."

"Mh-hm." Prompto's eyes flitted over the options: stuffed dogs and coeurls, moogles, various fruits for some reason, and a mini version of that giant chocobo above their heads. "Not to be predictable, but I do want the chocobo," he decided. So what if he consistently chose them? They were his favorites!

As it was being retrieved, Prompto turned to Noctis with a bright smile. "By the way, good job, dude."

Noctis shrugged, a light mix of embarrassment and pride in his face. "I would've won if it had just been about knocking them over," he reasoned.

Prompto chuckled. "Sure would've. They weren't ready for you," he teased.

"Here you are, sir." Holding it in his hands, Prompto decided that this was officially the best first date ever. How cool was it that his boyfriend won him something at a shitty carnival game?

They ventured back into the crowds, a bit dissuaded from trying any of the other booths for now. The chocobo plush was held securely with one arm while his other hand held fast to Noctis'. Now there was just the matter of deciding what else to do before calling it a night.

"Got any ideas what to do next?" Prompto questioned.

Noctis pursed his lips, doing a quick glance around. "Well, I think we already went on all of the rollercoasters, and you're not putting me back on that drop thing," he said definitively.

That drew a laugh from Prompto. "I half expected you to warp right off of that thing, by the way," he commented. "But fine, something else. How about…." He trailed off, rubbing his thumb along Noctis' hand. "Oh! We haven't done the ferris wheel yet."

What other way was there to end a night at the fair than being sappy while overlooking part of the city from the top of a rickety ferris wheel? Prompto hoped he wasn't coming across as too sappy, though; it was embarrassing, but he really did enjoy those dumb romantic fantasies. Even after being asked out, he was still worried that Noctis might laugh at him for wanting to do cheesy romantic things. Noctis just didn't seem like the type to enjoy that. He knew he was probably being ridiculous, but that didn't dispel the doubt in the back of his mind.

Thankfully, Noctis gave a casual shrug and nodded. "Sounds good to me. We can hit the ferris wheel and then head out for the night," he said.

Relief flooded back into Prompto's lungs, and before long, they were speeding up towards bright lights of the their last ride. Giggling, the two kept it up until they were running and dodging people in the crowd to get there first. Nevermind that they were still holding hands.

The pair stumbled to a breathless halt at the entrance gates, turning to each other with a full-out laugh. Prompto still had his chocobo clasped tightly between his arm and chest.

"After you," Noctis said, finally letting go of his hand to gesture to the open gate.

Prompto landed a playful punch to Noctis' shoulder as he walked past. "Really acting like a prince today, huh?"

"What, I don't normally?"

"Gonna have to give a no to that one, bud."

"Rude."

The worker got them situated in the seat, Prompto first. Noctis lagged behind slightly, turning to the lady in charge before climbing in next to his boyfriend.

Once they were snugly hip to hip, Noctis sighed. "How old do you think this ride even is?" he asked.

Prompto looked up. "Proooobably pretty old," he reasoned. "But I'm sure it's fine. They have, like, inspections and stuff, right?"

Noctis huffed a little laugh. "Hope so. If something does happen, I'll just grab you and warp off of this thing."

"My hero," Prompto teased. Though, as they began their ascent up and around the ferris wheel, the idea that it might break down did start to creep into his mind. A jarring bump halfway there didn't help one bit.

He pressed closer to Noctis' side just as he did the same. Prompto took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting the feeling of being close to him soothe him. The warmth they shared was a nice defense against the cold winds, too.

A tiny smile formed on his face when he felt Noctis nuzzle slightly into his hair. "Sorry I couldn't get you the giant chocobo," he heard him murmur.

Prompto gave a slight shake of his head. "Nah, don't worry about it. This one's just as cute. And it's travel sized." He gave the toy a squeeze. Honestly, he was thrilled to have a gift from him in the first place. It was a silly little thing, but it made his heart swell in a way he thought he'd never feel.

As they completed the first rotation of the wheel, Prompto decided to look around more at the fair below. By now the sky was completely dark, making the colorful lights shine brighter. Laughter and shrieks of children reached even where they were up high. He even saw someone drop their cotton candy in a puddle, which he pointed out to Noctis so they could both grimace at the sight.

All of a sudden, they were stuttered to a halt at the top of the wheel. Prompto swung his leg a bit and laughed. "Welp, looks like we're up here forever," he joked.

Noctis snorted. "We'd better not be. I'm not sleeping on a ferris wheel."

"That's your problem with it?" Prompto laughed, making the seat sway slightly.

"There's other issues with living on a ferris wheel for the rest of my life. That one just came to mind first," Noctis said in his defense.

Prompto's laughter continued while he squeezed the stuffed chocobo to keep from dropping it. "Yeah, okay. Sleep is always your first thought."

"Don't judge."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Being stuck at the top really wasn't so bad. They could see everything, and it was just the two of them, despite there being hundreds of people around. It was as if they'd been brought up just to be alone for a few minutes.

A hand rested atop his thigh, and Prompto turned to face his date. And gods, did he look so good with the lights of the city behind him. Noctis' dark hair made him a silhouette, though his features were close enough to make out. His cool gray eyes had a soft shine to them, and he was looking at Prompto in a way that stole his breath. He had to be the luckiest guy in Eos right now.

Noctis quirked a small smile. "Is it…too cheesy if I ask for a kiss right now?"

Prompto paused, then cracked a smile as well. "Very cheesy. Do it," he replied.

"Then can I kiss you at the top of the ferris wheel?"

Without speaking, Prompto slid a hand along the side of Noctis' neck and pulled him in. His lips were tinged with slight cold, but they felt soft as they touched Prompto's. And just like that, they were sharing one of those dumb movie kisses on their first date at the fair. The thought made Prompto's smile grow as he leaned in more.

Once they pulled away, there were a few moments of silence between them. Then the ride began to move again, starting through one more loop before they would be let off.

Prompto couldn't hold back another little laugh. "Good way to end that?"

"Definitely," Noctis said, looking equally relieved and happy. "Now we can't say anything else for the rest of the time so we don't ruin it."

That earned a shoulder punch from Prompto. "Oh, shut up."

"See, like that."

Prompto grinned, taking Noctis' hand in his. "Too bad you're stuck with me, then," he retorted.

Noctis smiled back. "What a shame."

[writtingfiction]

A Glow in the Dark

Pairing: Ignis x FEM!Mermaid

genre: hinted romance

words:1.8k

summary: Ignis was looking at the Royal Vessel when something more interesting takes ahold of his attention. He hopes it doesn’t doom him for the future.

The boys could hardly believe it, they were finally able to make it to Altissia. Across the sea where the city awaits them and Noctis’ lovely fiancé as they like to tease him about it. However, they would set sail in the morning. Taking the Royal vessel to the magnificent city, with the sun rising and showing just some of the true wonders that Altissia has to offer. It’ll have to wait though, for they rest scattered about Cape Caem, waiting for exhaustion to take them.

Ignis, in particular, was down by the boat, examining and admiring the beautiful boat that she was. Checking more out of curiosity than anything else, but something quickly catches his attention. A splash of water is heard on the opposite side of the boat and he fears he may have knocked something over. He quickly checks and peers overboard to see the faint shimmer of something moving swiftly through the water. He thinks it’s one of the glowing barrel fish he has seen Noctis catch on late nights.

Ignis hears another splash of water, this time towards the bow of the boat. His brows furrow as he follows the sound, once again just managing to see a glow. Ignis hums, confirming his suspicions that the cause of the noise is just a barrel fish. Nevertheless, his thoughts were quickly thrown out when there was a louder and bigger splashing coming from behind him. It sounds like thrashing and Ignis is quick to move.

Before he can call out anything, he’s taken by surprise. A young woman, a glowing young woman is trying to climb onto the boat. No, a glowing young woman with a tail is trying to climb onto the boat. Ignis blinked slowly in shock, the gears in his head were trying to turn to make sense of the situation, but he couldn’t figure anything out. All he could do is watch in awe as she managed to pull herself up about halfway up the stairs before looking up at him, eyes going wide.

She had long hair glowing from the roots which faded out along the length of her hair. Turquoise glowing markings shaped her face which trailed down to her arms and webbed hands. Her tail glowed brightly showing the true beauty of her fin, frills trailing from her waist to the edge of her fin. They gave off a dim glow as her fin was large with glowing spots along it. She was pretty, heavenly even.

“What are you…?” She spoke. Catching him off guard. She spoke in such a heavy accent he could barely understand her, never mind place where the accent was from.

“W-what am I…?” Ignis echoed, surely not with enough class as he would like to admit. She continues to look at him. Tilting her head to the side ever so slightly. Ignis admits to himself that the way she looks at him does unsettle him but it’s also a familiar gaze. He doesn’t know why and he isn’t sure if he should be comforted by that, but he answers her question, odd as it is. “I am human. What are you?”

She stays silent and tilts her head the other way, slowly. Ignis is left in the dark about her intention. He isn’t sure what to do exactly. To help her or not. Would it insult her or no? He is filled with many questions.

“Sirenă.” She says it with confidence, and he knows she speaks a language that isn’t his.

“Siren?” Ignis echoes once again and his brain goes into overload. “You’re a siren? Like those stories we tell children about, where the mermaid is a woman of the sea and that there’s an entire city of them at the bottom of the ocean.” The siren blinks once and sighs.

“Sirena de mare adăncime.” The look in her eyes changes as she tries to settle herself onto the stairs on the edge of the boat. “Deep sea… siren. Different than, other sirenă.” She fixes herself, sitting now on the stairs as she stares up at Ignis. Curious and calm, clearly not sensing any danger from the blonde. Ignis, on the other hand, isn’t quite sure how to feel.

“I see, sorry for the mistake then.” There’s another tilt with her head and this time he catches sight of the gills on her neck. It’s another thing upon another and Ignis is forced to accept his reality that he is meeting a real mermaid, or siren as she labels herself so.

“What is your name…?” She speaks slower, perhaps easier for her but he’s glad either way. He can hear her better this way.

“Ignis Scientia.” Ignis, in turn, says his name slowly. The siren gives a little smile.

“Fire… Science… your name has… funny meaning.” Her smile only grows bigger at Ignis’s dumbfounded look. “I am Y/N L/N, I wanted… to be on ship one last time before… you take for good.”

“Y/N is a beautiful name. It’s a pleasure to meet one such as yourself. What makes you think we are taking the boat for good?” Ignis replies, confused. For all his knowledge is that the boat was kept here the entire time, except for when the king had taken it out for his adventures.

“You go adventure to pretty place. Just like the young King.” Y/N said and Ignis thinks of Noctis but knows he isn’t king yet. He wonders whom she could be talking about before it realizes that Y/N was talking about the late king, Noctis’ father. “Is the young King with you?”

“No, but his son is.”

“Ah, I see.” There was a sadness that had washed over her. “I promised I would… bring gift for son… but I don’t have with me.”

“It is quite alright, I’m sure the sentiment is there. I’ll tell the prince.” Ignis says it but Y/N is quick to react.

“NO!” Y/N shout was loud, echoing through the cave. “My living… no, existence… must be secret. There are bad people…”

“I understand.” Ignis wishes for a moment that he didn’t. Sadness washes over him, he wonders for a moment, how many sirens were there that lived down at the ocean floor. He wondered if there truly was a difference between sirens and mermaids like you had said. “However, the ship will be returning.”

“Then I wait for its return…” Y/N smiles but also trails off, looking at Ignis for a long while before speaking again. “And for yours.” Ignis is surprised by the comment, flustered as his cheeks burn.

“Mine? We’ve only known each other for a few moments.”

“Which makes the next encounter, all the more fun.” There’s a glimmer in Y/N’s eyes and Ignis isn’t sure what it means. “I’ll teach you about me, and you teach me about you. Simple.” Y/N reaches her hand out, almost as if she’s sealing the deal. Ignis nods, however, stays rooted to where he is. Y/N pouts, hand falling back to her side but it doesn’t dissuade her. Deciding to change tactics.

“…Let’s play a little game,” Y/N starts to sing and Ignis is immediately taken in, but still has his wits about it. “just between you and I. Obviously physical~” Her singing is mesmerizing and Ignis can’t help but want to get closer. Nevertheless, he doesn’t want to get closer, something isn’t right. The shine behind her eyes holds much more than the curiosity she had earlier. But he can’t help but take a step closer, and another as she continues to sing. “But either way the objective is the same. To please and entertain.”

Y/N knows it’s working, raising her hand once again. A tantalizing deal awaits him, he just doesn’t fully understand it. However, the elaborate plan is cutting short, she can hear the elevator working and many voices. His companions were coming, cursing herself mentally about her shout earlier. She didn’t have to be so loud. She’s ready to start the next line, but his companions could appear quicker than she thinks but decides to push it. He’s so close.

“You can be my vixen,” His gloved fingers begin to brush against her fingers just as the elevator opens. She takes her chance, the weight of having to see him again versus being seen by his companions is heavily outweighed. His hand is firmly clasped in hers just as they call out to him. “Your demise will be your stage~.”

“Ignis!!” The three of them shout and it’s enough to pull Ignis out of his trance. His head quickly spins towards them as Y/N takes the chance to finish the rest of the spell. Pressing soft lips to his neck and whisper quick details to him, officially bounding her to him.

“Paws off, our man!” Gladiolus shouts, summoning a great sword to his hands. Y/N is quick to react from here. Letting go of Ignis and quickly diving off the boat as he throws the large sword at her, barely missing her.

They’re quick to run over to Ignis and check the water, seeing her glow fade out as she swam away, back into the deep ocean. The boys fuss over Ignis checking to make sure he’s alright but they concluded that the only thing she did was leave a mark. A trident within a circle is placed right by his collarbone and neck. It glows a bright turquoise before going completely black.

“Ok, but let’s confirm that wasn’t a daemon or was it?” Prompto says worriedly.

“If it was a daemon, why didn’t the light bother it?” Noctis makes a note.

“I don’t think it was a daemon.” Ignis sighs, fingers lingering on the mark. The others look at him concerned. “However, we can’t be sure. Let us speak with the others, they may have more knowledge on this beast than we do.” They agree and all move back up to the house.

The second they enter the house, they’re swarmed with concerns from everyone but Talcott was the only one to point out the new mark on Ignis’ neck. Eyes wide with wonder and shock as the kid goes on a whole tirade about mermaids and sirens. Eventually saying that those who bear Ignis’ mark are bound to see the mermaid again at some point in their lives before they die.

“Here I thought it was just a bedtime story…” Iris comments with a small smile. Ignis feels exhaustion take him. He was grateful it was nothing bad, but he wondered if he really could place all his faith into a child's’ bedtime story.

“What did she look like?” Cindy pips up, quickly gaining everyone’s attention. Soon everyone is sitting around the table and telling what little they saw of the siren and Ignis retelling the encounter. As he does so, he wonders if the encounter is as innocent as Talcott’s stories are.

[battleshot]

Kiss the tears right off your face, won’t get scared, that’s the old, old, old me.

Gladio awoke half past six in the morning. He slid out of bed with a silent ease and took a shower, leaving Prompto sleeping with nothing more than a kiss to the temple. 

He blow dried his hair, letting it fall in it’s natural waves to his shoulders. On one side, he strung a few metallic loops through the strands before braiding it together. A touch of cologne was put on his collarbone and he pulled on his Crownsguard training tank top and a pair of comfy sweats. 

There were still a lot of preparations to work with. He sat at the hotel room desk a moment and hastily scrawled a note to set on the bedside table. His writing was abysmal on a good day and with his shaky nerves today, it was worse but, he had full faith that Prompto would get the jist of it.

See you at the altar. Car’s coming for you at 5. Don’t keep me waiting, Chickadee. I love you

- Gladiolus

He took one more long, fond look at the hotel room. Lestaullum had really provided all the amenities. Had he planned it better, they could have stayed for days. Though, after the quick ceremony they’d likely have time to revisit it as something more than just partners.

He’d chosen Lestaullum for a multitude of reasons. For it’s aesthetics, for how much fun they’d had at the Assassin’s Festival, for how it was a place they’d always revisit and for how it was just far enough from the drama of their day to day lives but, close enough that if the King should need them, they could bolt guns blazing and return to continue. Every detail had been agonizingly thought through by the Shield despite it seeming so haphazard a thought of let’s elope. Let’s just go for it.

It was at an overlook of the Disc of Cauthess that Gladio worked creating a little place of their own with fairy lights that would accentuate the scenery behind them, lined flowers along the cliff’s edge: red gladiolus flowers and sunflowers. When the sun began to set when Prompto was to arrive… everything would be picturesque. And despite his partner being the one usually behind the camera, he had been sure to have someone on standby to capture this moment as well.

He got changed into something a little more formal– a hybrid between a proper suit and his Kingsglaive coat and awaited the other man with his nerves muddling in the pit of his stomach.

Prompto was a vision. And dare he say it– he cried instantly.

I thank the oceans for giving me you, you saved me once and now I’ll save you too… I won’t hesitate for you.

“All day, i’ve been antsy.” He took Prompto’s hands in his and gave them a squeeze. “Thinking today would be the best day of my life, but the thought of spending the rest of my days with you, makes me believe the best is yet to come.

I will be your loyal knight and your Prince Charming all in one. Today and every day. I promise to annoy the shit out of you and sweep you off your feet in the same breath. 

If you promise to love me, I will love you – hold me and I will hold you – follow me and I will follow you – let us love, follow and hold each other to the ends of the earth.

Let what is bound today never be broken, let the eternal be reflected in our matrimony.

Prompto Argentum, my chickadee, my sunshine.”

Gladio took the ring he’d been holding for what felt like forever out of his pocket and held it between two fingers, ready to slide it on the other’s finger.

“Do you promise to love me forever? To finally, after all the messes… become my husband?”

 He groans knowingly, as always when he knew Gladio left his side. His half of the bed still smells like him, he to smile, falling to his partner's side of the bed. Taking a moment to simply breathe, to simply be.  The realisation of his own wedding day ‘pon his thoughts. Eventually, he rolls over -- looking across the room, noticing a few items to be missing. Causing hum in thought as he prys himself to sitting position. And slowly, with curiosity, he moves from the comfort of the hotel bed. Had it of not been for a few items remaining, the blond might have worried -- Gladio bailing last minute. A note ‘pon the side draws attention. Lifting with one hand, squinting with one eye -- then the other, folding the paper in the light, angling to be able to read. He appreciated the effort, but he really didn’t have the best handwriting. 

       A rush of warmth, his heart beating noticeably louder in his chest, a wide smile stretching and accentuating facial features. Prompto clutches the note to his body, almost in a giddy like way. Shaking head with some disbelief, followed by a little happy jump for only him to witness. A short giggle may slip as he places the note down, dresses himself in casual clothing. Using the phone in the room, to order everything off the breakfast menu, ensuring this might help give some stability on this day that he is a bag of nerves. 

     After eating more than he could possibly believe, he showers, grooms himself and takes a moment to take out the suit bag he had with him, laying it on the bed, unzipping it just. He gasps. It was real. This day was real, it was here, nothing could stop either of them. They’d fight them both together if they so much as dare to try. Hours of pacing in between, reciting his vows again and again -- ensuring he knew them by heart -- he did, but anxiety was a bitch and could quite as easily grab him at an unwarranted moment. 

      But, soon came the time to prepare. Dressing himself, checking himself out in the mirror, fixing his hair and trying to restrain any tears that began to prick in the corner of his eyes. In a matter of time, he’d be Prompto Amicitia. And a last minute pinch to himself before he meets Cor at the car. As Ignis instructed, a box in the car. Though he was not a bride, Ignis, Noctis and Cor decided to help put together sentiments. The something old was simply a note that stated ‘ gladio is three years older than you ‘ to which he laughed, reading his name made him place his hand over his mouth, holding back tears and emotions. Placing the note to one side of the box, he takes out the something ‘new’ a boutonniere, ivory, matching with his suit -- a finishing touch. Something borrowed -- to which he notices a chain, lifting it delicately so -- Noct informs him the chain is something borrowed, but on it charms adorned that represent him and Gladio, a shield with a gun engraved ‘pon it. And finally, something blue -- he’d already covered that with the socks he wore that day. Simple, but it did the job.

     He brings his friends into a hug, tears now free falling. He couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer -- not that he ever did, but it all became apparent in one waterfall of emotion. Careful, he takes a tissue from his pocket, ensuring he doesn’t leave tear stains on his freshly ironed suit. And he hops into the car, dabbing his eyes just so. Breathing slow. Texting Gladio, making him aware he was on the way.  He probably should’ve left it, and known the other would expect him to arrive, but it was that last minute reassurance. A text back which simply read. ‘ I love you. ‘ and he holds his hands together, fiddling so as he attempts to calm himself. 

      And they arrive, the shakes begin. Noct gives him a reassuring pat on the arm, beginning to head forward -- alerting those awaiting for the ceremony to begin. Composing himself, he stands away from view -- and after a few moments, does he approach. Of course his eyes immediately search for his. And he is looking right back for the blond. Gods, he was a sight. Dressed formal, all the colours accentuating everything about him. -- He couldn’t be any more in love, lucky in love, than he was in that moment. 

        He stands beside Gladio, taking his hands in his, listening to words shared by the one who was to wed them, tears streaming down Prompto’s cheek -- through the biggest smile. Seeing Gladio had cried would only set him off also, he’d rarely seen him cry -- nothing like this. He places gentle reassuring kisses to Gladio’s knuckles -- even though he may  be shaking like a leaf, he attempted that caring little affection to help ease his soon to be husband. He was borderline gross sobbing, smiling and laughing through Gladio’s vows to him. And then, it was his turn to respond. 

 “ Gladio … I promise to be there to catch you if you should stumble, carry you over every threshold, and fall in love with you every day. Without you I am nothing - with you I am more than myself. I give you the best of me, my heart, my soul, forever. “ And he in return, slides the ring he kept safe -- saved for him. And he looks to him, truly as though a new light was ‘pon them both. And nobody, nothing, not a single thing in this world could stop him from nodding repeatedly, through sobs, to make those vows true. “ Yes, Gladio … Yes … I do… I will… Yes… “ Covering every base, every option of the answer. Lips meet to his as though t’was the first time, a new ignition, a spark for their burning fire -- taking him in his arms and making him his.. Officially. Now to be …. Prompto Amicitia. 

[insomniasix]

Chapter IX - Callings - Part I

Previous

@mzargentum​

​

The boat ride would be some hours long. Everyone had found their place. With Cid on the captain’s seat and the boys sprawled out at the back, Six had found a seat in the middle in order to be able to both listen and speak with everyone, as the excitement of the journey and the view of a new land had everyone talking, not always in turns.

“Y’know, I’ve always wanted to go sailing like this.” Prompto breathed in the sea air, letting it fill his lungs.

“Not many opportunities living in Insomnia.” Gladio nodded, the first rays of the sun warming his skin.

“Out here, it’s just us and the horizon! It’s amazing -it’s life changing!”

“We’ve quite a ways to go until we reach Altissia, so keep gushing to your heart’s content.” Ignis smiled at the blond’s enthusiasm, eyes traveling to the sound of Six’s laugh at something Cid had said.

“When we step off the boat, we’ll be in a foreign country.”

“The anticipation alone is a foreign sensation.” the Advisor agreed, back finally touching the back of his seat as he let himself get comfortable.

“And to think this is where we were headed to begin with.” Gladio made his way to sit next to Prompto, spreading his legs before him and his arms on the back of his seat.

“We’ve been through a lot.” Noctis nodded, letting his arms unlock from his chest, head turning to stare at the unlimited blue around the boat.

“And there’s still more to come.” Six joined their conversation, moving closer and leaving Cid to drive in comfortable solitude for a while after he playfully whined about her taking too much space of his periphery vision.

“So, next on the docket is Leviathan.” Prompto smiled at her, eyes slightly asking.

“What sort of deity are we dealing with?” Gladio raised his eyebrows at her as well.

“A serpent,” she explained, “said to embody the roar and rage of the sea.”

“We’ll have to ‘sea’ for ourselves.” the Prince snorted, eyes traveling back inside the boat.

“Can’t let Lady Lunafreya do all the heavy lifting.” Prompto smiled teasingly at his royal friend, “You must be so psyched to see her.”

“Luna?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, we need to make sure she’s alright before anything else.” Noctis said, but his cheeks told another story.

“Indeed. Her well-being is top priority.” Ignis agreed, crossing his legs.

“Don’t like this going down on imperial turf.” Gladio made his way to stand next to Six, hand grabbing on the ship’s edge above her head.

“You think Lady Lunafreya’s in danger there?” Prompto’s eyes shot up, darting between the Prince’s back and the Glaive.

“The empire did invade Lucis for the ring.” she thought out loud.

“I have no faith their ruthless ambitions will stop short of harming the Oracle.” Ignis did the same.

“Without the ring, the Crystal’s no more than a rock.” Gladio noted.

“Hmm… I suppose… Does anyone know how Lady Lunafreya came to have the ring?” the blond continued after a couple of seconds of thinking about everything.

“It seems likely His Majesty entrusted it to her safekeeping back at the Crown City.” Ignis fixed the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“So she’s held onto it this whole time, all the way to Altissia.” Gladio let his arm down to find its way to the Glaive’s lower back.

“The ring is important,” Noctis spoke again after a while, “and so is Leviathan -but Luna comes first.”

“You know, I was thinking back to our encounter with Ravus.” Ignis got up from his seat next to the Prince, hands on his waist as he stared out to the sea while speaking, “Do you recall apparatus in place of his arm?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Seems he lost his old one in the invasion.” Gladio and Six joined his line of thought. “But in its place, he seems to have acquired new power.”

“Power?” that got the attention of the younger members of the company, as well as the captain’s, who seemed interested enough to keep listening silently, making his own assumptions.

“That would explain how a son of Tenebrae suddenly came to command Niflheim’s army.” Gladio thought out loud.

“Now that you mention it, his strength did seem sorta… supernatural.” Prompto stretched his arms, thinking back to their meeting at the Base, “I just chalked it up to the Oracle lineage.”

“His ancestry may be part of it, but that alone wouldn’t account for his freakish strength.” the Shield answered.

“I wonder what could’ve happened to him?” Noctis’ mind traveled further back, remembering a younger, happier Ravus, back when he visited Tenebrae with his father.

“There’s a disturbing rumor about: Lord Ravus has taken to brandishing His Majesty’s sword.” Ignis sat back down, this new information making Six take a step forward at the uneasiness it created.

“My dad’s?” Noctis felt the same.

“And what’s the big idea behind that?” she asked, eyebrows frowned.

“That his power’s the same as the power of kings?” Prompto asked absentmindedly, taking pictures of his surroundings.

“I cannot say for sure, but I have my doubts.” Ignis was quick to reason, “Ravus wears the sword, yet does not wield it.”

“For all his newfound powers, he’s still the chancellor’s lapdog...” Gladio found his way to his seat once again, after Six made her way inside, standing against the wall next to Cid, listening close to the conversation the boys had but needing to hide how uneasy the Empire having Regis’ sword made her, “… holding on to the enemy king’s sword is like some badge of honor.”

“It might help if we knew what he was after.” Prompto thought out loud, drawing Noctis from his thoughts, “Who can say?”

“What are the odds the empire will crash the pool party with Leviathan?”

“Consider it a guarantee.” Ignis looked back at the blond, “They felled a god to prevent Noct from receiving his blessing, and they’ll do so again.”

“But we beat ‘em to the big guy… thanks to our friendly ‘guide’.”

“Never know which way that one’s gonna move next.” Gladio was quick to answer Prompto’s words.

“The chancellor has an agenda all his own.” Ignis agreed.

“Sometimes it helps -like when he called off his army and let us escape.”

“But he was still a creep about it.” Noctis was the one to answer his friend this time around, Ardyn’s personality making goosebumps run up and down his arms.

“Well, it feels like he’s only helping us because he wants something… I just don’t know what.”

“Reckon we’ll see him again?”

“Certainly hope not.” her voice was heard intervening from the inside.

“Not your type?” Prompto almost yelled back at her.

“No love lost for phonies.” Gladio commented, getting up and finding his previous spot, looking out onto the sea. The mountains looked closer now. They were almost there, he thought.

“As Gladio said, his actions are motivated not by altruism, but by self-interest.” Ignis agreed. And when he does come to our aid, I see only condescension in his eyes.”

“Yeah,” Noctis nodded, “can’t argue with that.”

“Ever think you think too much?” Prompto snapped a picture of the Advisor before he answered him.

“Sometimes, but it’s always preferable to the alternative.”

“So,” Cid’s voice almost made her jump, she hadn’t heard it in a long while, “soon you’ll have yer old man’s ring back.”

“Yeah, when we arrive in Altissia.” Noctis walked closer to them.

“Good thing. To him, it was his heritage.”

“Is that what my dad said?” the Prince looked straight ahead as the mountains got closer by the minute.

“Carrying a royal line ain’t a task to be taken lightly. For a small thing, that ring can sure weigh heavy. After he became king, I only ever saw his face in the paper.”

“Wait,” Gladio joined in, “weren’t you at the coronation?”

“Nah, I was long gone from the city.” Cid sighed at how things had turned out.

“Must’ve been invited at least.” Noctis crossed his arms to his chest.

“Had a fallin’-out o’ sorts with your old man. Right at the end of the trip.”

“You did?” Prompto raised his eyebrows at the information he was receiving.

“I was given to understand you stayed in touch.” Ignis joined in as well.

“They buried the hatchet years later, but never talked face to face again.” Six spoke so Cid wouldn’t have to explain himself anymore than he already had.

“Shoulda paid a visit while I had the chance.” Cid thought out loud, a dark cloud covering his features for a few seconds, “Well, no use dwellin’ on it now.”

“You reckon he actually did it?” he spoke to her again once the Prince joined his friends, voice lower than before so only the Glaive would hear his thoughts.

“What?” she moved closer.

“Ya think he used the ring’s power to drive you out here with ‘em?” he nodded to the back, turning his head to look at her staring at him, eyes wide as she tried to convince herself he wouldn’t do something as cruel as that.

“He wouldn’t just take my will away...” she breathed. She had thought of it as a possibility, but she’d always push the thought back as quickly as it had come, “He wouldn’t!”

After seeing her expression, Cid dropped and changed the subject, turning his attention back to the boys and raising his voice again so they would hear him, “Got the Regalia in the hold, but y’all gonna stay in Altissia for a good while, right?”

“Yes, we believe so.” Ignis was the one to answer.

“In that case, I’ll tune her up for y’all. Not that I’ll have much to do, though, what with Cindy lookin’ after the old girl.”

“If you say she’s good, she must be great.” Prompto perked up at the sound of the girl’s name.

“She was never afraid o’hard work.” Cid continued proudly as Six made her way to the rest of her company, dark cloud leaving her as she got closer to them, “Heaven knows she had a hard childhood.”

“A hard childhood?”

“He means her parents.” the Glaive answered, finding her way into Gladio’s arms.

“Lost ‘em both when she was little.” Cid thought back, “Was big enough to understand, though… an’ to hurt. But ya wouldn’t guess that, seein’ her now.”

“Not at all. She’s always so cheerful.” Prompto smiled at the thought of her.

“Well, that oughta tell ya how far she’s come.” Paw-paw Cid smiled proudly as well.

“Man, you must have seen your fair share of Altissia by now.” Gladio turned both of them to face Cid, making her giggle at how he just didn’t want to change the way he was holding her.

“Yeah… only done been the once. Stayed a good while, thought.”

“What’s it like?” Prompto chimed in, camera never leaving his hands as he kept snapping pictures left and right.

“Big ol’ city.”

“Big. Okay.”

“Well, it ain’t the Crown City.” Cid smirked, making Noctis huff a laugh at him.

“Different. Got it.”

“You’ll see for yourself.” Six laughed at his reaction.

“Foreign lands seldom lend themselves to trite explanations.” Ignis continued her thought as she nodded.

“Change of scenery oughta do you good.”

“Well,” Gladio stretched his arms, “I’m all talked out. Can’t be far to Altissia now, right?”

“We’ll be there in no time.” Cid reassured him, “Nice having the wind at our backs.”

“Lodgings are our first order of business.” Ignis instructed.

“All work and no play.”

“Makes Ignis a dull boy.” the younger boys laughed with each other.

“Someone has to babysit you two.” Six smirked, covering for her friend.

“And you’re welcome to sleep in the wild.” Ignis added.

“Ain’t no hotel, but I know a fella has a place.” Cid joined in.

“Wes?” She turned to walk closer to him, knowing that Altissia was close now.

“Weskham -ran with Reggie and us way back when.” Cid continued toward the boys.

“Oh,” Prompto got up from his seat, slowly making his way to them, “was he the other one in that photo at the garage?”

“Yep. Runs himself a diner or cafe or somethin’. Go and see for yourselves.”

“Sure.” Noctis agreed, seeing the smile forming on his Glaive’s lips at the idea.

“Does this place have a name?” Gladio asked, seeing the same smile.

“Magee? Or Magoo? Or-”

“It’s Maagho.” Six smiled at his failure to remember.

“That’s the one!”

“We can count on ol’ Wes.” She thought out loud, patting her old friend’s shoulder.

“He’ll chew your ears off.” he laughed back.

“The government issued a statement promising that the reasons behind awakening the Hydraean would be clarified in the ceremonial address.” the lady on Prompto’s phone’s radio said once the boat was close enough to civilization to get a signal, “Delivering the address will be Lady Lunafreya, who was previously reported dead. This will mark her first public appearance since the violence that befell the signing ceremony.”

“Lady Lunafreya’s gonna give a speech?” Prompto asked once the rest of the company made their way inside the ship as well.

“Sounds like it.”

“Lord knows -this world cold use some wisdom.” Cid commented.

“Won’t be much longer now, Noct.” Six placed her hand on his shoulder. She could tell he was nervous to see his betrothed.

“Yeah.” he breathed with a warm smile.

“We’re here.” the Glaive announced once the Guardian statues appeared in front of the boat, “Altissia. The floating city.”

Everyone gawked at the beauty of the waterfalls covering most of their vision. The city seemingly build inside them. She was right all along. This was the most beautiful place they’d ever seen.

“Does this vessel have an entry permit?” the gatekeeper asked once the boat was brought into a halt next to the entry gate.

“Uh, entry permit?” Prompto got nervous right away.

“Relax.” Cid smirked, “I got one.” showing the permit to the gatekeeper as the man laughed in surprise, “That’s as old as they get. Seems in order. You may pass.”

“Prepared in advance?” Ignis asked once the ship was on the move again.

“Could say that.” Six laughed, recognizing Cid’s permit as he continued, “Thirty-odd years old.”

“That’s what the guy meant by ‘old’.” Gladio smirked.

“Lucky us, huh?” Six shook her head at how nonchalant her old friend was about it.

“That could’ve ended badly.” Noctis commented before she tagged on his elbow, “Mouth closed, eyes open. Look around you.” she calmly instructed, her own eyes sparkling at the beauty that surrounded them.

“Phew! Finally back on land.” Prompto almost danced once his feet touched the wooden surface of the docks.

“Barely. They call it the ‘Walls of Water’, but it ain’t just the walls -it’s the whole damn city.” Gladio stretched his arms out.

“Which is why we can’t traverse the town by conventional means.” Ignis fixed his hair now that the breeze didn’t pull it back, “We’ll need to rely on gondolas instead.”

“Yayyy. More boats.” Prompto run next to him, mocking excitement clear as day behind his tone.

“Hey, Noctis -catch.” Cid threw the key right in the Prince’s hands, “Key to the boat. What -don’t you wanna go sailing again?”

“Are you sure?” everyone’s eyes fell on the King’s vessel.

“Why not?” Cid locked his arms before his chest, “Old girl oughta be sturdy enough. Not even an awful driver like Reggie could sink ‘er.”

His comment made Six laugh at the accuracy. Regis was a worse driver than his son, “Well, he’s right there.”

“A king can’t rule with wisdom alone: he needs perspective. So get out there an’ see the world, y’hear? Take that old crow with you as well.” he laughed, pointing at the Glaive’s direction.

Noctis nodded as she laughed at the playful insult she had been waiting for.

“What’s next?” Prompto asked, seeing the officers in their way to the city, “Immigration?”

“What do you mean? There’s still more?” Noctis sounded exhausted just by the thought of it.

“Sir! What is the purpose of your visit?” The gatekeeper asked once the company moved closer.

“Purpose? Uh… Six, a little help?” he raised both his eyebrows at her, using the only thing he knew she couldn’t resist. The puppy eyes.

“Utterly hopeless.” Ignis sighed at both Noctis’ need for her help and Six’s helplessness when it came down to that look.

“We are scholars of the culinary arts, and we’ve come to study the renowned cuisine of your fair nation.” Six mimicked Ignis’ voice just to spite him, remembering him saying it was unnerving when she first did it.

“Is that so?” despite everyone knowing she was lying and Ignis’ goosebumps at the imitation, the gatekeeper seemed to be entranced, blushing and smiling at her, making Gladio frown his eyebrows in anger and Cid laugh at his reaction, “I wish you an enlightening stay then, miss.”

“Thank you.” she smiled as the man ordered for their way be opened.

“Another one you owe me.” she teased Noctis before officially stepping foot inside the floating city.

“You wanna check Weskham’s place out?” Gladio made it clear she was with him when he placed his hand on her lower back, almost touching her bottom while the gatekeeper still looked at her.

“Yeah. Let’s all go to Maagho!” Prompto agreed.

“Perhaps we’ll even make it in time for tea.” Ignis did the same.

“Then we better start looking now.” Noctis placed his hands on his waist.

“We won’t have to look. I know where it is.” Six placed her own arm around her Shield, feeling his anger fade away immediately, “But… let’s go the long way around. See the sights first, whatdaya say?”

Everyone agreed with her before making their way to Cid, standing just a few feet away from them, taking in the sights, colors and flowery smells of the city he hadn’t seen in thirty years.

“You’re not staying at a hotel?” Six asked while the boys looked around.

“Ya know fancy rooms were never my style, kid.” Cid smirked at her worry.

“Need food?”

“Managed to stay fed all these years.” he laughed, “Not gonna starve to death now. An’ ol’ Wes’ll see that I don’t go thirsty either, so don’t worry your pretty little head ‘bout it.”

“Alright, alright. We’ll see you there, then.” she laughed at the unfamiliar praise.

“Taking yer boys for a little stroll around town?”

“Yeah. I think they’ll like it.”

“We sure did back then.” old Cid smiled at the memory before waving her off and starting for Maagho.

“My lady.” Six turned around at the sound of his voice, only to be greeted but the blue gladiolus flower he bought for her.

“Why, thank you kind sir.” she answered playfully as he folded the flower, placing it inside her shirt’s pocket, a couple of the lotuses lightening the darkness of her outfit before giving her a soft kiss on the lips and lacing their fingers.

“They are extending the exhibit for Lady Lunafreya’s wedding dress.” a couple of ladies caught Noctis’ ear, “The Vivienne Westwood? But wasn’t that a memorial for her passing?”

“Well, now it’s a memorial for her safe return. Let’s go see it while we still can!”

“Could that be the dress we read about in the papers?” Prompto asked, making his friend turn to face him.

“Doubtless.” Ignis joined, “The designer’s name is the same.”

“Wanna check it out?”

“That depends on the groom. Might still be a sore spot, what with his wedding getting called off.” Gladio walked closer to them.

“Who says we can’t call it back on?” Six raised her eyebrows, making the Prince blush a little, “It can still happen.”

“True enough.” Ignis agreed, turning his attention to a silenced Noctis, “Let’s keep an eye out for it.”

It didn’t talk long for them to find their way to the dress. Everyone was talking about it. Both men and women asking directions on how to find the exhibit. The company found their way around twilight.

“One helluva crowd.” Prompto commented on the people standing outside the store, gawking at the dress he had just taken a picture of. It was truly beautiful, he thought, it would look amazing on Lady Lunafreya and Noctis would’ve stood tall and handsome next to her.

“And that’s the dress. My word.” Ignis breathed, thinking the same thing.

“Everyone looks so happy. And it’s all because of this one dress.”

“Yeah.” Noctis followed in his friend’s movements and let his lips curl up into a proud smile.

“Real glad for you that Lady Lunafreya is safe and sound.” the blond hit Noctis on the back lightly.

The Prince only smiled, staring at the picture behind the dress. Luna smiling…

“That settles it.” Gladio butted in, watching him, “You gotta make it happen -become a symbol of the peace. After we tie up all the loose ends, let’s think about the ceremony.”

“A fine idea.” Six agreed.

“Yeah. I’ll think about it.”

“So… how do we get to Maagho?” Prompto asked once he heard his stomach rumbling.

“It’s right under us, actually.” Six smiled as the boy almost hung the upper half of his body to look down before catching himself, “What?!”

“Yeah, come on.” She led the way, “We’ll catch a gondola. That’s the only way you can get it.”

The boys seemed to enjoy the gondola ride, short though it may have been. Maagho looked and smelled amazing.

“Welcome to Accordo, lads. Cid mentioned you’d be dropping in.” Weskham welcomed the boys after moving outside of his bar and hugging his old friend tightly, telling her how good she still looked even after all the years that had passed by them both.

“Were is the old guy?” she asked once the boys moved closer.

“I lent him my room so he could sleep.” he reassured her she needn’t worry. Cid was taken care of. “Weskham Armaugh, as you’ve gathered. My word, you’ve grown little Prince.” he took a closer look at Noctis, smiling at the resemblance he had with his father, “Ah, but of course -you were only a babe at the time.”

Prompto’s stomach rumbling was heard louder now, Six giggled and ruffled his hair before asking Wes to make something for them as they spoke.

“Lasagna di Maagho.” Noctis read the menu after she had ordered their meal, having a small friendly argument with Wes as to who would fit the bill when they were done. Weskham, as a good friend, wouldn’t accept her money but the Glaive didn’t like it. Sure it was a little over-priced but she knew, Wes’ cooking was worth it.

“It’s veggies.” Noctis made a face of slight disgust at the idea.

���You won’t even notice it,” she laughed at him, “trust me.”

The Prince sure didn’t. He was entranced by the plate just by the smell of it.

“So, this is your maiden visit.” Weskham spoke when everyone had their own plate, “Enjoying it so far? You doubtless have many questions, so ask away.”

Noctis wanted to be polite in front of his father’s friend but he couldn’t stop eating, speaking when his bite was done but bringing the fork to his mouth every time it was Wes’ turn to speak. The man laughed, brown eyes darting between the Prince and the Glaive a couple of times when he noticed. They were the same. He remembered when Six used to do the exact same thing back when they were traveling together.

“This country is a part of the empire, isn’t it?”

“You’re wary, I understand. But there’s no need to jump at every shadow.” Wes explained as Noctis and his company continued to enjoy his food, “Just be aware that the terms of our independence grand the empire free rein to come and go as they please.”

“We’ll bear that in mind.” Ignis nodded, taste buds savoring every different sensation the new recipe inspired.

“It’s admittedly a one-sided arrangement.” Wes continued, “Most everything we do requires Niflheim’s permission, and they wouldn’t knowingly permit the Oracle to appear before the public. How our government spun that is quite a mystery.”

“You really think Luna will make an address?” Noctis asked.

“If every recent radio broadcast is to be trusted, absolutely.”

“Do you know where she is?” Six asked, being the first to finish up with her food.

“In the city somewhere, but no one has caught so much as a glimpse of her. The media has been conspicuous in its silence on the matter, which speaks volumes of government intervention. That’d certainly explain the rumors of disgruntled imperial officers leaving the city.”

“So you see lots of Niffs around here?”the Glaive asked, getting Ignis’ and Gladio’s plates and placing them above her own once they were done as well.

“We do. Sometimes even at my place.  Theirs is a familiar presence, and the citizens don’t think much of it. Though, the high commander did cause a stir when he showed up the other day.”

“Ravus...” the Prince breathed the name, the thought irritating him at the spot.

“So soon after they felled the Archaean in Lucis, his arrival fuels rumors that they will next come to Altissia. The empire’s not content ruling all the land -they want the heavens as well.”

“Is anything changed with Leviathan?” Noctis asked once him and Prompto were done as well, mirroring Six’s movements and placing their plates on the pile before Weskham took all of them, placing them in the sink behind him.

“For now it’ business as usual at port, but word is the government will soon open the Altar of the Tidemother.”

“In preparation for the rite.” Gladio thought out loud.

“Ah, but on the other hand, they’re scrambling to stockpile emergency provisions.” Wes continued, crossing his arms before his chest, “This begs the question: if they’re anticipating that the Hydraean will wreak havoc, why would they allow the right to proceed?”

“Well, if you need anything else, you know where to find me.” the man spoke again after a couple of minutes of silence. Everyone thinking on the new information and the upcoming rite with the Goddess of the Seas.

“Thanks, ‘preciate it.” Noctis nodded with a smile and everyone thanked Weskham for the meal he prepared for them.

“My dear Camelia, it’s been a while.” Six turned as her old friend’s voice changed, getting higher at the sight of the First Secretary, though seeing her she sat back down on her stool.

“I heard about your distinguished guests.”

“Ah, you’ve an ear for gossip.” Weskham teased playfully, making the woman’s lips curl up into a faint smile.

“Gentlemen, Miss Ulric, I won’t waste your time. My name is Camelia Claustra.”

“First secretary of the Accordo Protectorate.” Six explained, not sure anyone other than Ignis would know of her.

“You should know we have Lady Lunafreya in our care. And the empire demands we surrender her.” the woman cut straight to the chase with a serious tone covering her voice.

“What?” Noctis breathed, not believing his own ears.

“Yet I am loath to acquiesce unless we stand to profit.” the First Secretary continued, palms locked at her elbows as she spoke, “Hence I’ve come to discuss terms… with the King of Lucis. If you’ve a mind to talk, come to my estate.”

“She can be oblique at the best of times, but I assure you her heart is in the right place.” Weskham spoke once the First Secretary and her guards were out of Maagho.

“Oh.” Prompto let out a breath he was holding in since she appeared, “Okay.”

“At any rate, you must be weary from your journey. Might I suggest you seek your beds for now and ponder matters anew in the morning?”

“Yeah, think we’ll do just that.” Noctis agreed with a nod.

“Right.” Six got up from her seat and stretched her arms in the air, “Off to the Leville we go, then.”

“You know you’re always welcome here, right?” Wes asked while walking with them to the gondola.

“I know.” she smiled, hugging him again, “Thanks for everything.”

Once the gondola reached the Leville station, the company made a straight line for the hotel, all of them being tired and knowing there’s a lot more to do the next day.

Next

[tarotdeckshuffle]

The bros + ravus who's s/o is the one to get stuck in the crystal instead of noct.

I’ve been wanting to get something out for everyone, but I’ve gotten so behind with some of my zine pieces that it’s been hectic! I’m part of a Mini Bang that should be out in December and a writer’s centric zine that will be out around the same time too! Those pieces should be awesome! 

Also, I’m back in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic hell. So I’m on like my millionth play through of that? Carth Onasi? More like Carth O’Yassssy. 

Ok. I’m sorry. I’ll shut up and write now. 

Taglist: @idiotflowerex, @laststory1013, @sayaoqueen, @jophinabean, @mysme-already

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

Noctis

Feels overwhelmingly guilty.

Knows that should have been him.

Crushed at first,

Doesn’t know what to do with himself. 

Tears, hopelessness, darkness.

That’s all there is now.

You left him behind.

You’re...gone.

It takes the other Bros to try to knock some sense into him.

He has to have hope. He has to believe you’ll come back.

If not, then what is there?

Thinks he won’t leave Gralea until you return. 

Ends up going to Lestallum with the others to try to help refugees.

It’s what you would have wanted.

Works to better himself and all of Eos.

There will be a world for you to return to.

And when you return, he’ll be here waiting. 

Prompto

Also crushed at first,

But tries his hardest to work through the pain. 

There WILL be a world for you to come back to.

Likely stands and stares at the crystal for hours.

Simply...waiting,

Like a dog at the door.

Stubbornly holds onto hope that you’ll return.

Talks about everything you’ll do together “when you get back”. 

Like you’ve gone for a weekend trip.

Ignis has to sit with him and discuss the possibilities.

He knows that his hope may be futile,

But it’s all he has left.

He’s barely holding himself together,

And the thought of you being gone for good…

Well, he’s just not sure if would be able to go on without you.

So he waits.

Hope is all he has, until he can hold you again.

Ignis

Stunned at first.

He promised to protect Noctis, but…

It was you he should have been worried about.

Devastated. 

He doesn’t know what to do to begin with. 

Wants to hope that you’ll return…

But hope tends to lead to disappointment in this world.

And he’s just not sure he can.

But everyday, he waits.

At first, he leaves a flower at the crystal for you,

Staring at it, hoping it’ll somehow tell him what to do,

But flowers become scarce with the lack of sunlight.

So he starts making paper flowers.

And leaves a trail of them from Gralea to Lestallum,

So that one day, maybe

You’ll find your way home.

Gladio

Is in a battle with himself.

His heart wants to have hope,

Wants to believe that you’ll be back in his arms soon.

But his head is far darker.

It tells him that you’re gone,

And never coming back. 

He stands and stares at the crystal,

Wishing he could fight it to give you up,

Wishing he could rescue you.

But it’s all pointless.

Eventually the men return to Lestallum,

Where he and Iris speak about you.

She convinces him that hope...well…

It can’t hurt.

So Gladio leaves a light on in the window each day.

That maybe his star will find their way home. 

Ravus

So many emotions run through him.

Despair, anger, dread, grief.

Has he lost you? 

Will you return?

Was it you who were to join with the crystal all along?

If not, what shall become of you?

He’s angry at Noctis and Ardyn all over again,

This is all their fault.

At first, he lashes out at everything.

But he also wants to believe in you.

You are the strongest force he has ever known.

Stays in Gralea for as long as he can,

Guarding the crystal until the rock grows dark. 

Then is convinced to wait for you in Lestallum. 

Carries a trinket of yours with him wherever he goes. 

For now, you are gone.

And Ravus remains. 

Hope is painful, but he will endure it for you. 

Luna

This?!

This is what all of her work has been for?!

That was meant to be Noctis, the King of Light,

Who joined with the Crystal.

Not you.

Here she is now,

More alone than she’s ever felt in her life. 

She wants to hope, 

To believe that you will come back to her.

But she is so very tired. 

She worries she’ll forget about you.

So she comes up with an idea.

For every thought of you she has,

She makes a paper star. 

Her pockets are filled with small scraps of paper

And she can practically fold them one handed now.

And like magic, paper becomes stares in a matter of minutes,

Without her even realizing it anymore. 

Soon, her home is filled with jar upon jar of paper stars. 

She starts to release them for the children to admire.

Paper stars float on the wind across this dark world,

And fill her home to the brim. 

Because her heart is filled with thoughts of you,

And she won’t let this world forget you. 

Cor

Waits in Gralea and guards the Crystal.

Makes this his new duty. 

Either he will be here when you return,

Or he shall fall at your feet. 

Nyx

Doesn’t wait around for you,

Tends to move on from the place of grief,

But holds your memory close.

He becomes far more rash,

Throwing himself into any dangerous situation.

Other’s tell him to have faith that you’ll return,

And he wants to.

Oh, he wants to.

But he just can’t bring himself to.

Everyone he’s lost is gone.

There was no waiting around for his family to come back,

No waiting around for King Regis to come back,

So now...now what is there?

Crowe makes him promise that he’ll stick around,

That he’ll at least pretend that you’ll come back.

And he tries.

If you come back,

He’ll be here.

But he isn’t sure he has the strength for hope right now. 

Ardyn

Doesn’t wait around this accursed Crystal for your return.

For all he knows, the gods have taken you from him,

The only true light of his life,

And the gods stole it away. 

Evil Ardyn will strike down the Bros then and there,

Blaming them for this and being done with EVERYTHING.

Good Ardyn will still blame them, but may team up with them to end all of this,

And by that I mean kill Bahamut. 

He will bring this whole world down,

To lay it at your feet.

A gift to you, for your inevitable and glorious return.

[ff15trashgoldenslumbers]

Well some suggestions I have for Ardyn and aunt avietis are. What aunt avietis does after Ardyn invades insomnia. What would it be like if aunt avietis were to be with Ardyn for the entire game (like with him when he had the meeting with the chocobros). And what the ending would be like for both Ardyn and avietis. Just some general in-game information based around avietis and Ardyn throughout the game.

Okay so if you read the other post about  Aevitas both the Glance over and the Early Life you get basically the same scenarios until Aera is killed. 

This is basically a brief overview of their life, like some cliffnotes.

Due to the connection, Aevitas has with the Oracle when Aera is struck down and Ardyn loses control, Aevitas attempts to stop Ardyn but is only able to subdue him leaving her weak from trying to drain the darkness within him not realizing just how much darkness is within him when he goes on the run and she’s unable to regularly purge him. Somnus takes this as an advantage and seals Ardyn away.

Aevitas on the other hand gets trapped by the crystal when she realizes that it’s after Ardyn’s “Soul”. She gets trapped until Ardyn is awakened again as she makes a deal with the gods to watch after him and with Ardyn “asleep” she is not needed, but still is able to interact with those of Lucian blood by being a “ghost” around the castle, though she cannot leave the castle walls until Ardyn wakes up. Nor does she have a physical form until that time, she mostly appears as a ghostly form of what she appears in the past.

When Ardyn does wake up and goes to fight Regis he instead runs into Aevitas who stops him rather than Behometh, released from the crystal's curse on her and allowing her to actually travel with him. For the next few years, as Noctis grows, Aveitas splits her time between being with Ardyn and watching over Noctis and the others never truly revealing herself, as she doesn’t want Ardyn to know that she’s watching them.

Aveitas vehemently is against most of the Empire's movements and often tries to foil what she can. It’s often stated that she and Ardyn are playing an extreme game of chest, where Ardyn is willing to sacrifice everything to protect his king, and Aveitas determines that even if her “King” falls, so long as she has more pieces on the board she feels she has won. They often fall into a stalemate.

When Ardyn “orders” the fall of Insomnia, Aveitas is pissed and actually lashes out at him with both words and weapon as she has access to powers similar to the Lucian Kings, but is unable to actually do anything to Ardyn as it is Noctis’s job to be the final blow and Ardyn can’t harm her as her deal with the gods. Ending in a stalemate Aveitas tries to reach out to the human side of her husband but eventually realizes that it would be wiser to keep watch over boys instead.

When the boys originally run into Ardyn, Aevitas is with him but changes herself just enough for the boys not to recognize her true self, wanting to hide a bit longer. Aevitas is also the one that keeps attempting to stir them away from Ardyn. She constantly counteracts his “creepier” nature with genuine love and affection but eventually realizes what must happen in order to set them both free. Granted she doesn’t want Noctis to die. So she basically becomes very overprotective of them and she and Ardyn butt head a lot!

Aveitas actually watches over Gladiolus when he leaves the group, making certain that he gets to Gilgamesh and makes it back to the others safe and sound. She also watches more intently over the others knowing that Gladiolus is gone.

When Ardyn goes after Ignis, Aveitas realizes too late what he was really after and was too busy trying to save Noctis and Lunafreya by the time she gets to Ignis she can only hold off the gods from trying to kill Ignis, but can’t save his sight. She stays with Ignis and Noctis until Gladiolus and Prompto appear, when they ask who she is as she does not hide her true self, she tearfully responds, “I’m sorry I could not do more.” before escorting them all to safety and then leaving.

She makes mention that losing Lunafreya is one of her biggest failures as she failed to save this Oracle as much as she did the first.

* (In Ignis good end, she realizes way before what Ardyn is planning, takes Lunafreya’s powers to save the other, and gets both Noctis and Luna to safety before going to fight alongside Ignis, during the final blow, Avetias takes all the punishment to be put on Ignis and she and Ardyn are given rest)

She ends up dealing with a lot of the aftermath of Leviathan and spends a lot of time speaking to the specters of Aera and Lunafreya asking for forgiveness for failing twice, so when Ardyn attacks the boys on the train, she is informed only by Shiva and arrives too late to stop Ardyn. 

She races to go find Prompto but instead finds Ardyn, again she lashes out at him, but this time instead of a fight, she tries to appeal to his human side, seeing flickers of the man return, before he disappears again. Ardyn demands her not to interfere, but she goes after Prompto in the disguise of a younger version of herself and helps him escape from Vestral, whom she states, “The man has only ever done one thing right in his life.” She then leads Prompto back to Noctis and the others before leaving without giving her name, simply leaving them with a smile.

When purging the darkness from Ravus it leaves her weak as she realizes the Crystal is near and screaming at her. Unable to even mourn Ravus’s death. Avetias goes to confront Ardyn only to arrive in time for Ardyn to trick Noctis into getting sucked into the crystal. She reaches out in time to save Noctis from his faith but is immediately pushed back by Ardyn just as the others show up.

As Ardyn goes to leave, Avetias too weak due to the crystal realizes that Ardyn had sent her after Ravus to slow her down, and realizing that she can’t go after Noctis in the crystal as Ardyn still walks on Eos, she can only mutter an apology as she goes after her husband fury in her eyes.

The two have one final argument outside, Ardyn states that he won’t fight her as they both know that neither of them can end the other's life. Yet standing before his wife, who is panting heavily but refuses to stop fighting for Noctis, a single flicker of his human self reaches out and embraces her, apologizing, before they go their separate ways for 10 years.

For 10 years Avetias watches over the remaining boys and doing what she can to halt the darkness in the world. When Noctis awakens, she feels him leave the crystal, knowing what is about to happen she goes and finds the man prior to him confronting Ardyn. 

Avetias apologies for having to hide from him for so long, but she will proudly stand beside him. Noctis recognizing the woman that often watched over him in the Citadel since he was a baby gladly accepts her help.

And then you get the lovely Orginal Aunt Avetias post! Which is one ending.

Other endings are, Noctis finally being able to kill Ardyn allowing them both to finally rest. (This is with and without Noctis’s death)

Ardyn finally comes to terms with his anger against Somnus and the deamons within him, allowing him to actually heal with Avetias by his side to watch over for generations to come.

Avetias finally just decking the shit out of Ardyn, just full-on haymaker her husband and then going to the crystal demanding the gods to give back her husband's soul or so help her!

The gods see no reason to deny her...

[rexelectus]

● – || @crownizen​ / @storysaved sent from a meme:  ❝ after all this time? always. ❞

● – || Noctis stood by his best friend when he never thought it was possible. Their entire lives, people have tried to pull them apart. Fate worked to keep them apart, but things were different now. They were different now. Too many years too late, perhaps, but they wouldn’t have another chance to do this if they didn’t take the leap of faith now. 

Both of them stood in a suit, decked in royal regalia that represented what was soon to become of them. Noctis smiled sheepishly at his best friend, holding Prompto’s gloved hands in his own while he stood enjoying the view that was Prompto surrounded by flowers and other decorations that had been carefully prepared for the pair. Between them both stood an alter and someone to initiate the wedding to make sure that it happened as tradition always wanted it to be. 

It was the perfect scene that neither of them would ever forget. 

When it came time to exchange vows, Noctis was shaking in his polished boots. He didn’t know where to begin. Years of friendship, years of loving one another without every actually being allowed to be together. Years of constant pining and subtle moments of love when no one was looking had all lead to a nervously-anxious proposal that a spur of the moment but with every bit of love behind it. Years of secretly thinking they weren’t good enough for the other because of who they were. All those years of staring at one another when the other wasn’t looking had lead to them now standing and holding hands about to promise their lives to one another. 

All those years of falling in love and secretly staying in love had lead up to the two of them getting to forever be in love. 

All those years of wishing for something to happen had FINALLY been answered.

“Prompto - I- . . . I knew that the day we met when we were kids that there was something special about you. I didn’t know what. . . All I knew was that I wanted to count your freckles while we played together. To this day, I don’t know how many freckles you have, but I do know that every day with you is like a day I would never forget. Each day is a play date unlike any other, and not one I would trade for anything in the world. You, Prompto, I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. I know you think you’re just another copy, but you’re more than that. To me, you’ve always been more than that. No matter what happens, you will always be special to me, Prompto. I- . . . ” 

Noctis looked down at their hands shyly as he tried to force his words out without choking on them in the process. 

“I love you, Prompto. I always have. . . and I always will. ” 

After a minute, he lifted his eyes from their hands so that he could look at Prompto properly in the eyes. He offered him a warm smile as he gave his hands a squeeze. 

"I . . . I still can’t believe it. . . You chose me? After all this time?” Noctis whispered.

‘After all this time? Always.’ He heard Prompto whisper back with his usual dorky smile. 

“And I’ll always choose you. Even after death, I’ll still always choose you. I promise.” He smiled back in return, keeping his eyes on Prompto’s and Prompto’s alone. Tears of happiness lined his eyes as he looked up at him and smiled. 

Finally, they were able to choose each other. 

‘I now pronounce you married:  King Noctis Lucis Caelum and King Prompto Argentum Lucis Caelum.’

At long last the moment was granted for the pair to kiss, and Noctis didn’t hesitate. He freed his left hand from Prompto’s right, reached up to caress his cheek, pulled him down slightly and kissed him. He kissed him passionately for every year that he had stared at his lips. He kissed him lovingly for every time that he wished he could have said those three words out loud. And kissed him purposefully so that Prompto would remember just how much Noctis truly loved him. 

It was the perfect beginning to their happily ever after. 

[amarabliss]

Oaths and Hearts - 13 (Ignis Scientia/Reader)oaths and

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

You looked out the window of the vehicle seeing the glittery shimmers of Glaive warping in systematically taking out Neif forces. The enemy had no idea of the attack and was completely disorganized. Getting to this point had been nerve wracking…

You watched Tor stand up looking at you in the night light after swearing to take back the city in honor of the child inside you, conditions set, you looked him over anticipating some reaction, “Do you feel anything?”

“Didn’t the last time.” He flexed his hands at his sides looking over to Cor, “Why don’t you two take a step back…”

“What are you going to do?” Cor watched him take a few steps away toward the cliffside, “Maybe you should start with something small…”

“Gotta take a leap of faith with these things.” Tor sniffed hard through his nose shaking his shoulders out before he turned around looking at you both, “Hey…how much you love that kid?”

You stared at him as his heels lined up with the edge of the cliff, “All my heart.”

“Hm…I suppose I should too if he’s letting me borrow his mojo.” He glanced back looking down making a face, “You got a name for the kid?”

You frowned knowing he was buying time because of nerves, “You’re not gonna like it.”

“Indulge me please.” He looked back to you smirking, “As long as it’s not something like Phil or Petey…”

“Ulric.” You smiled as his face contorted in disgust, “I told you.”

“I will never get out from under him…” He chuckled as he looked back at you both, “Listen if I go splat…”

“What happened to faith?” Cor growled.

“You gotta believe in something for that, right?” Tor saluted as he let himself fall backwards and you both reacted reaching out for him.

You stood there for what felt like an eternity in silence. Tears pricked your eyes, “Cor…”

As he put his arm around you, you both gasped as there was a flash shooting up in the sky then back down. Tor three point landed in front of them. He looked up grinning, “I think we’re in business.”

“Could you slow down?! The Immortal will personally kill me if something happens to you.” You turned to Libertus who had volunteered to be your escort around the ruined city, “Not everything has been cleared yet.”

“I am aware of that.” You smiled at him as he carefully trudged down the debris towards you, “I’m used of being on my own, forgive me?”

“I never could say no to you or Crowe.” He smiled as his eyes went sad.

You reached over touching his arm gently, “We’ve lost too much…I'm sorry I wasn’t there.”

He nodded as he chewed on his lip before he spoke, “We’re gonna have a big funeral once everything is settled down. I know everyone would want you to be there.”

You gave him a soft smile as you nodded, “Of course, I won’t miss it, if I can help it.”

“So…” He cleared his throat looking around the mess, “what are we doing here?”

“Looking for anything useful…Cor won’t let me fight, so I’ll find supplies. Your hospital was supposed to be over in the West Quarter, no?”

“That sounds about right.” He nodded slowly, “You’re really not one to wait for the fighting to be over, are you?”

“Nope.” You shook your head as you moved on scanning the area, “I’ve learned that being idle gets you in trouble. You start thinking about things out of your control and it just stresses you out more than anything.”

You both exchanged conversation as you picked through the debris. Every so often you both stopped as you heard gunfire and explosions. Libertus would leave you for a moment to make sure the surrounding area was secure.

It was during one of these departures you made your way down into a small crater. You knelt down moving a little wreckage away seeing an intact desk. You’d been able to find several useful things, but most was a bust. Your eyes shifted towards something nearby that was glinting in the sunlight.

You finished searching the desk before moving toward it. Crouching down you moved some ash away to reveal what it was. As you pulled it up you felt a knot form in your throat.

“Everything looks good.” Libertus approached behind you. When you didn’t give him your usual greeting, he became worried, “Y/N, what’s wrong?”

You swallowed the knot away before standing up. You turned wiping your face as you held out a unique Glaive visor to him, “Nyx…”

You watched the large man before stare at the carefully crafted piece of metal. It was a strained moment between the two of you both trying to stay strong for the other. There had always been this hope in the back of your mind that maybe he had made it…maybe the ring was wrong…

“You keep it.” Libertus finally spoke and talked over you as you began to object, “It’s supposed to go to family and you were all he had left.”

You felt a tear roll down your cheek as he took the visor from your hands and carefully placed it on your head like a headband. When he spoke again his voice held all the emotions you were feeling as he adjusted your hair to make it stay, “You probably don’t know this…Nyx never really like to burden other people, but before you came he was in a really bad place. He'd never took the time to grieve and he got into a lot of trouble.”

“Then you came, and you were like this light that just burned everything away. He was still a cocky little shit,” You both chuckled as he smiled, “but he changed for you. You helped him focus. Everyone saw the difference. He even said it to me a few times. You became someone he needed to protect and take care off. He even changed his next of kin list, making you first contact.”

“But, I’m not from Galahd…it’s should go to one of you…” You wiped a hand over your face before he took your hands in his.

“Family isn’t just blood…” He smiled at you squeezing your hands, “Nyx really said it best, 'Family is the people you swear an oath to, not because you have too and not because you want something, but because you choose to give each other your broken hearts and you both help fix one another.’”

“He must’ve been really drunk that day.” You smiled as Libertus laughed, “He hated talking about that stuff…”

“He was…he was very drunk.” He chuckled before rubbing his eyes a little, “It was after a very long fight…lot of close calls.”

“Thank you for telling me that…Nyx was my family too.” You stepped forward giving him a hug as you felt a tear slip down your cheek, “So are you.”

You felt him tense for a moment before relenting into a hug, “Yeah…uh…”

You let him go giving him a smile as he struggled to articulate feeling the same way, “I saw another cabinet over here, but it’s got some heavy rebar and cement over it. Pretty sure there’s some medicine inside.”

“Ah ha! I can finally make myself useful.” He joked leading you back to where you saw the cabinet.

You laughed a little reaching up feeling the visor as you followed behind. You heard him grunting as he began to pull at the big piece of cement. That’s when you got a strange sense that someone was watching you. The hairs on the back of your neck began to stand up as you turned around.

You stepped forward cautiously looking around trying to pin-point it. You turned again looking around the area as Libertus continued to push the debris away, “Libertus…”

“I’ve almost got it.” He called back to you.

“Lib…” Your eyes focused in on a strange looking wave moving a short distance from you. It was like you were seeing double. Invisible to most who’d never encounter it before. You swallowed stepping forward as voices began playing around your head. Ones you haven’t heard in such a long time. They sounded so wonderful…

“Y/N, what’s going on?”  Libertus stopped behind you worry lines starting to show on his face when you didn’t answer him.

You turned slowly eyes slowly dimming as your legs began to give out, “Fade…”

Ignis smiled looking down over the city of Insomnia. It was too long since he’d seen the city, even if it was partly rubble, “We just need to figure out how to sneak in and put the crystal back where it belongs.”

“Well we have a ship so at least we blend in?” Gladio looked at him as he took his seat at the controls, “Prompto, everything staying steady back there?”

“Yeah! Straps are holding, Operation Crystal Deposit is a go!” He called back up to the cockpit.

Gladio chuckled glancing over at Noct strapped into a chair, “That kid can sleep anywhere.”

“Hopefully he won’t have to anymore.” Ignis told him with a smile it disappeared quickly when the chirp of the radio filled the area.

“Attention Neiflheim vessel. The city of Insomnia is no longer under your control. We order you to stand down.” Ignis glanced over at Gladio’s surprised look, “Please respond or we will be forced to fire.”

“Wait!” Gladio hit the respond button quickly, “This is Gladiolus Amicitia, Sheild of the King.”

“…please standby.” Gladio shrugged looking at him as they waited, “We’re sending you coordinates to land.”

“Be advised,” Ignis interrupted pressing the radio again, “We are accompanied by King Noctis and are in possession of the crystal.”

“Advisement noted.” The familiar voice of Cor popped through the speaker, “Welcome home boys.”

Relief spread through Ignis’ chest as he repositioned the ships course, “Sounds like you have quite the story to tell, Marshal.”

“Yeah…you can thank Y/N for that. She came up with the plan to take the city back.” Cor responded quickly.

“Sh-she’s here?” Ignis looked at Gladio as Prompto came into the cockpit taking his seat, “Is she alright? Is the baby…”

“The baby is fine.” Cor responded.

“And Y/N?” Ignis repeated receiving no reply, “Marshal?”

“It’s best we speak on the ground. This isn’t a conversation for radios.” Ignis noticed the worry in his voice.

Gladio watched his friend as he told Prompto to wake up Noct. Ignis wasn’t unaware of his friend’s concern, “This changes nothing.”

“It changes everything.” Gladio snapped back at him as the tension in the room began to rise, “Whatever is happening down there with Y/N…you need to be there for your family.”

“What’s going on?” Noct asked wiping the sleep from his face.

“I will attend to them-” Ignis started.

“For Six sake!” Gladio shouted at him to make him fall silent, “Listen to me! We have all lost our fathers and you you’ve already lost so many moments that you can’t get back…”

Silence filled the cockpit. Eventually Gladio went on, “We have been away from home for little under a year…we haven’t had the chance to really grieve and take the time to reflect on the facts that our families are less than they were. Six of those months you have been a father to be…and I’m the only one who’s seen the moments that you’ve missed out of all of us.”

Ignis looked at him as he went on, “When my mom was pregnant with Iris…my dad would come home every day and talk to her. He’d put his face right up to my mom and hold her. He would tell her everything from how he woke up…how…how he hoped one day she’d grow up and be the strongest shield next to me. He’d tell her about me and how I was going to be the best big brother, and how we were going to be the best pair of Amicitia Insomnia has ever seen.”

“The first time she kicked he got so excited…” Gladio teared up looking away from them all as he crossed his arms over his chest, “Ignis…you shouldn’t miss those moments more then you have to.”

Silence again. Finally, Noct spoke up, “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I have to agree with Gladio here…”

“Noct, I swore an oath…” Ignis sighed shutting his eyes trying to remain calm.

“So what…” Noct smiled speaking calmly, “I release you from your oath, if that’s what it takes…go be a dad. Take care of your family. I’m not going to magically rebuild the city over night. We’ll be here when you’ve taken care of things.”

“Yeah, Iggy,” Prompto smiled at him, “We can take things over while you spend some time with your family.”

“…thank you…all of you.” Ignis glanced at all of them feeling a well of emotion fill his chest, “I hope you all that I consider you all my family.”

“Of course.” Noct reached up patting him on the shoulder giving him a sleepy grin, “Brothers to the end.”

The rest of the trip down was quiet and reflective. Ignis informed them all that he would figure out the mystery behind Cor’s message after the crystal was safely offloaded. He did just that, keeping step with Cor as they watched the crystal drive off in the back of a truck.

“Are you going to make me ask again?” Ignis glanced at him.

“No…” Cor looked at him before nodding him to follow, “There was an incident…”

“Why kind of incident?” He felt a cold sick feeling sink into his stomach.

Cor sighed opening the door to the hospital, “One that puts Y/N in an unresponsive state. Don’t…ask me…I have ran through all the questions with Dr. Reed…and we’re still at a loss.”

Ignis wasted no time stepping inside searching for you. He walked past the wounded soldiers into the back and froze at the sight of you. You looked like you were sleeping, features calm and beautiful.

He stepped over trying to remain calm as the sight of you, but the reality that you were carrying his child hit him in a way that he wasn’t prepared for. The last time he saw you, you weren’t showing.

“Please…” You begged him one last time as the engines kicked on making your hair blow around, “Ignis…please don’t make me go…”

Pressing his forehead against yours he shook his head as everyone else began to move onto the airship, “I can’t let you and you know why…”

Your lip trembled as tears brimmed your eyes, “Please…”

“You are not making this easy for me…” He pulled you into his arms embracing you tightly, “But I can’t let you, I need to keep you safe.”

Apparently, his plan didn’t work. He snapped out of his thoughts when Dr. Reed stepped across from him, “Ignis Scientia?”

“Yes…yes…” He looked at him, “What’s wrong with her?”

“Physically…nothing…” Dr. Reed took a deep breath in before he spoke again, “I can’t explain it…she supposedly fainted and has not woken up sense.”

“Fainted? Where? Who was she with?” Dr. Reed shifted his gaze to Cor who stood off to the side. Ignis looked at him, “Please answer me…”

Cor took in a deep breath, “She was with a Glaive…in the West Quarter of the city looking for supplies…”

“She was…she’s six months pregnant.” He growled, “You had her out…”

“I didn’t do anything…You know most of all that she does what she likes.” Cor stared down into his eyes, “I was lucky enough to get a Glaive to look out for her. An old friend…”

“What friend?” Ignis turned back to you watching your chest rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern.

“Libertus Ostium.” Ignis remembered him as Cor continued, “He volunteered…said he owed her.”

He took off his glasses cleaning them for no reason except to keep his hands busy, “And where is he now?”

“I’m right here…” Ignis turned seeing him step around the corner, “I…I’m so sorry…I don’t…”

“What happened?” He swallowed down his anger as the Glaive looked over to the Marshal who nodded slowly.

“We were just picking up supplies from the debris…doing pretty good considering the whole quarter was pretty much demoed…” Libertus looked at you laying on the bed, “She asked me to move some heavy debris of a medicine cabinet…when I finished she had walked away a bit.”

“It looked like she was looking at something, but I couldn’t see anything and…and she wouldn’t answer me…” Libertus looked away scrunching up his face as emotions built up, “Then she said she was fading and passed out…I’m sorry…I didn’t see anything…I should’ve just insisted…”

“She said she was fading?” Ignis interrupted him as his eyes sparked, “I need to know exactly what she said.”

“Uh…I…” Libertus stared at him trying to remember, “I-I asked her…if she was okay…and she turned, and she said… ‘fade…’”

“Just fade? Not fading?” Ignis glanced to you as the cogs in his mind began to race.

“I just assumed she didn’t finish the word…” Libertus looked at Cor, “I’m so sorry…I should have…”

“It’s okay Libertus, you couldn’t have anticipated her fainting.” Cor told him watching Ignis closely, “Why does it matter that she recognized what was happening to her?”

“Because it’s not an action…” Ignis looked at him a fire burning in his eyes, “it’s a place.”

[writingformeandyou]

The Chocobros, Aranea, and Lunafreya with an S/O dealing with grief

A/N: Let me be honest I wrote this when I was having a hard time. I will have a very optional A/N explaining everything but nonetheless I should be able to write a smidgen more since I’m ungrounded and at school! Happy 2020 guys and have a great day/night! I love you.

~mod Amic

--------

Noctis

He is the silent shoulder you can cry on.

No matter how long after he won’t question you.

He will hold you for as long as you need, even if you fall asleep in his arms.

He knows very well that facing someone’s death can be difficult (reference: Lunafreya’s)

When you get the chance to calm down he will suggest that the two of you go do something because a distraction is due.

If you are not willing he will suggest just laying down.

If you accept sleep won’t come as easily for the prince because he just wants to make sure you’re ok.

--

Prompto

He’s the distract now think later guy.

He will tell you jokes, talk enthusiastically about chocobos, etc.

He smiles for you even though he hurts for you because someone needs to show that things will be ok.

He also knows that his smile is quite contagious so he will smile just for you.

He will invite you on jogs more often than he already does (and is much more persistent because exercising releases endorphins).

Though Prompto is already one of the softer Chocobros with his expressions of love he becomes much softer by giving you little eskimo kisses and by doing other cute things to make you giggle.

--

Ignis

He’s all hands on deck.

For you if he has work he is willing to stay home if you ask or if he believes he is needed.

He also becomes more willing to delve into baking and cooking comfort foods.

He can read you like a book so he will provide you with much more means of physical affection. (Ex: Embraces, kisses on the forehead, etc.)

If you’ve been wanting him to watch a specific show or movie he will take you by the hand and hold you close as you watch the show or movie with the occasional idle chatter.

He will also tell you blackmail about the rest of the ‘bros just to make you laugh.

--

Gladio

He’s the I’ve been there boyfriend

He does a little bit of everything because of that.

He will be your rock throughout the experience and will do pretty much anything such as singing your favorite song rather poorly just for a laugh.

But in all honesty he has a really good singing voice and will almost mumble a comforting song or a song that the two of you hold dear while holding you close when it seems like everything is falling apart.

Gladio will also read your favorite books to you and will smile when he finds you dozing in his lap. Also this man is not moving an inch and will finish reading the book to himself.

--

Aranea

Lets cuddle and watch TV all day type.

Aranea loves caring for her S/O but in this case she will treat you like royalty whilst wishing she could do more.

While she gives Noct and Prom a hefty lecture she will sit on the couch while you lay across her lap and rubs your hair.

She will talk about your problems with you if you are willing to.

She will also talk about these dorky guys she met while doing her job as a merc. They are a strange lot and serves as quite the story.

She is the type of (Girlfriend/Spouse) that will be willing to kiss her partner when they are ‘ugly’ crying and have a horribly blotchy face and running nose.

--

Lunafreya

Wise reassurances and gentle reminders of I’m here.

The worst day in Luna’s life was the day of the siege of Tenebrae, she lost her mother, 

and so much more. She knows all too well of how you feel.

She is there to hold your hand and talk about your grief.

She wishes she could take away your pain like she can take away the scourge from people but it just doesn’t work that way.

When she has the chance she will take you for a walk around the fields of sylleblossoms.

If she can’t take you to the fields she will suggest spending time with Umbra and Pyrna or will tell you stories about her journeys as the Oracle.

--------

Additional A/N under the cut!

A/N: Ok so this is the real A/N and is quite the downer. 

This was written as a coping method for myself and anyone else who needs it. To explain if I were not grounded I would have still probably been taking a small temporary hiatus because my grandmother passed away 12/27/17. In simple terms my break was difficult and the holidays just aren't what they used to be. My grandma passed away from a long battle with COPD, I honestly thought she was getting better then suddenly her health crashed. Some people may say “But Amic it has been two years get over it!” but I can’t! I was doing fine but then there are things that suddenly pop up to worsen things like a few months afterwards I visited an aunt to meet my baby cousin and help her around the house since she had a c-section but afterwards she spread false rumors that I was being beaten by my dad to try to take custody of me because custody was assigned to her if something were to happen to my dad or stepmom. My bio mom’s side of the family and my dad’s side got into this rumor and my dad lost all faith in me because he legitimately believed I told her this dumb ass lie. I’m not allowed to see any of my family other than my paternal grandfather but even then he thinks I’m a hellion. Though it hurts to not be trusted and it pains me to be away from my family I’ve been trying to adapt until five days ago (1/1/20) my best friend of 13 years lost her grandmother of the same COPD related complications. I haven’t heard from my friend in days and am scared as heck. I can’t lose her too, I already almost have before. I just want her to be with me so I can ramble about nonsense and make her laugh like I always do. I’m going to stop rambling. It was probably selfish to put this on here but I had to get it out somehow.

[prompreg17]

Confusion (Status)

Warnings: mpreg (trans male pregnancy), graphic birth, birth in distress

Fandom: FFXV

Pairings: minor Prom/Ignis

Notes: @ohmyguts messaged me about the idea of Prompto giving birth while suffering Confusion and I was immediately inspired. ;> 

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20795501

==

The crack of the sniper was louder than their usual gunfire, the spray of the Killer Wasps’ blood as the bullet connected a touch dramatic but Ignis was grateful for it all the same. 

“My thanks!” He called as the wasp fell at his feet, though he doubted Prompto could hear him from his vantage point. Their resident sharpshooter had been placed well away from the action, the sniper a replacement of his usual pistol to allow him as much distance as possible. That was how they performed every hunt now that Prompto was well passed showing and rapidly approaching labor. 

A wasp buzzed all too closely to his ear while he was busy engaging with a second, but another crack of the sniper and it, too, was down. Prompto proved his worth during every battle, 9 months pregnant or no. As much as the sniper had cost them, not one of them could regret the purchase.

“I thought there was only supposed to be a few of these things!” Noct said as he slid out of a warp strike by Ignis’ side. “There’s been probably a dozen of them!”

“‘A few’ from a civilian hardly counts for much,” Ignis said, readying a dagger and launching it into the chitin of a wasp’s head. It fell rather gracelessly into a second, which nearly barreled into Gladio.

“Watch it!” Gladio growled as his sword cleaved it in two.

“Apologies,” Ignis returned.

“Oh fuck!” Noctis yelled, real panic in his voice. Ignis turned to him immediately, but a haze of blue was all he could see where Noct had previously been standing. All Ignis could do was survey the battlefield to find him, but a wasp stole his attention before he could locate him.

“Noct!” He called, but the frantic sound of a pistol answered instead.

“Fuck! Time’s up, Iggy,” Gladio hollered. There were only four wasps left to dispatch that he could see. Gladio’s sword took out one and a clean toss of a dagger the second. All Ignis wanted to do was run to Prompto’s side but he had to have faith that Noctis could handle it, that Prompto had taken it out himself, that the last wasps would be felled with enough time for Ignis to be of use.

When the last two of the four did come down, it was one each to their blades; Gladio’s with brutal strength and his own with an accurate jab of his lance through its thorax. The wasp hadn’t even finished its tumble to the ground before he was off at a sprint toward the rock formation they’d left Prompto perched upon. 

The scene became apparent almost immediately; a wasp carcass fallen on a rock, a second  just feet away, and voices growing louder the closer they came.

“Noct! Prompto!” Ignis couldn’t help but call, anxious and wielding a dagger just in case.

“Up here!” Noct said, and then, quieter, “Prompto, please, I’m trying to help!”

Heart in his throat, Ignis climbed at nearly Gladio’s pace up the rock formation, though they were both moving swiftly. The scene was as expected, with a third wasp carcass nearby, Prompto’s rifle fallen to the round. Noct gripping a struggling Prompto was the most concerning aspect by far.

“Was he stung?” Gladio asked before Ignis could.

“I think he was grazed, his leg is bleeding but he won’t let me look at it.”

“Prompto,” Ignis said, approaching the two like one might an injured faun, “Can you hear me?”

Prompto turned to face him, but his expression was strange and rapidly changing as if he couldn’t quite pin down a single emotion.

“Who are you?” Prompto asked, “What did you do to me? Let me go!” 

“Fuck.”

Ignis mirrored the sentiment. 

As Prompto’s struggling became more desperate, Gladio stepped forward. 

“Alright, I got this, Princess,” he said as he took Prompto from Noct’s struggling hold.

“I had him,” Noct protested, though weakly, as he allowed Gladio to take his place.

“We cannot allow him to struggle too harshly, he could hurt himself or the baby if we’re not careful,” Ignis warned. Watching Prompto struggle to get away from them was painful, even more so when the action could hurt him.

“His energy is sapped lately, maybe he’ll tire himself out quickly,” Gladio offered.

“The Killer Wasps’ venom promotes confusion but Prompto will be feeling the effects of adrenaline as well. It will give him more energy, if a limited supply.”

“We still have smelling salts, right?”

“Yes, I have them,” Ignis said, producing the container. Gladio held Prompto firmly as Ignis approached, but Noct had to come and keep Prompto’s head steady as well as Ignis uncapped the tin.

A knee flew into Ignis’ gut, startling him so badly that he dropped the tin and the salts all over the ground. He hadn’t even realized Prompto could still lift his leg so far, and evidently neither did Noctis or Gladio if their own exclaims of surprise were any indication.

“Holy shit!” Noct said, releasing Prompto’s face and shuffling over, “Specs, you okay?”

“Don’t touch me!” Prompto was screaming, thrashing and kicking out with a leg again, “Let me go!”

“Yes,” Ignis said, clearing the pain from his voice and righting himself with a sigh, “But our salts are another matter entirely. Do either of you have a spare tin?”

The look Noct and Gladio shared said it all.

“This complicates things.”

A startled noise from Prompto drew all of their attention as a gush of liquid suddenly coated the ground at their feet. A moment of stunned shock passed where no one, not even Prompto, made a noise.

“As does that,” Ignis finally said after the moment had passed, voice barely a whisper.

“Please don’t tell me that’s what I think it is,” Gladio said, sounding equal parts disgusted and concerned. His pant legs and shoes were undoubtedly soaked.

“I won’t speak then,” Ignis shot back, far beyond worrying about getting a little amniotic fluid out of leather. “But it won’t change the fact that this is happening.”

“So he’s in labor?” Noct asked, thinly veiled fear in his voice.

“Yes. His water has broken, and seeing as we have no smelling salts we have no way to force him to awareness.”

As if on cue, Prompto began his struggling again.

“What, who are you?” He asked, panicked, eyes darting between them as if he’d never seen any of them before, “Where am I? Let go of me!”

His erratic movements seemed to be giving even Gladio a struggle which was no easy feat even for someone who wasn’t weighed down by a fully gestated baby.

“Fuck, if he keeps struggling like this he’s gonna hurt himself,” Gladio grunted.

“Let me go, let me go!” Prompto was practically gasping, expression twisting with pain. “O-oh fuck, ow, stop!” The pinched expression on his face stayed for nearly a full minute and his thrashing thankfully stopped. When the contraction seemed to pass he paused for breath, and then shook his head as if to clear it.

“What?” Prompto asked, sounding dazed, “I thought we were going to the arcade.”

“That’s exactly where we’re going, Prom,” Gladio said, leading Prompto forward a step, “Let’s hurry before they close.”

“But I didn’t bring my basketball,” Prompto mumbled, staggering along a few steps as Gladio guided him.

“It’s okay, you don’t need it,” Noct said, sounding eager to be of help. He practically glued himself to Prompto’s side, helping Gladio lead him forward, “You can borrow mine.”

“Okay,” Prompto said, eyes wandering down. They seemed to stick on his stomach, and his brow furrowed, “No, I have it right here.”

Ignis separated himself just enough to kick and sweep stray rocks out of their path. The slope wasn’t steep, they’d thankfully had to find a vantage point easily accessible for Prompto before and, though he was having an even harder time walking than he had earlier in the day, it was manageable. 

They’d gotten him halfway down the slope before another contraction hit, telltale by the way Prompto gasped and fumbled. Concerned, Ignis turned to them just in time to see Gladio righting himself and Prompto’s newly-panicked expression as it landed on a Wasp carcass.

The crackle of blue electricity was the first warning, but Ignis wasn’t able to speak fast enough to be of any use.

“Gun!” He shouted, at the same time it appeared in Prompto’s hand. Prompto’s arms were still bound by Gladio behind him, but his hands were free and his mind clouded. Ignis was forced to dive out of the way of a bullet, unloaded without accuracy or grace not inches from where he’d been standing.

Another two bullets found their home in the direction of the unmoving carcass of the Killer Wasp before Noct called the weapon to his own hand.

“Let go of me!” Prompto resumed his struggling, kicking erratically behind himself. Gladio grunted as each jab hit home.

“Prompto, it’s okay, we’re going to the arcade, remember?” Noct tried to placate, Prompto’s pistol pointed innocently away.

“There’s so many of them, stay back!” Prompto babbled. A flash of blue called the gun back to him but Noct was swifter this time at calling it back. He dispelled it with another flash and took Prompto’s hands in his.

“It’s okay, they’re all gone,” He tried to soothe. The gentleness of Noct’s voice was rare.

“I need to go, I have to find the guys. They’re gonna be worried about me,” Prompto said, desperate eyes searching each of their faces. It almost looked like there was a flash of clarity, but it was gone immediately as Prompto let out another cry of pain.

“Y-you fucking stabbed me!” He cried, and stumbled as Gladio moved forward another step.

“We can’t stay out here, he’s probably attracting all manner of wildlife.”

“Agreed.”

“But where do we go?” Noct asked, “This wasn’t in the birth plan, guys!”

“We need to get Prompto back to himself. We’ll double back to the outpost to replenish our salts.”

“Shouldn’t we be going to a hospital?” Noct asked, voice getting higher with panic as they stumbled along, one of Prompto’s hands still clasped in his.

“You know the hospital is a last resort.”

“And this doesn’t seem ‘last resort’ worthy to you?”

“If we can get the salts and adhere to the birth plan, all the better. Should something else come up before then, we will go to the hospital.”

“If we can even get to the car,” Gladio grunted, all but pushing Prompto forward.

“Noct,” Ignis turned to him, “I need you to fetch the car. It’s not far but every second we waste now could be in detriment to his health.” The look on Noct’s face plainly read hesitation, but Ignis persisted, “You’re the fastest. Take Prompto’s guns with you and summon them back if he attempts to conjure them again.”

Noct hesitated another moment, eyes lingering on Prompto.

“We’ll take good care of him,” Gladio said, nudging Noct along with a tip of his head, “Get out of here.”

“Okay,” He finally relented before disappearing in a shower of blue sparks.

“So what’s actually the plan here?” Gladio asked once Noct was out of earshot.

“Exactly as I said, Gladio. Double back for the salts. Hospital only if absolutely necessary.”

The sudden noise of pain Prompto released almost sounded like a squawk, the expression on his face one of agony. Gladio paused in his step, supporting Prompto’s weight as he almost went down.

“No, no, no, no,” Prompto said, practically begging, “I already told you, please! Noct!” The sound of Noct’s name from Prompto’s lips in that desperate, scared tone made Ignis’ heart clench. He was glad Noct hadn’t been around to hear it.

“It’s okay, Prompto,” Gladio whispered into his ear. Prompto shuddered and jerked his head away.

“F-fuck you.”

“I love you, too,” Gladio sighed, heaving Prompto forward another step as he caught his breath. “You think we’ll make it anywhere at this rate?”

“Labor can take days. It seems highly unlikely in this case, especially since his water has broken, but we have no way of knowing. Once we make it to the car I’ll see if I can determine how far along things have progressed thus far.”

“What did you do to me?” Prompto was slurring his words slightly, his energy clearly fading. “I feel like I swallowed a watermelon.”

“Weigh as much, too,” Gladio muttered.

“Gladio,” Ignis admonished.

A squeal of tires signaled Noct’s arrival, the Regalia pulled up as close to the rock formation as physically possible. The driver’s side door opened and Noct’s practically jumped out, running along to the side to open that door, too.

“How is he?” Noct called.

“He’ll survive,” Gladio hollered back. Prompto groaned, but either at the loud voice just behind him or pain, Ignis couldn’t tell.

“Oh, fuck!” Prompto suddenly yelled, legs giving out beneath him. Gladio nearly toppled over from the extra weight, but righted himself with a grunt of exertion when Ignis dove to his side to help support Prompto’s weight.

“What’s happening?” Prompto asked, voice high pitched with pain and panic. “Oh, oh, fuck, something’s wrong!” His hands were clawing at his stomach, at least until Ignis forced them away, and he was practically bouncing on his heels. 

“Something’s happening, something--please no, n-no!” Again, Prompto’s weight gave. Ignis shouldered what he could while keeping Prompto’s hands in his, grunting with effort as Prompto leaned against him. 

“He’s spreading his legs, the baby might be coming,” Ignis righted Prompto as best he could and together the two of them hobbled along the path, practically dragging Prompto along with them, despite his desperate thrashing.

“What’s happening?” Noct asked, looking as if he might vibrate out of his skin as they finally made it to the base of the slope.

“Baby might be coming, look alive, shortstack!”

“We need to go to the hospital!”

“We need to get Prompto into the car, where I might assess the situation with a touch more accuracy,” Ignis left more bite to his words than he originally meant to, enough that the other two went relatively quiet. Prompto, however, kept moaning and babbling in pain.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said, throwing his head back. His legs were trembling badly.

“Noct, get into the back seat and face me. We will place Prompto into the car and you will support his weight and keep his arms still. Can you do that?”

Noct practically tripped over himself running to the other side of the car and once he was positioned inside, the real effort could begin. Maneuvering an unwilling party into a cramped space was nearly impossible. Prompto was begging and screaming and thrashing the whole time, making his weight precarious and unpredictable. Ignis knew they would both be feeling the strain in their backs the next morning as they finally pushed him far enough for Noct to help grab him and pull him into place.

The thrashing didn’t stop, however, and only seemed to get worse as he was pressed against the seat and Noct’s lap, Noct’s arms around him to keep him still.

“He’s claustrophobic,” Ignis remembered with a soft noise that might have been a curse. It didn’t take long to move around to the front of the car and pull the roof down. The noise of it retracting didn’t seem to agree with Prompto, whose eyes were wild and distrusting, but feeling the sun and the air again seemed to calm him down somewhat.

It took a moment or two for them all to catch their breaths, even Prompto, but their small reprieve was broken by another scream.

“Oh, gods, oh, fuck!” Prompto squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip so tightly Ignis feared blood would well any second.

“Okay, so now what?”

“Now, we get his pants off.”

It was hard to slide them off with Prompto moving around so erratically, and even moreso when he started begging them not to. He wasn’t able to understand what was happening, but the implication of what he might think it was left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“I’m so sorry,” Noct whispered over and over into Prompto’s ear. It sounded like there might be tears in his eyes but he was hunched too far over Prompto for Ignis to see.

It sounded like Prompto was crying too when they finally peeled his soiled pants off, more likely in pain in his case, but Ignis couldn’t be sure of that either.

“It’s gonna be okay, Prom. I won’t let anything happen to you, we’re just trying to help.” Despite Noct’s gentle words, Prompto clenched his legs shut and shook his head.

“No, no, no, no,” He begged, “Noct, please!”

The sound Noct let out was most assuredly a sob that time.

“I-Iggy, Gladio!” Prompto continued. Gladio stepped away from the scene and pounded a fist against the outside of the car. When Prompto gasped, he cursed and apologized.

“Let’s just go to the hospital,” Noct practically begged, eyes misty as he searched Ignis’ face, “I won’t show my face and he’s the least recognizable of all of us anyway, we can make it work.”

Ignis was just about to relent when another contraction seemed to hit. Prompto gasped, loud and pained, and clenched his legs shut tighter. A small well of red-tinted liquid trailed down his thigh.

“Prompto, let me see.”

“S-something’s happening,” Prompto whimpered, eyes clenched shut and hands gripping Noct’s as if for dear life, “Something’s coming out of me!”

“You need to let it, Prompto. Don’t fight it.”

“N-No, no, please,” Prompto begged, legs trembling badly with the effort of keeping them closed, “I don’t like this!”

Ignis tore the gloves from his hands and tossed them aside to place his palms on Prompto’s legs. They trembled all the harder at his touch.

“Noctis, please hold Prompto’s arms tightly. I’m going to spread his legs now.”

It took no small amount of effort to separate them, but at the last second Prompto’s fight seemed to leave; another contraction, confirmed when he let out a noise halfway between a moan and a cry. Ignis felt like scum as he held Prompto’s trembling thighs apart, but there was nothing that could be done about it. The only positive was that the head had yet to crown.

“If I stretch his legs back to you, can you hold them open for me, Noct? I would like to feel for myself if the baby is engaged in his pelvis.”

“But his arms,” Noct weakly protested, looking sick to his stomach.

“Will need to be trapped behind him for the time being. The moment I let go of his legs he will close them again. Please, Noct.”

Noct sucked in a slow breath and nodded.

“Wait for the next contraction. We’ll need him distracted.”

So they waited, but not long. As soon as Prompto tensed again Noctis eased him forward just enough to angle Prompto’s arms behind his back and then pulled him tight again his chest. Prompto’s struggling began again, but a beat too slowly to be of any use.

“Let me go!” Prompto howled with renewed vigor. Ignis held his legs firmly as he struggled, and only passed them back to Noct when the pain of the contraction caused Prompto to falter for a moment. The angle seemed awkward for Noctis, who had to hunch over Prompto to keep his legs steady, but it worked.

“Prompto,” Ignis said, when the contraction was over and Prompto was desperately sucking in air far too quickly. He wasn’t sure what they would do if Prompto had a panic attack. “You are giving birth. I am going to insert my fingers into your vagina to check on your baby. Can you understand me?”

“I tore a hole in my pants,” Prompto replied, his eyes wouldn’t focus on Ignis’ face, and his breath hadn’t slowed, “I need to go home and get new ones.”

Ignis sighed, breath a little shaky. He took a fresh breath to calm himself.

“When you’re not contracting I will go ahead.”

The next contraction was still a few minutes out, but Ignis didn’t want to accidentally hurt Prompto any more than they already were. He waited until Prompto choked, and stroked what he hoped were calming swipes of his thumb against the outside of Prompto’s thigh until he collapsed again.

His fingers passed easily inside Prompto, who was wet with amniotic fluid and loosened by labor, but did not get very far before the solid form of the child stopped him. It was just out of sight, but definitely engaged.

“We won’t make it to the hospital,” he announced as he retracted his fingers. “The baby is close. The Wasp’s venom may have sped the process along.”

“So what do we do?” Gladio asked, startling Ignis who had nearly forgotten he was within earshot.

“You stand guard outside. The noise is sure to attract attention. If it looks like this location is no longer safe, get in and drive. Noctis, I’ll need you to hold Prompto tightly. I will make sure the child is moving and that Prompto is still acting on the urge to push, even if he isn’t sure why he’s doing it.”

Gladio briefly put a warm hand on Ignis’ back, a show of support and comfort, before stepping back. Noctis pressed his face against Prompto’s neck. The small nod of affirmation was hard to make out, but there.

Prompto, completely oblivious, seemed to be catching his breath. The demands of labor were tiring, and he was clearly flagging. 

“Prompto, this is labor and I need you not to fight it. If you understand any of this, please push when you feel the urge. The sooner we can get your baby out, the sooner we can get help.”

“I already told you, I don’t know anything,” Prompto wasn’t crying, but his face was scrunched up as if it was becoming harder to keep the tears at bay, “A-and even if I did, I wouldn’t f-fucking tell you.”

Ignis wasn’t sure he liked the connotation that Prompto was interpreting his labor as torture, but the fact that even delirious he wouldn’t betray them did prove his strength.

“Oh f-fuck!” 

“Legs back, please, Noct,” Ignis instructed and inserted a finger just deep enough inside to stretch the skin of Prompto’s labia. He was watching intently, both desperate to see the head begin to crown and terrified of the same.

“It’s a demon,” Prompto practically sobbed, “Fuck, it’s clawing out of me! Oh, oh fuck, get it out!”

Thankfully, it seemed that the thought of a demon clawing its way out of him finally encouraged Prompto to begin pushing. The effort showed on his face and in the way his legs trembled, still extended no doubt uncomfortably by Noct behind him. Ignis moved his eyes back down just in time to see movement; what looked like the first dark tufts of hair peeking from between Prompto’s lips. It was amazing and terrifying, and distracting enough that Ignis missed the warning signs until Prompto had already drawn his head in and threw it back.

The crack of Prompto’s skull connecting with Noct’s was audible and drew Ignis’ attention back up even before the slackening of Noct’s arms did. There was a small amount of blood dripping from Noct’s hair and into his face, which seemed softened by unconsciousness.

“Prom--” Ignis began, before a foot was planted into the center of his chest with enough force to knock the wind right out of him. The car door was still open, and a second kick sent him tumbling through it gracelessly.

“The fuck?” Gladio said, and warm hands helped to right him. There was the sound of something else hitting the ground and a car door slamming shut. Ignis forced his eyes open, which was surprisingly hard while he was coughing and sucking air into his lungs, just in time to see Prompto stumble out of the car. Gladio stood so fast Ignis could hardly keep up, but the blue flash of a gun materializing into Prompto’s hands stopped him.

“Don’t come near me!” Prompto shouted, and released the safety when Gladio moved.

“He’s still not in his right mind, Gladio!” Ignis’ breath was slowly coming back to him, but he didn’t dare move from his spot on the ground lest it spook Prompto.

Gladio raised his hands in a placating manner. Prompto eyed him warily as he closed the door behind himself and slowly shuffled toward the driver’s side.

“Noctis?” Gladio asked, voice quiet for Ignis.

“Unconscious.”

“The baby?”

“I saw it,” Ignis whispered.

“Alright,” Gladio replied. A flash of blue in his own hand seemed to spook Prompto, moreso when the gun in his own hand began to dematerialize. He shouted in surprise, and then frustration, and called his second pistol to his hand just as the first became real in Gladio’s. He didn’t bother to warn Gladio before he undid the safety and fired a single shot.

Gladio’s noise of pain stilled Ignis’ heart. The moment of confusion was all Prompto needed to slip into the car.

“He fucking--my leg!”

Better the leg than the heart, Ignis didn’t say. Already the car was started. Ignis forced himself to his feet, easier now that adrenaline was pumping through him. 

“Did he hit an artery?” 

“Fuck, no.”

 The car peeled out with a screech of tires. Now that it was gone, Noct’s form began obvious; slumped on the ground feet away. 

Ignis raced to his side, fingers as calm as he could make them as he tested for a pulse. Strong and steady, proof that he was unconscious but otherwise fine.

“Stay with Noct!” Ignis shouted, and took off at a sprint after the car. Though the distance between them was growing, he was fairly confident he could take a tire out with a dagger. It was the only way he could truly stop the car, but the thought of Prompto crashing was like a vice on his heart. So, though Ignis had no delusions that he could keep pace with a vehicle, he had no other choice but to try.

Ignis ran as long as his legs and lungs would allow, and walked when they wouldn’t. The car was out of sight despite his best efforts, but he kept going anyway. The road they were on went for miles without a single exit, and he was banking on labor pains forcing Prompto to the side of the road eventually. It was the only way he had a chance of catching up.

Thankfully, it seemed luck was finally on his side when the Regalia came into view on the horizon, pulled haphazardly to the side of the road as he’d imagined. 

The thought of Prompto, terrified and confused and facing labor alone, helped to carry him to the car with borrowed strength. He had to practically drag himself the last few steps, but the muffled sounds of Prompto screaming spurred him on until he was all but collapsing against the driver side door and tearing it open. All he could do was watch for several terrible seconds, sucking desperate breath into his lungs and willing his legs to stop shaking. But Ignis’ exhaustion was nothing compared to Prompto’s pain, evident in the way he was screaming, in the haphazard way his legs were thrown open, his hand trembling and tightly cupping over his weeping vagina.

“Stop coming out!” Prompto was screaming, tears streaming down his cheeks and body taught like a string. Ignis’ breath was stuttered as he drew it in, his touch as gentle as he could make it as he finally stepped closer.

“Prompto,” he said, and Prompto’s terrified eyes whirled toward him. There was still no recognition there, but there was some sense of relief.

“Please help,” He sobbed, and Ignis’ heart broke, “I can’t stop it!”

Prompto’s hand was still cupped tight against his own vagina. There was blood seeping between his fingers.

“It’s alright,” Ignis soothed, voice gentle and weak with fatigue. His own hand was miraculously only trembling slightly as he gently cupped it atop Prompto’s. “Let me help.”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Prompto wept, and when he reached out toward him Ignis took his hand. His heart was still beating too fast, his lungs still straining, but every moment was helping.

“It’s alright, Prompto. This is normal, and you are fine. The pain is a physical thing and you need only push it from your body. Can you do that?”

“I don’t want to,” Prompto said, and though the words were less than ideal the very fact that he seemingly understood was a wonderful sign.

“I’m afraid you have to, Prompto. It’s the only way.”

“I need Iggy,” Prompto keened, and Ignis shuddered.

“I’m right here.”

“Oh, gods, it’s happening again!”

“Remember, Prompto, push the pain from your body. Don’t try to fight it.”

Even though he didn’t want to, it seemed the words were finally getting through to him. Prompto took in a deep breath and pushed with effort for several seconds, stopping only once he needed to catch his breath before he began again. His face was turning red from the strain, probably indicative that he wasn’t properly breathing, but more confused conversation was hardly what they needed. Instead of speaking, Ignis held Prompto’s hand tightly and used the other to help spread Prompto’s legs wider. When the contraction had finally ended, and Ignis’ breath was finally caught, he lowered the back of Prompto’s seat and maneuvered it back as far as it would go.

“What’s happening to me?” Prompto asked, panicked and still confused. Ignis eased Prompto down as gently as he could, and encouraged one of Prompto’s legs up on the seat to help widen his pelvis.

“The pain is trying to come out, Prompto. Just try to help it along.”

Like that, Prompto pushed again. Like that, the tuft of dark hair Ignis had seen before reappeared, and when Prompto gasped and nearly dropped his leg at the pain, Ignis lurched forward and held it back.

“Don’t let go, push!”

So Prompto pushed with enough effort it became a scream, and then a gush of liquid as the head popped free. His breaths were panicked and fast, but Ignis shushed him as gently as he could as he reached a hand to the infant’s neck to check for the cord, which was indeed wrapped around its head.

“Rest now, Prompto, catch your breath,” Ignis said, voice calming even as his own heartbeat quickened up again.

“No, no, I need to push,” Prompto said, face scrunching in pain, “I need the pain to go, I can’t, it still hurts!”

“Breath through it,” Ignis insisted, hands quickly working at the cord. It was pulled rather tight, so much so that he could hardly hope to get it out of the way. 

“I can’t!” Prompto wailed, arching on his seat, “Gods, get out!” The way his face scrunched up told Ignis that he was indeed about to push. Unsure of what else to do and quickly losing himself to his own panic, Ignis pressed as firmly as he dared to the top of the infant’s head to halt its progress and pushed it back inside just enough to slacken the cord and quickly unwind it. Prompto stopped pushing long enough to cry out, fingers clawing at the leather of the seat.

When the cord was finally moved, Ignis took his trembling hands back.

“Push, Prompto!”

Prompto pushed and then pushed again, so hard his face was beat red and there was sweat dripping from his brow, so hard the child resumed its progress and then beyond, tumbling into Ignis’ waiting hands with a final splash of liquid and tortured scream from Prompto’s lips.

Then, all was quiet and still, until the infant took its own breath and wailed.

==

By the time Gladio and Noct joined them, the afterbirth was delivered, the child swaddled and Prompto tucked into the backseat. He was out as quickly and as deeply as the infant, which seemed as healthy as they could have hoped given the circumstances. There was still blood to clean out of leather and a major car detailing to consider, but as Ignis climbed into the backseat and gently brushed damp blond hair from Prompto’s forehead, all he could feel was relief.

Gladio climbed into the front seat, somehow the most fit to drive among them after a potion. 

“So. Hospital?” He asked, and peered into the back mirror. 

Ignis was already asleep.

[secret-engima]

I just realized in Fang and Feathers verse, we do not see what Ignis think about Tsuna!Noct in general as well his prince lack of self preservation. And Tsuna thought when he meet Ignis for the first time other than Prompto and him agree that Ignis is the coolest person they ever know.

Hmmmmm I think there’s an ask like this buried somewhere in my box (sorry to whoever submitted that one) but lemme see-

Ignis loves his prince, make no mistake. He has loved his prince since Noctis was just a shy, vaguely unsettling Smol Child with too sharp instincts and too-vivid dreams. He thinks Noctis is kind, and intelligent, and so very gentle-natured, which is why Ignis worries so much about him and doesn’t understand why Noctis thinks so LITTLE of himself. Like Noctis himself is an afterthought in his own life. It freaks Ignis out and makes him monstrously protective because he knows that Noctis WON’T care for himself if someone else is in pain or danger.

Ignis and Crowe get along astoundingly well actually, both firmly united in the “keep Noctis alive and happy” quest.

Later he learns about the reincarnation, or more to the point, figures it out on his own, and realizes Noctis’s issues come from his past life. After meeting Xanxus, he gets to learn where those issues come from and- just-.

Ignis suddenly knows what it’s like to want to kill someone. Genuinely, wholeheartedly, premeditatedly murder someone.

He feels so ANGRY that the scars of the last life have followed his wonderful prince-brother to this one, that Ignis has to undo damage from an entire other LIFETIME. At least he isn’t alone in his quest, he has Crowe, and Xanxus, and later on Gladio and Prompto too.

...

Noctis doesn’t remember being Tsuna when he meets Ignis, this is before Crowe’s arrival, back when Noctis still dreamed of the past life and didn’t realize it was a life. Even so, Noctis wakes up and knows that today is going to be special. He’s going to meet someone important today.

He surprises his nursemaid by wanting to dress up a little. Not much, but ... a little. Because this is an important day. The nursemaid indulges him even if she doesn’t believe his solemn statement that he is going to meet the Sun today.

Noctis is not surprised when his Papa tells him over breakfast that there is someone he wants Noctis to meet. And Noctis follows in his Papa’s footsteps eagerly as they go to the Throne Room.

Noctis sees the boy enter from where he’s half hiding behind his Papa, suddenly shy despite himself. The boy is a few years older than him, well dressed and wearing glasses, and there is an intelligent light in his eyes that Noctis knows is not like his eyes, but instead is the raw intelligence of a prodigy (he doesn’t question how he knows, or why the thought of prodigies makes him think of green eyes and silver hair and “Yes Juudaime!”). His Papa talks to the boy first, saying things about brothers and duties and kings, and Noctis feels uneasy under it all. Because he wants this person to be his friend (his Sun, he so misses having a Sun and even if this one is quiet and not Loud he wants one so badly) and if his Papa makes Noctis seem much more important than he is... he doesn’t want to be a Dame disappointment.

Then his Papa steps aside and gently nudges Noctis forward and Noctis looks into wide green eyes and-.

Friend-brother-caretaker-steady-patient-strong-friend-love coos the little instinct in his head that is never wrong, the one that whispers the boy is just as nervous to meet Noctis as Noctis is to meet him. That whispers that the boy has no real friends because he is too smart for his age and they don’t like it, that he’s afraid of failing.

He’s afraid.

Just like Noctis.

The boy holds out a nervous hand to shake and Noctis clasps it in both of his, his magic uncurling from his core without conscious thought to wrap around the boy’s. “Ignis”, Papa calls the boy and something in Noctis’s head laughs.

Fire indeed.

“Hello, Ignis,” Noctis says carefully, “can I be your friend?” Because permission is important, and he’ll understand if Ignis doesn’t want someone like Dame-Tsuna Noctis as a friend even though Noctis wants to be a friend so badly.

And the boy, Ignis, seems to somehow hear the unspoken reasoning behind the question as his eyes widen, then soften, and the hand in his firms, “I would love that, Your Highness,” he says primly but sincerely.

Noctis laughs as his magic reaches out and settles into Ignis’s soul in welcome-love-brother-friend (he does not see Regis startle in shock, because Noctis should be too young to form magic bonds like that), “Call me Noct,” Noctis says as he beams up at his new Sun, “I like you. You’ll make a very good Sun.”

“Son?” Ignis questions with a blink.

“Uh-huh,” Noctis points up to one of the high windows, “Sun. My light. My friend. My Sunshine.”

And Ignis’s ear tips go red as the words sink in and his soul blooms in Noctis’s senses, “I ... I will try my best, Your High-, um, Noct.”

Noctis beams, “That will be more than enough,” he says and there is faith in his voice, assurance from his instincts and he doesn’t know it, but in that moment he has won the loyalty of a brother for the rest of his lifetime. Just from his faith, his simple confidence that Ignis’s best will always be more than enough and that anything less will also be welcomed with open arms.

[archonssun]

We’ll Walk Tall - Prompto

We’ll Walk Tall - Prompto

WC: 840

They were only meant to be snapshots in time, so why do they feel like so much more? Was it because of the people they showed? Because of the places they immortalized? Or was it because you were by my side?

Was it because of your smile -- the smile that would never fail to brighten my day? Or was it because of your laugh -- a laugh not unlike silver bells? Gods, do I miss your ethereal laugh … 

Why was I so stupid? I should’ve seen the signs, should’ve seen something was wrong … I should’ve seen how pained you were … But now …

…

…

… were you here, you’d probably be scolding me, telling me it wasn’t my fault, you leaving, but -- I just … I can’t help but feel guilty. You were my first -- my first friend, my first admirer, my first love … When everyone else kept away from me, you were the first to approach, your hand outstretched and a smile on your face. Maybe that was why I took your hand that day: your pure, innocent smile.

From then on, you were right by my side, encouraging me. You were a part of the reason I could befriend him. I am where I am -- with those three I call friends -- because of you and your undying faith in me. It’s because of your support that I am able to play at the jokester, because of you that I can continue. I wish I could’ve just spent more time with you, more than I had … I wish we could’ve taken more pictures together; wish we could’ve fought side-by-side even just one more time …

What would have happened if I had been there, if I had been able to save you? Would we be laughing together while munching on Iggy’s cooking? Would we have become closer? You know, I was planning on telling you when the four of us got back: I love you.

I love you.

Gods, I should’ve told you before we left … I never thought that I would be too late …

When we got back and Iris told us what they did, I had fallen to the floor, tears streaming down my face. And I just sat there, dead to the world as the guys and Iris tried to comfort me.

It wasn't all that long after that I recovered enough to be able to string together words. You wanna know the first this I said? I wanted to see you, just one last time. At first, they all tried to keep me from where you -- your body -- was being kept, and they managed to lock me in the hotel room for a few hours at least. In all that time, I was either going through my phone's camera roll or on my camera, reliving all our old memories. In those few hours, I cried more than I ever had -- even more than when we were kids, back when I was less than confident in my own skin. Eventually, though, I took me to see you.        

 As soon as I walked in, the tears started again. I felt my heart shatter all over again. I fell to the floor, my hands reaching for your cold ones. It was then that everything finally sank in: I realized that I'd never be held by you again, by your voice comforting me when I'd wake up from a nightmare; I'd never get to share my passion of photography with you or make you laugh with my corny jokes. I'd never get to hear you laugh anywhere outside of my memories of you.         

It's been almost a month now since you left. Sometimes, I swear I can still feel you, standing by my side, when the guys and I fight, or when I take photos of all the places we visit. Even when the four of us camp out. It feels lonely -- even though I still have the others -- without you here... But, I promise ... I'll make it through this... I won't let your faith in me go to waste. I'll walk tall, like the king had told Noct when we left Insomnia... I won't let anyone else die, I swear.

…

I won’t let the demons or the Empire win out.

…

I love you, (y/n).

-P