Fucking called it.


Whoever told you that Captain Drautos was in charge of a fearsome group known as the kingsglaive is full of shit.

They're a group of children. It's more like a goddamn day care, but with training that held the intention to hurt.

I suppose real day care does involve getting hurt too. Little bastards pack a real mean bite sometimes.

"So, Ulric?"

Said man glanced over at the female on his right, Crowe, who was much too sober on a day off, and hummed, letting her know she had his attention.

"Have any potential love interests lately?"

"Not that I can recall." Nyx looked back down at his own drink. "Why do you ask?"

The brunette shrugged, "No reason really. Just some other glaives said they caught you walking around with some pretty thing last week."

"Captain must be loosening the reigns if those fucking idiots have time for shit like that." Really Drautos, step up your game. "All that gossip must have gotten you nosy enough to ask."

Crowe punched him in the arm, making him wince, "Cut the shit, Ulric. I'm just asking so they'll leave me the hell alone. They've been bothering Libs too."

Libertus? How are they all still alive? His close friend usually minded his own business and especially got ticked off when any rumors came about Nyx and Crowe.

It seemed she read his mind, "They're only alive because they told Libertus about the specials for the upcoming farmers market."

Yep. That explains everything.

"Crowe, you'll know when there's someone that's caught my eye. Whatever freaky shit you have always gets it right, anyway."

He rolled his eyes when she puffed out her chest in pride.


It's honestly not uncommon for the prince of Lucis to join the kingsglaive for their training. The young man was really a welcomed figure there after all the hostility towards him was gone.

Really it might have been the time they were all warping around Insomnia to avoid captain Drautos.

Pfft, a game of tag is what they called it.

"Noctis, you can't solely rely on the warp strike! You have to be strong enough to land damage afterwards!"

"Got it!"

Another thing; they referred to him as his name. He absolutely hated it when someone called him prince. Although he lets it slide with new recruits.

"Ulric."

The hero turned and nodded towards the captain, "Sir."

Drautos walked up beside him, eyes on the future king, "Today I want you to teach Prince Noctis how to fight will daggers. You're an expert with them."

"I thought the prince's chamberlain knew his way around knives more than me?"

It was well known throughout the citadel that Ignis, the prince's advisor, was very capable with daggers and lances.

"That's correct. However, he is currently preoccupied with meetings he needs to attend to be a more capable right hand for the future king of Lucis."

Nyx nodded, "Anything I need to focus on?"

"Not necessarily. So long as he can hold his own. In two weeks time, we're to test his progress. Fortunately, Ignis volunteered to be the one to see how far he's come along."

Oh, a practice match between the prince and his advisor? That Nyx had to see.

"Consider it done."


Everyone within the Citadel knew that Prince Noctis wasn't the average heir.

Lazy, sleeping until after noon, playing video games, preferring junk food over restaurant quality foods, befriending a commoner, living on his own, and hitting on a certain kingsglaive hero.

No way in hell was this kid fucking average.

Noctis initiated physical contact with him every time it presented itself.

The prince would ask Nyx what the proper defensive stance was for when fighting with daggers.

Hell, he still has no idea how his hands ended up on the heir's hips.

Is he going to complain though?

Fuck no.

This little shit was an instigator of the highest order.

Even outside of training, he would look for Nyx and strike up a random conversation with him.

It happened at times where he let his guard down the most.

"Ah, your collar looks a little loose. Let me fix it for you."

Then the prince would lean in real close, and shit were his eyes always this blue and pretty?

What kind of hair products did he use to make his hair look so soft and smell so nice?

These were the answers to the universe that Nyx Ulric somehow signed up for but wasn't completely all there when he did.

"There. All better." The prince still stayed rather close to him, "We can't have our handsome hero looking all unpresentable now."

Nyx blinked as Noctis moved away and winked at him.

And he most certainly didn't pay attention enough to the prince's backside to know his hips might have been swaying more than usual.

Nope.

Not. At. All.


"The prince, huh?"

Nyx groaned his agreement from his place on the bar, more accurately where his face was currently resting on.

"You gonna tell him?" Crowe looked down at her friend through her bangs.

The hero had it bad.

"How can I? What if he was just flirting with me to pass the time?"

"Fairly sure if that was the reason he would have stopped once training ended, so..." It ended roughly about three months ago.

Nyx sighed heavily, eyes closed, his chin coming to rest in his right hand, "What if I tell him and he doesn't feel the same?" His eyes snapped open, "What if I read the whole thing wrong and he makes the ick face?!"

The brunette almost choked on her drink, "Ick face? You mean the one where his nose wrinkles?"

"That's even worse!" He resisted the urge to repeatedly slam his face into the counter top.

Crowe rolled her eyes, "Oh my god, Nyx. You're a fucking thirty year old man and your afraid of someone wrinkling their nose at you. Please, relocate your balls."

He leaned in to whisper half yell at her, "I know exactly where they are, Crowe! They're hiding inside of me because I'm fucking scared of the ick face!"

A couple passed by Nyx and Crowe, their eyes wide and blinking; trying to process what they heard from the normally chivalrous man.

Crowe gave them a reassuring smile, turning back to her close friend, feeling a headache already coming, "Shiva's tits, you're already a fucking mess! Get it together Ulric!"

"I'm not a fucking mess!" Nyx hissed. ""This a perfectly normal reaction to life ruining possibilities!"

"Nothing's happened yet!"

They got up and decided to have the conversation outside since the bartender looked a little more than ticked off at their yelling.

"I can't do this! I'll ruin everything that the prince and I might have if I open my mouth! He'll never talk to me again! He'll hate me!"

"No he won't Nyx!"

The man stopped walking and pointed at his exact location on the sidewalk, "This is why I was so far in denial. My brain is protecting me from possible tragedy."

"No, Nyx." Crowe corrected with a sigh, "This is just further proving what an idiot you are."

"No, Crowe, listen to me, are you listening to me?" He continued once he saw her nod, "If this was a rom-com I would just say 'Oh, I guess I'll just make him fall in love with me then!'" He then looked up at the sky, "But it fucking isn't!"

The brunette sighed, tugging on the other's arm to make them walk again, "What you just said makes it all the more important that you tell him."

Nyx groaned, more than willing on letting Crowe and his legs take the lead. "Crowe, you know it's not that simple."

"I know."

"Then why are you pressuring me?!"

"Because it's literally the only solution!" Crowe barked at him.

Nyx frowned and there was a moment of silence.

"Fine, don't tell him. You find that little shit and lay one on him. Kiss him real good. See what happens and if he doesn't like it you can just pass it off as you being a fucking pervert."

Nyx straightened his back, his face warm, "Oh."

"What?"

"That made my heart all jumpy. I think I might be even more nervous now."

Crowe threw her hands up in the air, and paused. "That's it."

"What's it?"

"You said the prince had a thing for stars right?"

Nyx nodded, faintly recalling Noctis once telling him that he and Ignis had been fascinated with stars since they were children. "Yeah, what's your point?"

"Pelna mentioned that the stars could been seen in Insomnia via rooftop on Saturday. Convince the prince to go with you and boom!" She clapped her hands together making a loud noise, "Make ya move!"

"Crowe you're a genius!" He picked her up and spun her around a few times. "That's perfect. Noctis can see the stars and I can see our future together!"

He obviously didn't hear his friend mumble, "Sap."

They finally started walking again when Nyx brought up, "So why'd Pelna mention the stars to you, huh, Crowe." His wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

"Shut the fuck up Ulric."


Speaking to Noctis wasn't all that hard, what with the prince and his very laid back manner, it was actually really easy to locate him.

It would have been really easy, had Ignis not caught him waiting outside of the prince's chambers.

The chamberlain walked over and stood in front of the door, green eyes pinning him down on the spot, "What can I do for you, Sir Ulric?"

Within the Citadel, it's common sense to know that Ignis was very protective of his childhood friend and charge. Or rather, what Noctis tended to call 'mom mode'.

Nyx cleared his throat, "Actually, yes. I'm looking for Prince Noctis."

"He isn't within the Citadel at the moment. He had an outing with his majesty."

Normally, women said that Ignis' accent was soothing and warm. Yeah, that's bullshit. It felt like the tip from one of the daggers he was able to conjure from the Prince's armiger.

"Ah, well. Then I'll speak with him later, I guess." He bowed before he started to make his way back towards the training grounds.

"Wait, Sir Ulric."

The hero turned when the chamberlain called for him.

"Come with me."

Ignis motioned towards the other direction and began walking.

Nyx silently followed him.

He and the advisor never really spoke. Maybe a handful of times.

One instance where Ignis was instructing him to look after his highness while he went to Altissia for some important meeting the king couldn't attend. The second being when he thanked him for teaching Noctis how to fight with daggers.

Any other time, he was just someone watching guard outside the throne room.

Eventually, they arrived at one of the many studies that were within the Citadel.

Ignis motioned for him to have a seat, the brunet crossing his legs and adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"It's come to my attention, Sir Ulric, that you've been paying," He cleared his throat, "Special attention towards his highness."

Okay, whoever the fuck ratted him out was so getting a warp strike.

"Judging by your silence, I take that as a yes." Ignis leaned back into his seat and let out a small sigh.

"As you know, Sir Ulric. Noctis is a very dear friend of mine. We've known each other since we were children, we confide in each other when it comes to everything." His green eyes glanced at the other for a moment before turning back towards the window.

"My position requires thay when his highness cannot bare the burden of something on his mind, it is my job to help shoulder that. However, I do not do it because of my position as chamberlain. Rather, I do it because Noctis is my friend, brother at this point. He means a great deal to me, even if he may be a brat at times." He spoke his last bit of words with a touch of fondness and affection.

Nyx knew that Ignis was an important figure for Noctis; the prince said so himself.

No matter how overprotective his advisor was, Noct always appreciated everything that he did for him.

"Recently, he had been telling me about someone who frequently appeared in his mind. A certain kingsglaive, one who is referred to as hero."

Nyx froze in his seat.

"To say this caught me by surprise was an understatement. I thought that he would harbor feelings for Lady Lunafreya."

It was silent for some minutes before Ignis continued, "I am in no position to tell Noctis how he should handle matters of the heart, I must simply nudge him in the right direction in which he feels his happiness lies. And if the right choice is by the side of a capable warrior, well, at least I've less worries when it comes to his safety. Don't you agree, Sir Ulric?" The brunet tipped his head in his direction.

"O-Of course. If I'm looking after the prince, no harm will come to him." His words were spoken with pure conviction.

The chamberlain let out a soft chuckle, easing some tension in Nyx's shoulders, "It brings me some comfort to hear that. However," His green eyes darkened, making the hero shiver, "If any harm comes to Noctis while in your care, know that I'll hold you responsible and that I'll personally see to your punishment."

Nyx nodded, "Noted."

"Good." Ignis relaxed once more, "I love Noctis and I want nothing more than for him to be happy. So, Sir Ulric, keep him happy and loved and I'll keep him fed. Deal?" He held out a hand, which didn't have a glove on, one of those rare instances.

He reached over and took the offered hand and shook it, "Deal."


Nyx did later end up finding the Prince.

He encountered him by the arcade on the way home with Crowe, Libertus already waiting with dinner ready.

Noctis was with his blonde friend, Prompto, when they almost ran into each other.

"Hey hero." The prince had a smile on his face.

"Noct."

Crowe gently nudged him as she and the blonde both walked off to play some game; the two oddly got along very well.

"So, uh, Noct." Nyx nervously rubbed the back of his neck. When was the last time he was this nervous? Probably the last mission really.

"Yeah." The prince looked so pretty standing right in front of him. The lighting from the arcade really did justice to his black hair, blue eyes and pale skin.

Focus, Ulric.

"I heard the stars were gonna be seen in Insomnia this Saturday." Come on, man. Get on with it.

The prince hummed, more than fully aware of said event taking place.

"And I wanted to know if you would accompany me." It would take a lot to get Nyx to admit his voice almost cracked. You'd have to kill him first.

Noctis smiled, and god, were those dimples? "Sure. I'd like that."

Nyx let out an internal breath of relief. "Great. So, I'll pick you up at your apartment say around, seven?"

"Sounds good. I'll message you the address."

The two took out their phones and exchanged numbers. Nyx getting the directions moments later.

"Alright, hero. See you Saturday." Noct turned and went back to his friend while Crowe waved him over to head home.

It was quiet for some seconds before Crowe spoke, "Well, relocate your balls?"

"Found em."

The brunette cheered and Nyx heavily wondered why he was friends with this woman.


On Saturday, Nyx felt his heart beating a mile a minute as he took the elevator up to the Prince's apartment.

He decided to keep it casual; his dad's old green flannel, black t-shirt under, black jeans and some casual looking boots. Not too overdressed, or at least Crowe told him so.

The ding of the elevator snapped him out of his stupor as he walked down the hall and eventually found the apartment he was looking for.

Nyx raised a hand and knocked on the door, looking around as he waited.

"Hey, Hero. You're looking nice tonight."

His own pair of dim blue eyes rested on the prince's figure.

A nice trendy black jacket with a behemoth on the back, white shirt with a silver stripe on his left side, simple silver chain, black wristwatch, black jeans, and white with gray shoes.

Overall, the prince looked amazing.

"I must look really good if all you're gonna do is stare." Noctis looked thoroughly amused.

"Sorry."

The pretty thing in front of him laughed, closing the door behind him, "Nah, it's fine. Come on, we better get going before we don't find a good spot."

"Actually, little prince, I know a spot where many people can't reach."


When Nyx said he found a great place for them, he wasn't kidding.

Sure, they had to warp there, but that's just part of the fun.

Both were currently sitting on a wooden platform in a rather secluded park, with a few people who really couldn't see them. To even reach where they were, one would need a ladder.

They talked for some time before Noctis let out a quiet gasp at the sight before them.

It was rare in Insomnia for the people to be able to see the stars, but when it was visible, it was breath taking.

Stars littered the night sky, each twinkling and forming constellations, the pale moon enhancing their beauty.

While the sight before them was gorgeous, Nyx couldn't take his eyes off the real beauty. Noctis.

His blue eyes looking up at the sky reflected the stars, pale face glowing and a fond smile on his face.

See? This is why Nyx was smitten.

This is why he decided to hell with titles. Just like Ignis said, Noctis was more than capable of choosing the path of where his happiness lied.

And that applies to Nyx as well. His lies with Noctis.

The glaive raised his left hand and gently took the prince's chin in his fingers, making the other focus entirely on him.

It was almost something out of those movies Crowe liked to watch so much.

The slow movement of their faces as they got closer, eyes closing, and lips touching that sent a pleasant tingle down his spine.

Noct's lips felt as soft as they looked, the hand that was resting on his forearm left a welcome warmth there, and the affection that Nyx felt was almost overwhelming.

When they finally pulled apart, the prince had a smile on his face, "Took you long enough, hero." The young man then pulled him back into another kiss the other was all too eager to return.

Nyx would later find out Crowe called all this from the very beginning.

But was he upset?

Oh hell no.


End.

Ignis ended up winning that fight. He's just too good with daggers.