Hi. *waves*

It's been a while since I've been in the fanfic game, so hopefully this isn't terrible. I'm currently playing new game + of ffxv obvi, and while I like the open world concept of Lucis, I really wish we could've been in Insomnia more, and not just when it's a wasteland. This story basically came out of that wish as well as my love for Brotherhood. If you haven't watched Brotherhood, some things may be confusing, but I tried to give some information whenever something specific is discussed. Also I haven't decided if this is gonna be a two fanfic series or not, but we'll see as we go on.

I hope you guys enjoy it, and please leave any and all critiques in a review. I want to get better, and I'd appreciate it. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XV, 'cause if I did, Noctluna would've lived and been married with kids.

Chapter I

There had always been something rather calming about the drive to school. Maybe it was the fact that he was still half asleep and the drive was a good thirty minutes away from his apartment. Maybe it was the fact that it was becoming more of a rarity for Ignis to pick him up and take him to school since he now normally walked. Either way, Noctis was thankful for it this morning. It was almost as if Ignis had known that last night had been rather rough.

He had had his normal weekly training with Gladiolus, although this time it wasn't so normal. Everything had started out okay, but this time, in order for him to start doing more than just fighting with Gladio, he had surprised him with three other combatants, all of them members of the Kingsglaive. One minute he was dueling his own guard, and winning, and the next three other members of the guard attacked him from behind. He had been so focused on his fight with Gladio that he had failed to hear the other three come in, and then nearly got knocked out as he attempted to fend all four of them off. It took a good twenty minutes, but Noct figured that he had taken care of himself enough because they finally called it quits. That night he was already in so much pain that Ignis suggested he take a bath, and he actually took the advice.

Squirming just the tiniest bit in the leather seat, Noctis frowned in agony but didn't dare open his eyes. He still had a good ten minutes left before they'd get to the school.

"Did you take the pain medication like I told you?"

Noctis' frown turned even more sour. "I forgot."

"I'll be sure to bring some when I come to pick you up then," Ignis decided.

Not willing to say much more, Noctis kept quiet, and gave a small nod in reply. By the time they made it to the school, Noctis was nearly asleep again, but he exited the car and waved goodbye to Ignis in reluctance.

It wasn't long before Prompto accosted him, the blond's hand connecting with his back in a friendly pat. It hurt like hell, and Prompto seemed to notice. "You have a bad training day?"

"Something like that."

"You okay?"

Looking at his friend, Noctis sighed quietly and returned his pat to the back in kind. "Yeah, I'm just gonna be sore for a few days."

The two of them walked up the courtyard and entered the school through the front doors. Everything seemed like it was gonna be another boring day; they walked to their class, they sat down in their usual seats, Prompto right in front of Noctis with the both of them up against the windows, and the teacher walked in, only this time he wasn't alone. There was a girl with him.

Noctis' eyebrows knit together in confusion as he sat back in his chair and studied the new girl. His hands began to fidget with the pencil that sat on his desk, and he saw in his peripheral vision as Prompto's head tilted to the side ever so slightly like a curious dog.

"Good morning, class. We're gonna start our lessons today after an introduction..." Mr. Cassius waved a hand towards the girl as if motioning for her to talk, and Noctis looked her up and down. She looked... familiar.

Her hair was short in a pixie cut style that was a little bit longer than the average pixie, kind of like what was starting to become popular with women these days—not that he noticed or anything. It was dark brown in color and her eyes, although downcast, were a greenish blue. Her school uniform almost seemed like it was too big for her too, like she had gotten it last second. He had never seen her before and yet...

Her face raised and she gazed at nothing while giving a nervous smile. "Hello. My name is Diana Vitus. I'm so very excited to learn with you all." Eyes downcast again, she moved to sit down in the empty seat on the other side of the room that Mr. Cassius pointed to, not saying or looking at anything.

Mr. Cassius started the class without a hitch after she sat down, but today Noctis couldn't focus. He couldn't directly look at her—wouldn't directly look at her, but he couldn't stop glancing in her direction. By the time the class was coming to the end for the lunch break a full two hours later, he was fully unaware of what was going on around him outside of her.

There was something about her.

As soon as school had ended and Prompto and him were making their way out of the building, Prompto didn't seem to want to shut up; having talked the entire way down. Noctis distractedly ignored it. "That new girl is kind of cute! Her name was Diana, right?"

"Yeah," Noctis murmured absentmindedly.

"She has a bit of an accent... It's kind of hot."

"Yeah."

"Noctis."

"Yeah."

Pouting, Prompto did a one-eighty and put a hand on Noctis' chest to stop him. They were on the sidewalk and were walking towards the street where Ignis stood waiting for Noct in front of the car.

He saw Ignis look at them in curiosity, but quickly glanced in a different direction as he swatted away at Prompto's hand. "What is it?"

"You're not paying attention. In fact, you haven't been all day. What's the deal?"

"Nothing," he attempted. "Let's go to my place and play some games or something."

"Noct."

Rolling his eyes, Noct began striding towards the car, leaving Prompto to catch up. "There's nothing wrong, let's just-" He caught her in the corner of his sight and his head barely turned in an attempt to look at her without anyone noticing.

She was walking towards a black car, her hands in front of her as she held onto her school bag. She seemed to sense that he was watching her, and he could tell that she looked at him without thinking, because as soon as their eyes met she blushed and darted her eyes away before jogging the last few feet to the car. A few seconds passed and she was gone.

Prompto frowned and put his right hand on his hip. "Eos to Noctis."

"Is he all right?" Ignis questioned as he stepped forward.

Mouth open and eyes wide, he slowly turned towards his friend and retainer who were both near him now, both seeming worried. He tried to shake it off, tried to get the image of her out of his mind, but as he distractingly got into the car with Prompto also in tow, he couldn't keep a single thought out of his mind the entire drive to his apartment.

It can't be. It can't be.

The next day wasn't any better.

She sat on the other side of the room and didn't speak to anyone, with him continuing to ignore Prompto as he spent the majority of the day watching her. He knew that Prompto was getting mad at him, and he'd apologize for it later, but he couldn't ignore this. Not when it was nagging him so much.

By the time school was over, Noctis calmly exited class and hesitated in the hallway. His eyes darted from person to person, trying to find her, and he heard Prompto sigh loudly beside him as he continued to not pay attention to him.

"I'm really not appreciating the silence, dude."

"Sorry," the Prince muttered—the sight of her a few feet away from him catching his attention. His feet began to stalk her. "I have a lot on my mind."

He cautiously chased her down the hallway and out to the courtyard. Hearing feet hitting pavement behind him, Noctis didn't take his eyes off of her but knew who it was as he caught her getting into the car from yesterday again and driving off.

"Care to share?" Prompto challenged when they both came to a stop at the entrance to the school grounds.

"Not until I have this all figured out."

He could practically hear Prompto rolling his eyes. "Whatever dude. Wanna go get something to eat?"

For the first time in almost two days, Noctis turned his attention to Prompto. "Hamburgers?"

"Sounds good."

Something woke him up earlier than normal that morning and he was unable to go back to sleep. It was the end of the weekend and he didn't have any plans. He was still in his sweats and the t-shirt he had slept in. He could already tell that he was gonna have a bad day considering he woke up thinking about Diana, and not even breakfast sounded good. Why was this becoming so annoying?

Sighing loudly from the comfort of his couch in his living room, he rested his head back against the cushion and raised his feet to rest them on the coffee table. "This is getting out of hand."

Dragging his right hand down his face in exhaustion while contemplating if he should even talk to her, Noct soon heard a soft scratching sound coming from his front door. Confusion set in before he recognized it was the sound of claws raking against the bottom of the wood.

It had to be Umbra. That means Luna wrote back.

He jumped up off the couch and winced at the ache in his muscles before jogging to his front door. As soon as it opened Umbra trotted inside and sat down near the extra slippers by the door, his tail wagging and his tongue out in happiness.

Smiling gently, Noctis knelt down and scratched him behind the ear. "Hi boy. Got something for me?" He reached around behind the dog's head and grabbed at the red notebook that sat inside the dog's cloth backpack. Flipping through the numerous pages that they had filled up over the years, he found the last entry and his grin grew.

A sticker resembling the flower garden that they used to love to visit as children was glued to the page, with her neat and beautiful handwriting underneath.

'Dear Noctis, the sylleblossom's are blooming and they remind me of you. The picture you sent with your last entry is in my possession, and I must say you look so much older than the last time you sent a picture, and I see you've made a friend. That makes me so happy.'

He reread it three more times before standing and making his way into his bedroom so he could grab a pen. Umbra followed him without a sound, and sat down again in front of him as Noctis sat on his bed.

The picture that he had sent with his last entry was one of him and Prompto during the start of this semester. It was only a few months ago, and truthfully Noctis hadn't know what to tell her at the time—occasionally feeling that small talk was worse then no talking at all. Sometimes he waited a few weeks before replying, but he couldn't hold it back this time as the pen met paper and the words just wrote themselves.

'I wish I could see them. I wish I could see you. Prompto's someone I've known since elementary school but only somewhat recently got to know. I'm sure he'd love to meet you.'

Umbra barked quietly, knowing he was done writing, and Noctis scratched the top of his head in reply with a chuckle leaving his lips. "Don't worry, I'm done," he whispered as he put the notebook back into the makeshift backpack.

Standing, he walked Umbra to the front door and opened it, watching as the dog trotted down the hallway of the apartment complex before stopping at the apartment at the end. He saw him sniff at the door before scratching at it the same way he did to his own door, and before too long the door opened.

A gasp escaped his lips, and Noctis knew his bafflement over the past few days was now completely called for.

There at the front door and letting Umbra into the apartment was Diana, and she wasn't in school clothes. She wore a lavender dress, and around her neck was a necklace with a crescent moon charm. One he knew he had seen before.

The door closed, and he practically slammed his own front door shut before running down the hallway towards it. He didn't spare any time and started knocking on it. Shuffling could be heard on the other side, and Noct swore he could hear a soft gasp through the wood as well.

"W-Who is it?" It was Diana. He knew it.

The determination on his face was clear as day through the peep hole, he was sure. "Diana... how do you know Umbra?"

"Umbra...? Who's-"

"Stop acting. I saw Umbra go in there. A black Shiba? Umbra's in there." As if to answer him himself, Noctis heard Umbra bark on the other side. "Who are you?" He demanded. Hearing what sounded like the lock being undone, he waited impatiently, and when it finally opened, he gasped loudly and took a step back, having never seen her this close before.

Her hair was the same, and she wasn't in school clothes, but her eyes were different colors then they had been when he'd first saw her. It was almost as if she had been wearing colored contacts, because before they were nearly green, and now they were blue.

Something inside of him clicked and Noct stepped back again and pointed at her. "You're-"

Before anything else could come out, Diana was pulling him inside of her apartment and shutting the door. She locked it quickly and Noctis noticed there was five different locks on it aside from the main one. What the hell was going on?

Eyebrows knitted together and his arms crossed, Noct pressed his his lips together and waited for "Diana" to turn around. She was taking her sweet time, and his patience was wearing thin. "Diana…" He saw her shoulders flinch.

"Noctis…"

"What the hell are you doing in Insomnia, Luna?"

At the sound of her real name, "Diana" turned around and leaned against the door. Her head leaned back and she closed her eyes tightly. The feeling of the door behind her seemed to steady her, but no amount of confidence was gonna get her out of this. "Noctis… It's not what you think."

"So you haven't been lying to me for years and this is just the first time I've seen Umbra come into this apartment?"

"Yes," Luna whispered as she shook her head. She hesitantly looked into his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I haven't been lying to you. It's such a long story…"

"I've got time."

He knew he was coming off way more confrontational than he should be. Here Luna was, right in front of him for the first time in twelve years and yet he wasn't reacting the way he thought he would.

He had anticipated shyness and blushing, with both of them happy beyond belief. He had expected to be in Tenebrae, or for her to visit him in Insomnia. Not… whatever this was. What even was this?

Luna took in a shaky breath, and most of the frustration left Noctis when he noticed how scared she seemed.

Unfolding his arms, Noctis pleaded with her. "Luna. What are you doing here?"

She seemed to ease at the change in his tone, and began walking towards the living room of her apartment. He followed her without question, and once they were both sitting down at her dining table, she finally spoke-her hands clasped together tightly in what could easily be perceived as stress.

Luna met his questioning gaze. "I'm here, in Insomnia, as a protection of sorts."

"A protection?"

Luna nodded, and attempted to swallow the lump in the back of her throat. "About a month ago, the emperor of Niflheim was overheard talking to his guards about turning me into a… into a… Oracle breeder." Noct's eyes widened and his body sagged a little bit. "Ravus overheard the guards discussing it between them and immediately began talking to Gentiana. He knew if he tried to change the emperor's mind it was only gonna make matters worse. He's been so unstable lately… So Ravus had Gentiana send a message to King Regis-"

"Wait a minute-my Dad knows you're here?"

The agitation in his tone was easily read and Luna flinched again. Noctis had to force himself to calm down.

"Gentiana came back with word from the King and once Ravus knew he wouldn't be able to get me out of Tenebrae until two weeks later, Gentiana went behind him and uhm, she uh… gave me birth control just in case."

At the mention of birth control, he could feel the blood rising in his cheeks from both anger and a blush.

"As soon as my estate here was ready and King Regis and Sir Cor had it all planned out, they smuggled me out of Tenebrae and brought me here. I've been in this apartment for two weeks now as they attempted to secure my existence, as well as change my appearance."

Now that he really looked at her, he noticed there was more of a change to her appearance than just her eyes and hair. She was a bit tanner than she had been in the picture she had sent him months ago, and there seemed to be new freckles across her face. He wished he could look into her eyes again, to try and see the real her, but she refused and kept staring at her hands.

"There's a lady that lives here with me. She's a retired Kingsglaive who also happens to do make up and hair. She puts these freckles on me, she's the one who cut my hair… she's also kind of like my bodyguard and acting 'mother' in case anyone comes by." Luna smiled sadly at that. "She's actually on an errand right now. She only left because there are more guards downstairs, although they don't look like guards. It's the only reason why I was able to send Umbra with the notebook, although we had attempted to train him to not bring it straight back here."

Umbra seemed to hear the reprimand in her voice and whined at her side. Noctis noticed the dog near her for the first time since they sat down, and frowned. "Where's Pryna?"

That question made her lip tremble. Umbra felt the tension in the air and rested his head in her lap. Luna unclenched her hands so she could pet the top of his head in reply as well as for comfort. "She's still with Ravus. We weren't able to get her out. Umbra was only able to escape with us because he was on his way to you a few weeks ago and caught us on the drive into Insomnia."

"Luna," he whispered. A few seconds after he spoke her name, she finally looked up at him, and he could see the fear and despair in her eyes. "Why'd they move you next door to me?"

Another remorseful smile graced her face, and he could tell she was happy with the slight change in subject. "You already have guards near you at all times, whether you know it or not. Plus the special key card feature that's needed to enter this floor from the elevator and stairwells made it more convenient. Apparently the walls and doors on this floor are also bullet proof and bug proof. No one could hear us talking right now even if they tried."

"Wait," Noctis leaned forward in his seat and narrowed his eyes. "My apartment is bullet proof? How in the hell did they do that when I just moved in here a couple of months ago?"

Luna shrugged her shoulders, her hand still idly petting Umbra behind the ear. "I'm not sure. They wanted to keep it a secret from you to protect you, as well as me, I guess. I have to stay hidden now until who knows when. They could send assassins after me for leaving. Attack me at school, kidnap me… your father and Sir Cor have done everything they can to make sure my identity is safe. I'm surprised you even recognized me. The King didn't."

Blushing, Noctis averted his eyes and scratched the back of his head. "I had a feeling something was weird when I first saw you. I don't know why, but I just somehow knew…"

Noctis felt the hand he had been resting on the table being touched, and he saw she had taken his hand in her free one. The blush on his cheeks grew, but he didn't move his hand away. A feeling of calm washed over them, and any anger he may have felt earlier was gone. He'd still have to talk to his dad about the unmentioned additions to his apartment, and the hidden guards that followed him, but right here, right now, Luna was in front of him. She was touching him. His heart beat quicker in his chest and he wasn't sure if he could handle this.

Clearing his throat, but not moving his hand from hers, Noctis glanced up at her from under his lashes and hoped she wouldn't see the blush on his cheeks. "So.. even though you're too old to be in high school… you're in school with me because of my hidden guards?"

"Yes," Luna answered with a slight giggle. The seriousness of the conversation started to waiver, and Noct was grateful. "They felt it'd be easier to watch me and easier to hide me in plain sight than if I were to simply hide."

"Didn't you already go to school though?"

"After Niflheim attacked you all those years ago… I wasn't really allowed to do normal schooling. I know what I need to to be a princess and the Oracle, but I don't really know math or history. I don't even know how to drive a car."

Noctis gave a curt nod in reply.

He had started to focus on their entwined hands. She was holding his like it was delicate, with her thumb ghosting over his knuckles. It brought a sense of peace, and a warmth of comfort that crept up his arm. He gave a slight squeeze to her hand and when she squeezed back he smiled.

"I've missed you," he breathed. Looking into her eyes, her smile made him mirror it.

"I've missed you too, Noctis."

"What happens now?"

Luna bit her lip, and felt Umbra nuzzle her thigh. "I go to school, come home, don't make too many friends, but they do believe I should have one or two so I don't look suspicious."

"So Prompto and I could be your friends."

"Actually," she uttered faintly. "You're not supposed to even know I'm here."

Everything seemed to stop in that moment; her thumb caressing his knuckles, Umbra's little huffs, Noctis' smile. He narrowed his eyes again and he saw that she was waiting for the ball to drop. Taking in a deep breath to stop the anger from bubbling up, he squeezed her hand again and focused on her touch. "What do you mean I'm not supposed to know? They were never going to tell me?" She shook her head. He grimaced like he tasted something awful, like a carrot, and averted his eyes. "And what if something had happened to you? What if I never got another note from you? What then?"

"...I don't know. I don't think they've thought that far."

"When does this guard of yours come back?"

"She had to go get something from the Citadel. She didn't exactly say."

"We should go to the Citadel and confront my father in all this."

A frown marred Luna's features. "Noctis, that would bring too much attention to me. That's why I'm not staying at the Citadel. It'd be too obvious."

"And yet they have you being my neighbor?"

"Not many people know you live here. From what I'm told, people don't pay that much attention to you in the city."

"Yeah, but if the empire wants you they would probably look into where I live too."

A silence spread over them and it brought back the awkwardness that had left. Noctis didn't know what to think, he didn't really know what he should do either. He kind of just wanted to go to his apartment and sleep.

Giving her hand one last squeeze, Noctis let go and stood. The sound of the chair scraping across the floor seemed to echo, and he knew that her face was probably shrouded in sadness.

"Luna, I…" he breathed in deeply and sighed in frustration. "I'm not mad at you."

"I know." Her voice sounded so quiet, so fragile.

"I don't know what to do here. If I can't be your friend out in the open, if I can't be near you… Hell, this somehow feels worse than you being back in Tenebrae because you're here, and I see you and can touch you but I can't-and yet if you were back in Tenebrae you'd be-" Noctis ran a hand through his hair and pulled on the strands out of annoyance. Taking a few steps and practically walking in a circle, he nearly slammed his hands onto the table in a huff.

"There's nothing you can do, Noctis. I'm here in Insomnia and I'm safe-"

"-But for now, right? They could come at any time if they figure you out!" Silence, again.

Thoughts raced through his head and Noctis could feel a headache forming. He felt like he was stuck and he had barely moved. This was too much information at once without any room for improvement. His dad just expected her to be near him without him even knowing? Without him being able to be with her?

Groaning, Noct began to walk towards the door and heard Umbra's feet tapping behind him as he followed him. His hand grabbed onto the first lock but he didn't move any further. He went through his thoughts and choose his words carefully. "I'm gonna go talk to my dad," he declared loud enough for her to hear. "If you're gonna be in Insomnia, I want to be able to be with you, and I can keep you safe too. He needs to know that." With that said he undid all the locks and left, not even bothering to shut the door behind him.

Umbra stood at the opened door and let out a bark before turning to look back at Luna. She grabbed onto the bottom of her dress as it lay near her knees, squeezing it with all her might, and then setting it free. Standing, she made it to the door and shut it, fastened all the locks and then laid her forehead against it.

Luna couldn't help but think that this meeting was not the way she had planned their reunion, and she had tried to plan it.

"I want to be able to be with you." He had said. Biting her lip, she let that phrase run through her mind over and over again.

Maybe the reunion was bad, but things could hopefully get better.

Let me know what you think!

I'll see you guys again real soon. :)