Revised version as of Jan 23, 2019
His Safe Havens
The steady drone of the Regalia was rocking him to sleep. He was half there in the car with his friends, and half drifting off into a blurry dream world where Insomnia was undamaged and his dad alive and smiling. Dad was currently telling him a bedtime story starring magical foxes and little princes and—
"—we there yet?"
"Well, what do you think? 'tis look anythin' like Lestallum to you?"
"But I need to go real bad!"
"Quit being a wuss."
"Hmph."
The back and forth between a whiny voice that could only belong to Prompto, and the deep baritone voice of Gladio pulled Noctis back to the real world. Curse you two, he thought as the last bits of his dream dissolved into nothingness. It had been a good dream.
Frustratingly, now that he was awake, they had become perfectly quiet. Noctis couldn't hear anything aside from the occasional page being turned—Gladio most likely was back to reading one of his cheesy historical novels—and Prompto's shifting and fidgeting in the front passenger seat.
Noctis did feel bad for Prompto, but it wasn't enough to make him open his eyes. Recently, he didn't get lots of proper sleep, though it wasn't for the lack of trying. That was just how things were now, what with the Crown City, his home, being—
No. No no no, he wasn't going to think of that. He chased the thought away.
His sleep deprivation wasn't that bad, anyway. For one, Noctis always slept well inside the Regalia. She was special, she was a safe place to sleep in. And during the nights, he had a different kind of aid to help him with the nightmares. Yeah, it wasn't so bad.
Focusing back on the sound of the engine, he relaxed into his seat and felt the encompassing sensation of sleep overcome him until— "H-how much farther, Ignis?" Prompto asked in what couldn't have been two minutes later.
A sigh from the driver's seat. "At this pace, we'll make it to Lestallum in another half-an-hour."
"No way!"
Ignis continued, "There are no more rest areas until we reach our goal. Can you hold out for so long?"
"O-okay. Gotta distract myself somehow!" Then, a second later, "Distract me, big guy!"
Gladio groaned. "Why me?"
"Iggy's on a mission, driving us to the toilet asap. Noct's…takin' a nap. That leaves only you!"
Noctis contemplated. He could go on trying to catch some sleep. Or he could be a good friend. Already knowing how this would end up anyway, he gave an inward sigh and, at last, forced his eyes open, meeting Prompto's desperate gaze.
"Oh, look who's awake. My savior!"
"Can't sleep with you bein' so noisy," Noctis retorted just because.
"Whatever. Distract me!"
"Will King's Knight do?" he asked.
"I love you, dude."
Noctis took this as an affirmative and fished out his phone. Once they started playing, Prompto finally seemed to be calming down.
"Speakin' of distraction," Gladio started. "Think I'm gonna go find a bar tonight. Chug a few down and unwind."
Ignis hummed. There was a pleased undertone in his voice when he said, "Hm. I might join you. Though I'd prefer a good wine over beer."
"Now there's an idea!" Prompto said before he let out a wince. "But just thinkin' of drinks makes me need to take a piss even more."
Well, it's your own fault for drinking all those TonBerries earlier, Noctis wanted to say, but his best friend was suffering enough as it was.
A grimace still plastered on his face, Prompto then turned around and asked, "So, what about you, Noct? You come with us?"
Ugh. A night out drinking? Noctis didn't feel up for it at all. But the glimmer in Prompto's eyes as he looked up at Noctis gave him pause to think, and he realized then just how wrung-out everyone had been recently. It was long overdue. They all had earned themselves a fun night.
"Yeah, sure," he replied at last.
"It's settled then," Ignis concluded.
"You made the right decision," Gladio said, grinning, and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Woohoo! A night out with the guys. We haven't had any real fun in so long!"
The mood in the Regalia lifted like someone had opened the car top and let all the light in. Noctis didn't care much about a night out, but he did care about the smiling faces of his friends. Although he would never see another smile on his father's lips, he'd ensure it would never leave his friends' faces.
"Dibs on the toilet!" was all Prompto said, before he stormed up the stairs to their hotel room the very moment they received the key.
Noctis trudged after him. He was feeling way too sluggish to function effectively.
By the time he made it up to the room, Prompto just came out through the bathroom door, seemingly done with his business. "That was a close one," he said, huffing, and plopped down onto one of the double beds. "And now," he continued, "I'm starved."
"Indeed, it is about time for supper," Ignis said from where he was crouching down over his bag and going through his belongings. "I suggest we get sorted out and then make our way to the bar."
Then he looked up at Noctis. "Noct, don't forget to lay out your sleeping wear before we leave. We can't have you wearing your fatigues to bed again, do you hear me?"
Noctis rolled his eyes. "Yes, Ignis."
Gladio snorted somewhere behind him but didn't dare comment. No one with a right mind dared to make fun of Ignis. Besides, Ignis was right. They would come back late at night, and Noctis knew himself: he'd fall straight into bed and wouldn't bother changing if his sleeping stuff wasn't laid out.
Zipping open his bag, he started to gather his pajamas. All he needed was his t-shirt—check—sweatpants—check—and where was... Noctis rummaged around. How odd. Where did he put it again? Maybe in the armiger? He focused and searched through there, too.
But no, it wasn't there.
"You doin' okay over there, buddy?"
He looked up. Prompto was giving him a somewhat concerned look. "Oh, yeah. Just looking for something," he said.
Returning to his task at hand, he rummaged through his stuff another time, almost turning his bag upside down. Then, he went through the pockets of his fatigues. But he couldn't find—
His breath hitched. He couldn't find his charm. His Carbuncle figurine.
The cold dread of realization filled him. There was no way he could've lost it…right?
"You comin', dude?"
Looking up, he was once again greeted with Prompto's face. He looked ready to go and the incessant tapping of his shoes on the floor betrayed his impatience. The others weren't around anymore. He hadn't even noticed them leaving.
"Uh," he started, because he couldn't leave before he hadn't found the charm. "Why don't you guys go ahead?"
"We can wait. It's no prob," Prompto said just before his stomach gave a grumble that sounded like the dying breath of a voretooth. "Heh…"
Noctis couldn't help but grin even though inwardly, he was on the brink of panic. "You go on ahead. I'm just gonna join you guys later, 'kay?"
"But—" Another grumble. Prompto's face turned the shade of a Lucian tomato.
Noctis gave him a meaningful look.
"Fine," Prompto said, letting out a sigh of defeat. Still, the relief on his face was evident. "But," he continued, "you gotta come straight over to the bar. No side trips, okay? You know that Gladio will kill me if somethin' happens!"
"Sure, don't worry 'bout it."
The moment Prompto was out the door, Noctis's head jerked back to his bag. He looked through it one last time, then just in case, looked through the baggage of their dirty laundry which Ignis had brought with him. "Not here either…"
Breathing through his nose, he tried to calm himself and think. He shouldn't panic yet. There was one more place to look. The Regalia. Maybe he just dropped it inside the car or somewhere close by?
He left the Leville and headed over to where the Regalia was parked. Once there, he searched every nook and cranny inside and around the car, but the charm was nowhere to be found. That meant—shit. He really had lost the charm.
But when? And where? Leaning against the car, he closed his eyes and went through the events during the last couple of days. If he'd lost it somewhere, and everything pointed in that direction, it had to be around the Fallgrove. He was certain he'd seen the charm this morning. It had been right beneath his pillow, after all. Yeah. It had been with him throughout the night at the campsite, protecting him from his nightmares—the nightmares of his dad's dying face and the destruction of his home.
Noctis choked on his breath, a strangled sound escaping him before he could stop it. If he'd lost the figurine... that would be one more part of his dad to be gone for good.
He shook his head. It was too early for stupid worries like these. He'd simply dropped the charm at the haven they'd stayed at. Right, they'd been in a hurry this morning because they were on a tight schedule, planning to go on another hunt and make it to Lestallum by nightfall. Everything was alright. He could easily retrieve the figurine by going back there.
Noctis felt the guilt surge through him even before he made the decision.
Pulling out his phone, he sent a quick text to the guys, saying he'd stay at the Leville after all, that he was too tired. They'd buy his excuse. He opened the front door and sat down on the driver's seat. He found the car keys in the armiger and for a moment, just felt their weight in his hand.
Deep down, he knew that what he was about to do was stupid, dangerous, and would make the others so, so, fucking mad. It was almost dark already, and daemons would be out and about.
He started the car. I'm so dead.
He headed off towards the Fallgrove. The evening was quiet and peaceful as he drove the Regalia.
Being out on the road all by himself was a strange feeling. There was no Prompto complaining about being hungry or thirsty or wanting to see the chocobos. There was no Ignis who'd admonish him that he was going too fast or not paying attention to the road. There was no Gladio in the back, the sound of pages turning accompanying his strong and quiet presence. It was just him and the road. It was…lonely.
The sky was ink-black by the time Noctis drew in closer to the Fallgrove. He had been lucky so far. If he only made it close enough to the haven—
Somewhere close by, there was a gigantic rumble, the sound monstrous. This could only mean one thing.
Daemons. His stomach dropped. His heart started pounding.
He didn't know where it was coming from up until something thumped against the car from below, and Noctis knew that he was done for when the whole earth started trembling around him. Iron Giants spawned all over the road and he wondered whether he'd crashed their pool party or something. Of course, it was his luck that he wouldn't encounter a single daemon for hours, but then end up in a daemons' nest.
He tightened his grip on the wheel and, with all he had, tried to evade the daemons. There were many of them and they were bulky, but who knew—
An iron giant rose up right in front of the car. He hit the brake, but it was too late.
Fuck fuck fuck.
He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared himself for the impact.
The last thing that went through his head as he heard the horrible scraping noise of metal against iron, as he felt his head slam against something with a loud crack, followed by the weightlessness from being flipped over and spun around, was that his dad would kill him. Not only did he lose his figurine, he'd crashed his car. He crashed the Regalia.
Then, he was in white, hot agony.
There wasn't much of his dad left to Noctis now.
Sure, there were the memories. But sometimes, he needed something more tangible, something to touch and to hold on to.
There was the Regalia, the one thing left in this world that still carried the scent of Dad's embrace. And there was the little Carbuncle figurine that reminded him how Dad had always watched over his sleep, promising sweet dreams to him.
They made him feel safe and protected. They were his safe havens, his treasures, because that was all that was left. If he lost them...
If he lost them it was like losing his dad all over again.
"I-want-to-ride-my-chocobo-all-day—"
"Shut 'p, Promp'o."
Prompto was singing the chocobo tune and, gods, was it starting to get on Noctis's nerves. But Prompto didn't stop. He continued humming the song until all that filled Noctis's head was that stupid melody. "I-want-to-ride-my-chocobo-all-day—"
"Shut 'p, damn," he slurred. Why was it so hard to speak proper words? His tongue felt numb and he was just so sleepy.
The melody stopped. Then it started off again. "I-want-to-ride-my-chocobo-all-day—"
Noctis felt like hitting something or someone hard. Well, if only he had the strength. "I said stop 't."
Prompto didn't stop. More so, the chocobo tune seemed to be getting louder and harder to ignore the way it was vibrating in his jacket pocket. How did Prompto even get inside his pocket? What a sneaky, little—wait, that wasn't quite right. He patted down his pocket and found the weight of his phone sitting inside. It was still vibrating and playing Prompto's favorite melody. A ringtone. Figures.
It was then that he finally felt conscious enough to understand that something wasn't right, that, no, something was wrong, very wrong.
He opened his eyes or tried to at least; something was dripping down his forehead and sticking to his eyelashes. It felt like there were weights attached to his eyelids. But when he did manage to open his eyes, he didn't know what to make of the sight in front of him.
First of all, Prompto wasn't around. Nor were the others. He was alone.
Second, everything was upside down.
It was dark here, almost pitch-black dark in fact, but he could discern enough of his surroundings to say that yes, everything wasn't the way it should be, but upside down, or bottom up or whatever. He was lying inside a car, yet not on one of the comfy car seats, but on hard and metallic ground. The car roof. From down here, he could look up at the steering wheel and front seats. That he'd ever experience to see the world from such an angle.
His ringtone went off again. In some far-off region of his mind where rational thought was still possible, he knew he really should answer the call.
He tried to shift his body to pull the phone out of his pocket, but godsdamnfuckingshit, that was a mistake.
His head. It hurt. Oh gods, it hurt so bad that he wanted to curse out loud but all he managed was a pathetic whimper. When before he'd been feeling nothing but fuzzy numbness, now there was a sharp, searing pain ripping through his head. It was like his head was split apart, as if being stabbed in the brain.
Moving only made things worse, so he tried the reverse, keeping as still as possible. He waited, not even daring to swallow and hoping for the pain to pass. He focused on the heavy, sticky drops that slid down his forehead and the smell of iron in the air. After a while like this, the agony in his head receded to a nasty pounding, and some semblance of sanity returned to him.
His mind was still muddled and there were gaps in his memory, but he knew he was as good as dead if he wouldn't get moving. He needed to act. He needed to do something to get himself out of here.
Like taking that call. Speaking of which, his phone was still making noises.
Noctis braced himself and, with as little movement as possible, slowly fumbled his phone out of his pocket. Exhausted by just this alone, he dropped the phone on his chest, put the call on speakerphone, and flopped back on the hard ground.
"'ello?" he asked at last. Speaking took a lot of effort. His voice sounded foreign and raspy to his ears.
"Where the hell are you?" The awfully loud yelling of his shield on the other end of the line triggered a new round of pounding in his head.
He needed a moment to even comprehend the question. "Dunno," he answered truthfully.
"Don't play us. This is not fun." Gladio seemed irritated, more than usual.
A softer voice joined in—Ignis. "We looked through the whole city, Highness. Where are you?"
They looked through the whole Crown City? That was sweet of them. Insomnia was big.
This place—wherever here was—didn't look anything like Insomnia to him, though. Insomnia was full of lights at night. Here, there were no lights. "'s not Insomnia. 's dark here," he slurred. His tongue still didn't work right.
"Uhh, buddy, you quite alright?" Oh. Prompto was there, too. It seemed like his friends had been hanging out together. Why were they having fun without him?
"Where are you?" came the same question from before. Over the throbbing in his head, he had trouble telling whose voice it was. Good question, though. Where was he?
He made to look out one of the windows, but it was difficult to see anything from where he lay. When he tried to raise his head to get a better view, he once again was assaulted by pain. Unable to stifle the wince, he let it out freely and fell back on that awfully uncomfortable car roof.
"Noct? Are you hurt?" Ignis asked, his voice sharp.
Noctis giggled through the pain. Iggy was as smart as always.
"Answer him," Gladio demanded.
"Head hurts," he answered obediently.
"Can you attend to yourself? Use a potion, perhaps?"
Ignis really was smart. Noctis tried to focus on the armiger, but it was a struggle that only ended in the sudden urge to throw up. And in more pain. He hoped the others didn't hear his pathetic groans. How was he supposed to find a potion like this? It was impossible.
"Have you applied the potion yet?" came Ignis's question.
"S'rry. Don't feel so good," was all he could get out.
"Shit, how bad off is he if he can't even use a potion?" he heard Prompto ask.
He could hear a static sigh on the other end of the line. "I fear he's suffering a head injury. Most likely, a concussion," Ignis said. Well, if Ignis said he had a concussion, he probably had one. "What do you remember, Noct?" Ignis added as if he hadn't asked enough stuff already. Damn, all these questions were starting to grate on his nerves. And his head.
Not that he had a proper answer, anyway. He had no clue what was going on, really. "I dunno," was all he could offer.
Gladio groaned, then said, "Sounds like a concussion all right. Just great."
His friends seemed to be talking amongst themselves now and he tuned them out for the most part. In the back of his mind, he knew all this was important, but all he wanted at this point was to end the call and sleep.
He heard scraps of conversation. Brain Injury. Insomnia. Potential memory loss. Regalia. Daemons. Goddamn royal brats. Prompto, could you go procure a spare car. Are you there, Noct. Highness, do you hear me.
"For goodness' sake, Noct, do you hear me?" The urgency in Ignis's voice finally got through to his hazy mind. Oops. He must've spaced out.
"Yeah," he replied at last.
"Thank goodness." Ignis sounded so fucking relieved, it hurt. "You need to tell us where you are, Noct," he added.
The demand didn't leave any room for protest. So, despite the horrible pain, Noctis bent his head forward and tried to look out the window again. But what he saw didn't give him much of a hint. "I—I—"
"This is important. Please describe your surroundings to us."
Hoping they'd stop bothering him if he just told them, he described what he could see, however insignificant it appeared to him. "There's trees everywhere. Green stuff. Just nature 's all."
"Are you certain that's all you see, Noct?" Ignis asked.
"Yeah," he said, absolutely certain for once. Noctis started to get more than annoyed. He just wanted them to stop asking questions. "There's nothin' else here, so—"
That was when he saw it. When he crooked his head toward the window again, he could see it. There in the distance, something glimmered a faint eerie light. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Maybe because his eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the darkness then?
"Noct?"
"There's somethin'. A red light? And, uh—" It wasn't only one light, there were many of them, and they illuminated something. "A building? It's shining."
Gladio sounded as if he was close to exploding. "Don't tell me you ended up in the red-light district of all pla—"
"Wait." Ignis interrupted. "Red lights, you say? That building—does it look like an old structure? Like Solheim ruins, by any chance?"
Now that Ignis said it, the building didn't look like anything that could be found in beautiful, ultramodern Insomnia. "Uh-huh."
"Costlemark. There's no mistake. He's close to Costlemark Tower. The lights, they've caught my eyes last night. We've stayed at a haven in that area, remember?"
"Damnit, Noct. Why did you go there?" Gladio sounded so, so very mad.
"That's a question best saved for later, Gladio," Ignis said. "Prompto should be back with a car soon. We ought to make haste then."
"Right," Gladio said, his tone softer now. "You heard him, Noct? We'll be there soon."
Noctis only wanted to know one thing. "Can I take a nap now?"
"No," came two voices at once.
Then, there were plans made, and instructions given. Stay awake. Only leave the car if it looks like it could catch fire. If you're bleeding, stem the blood flow. Don't do anything stupid. Or something along these lines.
Honestly, it was a lot of work to even focus on what they were saying at this point. He drifted off on several occasions only to be yanked out of his half-sleep state by his friends yelling at him to stay awake.
He was just so tired. And he wanted the pain to go away.
At some point, Prompto seemed to have returned. "Noct?" came the hesitant question.
"Wass'up?" he replied.
"Hang tight, bud. We're on our way now."
That was a good thing, right? Noctis had trouble remembering why it was important that his friends came for him, but he was happy to see them soon, nonetheless.
"How are you holdin' up there?" Prompto asked. It seemed like he wasn't planning to shut up any time soon. The lucid part of him figured that Prompto probably was in charge of keeping him awake.
"'M tired."
"When are you not?" Prompto said, huffing out a laugh. It sounded fake. "Don't worry, though. I'll distract you! Time will fly by and we'll be there before you know it!"
Prompto started babbling nonsense. About chocobo farms and garages and cute girls who love cars. Stuff that didn't really make any sense. In Insomnia, chocobos were as rare as it gets. He'd also never been to a garage before, and he didn't know anyone going by the name of Cindy or Cidney or whatever. Or was that the name of a chocobo?
Speaking of chocobos. Finally, he could ask what he'd been wondering about since he'd woken up. "Promp'o, why does my phone have the chocobo tune ringtone?"
"Uh… Sorry 'bout that, I guess?" Prompto stuttered, then he broke off into a laugh. "Changed it when you were taking a nap in the Regalia earlier."
Huh. Noctis accepted Prompto's explanation. It did sound like something his best friend would do.
But.
But there was something about this bothering him. The Regalia. When again had Noctis taken a nap inside the Regalia? His dad almost never let him use it. Especially not ever since he'd gifted Noctis his own car, the Star of Lucis.
Something wasn't right. There was something close to the surface of Noctis's mind, but not getting through. And he was so close to grasping it, too. He looked around again, hoping something would help clue him in. He looked up at the leather seats of the car, then looked over at the steering wheel. Then at the windows, one of them partly cracked. He could see some dents and bumps in the metal. The car surely had seen better days. Poor old girl. Yeah, poor good old Regalia. His dad would be so mad when he'd learn what Noctis had done to her.
Wait—the Regalia! Why for gods' sakes was he inside the Regalia? How could it be that the Regalia and he were laying overturned in some random forest and he couldn't even remember? How? When?
Then, it came back to him. Or at least parts of it.
"Shit, Prompto, what do I do," it bubbled out of him. "I lost the charm. I wrecked the Regalia. Dad will be so mad." How could he lose both the charm and the Regalia in one day? He'd messed up so bad. Panic and guilt and something else at the thought of his dad that he couldn't decipher overcame him altogether and, mixed in with the pain in his head, it was almost unbearable.
"You'll be fine, Noct," Prompto said as if placating him. Noctis wanted to retort, to tell him, no, he couldn't be forgiven for this, when—when he heard something. Not from the phone line but from outside. From somewhere in the woods.
A thud, a thumping. It sounded like heavy giant steps. They shook the ground with each new step taken. Thump, thump, thump, they made, and came closer.
The Regalia, perched on what seemed like uneven ground, dangerously shifted to the right and Noctis didn't like what that motion did to his head.
"What was that?" He could hear Prompto asking, the terror in his voice obvious.
"Be quiet," Ignis hissed out.
The sound came closer and Noctis, too, went stock-still, quieting his breathing. The steps stopped somewhere nearby. Noctis couldn't see where but he felt the presence of that something. For a long moment, everything was engulfed in silence except for the pounding in his chest and head. And then—
There was a thunderous bang against the side of the car, rattling it, rattling him. He could see the imprint of a huge fist on the passenger door, but it didn't get through. Yet.
Prompto's voice pulled him back from the horrid sight. "Noct?! Buddy?!"
"What happened?" – "Are you alright?!" came more questions.
His head hurt even worse than before, what with the hard impact, and he feared he needed to throw up for real if this continued.
"Noct, please answer us!"
His friends sounded goddamn panicked, so he tried to reply the best he could, "Somethin' bumped agai'st the car. It's still here—"
A second bang followed, and this time around, it was bad, and Noctis was tossed and spun around as the car was pushed, no, rolled over. Glass was breaking, things inside were moving around, and hitting him hard. He coughed and spluttered while he prayed that it would end already.
When it was over, at last, it wasn't only his head hurting, but his whole body, and he struggled to take stock of his injuries. His ribs. His right side. His arm and leg. Yeah, something definitely was wrong with them—were they broken? Noctis could barely move them without triggering a sharp piercing pain that was competing with the pain in his head and making his eyes water. Not to mention the glass cutting into his skin, but that almost felt too trivial to complain about.
Everything hurt so bad.
Still, he knew he couldn't stay here any longer. That daemon was out there. He should crawl towards the next door, yank it off its hinges—they weren't intact enough to be salvaged anyway—throw it aside, and get the hell out of there.
But, he thought, I can't just leave the Regalia behind.
"—oct? Noct?! Can you hear us?!" came voices from the phone which lay somewhere in the car, but Noctis barely heard the words over the blood roaring in his ears.
He tried to sit up and move his heavy and hurting limbs, though he couldn't help the hitch to his breath when the pain assaulted him, followed by nausea so intense that he was shocked he hadn't puked yet. His whole body protested, and adrenaline probably was the only thing keeping him conscious.
The car was upright again, just as it should be, and with all the strength he could command, he dragged his body over to the driver's seat and sat himself down on it. He turned the key. "Please," he croaked out.
Don't leave me hanging now, old girl.
Nothing happened. He turned the key again, back and forth, several times.
This was taking too long. As he dared to look to his right and out the broken window, his heart skipped a beat. There was a hand, a fucking giant hand that was shooting toward the window. The daemon's even more enormous body towered over the Regalia, and gods, he knew he'd be done for if that thing managed to get its fingers inside the car.
He heard his pulse hammering in his ears. "C'mon, girl," he begged, turning the key wildly around.
Please, please, please.
At long last, his prayers were answered and the purr of the motor resounded throughout the car. Noctis didn't hesitate long before he hit the accelerator. The Regalia roared to life. He just wanted to get the hell away from here.
The Regalia took off, the daemon howled.
There were trees around and it was too dark. One of the car lights was broken and that didn't help. But luckily, the wood wasn't as thick as he'd thought at first. He spotted the road not too far off in the distance and maneuvered the Regalia toward it—as well and fast as he could, considering how much strain steering caused on his arm and ribs.
He wanted to curse, he wanted for the pain to stop, he wanted to go back home now, back to the Citadel. But he'd be dead if he faltered for just one single moment. The daemons knew he was easy prey. He knew he didn't have a chance out here at night with the state he was in. Yeah, he knew that even with how hazy and blinded by pain his mind was.
Closing in on the main road, by now Noctis could hear more than just that one daemon's loud, disgusting roar behind him. There were evil snickers, shrieks and squelching noises coming from everywhere.
He made it to the road at last, the jump from uneven ground to asphalt causing the car to jerk hard and inflicting all kinds of pains to his poor body. Still, he made it. Now he needed to find a safe place.
"—ct, please, if you're there, please answer us!"
Oh. He'd totally forgotten about his friends. The voice came from somewhere close to his feet. When he moved his good foot, he bumped against his phone. "Guys?" he asked, "Can you hear me?"
"Oh shit, Noct," he could hear Prompto's desperate voice. "Don't. Ever. Give. Me. A. Scare. Like. That. Again."
Gladio immediately followed up. "What happened? Are you safe?"
"I'm, uh—" he began. It was hard to focus on both driving and talking, especially with the state of his mind and a mob of daemons on his trail. "'M driving. There're daemons behind me."
Prompto summarized the situation perfectly. "Well, shit."
"We're not far off," came Ignis's voice this time. "Go find the haven. It must be near."
"Yeah, man. You gotta hold out 'til we make it there," said Prompto.
Haven? What the hell were they talking about?
In some remote corner of his brain, Noctis knew that he had hit his head bad and wasn't thinking straight. That he was missing bits and pieces of his memory and was most likely making things hard for his friends. But he really didn't know what a haven was.
Thankfully, Ignis was a man bestowed with the intelligence equaling an Astral, and he had already caught on to Noctis's predicament. "Look for a blue light in the sky. If you're still close enough to Costlemark, you should be able to see it."
Momentarily taking his attention off the road, Noctis looked up and to his left, right, and left again. His heart made a leap. There it was. He could see it. In the sky above the tree line, a bluish misty light gleamed—literally like a beacon in the night. Oh, thank the heavens. For once, he was in luck.
Finally having a real destination in mind, Noctis floored the gas pedal like one of those crazy men in the movies. Get to the haven, was his sole objective now.
A look into the rear mirror told him that the flock of daemons was hot on his heels. They were racing after him as if possessed, not letting off. Choosing to ignore them as best as he could even over their howls and wails, he focused all his attention on getting himself out of here.
Get to the haven.
Even more daemons spawned around him, starting to get dangerously close. Even worse, there was a turn in the road coming up—the haven wouldn't be far away from here, he knew it—but he had to ease off on the speed to safely make the turn.
The moment he lost speed, one of the smaller daemons latched itself on the side of the car, squeezing its arms through the broken window and grabbing for him. It didn't reach him yet, but Noctis knew it was only a matter of time.
Gods, this was a nightmare.
Get to the haven and this nightmare will be over. Like a mantra he told himself, Get to the haven. Get to the haven…
"—how are you holding up, Noct? We've almost reached the haven," someone told him in hurriedly spoken words. "Can you get there on your own? Tell us where you are and we—"
Noctis was in no right mind to comprehend the words. The haven and the haven alone was all he could perceive.
Its light was so close now. When before it had been no more than a thin streak in the distance, now he could even make out the runes from where the light emerged. He wanted to be enveloped by their light, by their protection.
He hit the gas pedal even harder and sped towards the light. He only needed to get a little bit closer, the path leading to the haven didn't even look so bumpy, the Regalia surely could do it and—
No. No way.
A dull resignation washed over him, and he almost stopped the car right there in the middle of the road. There, in between him and the haven, a row of daemons stood, the same species of giants made of iron that had almost totaled the Regalia earlier. They stood there as if they'd been waiting for him and no one else to arrive.
"Shit, shitshit," Noctis cursed.
There was no damned chance that he could get past them. It was a wonder the Regalia was still moving as it was. She wouldn't withstand their attacks. They wouldn't make it. He, or the Regalia, or both of them, probably wouldn't survive this.
But he knew, going forward was the only living chance he had. Turning back was no option. He didn't need to look in the rear mirror for confirmation.
He was close. He was so close to the goal now. He wouldn't give up now.
"Noct, do you hear us? Please answer—"
Heart in his throat, Noctis surged forward and plunged through the row of daemons, toward the haven. Milliseconds in, he already knew that this had been the stupidest idea he'd ever come up with. He'd pay for his stupidity with death or something. And the Regalia wouldn't make it through, either.
Sounds exploded.
"Noct? Noct?!"
His dad would be furious, he'd give him a good scolding, he wouldn't forgive him, not for turning the Regalia into a pile of junk. Not to mention that he'd lost his Carbuncle figurine, too. Dad will be so mad.
A horrible stench hit his nose. The smell of smoke, gasoline, and something gory.
And then he knew. With clarity, everything came back to him.
Ignis, Gladio, Prompto, and he were on a journey. He wasn't in Insomnia. He wasn't even close to Insomnia. There was no Insomnia anymore, not the one he called home at least. And his dad—his dad couldn't be mad with him. He was dead. Dead dads couldn't scold their kids.
His dad was dead.
Well, maybe Noctis could join him now.
The last thing he saw was a bright light. It was different than the bluish cool light of the haven; its crimson was warm, familiar, and an even greater promise of safety.
Strangely enough, he didn't feel any pain. He felt weightless and warm and like he could take a long, nice nap.
After that, everything was a blur.
He could swear he felt his heart pounding hard and wild in his chest, and for his skin to go from hot to cold to hot again. But how could he feel all these sensations when he was dead…or was he? His mind was too far gone to make sense of it all.
He had a vague recollection of waking and seeing blurred silhouettes of faces and hands. When he'd manage to open his eyes to what was probably the barest minimum, someone would be there, next to him. They would put their hand on his own and say, "You'll be all right now."
"Dad?" he'd ask, but no answer would come. Or maybe, there was an answer, but his subconsciousness chose to forget it because it wasn't the one he wanted to hear.
He would have dreams, too. Good dreams. Dreams of riding the Regalia with his dad behind the wheel, and himself on the passenger seat. In these dreams, it wasn't only the two of them in the car. There was another presence, its small form sitting on Noctis's lap and chirping its contentment when Noctis would stroke the soft fur behind its ears.
They'd drive, and drive, and drive on down the road while his dad told him stories of his youth, and they'd drive on even further…
Until they weren't. He came to in a soft bed and a dimly lit room.
Oh damn, he was so tired he could go right back to sleep. Still, he looked around, eyes bleary, and tried to make sense of his surroundings and—oh. There his friends were sitting, busying themselves with their phones and a magazine or something—Prompto and Gladio on the sofa, Ignis on a chair close to his bedside.
Ignis looked up. Their eyes met. He could hear Ignis's breath hitching.
"Noct?" Ignis's voice cut through the silence in the room. It must've alerted the other two as well, as he could see their heads shooting up in his peripheral vision. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake," Ignis said. There was something in his voice that made Noctis feel way too self-conscious and vulnerable.
"Noo—ct!" came an outcry from the direction of the sofa and next thing he knew, he was enveloped in the tight hug of his best friend. "Oh, shit, buddy, I wouldn't know what to do if you'd—"
Gladio was there, too, not saying a word, but the expression on his face told Noctis that, somehow, he'd gotten all his friends worried for him.
"Hey," he said because he didn't have a clue what else to say. He was more than just uncomfortable, and he had trouble making sense of why his friends had been sitting around his bedside like he was a sick person.
Ignis, putting his hand on Noctis's shoulder and squeezing, studied his face. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Uh," he began. He took stock of his body and tried to remember what the hell happened for his friends to be so worried. "Exhausted," was all he could come up with.
"Makes sense," Gladio finally said. "Lost a hella lot of blood."
What?
"How's your head faring? Are you in pain?" Ignis asked.
Noctis was confused. Other than being drained and jaded, he was feeling just fine. He shook his head no.
Ignis frowned. "You were badly hurt. And you incurred a severe concussion. Don't you remember?"
Huh.
Gladio added, "And what a concussion it was. You were speakin' gibberish all right."
"Yeah, dude, like, I dunno—like we were back in Insomnia…? You freaked me out." Prompto said with a laugh that sounded somewhat hollow. "And there was so much blood. You'd be dead meat if it weren't for the little furball!"
Furball?
"Right. He did a good job shieldin' and healin' you when we couldn't," Gladio added.
"Indeed. It was a miracle. If it weren't for him—" Ignis started but didn't seem able to end the sentence, voice caught in his throat.
Noctis didn't need to hear any more. Everything came back to him. How they had arrived in Lestallum and he couldn't find his Carbuncle figurine. The panic of finding out it wasn't in the Regalia, either. His not so brilliant idea to take the Regalia to go looking for the charm. The car crash. The pain, and the terror of being all alone out there.
Right, He'd lost his figurine and totaled the Regalia.
But wait—what his friends had said. Little furball? Shielding him? Miracle? It couldn't be, or could it…? "Carbuncle, he—" Noctis swallowed his excitement. Hope was building up inside him. "He was there?" If Carbuncle had been there, that meant...
"Well, if we are to trust your descriptions of him, yes, but—"
Before Ignis could continue speaking, Noctis interrupted him. "So did you find it? My charm?" he asked, his voice probably an octave higher with how excited he was.
His friends, though, didn't say anything in reply, averting their eyes instead.
"Noct," Ignis started after a while, and Noctis thought he could see something close to pity in his eyes. "Please believe me when I say that we've looked everywhere. Once we figured out that it was the figurine you've been looking for—"
"Yeah. We turned over every stone around the haven," Gladio added.
"It wasn't there…you say?"
Their silence was answer enough.
Noctis couldn't believe it. Then how was it possible that Carbuncle had come for him?
He hated how crushed this made him feel. Now he knew with certainty that his charm was gone for good.
Sitting back reclined in that foreign bed, sobered up about how cruel reality was—how dare his precious keepsake be taken away like this—he was ready to take the second bad news. Well, as ready as he could be. "What—what about the Regalia?" His voice sounded pathetic to his ears.
Please, oh please, let at least the Regalia be alright, the inner part of him that still was that lonely boy—dad's little boy—begged.
"She was in pretty bad shape, buddy..." Prompto said hesitantly.
Gladio wasn't as hesitant in his answer. "She took a beating alright. She looked more like a scrapheap than a car when we found ya. But," he continued, "she's a sturdy beast."
"Indeed. After we've brought you to this clinic, Cindy towed her. She's currently inspecting her back at Hammerhead. Let's hope she can be salvaged." It was so obvious that Ignis tried to sound optimistic just for Noctis's sake.
"Let's not lose hope, buddy! If anyone can do it, it's Cindy!"
Well, Noctis was feeling pretty hopeless at this point. Not that he'd ever admit to it out loud, though.
"More importantly." Ignis cleared his throat. His tone took on a dangerous quality. "Just what in Ramuh's name had possessed you to drive there all alone?"
Oh, crap.
Prompto added, "Iggy's right, why didn'tcha just tell us? We could've helped!"
Noctis didn't like the looks on his friends' faces—how the aura around them shifted. They looked mad, really mad. Had they waited for a good moment to guilt trip him?
When Gladio cut in, Noctis knew he'd be dead. While Ignis and Prompto looked mad, Gladio looked livid. "Damn right. Just what the hell were you thinkin' going off on your own? How do you expect us to do our job and protect you when you just disappear like that?!" he exploded.
Well, shit. "I—" he began, but he didn't really know what to say.
"It was a foolish move. You are lucky to be alive." Ignis didn't sound as angry as Gladio, but with that sharp hiss in his voice, he didn't know whom out of the two he was more scared of right now.
"Yeah, man," said Prompto. "Ignis never drove that fast before. I thought I was dyin'."
Gladio cut in again, his voice still sounding like an angry bark. "Well someone else could've died if we'd been any slower!"
Prompto's depressed expression sent a fresh wave of guilt rolling through his stomach. "He is right, Noct… You scared the shit out of us."
He knew he needed to apologize. He knew he needed to make things better. But he didn't know how. "Sorry, I guess..."
"I guess my ass," Gladio said. "We need a proper apology."
"Sorry. I mean it." He did mean it.
Ignis butted in, "An explanation if you would."
Noctis looked down at the bed sheets that were crumpled around his legs. How was he supposed to explain something like this to them? How could he reveal something this private?
But he knew he owed it to them.
His friends were quiet, waiting for him to speak.
"It's just," he started, as always having trouble finding the right words, "when I couldn't find the figurine…I couldn't think straight anymore. I didn't think of the consequences. I—I just thought, if I lost it for real, then Da—"
He stopped there, throat tightening and something starting to burn behind his eyes. Damn it, he couldn't say it.
Noctis could hear a deep sigh being expelled. It was Ignis. "So, this is what it was about," he said. Seemingly, Noctis's horrible attempt at an explanation had been enough for Ignis. "I do understand, Noct," he continued, "but I wish you would've come to us with this."
"What—" Prompto began, brows raised high in confusion.
"The figurine's a keepsake of His Majesty," Ignis said what Noctis couldn't and for once, he was grateful for it.
"Oh," Prompto let out. He could also hear Gladio's hitched breath. Now that he thought about it, he realized that he'd never told Prompto or Gladio about the charm. "Shit, Noct, I'm so sorry it got lost," Prompto said.
This was too embarrassing. He, a grown man, was almost crying snot over the loss of a little childhood keepsake. It shouldn't mean that much to him, but here he was, the loss hitting him hard. He couldn't even help the stupid tiny sob that escaped his throat.
Then, there were warm hands, several pairs of them. And soon after, he felt arms wrap around him.
He could hear Ignis's voice saying, "Need I remind you that you aren't alone in this, Noct?"
"Iggy's damn right," Gladio said, then added, "Look, brat, losing our family, there's nothin' to make it better. But we can't lose each other over this."
"Yeah, man, we're all in this together. It's the same the other way around, right?" Prompto said, and Noctis knew they were right.
Noctis finally got it. At that moment, with his friends this close, he felt safe. The same way he had felt with his dad.
His dad may have been gone now, nor had he found his Carbuncle charm. He didn't know whether the Regalia would make it and even if she could be fixed, he'd never sit inside her with his dad at his side. Maybe, he'd lost his safe havens for good. But he had found something else. Without even realizing it, he'd found himself a new safe haven. Or to be precise, it had been there all along.
He had his friends.
When Cindy presented them with the Regalia a few days later, Noctis couldn't believe his eyes. There she stood in all her black glory, as regal and shiny as he remembered.
Everyone was eager to get inside the car and go for a test drive. Plus, they really needed to get moving for their next destination.
"Hey, Prince, wait a sec." Cindy stopped him before he got inside the car, handing him something. A phone—his phone. "Almost forgot to give you this little somethin'. I found it lyin' around inside the Regalia. Reckon it belongs to y'all?"
"Oh, thanks."
"Anyhoo, the display was bad off, so I fixed it up with a new one for ya. Otherwise, it's still in purdy good condition."
Wow. He'd thought it was gone forever, but here it was looking just as new and shiny as the Regalia.
After Cindy left, he finally got into the car, sinking back into his seat. He gave off a sigh of content. It was good to have the Regalia back.
Ignis started the car and drove off.
"Now that you've got your phone back," came Prompto's voice from the front passenger seat, "how 'bout a round of King's Knight?"
"Heh. Never say no to King's Knight," Noctis replied. He got the phone out and was about to start the game when he noticed an unread message. It came from an unknown number. Huh. He opened it.
Hello, Noct! It's too bad you've lost my charm. But don't you ever worry! I'm always looking over you and protect you through the darkest times!
Oh. Something warm and fuzzy filled his heart.
In the back of his consciousness, he could feel the distinct presence of his dream guardian. Just as his friends had told him, Carbuncle had been there for him. He had been there days ago protecting him from the daemons. In his dad's stead.
"Sorry, Prompto, but I'll pass on King's Knight. Feel more like takin' a nap now."
"Wait, what, seriously?" Prompto sounded affronted.
Noctis snuggled into his leather seat. He closed his eyes, letting the purr of the Regalia's engine, and his friends' voices in the background lull him to sleep, where his dream guardian already awaited him.
.
.
.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts and impressions!