Listen... I can't even defend myself this time lmao. It just so happens that I found an interesting lightis fanfic last week (called Ambrosia, if you're interested) and that Dissidia NT released this week. I saw that video of Noctis and Lightning meeting a while ago but it wasn't enough to bring me back to this. Tbh, I'm not that immersed in lightis again, but I'm going to finish this story one way or another.

That being said, last time I said I knew where I wanted to go with this. Well, now I don't know anymore lmao and I'm still stuck in the same chapter. I'm going to rewrite and fix some chapters because some things are contradicting, such as Noctis eating vegetables in earlier chapters. I'm certain I can figure something out, somehow. Also, I want to introduce the Kingsglaive here because yes.

Sooo, thank you for your patience and for the latest reviews I got but didn't reply to. Please, enjoy!

Birthday Boy

She was coming and he was elated. In the days that led to his birthday party, the prince could hardly keep his excitement a secret from the personnel and his friends. His father knew, gave him the permission to invite her to such thing, though everyone else remained in the dark. Regis smiled knowingly whenever Prompto mentioned Noctis's giddiness, always evading Ignis's questioning gaze and changing the subject whenever he tried to pry anything out of him.

Lightning herself was a bit reluctant to accept the invitation. The last time she did so, she lingered there for no more than necessary; this time, however, she was expected to stay all night long and, of course, speak to the crown princess of Tenebrae. Though he could see her uneasiness, she explained that it was the best birthday gift she could ever give him, and so she accepted. Then, she explained that her sister would be looking forward to this more than the prince himself. He doubted it.

The castle staff was happy for the prince, though. It was a rare sight to see him so excited about an event, especially if it was his own birthday party. He wanted everything to be perfect, and he stressed the necessity to reach these standards with a deep penetrating gaze from his blue eyes swirling with emotion. A small talk to Lunafreya on the phone had her voice pitching up slightly in wonder and curiosity once he revealed that Lightning was coming. Stella's reaction was a clear contrast to her sister's, but he could not blame her.

"Who's coming?" The phone nearly fell from Noctis's hand at the sound of Prompto's voice that was unexpectedly too close.

He tried to keep his cool, running a nonchalant hand through his hair as he pocketed the device away from view. "The hell you talking about?"

His friend crossed his arms. "I heard you talking to Luna. Someone's coming." Then, leaning in closer as the prince turned slightly away, the blond wondered whilst rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Is this why you're so agitated?"

"Shut up, Prompto." He muttered, turning further away and closing his eyes.

Though he did not see the expression, he knew his friend was grinning from ear to ear as if he had just found out something to use as blackmail against him. "Hmm... By any chance, is this person a girl?"

Noctis sighed, whirling the man around and placing his palms flat on his back to push him out of the room. "What are you doing in my room anyway? Leave!"

Prompto laughed, the noise growing louder when he was shoved outside into the hallway and exclaimed before the door was slammed on his face. "Is it that girl from that one party?"

"Just drop it!" He shouted at the closed door, and his friend's chuckle got fainter and fainter as he walked away from the prince's bedroom. "Damn it."

She was coming, and he wished he could say it was not a big deal. But it was. It was the biggest deal that ever happened in his life. Noctis looked around the room, thinking things through once more. He wanted to meet with her at the front gates, but she insisted on walking to the room by herself so she would not attract more attention than usual. She promised to step inside the ballroom at precisely eight in the evening, and he would try to stay close to the door so he could be the first to approach her.

Sitting on a cushioned chair by the tv, he imagined the dress she would wear this time. The first was a white, clean cut cocktail dress, whilst the second wasdeep purple and intricate. She would look good in whatever model she decided to wear. If she showed up wearing a potato sack with holes to slip her arms and legs through them, he was sure she would be prettier than any woman from the wealthiest house of Lucis. That was his Guardian, looking incredibly beautiful and strong at once without even trying.

He moved to his bed, deciding to take a nap so he would be wide awake during the party. Noctis was not stupid when it came to his Guardian, and his father was as preoccupied, so they agreed to have someone of trust to take her to the ballroom, despite her saying she could take care of herself. Someone whose strength would be unnecessary considering who he would be escorting, but his looks alone would drive away anyone who might try to do something, even if that something was just greet her upon arrival.

"She's a little shorter than me, though she might be about my height or even taller depending on her shoes." The prince tried to explain, the trio locked inside his father's study room. The Marshal of the Crownsguard watched on in silence. Though there no were traces of confusion on his face, one did not need to know that his set jaw betrayed his blank face, for nothing that Noctis said made much sense so far.

Regis decided to cut in, going straight to the point. "Fair skin, blue eyes, pink hair. Make sure she doesn't go a moment unaccompanied from the gates to the room."

It was imperceptible, but there was a slight arch to one of Cor's eyebrows. "As you wish," he bowed at the two men, and with a nod of the king's head, he was dismissed from the room.

In that moment, Noctis could tell that, wherever Valhalla was, Lightning was in there frowning at him as the scene unfolded before her eyes. She would not be happy about it, he was sure of it. It would attract just as much attention as if he were the one to serve as her guide, but at least no one would notice his absence. She was an important guest. Cor would not be guarding her if Lunafreya had not said she would bring a guard of her own. Most of the families brought their own guards to look after them in such events; if Lightning was borrowing Leonis for the night, then they would know that she was not a stranger and was trusted by both the king and prince of Lucis.

His nap was good, but not perfect. He woke up many times only to stare at the ceiling for a few seconds and then fall asleep once again. After the fifth time it happened, he decided to get up and shower instead, the alarm on his bedside table read that he had about thirty minutes before it went off. He showered leisurely, but mostly stood under the falling water and played with the cap of his shampoo bottle as he watched the liquid go down the drain in a swirl.

Drying off his body and hair, he wandered back into his room and went to pick a nice suit to wear for the occasion. Maybe he wanted to impress her, he could not tell, and that might be why he spent so much time looking through nearly identical suits, and ended up choosing one with thin stripes and a matching tie. He set the outfit on his bed and combed out any knots on his hair, and it arranged itself once completely dry, dark locks falling back into place. There was still a while left before the guests arrived, so he did his best to dress as slowly as possible and then tidied his room as if it needed any tiding in the first place – and as if someone would be in here later.

He decided to wait in the ballroom, starring out the windows at his much simpler garden with only a few scattered trees and bushes and a big blanket of grass that stretched on and on. This garden could not compare to the ones found in the Citadel, which was still under reconstruction after the city was invaded months ago. One would think that the manor located farther from the city would be just as perfect as the palace itself, but it seriously lacked when it came to gardens. The sunset did not look as pretty here like it was in Tenebrae and he felt saddened that he would not be seeing her again under the dying light of the sun.

"You do not look like you are looking forward to this as you did this morning, Noctis." The prince looked over his shoulder at his old friend, Ignis, who stood back a few feet.

"Believe it, I am." He let out a small chuckle and paced away from the windows. "I've just... Been thinking too much this afternoon."

"About your surprise guest, I suppose?"

His friend's blue eyes widened a little. "Am I being that obvious?"

"Well," Ignis started, fixing his glasses and smiling at the prince. "You're not exactly hiding it. However, Cor Leonis came to me early in the afternoon and told me that you and the king asked him to escort a very specific person." His smile twisted into a small frown and he regarded Noctis a little more seriously. "A pink haired woman. She must be the one that snuck in that one time."

The prince turned away. "Yes, she's the one."

"What is it that you and His Majesty are not telling me?"

He wanted to explain, he really did, but he did not know how much he could say. Noctis remembered well that she once said that it was unusual for the Guardian and the heir to speak as they did. "It's complicated." And yet, she accepted his invitation the first time. She knew what she was diving into, and he wished he did not feel like he was falling along blindly.

"I fear for your safety, Noctis."

He smiled a slight tilt of his lips. "Thank you, but if there's anyone that can protect me, it's her." Ignis frowned at his answer, which prompted him to go on. "I swear I'll explain it to you sometime, all three of you, as long as she allows me to. For now, I can't. My father knows, though, and he trusts her, so I ask that you trust her too."

That was something he should not be asking, he knew it. Ignis did not respect someone if asked to, he first evaluated them and decided if they were worthy of his respect or not. And similar to that, if he were to trust someone, he would do it on his own, with or without comments that could lead him in any direction. Therefore, his affirmative answer was his way of saying that he would merely tolerate the stranger who had already gained the trust of the two most influential men in the kingdom, for the time being, and then would draw up his own conclusions.

His other friends arrived just as the conversation was over. Prompto slapped his shoulder hard enough for him to stumble a step forward, Gladiolus barked out a laugh as he reached out to grab the back of the prince's suit so he would not lose more of his balance. Noctis righted himself, brushed his hands down the front of his outfit and glared half-heartedly at his blond friend, and Ignis told them to behave, scolding them like a parent would to a child. Regis stepped into the room not too long after, Clarus right behind him, looking dutiful as ever.

The conversation was light and humorous and lasted until the first few guests arrived. Whatever presents they brought were left in the waiting room and later would be taken to Noctis's chamber, where Prompto would help him tear at the paper wrappings with gusto on the following day, the day of his actual birth. He had only an hour left to wait for her to show up, but time seemed to drag in an excruciatingly slow pace. Ten minutes past seven in the evening, and most guests were already in the room. The windows were open wide to let air in and few of them lingered in the balconies to take a breath of fresh air or have a smoke.

The princesses of Tenebrae were usually one of the first to arrive, but they got there about twenty minutes after the appointed time because, in her rush, Stella's dress got caught on the door of her car and a nice lady that worked for the royal family offered to stitch it up. Her face was still flushed and her eyes slightly red, but her smile was bright and wide as if nothing had happened when she spotted the prince and dashed across the room to wrap her arms around his middle in a tight hug. The guests looked on; it was a cute sight, but most guessed that it only made sense that, if he were to marry a Fleuret, it would be the crown princess, not her younger sister.

Lunafreya first greeted the king and then the other guests, finally reaching the group of men and her sister. "You forgot to say hi to Regis, Stella." She patted her sister's shoulder affectionately before the younger blond left, her cheeks now redder than before. In formal meetings, Noctis kissed the back of her hand and they moved on to some small talk. After all of them had paid her the proper respects, Luna turned to him, periwinkle eyes twinkling. "So, is she coming?"

Her voice was just above a whisper, not meant to be heard by anyone. And yet... "Who? Noctis's girlfriend?" Prompto piped in, exclaiming loud enough for the nearby guests to cast glances in their directions and watch the scene with far too much interest.

"Prompto!" Ignis chided sharply, and the color on the prince's face matched Stella's perfectly. Luna was intrigued by that, but she kept it well hidden from the others.

"I hear she's a bit more important than being this sleepyhead's sweetheart or something." Her hands worked to wrap her thin champagne colored shawl around her shoulders, her gaze sly as she looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

Noctis wanted to shove his face inside his fancy glass, but settled for taking a long sip from it. "His fiancé, then?" When Prompto voiced his last guess aloud, Gladiolus nearly choked on his drink.

The princess looked at her best friend, who waved a hand in her direction as if to say please, do the honors, I can't explain it myself. "No, Prompto. More important than that." Light eyes looking about discreetly, she leaned in and the other three did as well as she whispered. "It seems like she is a time traveler."

Gladiolus whistled and the blond went on to say that he was the first to talk to this time traveler, patting himself on the chest for this great achievement. Ignis merely frowned, caught the prince's sheepish stare as he shrugged. Maybe now he understood why Noctis could not quite explain, though this, if right, could be just a small part of a bigger truth.

Lunafreya shared her guesses with them and this time he listened to her theories intently. The loudest one of their little group was silent and heard everything without interrupting, glancing at Noctis from time to time to make sure that all she said could be possible, to which he nodded. They all had a little to add to it, save for Ignis that decided to take it all in quietly, letting the wheels of his mind turn and placing as many pieces as he could in the places where he thought was right.

Time for once seemed to fly that day, and Noctis, who chose to stay close to the windows where he could clearly see the entrance of his property, forgot the reason why he was there in the first place. None of them noticed when Cor Leonis disappeared from the room, or the way that the king himself maneuvered his way through the people and tables in order to stand closer to double doors, or the glances he shot his son every once in a while wondering why he was so far away.

Ten seconds before it was eight in the evening, many things happened all at once. Coincidentally, Lunafreya stopped her rambling to take a breath, a chill rolled down Noctis's spine, Gladiolus gulped the last of his drink, Prompto sneezed, and Ignis raised his eyes to the entrance of the room. "She's here," he said simply, and everyone's heads whipped in that direction.

True to her words, at eight o'clock sharp she set her foot into the room, the sole of her heeled shoe touching the floor in time with the first strike of the clock. Dressed in a deep red outfit that showed her just the right amount of cleavage, her pink hair was tied up in an intricate up-do that had certainly been done by professionals, on her lips was a faint rosy lipstick, and her eyes were lined in black, bringing out the color of her irises.

What was impressive was the way that she entered – and most likely walked through the corridor – staring straight at the prince, her gaze so focused and zeroed on him that she easily caught his own among the many other pairs of eyes in the room.

Noctis felt like fainting.

His special guest turned away with a slow blink of her eye at the fourth strike to greet his father, bowing her head and curtsying. Cor observed as the two approached and then wandered to the sidelines to watch over the safety of the other guests. They shared a few words, he made her smile, laugh even, and by then most of the people were looking at her. Once more, she stood out in the many dark outfits and the few light ones, which included Luna's and Stella's.

Before he even knew it, Noctis was striding away from his friends, coming to a halt just a feet away from her body. His father went away, leaving the two of them staring at each other. He did not know what to say, and she waited patiently, a glimmer of something in her very, very light blue eyes.

"Where'd you get that dress?"

She laughed, it was like a chime, and it seemed to attract people closer to her. With a nod, she replied, "Why, thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." He made a face, clearly flustered even though his cheeks remained as pale as ever. "You'd be surprised by the amount of people in Lucis that are willing to trade services for a little work."

"What." He deadpanned, eyes growing large.

Again, she laughed, short and brief, and he decided he liked it very much. "Don't worry, it's not illegal. And nothing that this little dirty mind of yours is thinking either." This time he did blush, it was faint, but it was there. Her painted lips stretched into a smile and his Guardian leaned in enough to whisper as close to his ear as respectfully possible. "Etro pulls some strings here and there and I can get what I want in times like these."

"Nice to know," he offered her his arm and she took it without complaint. "You sure are chirpy today."

"I really am not. I don't like this kind of gathering, but your father told me to laugh a few times to brighten your day."

"It really did brighten it if you must know." He hummed thoughtfully. "Though, I have to admit, I'm jealous that he got to listen to your laughter before I did." She merely smirked playfully, not gracing him with a chuckle.

His friends all donned different expressions; curiosity, excitement, and wonder were just a few he could name. Luna did a good job in keeping her emotions in check, though they showed through her façade when Lightning addressed her first. "Lady Lunafreya, it is such a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

"It is nice to meet you, too, Lady...?" She returned the curtsy, peering at the newcomer through her long eyelashes.

"Fulgur."

"Lady Fulgur," the princess wondered aloud, touching a finger to her chin. "Funny, translating it from our ancient dialect, it means lightning." Noctis smiled at his Guardian's cleverness, and Lightning smiled at the princess.

"I know you!" Prompto stepped forward, closer to her. "I met you here some months ago."

"Indeed. You were the first to talk to me, then."

"Hah! In your face, Noct." He taunted, doing a little dance that, thankfully, did not catch anyone else's eyes.

Each approached her for a different reason, but none of them dared to mention time travel. They spoke for a long while, few people went up to the prince or the princess to say something or another, but all in all, they were closed off in their own group. It was pleasant and entertaining, Noctis got so engrossed in all of it that he forgot her arm was still looped through his. She shifted a few times, hand moving around the length of his arm before it settled on the crook of his elbow. He did not notice any of it, and none of his friends wagged their eyebrows suggestively at it either, despite the fact that Prompto looked at it from time to time and discreetly, for once, nudged Gladiolus.

Once Stella was done with her rounds around the room, she returned to their group. It was only when she stared pointedly at the way they stood together that he seemed to realize. He discreetly glanced at Lightning, but she had her attention focused on Gladio as he explained his workout routine in great detail and seemed comfortable in the position they were in. The prince chose to pretend he did not see the younger Fleuret's reaction to that. He felt uncomfortable under her heavy gaze and, even though he did not want to hurt her, maybe there was no way to stop her from getting her heart broken. Both were like sisters to him. He could only hope she would grow out of her crush.

Lightning caught his stare, smiling slyly at him and making him flush bright. She squeezed his arm to bring his focus back to the conversation they were having, but for the life of him, he could not focus on anything else that was not her hand on him and the warmth of her closeness.

Half an hour after she arrived, dinner was served. The boys sat together in a round table, and the royalty wandered off to seat with King Regis, Noctis dragging Lightning along even though she insisted she would be fine with the rest of the group. "I don't trust you near Prompto," he whispered as he smiled at a passerby, his fingers grazing her lower back whilst guiding her to their designed table.

The prince sat between his father and his Guardian, Luna by her side and Stella on the last seat left. Plates were brought in, fresh vibrant salads with crushed almonds lost in the heaps of colored vegetables and leafy greens. His nose wrinkled when plates were set before the people on the table, but none was placed before him. A quiet snort from Lightning brought his attention to her, but she was eating the dish leaf by leaf and savoring every bit of it. Though it was not the first time he saw her eating, it was the first time that he wondered if she ate anything at all in Valhalla. Sipping his red wine and pondering about this, he almost choked on his drink when she poked his leg with her foot so he would stop overthinking and let her eat in peace.

The next dish was his favorite and he wasted no time to dive in. His Guardian spent a little while admiring the way the food had been placed on the plate before finally deciding to take the first bite of one thick steak that was grilled to perfection. Lunafreya and Regis did some talking, and the princess eventually found the cue to ask Lightning where she was from.

Seeing no point in lying and saying she was from some random place in Eos, Lightning said from over the rim of her glass before taking a sip. "Bodhum."

It was the first time the king heard of it, so he inquired. "I've never been there before." His surprise was genuine, as opposed to Luna's, although anyone would believe her. "What is it like?"

"It's located on an island." She set her glass down with a slight shrug. "It's a seaside town, famous for the beaches and the annual fireworks display."

"It sounds like a wonderful place." Luna commented, placing a hand over one of hers that was on the tabletop. "Do you think you could take us there someday?"

Lightning smiled. If Noctis could use any word to describe it, it was bittersweet, but the smile itself was barely there, so Lunafreya would not notice this detail. "I wish I could, but I'm not going back there so soon."