Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy XV, nor any of it's characters.

Rating: T

Semi-retelling of FFXV, supporting NoctisXIris and a few hints to other, hetero-only pairings; primarily written from Iris's POV

Insomnia

Luckily for him, retracing his steps soon led him to encounter the guys - they were listless, moving unconsciously as they started back toward Hammerhead. Even with his (gradually-improving) weakened state, Noctis pushed himself to catch up... still, he wryly felt that he'll be feeling this for awhile, if not sure whether that meant this specific exertion or just having been dead.

Probably both.

Ignis noticed first, due to his hearing, though he couldn't identity by sound alone. Even still, the fact that he'd stopped alerted Prompto and Gladio, both turning around in an instant... and went through a medley of reactions, mostly disbelief and such...

"Well, this time I can't just say 'Hey'" Noctis thought, having to try to keep a smile off his face. "They're liable to blow up if I tried that."

Even still, he managed to make his way toward him, and he noticed Prompto mouth his name (along with Ignis then going through the reactions himself, as a result). After that, no one moved or did anything else beyond the stares, so he made his way over in relative silence- eventually he stopped five feet away, breath heavier as he tried to think of something, anything to break the tension.

Seconds passed like that.

"Alright, what gives?" Gladio spoke, sounding pissed- well, in the 'worrying them for nothing' sense anyway. "You gave us that whole speech, implying that it's the last chance we'll ever see you alive again; fine. After the sky lightened up, we know you did your job, and found the throne room destroyed with no traces... not fine, but we manage to start moving on and deal with our grief. And yet here you are."

Noctis let out a breath, figuring that was inevitable... plus given all the build-up, and how hard it must've been for them, it's not unfounded. In the back of his mind, he did wonder what happened to his body, and his blade, if they'd initially come in and found the place empty- but that wasn't important right now, particularly since he'd rather not get into the details if he didn't have to.

"I really was dead, guys" he answered, looking between his truest friends - if they'd shed tears, the signs were gone now. "I could even describe the whole process, if you'd- if you'd give me time. As to why I'm back, I was- I was blindsided about that, just as you three were a minute ago."

Prompto suddenly stepped forward. "Before anything else, I wanna say 'I don't care how or why'!" he cut in; somewhat played up, but clearly he'd been itching to say it. "After all, Noct, you're back! *cough, cough* O-Okay, continue" he finished, somewhat more serious by the end.

"Indeed" Ignis dryly remarked, moving to his side- he clapped his shoulder, and the grip betrayed far more than his voice/gestures did. "We're all demanding that explanation, Noct. Beyond words can express."

He made little sound, glancing at Gladio's intensity: his entire look was what Iggy just said.

"Luna" Noctis started, feeling a lot again - he even started to shake a little, though from what he wasn't sure. "Before her death, she apparently spoke with Gentiana, and managed to arrange a deal... in return for taking on a new task, never truly resting until she's finished, I would be returned to life after I fulfilled my calling."

Prompto moved closer, worried. "What task is that?"

"Purifying the souls of those who... used to be daemons."

Silence swept over their group, even completely cutting through Gladio's intensity- Prompto in particular closed his eyes, holding his hands together, seeming to pray.

"That could take a long time" Ignis spoke, subdued, until his voice grew thicker in spots. "But at the same time, it doesn't surprise me; Lunafreya could never be swayed from helping others, nor her duty. It appears not even death managed that feat. Yet even with the staggering blindside, she brought you back, Noct; either part is no small favor... are there any ill effects?"

For a moment, Noctis said nothing, if managing to control the shakiness.

"Only one: I won't live as long as I would've, before all this happened" he admitted, shaking his head. "I don't know how many years I've lost, but it's a small price to pay."

"Glad you're not complaining" Gladio said then, thumping his other shoulder- he was pointedly trying to keep the 'annoyed' expression, but a slight smirk did pop up. "You have a lot to do in the meantime. Like first, maybe make things up to us, for showing up with no warning. Even if we're glad that you did."

"Heh, sure thing, Gladio."

Prompto then moved ahead of them. "I think you know I'm with Iggy and Gladio on this, Noct. It's so much better that we were blindsided, even with the shock and all" he said knowingly, before giving an earnest smile. "But while we're doing the whole 'you're back' celebration and potential chew-outs stuff, we'd best get back to Hammerhead. After all, you've got Iris waiting for you."

At that comment, Gladio grunted with folded arms, and Ignis made a semi-amused sound as he turned away - Noctis had to resist rubbing his head, sheepish; when put that way, he was keeping her waiting. The fact that he still had a life to live meant things were different, and what he'd assumed to be his last day with her, with the guys... no longer qualified as such.

First off, he knew he had to tell her the truth - she'd find out one way or the other, and moreover, he owed it to her.

"She is waiting, as is everyone else" he answer, not denying anything. "So yeah, we should head back. It should also give me plenty of time to think up plans for us all."

To that, no one said anything, but there were nods and general approval to go around.

"Oh, but also, because of this ordeal, I'm not exactly at my peak right now" Noctis added, glancing at Prompto. "I'll keep moving forward, but if I stumble-"

There was no hesitation: "We'll be there to catch you, Noct" Prompto assured, clapping him on the shoulder, if gently. "Just say the word. Or don't; we'll do it anyway."

"Thanks."

After that, they began to start walking again, this time catering to his somewhat-slower pace - as time went on, his condition gradually improved. Still, on the way back, he did slip out the photo he'd taken with him to his (assumed) grave: that picture of the five of them that first day, around/on the Regalia, and where Iris had planted her hands on top of his head with a fairly-big grin.

The sight gave him a little smile: back then, it all seemed so simple, so carefree... he lingered over Iris's grinning image, unconsciously comparing to how she was now...

Hmm, and despite what he'd said back then, his face wasn't really 'weird' at all.

Go figure.

Hammerhead; still early

After so long, Iris could still scarcely believe her eyes- the sky being dark but no longer pure black, as now the stars were visible again. It wasn't much light, especially since they could barely see the moon - currently at/near a new moon, so it's 'dark' - but even this much was exciting, the excitement overturning any drowsiness she had at being woken up early. She believed it's probably the same at Lestallum, and other parts of the world too (if/where people had survived); it was certainly true here at Hammerhead, many Hunters gathered to watch the sky. In the absence of normal daemon growling, a collection of low, excited murmurs and chatter emanated from everyone, and no one was trying to moderate it.

"Think it'll be soon?" Talcott asked beside her; he kept looking between his watch and the binoculars.

Iris made a sound, completely jittery. "It has to be, Talcott" she said, for both their sakes. "The fact that we can see stars means it must be gone. It has to be!"

Deeper down, she knew in her heart that Noct had succeeded; he'd done his duty as King, drove away this darkness, and kicked that bastard Ardyn's ass. She refused to dwell upon it too much, knowing that she'd wait until word got back, or assuming they took some time getting back she'd go out and find out herself, just like Cor and the others. In fact, earlier she'd been in contact with Cor, asking if he'd seen what she saw before: a sudden, absolute lack of daemons anywhere. More than that, he himself confirmed that one moment they were there, and then suddenly each one in sight had started screeching, twisting and convulsing, then disintegrated despite not having been touched.

And now the landscape was eerily empty... devoid of life aside from plant growth, which somehow hadn't gone extinct in the years since eternal darkness, and which daemons hadn't been interested in. Still, while any aquatic life should be untouched (mostly), the same couldn't be said for a lot of the land creatures; they still existed, as they'd seen semi-rare skirmishes, but they had to be reduced in number.

But those that remained wouldn't stay hidden for long.

Finally: "Oh wow" Talcott breathed, half in wonder. "Iris!"

Hefting her pair, Iris scanned the horizon for any signs... there: the sky's dark color was beginning to lighten up, and the stars in that area were harder to see. Suffice to say, the two of them remained glued to their perch, watching with both the binoculars and their own eyes... it was literally slow-going, but they barely noticed, because minute-by-minute the sky was definitely lighting up...

And then, at an almost snail's pace, came the curves of a familiar orange-yellow ball of fire.

"It's the sun" Iris breathed, her whole body shaking in relief before a laugh escaped. "The sun's rising, Talcott!"

He had a big grin, almost fit to bursting just like when he was younger. "It always has, but we can finally see it again!" he said in a hurry, even giving her an impromptu-if-brief hug, which while surprising she didn't mind, as she's as relieved as he was.

Still, Iris closed her eyes, a few tears leaking out in happiness; it's over.

"Noct, you did it."

...

After ten years of eternal darkness, even a gradual transition to daylight took some getting used to; it made things much more stark, especially at first, but it was still a beautiful sight. Because of this, they were all considerably pale(r) from lack of sunlight, and many of them had to wear various forms of eye protection just to function, but people hardly complained in all the excitement.

Oh, and despite the fact that there's no daemons literally anywhere, a majority of the previous hunters still had their cautious instincts too, helping keep the masses in check by instinct.

Through her phone, Iris managed to get updates from Cor and Aranea on, well everything. As far as Aranea, she and her men were helping 'guard' select parties who'd decided to re-explore previous settlements, with their protection a just-in-case measure if hungry animal packs showed up. At the moment, Cor was also helping rallying various Hunters and the Kingsglaive to see about Meldacio Hunter HQ, though he also mentioned that he wouldn't be going with the main group; soon as he could, he'd be coming out to Hammerhead. And speaking of Hammerhead, Cid was taking the first truck that he could, and was even now on-route despite comments of his aching back- that made her smile, but aching back or not she knew he's coming to see his granddaughter. There'd even been something about Wiz in there, as with the whole apparent 'chaos' going on, the chocobos were going crazy for the fresh air and light- heh, understandable.

Meanwhile:

"I should be back soon" Talcott assured, a little sheepish as he closed the truck's door. "If the King comes back during that time, hopefully I won't be too late to thank him in person."

"He'll understand" Iris assured; were she not determined to wait for Noct, she'd probably be going with him too. "After all, this is personal to you."

A little nod, and then after he started up the engine, he whispered under his breath: "Sorry it's been so long, grandpa."

She watched him go for a little, right through the now-staying-open gate, knowing Jared would appreciate Talcott visiting his grave in Caem after so long. Then she turned and went over to the garage, where Cindy was still working on a car, always one to be working on something - she'd accepted the return of light with only a few comments about the brightness, but fixed that with sunglasses for now.

Which for now, really were tempting.

"I hope the guys can make it back soon, walking or not" Iris admitted, having to raise a hand briefly; the sun's gleam gave a nasty reflection. "You excited for that, Cindy?"

Still underneath the car, she couldn't see Cindy's expression at the moment. "Quite a bit, Iris" Cindy said, almost soft, but certainly excited. "The King suddenly comes back, literally goes and turns on sunlight again after a few days, and stopped all the daemons out there too? Gotta thank him in person for that kinda thing. Plus everything and everyone for miles is going stir-crazy; I'm gonna need Pumpkin back for this here rush of activity."

Iris blinked, trying to make sure she heard right. "'Pumpkin'?" she asked, confused.

"Oh- aw shucks" came from underneath the car; Cindy actually sounded... embarrassed, slightly? Maybe? "A little slip-of-the-tongue after all this here time. But well, cat's out of the bag now; can't turn that one around."

By the end of that statement, Cindy chose to slide out from underneath the car; she didn't look embarrassed as she slowly raised her sunglasses, but there seemed to be something slightly off. "Anyway, 'Pumpkin' is the blonde fella Prompto" she explained, standing up and dusting herself off like usual. "I called him that nickname one time, because his whole face turned red like an orange, and it kinda stuck. He took a liking to it, put simply."

Inwardly, Iris thought this was an unexpectedly juicy detail; it took some effort to keep the mischievous smile off her face.

"Sure sounds silly" she said, trying to keep a straight face, if with a little smile. "But you do know pumpkins are orange, not red, right? And also, why keep that private?"

"'Course I know" Cindy said, before a gleam showed in her eyes. "And I ain't falling for that trickery, Iris. Now if you'll excuse me."

Just like that, the mechanic moved toward the garage, apparently to switch tools or something... though Iris suspected it's just a cover. Still, once Cindy was gone, Iris couldn't help but grin, as it looks like there might actually be something official between Prompto and Cindy-

-even if it's apparently super private, for whatever reason.

The next day

They'd made good time all things considered: his quick meetup with the guys, and their push to get back as soon as possible, probably had something to do with it. Part of him felt he's gonna have some soreness tonight, because of this effort, but at least he didn't have to deal with light-adjustment issues like the guys (save Iggy) were going through. Within a few hundred feet of Hammerhead, they could clearly see that it - and the surrounding area - was a virtual hive of activity, almost like no one could sit still at all. And moreover, there was definitely a team working hard to take down the fences; with nothing to fear from daemons anymore, now they're clearly no longer needed.

It wasn't long before he recognized one of them as Iris, who tore off this section, which fell with a loud clang.

Still, by luck, this allowed her to catch sight of them-

-and once she got close enough: "Noct!"

Noctis made a sound as yet again, Iris had thrown herself at him, though lesser about the force this time- it made his 'aches' flare up slightly, but he barely noticed.

"Is this gonna happen every time?" he asked after a few seconds, slightly playful but feeling warm - evidently this wasn't lost on her, for she wondered, but otherwise grinned big and hugged him close.

"Would you like me to?" she asked, equally playful, leaving him to chuckle. "Could be a regular thing even. Still, you did it- you all did it. Just as I knew you would."

Somehow, he thought her saying 'all' was just being polite; obviously she really meant him, even if she's not wrong.

And the guys seemed to be thinking the exact same thing:

"I think we'd best excuse ourselves" Ignis advised, briefly smirking a little. "Gladio, Prompto, come on. We can plan proper catching-up at a later time."

"Ngh."

"Yeah, let's leave the lovebirds alone" Prompto said easily, but giving him a double thumbs-up; Noctis declined to answer that, except with a hidden side-smile.

"Speaking of lovebirds, Cindy wants you back, 'pumpkin'" Iris called over; Prompto's knee-jerk-surprise reaction would've been hilarious, had this not confused him. "And yes, I accidentally got her to slip up about that, so go on!"

"What are you talking about, Iris?" Noctis asked slowly, glancing over; Prompto had several reactions at once. "...Prompto?"

"Uhhh... long story, will tell you later" the blonde said quickly, aware of everyone's gazes (with Iris still grinning). "But since uh, Iris will probably tell you, Noct, I'm just gonna go ahead with Iggy and Gladio. A-After all, apparently Cindy does need me."

Maybe so, but he wasn't off the hook yet... Noctis looked at their retreating backs for awhile, then at Iris with a raised eyebrow.

She gave a little hum. "I promise I'll tell you, but later" she said easily, one arm through his, and briefly brushing against his fingertips-

-heh, maybe it's just as well.

"Fine, fine" he breathed, giving a little smile and just looking at her - now that they were alone again, he was a bit nervous, but feeling a touch of warmth. Gently, with a slight effort, he had a hand come up and brush against the tips of her hair, which softened her smile, although she did seem a little surprised by this 'forwardness'.

As soon as he leaned forward, eyes slowly closing, she did the same as he gave her a small kiss.

"Mmh. I knew you'd do it, Noct" she whispered, after he'd pulled away. "I knew you'd come back."

"...yeah, I did it" Noctis said eventually, holding her hand up in both of his- that and his tone started cluing her in. "Except... I almost didn't come back."

"What?"

His mouth twisted, feeling a lot of shaky emotions. "There's some things I need to say, Iris. And I know you're not going to like them, but... I need to tell you. I owe you that much" he said, heavier.

Not a word did she say, but Iris's silence seemed to be her answer- when several seconds passed and she didn't move, he pressed on.

"There was a prophecy, which both my dad and Luna knew well before now. They didn't let me know about this, so I could live my life without that burden. It... it said that in order to kill Ardyn and end the plague, I had to kill him in the afterlife... and to do that, I had to die" Noctis continued, low and a little pained; even in his peripheral vision, the shocked everything in Iris's expression stung him a little. "I- I couldn't tell you, Iris, after I came back and learned this. I just wanted you to- to enjoy our time, while I was still..."

In little time, he felt his eyes start to grow wet, and his body shook slightly - vaguely, he registered this delayed reaction: he's much more affected than he realized. Iris's grip had grown tight, and she was struggling to process everything... she didn't say a word, not make a sound...

"I hated lying to you, but I thought it was... for the best. Forgive me."

Her grip tightened until it started becoming painful, and Noctis saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes too, along with her quivering lip. Then she seemed to shudder, before trying to speak, though at first it came out so faint he couldn't hear...

"...T-Then, how- why are you-?" she whispered, struggling. "Noct..."

He slowly pulled her against him, free hand moving over her back, while she didn't move (except for maintaining her grip on his other hand). "I made my peace with dying" he said, a little unsteady before taking in a breath. "I did die, and killed Ardyn... but then Luna- she made it so that I-"

Before he could say more, Iris suddenly let go of his hand/moved away from his embrace, and grasped both his cheeks in her hands. Not a split-second later, still partly with tears in her eyes, she kissed him hard - some startled sound escaped his mouth, but evidently she didn't hear this. At some point, Noctis managed to break out of his shock (somewhat) and tried to kinda-return the favor, slowly holding her back, though he didn't have much clue how to respond beyond that. Iris kept things up for what seemed like a full minute, before finally they broke apart for air, several seconds passing...

"Noct" she breathed, low in volume and a lot of emotions bubbling underneath, but steady.

For a moment he was surprised (added onto the shock of her kiss); despite everything she's feeling, Iris is managing to keep her composure, with an effort.

After this sunk in: "Y- Yeah?" he whispered.

Iris made a sound, but wiped away her tears, her eyes brimming with intensity. "Tell me everything" she said, and he moved slightly. "Everything after you left for Altissia. If I'm to understand what you've been through, why everything happened, and how I feel... I need to know, right now."

Noctis looked at her for a little, truly seeing how much stronger she's gotten, and not just physically- he appreciated that, and it even comforted him in a way.

"...That'll take a little while, Iris, but you got it" he breathed, sincere.

Inwardly, he was still flustered from what happened, but all things considered he's okay; he wanted it to stay that way, and- and even get better overtime.

...

Hammerhead

Fairly later

All those times she'd been sad, shocked, and struggling when dark stuff just kept happening? It happened again as she listened to Noct's tale, if mostly near the end this time.

The parts about fighting Leviathan, slogging toward Gralea, and even the dark revelations of daemons and the empire- Iris already knew the basics thanks to outside sources, and the extra details didn't surprise her much anymore. Everything other than that was a different story, including her initial thoughts about this apparent prophecy - it explained a lot, including about how King Regis knew about the empire's trap, why he sent Noct/the guys/her away, and even why Lunafreya was so insistent on communing with the Six, even to the point of it killing her. Her feelings were mixed on that front, but then it became worse when she heard what Noct had gone through, including learning that he had to die. And because of that, deciding that he didn't want to get her hopes up anymore, at least until he'd seen Lunafreya... because she knew what was to happen, she'd encouraged him.

Noct didn't know what she'd been planning, but it worked; he'd decided to oblige Luna, at least to a degree. In hindsight, it was no wonder now that he was so suddenly so, well 'forward' with her several days ago, even if they didn't do anything crazy - had she not been so dazed, maybe she would've picked up on this much sooner.

Still, Iris was glad that he omitted the details of how he died - that she could live without hearing; just the fact was bad enough.

Then hearing about Lunafreya's next task, and in return for this, letting Noct live out his life- she really did care for him.

For awhile, they were both silent, Noct having caught up the present and her just trying to digest everything- Iris tightened her hand over his, but he said/did nothing. In fact, this entire time she'd held his hand just to convince herself he's still here, and he must've realized this... it was helping more than she could express.

"So" Noct breathed after a little, faint; in her peripheral vision, she saw his head tilt toward her somewhat. "Iris... how do you feel?"

Her mouth twisted, and Iris took in a breath, gaze tilted down.

"I was mostly just sad at everything you went through, why all this happened, and those that died because of it. I still kinda am" she whispered, grip tightening even more, but he didn't protest. "I get why you acted as you did, Noct, I do, but it's just- part of me wishes you'd told me that you were going to die. For a time, I was even a little angry, but that's gone - after everything that's happened, I'm just relieved that it's all over now."

He said nothing, just listening.

"But while that's true, I'm also- I'm glad too" Iris breathed, a little shaky as she suppressed a sob; she lifted her head, seeing Noct's small gaze. "Why wouldn't I be? Because despite how close we all came to losing you... y-you still came back, Noct. I can never repay Lunafreya for that, or thank her for what she's doing right now."

His mouth twitched, but managed a little lip curve as he glanced at the sky.

"Maybe not for awhile, but you never know" Noct breathed, still faint, but trying to be reassuring. "Luna watched over me, even after death. I'm sure she'll hear any thanks you have to give, Iris, if you'd like that."

"...Mmh, I'll keep that in mind."

"Yeah. Is that all?"

She took a few seconds. "Only- only the urge to hug you tight, and never let you go."

It was a weak joke, but it still made him react, half-flustered inwardly and half making a (brief) chuckle-like noise.

Iris cracked a smile, feeling better at the sight of that. "But I know you wouldn't appreciate that" she breathed, slightly lighter. "And I'd never go that far. I'm just so happy that you're here, Noct, more than I can express right now..."

Noct glanced at their joined hands for a moment. "Me too" he admitted, gaze a little faraway. "It's gonna take awhile, before all this truly sinks in."

She sat closer, which got his attention, particularly when she leaned her head against his shoulder. When nothing else happened, he began to settle against the gesture, if a bit hesitant - after all, he's still not really experienced with this kind of affection, though technically neither is she, confidence aside.

But let things take time.

"So what now, Noct?" she asked, softer- at first it took a little effort to sound that way, but it gradually got easier. "What will you do as King?"

A little sound, but somehow she could tell he's smiling, if only a little. "As far as everyone, I've been thinking about that. I'll start outlining the short-term goals fairly soon."

"Mmh, can't wait."

Then he shifted a little, leaving her to glance at him- he'd turned his head, looking at her now.

"Any plans of your own?" Noct asked, sincere.

"Besides the obvious?" Iris answered, slightly teasing- he managed to keep the smile, still looking at her. "Well I have a few ideas, but I'll wait till after your announcements, so that I can adjust. Plus, some of them are a little 'forward' to say right now."

He got a small raised eyebrow. "You've never hesitated about being forward with words, Iris" Noct said knowingly, a little warm. "Case-in-point, our 'date' in Lestallum."

She felt pretty warm herself, just to hear him remember that- though, part of that might've been their close contact.

"Even still" Iris breathed, returning the knowing tone.

"As you wish" he whispered, mouth moving a little. "But speaking of that 'date'... that may not have been official, but the- but the next will be."

"So that's your official answer?" Iris asked, even softer.

A moment where he glanced away, inwardly-nervous, but otherwise still smiling. "Well, yeah" he said simply, a little warmer. "I- I wouldn't mind that, Iris. In fact... I'd rather like it."

Leaning up, she made sure to kiss the corner of his lips- the kiss itself wasn't surprising to him, but that particular way of doing so was. She enjoyed that sight, as she did the way he 'struggled' from the affection, but her only follow-up was to lean against him again and close her eyes, gradually feeling happy and content again.

After everything, the physical sensation of Noct at her side, his warmth- she intends to enjoy that as much as possible.

"That's really good to know, Noct. Wouldn't mind if you said it again."

"...of course you wouldn't."

The reunion side of things, whereas the next (and last) chapter will also get into the wider scope stuff, or at least a beginning of such.