A/N: Now for some filler. Enjoy~
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story idea, in conjunction with Milaya Milen Zeal. She wrote Noctis's and Zidane's parts.
Nothing Without A Soul
Chapter 21
"Come on, Aranea! Go hang out with Kuja and Josh! The Chocochicks are really cute, and I bet you'll fall in love with them!" Prompto pleaded. Zidane and Prompto were trying to convince Aranea to hang out with Kuja more, as part of the little plan to get the two together.
Aranea laughed at the Genome's plea, before she shook her head. "All nice and cozy, kid, but I don't have time to be loafing around, kay?"
"Aw c'mon! You can afford like one hour off your schedule, right?" Zidane complained with a small groan.
"Hon, I don't even have a minute."
"Oh come on!"
"You deserve to take a breather, Aranea," Prompto pointed out, changing tactics. "Besides, you'll get to see how excited Josh gets with the chicks."
Though she seemed prepared to decline again, when Prompto mentioned Joshua, she seemed to hesitate. In the end, though, she shook it off. "How long has he been here now?" she asked. "I'm sure the novelty's worn off by now…"
"Actually, wasn't Josh beggin' his Pops if he could take one home?" Zidane suddenly asked of Prompto, a small smirk threatening to break through.
"Nice job on remembering that! I totally forgot!" Prompto nodded, smiling. "I'm sure he'd love one."
"Yeah…ya think he's figured out which he wants, yet?" Zidane wondered, while peeking out from under his bangs to Aranea, whose fingers were twitching against her spear, now.
"I dunno, that's Joshua's choice," Prompto shrugged innocently.
"True…hey Ara—…aaaand she's off," Zidane laughed.
"I'm good like that," Prompto grinned.
Zidane chuckled as he looked over to his friend. "Lu and Noct were at the pen already, right?"
"Yup. Let's let 'em know she's en route," the pregnant male nodded, pulling his phone out and texting Noctis.
"Nice!"
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
"Papa! Papa! Look!" Joshua cried out, one of the Chocochicks settled on top of his head.
Kuja chuckled as he looked up from his notes. "Cute, dear, just be careful they don't tug your hair out."
"They won't!"
"They really seem to have taken a liking to you, huh Joshua?" Luna giggled.
Joshua giggled happily as the chicks all huddled around him, while the one on his head got comfy. Noctis allowed a chuckle as he watched the boy have fun…just as his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
"Hm?" Pulling it out, he briefly swiped the screen to read the message he'd just received.
'Aranea's on her way! Better clear out!' Prompto's text read, with a smiling Chocobo emoji at the end.
Smirking briefly, Noctis typed back, 'Just make sure you don't miss it.'
Once he'd put it back in his pocket, he turned to Luna with a sigh. "Mikoto's looking for you. Said she wants to check on the baby."
"Right, of course she does," Luna laughed lightly. "I don't know why she insists, but I guess since it'll be a Genome like Zidane…" Looking at Kuja and Joshua, she smiled. "We're going to head out. We'll catch you later, okay?"
"Aaawww…kay," Joshua said with a small pout.
Kuja merely hummed as he finished one of his notes. "Very well…give Mikoto my regards."
"Of course," Noctis said as he led Luna away from the pen quietly. Once they were out of earshot, he whispered, "She should be here soon."
"I figured as much," she whispered back, an amused smile curving her lips.
Just as Luna finished that, they heard the familiar clicking of Aranea's armored boots hitting the paved path, which immediately had them ducking into the bushes to avoid her. And just in time as she silently walked over, her spear lightly slung over her shoulders.
"And there she is…" Noctis murmured.
"And now to watch," Luna breathed.
Just as she said that, there was a tap on her and Noctis's shoulders, making them glance over. "Are we late?" Zidane whispered softly.
"Nope. Right on time," Noctis said with a smile.
"We just managed to avoid her," Luna added.
"Awesome. Now to wait for the perfect timing," Prompto smirked.
"I'll get in position, then!" Zidane whispered with a grin, just before he scaled one of the nearby trees.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
"Kwih kwih!" the Chocochicks chirped as they hurried on after Joshua as the boy scampered around the pen, giggling happily.
Kuja merely smiled as he occasionally looked over even as he continued writing his notes.
"Busy, Boss?"
"Hm?" Looking up over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow curiously. "Oh? And what brings you here, dear?"
"Oh nothing much," Aranea said with a light chuckle. "May I sit?"
"Go ahead, dear."
Prompto, meanwhile, readied his Chocobo whistle while he occasionally glanced at Zidane. As Aranea plopped down on the bench next to Kuja, who was still taking notes on occasion, Zidane scooted along a branch on his stomach, his tail curled around the branch to keep him in place. Joshua was still playing and was now going over to Sora and petting her on the neck gently as the chicks crowded around.
Smirking, Zidane reached into his collar and pulled out a small Chocobo whistle, placing it between his lips lightly. 'Get ready, Prom…'
'Ready when you are,' the taller blonde smirked back, his own whistle ready at his lips. Smirking lightly, Zidane watched for a moment longer, before he took a deep breath…
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
"Kid seems happy, hmm?" Aranea murmured as she set up her spear so it was well out of the way.
"Hmhmm…" Kuja hummed as he scribbled something down. "He wants to take one of them home, too," he said with a small sigh.
"Oh? That a bad thing?" Aranea chuckled.
"'Bad'. No," the Genome admitted. "However, I fear the dear doesn't yet realize that raising a Chocobo is hardly as easy as he believes it to be."
"Oh I'm sure it's not that hard, love," the pale-haired woman murmured, and Kuja merely hummed at the endearment.
"I beg to disagree…" he murmured…just as a peculiar sound reached his ears and he looked around. 'What…? A whistle…?'
Sora immediately snapped to attention, and suddenly put her head under Joshua's legs, making the boy yelp as he was suddenly lifted up on her beak as she stood up. "Whoa!"
Choking in slight alarm, Kuja almost immediately put down his notes and stood up, with Aranea not far behind. "Joshua!"
Prompto then blew on his whistle, drawing the attention of Chichiri.
"…! Kweh!" the other Chocobo chirped as he trotted over as Aranea vaulted over the fence, whereas Kuja moved through the actual entrance of the pen.
"Kiddo, get off of there!" Aranea called out as she held out her arms to Joshua.
"But it's so nice up here!" Joshua giggled with a smile.
"Yoshya Kiryu!" Kuja called out firmly, and the boy flinched. "This is not a joking matter! So just—wha?!"
"Whuh—WAH!" Aranea yowled as she moved to catch Kuja, only for them both to end up on the floor with cries of surprise.
"Wah! Papa! Ara!" Joshua cried in alarm as he looked down. "Are you okay?"
"Nrgh… I suppose that depends on what one considers 'okay'…" Kuja hissed as he pushed himself up to his arms.
"Ow…yeah, definitely…"
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Zidane almost burst out laughing, barely managing to cover his mouth to keep the sound from escaping.
Noctis was able to hold himself together a little better…though only a little bit. Luna giggled quietly, while Prompto bit his lip to keep himself from snickering.
Grinning widely, Zidane looked over to the others. 'Ready for the last phase, Prom?'
'Ready and waiting!' Prompto nodded eagerly.
'Right! On three…two…one…!'
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
"Ugh…ya alright, Boss?" Aranea asked as she pushed up on her elbows.
"Hm? Am I alright?" Kuja questioned curiously, head tilted to the side. "I believe the question should be—"
But before he could finish the question, a pair of whistles resounded and as Sora curled her neck, making Joshua yelp as he rolled down her neck, Chichiri dipped his head down and shoved it against Kuja's back pushing him down and making his arms slide out from under him as he gasped in surprise.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
'SCORE!' Zidane cried out mentally, using both hands to now cover his mouth and stop himself from laughing.
'We are geniuses!' Prompto crowed through their connection as he buried his face in his arm to stifle his giggles. Noctis had to actually cover his own mouth as his shoulders shook from his attempt to stifle his laughter. And Luna did the same, trying desperately not to laugh out loud.
While Joshua was trying to right himself again, Kuja and Aranea could only stare at each other, their eyes wide in shock, before Kuja swiftly pushed off from the ground and away, breaking the 'accidental kiss' rather abruptly. "I…well…that was…" He paused to clear his throat. "Apologies for that, dear," he said as he helped Aranea to sit up.
"Ah, no sweat…" she quipped, her cheeks still more than a little red. "That…was a bit awkward, though…"
"And a little too well timed…" Kuja murmured with a small frown as he stood up, pulling Aranea up with him.. Once Joshua had righted himself (having completely missed what had just happened), blinking at the pair in confusion as Kuja rubbed his temples. And then he took a breath and shouted, "ZIDANE TRIBAL AND PROMPTO ARGENTUM!"
"Oh crap!" Zidane hissed. "RUN FOR IT!"
"Shit!" Prompto hissed, and the group swiftly took off, fleeing the scene as fast as they could manage, considering Prompto's and Luna's current states.
"I swear, when I get my hands on those little rascals…" Kuja snarled softly.
"…Papa?" Joshua asked cautiously from Sora's back. "Is…is something wrong?"
Kuja regarded his son for a moment, before he glanced to Aranea. Said woman looked back with a raised eyebrow and a small, cheeky smirk on her face. This made Kuja sigh theatrically before he moved over and lifted Joshua up. "No, dear, nothing's wrong."
"…sure?" Joshua asked slowly.
"Oh sure he's sure, kiddo. See?" Aranea quipped cheekily as she grabbed Kuja by his collar and suddenly yanked him in into another kiss before he had a chance to react. Which, of course, had Joshua staring for a while before she pulled away again.
Kuja blinked, twice, before he said simply, "Well…that was sudden."
"Oh? Do I hear a complaint?"
"Hmm…Joshua, dear?"
Joshua blinked in surprise, unsure why he was being addressed, before it clicked and he smiled, rapidly shaking his head. "Nuh-uh."
"Well, that answers that…" Kuja said with a small shrug—right as his tail suddenly coiled around Aranea's waist and pulled her in with a yelp. Not that that sound lasted long.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
"…okay, I don't think he's actually following us…" Zidane gasped out after a while.
"Holy shit…! This is why…I shouldn't…run while…pregnant…" Prompto panted as he leaned his back against a nearby wall.
"Same…" Luna agreed tiredly, bracing herself with her hands on her knees. Once Noctis had caught his breath, he moved over and gently rubbed his bond's shoulders.
"Well…" Zidane gasped out as he wrapped an arm around Luna. "At least the plan worked!"
"Yeah, really," Prompto nodded.
"Right, so…" Zidane started with a grin, "shall we tell Miko bout it?"
Noctis laughed at those words. "I'm sure she'd want to know, yeah."
"Definitely," Prompto and Luna smiled. With that decided, the two couples made their way to medical, where Mikoto was working quietly (as she always was). When she noticed them coming, she immediately seemed to notice something was off and she sighed exasperatedly.
"What did you do?" she asked.
"Hey! What makes you think we did anything?!" Zidane asked with a mock-pout.
"Lucky guess."
"We set up Kuja and Aranea to kiss," Prompto smirked, and Luna giggled at the memory.
"You did…?" Mikoto started, before she groaned and put her hand to her forehead…but they could tell she was smiling regardless. "Was that necessary?"
"Yes," Zidane and Prompto said in unison and matching grins.
Mikoto merely chuckled softly. "I'm surprised he hasn't tried to attack you for it…"
"Who says he didn't?" Zidane said with a grin.
"Oh for…"
"Don't worry, Mikoto. I'm sure everything will be fine," Luna assured her.
"Given that he hasn't chased us this far, I'd say that's a given," Noctis added with a chuckle of his own.
"…you boys are all impossible," Mikoto chuckled out, before she turned serious. "In any case…now that you're here, do you want to check on the children?"
Zidane hummed, before he looked to Luna.
"That would probably be a good idea," Luna nodded. Prompto nodded as well. Mikoto nodded and gestured for Prompto and Luna to come over and settle on the cots. Once they were lying down, Mikoto began to move her hands gently but firmly along their pregnant bellies.
Zidane and Noctis, in the meantime, moved over to settle on chairs beside the beds. Prompto waited patiently as Mikoto did her exam, and when she moved over to Luna, he felt the triplets kick, making him smile. Luna did the same, remaining still for the Genome as she felt around on Luna's stomach, too. Once finished, the pair looked at her.
"How'd everything check out, Mikoto?" Prompto inquired.
"Well, aside from the constant kicking on your end, Prompto," she said, looking pointedly at his stomach as if the kids could actually hear her, "all five of them seem to be holding up fine."
Zidane blinked twice at those words, before he asked, "Oy, Miko…did you just say…?"
"I did."
"We're…having twins?" Luna breathed, shocked.
"Yes," Mikoto confirmed solemnly. This made Luna look at Zidane, a soft, warm smile on her face.
"Sounds like you guys aren't too far behind us, now," Prompto chuckled.
"Oh yeah, laugh it off and we'll see who'll be having the most trouble," Zidane laughed out, before he reached out and took hold of Luna's hand in his own, squeezing it lightly. Prompto took hold of Noctis's hand himself, and lightly squeezed it, too.
Noctis smiled as he squeezed right back, giving him a small nod, before he mouthed silently (without anyone noticing), "I love you."
"Love you, too," Prompto whispered back.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
That night, at dinner, Regis entered the dining room with a pleasant surprise for the group. He came in with a man that appeared to be as old as the King himself, but looked more aged because of the wrinkles adorning his face. He wore a mechanic-like outfit, and his cap covered most of his gray hair.
"Everyone, this is Cid," Regis announced. "He's the man who will be constructing the headpiece to block Jenova."
Cid allowed a small half-grin as he tipped his cap slightly in greeting. "Charmed, I'm sure," he said casually.
Zidane blinked with his fork still in his mouth, while Noctis hummed curiously as he regarded the man. He faintly remembering hearing his father mention Cid before, from his days before becoming King, but he'd never actually met him until that point. He seemed nice enough, though. Prompto gave a small wave, seeing as he had a mouthful of food he was chewing on.
"Nice to meet you, Cid," Luna greeted, seeing as she had been the only one without food in her mouth.
"He'll be staying on the ground floor near the parking garage so he can work on the headpiece. If you have any questions for him, don't hesitate to ask," Regis told them.
Zidane took a moment to swallow the bite he still had his mouth, before he quipped with a small smirk, "Sure it's gonna be alright? It's not the easiest thing to make, yanno?"
Though Noctis looked over in slight alarm, Cid laughed at the slight taunt. "Oh just you wait, boy; I'll have your little hat ready before you know what hit you."
Prompto swallowed his own mouthful, before he smiled at Cid. "Thanks for making it. You're a huge help."
"Heh, save yer thanks for when I finish up, arrite?"
Noctis nodded his head, while Zidane merely grinned, his tail swaying slightly behind him.