This chapter came out way easier than I thought. I tried to cover everyone in it, but it was getting a bit long. We have some character development, a short Noctluna scene and some much needed Ignea. The Fleuret siblings also get time together. Prompto needs a break from all the attention.
I don't really know when next chapter will come out. A part of it is already written, but school is going to need my undivided attention for the next few weeks. I feel a bit stressed out as I look at the daunting tasks in front of me and the last few weeks were far too warm for comfort, my brain put on autopilot for most of it. To make a short story out of this, autumn was late and is really welcome. And I need to catch some advance on school work. My thesis is no less ambitious than this story. XD
As a side note, I saw some pictures from that Ignis' episode. I try not to look at too many things from it, I don't like to spoil myself with the "extra" content if I can avoid it. I hope I can get everyone to Altissia before the episode comes out though. And knowing I'll get to see more of Ravus in-game is a really, really nice prospect. I give him a bit more background in today's chapter. I hope you'll like it.
As a fair warning, Ignis and Aranea are crossing a few lines with some near explicit smut. It's not crude, you know me, but it's veering to a more M rating for the last four pages of this chapter.
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Unexpected
Chapter 53 – Lick our wounds
Ardyn sighed at the mess the capital was in. He'd lost his right-hand man too, but didn't exactly mind. The worst part was to see the Citadel, walls and towers nearly corroded by the passage of his swarm of daemons.
Nothing will ever survive me. Unless he can get strong enough.
How he wanted to reach that point, where he'd wait for the young prince, sitting on his throne, rightful owner of the Caelum's legacy. Next to him, Otto-2 didn't utter a sound. The blond man knew it was better not to disturb a mad man during his plotting. He checked for the nth time the commlink he used to share with his brethren. The signals were all lost. 1 had been a fool. And Prompto was still alive. Ardyn had argued the gunman was broken, that no one could get back up from such an ordeal. But Otto-2 had doubts. He knew his place and preferred to keep it, no matter how much anger and hatred fueled his rotten heart. He didn't need to get revenge from Prompto, Ardyn or some stupid prince.
He was getting back at the man who'd decided a clone had no right for a life of his own.
"What's your weapon of choice, Otto-boy?" Ardyn asked, finally taking his eyes off the crown city.
The nickname irked him and his answer was stronger than he'd wanted.
"Why? You need me to fight now?"
He was pretty sure that he could have make a difference out there if Otto-1 hadn't been his obstinate dick-self.
"That spine didn't save any of your brothers."
"I have a gun and a sword. But I can fight with anything I get my hands on."
"Well, well, Otto-boy, you're getting a promotion. Would you like a new number to come with it?" Ardyn offered, his smirk insufferable.
"We could drop the number. Since there's not really a point to them anymore."
"Good thinking. I think I made a good choice, keeping you by my side. Now, we have some shopping to do. I need me real clothes."
Otto-2 rolled his eyes mentally, but followed nevertheless. Survival was all about being useful. And the Six knew how far he was ready to go if it means surviving until he could achieve his goal.
…
Noctis hadn't expected the huzzahs from the people still standing by Insomnia's gates. Cor needed support from Ignis to walk despite getting a treatment from Luna and Monica's coughing hadn't calmed down yet. Crowe was still in Gladiolus's arms, despite her few protests. He'd put her down once and she'd collapsed instantly, entirely spent by her efforts. What she remembered from her fight with Ace, she didn't want to share just yet. Prompto and Cindy didn't exchange a word. If anything, Prompto was growing a little more absent with every passing hour. He was slowly realizing what had happened. And what he'd done. Killing Otto-1 out of fear, like he'd done with 15 as a child.
"Boy, are we glad to see you, guys," Libertus declared.
He limped from both legs now, which made his walk awkward, as though he was permanently drunk. Luna instantly offered to treat him, but her face was pale, dark bags under her eyes and Noctis was glad the man refused her help. She'd already pushed herself far enough.
"How's the travel back to Free Crown going?" Noctis asked.
"A third of the refugees has reached our city as we speak. It's going to be a little crowded, but the trucks are coming back to pick up more. And I have one with all of your names on it."
"Driving all the way to Free Crown?" Aranea deduced. "I could drop asleep right here and now."
Cor offered a compromise:
"We need to get away from here, that much is clear. But Monica had her hunter's camp renovated last month. It would only be an hour's ride. Plus, we can check back…"
He went silent as Monica coughed some more, his face turning dark with worry.
"We need a nurse or two, outside of our resident healers," he added.
"Yeah, we all do," Libertus shot back.
He would have gone with them only to get a report about Crowe status, since she looked the worst for wear out of them all, but he needed to stay and keep organizing the rescue part of the mission. Cor and Monica might have tried to stick around if they'd been in better shape, but relented to follow the prince's retinue.
An hour later, they reached the camp, which was more like a tiny village now, with a few tents and three houses instead of the small huts. Everything had been constructed with the dropships in mind, so they were mostly invisible from the sky.
Noctis was careful to check on every of his friends before to allow himself some alone time with Luna. Cindy wanted to look after Prompto and he didn't mind spending some time alone with her for the night. Every of the guys -minus Ravus and Cor- gave him a brief hug as they separated to go get some rest. Iris insisted to look after Monica's cough, taking residence in her headquarters while Gladiolus vowed to look after Crowe to Aranea, which surprised them all a bit. Aranea hadn't expected herself to be this insistent, but she was mad at herself for failing the first woman she considered as her best friend. She still agreed to stay with Ignis, the advisor offering to prepare food for everyone and deliver it to them in two hours or so. Sampling his cooking firsthand was one of her greatest pleasures in life.
Ravus was fine with having his own tent, while Cor was forced into a bed in Monica's house, since he clearly needed rest after his new feats.
Iris helped Monica clean up and extended her check-up to her lungs, trying out the few techniques Lunafreya taught her.
"Breathe in slowly," the girl cautioned.
The hacking sounds in Monica's chest had Iris wonder why Ignis, who'd stay close to the lady the whole time wasn't affected too.
"I'm really sick of this persistent cough," the cat lady groaned. "There were dirt and tons of dust, but it's not a reas…"
Iris had extended her sense, so that the light in her veins could help her understand the cause underlying that cough.
"You've breathed in some metal dust. And a lot of it too. I think I can remove it, but it won't be a comfortable process," the young healer explained.
Monica trusted her entirely and gave her a stern look when Iris insisted to see if she was certain.
"I can handle pain,"
On the first wince, Cor barged right in, like a wolf watching out for his cubs. Or maybe a lioness worried about her mate. Iris had read that lions were lazy creatures, leaving all the work to the females, so she'd rather dub Leonis as a lioness. It seemed to work when she said it in her head too. Gladiolus would have said she'd stayed in Lestallum for too long, but she still gave the Immortal a dark look. Monica was only wearing a bra and a pair of pants, to facilitate the magic operation and Iris felt pretty outraged for the sudden entrance.
"Don't you know to knock first?" she asked.
"It's not anything he hasn't seen already," Monica whispered, eyeing Cor with a dimpled smile.
"I don't care how he's seen you!" Iris protested. "I'm trying to heal her, I'll take care of you later."
"Young lady, I've taken enough elixirs to…"
"Get to bed already, you can barely stand without support!" Iris retorted.
It was quite easy to talk back, she just had to say whatever she would throw at her brother or Ravus. The thought made her frown mentally, but after giving her an annoyed look and a quick glance to Monica, who gestured for him to follow the doctor's orders, he reluctantly closed the door and walked back to his room.
"You're quite on edge, Iris," Monica noted.
"I was blind a few hours ago and my friends are all messed up from this battle," Iris explained while resuming her healing.
The light was drawing tendrils from each of her fingers, which dove into Monica's skin to reach for the pieces of metal lodged in her system. Iris suspected the coughs were due to irritation from breathing them in too quickly. Ignis might have evaded some of the dust, or inhaled less metal. It didn't really matter. She made quick work of the magic and heaved a deep sigh when she was finally done, her strength receding of two notches.
"You look like you need to lie down," Monica worried.
"No, I just need some food. And something for this headache."
"Why is everyone around our prince always pushing themselves so hard?"
Iris shifted her shoulders, unsure if she had the answer. They had all lost so much already. It seemed normal to hurry towards the potential renewal of their nation. If anything, she need to take her mind off things and grasped at the first idea that came to mind.
"What was that with Cor earlier? Are you two together?"
Monica smiled, finishing to button up her clean blouse.
"I guess we could say that. Not that he'll ever made it official."
"And you're fine with that?" Iris instantly pressed on.
The older woman could tell her interest had picked up for personal reason just from the way the girl leaned in when she started her answer: "At this particular moment in time, I don't mind. I don't need a ring or vain promises. We are together when we can and make the most out of it, while trying to focus on every matter at hands. I'm not so easy to distract, so he's got his work cut out for him."
Iris was surprised by the angle Monica took. There was something quite mature about her vision of this relationship. She knew what she wanted and was content with what she had, or so it seemed.
"But you love him?"
"Yes, I do. Very much so," Monica replied without any hesitation. "Can I ask why those questions are so important to you?"
She had her suspicions, which Iris confirmed with a sigh.
"I'm just trying to figure something out. I don't mean to pry, but I don't really feel comfortable asking this to Luna or even Crowe."
After all, the subject of their love was either her first crush or her big brother. It could get really awkward really fast.
"I don't mind. If anything, it's refreshing to have anyone interested in my love life outside of some drunk hunters."
They laughed together at the notion, although Iris would feel embarrassed if she ever found herself in Monica's situation. From the woman's smile, she could tell Monica was over petty embarrassment like this.
"So, how do you know you love him?"
"That's a really hard question. I do love to see him work himself up like he did a moment ago, or whenever he saves someone else from the empire's clutches. The look in his eyes…"
Her attention drifted and Iris gave her some time to collect her thoughts, wondering why it felt so easier to ask these questions to her. Maybe because she looked a bit like her mother and reminded her of her.
"Does he make you feel safe?"
"Yes, every now and then…" Monica admitted.
"Not all the time?"
"Even Cor the Immortal can't pull that off, not in the time we're living in. And I don't want him breathing down my neck at every minute of the day. He has soldiers to train and operations to run. But when our day is over, if we can catch each other on the phone or around a fireplace, we'll forget how the world is ending for a few hours. And I think somehow, while staying as realistic as we can, we give each other hope."
"But how do you know it's the real deal?"
Monica laughed.
"I don't. I never do. I've loved other men before, either soldiers or civilians. They died or moved on, and it hurt every time. Love is taking a chance on someone, and also on yourself. At least, it is to me. It's real, but there's no deal here. I know it's easier being with him and I know I'll miss him and worry every time we're apart. I hope I'm not bringing you down with my answers, by the way. I'm not much of a romantic."
"I don't know about that. You sound quite taken with him," Iris objected.
And she liked the realist side the former administrator gave to the whole thing.
"What about you? Anyone caught your fancy?"
Iris gazed up with a deer in the headlights look, to which Monica grabbed her hand, quite motherly in her gesture.
"You don't have to answer. But I won't say a word of it."
"I… I don't really know what I feel. He's…"
Iris stopped herself, unsure if she was ready to admit out loud she was even considering showing interest in Ravus Nox Fleuret. He looked good, she was ready to bet her friends back at school would have been pining after him with his bad boy attitude and how rough around the edges he acted. But she was afraid of her feelings. Not so long ago, she was convinced her heart would only belong to Noctis. And she'd moved on, but hadn't it happened too fast?
Monica was patiently waiting, refusing to pressure her in giving a name or any clear details. It was evident Iris didn't need prying, but a confident.
"We've been saving each other all the time, so I don't know if I'm just developing feelings because of the circumstances…"
"Well, there's no easy way around it. With the times we're living in, people with clashing personalities might cling to each other in pure desperation. It's not always a bad thing, as long as the relationship is fair and respectful."
Iris pondered if Ravus could remain fully respectful despite being himself. The man wasn't that bad, but their first encounter had implied a broken arm and the blight on her part. She was past it, after seeing him crying and broken and fighting on their side. Now that she thought of it, she'd seen a lot more different sides to the man than she'd done with most guys she knew. Which might be why…?
"How do I know if it's the right thing to do?"
Monica folded her legs and her arms, giving it some thoughts.
"If something's holding you back, there might be a good reason."
Much to her surprise, Iris's first reaction was to protest. There was no good reason for her to stay away from Ravus. At least not anymore. And that thought helped her clear her mind. If it was that instinctive, why not follow her instinct.
"I think I know what might have been holding me back."
The others' protests whenever she tried to spend time with him, most certainly. And despite Gladiolus's suspicion and Noctis's reserves, Ravus had proved to be respectful and agreeable with her. Hell, he clearly cared about her and did an awesome job of keeping her safe. And despite their rocky start as enemies, she felt safe around him. And it couldn't be the same thing as when she was around her brother. Her heart didn't do somersaults when her brother held her hand or hugged her close.
"Thanks for the talk. I'll go check on…"
"Cor can wait till tomorrow," Monica cut her off. "Why don't you grab a bite and have some sleep first?"
In the morning, Iris wasn't surprised to realize she'd fallen asleep on Monica's bed, her patient sneaking off to spend the night by the Immortal's side.
…
Luna had taken some time to talk with her brother, Noctis waiting for her in the small house Monica had given them for their stay. The constructions served more as temporary apartments than anything else and the Fleuret siblings were standing under a makeshift shelter, so they wouldn't be seen by any passing dropships.
Luna held her brother's hands, her eyes scanning his person for wounds. He'd come out mostly unscathed of the whole ordeal. He was fidgety and on edge, but except for a few more mental scars, he appeared well.
"You really want to be alone?" she insisted.
"You certainly don't need me around at the moment. Go cuddle your prince and rest up…"
He didn't sound bitter, but she could tell something was wrong as his eyes shifted away from hers.
"Rav…"
"I need a shower and to sleep for a few days. Outside of that, there's nothing to worry about," her brother offered, hoping she'd drop it.
"But the fighting's over, and you're still…"
She was so shaken, she might have been projecting her own feelings on him. Ravus barely sighed and the tears gathering in her eyes were already falling down. He wished she would confide in him on what had gotten her in this state, wished he could have kept her off the battlefield and that the blood on her hands didn't belong to people she'd killed. The idea of his sister killing anyone was so ludicrous, but she'd crossed the line long before he joined her team.
"Lunafreya, for Shiva's sake, if you cry, I'm not sure I can…"
Her arms hugged him and he held her back, his own pain echoing with hers. She shouldn't have to feel this way.
"I couldn't save a single one of them. My light burned them instead of…"
For a few seconds, he couldn't breathe. The idea she'd even try to…
"They didn't want to be saved. There's no need for tears or self-loathing," Ravus tried to calm her down.
"When I think I was trying to look out for you…"
She sounded a bit angry at herself for not being able to hold it in only a few minutes longer and her brother stroke her hair in answer. He wasn't quite good at giving comfort, but Luna had never make it particularly hard. She'd always been happy only getting the chance to share a hug or a smile. Today, he decided she could use a small victory and gave in.
"By giving my GPS signal to Iris? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're playing a matchmaking game."
"Would it work?" Luna asked, jumping on this occasion to take her mind off her own fears.
"She's too young. And I've already hurt her and kidnapped her once."
"It does sound bad when you put it like that. But while she's young in age, she's been through enough to mature a lot more than you think. I don't want either of you to get hurt."
"You really ought to stop wishing for the impossible. We're at war."
"Ravus, for the love of Bahamut, can't you drop the tough guy act? It's only me."
She took a step back and realized there was nothing tough about her brother now. He was paler than usual and barely containing his conflicting feelings. His eyes told her all she needed to know.
If I can't make friends, how am I even supposed to make this work?
"You can be charming and even chivalrous," she reminded him.
"But in the long run, that ain't me," he strongly objected. "I'm a control freak and a mad scientist. Until I've found a cure…"
"What are you running from?"
He was out of breath and he could barely say why. But he was trying to give Luna what she wanted. And maybe answering her would help him figure out a way to give Iris her own answers without trespassing the limit he'd set.
"You know I've never allowed myself… I've never wanted anything to do with…"
How many women had to die or get hurt because of his inability to protect them? His mother and Luna had been the first victims. Then the lady offered to him as a mean to keep the Fleuret's line alive. To get an Oracle by any means possible. He'd refused over and over. Until Verstael drugged him and his control was taken away. Even Luna didn't know, and he wasn't going to tell her now.
He'd been a teenager yet, a broody, angry but easily manipulated 17-year-old. He should have been glad Verstael didn't simply clone either of the Fleuret. Or that the girl disappeared from his life with nothing but hazy memories. But Ravus wasn't one to let his existence dictated or his memories hazy. He'd searched high and low, hacking and breaking into every classified folder in the labs. The dark-haired lady had died during an experience and there was no child. The following year, Luna had turned out to be the Oracle, which meant they didn't need a plan B anymore and he could focus on refining his fighting's abilities.
"Brother? Are you still with me?" Luna asked him.
He jumped and nearly backed away from her.
"What's wrong?" she pressed him.
His throat felt too tight as his mind played nasty tricks on him. Warning him Luna might have gone through just as bad and never tell him. Replacing the girl he barely remembered with another girl, a girl he loved, although he'd thought his heart had been steeled hard enough to resist anything.
"It's okay to have her wait, isn't it? Just one year or two. To make sure…"
He sounded way younger now and Luna was shocked. She'd never seen her brother caring this much for anyone. And maybe because it was the first time it mattered, he was a mess.
"From what I've gathered, she'd like to know how you truly feel," Luna stated.
"But how am I supposed to hold it in if she knows?"
"Rav, with everything you hold back, I think you're cutting yourself short. Have faith in yourself."
She gave him another hug, saddened by how stiff he felt now and how he refused to hug her back. There was something else, something truly holding him back.
"If you're this worried of hurting Iris, the worse you can do is to reject her."
"I don't want to do that either. But she gets under my skin with a snap of her fingers," he admitted.
"The more you wait, the worst it will get."
His sigh against her neck made her realize how much her brother was still hiding things from her. She'd perceived his affection for Iris, but never suspected how strong and meaningful it was. She wanted him as happy as she felt with Noctis, and Iris owed someone loyal and strong. But she could understand his hesitation. They weren't talking about a mere 4 years gap. And while he lacked experience regarding love, he had more experience in everything else. If he wasn't intimidating enough as it was.
"Be honest with her. If waiting feels better, you can always wait after admitting the truth. Telling her will take a weight off your shoulders, trust me."
He didn't want to believe her, but he wrapped his arms around her and tried to convey his thanks in that brief embrace.
…
"Everything okay?" Noctis asked his fiancée as she finally stepped into the house.
He'd waited for her, sitting on the floor right next to the door and she gave him a frail smile.
"My brother is never really okay. But we had a good talk. You didn't have to wait…"
Noctis stood up and backed her up to the wall, his hands instantly on either side of her face and his warmth melting the ice she'd called in the capital, which had kept her standing for this long. There was a trembling in his arms and his voice shuddered between his tender kisses.
"I know we should always be in separate groups with our powers, but I… hated not knowing what was happening with you."
She pulled in for a dozen more kisses, not caring for the taste of sweat on his lips or how dirty they were.
"What happened to you, Noct? And how many more fights like this one can we take?"
"I'll tell if you tell. But maybe we should grab a shower first?"
"I'd like that."
They helped each other out of their clothes, discarding the ruined garbs on their way to the bathroom. Luna showed more concerns as she spotted new scars and scratches all over him, but her magic was a small and quiet bundle of fatigue and her prince refused to receive healing from any light. All he wanted were her hands. She had enough bruises for Noctis to insist on lathering her with potion, an endeavor that turned out much hotter than they would have imagined.
The shower was mandatory though and tears flowed as the water ran, their hands clinging to each other, heart starved for affection, bodies moving on their own. She refused to let go of his mouth, claiming kiss after kiss, passion and whimpers mixing together. He wanted to hide inside her forever, but she kept him afloat, gently bringing him down to lie with her in the bathtub, hair saturated, flesh nearly numb. Making love had rarely felt as bitter, the water spray turning cold, but Luna refused to part from him even to turn it off.
Connected but unsated, he gathered her close, skin sticking together, hair splayed out, eyes red and their limbs shivering.
"We're both going to get sick at this rate," he sighed against the pulse of her neck.
"I can still feel it. How the light burned them…"
The cold had numbed her feet, but every sensation was still strong, far too strong. Noctis froze the pipes without thinking, stopping the water before to call forth a few fire balls, their glow giving an ethereal look to Luna's skin.
"We did what we had to. Or should we have asked Prompto to kill each and every of his clones? Trap them somewhere to have them executed?"
It costed him to even suggest so, but he didn't see much more way to find peace with their operation since it was so fresh.
"They were so sad…"
"I know. I only spoke with one of them. But I really don't know how to face Prompto now."
She cupped his face, comprehension and apologies in her eyes. They were both open, but it felt safe, no matter if they were cold, sore and shivering. A knock on the door broke part of the magic, as Noctis remembered Ignis' proposition of bringing them all food.
"Anyone home?" Aranea called out from the front door.
"Shit!"
He tried disentangling himself from Luna to get up and find a towel or something, but his princess took over.
"You can drop the food by the entrance, thank you Aranea!" Luna urged their visitor.
"Sure thing. I told you Iggy, we would be disturbing them."
"You kids remember to catch some sleep," the advisor shot back, the amused smile nearly visible in his voice.
Noctis was tomato red by then and sort of glad he noticed a blush on Luna's face as they gingerly got to their feet, the front door shutting off in the distance.
"This was nearly too normal," he whispered, wrapping a towel around her shoulders before to secure one for himself.
"I hope one day, normal can happen to us on every single day," Luna declared.
His heart ached at the remembrance of how abnormal her life had been before. And he pulled her in for another kiss, deciding they might as well get lost together for the time being. It didn't entirely push the lingering pain away. But for now, they both needed the distraction. And to remind themselves they were still perfectly alive.
…
Ignis had made quick work of the 10 different menus he'd planned. He was simply trying to make everyone's favorite, as a way to ease some of the tension the ordeal had caused. Aranea complained about how complicated he was making things, when all of them only needed nutritious food and a one or two night of rest, but she still gave him a hand. They were both feeling guilty for not having it as hard as the others out there. The small cuts and bruises they sported were proofs of their own struggles, but they hadn't had to kill an Otto in a duel like Noctis or Luna, or to face the son of their arch enemy like Crowe.
"Stir it a bit faster," Ignis asked her as he mixed some spices into a sauce and checked on the various meats' cooking.
"I think I'd like to stir you out of your autopilot cooking mission."
The phrasing made him look up with one raised eyebrow. He washed up and kicked off his preparations while she took a quick shower. She'd slipped into a pair of jeans and a light shirt, feeling a little better in normal clothes than she used to do a few months ago. She was bare-foot and Ignis couldn't wait to ask her how things had gone on her side, but he was still turning the whole situation with Otto-1 around in his head.
Prompto had explained his capture and what appeared to be Ardyn's plan. The curse had been strong and convincing, but it was still a mystery why Otto-1 had decided to join such a large group of Prompto's friends instead of finding a single one of them and using isolation and the chaos to his advantage. But maybe did he want to keep an eye on Prompto? No matter what the reason could have been, Ignis was convinced he could have done better. From the single test with Monica's name, it had been clear who they were up against. So why not take out the fake? Because he had Prompto's face? Because he couldn't bring himself to follow through with logic, like he usually did?
A timer rang, soon followed by three more of them and he quickly finished preparing the various meals, focusing his entire mind on the task at hand. Aranea helped make the plates after some cuddling, since her first reaction was to argue she couldn't make them as well as him. They delivered the first plates to Prompto and Cindy. Cindy showed at the door, wearing a long shirt that somehow covered her thighs and not much else. Prompto didn't give a sign of life, but they both knew he was in good hands. Gladiolus and Crowe were next, Gladio appearing at the door with a towel in his hands, which were still damp.
"She's taking a bath," he declared to Aranea's silent question. "I'll make sure she eats up. Don't go and pushing yourself too hard, Iggy. Or you, dragoon lady."
"As soon as we've eaten our own share, I'm catching some Zs," the lady retorted.
Iris was happy to see them and kept them over for a bit, needing an explanation about the whole ordeal she'd missed regarding Prompto. Aranea went ahead to deliver Ravus' food, which he barely acknowledged, lost deep in thoughts after his talk with his sister.
"So he nearly got killed?"
"You fixed his knee yourself, he's walking fine now," Ignis reminded her.
"And all the MTs we fought were… clones of him? Not just today, but before too?"
The strategist grimaced, but gave her the truth.
"It appears so. Although I'd like to argue that despite the advances of technology and what cloning can do, each individual will remain slightly different. Prompto might have a lot more lookalike than the average person. But that doesn't take away his individuality."
"Iggy, I never said it made Prompto any less of Prompto."
"I think I'm just trying to come to terms with it myself," Ignis whispered while replacing his glasses.
"He's going to need all the support he can get," they added nearly at the same time.
"How long do you think we'll be staying here?"
"Not too long. Ardyn was there after all and we have no idea what his aim could be yet."
That clearly got Ignis even more worked up than he already was and Iris nudged him in the shoulder.
"We can worry about this tomorrow morning, don't you think? You had to look after me, and Prompto and Monica. It was a lot to ask."
"Some undercover mission we made…" he sighed. "How are your eyes?"
Gladiolus had nearly broke into a fit when he'd heard what had happened to his sister. He'd thanked Ravus for looking after her and didn't even make a comment on the fact the man had had a way of finding her. At this rate, he only cared of the end results and Iris was grateful that Ravus didn't get more glares from the others. He'd done his part and got out of the whole deal far better than most of them. But that might only be because he wasn't attached to Prompto like they were and that most of the enemy had been wearing his face.
"Iggy, the royals' food will get cold at this rate," Aranea observed.
They exchanged brief salutation and left, Iris bringing the food to Cor and Monica, which were deep in conversations in their shared room.
The final delivery left Ignis and Aranea with a smile and a few ideas of how they should spend their own night alone. The former commodore ate her food with gusto while Ignis mostly observed her, nibbling at his dish and forcing every new bite down. She'd suggested wine, which he denied her. He wanted to stay in full control of his senses to properly analyze their operation and why it had come so close to fail. It was hard to have all the information they needed when facing the empire. There was so many different actors and all of them had different goals. But he still blamed himself.
"Stop that," Aranea asked him.
"What?"
"Stop thinking about it. It won't change what happened. You did well, and I don't know how you knew he was telling the truth, but your decisions saved Prompto. Everyone agreed to listen to your advice, even Monica, who's a senior officer compared to you, unless I'm mistaken."
"Well… I don't really have a military position. I'm Noctis's advisor..."
"And cook, barber, chauffeur, personal attendant and… wait, I forgot one of your tasks… Oh, right! His best friend too."
That brought out a smile and he relaxed slightly in his chair, shoulders dropping a notch.
"What happened to you to get separated from Gladio so fast?" Ignis asked.
"We were much closer to the swarm than the rest of you," Aranea confessed. "Since Cindy isn't a fighter, I tried to give them more time and dove right at the daemons."
She didn't want to mention how flying scared her to death. She doubted he needed to be reminded of their common fear of cliffs right now.
"And then you just flew over the whole city and checked on the refugees?"
Her fork fell in her plate, clattering abruptly and she leaned back in her chair, lips churning.
"I'd rather be able to warp around or jump a bit higher than fly like that…"
"Aria…"
"I'm not going to end up in tears this time!" she decided, clapping her hand on the table as if to show her resolve. "But I would have skewered Ardyn if his arguments didn't make some semblance of sense before you showed up."
Ignis' chair scrapped against the floor as he pulled it around the table and sat right by her side. Their hands linked and the food lay forgotten as their eyes locked together.
"I would have stabbed him if he'd try anything funny. But then that… guy popped in and didn't call me out on the fake name. And instead of getting rid of him right there, I waited for things to unfold," Ignis begrudgingly reminded her.
"It's one thing to spare an enemy, but it's an entirely different one to kill someone wearing your friend's face."
They were trying to hold back all the dark thoughts that threatened to swallow them whole. Aranea was convinced that killing Prompto, even by accident, would have gotten her kicked out of the team. She didn't want any new hard feelings coming between Ignis and her. They'd worked around enough already. If it wasn't enough, the very idea of killing a friend made her sick to her stomach.
"Lingering on it now isn't doing anyone any good," he sighed, taking off his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose.
"Someone looks tense."
"I thought that was my natural state," he quipped half-heartedly.
But Aranea was getting to her feet already, wondering if removing a few knotted muscles couldn't ease his mind and eventually hers. At this rate, he was going to mentally berate himself for the next week or even more.
"I'll do your back if you do mine," she offered.
He looked at her worriedly, not used to such attention, but her hands undid the top buttons of his shirt and freed his neck and upper shoulders, before to turn his head forward again. A single squeeze to the muscles in his neck warned her this wouldn't be an easy job.
"Help me here, concrete man."
"I haven't agreed ye… owww!"
"Don't be a baby," she chided him.
Her hands were strong albeit small and her grip was confident. The calluses from her spear wielding would have most people recoil at the roughness, but he couldn't pull away from her. The cool, refreshing touch soon turned warm and the pain of his strained muscles receded as she worked her way down his neck, one shoulder at a time. Ignis found himself leaning into her hands and wishing for less clothes in the way. He made quick work of his shirt, pretending the wrinkles in it were intolerable. He relinquished a delighted sigh as her fingers trailed up his spine and skidded along his nape to massage his scalp. She soon went back to work on his shoulders, forced to put some of her weight into it, but he relaxed a little more as he slowly gave himself up to her ministrations.
"So, how are we feeling now?" she whispered into his ear, leaning close enough to make him slightly uncomfortable.
He was torn between staying still under her touch or giving her back the attention, with due compensation too.
"Well cared for," Ignis answered. "You know, there's no need…"
"I want to see how long it takes for you to really react."
More than a sigh, she wanted a moan or a whine out of his throat. While it sounded like a challenge, Ignis had to admit he was more sensitive than usual. His flesh was tender, his heart was a bundle of fluttering nerves and taxed brain was begging for a reprieve. Her nails outlined his ribs, following the muscles on his torso, going down his abs and further south. Pressure over the fabric of his pants called him to attention and his breathing quickened despite his best efforts to remain unfazed. As though he'd ever been able to resist her.
"I can almost see your control cracking down, Iggy."
She nibbled at his ear, her breath warm on his skin, happily focused on him and how he reacted to every little touch.
"I won't take this… unequal treatment," he decided, facing her as he stood up, gripping both of her hands in his.
He kissed her fully on the mouth first, claiming the very air from her lungs, before to have her sitting on the table. The plates clattered with the cutlery, but her legs parted to let him closer. He removed her fluttery top and discarded her bra, fingers splayed on her back, lips hungrily coming down on her neck.
"Iggy, that's not a massage…" she objected, although she held his head in place, relishing the goosebumps and shivers he instilled in her with every hungry nibble.
"Relax," he ushered her.
He made quick work of the knot in her shoulders, focusing his hands on her lower back instead. Her first whine was laced with pain, but he eased the worst of it away in gentle and firm motions. The fact she'd wrapped her legs around his waist might have played a role in the breathy moan that escaped her lips, but her tensions still melted away at his touch, replaced with fire and giddy sparks. His hands were softer than hers, which didn't seem fair considering they'd been fighting just as much.
"You'd better not tell me you've learned those tricks at your royal academy."
"Guess I shall not tell you…"
She pushed on his chest at that, eyes slightly wide.
"With what girl did you…?!"
"I learned them in… textbooks. The massage parts at least. I had a really willing practice partner for my other tricks."
Ignis gave her a pointed look and Aranea was left to wonder how she could feel jealous. She'd never tried to have a monopoly on him when they both lived in the capital. She knew there was no need. But he seemed surer, more experienced now that they'd gone past the cliff. And she was starting to regret the years she'd missed. To see the final changes from his teenage self to the man he was today.
He pressed into her a bit more, and she had to brace herself on the table as his kisses trailed down her neck. Something cracked under her left hand and he looked up at her, hair tousled and face haggard with need.
"Did you just break my glasses?" Ignis asked, voice low and measured.
He was fighting to keep a serious expression and she wanted to laugh, but acted offended instead.
"Well, you sat me on this table."
He leant into her, their nose nearly touching while she could feel the heat radiating from him.
"I could do much, much worse on this table."
She raised one brow, clearly intrigued.
"Try me."
Her proper, far from wild Ignis wouldn't usually lay her down on a kitchen table, especially not surrounded by unfinished plates. But he was getting riled up and wilder by the minute and she liked it. He seemed to regain some of his senses when her hair nearly ended up in the garlic and honey sauce he'd prepared for her meal.
"Either I take away the dishes or we take this somewhere else," he started, fingers deftly undoing her few braids.
"Don't kill the mood."
"Detangle yourself from me a few seconds," Ignis asked right back.
"Are you going to wash the dishes?"
He exaggeratedly rolled his eyes at her. He wasn't going to pass up on her half-naked form to wash dishes that might as well wait the next morning. She obliged with a pout, crossing her arms over her chest and pretending to feel dejected, while he made quick work of clearing space on the table.
"I'm cold," Aranea complained when his eyes came back on her 40 seconds later.
He'd taken the time to scrap away the cold food and make a neat pile of dishes on the counter. Order always put his mind at his, no matter how unruly she could be herself.
"Don't be a baby now. Dearest."
"Just get naked already!"
His laugh rang from deep in his throat, wrapping around her as his hands grasped her hips. It seemed so easy to enjoy each other now. To find strength in her arms, in his eyes devouring her. No guilt for enjoying themselves while the world still waited for salvation. If they were to survive all the aches and blows, they needed breaks. And to let out the pent-up anxiety when they could. Her nails dug in his shoulder blades, pulling him down.
"Warm yet?" he asked her, pants discarded and working his way up to her level without throwing them both to the floor.
"I'm warm inside."
She felt his wide grin on her shoulder, in the crook of her neck, under her willful fingers and wondered how far gone he could take her. Her heart fluttered a bit, thoughts scattered. Lost and happy for the diversion. She was ready to soar, ready to burst out of her skin, her life coursing through every vein. Like she could fly. The table protested with a crack.
"We'd better not break this…" Aranea breathed out.
"Since when are you the voice of reason? And what did you do to me? I don't even care for this table."
Time slows down…
She kisses his neck, leaning a love bite here and enjoys the way his breath catches for an instant. His caresses are hungry, his jerks losing part of his usual calculations. Control crackling as the need takes over. She moves upward, tensing all the right muscles. His left eye twitches and she has to guide his head back to her. Half of her body is hanging in the air, linked to his and she can tell new knots are building in his muscles. Love knots. Her smile shifted to a lazy smirk.
"You might regret this tomorrow."
"Never," comes his answer, voice throaty and too warm.
She's never liked that word. But all the nuances hiding inside catch her right in the heart. Never apart. Never in doubt. He's daydreaming to whisper such nonsense. But the daydream is all they have to keep the dark thoughts at bay.
"Nightdreaming," she sighs and he moans with her.
Nightdreaming might just break the table in their temporarily borrowed house. But it's so worth it, they shush the wood's protestation with noises of their own.
To be continued…
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Two more pairings to go, with more Noctluna in the works too, since I realized after rereading this how short their part was. But I had been leaving Ignis to the side lately. And he's as high in my heart as Noctis, so I couldn't really keep that up. We can expect some Promptis bromance too. These guys are still greatly hurt. I think Noctis is holding it in at the moment.
Nearly one half of next chapter is written and you know what motivates me best. I've started a side fic as my fic contribution to the Assassin's festival. You won't see this festival in here. But in Belle and Beller, you get Cindy as a detective in Lestallum, investigating a string of murders. It's a funny AU if you can get past all the crossover stuff. Shameless plug, but it's more to explain why I take some more time to update when I'm not focusing on school. 😉
