It's Tuesday and I managed to get my update posted =D I'm going to start doing what others do and reply to reviews with PMs rather than here. Makes life a bit easier. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 5
It was a hard knock on Lunafreya's room door that jolted her from sleep, and she had to clamp her hand over Noctis's mouth to silence what would have been a groggy protest, glad for Pryna's barking helping cover any possible sound of his voice. Noctis never seemed to have his wits during the first few minutes of consciousness. She called out to inquire who it was, but she knew it was her brother.
"I was about to shower Ravus. Can this wait?" she called back. He muttered on the other side of the door before responding the affirmative, and she let out a slow breath and flopped back against her pillows. "Noct… you best wake." She removed her hand from his mouth, using it to shake his shoulder. He rolled onto his stomach, burying his face into the pillow and she rolled her eyes, shaking him harder, "Noct!" she hissed through clenched teeth, but after a second groggy moan she reached for his far shoulder, tugging on him so he was on his back and pinched his cheek, finally snapping his eyes open.
"What-" she clamped her hand over his mouth again when she realized how loudly he was about to protest this rude awakening.
"Ravus came to summon me, what for I'm unsure. But I told him I was about to shower. You must leave." She whispered to him, and he finally seemed to grasp at her words. He reached up to touch her cheek,
"I'm not ready to leave you yet," he answered.
"Neither am I. But you must." He frowned, leaning up to pull her into a kiss,
"You'll have to make it up to me later." He told her, returning her smile. They both slid from the bed; Noctis dressing quickly as Lunafreya gathered her things and gathered some sleeping clothes to change into after her shower. He appreciated the fact she did not redress, and walked up to her quickly, stealing one last kiss, leaning into her ears to whisper something untoward that brought a deep crimson glow to her cheeks. She smiled as he backed away towards her window, summoning his engine blade so he could warp to the ground. He made a mental note of which window was hers for an easier return trip later that wouldn't require risking walking down that hall full of Imperials again.
Lunafreya entered the shower, needing a blast of cold water before turning the knob to hot to help her ease the fresh tension Noctis ignited in her with his kiss and whispered words. She tried to tell herself she needed to be better at keeping her senses, but she was always turned into a fool in the arms of her Prince. She was thankful that Ravus was familiar with her preference to shower at night, needing the ritual to help her relax, so her impromptu excuse to keep him from her room would not seem suspicious. She only hoped the Prince warping away from her window had not drawn attention. She lingered under the hot water, guilt rising in her heart. She knew she would have to tell him about awakening the Six, but she had not wanted to spoil their little bubble of ignorant bliss. She only hoped he would not resent her for holding such harsh news from him, trying to reassure herself Noctis had only ever shown her nothing but patience. She tried to ease her guilt by recalling the promise he made to her as a child,
I won't let you down.
She stepped form the shower, drying herself and dressing in her night slip and a thin satin robe before wrapping her wet hair in a towel. The only shoes she owned were heels given to her by the Empire, as all her garments. She wished she had something warmer and more practical to wear, wondering why she had to keep up the image of the Oracle even in her sleep. Not wanting to aggravate the ache in her ankles, or further irritate the callouses in her feet with heels she decided to remain barefoot. She walked across the hall to knock on her brother's door to inquire why he had disturbed her earlier. Had he heard us? No… Noctis is right. He wouldn't have been able to control himself if he was aware. She heard footsteps from through the door, and looked up at her brother when he opened the door.
"You knocked earlier?" she inquired,
"Yes. Come in Lunafreya." She followed him into his room, and he noted her bare feet. "Are your feet cold?" she looked at her feet and admitted that she was. Ravus walked up to his suitcase, digging through it, and pulled out a pair of white socks. "They're big… but they'll keep your feet warm. They're clean, I promise… This too," he paused, and pulled out his own robe, walking up to his sister to drape it around her shoulders.
"Thank you." She smiled, grateful for this small gesture. She pulled the socks over her chilled feet, hugging the robe around her. "What did you need from me earlier?" she inquired.
"Did you tell the Prince about awakening the Six, when you two left for the city?" he asked her. She sighed, wishing the warm moment between her and Ravus could have lasted a moment longer before he fell back into duty. She couldn't help but feel loneliness creep back into her heart, cursing how alone she could feel even sitting with her brother.
"No. I wanted to enjoy our reunion before bringing that up-"
"You need to tell him!" She furrowed her brow and frowned at him, fingers gripping the edges of his robe tighter.
"I am aware of this. One day will not alter our fates, we will not fail in this quest because I wanted one day of ignorant bliss with him."
"Ignorance is all that boy knows."
"Please! I've told you already I wish not to argue his merits. He brings me joy, whether you accept this or not. Did you only come to me to pour salt into these wounds? I am aware of the hardship we are about to face. Let me have one day where I can just be happy to see him again." She pleaded. "You say you wish to see me happy, yet you chide me for feeling so. If this is the only reason you summoned me then I wish to return to my room and rest."
"No. Lunafreya…" he sighed, letting out a frustrated grunt. "I'm sorry. It's not why I was seeking your attention. I just…" he stopped, balling a fist and releasing it, trying to force back the bitter words he wanted to say. She had pleaded with him not to spew the vitriol he felt for that boy, and found himself cursing her affection for him. "I wanted to know if you wanted to have dinner together. I've been so busy with work lately we haven't talked much aside from my being an ass. If you're about to awaken the Six… I just want to spend a little time with my sister… not the Oracle."
"I'd like that." She smiled, releasing her fists and tying the robe around her waist so she could rest her hands on her lap.
"Some fish I assume?" he asked her, and she nodded. He went to the room phone, Lunafreya unable to suppress the feeling of bitterness the one in her own room had been removed, and ordered some food for them. He sat down at the table after telling her it would be a little bit of time. "What do you think of Altissia?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably in the chair. He was terrible at small talk, but it had been so long since he had a meaningful conversation with her he wasn't sure where to start. She hadn't left Tenebrae since childhood, only leaving the Manor under Imperial escort to surrounding towns. He remembered her enthralled expression on the airship, and was making an attempt to recapture that moment of carefree wonder.
"It's beautiful," she answered, giving him the smile he was hoping for. "The food really is everything I was told it would be… the seafood is divine. I'm also quite excited to try that coffee-cream cake you ordered. I hear it's a local delicacy?"
"I figured you'd want to try it. I know you like tea better than coffee. Or last I knew." I don't even know what my sister prefers to drink. Has it really been this long since I've done something besides chide her about that boy or her duties? He admonished.
"I do prefer tea, but I'd quite like to try that dessert. You know my sweet tooth," she smiled.
"Do you still sneak into the kitchens through all those secret passages?" he asked her, happy to grasp at something he remembered so vividly. They were actually his secret passages, ones he taught her when she was old enough to use them, yet still small enough to get away with it; during their carefree days where trying to avoid being grounded by their mother was the biggest worry they ever had.
"From time to time the Oracle is known to act more like Lunafreya," she responded with a grin, "how else is a girl to satisfy her sweet tooth?" Ravus laughed, picturing her slipping through those narrow halls, or curling herself into a dumbwaiter so she could steal treats from the kitchen. It pained him that he didn't do enough to ease the pain the Empire caused, and wondered why he didn't visit her more often in her room with a tray of sweets. He wondered if he had allowed the Empire's image of her as this divine Goddess-like Oracle to make him forget that deep down she was still just a young woman with all the same wants and desires his dear sister had as a child.
"Still partial to those ulwaat tarts?"
"I haven't changed all that much," she smiled. "What about you? You always liked chocolate."
"I haven't outgrown my love of chocolate." He allowed himself to finally smile, and saw the immediate shift in his sister's posture.
"There's my brother, Ravus, not the ever-stern Commander of Nifleheim's army." She taunted, jutting her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. They talked about the various times they got themselves in trouble with their mother. The times they covered for each other, or had somehow successfully pleaded with a maid to keep their behavior a secret. To games of tag, and their games of truth or dare that consisted entirely of dares that would escalate until they either got in trouble; or one of them managed to hurt themselves. The food was delivered and they reminisced about the rare occasion their mother would take over the duty of cooking from the kitchen attendants, and the mishaps that occurred when they tried to replicate these actions. They avoided any topic of the fateful day that robbed them of their blissful life. They discussed neither Nifleheim nor Lucis, and for once, simply felt like brother and sister laughing over coffee-cream tarts.
Noctis walked back to the front of the hotel, getting a confused look from the woman at the front desk who could not remember the Prince walking past her to leave the hotel. He waved at her and head to the elevators, ignoring her continued gaze. He pushed 3 to bring him to the third floor, and walked down to the room he was sharing with his friends. He pat his pockets and realized he had stormed out of the room without his wallet. He rolled his eyes, and knocked on the door,
"Guys it's me. Let me in." he called through the door. He was fully expecting some rude sarcastic remark, a lecture about irresponsibility, or to simply be left outside until he phased through the door. Instead, Gladiolus opened the door allowing Noctis inside. He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out one of the sodas and dropped himself onto the couch.
"Noct." He looked up to Gladiolus, stiffening as he expected to start their fight anew, already forming his arguments in his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you that it was fine to go out alone, only to secretly follow you. I was just trying to do my job, as your Shield your friend… but I kind of went at it like an ass." the words sounded rehearsed, and he wondered how much Ignis had his hands in his apology. Sentimentality was certainly not the large man's strength. But rather than mock him for sounding so unlike him he felt his anger subside.
"Thanks…" he answered. "Just do me one thing man… apologize to Luna next time you see her, okay?" he asked as compromise.
"I guess I owe her one." Noctis bit back the first remark that came to mind to prevent reigniting a fight, and just shrugged in response, occupying his mouth with a large sip of sugar.
"That was a pretty long walk. Did you go get something to eat?" Ignis inquired,
"Or a few beers." Gladiolus cut in, and Noctis grabbed at the excuse to cover up his real activities.
"Yeah. Walked around Altissia, had a few beers, found a place with good burgers." He lied quickly, hoping his friends didn't notice how red his face had grown.
"Get lost too with those beers in your system?" Gladiolus asked. He felt a bit agitated at the thought his King once again was wandering around Altissia alone.
"I needed to clear my head, okay?" Noctis replied defensively.
"Fishing always helped you clear your thoughts better than alcohol." Ignis observed. "Perhaps you could have another go at fishing in these Altissian waters? Gladiolus had informed me you found quite the secluded location."
"I wouldn't mind keeping my damn mouth shut and enjoying a book." Gladiolus replied, a peace offering. Noctis looked at his friends from the corner of his eye, wondering just how angry his earlier outburst had been if they were trying this hard to soothe him. But fishing sounded like a good idea, and he had to admit he'd rather immediately return to their usual camaraderie rather than hold onto anger out of sheer stubbornness.
"If you manage to catch something edible I suppose I could cook it up for us. Quite nice to work with whole fish once in a while." Ignis added, and with that suggested it was decided that they should all go to the spot Noctis had found earlier. It wasn't until they were leaving that Prompto finally voiced a complaint,
"Wait we're really gonna sit around watching Noctis fish all night?"
"Not all night. But a little quiet contemplation would do you good Prompto. Borrow one of Gladiolus or I's books to read if you're worried King's Knight won't keep your attention." Ignis offered,
"I should just stay here and watch something on T.V" he rolled his eyes but was busy putting on his boots nonetheless. They departed, walking through the city streets as Noctis led them to the place he had attempted to fish with Lunafreya earlier. He made a mental note to himself to try and do so again, longing for the peace of her sitting beside him on the dock. He pulled out his rod, taking Ignis's advice of which lure to use as he attached it to the line, casting it out into the water. The only disturbance to the peaceful quiet was the brief King's Knight theme music pouring out of Prompto's phone before he thumbed the volume down, sitting with his back against the stone wall of the building they were hiding behind. Gladiolus and Ignis were engaged in conversation about the books they were reading, and Noctis was content to sit on his own.
"Anything biting?" Prompto asked,
"It's been two minutes!" Noctis shot back defensively. Prompto grumbled bending his knees as he busied himself with his phone again.
"I don't know how you can just sit there. You're not exactly patient yourself there buddy." Noctis shrugged in response to Prompto's remark, not having a witty response to him.
"I'm surprised you came with us. You never come fishing with me."
"Sit in a hotel room alone while everyone else enjoys Altissia, no way man!"
"Look if it'll shut you up what if we go get a beer?" Gladiolus suggested, closing his book. "Ignis I'll trust you not to get your Prince killed while his Shield goes to grab a beer?" he asked.
"Perfect! We can walk around a bit, find a nice bar." He leapt to his feet, tapping his leg impatiently as he waited for Gladiolus to join him, and the two men vanished leaving Noctis and Ignis alone.
"He's worse than me." Noctis broke the silence, and gave a jerk when he felt a pull on his line. "Feels big!" He commented.
"You didn't just take a walk to clear your head earlier, did you?" Ignis replied, ignoring the comment about the fish.
"What do you think I was doing?" Noctis grunted as he fought with the fish on the end of his line, grinning proudly once he pulled it from the water, happy to see the hook didn't injury its gills allowing him to release it back into the water. Ignis watched Noctis cast his line again.
"You did not simply leave for a bar. Drinking away your anger has never been your way, Noct." He prodded. Noctis mumbled something quietly under his breath, wishing Ignis would just state what he was thinking, and stop trying to lead him.
"Cut to the chase man…" he repeated audibly.
"I think you went to see the Lady Lunafreya." He answered. The way Noctis stiffened told Ignis all he needed. "Did you cheer the Lady after her… mishap with Gladiolus? He's never been the most tactful of men." Noctis was grateful his back was turned to his friend couldn't see the heat staining his cheeks. He rolled his shoulders to try and relax his posture, loosening his grip on the fishing pole when he realized how white his knuckles were.
"I did go check on Luna…" he admitted carefully.
"How is she?" Ignis asked in a careful tone. Noctis could hear the creaking planks of wood as his friend walked up to him, and sat beside him, legs crossed. He looked at him with a raised brow, knowing how much Ignis loathed sitting on the ground, let alone a damp dock where Noctis had recently splashed water and touched a fish.
"She's-" he almost said just fine but couldn't finish the lie. "She's hurt… Gladio really got her shaken up, and she has this giant bruise on her ribs. I thought she was just being really flinchy at first…" he admitted, needing to talk to someone about the roiling emotions fighting inside of him, not able to keep them to himself anymore and decided not to bother being coy or leading up with a delicate dance around the subject. Ignis was the only person besides himself, and possibly Luna's ass of a brother, who knew about her abuse. He sighed, toying with the rod a bit to try and tease any fish, idly reeling it in a meter or two. "She's hurt and there's nothing I can do about it. I can't get her to talk about it. I can't do anything."
"I'm sure simply going to see her helped quite a bit." Ignis argued back. He allowed a moment of silence to settle between them, giving the Prince adequate time to search for his words.
"What kind of King will I be one day if I can't stop the Empire from hurting one person? Not just any person… Luna. Lucis's future Queen. How am I supposed to protect my entire country from them? How can I reassure my people I'm a good enough leader if I couldn't even protect their future Queen?" My Luna. He lamented. "What kind of…" he paused for a moment, finding the next word foreign on his tongue, "husband… can I be to her, if I couldn't protect her? Can't protect her?" He continued.
"You can protect her now Noct. It's best not to dwell on the barriers of the past, and rather, focus on the new path ahead of you. And this treaty will help protect Lucis from Nifleheim."
"For how long? It'll start with an alliance, then we'll probably be annexed as an independent province like Accordio, then the empire can squash us under their thumb like everywhere else. I know everyone thinks I shirk my duties and never pay attention and just run around like the spoiled oblivious little princeling disappointing everyone, grating my father, the joke of the Citadel. But I'm not blind Ig. I know how much everything sucks. I mean… we both saw the shape Lucis was in on the drive to Galdin Quay, and that was the main roads!" He squinted, trying to alleviate the burning in his eyes before it turned into tears. The empire was slowly taking all of Eos, and only his father's wall was keeping them out of Insomnia, and by extension the rest of Lucis. But how long could that keep up? How much longer before the Crystal took the last of his father's energy and the walls crumbled as Nifleheim grew stronger day by day.
"We have to face things one day at a time. You'll drive yourself to madness obsessing over an unknown future."
"You're always telling me to look towards the future." He shot back, not intending for his tone to carry his anger with it, quickly apologizing and reeling in his line to recast it. Ignis's posture didn't change, and he didn't chide Noctis's tone.
"To an extent. You're worrying on a future that might be, obsessing on things you can't control. Focus on what you can. You're doing your part to make peace by marrying the Lady Lunafreya. You're helping the Lady simply by being there with her. I know you would have spirited her away from Tenebrae were you able, and I am sure she knows this as well."
"All those times I visited… I should have found a way..." He mumbled. "I just wish I could do something."
"What about a gift for the Lady?" Ignis suggested. Noctis's posture straightened and a fragile smile finally pulled at his features.
"That's a great idea, we do have a little money leftover from those hunts." Noctis answered, mentally chiding himself for not thinking of it on his own. He pondered for a moment, wondering what to get for her. Picking a gift was always a challenge. Between her simplistic tastes, and how much the Empire controlled every aspect of her life, his options were fairly limited. He had often purchased new scarves for Umbra, been the one to pick a new color notebook, sent her packets of stickers for said notebooks. Books were always a popular choice, and he tried to find a variety for her not available in the libraries of the Manor in Tenebrae. She had a small CD-player with which she could enjoy music, though her options were mainly limited to selections provided by the Empire, usually Nifleheimer orchestras. Something befitting the holy image of the Oracle she used to mock. Though she admitted a fondness for the Gralean Philharmonic Orchestra. How can a place so dark produce something so beautiful? She used to ask him, when sharing her love of their music with her.
"Let's go walk the shops, see if you catch anything you think would catch her fancy." Ignis pulled him from his thoughts, Noctis vanishing his rod as he voiced his agreement.
"Though let's find a candy shop."
"Need to satisfy your sweet tooth first?"
"Hers too, she likes maple candies a lot. They're pretty common in Tenebrae, think they sell them here in Accordio too?"
"Never would have pegged the Princess as one to have a sweet tooth." Ignis admitted, almost sounding disappointed. "I doubt that the trees grow right up to the Accordio border and refuse to spread further. I am sure we can find her some maple candies." Feeling his mood significantly brighter than it had been an hour earlier Noctis let Ignis lead the way through the narrow streets until they could walk aside each other down the main boulevard.
They found a small sweet shop sandwiched between two restaurants, and you could simply smell the sugar in the air. Inside there was one large wall dedicated to the most popular brands, but the rest of the store seem dedicated to handmade candies. Fudge, taffy, truffles, chocolate coated fruits and nuts, candied fruits; and thankfully, the pressed maple-sugar candies Noctis was hoping to find. He grabbed the largest box he could find, wincing slightly at the price and thanking the Six they had so much money left after the hunts they did.
"Find what you were looking for?" Ignis's voice cut in. He was holding a small bag in his own hand filled with dark round balls.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Bit pricey… but it's her favorite." He felt immediately defensive about spending so much of his share of their funds but Ignis held up a hand,
"You don't have to justify it with me Noct. Spend your share as you see fit."
"You have a fever man?" he reached out to feel his friend's forehead, shaking his head. "Clearly sick. Gonna hafta put you down. So sad…" he shood his head with an exaggerated sniffle, running the back of his hand under his dry nose.
"Very funny." Ignis rolled his eyes, "ready to pay?"
"We should grab something for Prompto too. He'd kill us if he found out we went to a candy store and left him out. He's the only one with a sweet-tooth worst that mine." He suggested.
"You're all going to die of tooth-rot." Ignis sighed, and they looked around for something Prompto would like, eventually settling on a large bag of a variety of jelly bean flavors.
"Yeah. And now I'm really concerned… you're getting candy too? You're not exactly the sugar-type"
"Dark chocolate coated coffee beans. More bitter than sweet. I'm allowed a guilty pleasure now and then." It was his turn to feel defensive.
"You find it a sacrilege to put cream or sugar into coffee, but you like chocolate coated coffee beans?"
"A drink and the whole beans are a different thing. And as I stated it's dark chocolate… not as sweet as milk chocolate."
"Just teasing you. Eat whatever you want." He assured him, and gave him a pat on the back, "And I promise not tell the guys," he added with a smirk. Ignis simply rolled his eyes again and they walked up to the counter to pay for their goods, and returned to the streets of Altissia. They hadn't realized how air conditioned the sweet shop was until they returned to the warm air of outside. Despite the fact the sun had set, and the refreshing sea breeze, Noctis shrugged off his usual jacket to sling it over his shoulder and noticing that Ignis was doing the same. There was a street performer playing the violin a dozen meters down the road, which caught Noctis's attention. He remembered Lunafreya telling him how fond she was of strings; and the way the man was playing was quite different from the usual classical music he usually associated with the instrument. Ignis's voice echoed his thoughts beside him,
"Interesting… never heard the violin played like this."
"I know right?" Noctis noted that he was selling CDs of his music, and assumed Lunafreya would find this as enjoyable as he did. He waited for the man to finish his song and purchased a copy of the music, placing it in the bag with the candy and thanking him before they continued their walk. He almost felt silly, walking along shopping like a teenaged girl. But the walk and talking with Ignis was doing a good job of cheering him, and finding these little things that he knew would cheer Lunafreya was helping to ease his guilt and feelings of helplessness.
"Mind if we find a bookstore?" Ignis asked, and Noctis reminded him he wanted to find one anyways to pick up some books for Lunafreya. He still felt quite bitter about his with Gladiolus, but didn't disparage his friend when he suggested they also pick up something for Gladiolus. "I'll send him a text; see if there's a particular book he would like us to pick up while we are there." Noctis couldn't help but let his lingering resentment expect Gladiolus to harass him and Ignis for shopping around like a pair of teenage girls probably with some snarky remark about how the Oracle had him under her thumb. He sighed, trying to force himself to settle and get his mind out of such an angry state. He didn't wish to be fighting with his Shield anymore, and expecting a fight would only make him more apt to snap at him.
The book store was deceptively larger on the inside than the outside of the build would suggest. The shelves were placed closer together to allow for more books to be on display, and Noctis made his way to the fantasy section. He tried to recall the name of Lunafreya's favorite author and found himself absent the memory. Ignis was happy to provide suggestions, though his preference was more in line with science fiction. They settled on a novel about a fairy who curses the daughter of a pauper who tricked her, and the young woman's quest to find a wizard who can cure her cure, and a second about a trickster god who was bound in human form by the other gods.
"What did Gladio ask for?" Noctis asked, books in hand. Ignis held up a thriller that had presumably been requested. "You find something good for yourself?"
"A good sci fi to help me pass the time." He acknowledged. They paid for the books shortly before the store closed, and began the walk back to the hotel. They were surprised to find that Gladiolus and Prompto had returned as well.
"Hey guys!" Prompto greeted,
"Welcome back," Gladiolus echoed.
"Enjoy the bar?" Noctis asked,
"Yeah! They had this like little microbrew bar, so we did all these samples of their beers. It was great!" Prompto explained, and Noctis lifted his brow,
"Huh, you'll have to show me tomorrow." He commented, intrigued at the news of a local small brewery.
"What'cha got there?"
"Oh, picked up a few things while we were out. Here," Noctis answered, tossing the bag of jelly beans at Prompto who let out a squeak of delight,
"Oh man, this brand of jelly beans is the best!" He exclaimed, quickly untying the knot on the bag to pull a couple out to pop into his mouth, "Thanks dude!"
"We also got that book you wanted Gladio," Ignis reached into his bag, pulling out the aforementioned item. Noctis was surprised that Gladiolus didn't tease him, and supposed his Shield was just as tired of fighting as he was. He felt the tension in his limbs leave, glad to have things feel like they were back to normal. He placed the bag with the things he gathered for Lunafreya on the counter, and mentally chided himself for not thinking of pausing at a gift shop to put it in a bag or wrap it in some fashion.
"We have anything lying around like a brown paper bag or some newspaper?" he asked. The friends all shook their heads,
"I think I'm put off of newspapers forever after that asshole in Galdin." Gladiolus huffed.
"Gotta agree with you there," Noctis agreed. He was a bit disappointed.
"Actually we do have some brown paper bags from food shopping." Ignis commented.
"When did you go food shopping?"
"When you were taking your walk earlier." Ignis replied. Noctis was grateful that he helped keep up the Prince's cover. "Here," he walked over to the cabinet where he had stashed the bags, neatly folded up. "You know how I hate to waste. I was hoping to find a use for them." He assumed their use, and agreed to help Noctis wrap the gifts for the Oracle in the brown paper, since the Prince was a lost cause at making anything look neat.
"Never would have pegged the poised little woman to have a sweet tooth, no wonder I felt like I would develop diabetes from just being around you two." Gladiolus remarked when he saw Ignis pull the maple candies out of the bag, Noctis telling his Shield it wasn't for himself.
"She's full of surprises." Noctis replied with a shy smile, glad Gladiolus's teasing remark didn't retain the anger it had earlier.
"Gonna have to buy some insulin man, once the two little lovebirds are married you'll have to deal with them fluttering all over the Citadel making all of us nauseous!" Prompto added, "hey man! Just telling it like it is!" he put his hands up defensively when Noctis gave him a narrow-eyed glare.
"Kinda like the way we had to watch you ogle that mechanic in Hammerhead?" Noctis quipped back.
"Oh Cindy…" Prompto sighed,
"You just want to watch her wash the windshield again. Pretty sure that washcloth wasn't the thing doing the most scrubbing," Gladiolus added.
"You think if I take some nice pictures of cars from Insomnia she'll go on a date when she sees how awesome I am?" Prompto suggested. "Hey Noct, led me the Regalia for a day, she can't say no to that car! She loved it!"
"Over my dead body." Ignis retorted.
"Just one little date?" Prompto pleaded. "C'mon give a guy a chance. Noct has Luna, Gladio hooks up with anything capable of saying yes, and you're married to the Regalia, who do I have?" he inquired.
"I am not married to the car! I just prefer to pay the royal car, which still belongs to our King might I remind you, the respect she deserves. And okay, I'll make a deal," Ignis suggested. "You win the favor of the fair Cindy, and I shall allow you the use of the Regalia to spirit the young woman on a proper date.
"Awe thanks man!"
"I don't get a say in this? It's my dad's car after all."
"Pretty sure the King trusts specs with it more than you," Gladiolus quipped.
"Oh come on, I'm not that bad a driver!" he shot back defensively. Ignis finished fastening the last of the gifts for Lunafreya, presenting the fruits of his labors to Noctis, who admitted how impressed he was at the job he did. It looked like a parcel out of the old movies where there was always a mailman delivering a package wrapped in brown paper and twine. "Well you guys fight over who deserves the car more, I promised Luna I'd go visit her," he kept his head low to hide the blush in his cheeks. There was no use in lying where he was going, and now that his fight with Gladiolus seemed resolved he was less reluctant to admit to seeing her.
"Have fun tonight!" Prompto laughed, and were the man not out of reach Noctis swore to himself he would have punched him in the chest. "Gladio isn't the only one who knows how to woo a lady I guess." He let out a long sigh, "maybe I can get that date with that lovely mechanic. I have a thing for blondes you know."
"Pretty sure she's more in love with the Regalia than any man she's ever encountered." Noctis replied,
"Maybe that's why Iggy won't let me borrow the Regalia to woo Cindy, worried about her cheating on him!"
"I already told you!" Ignis shot back, but his voice trailed off in a series of mumbles, dropping himself into a chair and pulling out the new book he purchased for himself, determined not to dig his hole any deeper and ignore the jab Prompto threw at him. He shooed Noctis out the door with a gesture, Noctis promising he wouldn't get himself killed on the way to Lunafreya's room to soothe the anxiety of his Shield who was once again forced to watch his charge walk away from his custody alone.
Hope you all enjoyed some Fleuret sibling bonding, some Iggy/Noct bro-bonding, and a bit of the chocobros. Let me know what you think :)
