Title: Not a fairytale
Genre: Drama, hurt/comfort, action
Summary: Noctis must confront Luna's skeletons.
Warning: Has some sexual content midway to the chapter, but it's nothing too detailed. Hence rating remains T.
Chapter 4
"Over there, it's hiding in that painting."
Luna followed Noctis and began to pray. The family members they were helping stood back and held their breath. A distant wail pierced the tense silence followed by a sob and a relieved sigh.
"They have made it to the Gate."
The mother covered her mouth with her wrinkly hand, tears forming in her tired old eyes. Her daughter had been assaulted by daemons known as bombs on her way home. There had been nothing left of her remains except for a charred hand. That hand and the ring on its finger had been enough to identify her.
"It is done." Luna walked to the elderly woman and placed a comforting hand on her slumped shoulder. "Your daughter is now at peace." The mother couldn't hold back a sob anymore and reduced to her knees. Her husband kneeled down next to her and held her.
Luna turned to Noctis and motioned him to hand her bag. She took out a floral bracelet made of sylleblossoms and gave it to the silent teenage boy next to the elderly couple. He glumly accepted it.
"I will remember you all in my prayers. While the pain will never completely disappear, know that it will lessen. Mourn for your lost family member, but allow yourselves to hope and remember that she would have wanted you to live your lives to the fullest. Do not let her memory fade, instead cherish it for what it was." With these words the royal couple departed and left the family to grieve in peace.
"Thank you again for coming, Noct." She offered him a smile that didn't reach her serious eyes.
"No problem."
Her husband had been quite eager to help her and prove his worth with his Sight. Truthfully it had been a great help and reduced her time performing her duties as an Oracle by half. She didn't doubt that was his plan.
"Doesn't it bother you? Seeing so many unhappy people every day? I know I feel a little depressed."
"You get used to it. I've been doing this for quite many years." He hm'ed and said no more. The white bag flung over his shoulder was empty. She had given fifteen consolation bracelets that day, one per family.
His left hand tentatively reached for her right hand. Internally sighing, she opened her palm and let his fingers interlace with hers. He was awfully touch-starved, had been ever since his friends had departed back to Lucis. It only seemed to worsen the more she indulged him. She wondered where it originated from. He had a loving father who, granted, didn't always have time for his son and he had his three friends who were always ready to offer pats, hugs, high-fives and fist-bumps. She had to remind herself that they all dealt with affection and their need for it differently. She had withdrawn to herself when her relationship with Ravus had grown strained. She had eagerly jumped into relationships that were just a substitute for her brother's approval and love. Perhaps that was one of the reasons the relationships never lasted. She couldn't give her partners what they sought and they couldn't replace the void in her heart left by Ravus. It was ironic, really. She was now married to a man she considered her younger brother yet she felt ill whenever the shy young man showed his fondness through physical gestures.
She dreaded every night when the prince got bolder under the cover of darkness. At first he had merely held her loosely and occasionally buried his nose in her hair or neck, but as days went by his uncertain feather-light touches became needy caresses, his hands eager to explore all of her. His chaste pecks in her hair were replaced by long sensual kisses across her bare neck and shoulders. But even with all these changes he still hesitated to kiss her fully on the lips without her encouragement. It was as if he was afraid of her lack of response or possible rejection. His hands never wandered above her thighs or below her neckline. She was grateful for that. It made her feel she still had some measure of control.
While she didn't exactly encourage his affections, she always made sure not to turn down his advances. She was now his and she had to come to terms with the fact sooner or later. All she really could do was try to stay busy for as long as she could and hope Noctis would lose interest in his nightly pursuits or grow tired waiting for her to return home. Of course that plan had backfired when Noctis offered to help her with her duties. She was genuinely grateful for his help and didn't mind spending time with the person whom she still regarded as her dearest friend – as long as it was under the protection of daylight and public locations. He didn't dare to do anything too intimate while every passing citizen's eyes were fixed on the royal couple.
Their initial cool distance was slowly changing to reflect the warmth of their decade long letter-exchange. They could easily talk about their days, their home and their interests. Noctis had once taken her to a café after helping her with her duties and spotted a Justice Monsters Five arcade. He had insisted showing her how to play it and they had ended up spending a whole hour competing against each other. It was no surprise that Noctis who had played a lot of such games came on top, but she had been pleased to note her own high score was nothing to scoff at. The next morning she had seen their photo on the local tabloids and later that day she found the very same newspaper discarded over her desk with a photo-sized hole in it. When she had inquired from Gentiana what happened to it, the attendant admitted Noctis had cut it and stored it somewhere. Luna had found it curious, but hadn't wasted much thought on the matter and let it be.
He had many strange little quirks like that. Some he had mentioned in his letters, others she uncovered on her own. One of the most bizarre ones she discovered was when the two of them had taken a break and sat down on a bench by her little church. Noctis had taken a pouch filled with cookies from his satchel and offered to share them with her. What happened after still made her nose crinkle in distaste; he took one of those small expandable ketchup packets from his pocket, emptied it on a tissue and dipped his cookies in the thick red liquid. She had nearly choked on her cookie and asked if he was feeling ill or if he had consumed something that completely messed up his taste buds. He had assured that he was completely fine. He had merely developed a strange eating habit after Prompto had dared him to eat his cookies with ketchup. He had been sixteen at the time and it had stuck ever since. She in turn began to carry a packet of mint pastilles in her bag should the prince ever attempt to kiss her after consuming his ketchup cookies.
Luna turned towards their suite, but halted when Noctis tugged at her hand and guided her to the opposite direction.
"Where are you taking me?"
"I think we've had enough sad faces and dead people for one day. There's something I wanna show you." Sometimes she wondered if Noctis had made it his life's mission to make sure she had downtime from politics, needy citizens and deities.
They arrived to the harbor where countless ships and boats were docked.
"Wait here." He jogged to a boat renter and took out a wrinkled bill from his coat's pocket. The cashier took the bill, her expression mildly annoyed as she straightened it before putting it in the till and handing the change. Oblivious, the young man accepted the gil and keys and moved to the next stand to buy himself a fishing kit.
Outward he appeared nonchalant, but she had quickly learnt the small tells that told her his real state of mind. She noted how he blinked more frequently and how his head was upright and slightly leaning forward in anticipation. There was the slightest spring in his step as he collected his items. His hands were confidently on display instead of stuffed in his pockets like they usually were.
He had changed over the past two weeks. She wasn't sure if it was because he felt the need to appear confident and in control in the absence of his friends or if her reluctant approval of his intimacy had given him a confidence boost. It wasn't just his confidence either. His appearance was slowly changing. He had let his facial hair grow enough to decorate his youthful face with a 5 o'clock shadow. She hadn't been sure what to think when she first saw his unshaven face inches away from hers after waking up. For a brief moment she had thought she had dreamt the whole wedding and that she was safely tugged in Nyx's arms. Noctis' velvety hands on her bare skin had dissolved the brief fantasy quickly. They weren't the worn battle-hardened hands of the glaive. Yet it hadn't been entirely uncomfortable, feeling the young prince's warm breath on her face and the faintest twitch of his fingers on her hip as he dreamt. As long as she blocked out the image of his younger self looking up at her in clear admiration, she could allow herself enjoy the heat of his body surrounding her. It wasn't easy, especially not when he was lucid and she couldn't replace him as Nyx in her head.
She snapped out of her musings when she felt a light wind blow straight into her ear. She jerked back in discomfort and turned to her offender. "Noct!" She shoved him, her tone heavy with disapproval.
"Couldn't resist", he grinned. "You get those thousand mile stares a lot lately. I need to get creative bringing you back to Eos." She smiled faintly. His good mood was highly infectious.
"C'mon, I got us a boat." He held his fishing rod in his other hand while he twirled the keys for the motorboat in the other, a cheery tune on his lips as he whistled.
She sat down on the bench nearest to the boat's bow and carefully placed her trident under the benches. Noctis started the motor and guided the boat far from the sea traffic to a more quiet location. Once he was satisfied with their location he killed the engine and took out his fishing kit.
"You never mentioned you liked to fish." She watched as he chose his bait and cast the line.
"I sort of picked it up on my way here. Didn't have much of a chance to do it within the Wall." His posture was relaxed, his mind at ease away from the public eye. "I was gonna write about it to you, but then I figured I could just show you since we're pretty much surrounded by water." She could see the bobber moving faintly as a fish nibbled the bait.
"Gotcha." The triumphant smirk in his voice was impossible to miss. The tugging intensified. Noctis had to place his boot against the edge of the boat to keep himself upright. "Seems like I got a big one." Luna uncertainly glanced back and forth between her husband and the line.
"Do you need help with that?"
"I've got this!"
She didn't have time to reply when suddenly the dark-clad man was pulled overboard. With a surprised yelp he disappeared underneath the waves. Panic struck her like lightning as she leaned over the edge and peered into the murky waters.
"Noctis?!" She extended her arm under the surface but couldn't reach anything solid. Just as she thought about diving after him, a black mop of wet hair surfaced. It didn't halt its movement. His forehead painfully collided with her jaw followed by a bubbly moan. She held her aching chin for a second before reaching down to pull him by the arm back to the boat. Water dripped over her white dress and the boat from his soaked hair and clothes.
"That didn't go according to plan, I presume." He glared at her sourly as he took off his coat and twisted the excess water out of it. He did the same to his skull printed shirt. Her eyes widened when his hands went for his belt buckle. He raised his eyes uncertainly to hers.
"Please keep your shorts on", she weakly protested. He held his hands up in submission and placed the damp clothes to dry across the boat's bench.
"At least it's sunny. Shouldn't take long to dry up", he mumbled. His boots squelched as he moved. He sat down and attempted to remove them, but the water inside acted like glue.
"Let me." Luna took hold of the heel of his shoe and pulled as hard as she could. The boot finally released its persistent hold on his foot, but flew over the edge from the force.
"Aw, damn." Not about to make his wife take a dip to retrieve his shoe of all things, he summoned a light dagger and warp struck to where he last saw the shoe. Luna retrieved her trident and waited for her husband to resurface.
The first thing to emerge was his shoe, triumphantly held above him before the rest of his bare torso broke the surface. Additionally he held his missing fishing rod in his other hand. The rod's line had tangled itself in his hair. She couldn't hold back the small giggle which soon grew into a full laughter. His eyes lit up in good humour as he swam towards the sound of her mirth. She extended her trident for him to grab on and pulled him to the boat's edge. He hauled himself back into the boat, a silly grin plastered on his dripping face.
"Let's not do that again."
She shook her head in agreement and covered her mouth, her shoulders still shaking from laughter as she attempted to calm herself down. He expectantly offered his other foot to her and she pulled his remaining shoe off with much better success. She sat down next to him and took hold of the line to follow it through his wet hair and carefully pull it off.
"Reaper only knows how you managed to throw my shoe right next to my fishing rod."
"It was all intentional, I assure you."
"Oh, so you're that kind of oracle, too." He wiggled his brows at her suggestively. She snorted and lightly shoved him with her left hand. "Well, great Oracle, why don't you tell me my future?"
She pulled the remaining line from his hair and lightly tapped the tip of his nose. "Let's see. You'll live a long, happy and healthy life surrounded by loved ones. You will travel the world and live your dreams."
He made a face at her. "That sounds like something taken from the zodiac section of a tabloid."
"It most likely is. Basically some of the most wanted things by humans." She lifted the end of the fishing rod's line. "Seems like your fish took both hook and bait with it."
He shrugged. "We'll get it next time." His expression turned sly. "But feel free to pray and ask Leviathan to give us a hand next time."
"I'm sure that will be a lot of help." She waved her own hands for emphasis.
The prince chuckled. "Fine, ask Her to lend us a fin." He set his useless fishing rod aside. "Speaking of wishes, do you have any of your own? And don't say anything like world peace or freedom from the Scourge. I mean something personal that benefits only you." He gently poked her bare arm.
Luna's eyes lost their merriment. She clasped her hands in her lap and eyed their touching knees, her jaw tightly clenched shut. She wished she had married Nyx instead. She wished she loved Noctis like a wife loves her husband. She wished she had a healthy relationship with her brother. She wished she wasn't a former princess or an Oracle. She just wanted to be Luna, to be a successful gardener and read as many adventure stories as she could fit in her bookshelves. None of the above were something she felt she could share with Noctis, especially not about her feelings towards him and her former escort.
Noctis eyed her curiously, his smile slowly dying as he sensed her unease. "Luna?"
"I wish for a library", she finally decided.
"A library? The one downtown isn't to your liking?" he teased.
"No, I mean", she fidgeted. "I want a personal library filled with exciting stories I can escape reality with. I want it to have many stories like the one you lent me. I want...", she trailed off, glancing up to his expecting eyes and lowering her gaze back to her lap. "I want you there. In my library. I'd read you all the stories."
His damp arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her to a tender side hug. "I'll be there. Promise."
She tentatively let her cheek rest against his. She was a liar. A horrible, horrible liar. But if she lied about her true feelings enough, maybe she would eventually believe them herself. Maybe, just maybe, she could fool herself into falling in love with this wonderful man. Had she been anyone else she would have been burning with desire being pressed so snugly against the prince's bare chest that still glistened with water drops. Had she been someone else she would've felt faint inhaling his masculine scent mixed with the smell of salt water. Her heart should've been racing from the warmth of his toned arm around her slender shoulders. Instead she felt nothing of the above. Just vague discomfort, like she was intimately pressed against Ravus. She shuddered lightly at the repulsive comparison.
"You make it sound like it will definitely come true."
"It'll definitely come true!" he assured her and kissed the top of her head while stroking her upper arm. "In the meantime you have to settle for the sitting room and the books I bring you from the city's library." Her heart felt heavy within her breast as guilt and shame gnawed at her insides. He sounded so happy.
"Sounds good." Her voice was barely above whisper. He mistook her quietness for bashfulness and detached himself from her to give her some room to breathe. The wide grin on his face showed no signs of fading as he settled down across from her and pulled his still wet shirt over his head. He revved the engine to life and turned the boat back towards Altissia.
Luna closed The Wild Rose. Their first book read from cover to cover together.
"I did not expect that ending", Noctis commented.
"I saw it coming."
"Pft. Don't believe you." He kissed the back of her head.
"I'm the Oracle, don't question my foreseeing powers." She playfully pinched the hand resting over her stomach. "Although, I will admit that having read hundreds of adventure stories I might have learnt to anticipate certain story elements." She set the book beside them and leaned back against him. It had become sort of a ritual for them to have a shared reading hour in the sitting room after she was done with her daily duties. She could tell he looked forward to these quiet moments. She did, too, but not for the same reasons as him. When she read she was completely immersed in the story and forgot about her worries and guilt. She forgot that she was hurting her dearest friend without him even realizing it.
"Fair enough."
The more the two spent time together, the more it felt like they were adopting each other's habits. Ignis had commented how the prince was more of a night owl than an early bird yet these days he woke up early and made sure she ate before leaving. He would then take a short nap and get his day started before locating her and offering help wherever he could. She had never been one to take naps, but now she found herself dozing surprisingly often. Usually her husband wasn't far off and was more than happy to provide her with a warm cushion to lean against. Just like now.
She could feel his breath deepen and his hold on her slacken. It didn't take long for her to follow his example.
Something coarse tickled her face. Her stirring mind recognized it as stubble. Warm lips peppered her cheeks with gentle butterfly kisses. She giggled and lifted her hand to lazily caress his jaw and neck. He inhaled sharply under her touch, his pulse pounding against her palm. Her hand trailed down to his collar and playfully tugged at it. He understood her silent request but took a few seconds before he hesitantly complied. His warmth left her for a second as he sat up to toss his shirt aside. Still yet to bother opening her eyes, she blindly searched for his body and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down against her. He breathed laboriously. She didn't recall the glaive ever being so easily flustered. He let out a strangled squeak when her legs wrapped around his waist. His arms were uselessly hanging next to her head as if he didn't know where to put them. Irritated, she removed one of her arms from his neck and guided his hand beneath her blouse. His cool fingertips remained motionless on her skin.
What was he doing? With a wakeup like that she thought he would've been more eager to get things going.
She covered his hand with hers and slowly dragged it upwards. His heavy breathing grew erratic when his palm found the supple skin of her breast. She let go of his hand and moved her hand to his hair. Had he changed its style? His usual braids were nowhere to be found and his shaved sides had silky locks just as the middle of his scalp.
"Nyx?" she opened her eyes and found herself staring into Noctis' eyes which were half-hidden under his bangs. His pupils were dilated with desire, but his breathing had halted and his mouth was stretched into a thin line as realization slowly dawned on him. The lustful haze left his gaze, raw hurt taking its place.
Oh no.
He withdrew his hand from her blouse and sat up. Her legs that still remained locked around his waist held him down. With a low growl he warped through her petrified hold and picked up his shirt. He pulled it on with more force than was necessary.
"Why did you never tell me?"
She blinked at his question and sat up, her lower abdomen throbbing from unsatisfied flesh.
"What?"
He refused to face her. His stance was tense, his shoulders were slightly raised and his hands were clenched into fists. "About you and Nyx. You never mentioned any of your exes in your letters. Hell, I didn't even realize you had dated men before I did some digging around your office." Her blood turned to ice at this revelation. How could he just rummage through her personal belongings like that? "I told you everything there was to know about me. I told you things even my best friend doesn't know! But you never could return the favour, could you." His voice was strangled as he forcefully bottled the emotions which threatened to surface. "I thought you finally accepted me when you told me your wish." He laughed bitterly. "I thought you had moved on and that I wasn't just a consolation prize to you."
His body shook as he fought to keep his emotions in check. "I've tried everything to appeal to you. I supported you, I did my best to make sure you didn't bury yourself under a too heavy workload or forget about your most basic bodily needs. I thought long and hard on finding something we could share and bond over. I was even willing to change my appearance to be more attractive in your eyes." He turned around, his eyes blazing. He took a step closer to her, his body language screaming aggression. "But none of that was good enough for you?!"
"I never asked for any of this. I never asked you to change or do me favours." Her voice was chillingly calm, a complete opposite to her husband's heated rage. "I could not simply conjure romantic feelings towards you out of thin air."
"So why lie to me? Why lead me on if you hate every second of it?" He stepped closer until she was backed against a wall.
Shame weighed her gaze down. She couldn't meet his accusing glare, so she opted to stare at his collar. Her voice was void of any emotion. "Because you are my husband. I belong to you."
His grip on her forearms was painfully tight. "Maybe on the damn papers you do, but your heart was never mine to have, now was it." She flinched. "Tell me… If Nyx Ulric were to visit while I was away, what would happen? And don't you fucking dare lie to me."
Finally she dared to look him in the eye, confident that she could tell him the honest truth. "Nothing. I would do what was required of me as a graceful host. I would do nothing outside of strict professionalism. I cannot afford to love another man, not anymore. Even if I have yet to convince my heart to completely let go of those feelings, I would never betray you or our union."
He studied her, but found nothing hinting at dishonesty. "I guess there was something you were truthful about, after all." She had no clue what he might be referring to, so she remained silent. "Gentiana told me your wedding dress symbolized lifelong loyalty. You did always put duty above everything else. I should've known you saw our union as nothing more than a duty and did only what was expected of you." His voice was hoarse. All his anger spent, he let go of her arms and left.
Bruises formed where he had gripped her. She would have to wear long sleeves the next day or people would start gossiping. The last thing they needed was their union to be questioned when the peace between Lucis and Niflheim hung in balance. She shook her head. There she went again; thinking of duty when she had just stomped on her husband's feelings and possibly ruined everything between them.
She left the room, but didn't see any clues where Noctis might have ran off to. She checked every room within their suite and asked every servant she passed, but he remained elusive. Perhaps it was for the best she didn't seek him out yet. Cool heads would offer better results than heated hearts.
Glancing at the grandfather clock in their bedroom, she deemed it time to get ready for the next meeting. She had hoped he would join her, but that would have to wait for another time.
By the time she returned home followed by 'mr. Bucket head', there was still no sign of Noctis. She was beginning to worry. Taking out her phone, she quickly texted him to let him know she was home. There was nothing else she could really say. As expected there was no reply.
"Gentiana, has Noctis mentioned where he has gone?"
The dark-clad attendant helped Luna out of her coat. "He said something about going for a walk. He could be in any number of places, I'm afraid."
"Thank you."
Gentiana guided the android back to its usual idling room while Luna headed to the sitting room where Umbra and Pryna were lounging. She sat down by her desk and took out paper and a feather pen. If she couldn't find or reach him, Umbra would. The males looked out for each other, after all.
She tied her letter with a cloth binding to Umbra's leg and sent him on his way.
She woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of her bedroom's door opening. She remained still and continued her slow breathing. Noctis walked behind the screen where Gentiana had left his pajamas. She kept her eyes closed and listened to him shuffle to the bed. The mattress lightly dipped under his weight. He didn't crawl close to her like he had done for the past week. Instead he kept to his side, as far away from her as he physically could. It reminded her of their wedding night. Oh, how the tables had turned.
She crinkled her nose as the stench of beer hit her in full force. He must've been out drinking to numb his heartache. She wanted to turn around and reach out to him, but she was afraid she'd only chase him away yet again. She had done enough damage for one day. Tomorrow was a new day, maybe they could reconcile after a good night's sleep.
Both of them laid still, backs towards each other. Neither of them slept for another hour.
The following week dragged on slowly. Gone were the lighthearted moments shared together. Noctis didn't wake up early anymore to keep her company during breakfast, so she continued her previous habit of skipping the meal altogether. She stopped informing him of her whereabouts, so he never came to help her. They didn't see each other until late in the evening. They would eat their supper in silence and do their evening rituals before retiring. No words were exchanged. Only tense silence and a cool distance remained between them.
When she inquired Gentiana what her husband had been doing while she was away, her attendant had mentioned he spent most of his time with her two dogs. Sometimes he was seen in the sitting room texting with his three friends. She had even once spotted him writing a letter on her desk and readying it to be wrapped on one of the dogs' legs, but he would change his mind at the last second and burn it with a miniature fire spell. Luna wondered what he had written to her.
Sometimes the prince would disappear without a word and return at odd hours. He often smelled of beer. Gentiana had mentioned seeing him return home covered in blood. When Luna had panicked at the mention of blood, Gentiana had been quick to assure her that it wasn't his blood or any human's. He had been venting his anger on beasts and daemons outside the city. And when that hadn't been enough he had signed himself up to participate in the coliseum's fights. Luna highly doubted it was such a great idea to attract attention when he was supposed to be a symbol of peace as well as behave like the son of royalty that he was.
One day when she was out again walking down the streets of Altissia and blessing those who required it, she got a text from Gentiana.
'Noctis has gone to the coliseum.'
She quickly replaced her phone in her bag and called a passing boatman over. She would go see the spectacle herself and make sure he wouldn't do anything he'd later regret. She was still his wife. It was her duty.
The coliseum was packed nearly full, but thanks to her title she managed to secure a VIP seat. Five gladiators stood in the middle of the arena. On closer inspection she realized one of the 'men' was in fact an android, but it was unlike any magitek troop she had ever seen. The machine wore a uniform decorated with Niflheim's pompous Behemoth design. Next to it stood a tall woman who could've easily passed for a man had she been wearing something less form-fitting. Her long blond hair was tied to a ponytail. Her features and her weapon identified her as a Tenebraean. Tenebrae's military had been famous for utilizing rapiers before it had been disbanded in favour of Niflheim-controlled magitek troops. The two men next to her appeared to be of mixed heritages. She suspected the other one was native to Accordo while the other might've been from Lestallum if his green and white outfit was anything to go by. Lestallumians were on par with Niflheimians when it came to patriotism. Lastly stood a man wearing a modified Lucian Crownsguard's uniform. Even with a mask and goggles hiding his features Luna could tell it was Noctis. The way he stood, the way he carried himself. It was all familiar. He held his favoured Engine Blade in his right hand. If nothing else, he had had the sense to somewhat hide his identity, even if using the sword his father had gifted him or wearing royal black were not the most discreet of ideas.
A horn blared and the electrified gates were lifted. A horde of wild beasts was released for the gladiators to fight. The android whirred into action and opened rapid fire on a pack of goblins. The Tenebraean woman engaged with a coeurl in a deadly dance of claws, teeth and blade. The Accordian fended against several sabertusks with his spear. Luna turned her gaze to her husband who was effortlessly downing beasts of different species left and right. He seemed to be in his element. The crowd cheered as he executed a rather fancy backflip and struck his blade through the scaly hide of a sea devil.
The Lestallumian wasn't doing too well against a flan. Its wobbly flesh seemed to absorb each strike of the man's knives. His throwing knives hung uselessly from the creature's colourful body. The flan lunged forward. Its flight was cut short as Noctis descended on it and pierced its rubbery hide accompanied by the sound of the blade's engine revving.
Luna exhaled, her hand covering her rapidly beating heart. She hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath. Noctis helped the other contestants to finish their opponents.
Another blow of a horn signaled the release of their next opponent. A giant malboro was ushered forward by security guards with electrified rods. It slithered slowly, its gaping mouth revealing several rows of tiny sharp teeth. Saliva trickled from its mouth as it smelled potential prey all around it. The foolhardy Accordian rushed towards the giant vegetable while the other four stood their ground. The beast exhaled green fumes that instantly knocked the man unconscious. The Tenebraean woman attempted to strike at the tentacled monstrosity from its blindside, but was rewarded with a hard smack from one of its thick tentacles. Luna shook her head. The creature had no eyesight to rely on; it couldn't be caught by surprise that easily.
The Niflheimian android opened fire on the malboro, but the creature curled in on itself, its thick meaty tentacles shielding its core from the bullets. It slithered forward while the machine backtracked to keep its distance. With a sudden lunge the malboro landed on top of the android and crushed it under its massive weight. Luna could hear the sound of metal crunching all the way to her seat. The machine's gun arm ceased its fire when it stopped receiving power. The malboro couldn't smell anything edible from the android so it turned its attention towards the three remaining contestants.
Noctis who had borrowed the unconscious Accordian's spear launched himself up in the air and threw the spear to the top of the malboro's head. The creature let out an inhuman wail of pain, its tentacles lashing blindly all around it. Noctis landed on its head and was about to deliver the finishing blow, but lost his balance when his opponent tossed around violently. One of the tentacles got hold of his leg. It lifted him high up above its giant mouth. Luna stood up and gripped the edge of the rail tightly. He couldn't give away his identity, but he should never even entertain the thought of sacrificing his life for secrecy. She ran from her private booth down the stairs, trying to find her way to the arena. She wasn't sure what she'd do, but she had to save him!
The Tenebraean gladiator cleaved the tentacle off its host. Noctis fell with a heavy thud to the ground. He was safe! Luna halted and remained at the stairs between cheering crowds and watched.
The woman helped Noctis up to his feet while the Lestallumian kept the creature busy. The prince retrieved his fallen Engine Blade and resumed his battle stance. Side by side the Tenebraean and Lucian attacked the monster, cleaving its tentacles and effectively disarming it. The Lestallumian evaded its razor sharp teeth and threw the remaining throwing knives to its gaping mouth. Some fluid Luna presumed to be its blood mixed with saliva dribbled to the coliseum's sandy floor. Once the malboro was completely disarmed from tentacles, Noctis motioned for the Tenebraean to climb his shoulders. He rushed forward and boosted the woman up high enough to jump on the malboro's back and finish it off.
The crowd exploded with cheers, screams and wild applause. The electric gate was switched off and medical staff rushed to revive and purge the poisons from the unconscious Accordian. A cleaner came to collect what was left of the Niflheimian android.
With a shaky breath Luna watched as the contestants received their results on the wide screens followed by a round of applause. The Tenebraean had ranked first for her bravery and for finishing off the last opponent. Noctis came as a close second, his tactics and impressive aerobatics notably mentioned. They were rewarded with trophies and bottles of champagne which they excitedly popped open and showered each other with. According to the billboards there had been originally fifty contestants of which the five had come out victorious. The top three were rewarded.
Relieved that her husband was in one piece and hadn't revealed his identity, she followed the crowd outside and waited to catch a boat. She saw from the corner of her eye Noctis chatting with the Tenebraean woman. Both were holding their trophies and teeming with excitement and pride. Luna turned back towards the canal hoping Noctis wouldn't spot her. Unfortunately her Oracle's dress and trident were not exactly indiscernible.
"Thought you'd be busy with your duties." His husky voice froze her in her tracks.
"I heard you were participating." She slowly turned to face him. His goggles completely obscured his eyes and the mask covered all of his lower face. "I was worried."
He tapped the handle of his blade absently. "Now why would that be? Is it your duty as my wife to make sure I don't do anything reckless?"
She flinched at how he stressed the word 'duty'. "You could say that. But most of all I was worried my dearest friend who hasn't been quite clear in the head recently was biting more than he could chew."
"'Your dearest friend'", he snorted. "What a joke." He pushed past her and took the first available boat. Luna hurried as fast as her heels and long hem would allow her to the boat before it could depart without her.
"Noct, you may not realize it, but my feelings for you have remained the same. Just because of", she awkwardly glanced at the boatman before continuing in a quiet voice, "our disagreement, doesn't mean I don't regard you as my friend."
"So I've been friend-zoned by my wife. Great."
She grabbed his arm and hissed: "We are not having this conversation here."
He pulled his arm from her grip. "You started it."
She sighed and faced away from him. He was being so pigheaded. The boat came to a stop. Noctis hopped off the boat and didn't bother helping her up. Thankfully the boatman had the courtesy to do it instead. She paid him and followed the surly man.
"Noctis, wait."
He kept going. His hands were stuffed deep in his pockets, the trophy was tugged under his arm and his stance was tense. She lifted the hem of her dress and moved to block his way. "What do you want, Luna?"
"To clear the air between us."
"You made it perfectly clear that there was nothing romantic between us. The only one you have eyes for is your past flame. I don't see how you could possibly benefit from 'clearing the air between us'."
Now she was beginning to lose her patience. "In case you have not noticed we are stuck with each other for the rest of our lives. The very least we can do is to get along. I had sworn to be your loyal companion and steadfast friend if nothing else."
"Doesn't have to be so." His voice was surprisingly quiet. "I could just move back to Insomnia while you go back to Tenebrae. You still have your duties and I have to ready myself to succeed the throne one day. You wouldn't have to see me ever again. Our marriage would still hold on paper, but you could have as many lovers as you want."
She couldn't believe what he was saying. He was giving her a way out, a free passage out of this mess. It was tempting, very tempting.
He's your husband now and you have a duty to him as well, Gladiolus' words rang in her mind. If there was one thing Lunafreya Nox Fleuret understood it was duty, obligations and loyalty.
"No."
Noctis' defiantly crossed arms unfolded in surprise. "Huh?"
"I won't leave you. Not ever. I didn't make my wedding vows lightly." Her hand rose over her heart, pleading for him to understand. "I admit I have lied to you and given into your affections out of duty. I have always regarded you as my younger brother and having you touch me like that-" She lowered her eyes in shame. "It sickened me. For the longest time I've tried to fill up the hole in my heart left by Ravus. I sought platonic love from men who could not give it to me while in return I could not give them what they wanted."
Noctis scratched his neck and shook his head a little in disbelief. "That doesn't make any sense. How come you thinking I was Nyx and trying to seduce me into bedding you count as need for platonic love? What is it that you're not telling me?"
"Nyx was the first man I ever had romantic feelings for. The more you and I exchanged letters the more I felt like I was slowly coming to terms with me and Ravus' nonexistent relationship. You filled that hole in me. Because of that I was able to feel other than platonic love towards Nyx."
Noctis sighed and lifted the goggles to rest on his forehead and pulled his mask off to reveal his cleanly shaved face. "Are you saying you're incapable of seeing me as your lover, because you replaced Ravus with me?"
She shook her head and dropped her hand to her side. "No. I just need time. I am confident I will fall in love with you, someday."
"Just promise me something."
She lifted her gaze to his wistful blue eyes.
"Don't fake your feelings for me. Tell me if I'm crossing the line. I want you to accept me as I am, not as some warped reflection of Nyx Ulric."
Tears spilled from her cerulean eyes. "I promise", she whispered. He opened his arms in an invitation. She dropped her trident and rushed to his embrace, burying her face to the crook of his neck. His hands stroked her back soothingly. He said nothing even as her tears soaked his uniform's collar. They stayed like that for a few minutes; listening to their collective breathing and soaking in each other's warmth.
"C'mon. Let's go home." He released her from his embrace and retrieved his discarded trophy and mask. Luna picked up her trident and hesitantly took hold of his free hand. His fingers interlaced with hers and gave her an assuring squeeze. Hand-in-hand they walked the rest of the way to their suite.
A/N: Next chapter will be heavy on fluff, because I can't deal with people fighting, even if they're fictional.