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

Rating: T

As the disclaimer said, this takes place after my semi-retelling of FFXV, and it's somewhat-altered events. Now, we'll see how Noctis and Iris go about things post-eternal night

Insomnia

Honestly...

Noctis let out a breath, walking backstage into the building and away from the crowd, who were still excitedly discussing the details they'd just heard. The building itself wasn't anything special, and sported numerous patch jobs and hasty repair efforts, but it was a temporary command center of sorts.

He just tried to steady his breathing/heart-rate, along with keep his composure; even now, answering the more personal questions like his relationship with Iris weren't always easy. He did his best to answer what he liked about her, what they typically did together and other such questions, while trying to ignore as many of the non-reasonable bits as possible. Nowadays though, it was slightly more difficult, thanks to people bringing up the... the 'implications' of their relationship, since they've been together for months now. Keeping his composure for those was the easy part, but he did manage to say that while he's thinking about those things, he also doesn't have an answer at this point.

Which was true: ever since that talk with Iris at Galdin Quay, those kept running through his head, i-in general... though part of him wondered if the same's true for Iris or not, regarding having similar thoughts...

B-But anyway, what he hadn't been expecting today, was that brazen question of if their relationship was purely to continue the line of Lucis, particularly as soon as possible. It'd taken him a lot of effect to hide his reactions to that question, and Noctis is pretty sure a little had still slipped out - he'd been a mix of flustered, offended, and angry all at once. He'd managed to contain most of those reactions, thankfully... including the thought that the guy's an ass for asking that, for thinking that it might be true.

As if it would be; hmph.

"Thankfully, the crowd was shocked too" he thought to himself, glad he can say those thoughts internally. "He was probably a crazy. Not that my answer would've changed anyway."

Letting out another breath, Noctis felt himself starting to ease, having 'vented' (sorta) - still, he began to instinctively compose himself, knowing he'd have to go back out there soon. Iris may be unexpectedly late, but this is the only break he's going to have, so it's best that he make use of it one way or another...

"Your Highness."

He turned, before inclining his head. "Cor" he greeted in acknowledgement, thinking it's good timing. "Any news to report?"

"A fair bit" the older man confirmed, if with a small smile. "It seems there are far more survivors in Accordo than we first thought."

This surprised him, and it fueled his next reaction. "How so?"

Cor began to dig into his supplies, but otherwise continued talking: "While there were many refugees to Lucis during eternal night, there were a fair number who wouldn't abandon their continent, for several reasons. While they couldn't hold Altissia, they managed a different solution: living in a connected series of large caves."

Hearing about Altissia brought back vivid memories of facing Leviathan, but the tidbit about caves gave him some mixed feelings.

"Normally daemons lived in dark areas like that, but many moved out during eternal night" Noctis said, considering the situation. "Enough for the people to clear them out, and give the place so much concentrated light at the entrances that no daemon would go back in. Or so I'm guessing."

"Exactly, sir. It was a hard life for all involved, particularly in maintaining self-sufficient food and water supplies, but many got through it as we did" Cor answered, before pulling out what he'd been digging for: a sealed letter. "Including Altissia's leader, Camelia. She wanted you to have this."

He felt relieved, and not just to hear that Camelia had survived; finally there was some out-and-out good news about the other continents.

"It's likely a long list of things she wants to say to me" Noctis mused, taking the letter. "Perhaps even that reckoning she diplomatically threatened me with before. Or the specifics of how to handle the Accordo refugees living here in Lucis now."

Cor glanced at the letter, but didn't seem surprised as he gave a slight chuckle. "I couldn't say, Your Highness. I can only tell you that she expects your answer in person, near a large camp beside Altissia."

He nodded, thinking that's gonna be an interesting visit.

"As expected of her" he answered, a little lighter, before a thought occurred to him. "I assume preparations are being made to move relief efforts to near Altissia?"

"Of course, sir."

"Then if you will, Cor, have someone add a few shipments of radios and other technologies to the list of supplies, along with the materials needed to build and maintain such" he commanded. "I would have us help them rebuild their society. I assume they won't accept handouts forever, but it's the least we can do now that we're able."

For a moment, Cor smirked in approval as he saluted. "At once, Your Highness" he said, soon pulling out his phone to make that call as he moved away.

Noctis watched him go for a moment, seeing that despite age beginning to set in, Cor remained determined and focused on moving forward. Then he considered the unopened letter again, knowing that he didn't have time to pursue it at length, but maybe it's just as well: he still had to think about a number of things, including the statement he made to Prompto, back in Gralea. He'd said he'd try to make everyone under one nation, as it shouldn't matter where everyone come from, but that was much easier said than done... not to mention, he won't be the only one with a say in the matter.

He could imagine the gist of that conversation with Camelia, pretty easily:

"So what is this hypothetical proposal you wish to discuss, King Noctis?"

"Basically, if it were possible, I would want to work toward all peoples of Eos becoming under one nation. Everyone would be equal, because it shouldn't matter where you come from, or what you can do, so long as we help each other become better."

"That is much easier said than done. And it sounds quite presumptuous as well."

"I agreed on that first count. But, if you're implying that this would mean turning everything over to be ruled by Lucis, or any other country, that's not what I'm saying. Hammering out the details won't be easy, but perhaps it could be something new; not one ruler of the entire world, but rather multiple people who decide on decisions together. If something like this came to pass, we would still command our respective nations, yet we and Tenebrae's leader would still meet on occasions to discuss matters, of all kinds. But that's precisely why I'm talking in hypotheticals; this isn't a decision I or you alone can make, and it's certainly not one that can be done right away, even if everyone agreed today."

"Particularly when the world is still picking up the pieces. Still, if our arrangements of mutual aid and diplomacy continue, perhaps we could begin to lay groundwork for this idea, assuming there are no snags in that process."

"But if they're aren't any snags, only then might you seriously consider this idea."

"Precisely."

Lip curved, Noctis tucked the letter among his other supplies-

-as he did so, a side door soon opened in a hurry and Iris stumbled in, seeing him after a second and quickly walking over.

"Sorry that I'm late, Noct" she said in a hurry, looking slightly winded. "Stupid truck broke down on me."

He sympathized with that, but also smiled a little, glad she made it (and not just because that'll help with pleasing the crowd outside).

"Sorry to hear that, Iris. But you still got good timing" he assured, hand on her shoulder for a little. "Now that you're here, they're gonna be all over you like usual... hope you're prepared."

"Of course I am" Iris assured, returning the smile, hands behind her back now. "Even if I'm a little nervous being the center of attention, I've got this."

"Good" Noctis answered, before checking the time. "It'll resume in about five minutes. Oh, and uh, are we still on for this plan of yours today?"

"We are, Noct" she said with ease, slightly teasing. "But for right now, I'm curious if you got any interesting questions before I arrived."

While glad to know the plan's still on, recalling the one question in particular made him pause.

"In a way" he admitted, slower; he wasn't surprised that Iris immediately picked this up.

"Hmm? What's up?"

His mouth twisted a bit, but after checking that no one else was nearby, he leaned closer to her ear and managed to tell her about the brazen question posed to him. While he pulled back quickly, struggling not to let his cheeks heat up, Iris seemed to have a similar issue... though it was mostly overtaken by her being offended.

"What an ass" she muttered under her breath, brow furrowed as she glanced away. "How can this guy believe we're that kind of people? For crying out loud, I wouldn't have agreed to anything if that was your only intention."

While pointedly not trying to think about that, Noctis was inwardly smirking/relieved that she had the exact same reaction as him.

Then Iris jolted slightly, slowly glancing at him. "O-Oh, um... sorry, Noct. I know this must've been harder for you, because uh..."

His only reaction was to take her hand, which made her fully turn toward him.

"It was, but I handled it. And I agree that the guy was an ass" he said in an equally-quiet undertone, head tilted a little. "He probably wasn't thinking at all, as even the whole crowd was shocked at that question."

After a moment, her lip curved, and she squeezed his hand back.

"Well, this time we can tell the crowd, that we want things to happen naturally" she 'teased', but her look basically said thanks. "Although I guess I wouldn't mind if something crazy did happen, or so I could tease to them."

Noctis slightly raised an eyebrow, but slowly chuckled - that may be a tease, but she almost sounded sincere as well.

"Well, one step at a time, Iris" he said, more mild; that softened her demeanor. "For now, there's nothing crazy."

"Of course. But I still love how things are."

"Yeah."

There was something about the way she'd said that, which almost bothered him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it yet.

/

Later; noon

Mmh, she's glad to be away from the crowd and their questions - sure it went well like the last handful, but she'd still been inwardly disgruntled by what Noct told her. The sheer nerve of this unknown guy... if he'd still been in that crowd and spoken up again, with Noct subtly pointing him out (as she figured he would), it would've been hard to restrain what she's really thinking about him.

Either way, Iris preferred to let that whole thing die down.

"So, this is it, Noct" she said, more soft as she gestured, picnic basket currently at her feet. "I know it could use a little work, but I think it has potential, which is why it's mine now."

Beside her, Noct gradually looked around the area with interest, noting a lot of different things, but also closed his eyes after awhile and took in the sea breeze with a little smile. The widespread grass was mostly 'okay' due to prolonged light starvation, as were the two stand-apart trees nearby (and the small forest higher up the hill), though a smaller section of the former was pretty much dead, and had been for a long time. Still, it had a lovely view: much like Cape Caem, this raised outcropping of rock overlooked the sea as much as it did the area around them, and some hundreds of feet down/away from them, waves lapped at the shoreline. Meanwhile, there was a constant air current coming in from the sea - sometimes filled with a little ocean spray too - and it'd always felt so refreshing, as did the sheer open space.

"That area" he said, pointing toward the dead grass. "How'd that happen, Iris?"

"There used to be a big abandoned building behind us" Iris said, slightly playful. "It fell apart years ago, crushing most of the grass there, but everything else was unaffected; it was only just cleared two days ago. I had to ask for a few favors to get that done, since this area is technically on the fringes."

A small chuckle. "Sounds like it'll need to be ripped up too, and replanted" he said, mild yet still curious. "Still... why buy this smaller area for yourself?"

Iris held her hands behind her back, smiling. "Can't you guess, Noct?"

He looked at her for a moment, slowly growing more serious.

"...you plan to build a house here, don't you."

"With a looot of help, yes" she said, softer yet sincere. "I think it'd make a good place to call home. After my time on the road with you guys, and in Lestallum, I've found that I prefer the more nature-y aesthetics than what it's like in Insomnia, although I certainly don't hate it or anything."

In answer, Noct slowly stepped closer and touched her hand- she returned the favor, intertwining their fingers.

"That's- heh, wow" Noct breathed, but gentle. "I knew you wanted something like this, but... I didn't expect it so soon."

"Well, I've yet to get it started actually" Iris ventured, more mischievous; he briefly smirked. "But it'll be worth it once everything is done. I'm even thinking of having a dock constructed near that shoreline down below."

Surprised, his expression soon had bits of excitement.

"A dock?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "Seriously?"

She turned toward him, grinning. "Well, let's see" she playfully 'mused', struggling not to giggle at her own tone. "Once everything's built, you might come to visit, and we can hang out while you fish. It could even be a secret spot for you as King, to get away from everyone and just relax. And then of course, when I've finally learned how to fish from you, I'll need to make sure I can practice correctly, perhaps with additional pointers from you, Noct."

As she spoke, Noct got a gleam in his eyes, and even a brief smirk.

"All those reasons included me in some fashion" he said, snarky. "Isn't that suspicious?"

Iris shook as she (barely) held in her giggles, and then it broke; she laughed hard, with Noct soon joining in via chuckles, as was clearly his intention. She would've lightly 'hit' his shoulder, but was too busy enjoying herself - oh god, he couldn't know much she liked that tone of his.

"That aside" Noct continued, still kinda-chuckling. "I- I think it's a great idea, Iris."

"I thought you might say that, Noct" she managed, similarly 'struggling'. "That last part, anyway- hehehe, oh wow."

This time he didn't answer with words, but instead reached down, picking up the picnic basket with both hands. When she realized this, he seemed to be looking it over, at least before glancing at her; she soon realized he's curious again, even with his semi-amused demeanor.

"It's not as good as my sewing work, but I thought I did good enough" Iris said after a moment, before slightly sheepish: "Though you can see more than a few threads sticking out."

"So I can" he answered, still looking it over. "Heh, but it's pretty functional regardless; nice work, Iris. Shall we eat?"

"Yeah, let's."

...

Even if it's not perfect, Iris's work on this basket was certainly more than he could do, though the thought made him amused. Even as he sat down, there was a near-constant sea breeze that pulled at their hair/clothes, but it was a nice feeling: it reminded him well of Galdin Quay, and his first impressions of it. He almost envied Iris, getting to live in a place like this later on... Noctis wondered if it reminded her of Cape Caem as well, and then thought it 'probably' did, because this place is a lot like it. Her plan to add a dock down there only furthered his content feelings, because he's seriously considering her offer of having a secret fishing spot, even if it'll take some time for that.

For now though, he was deciding that he liked this picnic idea already: it's nice and simple, and just the two of them.

"Since I had some time, I balanced things out for us both" Iris said gently, pulling out various foods on his right. "Some meat, along with fruit and grains, among other things."

"Sounds good" Noctis agreed, setting a few portions on his plate - the meat in particular smelled wonderful.

"And then, some carrots and celery to go with my meal."

Besides setting his plate, he didn't outwardly react, though inwardly was a different matter...

Iris made a sheepish sound. "Don't worry, Noct" she said, a little teasingly-soft. "I'm not putting them anywhere near you; I know how much you dislike them."

"Eating them, sure" he answered carefully, looking at her. "But anything else is fine with me now, usually."

After a moment, she gave him a small smile and a nod, though she seemed surprised at his lack-of-outward-disgust. "I guess that's fair, given how much you've changed" she admitted, finishing the set-up of her own plate - they soon began to eat. "But I will admit this: in the past, sometimes I thought about anything I could hypothetically say or do, that might get you try vegetables, just for the fun of it. I knew the answer was always 'no', and I knew better than to actually try, but I did wonder... at least way back then."

Well, she's not wrong; before everything happened, very little could get him to eat vegetables period, at least by themselves. But nowadays, he had reluctantly, perhaps even grimly made a small resolution - he doubted his actual dislike would ever change, but it'd help him in the long run, which he deemed important enough to try.

Iris made a sound, sheepish as she looked at her plate. "And now that I've said that, I've probably lost some points in your eyes" she ventured, slightly teasing.

"If you'd physically tried back then, absolutely" he said, if only half-paying attention as he steeled himself. "Today, not so much."

"Hmm. Not the answer I was expecting, but I'll take it."

Noctis slowly let out a breath, before swiping a random few vegetables from her basket... and before he could wonder if he's insane, started 'forcibly' chewing. Ngh- about as jarring as he predicted, but he kept going anyway, and once finished he swallowed them with effort, yet couldn't repress the shudder afterward.

Took all of ten, maybe fifteen seconds, but it felt like twice that... 'great'.

"My stomach isn't churning though. I still want to shudder, but suppose that's something."

*sigh*

After a second, his gaze slowly moved to where Iris sat-

-and she was almost frozen with shock, eyes wide(r) and mouth hanging open a little as she stared at him.

His mouth twitched, trying to keep the taste out of his mind (and off his tongue).

"Let me guess" he ventured, slow and without force. "'Who am I, and what I have done with Noct?'"

Iris blinked several times, then shifted in place. "Uhh... y-yeah..."

"I still don't like them; I'm sure you saw that" Noctis said, a little more assuring - other than that, he didn't bother to hide his distaste for what he'd just done. "Just once-in-awhile, I'll make myself eat them for several reasons, mostly related to my health... ideally, I should make this a regular thing, but it's not that easy. I might eat them more often if I grow used to this unpleasant task - 'might' being the word - but for now, occasionally will have to do."

The mention of his health seemed to break through to Iris, as she began to shift again, even setting her plate down at the end of his words. Her expression flickered, which gave him a semi-bad feeling: he had a very good feeling that she knew exactly why he's ultimately doing this, beyond what he just said.

Because of his self-sacrifice...

It had happened, and it'd affected them both, but he'll do this best going forward; he'll keep telling himself that, as it's better than dwelling upon it, and he hoped that she agrees.

Whether she thought that or not though, her words were slower:

"Even still, Noct, t- that was unexpected" Iris said, gazing at his face for awhile. "I mean, really... I'm seriously impressed right now; you have no idea."

To that, he managed a brief lip curve, understanding. "And shocked, I take it."

For a moment, Iris's expression became 'are you kidding?', before it softened and she gave a little smile. "A lot" she admitted, before uncertainty showed. "I-I just... even if it's gonna, um, be uncommon... will the guys know or...?"

Noctis wondered if she's thinking of something else than their reactions, but let out a breath. "Not for awhile" he answered, glancing off for a little. "I'm gonna need a lot of internal preparation, to not only continue doing this, but also get used to the practice. And much as I can handle the guys' ribbing, I'd rather not deal with that at the same time, at least at first- you got me?"

Just as he looked back, Iris took his hand again - when he looked at her though, he was surprised to see how intense her expression was. Without a word, she scooted closer until their shoulders were touching, her other hand brushing against his cheek before resting on the back of his head. Nervousness aside, he didn't really mind where this was going, but was slightly unsure about what she's feeling (besides shock and being impressed) - Iris soon gave a little smile, which started to relieve his 'worry'. After that, they settled into a kiss, working their way through small affections... though she did surprise him by how deeply she worked her fingers through his hair.

In hindsight though, he shouldn't have been.

The way she went about everything in this moment, it was different from their other ones: not just soft, or the small passion that they're beginning to explore, but more of a combination. If he had to describe it, the only thing that came to mind was loving; no other thing came close, though it didn't help that his brain's slightly muddled now. This extended to her sounds too: little gasps and similar that made his heart-rate rise, along with new feelings - nothing too big, but he wasn't entirely sure what they were exactly. Iris pulled him even closer, both arms around his neck... he barely noticed, engrossed in the sensations of her lips, of her closeness and her warmth.

And if that weren't enough, she touched her tongue to his lips.

A little groan escaped his mouth, liking that sensation - it wasn't long before his mouth opened even more, and before Noctis knew it, her tongue had slipped into his mouth, and then they were slowly entwined. It was even better than he'd (tentatively) thought it'd be, even as her hair grip tightened a little, holding him even closer, but he didn't mind in the slightest and began to return the favor.

Too soon, or so it seemed, they had to pull apart for air - Iris kept him close even then though.

After several seconds:

"I get you, Noct" she whispered, extremely soft. "And I love you."

Still slightly out-of-breath, it took a moment before that registered, and he found himself dumbfounded, unable to say anything. It's true he already knew that, and therefore it wasn't an actual surprise, but to actually hear her say it out loud... well uh, he hadn't been prepared.

"I really do" Iris continued, resting her forehead against his. "It feels great to finally say that out loud."

"..."

A little hum. "Flustered or not, I don't even mind not having an answer" she added, gentle. "But you never cease to amaze me."

Iris lingered a moment before pulling back, if still sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with him- despite his awkwardness, Noctis saw how she picked her plate, and remembered his was still there. So after a second quickly pulling himself together, he picked his plate up and began to eat again; the motions helped with getting the vegetable taste off his tongue, and indirectly helped him get over his awkwardness.

Though the latter took longer to completely go away...

"I don't think it was that amazing" he said slowly, getting better by the end.

Her only answer was a giggle, eating one of her fruits while leaning against his side; clearly she knew he's just saying that, which admittedly he is. At the same time, the newer feelings lingered in his chest, including the moment they just shared (among other things)... he had an idea what this all meant, b-but he still had yet to truly figure it out.

And he will, but only once he's completely sure.

"And uh, also, this is some good stuff" Noctis managed to continue, sincere. "The fruits, and the meat. Did you make all of this?"

"Most of it, yeah. Still got a ways to go, but Ignis's tips are paying off."

Somehow, he didn't doubt that one bit: even if Ignis could no longer cook for him like old times, he imagined teaching Iris would help make sure he still got some good meals. His lip curved as he ate, thinking that even now, Iggy still hasn't given up acting like his mother, at least in spirit - heh, but despite some annoyances, it hadn't been all bad.

And he certainly appreciated it; better late than never.

Considering what else Noctis has gone through, getting himself to eat vegetables is nothing by comparison, since he has to make sure he stays healthy as King of Lucis... but that doesn't mean he'll ever actually like them; this is him we're talking about.