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

Noctis made the turn, and the car handled like a dream - thus far, the Regalia Mark II was living up to it's name.

He couldn't have thanked Cindy and Prompto enough, nor did he even have the words; it reminded him so much of dad's Regalia, and yet the small differences made it clear that this is a new car, not a replica. Namely that while the main body is pretty similar, it was also sleeker and more streamlined than her predecessor, and the coloring was more of of a very-dark-blue, bordering on black but not quite so. His near-nonverbal gratitude had seemed to be enough for Prompto though, for he'd been thrilled to have done something important for him and Iris, but especially him. Cindy, of course, just went on to say this new Regalia was a beauty and to treat her right, and also that if they needed any maintenance, Hammerhead is right up their alley.

Yeah, he definitely intended to treat this new girl right.

And made sure to savor the wind on his face, feeling more content than ever, as if another piece of the world had finally fit back into place.

Just before going down the dirt road, Noctis slowed down considerably, seeing the shoreline coming up - however, he thought he saw Iris's figure near the dock. At first, he wasn't sure what she seemed to be practicing, but as he got closer, he saw the unmistakable shape of the Blade of the Mystic. By now, Iris's previous struggles with the new weight, unfamiliarity with the attack style, and so forth had nearly vanished, and she handled it sorta like her brother did his weapon-of-choice. Then she suddenly threw the sword, then with a flash of blue, she reappeared some dozen's of feet away; the sight made him smile, approving of her drive to get better at this.

By the time he got close, a few seconds away from parking, the sound of the car engine finally got through to Iris; she paused in her efforts, slowly turning toward him. Noctis 'slowly' made sure everything was in order before turning the car off, then got out and looked at Iris again, lip curved - as expected, she was much closer now, openly wondering as she beheld the car.

"Iris, say hello to the Regalia Mark II" he said with ease, grinning a little.

She soon giggled, though her breathing was still a little heavy.

"Hello" Iris breathed, slightly playful; he gave her a brief knowing smile even as she stepped around to his side. "Oh wow. Cindy and Prompto have outdone themselves, truly."

"They'll be glad to hear that."

Iris made a sound, drawing a hand over the door's handle. "I mean, I saw the final design on that tablet, but that was mostly a bunch of design lines" she continued, smiling pretty big. "To see this car in reality now is something else. She's perfect as the Regalia's successor."

Noctis slipped his hand into hers as she finished; Iris squeezed back without thinking.

"That's good to know" he said easily. "She has many of the same upgrades that we gave the original Regalia. And you should become familiar with how she handles yourself, Iris, since she's not just my ride. If you weren't tired now, I'd say you could take her for a spin, with me along of course."

Iris gave him a playful smile. "Who says I'm tired?"

"It's pretty obvious" he pointed out, if gentle. "You're a bit sweaty from training. I saw you practicing."

A moment passed, then she went 'mmh', free hand behind her back. "Well, at the very least, I think I'm somewhere close to a moderate level of control, so it was worth it" she continued, still playful for the moment. "Still, I suppose you're right; I could use a good bath or something right now."

To that, Noctis just shrugged, essentially showing 'go for it'.

However, Iris gave him a very mischievous look then... after a few seconds of this, he began to think 'uh-oh', suddenly quite nervous.

"Well, least it'll give me a thorough cleaning" Iris breathed, more to herself; her gaze moved away, lingering more on the Regalia Mark II. "Even now, after so long being used to the 'frugal' way, it takes some re-adjusting to."

It took him several moments to find his tongue, registering that Iris had just subtly messed with him. Noctis found himself equal parts relieved and put-off, and only just resisted the urge to sigh.

She then looked at him, getting a little grin. "You totally thought I was gonna say something else, didn't you, Noct."

"..."

Iris tilted her head. "What? Did you really think that I wanted you to j- mmh!"

Noctis resisted the urge to sigh-in-relief (again), instead feeling a little smirk come on, as this time he'd caught Iris off-guard. Even now she stood there, wondering at what he'd done: directly pressing a finger to her lips, having kept her from finishing that sentence.

"I didn't think that, Iris" he said, somehow managing a more intense, low-yet-playful tone himself. "But you can call this payback for implying anything of the sort."

He almost visibly saw her cheeks turn redder... Iris's expression wasn't embarrassed though; in fact, it almost seemed dreamy. She let the moment go on a little before her fingers moved, giving a really soft smile as she held his hand in hers-

"Okay. Payback accepted" Iris breathed gently, giving his finger a kiss.

-he felt a twinge of awkwardness, but mostly a small warmth at her affection.

Her gaze was warm too, repeating her affection on all his fingers, which he- he let happen. "I have to say though, I always liked your rare forward moments, Noct. Like that one time during an ordinary battle, way before eternal night, where you patted my head after I helped heal you" she continued softly.

He got a little half-smile. "And you spun around like you were on cloud nine, a big grin on your face" Noctis recalled, before he tilted his head, smirking slightly. "Care for a repeat, Iris?"

Iris soon began to laugh, and he returned the favor for a bit.

"Still, that would have to wait" he said, more mild. "I think we should just get inside, once you let go of my hand."

She gave a small smirk. "Well, there's something else I wanna do first, just a little. Then we'll do that" Iris breathed, still playful.

A bit surprised, he gave a raised eyebrow even as Iris let go of his hand, moving around him... and once at the Regalia Mark II's side, easily slipped into the driver's seat. Equal parts amusement and exasperation rose in him, and Noctis shook his head, making his way closer; he easily leaned over the side, smirking slightly.

"What did I say about taking her for a spin?" he asked, still mild.

"I'm not; I'm just getting a feel for her, Noct" Iris answered easily, looking back at the dash and such - she looked about to say something else, before she suddenly stilled, blinking.

Noctis tilted his head. "...Iris?"

Iris took a moment, but then her gaze softened. "Oh it's just that- that I remember sitting in the Regalia's front seat, all that time ago" she breathed gently, slowly looking at him. "On our way to Altissia, the car suddenly breaking down, me steering while you guys pushed... with no idea what was in store for us all."

For a little, he didn't answer... then he reached down and gently took Iris's hand, one finger lingering over her ring even as she reacted to this.

"Not a clue" he whispered, a little softer. "And we probably wouldn't have believed it either."

It wasn't long before she returned the little smile, intertwining their fingers, though her gaze did move back to the Regalia Mark II's dash.

She said nothing for a few moments, until:

"Probably not" she breathed, a little softer before she got out then, closing the door behind her. "Still, you're right: we should go inside. Gotta compare schedules for the next week, and- and also figure out what to do for dinner."

"Sounds good."

...

Inside the house now, Iris had to admit, one of the perks of Noct being royalty? Having others willing to do certain tasks for them, such as cleaning the house whenever they were both out doing stuff across Lucis, plus others who helped screened what brands/stores/etc were higher quality than the rest. Having grown up an Amicitia, aware of family friends like Monica, Dustin, Jared, and more, she wasn't surprised that she could do this, but admittedly she never thought she'd be part of it as actual royalty(-to-be). The 'weird' feelings were still lingering inside her heart, but this aside, she aimed to be as reasonable as possible about it all, particularly since her family friends - including Dustin, Monica, and so forth - would've insisted anyway.

And on the bright side, that meant she could insist upon paying them for their efforts; all her work helping the Hunters certainly payed well there.

From beside her:

"Are the Hunter hopefuls still in awe of you?" Noct asked, curious.

"Oh, yeah" Iris admitted, sheepish. "I mean, they were before the announcement that I'm to... become royalty, but now it's getting a little out of hand. Half the time they remember too late that they don't have to refer to me formally, not yet anyway, though Gladdy has made every effort to correct them."

A little smile, taking a bite out of his fish-laden meal. "Well, that'll only change over time" he assured, sincere. "And also, people have known you as a Daemon Slayer for years. It's only natural that they respect you, and want to show it."

She played a little with a piece on her plate. "Yes, but even then it was never like this" Iris admitted, recalling it quite vividly. "On the street or out in the field, people who knew me by reputation would always give me a wave, be friendly and acknowledge me as anyone else. Now, conversations stop when they first notice me, they act almost too polite to try and please me, and speak in hushed whispers when they think I can't hear them. It's... weird."

After a second of silence, Noct's hand slipped over hers, one or two fingers lightly brushing in place.

"Well, it is as big of an adjustment for them, as it is for you, Iris" he breathed, gentle. "Once they get over it, and they know that you don't mind them being friendly, I'm sure it'll lessen.

That made her smile, already feeling warmer from his light brushes. "I hope so" she admitted, still sincere. "Even so, I'll definitely miss how things were before, even as I'll get used to this as well. But until then, I'll probably continue to state how 'crazy' and 'weird' everything is."

Noct's lip curved as he chuckled. "I've noticed that" he said, mild yet sincere. "I might even have teased you about how long you were gonna keep that up, and then continued being supportive anyway."

"Spoilers, much?" she teased, if appreciative.

"It's the truth, Iris" he 'insisted', but struggling not to chuckle again-

-after a second though, it broke, and she soon joined in with her giggling.

Somewhere in the process, their hands truly intertwined, and she wasn't even sure who moved first; it was a real comforting sensation.

"Heh" Noct breathed, looking straight at her, still with the lip curve. "That tease aside, I know exactly how you feel, Iris."

Iris went 'mmh', remembering the stories she'd heard about his time at school - she'd been a bit too young to fully understand the implications,, but the fact remains. "Yeah. You grew up seeing how differently you were treated, and yearned for casual connection as a result" she breathed, softer. "Such as Prompto approaching you, just as a friend, while Ignis and Gladdy developed it overtime, even if they did have jobs relating to you. The only difference between us is that, while I've seen that kind of behavior, it never really applied to me... and I never thought it would."

"Especially not like this" he agreed.

Not long afterward, Iris leaned toward him, something Noct quickly caught onto before returning the favor, kissing her just as she liked. He tasted a lot like fish, thanks to what he's eating, but it's quite the flavor and one she liked to taste - with luck, he felt the same way about her plate's fruits, which she'd been savoring.

"All that aside, I'm so happy too, Noct" she whispered, cupping his cheek; she felt the warmth of his breath for a bit. "Just having you by my side."

"As am I, Iris" he whispered back- not a hint of awkwardness this time, outwardly.

"If only I didn't have to 'share' you with the people, beloved King or not."

"You're seriously playing that card now?"

"Well, it could be the truth, Noct."

"Yeah, sure, 'could'. If it is true, I'm gonna be miffed."

Iris pulled back then, giggling. "Oh really?" she asked, a little playful, if making a point to return to eating. "I hope that's just a tease."

"'Course it is" Noct breathed in return, lightly 'bumping' her side before he returned to his own meal - he either didn't notice or ignored the small smirk she gave him. "That better be one too."

This time, she didn't answer, giggling again and just feeling content with how things are.

Speaking of which, her happiness is no longer at cloud nine level; she's beginning to settle into the new reality, at least a little, even though the feelings remained strong. Noct and she lived here now, and had promised to share a future together, and these days spent with each other felt like an early honeymoon... though they weren't fully-official yet, even if it wouldn't be too much longer.

But once they were, she knew people would start expecting certain things of her- tonight, she should start addressing that, even if nothing will happen for awhile.

She should be ready by then, y-yeah.

/

Later

Down by the shoreline, Noctis looked over the dock for a little, then out at the water as he felt his excitement/anticipation rise. Iris had said that she'd be joining him in a little, and hadn't said exactly what this was about, but he could easily guess based upon where she told them to meet up.

He could still be wrong about her intentions, sure, but he didn't think he was.

A minute later:

"Thanks for waiting."

"Sure thing, Iris" he answered with ease, half-turning - after a few seconds, she slowed to a stop beside him. "Now, what's this about?"

Iris held her hands behind her back, giving him a little smile, briefly glancing around the area with an even-softer look. "Oh, just me finally fulfilling my part of the bargain" she said, gentle-

-he raised an eyebrow, lip curving.

"I've been helping teach you how to cook in several ways, and now, I'd like you to start teaching me how to fish."

Just as he thought; Noctis didn't bother trying to 'hide' his reactions anymore, and he chuckled.

"About time" he snarked, before doing a little gesture with his hand, and in an instant his fishing rod appeared. "Seriously, I thought you'd never ask, Iris. I've been waiting to do this for awhile now."

A little dip of her head, clearly enjoying his tone even as he offered her the rod. "I'm sure you have, Noct" Iris admitted, taking it and looking it over. "Sorry that I took this long, but I'm here now and ready to give it a try. Hmm, and this is an odd lure."

"That's a special one" he answered easily. "Got some kind of magic to it. If the line breaks, it comes back to you."

That surprised her, and she lightly poked it. "Wow" Iris breathed, if with a smile. "Is the story behind it anything interesting?"

"Well, sorta. Me and Gladio went to score a really big fish, hooked it after half-an-hour of fighting, and found this stuck in it's hide; that's basically it."

"Half-an-hour!?"

"I said it was really big, Iris; it was only somewhat smaller than Gladio."

Really surprised now, Iris was left blinking. "Holy crap; that big?" she questioned, before laughing. "Gladdy's huge, and I didn't think they got anywhere close to his size! Any chance there's a picture of this monster?"

Noctis soon found himself grinning a little, glad that she's enjoying the tale. "A few. I borrowed Prompto's camera that day, in anticipation of our legendary catch" he said, a bit airily for effect-

-and Iris grinned, clearly enjoying that. "I don't doubt it" Iris said, before laughing. "Next time I see Prompto, I'm getting him to show those pictures. Won't believe it till I see it" she playfully continued, before tapping the lure again. "Still, I can't imagine how long it'd take me to get to that level, starting at the bottom. What did you call them again? 'Small fry'?"

He just chuckled. "Exactly" he answered with ease, arms semi-crossed. "And to make sure you don't hook more than that, I'll have to change this lure for another. It tends to attract all fish, not just specific ones."

"Guess that makes sense. And if I lose the lure you choose?"

"There's plenty more where they come from, Iris. They're ultra-cheap, believe me."

Iris soon got a little sparkle in her eyes. "When it comes to fishing, I'll believe pretty much anything you have to say, Noct" she said, teasingly sincere - he had to admit, while pleased, that line made him feel a bit embarrassingly-warm. "I know how proud you are of your skills, your knowledge, and hell do I approve."

He briefly struggled at her emphasis on 'approve', but least he's only sheepish about it, not awkward... plus, she isn't exactly wrong.

"What can I say?" Noctis answered, mild. "Now then, it's time I use all of that to teach you."

She gave off a hum, adjusting her grip on the fishing rod. "Ready and raring."

...

They spent at least an hour on/near that dock, half of which was spent teaching.

Naturally he gave her the basics, such as how to spool the line and the proper way to send it out into the water - in particular, the normal 'overhead' way would just snag on things, and you didn't want that. He also gave her tips that he'd picked up in his experience, such as to always keep the rod turned toward the fish (if you can't see them, then observe the line's moving direction/the water's ripples and adapt) and settle into a pattern of pull-wait-pull (continuous pulling, 90% of the time, just wore down the line and might let it get away), among others. Right now, Iris was still waiting for a bite, yet trying his advice of reeling the line back in short bursts, so as to keep the fish's attention and potentially get them interested. As-of-yet, Noctis thought that several fish had come close, but they hadn't become hooked yet... but that's okay, as not only can it take time, but a little luck played some part in it all.

"Oh" Iris breathed suddenly; the tip of the fishing rod was starting to bend.

Heh, well scratch what he just thought.

"Alright, here we go" she continued, angling the fishing rod to the correct side, which made his lip curve. "Pull, wait and... pull again- oh, well you're struggling real bad..."

She's putting what he said into practice well enough, even if her pace is a bit erratic and 'slow' compared to his - hehe, still not bad at all.

"Do all fish struggle that hard, Noct?"

"Pretty much, Iris" Noctis admitted, smirking as he watched her progress. "The biggest especially tend to do so a lot more, and erratically too, leaving you little time to pull for more than half-a-second each time, if that."

"Yikes" she breathed, giving him a brief, sheepish side-glance. "Glad I'm still on small-fry level."

Inwardly, he liked that term better than 'beginner'; definitely gonna use that from now on, and should've long ago for that matter. At the same time, Iris's efforts had gotten her fish about six/seven feet from her, and she's steadily keeping up the pace...

Almost there, come on, Iris.

"Still struggling, mmh... okay pulling and- gah, almost got you that time. Come on... come on... aaanndd, gotcha!"

Noctis gave a smile even as Iris bent down on her knees, using the prongs to catch the fish, though he noticed it took her several seconds. Nonetheless, he stood up even as Iris straightened, looking at her prize - a Lucian Catfish - yet was slightly startled when it flopped around (almost touching her arm), but soon laughed.

"Neat!" she breathed, half-turning to see him stand beside her; she gave off a bright grin. "Even if it is a small fry, I think it's a little on the big size for its type. Ain't that right, Noct?"

He just nodded, returning her grin with a smile. "It is; that one's at least ten inches, whereas the usual size for the smaller variant is six-to-seven" he answered, sincere - he gently took the prongs from her hand as well, which she allowed. "Not bad for your first catch."

Iris again held her hands behind her back, her bright grin gaining a playful edge. "Is that worth a kiss-on-the-cheek, or what?" she teased.

Y-Yeah, can't say he didn't see something like that coming - Noctis wondered where she'd gotten this perchance for teasing, even though he mainly enjoyed it. He still remembered their journey, and before that, where she had teased him yet it'd never gone to this level... but now that he really thought about it, she'd seemed to 'start' when he woke up during eternal night.

Or maybe she'd always had it, but him returning her feelings was made it jump so much- heh, yeah that's probably why.

Outwardly, he leaned over, giving her that kiss on the cheek with only a bit of hesitation.

"Sure, this time" he answered, slightly mild.

Iris touched her cheek, both pleased and a little surprised, before she smiled. "I wasn't sure you'd actually take me on that" she admitted, before tilting her head, playful. "But, I suppose I can settle for every once-in-awhile."

He refused to respond to that bait, though he did have to suppress a smirk - to distract himself, he soon held up her catch a bit more.

"Well, next I'll teach what you actually do with your catch" Noctis said, more mild. "But there's something I wanna say first."

"Oh?"

"When you show off your new skills, and the guys inevitably start making comments about your catches, you're entitled to say this in response" he continued, before his voice took on a more deadpan, snarky tone. "'Talk about backseat fishing.'"

After a second of recognition, Iris gained a little smirk. "Ohh, that's gonna be so much fun" she said, clearly enjoying the thought-

-and hell did he approve, especially of her tone.

Nighttime

As much as he'd settled into things, he sorta needed to breathe here.

Noctis broke their kiss, turning his head to the side and panting a little, while on top of him Iris did the same thing - not surprising, considering how long they'd been at this. However, he noticed that she hadn't moved off his body, which made him think she wasn't done with him yet...

Two seconds later: "Noct?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"...I think I'm ready now, as I'll ever be. To talk about- about us having k-kids, sometime in the future."

While he inwardly felt very awkward/nervous all of a sudden, he managed not to stir with an effort - despite not being entirely ready himself, this talk needed to happen sooner or later.

Even still, he needed a few more moments to steel himself:

"R-Right" Noctis breathed after a moment, coughing; he could only hope his nervousness wasn't showing too badly. "Yeah. Uh, well, first off... the matter of 'when'."

Iris moved closer, kissing the corner of his lips several times, her breath very warm.

"We'll... we'll do things naturally first, of course, taking time getting used to- to everything. Plus if possible, I'd wanna make sure it's after those bigger tasks I saw mentioned on your phone, so there's no distractions for us" she whispered, ending her statement with a kiss on his jawline; that was curiously good, even as he noted the small effort in her voice. "That much should be obvious."

A little inward smile.

"No disagreement's there, Iris" he whispered, easing slightly as he looked at the ceiling/ Iris continued leaving little kisses, more on his neck now; he might've shivered if this talk weren't serious. "But when everything is taken care of, a-and we do get that close, I... mmh, I don't think I want to settle for one."

Her kisses paused, but her fingers soon came up, brushing against his hair and that was all.

"Not too many, but definitely not one, or m-maybe even two..." Noctis continued, half-mumbling despite himself, then he sighed (which helped, oddly enough). "I'm- I'm still going back-and-forth in my head there, even if it's only hypothetical. That and- and trying to figure a few o-other things out."

"...What are you worried about, exactly?"

Noctis slowly brushed a hand down her back, moving in circular motions, keeping it up when she curled against him more. Inwardly though, he was surprised at the question, or rather by her seeming lack-of-reaction to what he just said... but maybe there's a reason for that, and/or she knows this is hard enough already, which is why she's keeping silent.

"That I'll have my work cut out for me, Iris" he whispered, heavier yet faint as she stirred. "I know it won't be... the same as when I grew up, but I'm still the King of Lucis; I'm frequently busy most days, and the scheduled days off may not seem like enough. I'm also not sure if my memories of dad is enough to- to teach me how to behave right, when I will be around... even if I know that I'll learn as I go along."

After a moment, Iris leaned up a bit and her breath was suddenly hot against his ear, which nearly made him jolt.

"You don't need to behave like your dad, Noct; just yourself" she whispered, if shivering once. "But that aside, do you think it'll be hard enough for me, when you're not around?"

He slowly brought his gaze down, seeing that Iris had lifted her head, and had a lot of things in her gaze.

"...I wouldn't say hard, exactly" he breathed slowly, feeling his heart beat against his ribcage. "Just that, even though you understand the situation, we don't always have time to be together everyday. And... a-and the kids might not understand those reasons as easily."

Iris let out a small breath, and he saw her nervousness, but she still leaned over and kissed him.

"It's a little more complicated than that, Noct" she said, gentle and sincere, even as her fingers brushed over his cheek. "It's true that due to the nature of your work, I'll miss having you all to myself sometimes, even as I'm proud of you. Yet at the same time, you're not gone so long, and so often that I've ever found myself wanting or unsatisfied. And now, at the very least, I'll see you here every night and morning in addition to your time off, as you insist upon doing. At least, whenever the situation doesn't demand other sleeping arrangements, like maybe spending a few days in the other nations."

"...Aside from when necessary, I'm not planning on that happening a lot" Noctis breathed, intent.

If it did happen, it'd be much too easy to veer toward being a work-alcoholic, and he refused to have that happen. He'll do this duty to the country, but he's not gonna neglect his own children nor his wife, or vice-versa - hell if he's gonna let anything like that happen, especially after everything.

"E... Especially if I can help it" he added then, fainter. "And uh, if I have to make days-long trips, I'd- I'd want to see if you could all come with me... if possibe."

"Mmh, good" Iris breathed, tracing a finger down his chest now, though the motion was a little shaky at times. "Maybe it still won't be a breeze, but I don't think it'll be too much to deal with. Especially since they'll have me to help reassure them when needed, along with the others. Me, Gladdy, Prompto, Ignis- everyone."

That gave a comforting warmth; he'd knew this aspect, but having her say it out loud helped a lot.

Leaning over, Noctis kissed her for a few seconds, equally returned on her part.

"I was gonna do my best anyway, because it's the right thing to do" he whispered, hoping that his tone's grateful. "But I-I still needed to hear you say that, Iris."

"Glad I could help" she agreed, fingers brushing against his cheeks, even as hers turned pink. "Although... I wouldn't say I'm entirely confident either. After all, my- my only 'plan' at this point would to be nice, fair, and firm when needed. It's kinda silly, isn't it."

He almost slumped, but gave a smile as his eyes closed.

"Least you've got a kinda-plan, Iris" Noctis said, slightly played-up to 'ease' himself into things. "All I've got right now is 'do your best'."

In that moment, he's certain that she had a little grin. "What's wrong with that?"

"It's so basic-"

Iris giggled at his tone, and lightly thumped his chest to show how she felt, which made him chuckle a bit in relief. Even still, she lay closer to him on the bed, and it wasn't long before she wrapped her arms around him - he did his best to return the favor, after a moment.

"Maybe so, but it sure does work" she whispered to him, more soft.

"Mmh. I know."

"Well, at least we'll have plenty of time to figure it all out; I'll need to think about a number I-I'd feel comfortable with too. I think that's as far as we can go right now, Noct... so for now, we should just get some sleep."

Noctis didn't protest as she started getting ready, but he didn't move yet.

"...is there a reason you're not asking for my reasons, Iris?" he asked, with a little effort. "Regarding h-how many... even if it's not finalized yet?"

Again Iris paused, yet when she turned to look at him, her expression remained soft (smile included).

"I think it's because I already know, Noct, or I can guess" she whispered, with a lot of emotions underneath. "As the- mmh, as the sole survivor of the line of Lucis, having been given a second chance, you don't want it to end."

"..."

Her eyes closed, slowly laying down on his left side before settling against him. "If I were in your position, I- I might be thinking the same way" Iris admitted, fainter. "Yet I also don't think your reasons are solely practical; part of it is personal too, right?"

In his mind, he remembered all the times he'd spent with dad, unaware of the prophecy and longing for his dad to be around more. In hindsight, he now knew dad did his best with a 'bad hand', and tried to be there for him while still ruling a kingdom alone, trusting in him to end the Starscourge as per the prophecy. Heck, dad had even wearily prepared himself for when he fulfilled the prophecy, and to welcome him in the afterlife... at least, until Luna blindsided them all. And now, no matter his initial reaction to those developments, he knew dad must still be proud of him, happy that he's gotten a second chance at life... and most importantly, hoping he makes the most of it.

Noctis knew he's gonna do just that, along with make sure that he and Luna are remembered, as the reasons he was ultimately able to complete his calling.

"Yeah" Noctis breathed, sincere as he slowly held Iris closer. "It really is."

Iris stirred once, probably smiling... when he leaned closer for several little kisses, she seemed slightly surprised at first, but then she quickly returned the favor, including brushing her fingers over his bangs.

That touch definitely comforted him, which he made clear to her.

And now we finally have the Regalia's successor for these two, as the royal ride.

Plus it was only a matter of time before Noctis started teaching Iris how to fish, with game-appropriate tips and such hehe. But of course, there's more to their bonding that just that - I particularly enjoyed writing their little bedtime talk.