Part Three: The Nights That Changed Everything

Ignis slept better than he had in a while. When he had pulled away from Aranea after his breakdown, he didn't know what to say but apologize. Aranea would have none of it, and she suggested they get some rest. He fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Aranea had stayed up for a while, still nervous about the lights, then managed a short, fitful sleep. When she awoke several hours later, the lights were still functioning, yet she couldn't shake her nerves for some reason. So she turned toward Ignis' sleeping figure and buried her face against his upper arm. If he noticed, she figured it could seem like an accident, just rolling over in her sleep. But it felt comforting to be this close, breathing him in.

She never needed this before. She didn't think she needed this now either. Especially now, with what the world has come to—it was better not to get attached. But she couldn't move away.

—

They were both a little sheepish as they got ready in the morning, as if some line had been crossed but they weren't ready to acknowledge it. They focused on preparing for the day's hunt, avoiding any topics from the night before. Walking to the hunt site meant they had an excuse to remain quiet too.

The day started off with some challenging daemons, but both Aranea and Ignis found it a relief to focus only on their task. They worked quickly and diligently, making their way up the road. Hopefully they would be finished by early evening, and Aranea could send the go-ahead to the fuel trucks.

As they cleared a section of road, Aranea eyed Ignis' cane, which he would continue to use between battles.

"How come you're so attached to that thing?" she asked.

"The cane?"

"Yeah. You seem to be doing fine without it when you're fighting."

"I suppose I find the roads more treacherous at a slower pace. There are more instances to get caught off guard when you think the path is easy."

It wasn't lost on Ignis that he was also referring to the night before. He had let himself be swept up in the moment between him and Aranea and lost focus. Had he reacted a second later to the daemons that attacked their camp, who knows what would have happened. By the time he woke up in the morning, he had decided she was turning out to be too much of a distraction and it was best to part ways after this mission. Granted, when they fought together in battle, they made a great team, but as soon as his guard was down…

He had cried in front of her too. He fell into her arms and sobbed like he'd never done with anyone. It unnerved him greatly that he would be so vulnerable with someone he barely knew.

By evening, Ignis and Aranea found what appeared to be the last collection of daemons. They were tired at this point, but eager to finish the job. They moved fast and hard, slashing through the culprits and putting Ignis' intel on their weaknesses to good use. After they were done, Aranea made a call to Biggs and Wedge. They were finished too, and the trucks were ready to move. She gave the okay for the Vesperpool truck to proceed as well.

"All right then, partner," she said in her most casual tone. "All we have to do is get back to camp, rest up a bit, and head back to Lestallum. Mission accomplish."

They walked off the road and through dense trees, passing near a cliff towering over them on their left. There was only silence now, no daemons around. That's why Ignis was taken by such surprise when he felt a gust of wind through the trees that threw him right off his feet, and Aranea shouted.

"Get down!"

Ignis heard her let out a guttural sound, like she had been struck in the stomach. Then the sound seemed to lift up off the ground and into the air. Ignis realized she had been snatched up by whatever had swooped past them.

"Ignis!"

She was somewhere above him and to the left, towards the cliff. She shouted out expletives in between low, deep groans of pain.

"Aranea! Where are you?!"

"Up—HERE! This way!"

Ignis reached for his daggers but they were missing. He must have dropped them when the daemon swept him over. He clawed at the dense foliage on the ground but found nothing.

"I can't—breathe!" Aranea's voice was barely audible now.

The daemon let out a shriek, sounding something like a large bird. Ignis still had his cane in his hand. It shrieked again and Aranea let out one last cry of pain as Ignis lifted his cane above his shoulder like a lance, ignited it with fire, and threw it in what he discerned to be the sound of the creature with all his strength.

The cane flew through the air and hit the daemon straight in the eye, through the head, and wedged itself into the cliff behind it. The daemon's talons loosened and Aranea slipped out, trying to break her fall by grabbing on to rocks and branches on her way down. She landed with a painful thud, and coughed and retched.

Ignis ran toward the sound, winding his way through the forest. He reached out and felt her on the ground, gently taking hold of her body, looking for signs of injury.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." she coughed. "Guess we… missed a daemon."

Ignis felt a rush of relief at her joke. Maybe she wasn't too badly injured then.

"Guess we're not getting your cane back either," she added. "How did you aim that in the right place? You could have impaled me instead."

"I listened."

Ignis had to walk Aranea back to camp. The birdlike daemon had nearly crushed her abdomen, and it was painful to stand up on her own. To make it more uncomfortable, it had started to rain, but Aranea had heard reports that daemons didn't like rain much, so it was a blessing if it meant they could avoid further battles.

By the time they got back to camp, the rain had picked up. They immediately went into the tent. Between Aranea's injury and the rain, it looked like they were definitely staying the night.

Dripping wet, Ignis changed into dry clothes and helped Aranea out of her armor. He suspected she had watched him change; he was getting used to the sensation of eyes on him. He wondered what Aranea wore under that armor. It couldn't have been much. His mind started painting a picture, but he pushed it away as soon as it started, intent to remain true to his resolve and not think too much about the woman in the tent with him.

He examined her abdomen, which was bare under a cropped top. As he ran his fingers over her skin, pressing carefully to check for any signs of something more serious internally, he kept the cool composure of a doctor who had examined a hundred patients—though in the back of his mind, he noted his heart rate had increased. She was no different from anyone else, he reminded himself; she couldn't be.

Aranea, on the other hand, felt a little woozy at his touch. She didn't know if it was him saving her life, the high of surviving the danger she'd found herself in, or having watched him change out of his wet clothes, shadows playing on his lean body in the tent's soft light. But she looked at his concentrated face, his scars and small freckles, and decided she wanted this.

Luckily, her injuries seemed minor enough. Mostly bruising. Her armor had largely protected her, and although she was tender, she said she felt better already and was hungry for dinner. Ignis couldn't cook in this weather, so he finally gave in to some Cup Noodles, much to Aranea's delight.

"Don't get me wrong," she said. "I love your cooking. But there's something so comforting about Cup Noodles on a dreary, rainy night after a near-death experience."

Ignis couldn't argue against that.

—

They ate relatively comfortably in the tent, assured that daemons would be kept away by the camp lights and the rain.

"So I was thinking," Ignis said, "that since my cane is gone, perhaps I will try going without one for a while."

"You'll be fine," Aranea replied, putting her empty Cup Noodles down. "You're fighting better than most sighted men. You don't need it."

"But aren't you glad I had it tonight?"

"Yeah, I guess it did save my life. I'll give it that much credit."

"So the cane gets all the credit?"

"Ha." She paused and smiled. "But seriously, thanks for saving my ass back there. That thing had me trapped, hanging by the talons. I was seriously worried for a moment. And I never get worried."

"My pleasure. I'd never leave a lady hanging."

She laughed at his pun, and, before she could second-guess herself, took the opportunity. "Not even now?" She leaned in toward him—and waited.

Ignis didn't have to see her to realize what was going on. He could feel her breath on his lips, she was so close. He could just move a couple of inches closer and his lips would meet hers. But then he thought about how distracted he had gotten by her lately, and his vow to stay focused. The bigger picture was Noctis. He had to be ready to help Noctis fight, be there for him in whatever way was needed, and not get caught off guard. He'd devoted himself to Noctis all his life, and he already knew how it turned out when someone challenged this.

Aranea felt the moment go on for too long with no reciprocation. She leaned back away from him, feeling defensive now. "What is wrong with you?"

"Pardon?"

"Cut the bullshit, Ignis. You asked to come on this mission."

"Yes, to learn how to fight in my condition."

"And then you tell me all about your life, and I tell you about mine."

"Simply making conversation." He was getting uncomfortable at how blunt she was being. He preferred to live in pretenses.

"And then you lose your mind when we get attacked the other night, cry like a baby, and I actually—ugh!" She turned and crawled away in the tent, but there wasn't far for her to go. She sat back down, defeated. "What is it that you want, Ignis?!"

"I…" He wanted to say it was to be a better fighter for Noctis, but something stopped him. While this was true, he wasn't being completely honest—not with her, not with himself. "I, uh…" he stammered.

"Dammit," she whispered. "You know what, just forget it. I don't need this."

"Aranea…"

"I'm going to sleep."

She plopped down, her back to him. Even though she knew he couldn't see her, she still didn't want something giving away the hurt on her face. Besides, she didn't really care, did she? He was just one of that sorry excuse of a king's friends, nothing more.

Ignis sat still for a moment, trying to make sense of everything he was feeling. He was devoted to Noctis, yes, but for the first time he began to question if there wasn't room for something more. Then he finally spoke.

"I would be lying if I said you hadn't crossed my mind." He paused, and then added, "A lot, actually." Aranea didn't move, so he continued. "I'm just… I'm trying to stay focused on what really matters."

She sat up and looked at him. "The world is so messed up right now, Ignis."

"I know."

"So why deny something good? Just because you can feel happy for a moment, doesn't mean the rest stops to matter."

Happy… He hadn't even considered his own happiness. It always seemed so secondary to everything else. Just like his eyes were secondary to the larger fight. Or how even his life was secondary.

"You can be a little selfish," she continued. "Even if it's just for a short while." She turned back over to lie down. "But don't worry about it."

A minute passed; it seemed to go on forever. Then Aranea felt his hand touch her shoulder. He traced her collarbone up to her neck and to her cheek. He tried to gently shift her face toward his, though she resisted at first, feeling stubborn—but she soon gave in. When he felt her breath close by, he paused a moment. Then he gave in too.

He touched his lips to hers softly. He waited to feel guilty about it, to feel like he was committing some sort of betrayal. But it didn't happen. If anything, it felt like he was falling into something deep and warm and safe. He pulled away to gage her reaction.

She sat up and touched his cheek. She reached for his shades and started to take them off. He shifted back a little.

"Let me see you," she said.

He didn't stop her from removing them this time. She ran her fingers over his scars while giving him small kisses on his lips. She then kissed his starburst scar on the left eye and he seemed to relax a little. She looked at his eyes, the left one almost closed, the right one still green but unfocused. She ran her hands through his hair and pulled his face close to hers, kissing him harder. He took hold of her waist and held her against him.

Ignis found the edge of her cropped top and pulled it up over her head. Then, as if worried he may have gone a step too far, too fast, he placed his hands back on her waist. She took them and put them on her breasts. He ran his hands over them, imagining their teardrop shape. Aranea unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders, coming close for another kiss. As Ignis felt her breasts against his chest, he realized how long its been since he felt skin-to-skin contact, and he shuddered at the feel of it.

They went on for a long while, shifting and moving and discovering each other, till holding it off wasn't an option anymore. Ignis felt Aranea tighten around him stronger than ever, and she moaned as she finally gave in, pushing her hips into him hard as she shuddered. He let himself go too, his cheek against hers, breathing her scent in sharply.

She went a little limp, and he collapsed on top of her. She hadn't realized how uncomfortable her injuries were until now, but she ignored it, just to have his weight on her a little longer. He pulled away eventually and shifted next to her, and she placed her leg over his, facing him. They didn't say a word.

—

The next morning, Ignis woke to light strokes going through his hair and a soft whisper close to his face.

"Ignis, we should get going," Aranea said. She didn't sound too convinced.

"Just a few more minutes."

"Okay."

Ignis reached for her face, touching her warm cheek and stroking her matted hair.

"You know, I try not to dwell on regrets," he said. "But I really do regret that I can't see you in this moment right now."

Aranea wanted to say something about how it doesn't matter, or joke that he's not missing much. But instead she stayed quiet and kissed him slowly.

—

The rain had cleared by the time they packed up their weapons and equipment. They rode back toward Lestallum with little trouble, only needing to avoid daemons on occasion. When they stopped for breaks, they stood close to each other while eating a snack or stretching out, but neither knew what to say.

As he held onto her while they rode, Ignis allowed himself to pretend for a little longer that he was really this version of himself, and the world wasn't in perpetual darkness, and that they traveled on a beautiful, sunny day. Noctis hadn't disappeared, and the gang would be waiting for him back in Lestallum. They would all go have a meal together, and he would sit next to Aranea with his arm around her, and the boys would be a little jealous but happy for him. And he could see.

But as they got closer to Lestallum, the fantasy started to break. He began to worry that everything that happened in the last few days was just an illusion, existing only while it lasted. Aranea seemed to be feeling it too; over the course of their ride, an uncertain distance appeared between them. Neither of them would acknowledge it though.

They arrived at the parking lot by evening, where Biggs and Wedge were waiting. They helped them unload the equipment and congratulated one another on a mission accomplished. Biggs and Wedge went off to round up the troops so Aranea could brief them on their next tasks.

"So I guess this is bye for now," she said, turning to Ignis.

"Yes. Thank you for everything, Aranea," he replied, back to his usual formal self. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"My pleasure."

"Well then, I shall return to the hotel to let Gladio and Prompto know I made it back in one piece. Hopefully they will allow me to continue to hunt and train with them, now that I've proven myself."

"Sounds good. And hey, if you ever want to go out on some missions, let me know. I could always use some extra hands on deck."

"I'll take you up on that. Enjoy your evening then." Ignis turned and started walking off. Their parting felt so… unceremonious, after everything. As he walked away, he thought he heard her footsteps following and paused a moment, hopeful. But then nothing happened and he understood exactly what this had been: just a happy moment that didn't mean the rest stopped to matter. And they were back to the rest now.

Deep down, he knew this would happen all along. Aranea wasn't the kind of woman he should be falling for. It was for the best, he told himself.

He made his way through the streets of Lestallum with such surprising ease now, that he wondered if it had become less crowded. But it didn't seem to be the case; he was simply more aware. He was getting close to the hotel when he heard his name shouted above the noise and he turned around.

"Ignis!" Aranea yelled. "Ignis, wait!" She caught up to him. "Look, I need to say…"

It sounded like she was about to go on a speech she had prepared, but found herself tongue-tied. "I just… well…"

"Do you have any Leiden Pepper?" Ignis blurted out.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Do you happen to have any Leiden Pepper left over?"

"I, uh, I think so? Probably? I never knew how to use those." Aranea sounded very confused.

"Good. Then how about we meet after you brief your squadron and I'll make the best stew you've ever had? That is, if you don't have any plans…"

"I don't have any plans."

"That's good to hear. Then I'll see you at the hotel shortly?"

"Yes… That works for me. See you then."

"See you then."

Ignis turned to continue walking, but he felt her grab his shoulder and turn him back around. She kissed him fiercely, as if to do away with any ambivalence, confirming they were indeed on the same page.

He kissed her back.

—

"You guys… are the best."

Noctis' face was streaming with tears, and so were all of theirs. Ignis looked at him, still absorbing what he had just been told. Noctis was back, but he wouldn't be for long. It took everything Ignis had to remain at least somewhat composed. It felt so incredibly unfair; he'd had plans for them, once it was all over. He thought for a moment, and decided there won't be another time to do this.

"I'd… I'd like to show you something, Noct," Ignis said.

"What is it?"

"I'm afraid it won't help much. But perhaps…"

Ignis reached into his coat's inner pocket, fishing out a photo. He handed it to Noctis.

Noctis looked at it, placing the significance together and taking in a sharp breath. "Ignis, is this you and…?"

"My daughter, Lucie."

"Your daughter… Wow. And that's Aranea with the two of you?"

"Yes. Lucie's mother."

"I had no idea…"

"I was going to wait until after everything was over and you got to meet her, but…"

"Yeah…"

Noctis studied the photo. The little girl smiled between her parents' faces. Ignis was beaming like Noctis had never seen, and Aranea looked strong and proud as ever, but with an underlying softness he didn't recall last time he met her.

"How did you two… happen?" Noctis asked.

"Slowly and awkwardly," Ignis responded.

"It was like a game of 'will they or won't they' for months," Gladio said.

"Gotta say, I was disappointed," Prompto added, smiling weakly. "I mean, Iggy totally broke the bro code. But just look at that adorable face. Lucie makes it all worthwhile."

"Yes, she's very fond of Prompto and Gladio," Ignis said. "We certainly hadn't planned on her, not in this world we're in. But then one day she was there, and what could we do? The night she was born changed everything for me, Noct."

Ignis recalled holding Lucie for the first time, such a small and defenseless little figure that fit in his two hands, breathing against him in short, soft breaths. He knew, in that moment, that he would give anything for her, and for Aranea. He was still devoted to Noctis of course—he knew he would always be—but that allegiance was shared now. That night, as he held Aranea with Lucie cradled in between them, he realized it was okay. Noctis would have always understood.

"I'm very happy for you Ignis," Noctis said. "She's beautiful."

Lucie took after Aranea a lot, but had Ignis' eye color and lips, and, something told Noctis, his disposition. He then noticed she had something covering her right eye, black with a beautiful embroidery of sylleblossoms on it.

"What's on her eye?" he asked.

"A year ago, she was attacked by a goblin," Ignis explained, now more mechanically. "It dragged her right out of her bedroom window at night, after a partial power failure cut off some of the lights in Lestallum. We were almost too—" He couldn't say it, suddenly getting very emotional at the thought.

Prompto jumped in. "They got to her just in time."

"Almost," Ignis continued, gaining his composure. "The thing had taken her eye out. When we went to see her in the hospital, after her surgery, she looked at me from under her bandages and said, 'It's okay, daddy. Now I'm half like you.'" Ignis looked so solemn as he remembered this.

"She's definitely Iggy's little girl," Gladio said. "And Iggy's a great dad."

"The best," Prompto added.

"Yeah, I believe it," Noctis said, thinking back to how well Ignis always took care of him, and he smiled.

"We've told her all about you too," said Prompto. "She's like, your biggest fan."

"She always wants to know when she'll finally get to meet King Noctis," Gladio added.

"Noct, I know what you're about to do is beyond imagining," Ignis continued. "And I would take your place in a heartbeat."

"I know you would."

"But if anything can give me hope that Lucie can live the rest of her life in peace, and see the sun for the first time—I will be forever grateful."

Noctis understood. Ignis wanted him to know how much more his sacrifice would mean to him, now that he had someone else to take care of. And it did help, knowing Ignis had this.

"Tell her I did it for her," Noctis said. Ignis nodded.

"Hey Noct," said Prompto, his smile widening. "Look at us. We're all dads now."

Noctis smiled at the thought, and—through the tears that started back up—they all laughed.

—

Ignis moved slowly through the hallway of his apartment, his body sore in every place, covered in grime and dust and blood, but he ignored it. He made his way to Lucie's bedroom, and opened the door gently. He felt her sleeping form, brushing his hands through the hair on her face.

"Lucie…"

"Daddy?" she replied sleepily. "What's going on?"

"I want to show you something."

He gathered her small frame in his arms, her sleepy head falling on his shoulder. He held her tightly, kissing her head as he walked her through to the living room. Aranea pulled the curtains and opened the window. Ignis stood next to it, feeling the warm breeze, and Aranea wrapped her arms around them both.

"Lucie, do you see anything?" Ignis asked.

"No…"

"Keep watching."

A moment later, Lucie let out a small gasp, her head rising up. "Is that the sun?" she whispered.

"Yes… It is." Ignis could sense it now too, faintly.

"Would you look at that," whispered Aranea, tears on her cheeks.

"Did King Noctis do this?" Lucie asked.

"He did," said Ignis. "He did it for you. And now you'll always get to see it."

They stood there until the sun was high up in the sky and Lucie begged to go outside and run around at the lookout, arms outstretched, underneath the brightness and warmth. Prompto ran around with her while Gladio smiled at Iris, who smiled back despite her red-stained eyes, and put a reassuring arm around his little sister.

Ignis stood nearby, holding Aranea and resting his cheek on her head while their daughter ran around freely, remembering all the nights that changed everything, and feeling the heat of the sun on their backs.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I had a great time writing this three-part story. I decided to do my own time-skip, and show where Ignis and Aranea ended up instead of going into the details of their entire history, or we'd be here all day. That being said, I have plenty of other ideas about what took place in the 10 year gap, especially with Ignis and Aranea, as well as what might happen after (I'm clearly on the bros-lived-team). Let me know if you think any of that warrants more story-telling. I also have a longer version of their "special night" in the tent on AO3, I just wasn't sure about how appropriate it was for the ratings here. Check it out if you like something a bit more racy but still tasteful ;)

Thanks so much for reading!