…2… Bite My Tongue

Nyx stayed with Noctis as much as he could over the next few days. When he would have to go, he'd simply say he had 'things to do,' and refuse to say much else. One morning, he brought Noctis a couple of books.

"I thought you'd like to get acquainted with this place," he said, setting them in Noctis' lap. "One's a basic history of the world, the green one outlines the political structure, which trust me isn't as bad as back home, and the bottom one is about this city. It'll explain those things you saw through the window."

Noctis shuddered, looking down at the books. "Thanks… I guess. Iggy will be glad to know you're giving me homework, at least."

Nyx smiled, but said nothing. He could see the pain in the Prince's face when he mentioned his friends, even if Noctis worked to mask it in his voice. Nyx had told the younger man for a long time that his eyes were always giving him away, which is why Noctis could never lie to him. Nyx just opted to overlook his attempts most of the time.

A few days before his doctor was talking about releasing him into Nyx's care, Noctis was bored, flipping through one of the books. He wasn't really paying attention to what it was going on about, just idly looking at the pictures and illustrations. There was a knock, and he perked up, thinking Nyx had finally made it.

But the person that stepped inside was not Nyx.

"Hey there… you don't remember me…" the newcomer started.

"Yes I do. Sort of." Noctis shrugged. "I was sort of blacking out of it when I saw you, though. I got confused for a second when…"

The man laughed, propping his hands on his hips. "I'm sure I had the same thought. Am I looking in a mirror?"

Noctis smiled a little. "Close to that, yes."

"I'm Zack. Zack Fair." The grin was infectious as the man stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Nyx tells me your name is Noctis."

The Prince took the offered hand, shaking it, noting that his uniform was very similar to the one Nyx now wore.
"Noctis, right. You friends with Nyx?"

"Sure, you could say that. I found him, too." Zack motioned to the chair and at Noctis's shrug, he sat down in it. "Not in the bad shape you were in, no. But not where he should have been, from the look."

Noctis looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Nyx showed up in one of the Soldier training fields just outside of the city. Not falling from the sky like you, so you have him beat on entrances. He just sort of… showed up. Out of nowhere, just… poof." Zack motioned with his hands like an explosion. "All out of sorts, started yelling something, then fell over on his face…"

Zack stopped, taking in the look on Noctis' face. He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"He… hasn't told you anything… has he?"

"No…"

"Oh. Maybe I shouldn't say much more."
"No, it's fine." Noctis waved a hand. "He just keeps putting it off, wanting me to be better and stronger. I think he just… I don't know. Something about him is off."

"No, he's in peak physical condition," Zack said with sureness in his voice. "Mentally healthy, too. I would know, he's part of my company."
"Your what?"

"Uh… maybe I'll leave that for Nyx to suss out with you…" Zack looked uncomfortable, fidgeting in his seat. "It's not my place."

Noctis sighed. Too many secrets, too many questions, and too many damned excuses to keep him in the dark. Nyx hadn't taken him out of the room again since the first time, and the wheelchair wasn't left in the room at all. The pain in his leg and arm had subsided greatly, but it was still there if he did too much. It was driving him crazy, being locked in and cooped up. It wouldn't be soon enough that they'd let Nyx taken him out of here for good.

"Noctis? Heeeeyyyy Noctis!" Zack was standing, a worried look on his face. "You still in there?"

Noctis blinked, bobbing his head in a nod. "Yes, I'm here. Sorry. I got a little lost in my thoughts there."

"If you're worried about Nyx, don't be. I've known him long enough to know when he's not saying something, and even when he does, there's a really good reason for it. Just give him a chance."

"How long have you known him?" Noctis asked, his voice innocent.

"Going on… two years now…" Zack did a little math in his head. "Yah. Two years."

As soon as Zack noticed that Noctis's eyes had flashed to a thunderous purple hue, he muttered his goodbyes and beat a hasty retreat.

Nyx was down on the training grounds, sizing up a line of new recruits. These Soldier types were so much different from the 'Glaive, he found it hard to dumb down his methods at times, especially since they relied on machine guns and simple weapons over magic. He'd been quick to learn, though, picking up the use of their weaponry much better than most. Of course, they'd run him through rigorous testing first, trying to ensure that he wasn't some corporate spy or something. He guessed, at least. But when he'd shown military prowess, someone up at the top had perked their ears and sent him off to see Lazard Deusericus, a stuffy tight shirt that reminded him so horribly of Ignis… if Ignis had a sense of humor… that his throat had tightened in response. They both had that habit of straightening their glasses with very nearly the same smug sort of movement.

It had taken time, but he'd managed to get over the aloof way he treated the man, even after he became his superior. Lazard, for his part, seemed to take it all in stride.

"I get the same basic treatment from a trio of First Class Soldiers," he'd said one day, stopping Nyx before he could leave the office. "It's not uncommon to me, but know that I am always available if you need anything."

He couldn't explain it, but after that, he'd started to like Lazard. He liked Zack, too, in his way. To him, he was a mixture of Noctis and that Prompto kid, serious and idiotic all at once. Still, he couldn't fault the man; he did his job and he did it damn well, too.

"Alright," he said, pulling himself from his thoughts and back into the present moment. "Listen up. We're running yesterdays drills again, and if you all don't get it right this time, we're going to run them until next week. These aren't that hard. If you can't complete these drills, you might as well go home."

Sighing, he took his place on a raised platform and set the cadets off. This was certainly a far cry from the way he'd been trained. Such rigorous exercises were merely secondary to learning control over emotions and the magic that was loaned to them from the strength of…

Nyx punched himself in the hip, banishing those thoughts. He focused on the recruits, noticing the ones that had already fallen behind, noting them for later. From the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar raven haired figure climbing up to join him.

"Zack."
"Nyx."

They watched quietly for a time, Zack's fingers fidgeting on the railing.

"What's on your mind, Zack?"

"I… might have done something bad."

"Meaning?"

"I might have… said something I shouldn't have."

"To who?" Nyx turned to face the man, noticing how his shoulders had slumped and he wouldn't look him in the eye. "Zack… were you at the hospital?"

"I didn't mean to!" Zack threw his hands up, looking at Nyx finally. "Seriously! I just wanted to see how he was. I know you said you weren't telling him much, but I forgot for a second and… he asked and it sounded so innocent!"

"What?

"He asked how long I've known you…"
"Zack…" Nyx felt his face twist into a grimace, his normally schooled stoicism lost under his annoyance.

"I said I was sorry. You know I can't always control what comes out of my mouth."

Nyx turned away, gripping the railing of the platform and yelling down at one of the recruits to get a move on. He tried to bury his frustration by focusing the men and women he was helping to train.

"Hey Nyx…" Zack's voice was hesitant, but curious. "Nyx, why were his eyes purple?"

The Glaive snapped, swore under his breath, and took off toward the city. Zack called after him, confused, but Nyx ignored him. He had some cleaning up to do.

Noctis had finally calmed down and was flipping through the political text when the door opened and Nyx stepped in, followed by his scowling doctor.

"Great new, Noct." Nyx sounded upbeat, but Noctis could tell that it was put on. "You've been released. You get to come home with me tonight."

The Prince could see that the doctor had been coerced into this as he was handed a bag with all of his clothes and items tucked inside.

"There's some pain killers in there," the man said, his voice brusque. "It'll be a few more days still before the pain will be completely gone, so you may or may not need them. Mr. Ulric here has all of the instructions, so… there's nothing left for me to say or do except to encourage you to come back if anything changes."

The doctor left in a huff, leaving Noctis holding his bag and Nyx standing by the bed like a statue. Noctis shifted to the edge of the bed, wiggling around carefully until he could take the shirt off, dropping it onto the floor. He didn't look at Nyx as he dug his own shirt out and pulled it on, sighing in relief at the feeling of his own clothing. When he went to stand to change his pants, he stumbled a little, and only Nyx's arm around his shoulders kept him from falling. He grudgingly let the older man help him change his pants and put his socks and boots on. The wheelchair reappeared and they left the hospital in silence.

Nyx had acquired a car to get Noctis to his place. The ride was silent and tense, Noctis taking in the sites of the city as they passed.

Nyx wondered what Noct was thinking.

He didn't ask.

When Nyx helped him into the small apartment he was living in, Noctis was struck by a wave of nostalgia. It was very nearly the same as the one he'd kept in Insomnia; sparse but warm, bare but full of enough that it was a home. Nyx settled him onto the couch, then fell into the arm chair beside it.

"Look…" he started, but Noctis held up a hand.

"I'm not… I mean, yes, I'm upset. But if you still don't want to talk about it, we won't."
"We have to."

"Maybe I don't want to…"

Nyx looked over, spotting Noct's petulant child act creeping in. He rolled his eyes, tossing a booted foot up onto the table.

"Yes, you do. Noct, you've been itching to ask me questions since the moment you woke up. You tried to ask them in the first two minutes. You need to talk about it. You need to hear about it. The dirty, nasty, gods damned truth. And you're going to hear it, whether you like it or not, because it's killed me this last week to keep secrets from you."

Noctis blinked. It was hard to get a single sentence or two out of the man, much less and entire tirade.

"When's the last time you got laid?" Noctis asked, trying to kill the tension with one of the uncouth jokes that Nyx had thrown at him from time to time.

"You."

Nyx deadpanned. Noctis sucked in a breath, cheeks flushing brightly, a little 'oh' leaving as he exhaled.

"Yes. But that's not what this is about."

Noctis stared at Nyx for a long couple of minutes, noticing again the new lines on his face, the new scars peaking out around his neckline.

"So… uh, two years, huh?"

"Yes. Two very long years."