What's up lads, inspiration struck so I present to you, some goddamn heartbreak. This chapter is Ignis & Noctis, world of ruin. Enjoy your meal.
Noct barely has time to climb out of Talcott's truck, still unsteady and with shaky muscles, before Prompto is in front of him and throws his arms around him. He squeezes him so hard it almost hurts, but Noct doesn't mind. He hugs back just as fiercely and for a moment, they just cling to each other.
"You're back. I can't believe you're back," Prompto whispers in Noct's ear. He sounds like he's trying to convince himself Noct is real, but there's something else in his voice that makes Noct wonder if he knows.
The very second he parts from Prompto, a heavy hand lands on his shoulder and he's facing Gladio.
"Look at you! All grown up!" He squeezes Noct's shoulder and yanks him against his broad chest that somehow seems to have gotten even broader over the past ten years, what the fuck.
"Good to have you back," Gladio rumbles and leaves his arms around Noct for a tad longer than he would have ten years ago.
Noct really can't say he minds.
Last, there's Ignis. In between hugging Prompto and Gladio, Noct couldn't get a good look at him yet. But now he takes a moment to study his appearance and can't quite keep his eyes from lingering on Ignis' scars.
They're faded, nothing like the freshly healed wounds all these years ago, but it's obvious they'll always be visible. Briefly, Noct wonders how long it took for them to properly heal, for the pain to pass. He wonders for how long Ignis had to suffer.
He swallows the lump in his throat and steps forward. "Specs. It's good to see you."
Ignis reaches out, fingers brushing against Noct's cheek. His eyes aren't visible behind the visor he wears now, and Noct knows they'd be empty, unseeing, but he remembers the fond look Ignis used to give him so perfectly as if he were receiving it right now.
"I dreamt about you last night. I saw you return, I saw-" Ignis says, barely louder than a whisper and his voice breaks. "You look so much like your father."
Noct blinks in surprise. He hasn't exactly had access to a mirror yet, but if Ignis says he looks like his dad, then it must be true. The thought of his father makes his chest ache, but he knows he can't dwell on these emotions right now.
"You put on the ring, didn't you. Back in Altissia. It's how you lost your eyesight," he says. It's not a question. He's just asking Ignis to confirm what he already knows.
"I did."
Gladio and Prompto don't look surprised at the confession. Maybe Ignis told them at some point, or maybe they figured it out on their own. It doesn't really matter, anyway.
"You believe it could be magic left over from the ring?" Ignis asks.
"Yeah. It'd make sense, right? The ring is powerful enough, that must be it."
But in the end, it isn't really important how Ignis knew. What's important is the task that lies ahead. Noct dreads it, but even more, he dreads having to tell his friends about his fate. How do you tell those who love you, the people you love more than life itself, that you are to die for the sake of mankind?
There isn't an answer to that, not really. And… Noct wants to pretend, just a little longer. He knows he has to tell them, just not yet.
Despite having spent ten years doing absolutely nothing, Noct is exhausted, and so they decide to stay in the caravan at Hammerhead for a few hours before leaving for Insomnia to let him sleep.
But even though Noct feels bone-weary, sleep doesn't come. Gladio and Prompto are actually asleep before him, which almost makes him laugh. But judging from the way he's breathing, Iggy isn't asleep yet, either.
A few minutes later, when Noct is almost ready to give up on sleep altogether, he hears the rustling of Ignis' sheets as he gets up and quietly leaves the caravan.
Noct doesn't think before he slips out of bed as well and steps outside to look for Ignis.
He finds him only a few steps away, sitting at the table in front of the caravan, and for a moment it almost feels like they're back on their journey ten years ago. Almost, but Noct can't shake the awful knowledge of what is to come.
"Hey," he says and joins Ignis at the table. "Can't sleep?"
"So it would appear," Ignis sighs. "Today has been eventful."
"Tell me about it. Nothing like crawling out of a crystal after ten years, right?" Noct snorts at his own joke. It sounds pretty surreal, after all.
Ignis smiles. "I can only imagine."
"Talcott said you're fighting again?"
"I am." Ignis' tone is nonchalant, but Noct doesn't miss the pride that lies beneath it. "I daresay I fight better in the dark than most."
Noct laughs. "That's so cool. Do you remember that superhero guy from these comics Prompto and I used to read? You're basically him now."
Ignis arches an eyebrow in that way that means he's judging Noct hard and says, completely dry, "Why, thank you. Being cool was my only goal."
They're both grinning now and probably looking pretty stupid, but Noct doesn't care. He wants to cling to this sense of normalcy and familiarity for as long as he can.
But then, of course, Ignis speaks again, and the lightheartedness is entirely gone from his voice.
"Noct, I…," he says, falters, then tries again. "I know. About… the prophecy. About your fate. And I can't-"
Noct's heart breaks along with Ignis' voice. He hates that Iggy knows, he wants to know for how long he's known but he doesn't want to hear the answer. He doesn't want to hear it, because he knows it already. He doesn't want to hear for how long Ignis has been living with the knowledge of Noct's fate.
He still forces himself to ask. "How?"
"Pryna," Ignis replies. "Back in Altissia, Ravus and I reached the Altar right before she died. She delivered a vision to me. I- I saw you die."
Since Altissia. Ignis has known since Altissia, he's been living with this knowledge all this time. Now, Noct also understands why Ignis approached him, back then when they were still recovering in the Leville, and he asked him if he really wanted to carry on with this journey.
Noct makes a choked noise. He wonders if Iggy's been carrying this burden all by himself, or if he's told the others at some point, but he doesn't ask.
"Your dream last night, did you…"
"Yes," Ignis confirms, sounding hollow and so unlike the Ignis he knows. "I saw you die once again."
And there's really nothing Noct can say that would express everything he's feeling. Fear, guilt, resentment. He's feeling a lot, and he doesn't have the right words, and so he says, "I'm sorry."
Ignis shakes his head. "No, I'm sorry. We're sorry. We vowed to stand by you, yet in the end, we fail."
Noct is aware of the tears that gather in his eyes, but he pays them no mind. "It's not failing! You vowed to stand by me, you can still make good on that promise. Stand by me until the very end. Please."
Ignis is crying too. Tears are streaming down his face, but his voice is steady as always when he speaks again. "Of course, Noct. We will remain right by your side, no matter what."
Smiling through the tears, Noct asks, "You got my back?"
"Always."
I fixed the reunion, there are now hugs. Also, the comic refers to Daredevil. Iggy is Daredevil, sorry I don't make the rules.
I made myself so very sad writing this. The nature of this collection makes it very tempting to just focus on the bright, fluffy parts of the game, but since we all obviously love pain if we love this game, here we are. Will I ever get over this bullshit? Probably not. But that's a good thing because it means I can just be here writing FFXV fics for eternity.
Let's see if we can manage something without Iggy in the next chapter. Because my bias is clearly showing I think. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!
I'm also on Twitter ( Butterfly_OnIce) and Tumblr (thisfairytalegonebad), and even on Discord too (thisfairytalegonebad#2939) and I'm always happy to chat, about my fics or your fics or these boys or literally anything!
