The ring felt strange on his finger.
Anytime Ignis grabbed anything with his left hand, he felt it there, a constant metallic reminder of his lifelong bond to a woman he barely knows…and their awkwardly embarrassing first night together.
Although, outside of that moment they had shared in the bedroom, the evening had actually been very pleasant. Valyria was a skilled conversationalist after all and had kept their discussions interesting just with all the questions she'd posed. It just proved that Valyria was not the problem, Ignis's inability to properly navigate the situation was. For once in his life, he found himself in an area that he had not known how to prepare himself for.
The few relationships he'd had previously were shallow and fleeting at best. With how much Noctis depended on him, he just never had the time or energy to dedicate to someone else. Things were further complicated with Valyria, since she was only with him to form and preserve some relationship between Accordo and Lucis. Ignis hated ambiguity and not knowing what to do, and with Valyria, he always felt some level of uncertainty with his actions, unsure if whether anything he did around her was appropriate or not.
It was almost a relief that he barely saw her, although he felt guilty each time he thought that. It's not as if he had a choice though. Between his normal duties taking care of Noctis, attending council meetings, training, wedding planning, security planning, and emergency planning, there simply was no time, especially the closer it got to the day the emperor would arrive with his retinue. The only times he saw her, she was already asleep, curled up on her side of the bed.
Since their wedding, he'd only run into Valyria once during the day, when he was dragging Noctis to an early morning training session. Noctis, of course, had refused to get up on time, making them late. On top of that, he was being particularly grumpy, mumbling about having to train early on a weekend. Ignis was already frazzled, having woken up even earlier to deal with a wedding "emergency" that turned out not to be an emergency at all. His patience was already wearing thin, and the prince's mutterings weren't helping.
Then he saw her walking out the doors of the Citadel, her casual red sundress making her easy to spot next to her two Leviathan escorts. At the sight of her, Ignis stopped in his tracks.
"Ow," Noctis grumbled, having walked right into him. "You can't do that, I'm still half asleep," he whined.
"Well wake up. There's someone you need to meet."
Noctis groaned. "Ugh, it's too early to do the prince thing. Can we do it later?"
"No."
Ignis changed direction slightly so that they would cross paths with Valyria, Noctis reluctantly following behind him. When Valyria saw him, she smiled. As usual, it was incredibly bright and sincere, like she was truly glad to see him. Ignis had trouble comprehending the extent of it, considering they still barely knew each other. But he had to admit, it was a nice change being received this way as opposed to the scowl Noctis now wore more frequently. It was enough to make Ignis slightly less annoyed with the day.
"Good morning," he said, greeting Valyria and her companions. He realized that they were different than the two Leviathans who he'd previously seen with her. The blonde woman was replaced with a female with darker features and the man with her now had light brown hair and gray eyes that regarded him with cool professionalism.
"Good morning, Ignis," Valyria said, as the two escorts gave him a nod back in acknowledgement. "How lovely to see you."
"Right, I must apologize for my absence," he said. "It's just…"
"Duty calls," she said, with a discerning nod. "I understand."
After learning more about her the night of their wedding, Ignis knew that she understood better than most.
"Speaking of duty," Ignis said, stepping aside to reveal his ward. "I wanted to introduce you to Prince Noctis. Noct, this is Valyria Vilem, Councilman Vilem's daughter from Accordo."
Noctis, who had looked sleepy and cranky all morning, suddenly looked wide awake as he realized who she was. Ignis was surprised when, instead of his usual casual indifference he held when he met new people, a rare, genuine smile actually appeared on his face.
"Your Highness," Valyria said as she and her escorts bowed to him. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"You too," Noctis said, politely—another surprise. "Ignis has told me a lot about you."
Valyria turned her eyes to Ignis, a slight smile on her face. "Has he? Good things, I hope."
"Oh yeah, a lot of good things," Noctis continued, a little too happily. "Specs doesn't give out a lot of compliments, so he must like you…a lot."
Ignis felt his cheeks start to burn as Valyria's smile widened. The two Leviathans behind her seemed to struggle with keeping their faces straight. The woman couldn't help but let a small smile through while the man pretended to look off at something in the distance, the muscle in his cheek slightly twitching.
Ignis threw the prince a withering look. "Well, unfortunately we are running late," he said, before Valyria could respond, or worse, Noctis kept talking. "We have to go. I hope you and your entourage get to enjoy the city."
"Thank you," Valyria said, her eyes shimmering with amusement. "We will."
They all bowed their heads to Noctis again before they continued to the car waiting for them on the street.
Noctis fell into step beside Ignis, no longer dragging his feet.
"So, that's her?" Noctis asked.
"Yes." Ignis suddenly regretted his decision to introduce them as a grin spread across Noctis's face.
"Wow, she must be really dedicated to her position if she agreed to marry you."
Ignis glowered at Noctis as they navigated to the training room. "Need I remind you that I was also required to marry her? I didn't trap the woman."
"However it happened, she is way out of your league."
Ignis only responded with a disgruntled noise, his bad mood settling back in.
"Relax, Specs, I'm kidding," Noctis said, elbowing him sharply in the arm. "She seems nice. And I think she likes you."
"She'd have to actually spend time with me to like me," Ignis said, as they walked into the training room.
"How come I haven't gotten to meet her yet?" Gladio asked, after Noctis gleefully told him why they were late, conveniently leaving out the fact that he had slept in that morning.
"I barely have time to sleep, let alone introduce her to everyone. Do you propose I drag her around with me while I attend to my duties? I don't want to bore her to death."
"Fair," Gladio acknowledged. "What does she do all day while you're working anyway? I'm surprised I haven't seen her around the Citadel."
"She's exploring the city, with her protection detail."
"Oh." Gladio nodded. "That makes sense."
"I'm sure you'll meet her soon enough," Ignis said, tiredly. "I'll make an effort to introduce you and Prompto at some point. I just can't manage it at this time."
"Hey, I didn't mean to stress you out about it," Gladio said, probably able to feel the tension radiating from the advisor. Ignis was getting more on edge the closer it got to the wedding. "We'll meet her when we meet her. Plenty of time after the treaty is signed." They hoped. "Let's just get our session started. You look like you need to hit something."
Ignis sighed. "It's like you read my mind."
Noctis was finally relocating back to the Citadel. While Ignis was glad that he would no longer have to drive back and forth from Noctis's apartment in the city, he wasn't looking forward to the process of packing everything up. Unlike Ignis, Noctis had acquired a lot of items in the apartment over the last several years he'd resided there. And Noctis, of course, wasn't very motivated to pack them either. Ignis had considered asking Jelric about the workers who'd moved his own apartment, but then thought better of it. If Noctis wasn't going to participate in planning his own wedding, the least he could do was help move his things. The prince was starting to get a bit lazy, and Ignis wasn't inclined to let him develop a habit out of it. So this evening, they were doing something productive.
As Ignis packed a box full of mismatched coffee mugs that Noctis had collected, Ignis began to grasp why Noctis had been so stubborn to stay in this apartment until the last possible moment. Once he moved back to the Citadel, any semblance of independence he'd had while here would be gone. It's likely that moving back felt like an ending to him. While it would be the start of his new life with Lady Lunafreya, it also meant a life where he would have to start taking over for his father and generally, start acting like a prince, something that he had grown to hate as he saw his father deteriorate over the years.
Ignis sighed as he wrapped a chocobo-shaped mug in paper and then placed it in the box. He should have realized it sooner, why Noctis was reluctant to go back. This apartment was the only place he really had any privacy or freedom to be himself.
Right then, the timer that Ignis had set went off. He moved to the oven and pulled out the baking tray that was in there. Noctis must have heard it too, because shortly after, Ignis heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
"Did you finish packing the bathroom?" he asked, as Noctis emerged from his room.
"Almost." Noctis walked over to where Ignis was standing in the kitchen and swiped one of the freshly-baked pastries Ignis had left cooling on a plate earlier. "I got hungry."
Ignis eyed him as he set the baking sheet on a towel on the counter. "You'll spoil your dinner."
Noctis shrugged, taking a bite. "Well then you shouldn't have made these first."
"I wanted to get them done before Gladio and Prompto got here," Ignis said, pulling a container out from a cabinet and setting it on the table. "That way the dishes can be drying while we pack up your room and then we can finish up the kitchen."
"You've been making a lot more baked goods lately," Noctis observed, taking another pastry off the plate while he finished chewing on the first one. "Are you stress baking?"
"The extras are for Valyria and her companions," Ignis said, transferring some of the pastries to a container. He shot a disapproving look at the second pastry in Noctis's hand, which Noctis ignored.
Noctis swallowed. "Oh yeah," he said, looking up at Ignis. "Shouldn't you be having dinner with her?"
"Just because I'm married doesn't mean that my duties toward you have changed," Ignis said, simply. "And unless you plan on learning to cook, handling all this wedding planning, and moving back to the Citadel all by yourself, you're stuck with me."
"Okay, well then why don't you bring her here?"
Ignis shot him a stern look. "And have her participate in tedious, manual labor? I think not."
Noctis shrugged, taking a bite of the second pastry. "Just seems like you don't ever see her."
"That's correct," Ignis said, placing the lid on the container. "But spending time with me was not a requirement of our arrangement. Besides, she has other matters to attend to before the wedding." Ignis glanced at him. "Maybe afterward, you and Lady Lunafreya can invite her over for dinner in your new apartment."
Noctis mulled this over. "I think Luna would like that," he said, his voice getting quiet, as it tended to do when he talked about her. His eyes slid to Ignis. "Are you going to let Luna cook?"
Ignis chuckled lightly. "I don't imagine I can let her cook if that's what she wishes to do," he replied, turning on the faucet to wash some of the dishes he'd used to make the pastries. "After you're married, she'll be the princess of both Tenebrae and Lucis, not to mention, the Oracle. And the future queen. Far be it for me to tell her she can't cook in her own kitchen. You should be more worried if she lets you do anything."
Noctis huffed out a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He fell silent for a moment as Ignis continued his work.
"Hey, Specs," he eventually said, his voice hesitant. "Was getting married...hard?"
Ignis looked up from the bowl he was scrubbing. "What do you mean?"
Noctis gave a half shrug. "I don't know. Like do you think..." He trailed off. Then he looked down at the counter. "Nevermind."
Ignis paused. He hadn't expected Noctis to ask him about marriage. It's not like he had much more experience in that area than he did. And while Noctis had often come to Ignis about problems when they were younger, as Noctis aged, he tended to keep things like this more to himself. Maybe with the wedding getting closer, he was starting to get anxious.
Not wanting to miss a rare moment where Noctis was actually opening up about something, Ignis took a guess at what Noctis had been unable to relay to him.
"If you're worried about how Lady Lunafreya feels about the marriage, you shouldn't be concerned."
Noctis lifted his head, surprised that Ignis had figured out what he was thinking. "Why not?" he asked.
Ignis shrugged. "I don't think she'd have kept writing to you for twelve years without having some type of affection toward you. She travels all around Tenebrae and Niflheim and yet she still writes back. You wouldn't do that for someone you don't care about. After all, you've returned all of her letters, haven't you?"
Noctis looked thoughtful. "Yeah. I suppose you're right." He looked back down at the countertop. "I just don't know if I'll be what she's expecting, after all these years."
Ignis saw the apprehension on Noctis's face. He hadn't realized how worried the prince had been. After all, he and Lady Lunafreya were friends. Ignis didn't think Noctis would be as worried about expectations as Ignis had been about his own marriage.
He thought about Valyria. Even with their limited interactions, she had managed to surprise him. At their wedding ceremony, she'd made his uncle, one of the most serious people Ignis knew, blush. And, despite her status and upbringing, she hadn't been bored with anything he'd shown her while they toured the rooftop of the Caelum Via. She'd remained fascinated and curious by everything around her, soaking in every fact and detail she could. Then, there was that moment, when she had stood before him that night, willingly to make herself exposed and vulnerable to him...only to casually walk away afterward, seeming to be completely unbothered when he'd rejected her advances.
In some ways, she was exactly what he'd predicted. But in others...
"Maybe you don't have to be," Ignis stated. "Sometimes things turn out different but better than what you expect. As long as you show her that you care for her and make real effort to make her happy, it won't matter what her initial expectations were."
Noctis stared at him. "You've been married for like two seconds and you've already come up with that?"
Ignis smirked, rinsing the bowl in his hands. "Well, you know me. I'm a quick learner."
"Guess that explains the pastries..." Noctis said, under his breath.
"What was that?" Ignis asked, not catching his words over the sound of the faucet running.
"Nothing," Noctis said, quickly. Before Ignis could press the matter, Noctis's phone went off. "Gladio and Prompto are here," he said, checking the message. "They're on their way up."
"Go finish packing up the bathroom," Ignis instructed, setting the bowl out to dry. "I don't want you tricking Prompto into finishing it for you."
Noctis rolled his eyes. "Fine." He started to turn away but then he paused briefly. "Thanks, Specs," he said, his voice quiet.
He walked away before Ignis could reply.
Valyria slid into the backseat of the car. Kestrel had barely closed the door behind her when Kit turned from the passenger seat and looked at her, his gray eyes locking onto what she held in her hands.
"Are those pastries?"
"Yes." She suppressed a laugh as she handed the container to him. He didn't waste any time opening the lid and grabbing a piece.
The pastries were a pleasant gift that appeared some mornings. One day she'd woken up and had found a container on the kitchen counter.
For you to share...or to not.
She'd smiled at the note.
They continued to show up occasionally. And each time, Kit and Anya devoured them with fervor.
"These things are so good," Anya said, reaching up into the front seat to take the container from Kit. "They're better than the ones at the hotel, which is saying something. Where does he get these? I'm going to order their whole stock and take it back with me to Altissia."
"I'm not sure," Valyria said. "I'll have to ask next time I see him." She took the container back from Anya so she didn't "accidentally" eat the pieces that were meant for Kestrel and Dina...again.
"Are you ready?" Kestrel asked, now in the driver's seat.
"Yes, let's go," she said.
As they drove through the city, Valyria still marveled at the thought and detail that had gone into building Insomnia. The style was certainly different to that found in Altissia, but Valyria quite liked it. It was very modern with a touch of history embellished throughout. The gigantic statues of the old kings that were scattered throughout were an especially nice touch. It almost looked as if they were watching over the city.
"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" she asked Kestrel as he drove.
"I don't think it's necessary," he said. "We've already surveyed the area twice. Since we have time, just thought we'd be thorough and confirm Dina's map. Better to be overprepared in case something happens." His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. "Besides, Anya has been pestering me about you two getting to spend 'girl' time together. I personally could use a break from her badgering."
"Me too," Kit added, with a snort.
Instead of getting upset, Anya just grinned, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "See?" she told Valyria. "Nagging works."
Valyria just shook her head at her friend and turned her head back to look out the window.
They had gotten outdoor seating at another one of the restaurants Ignis had recommended. At this point, Valyria was getting extremely spoiled, culinary-wise. She would pull back from making her way through the list, except for the fact that this way, the others also got to experience the best of the Crown City before they had to leave.
"So..." Anya twirled the ice in her drink with her straw, her warm brown eyes studying Valyria. "How's married life?" she asked.
"About the same as single life," Valyria said, shrugging. "I hardly see Ignis. He's busy preparing things for the wedding on top of taking care of Prince Noctis, so he gets home late and then leaves early in the morning."
Anya's brows furrowed. "Dang, that sounds stressful."
"Yes," Valyria agreed. "But he's handling it way better than most would, which I guess is why he's in the position in the first place. Still, I feel bad. I know our marriage has been another cause of stress, even though I tried hard for it to not be."
"Yeah, but that's not your fault," Anya pointed out. "And you're pretty much staying out of his way. It's not like you're being needy or anything."
"I know," Valyria said, also twirling the ice in her drink absent-mindedly. "But if I want to make sure the Lucians truly see Accordo as an ally, especially since the alliance they tried to form failed last time, I want to do more than just not be in the way. I guess...I just wish there was a way I could help."
"I mean...there is."
Valyria raised an eyebrow at her friend. "What?"
Anya gave her a suggestive look. "You could help him, you know, unwind. Honestly, the man looks like he needs it."
Valyria rolled her eyes. Of course that was her suggestion. "Yeah...we don't really do that."
Anya raised her eyebrows, looking at her skeptically. "Isn't sex like, part of the whole marriage thing?"
Valyria sighed. "If you must know, I tried on the night of our wedding. But he wouldn't go through with it."
It had been...interesting. Sensing that Ignis wasn't going to be the one to make the first move, she had, admittedly, tried to seduce him. She'd thought that they both had enough drinks in them to just get it out of the way, and she'd been determined to make it the least awkward that she could, given the situation. It helped that they'd had a nice, comfortable evening with each other. And it'd be a lie to say that she had no physical attraction to the man, especially after she got a glimpse of him when he was slightly more relaxed and not so rigid-looking.
So, when he had walked into the bedroom, she'd made her move. While he initially seemed hesitant, it became apparent that he had been tempted to take what she had offered him. She'd sensed it in the way his breathing had changed and in how his eyes had wandered across her skin. But just when she thought he'd finally stopped overthinking the situation, he had stopped her. And then got all flustered, as if he thought he was offending her by not sleeping with her.
It was honestly somewhat amusing to see how apologetic he'd gotten. She'd been prepared to do what was required of her, but she wasn't going to complain if Ignis didn't want to cross that line. At least not yet. It just meant that she would have to take things slower with him, to figure out exactly what he wanted, or needed, from her to make sure this arrangement worked.
"Can't say I blame him," Valyria continued, picking up her fork to resume eating the salmon she had ordered. "We met each other like two seconds before we got married."
Anya rolled her eyes. "Hasn't the man had a one-night stand before?"
"That doesn't really apply when you actually have to see the person every day for the rest of your life," Valyria said, pointing her fork at her.
"Hmmm...fair."
"I think he just doesn't want to take advantage of the situation. He seems like that type of guy."
Anya slid her eyes to look up at her. "Oh yeah? And what about you?"
Valyria blinked. "What do you mean?"
Anya sat back in her chair and gave her a mischievous grin. "Don't you want to take advantage of him? I mean, he's not terrible to look at."
Valyria shot her an exasperated look. "Is everything about sex with you?"
"I'm just saying, you lucked out. Dina and I were worried he'd be as old as the emperor. Or a complete asshole, in which case, we already had a backup plan to make him mysteriously disappear." Anya met Valyria's entertained smile with a smirk. "So, all things considered—and Dina and I did consider things thoroughly—Ignis could be a lot worse."
Anya wasn't wrong. He had made that list for them. And then there were the pastries that randomly show up in the mornings. She also recalled how quickly Ignis had offered his hand to help her up the steps of the Caelum Via and remembered the shame on his face as he'd stepped away from her that night, appalled at himself for simply looking.
He was a gentleman, that was for certain. It was nice. But it also had the potential to make certain things…frustrating.
"Yeah, he could be worse," Valyria answered, absently, staring down at her food. It took her a moment for her to realize that Anya was giving her a knowing look.
"What?" she asked.
Anya shook her head and just smiled as she took a sip from her glass. "Nothing."
Valyria narrowed her eyes. "Anya..."
"I'm just going to miss you when we have to go back," she said, abruptly.
The laughter in her eyes had disappeared, leaving behind a more somber look. Valyria was hit with a wave of sadness. She was going to miss her too. She was going to miss all of them. But Valyria didn't want to think about that right now. She didn't want to be sad while they were still here.
Trying to lighten the mood, Valyria raised an eyebrow. "More than you're going to miss those pastries?" she asked.
Anya blinked at her slowly, clutching her drink in her hand. "Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to."
"You're not coming to meet Luna?"
Noctis had been surprised when he'd gotten out of the car, but Ignis remained behind the wheel.
"I'm afraid that I can't at the moment," Ignis said. "I have to meet with Gladio about something and then I'm picking up Prompto. Besides, it's the first time you'll be seeing her in a while. This moment should just be for you two. We'll save all of our introductions for later."
Noctis's stomach fluttered nervously at the thought of meeting Luna by himself. Well...by himself being a relative term. Ever since the emperor and his entourage arrived yesterday evening, Noctis wasn't supposed to be left alone. Which is why Prompto was currently at home packing a bag for the next several days where he'd be staying at Noctis's apartment in the Citadel. Currently, Cor and Monica were the ones escorting him, and he was sure Luna had her own guards that would be present during their meeting.
He had hoped Ignis would be with him, not only so that he could introduce the two, but in case there was a lull in conversation that the advisor would know how to fill. Noctis had a fear that he would see Luna and not entirely know what to say. It was different when he could think about the best words to write down for a day or two before he finally sent them to her. This time he'd have to think of what to say on the fly.
Which didn't always go so well for him.
"Alright," Noctis said, managing to keep the disappointment and nervousness out of his voice.
Ignis fixed him with one last stern look. "Do try to behave when you see her."
Noctis rolled his eyes. "You really think you have to tell me that?"
"From experience, I never know with you," Ignis chided, gently. Then he paused. "Good luck."
Noctis sighed. "Thanks." He waited until Ignis drove off before he turned to Cor.
"You ready?" the marshal asked.
"Yeah, I guess so."
He was looking down at the ground and so he missed the entertained look that passed between Cor and Monica.
"Let's go," Cor said, starting up the stairs.
The Crownsguard members led him up to the other side of the residential quarters of the Citadel which Noctis wasn't as familiar with. Luna was temporarily staying in an apartment there until they got married and then both her and Noctis would be moving to a bigger apartment together. They'd all been somewhat surprised that the empire had allowed Luna to stay in the Citadel instead of at the Caelum Via where the rest of the imperials were staying for their time here. King Regis had been ready to insist on the matter, but the emperor apparently had agreed and not put up too much of a fight about it. While others had wondered if there was more to the empire's handing over of the Oracle, who previously they'd held onto tightly, Noctis didn't care, because it meant Luna was even closer now.
"We'll stay by the door," Monica said, when they reached the place. Her brown eyes were kind as she gave him a smile. "We'll try to give you as much privacy as we can."
Noctis let out a breath. "Thanks," he said. And then Cor opened the door, and Noctis entered the apartment.
She was sitting in the middle of the living area, sipping from a teacup. As usual, the dress she wore was white. Noctis couldn't recall a time he'd ever seen her wear any other color. Not in any of the photos he'd seen of her in the newspapers or any of the times he'd seen her on television. With her long golden hair elegantly twisted up and pinned to the top of her head, she looked just like he'd always remembered her. The embodiment of benevolence and grace.
She was turned away from him, engaged in a conversation with her two guards. They were Kingsglaive members. A woman dressed in the uniform of a Black Mage and a man in a typical Glaive uniform, but with a silver antler attached to his hood. All three of them turned to look as they walked in. When Cor jerked his head at the two Glaives, they both immediately moved away to stand by the window on the other side of the room.
As Cor and Monica stationed themselves by the door, Noctis's feet carried him over to the living area. "Luna..." he said, feeling somewhat breathless as her blue eyes focused on him.
"Hello, Noctis," Luna said, smiling as she rose from her seat. And then, before Noctis could completely register what was happening, she strode forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Noctis was shocked at her sudden and unexpected embrace. But then he found his arms curling up around her to return it, almost reflexively, like they'd hugged each other like this a million times before. While it wasn't true, he very much liked the feeling of it.
They stayed like that for a moment, perhaps a beat or two longer than was necessary, but Noctis didn't want to be the first to pull away. When Luna finally did, she grabbed his hand and didn't let go as she led him to the couch.
As they sat down on the cushions together, Noctis was abruptly hit with the realization that Luna was here. She was actually here in front of him. Not only that, but she would also get to stay. While her duties as Oracle would take her away from time to time, she'd still come back here, where he'd be waiting. Or better yet, maybe he'd get to go with her. If there was finally peace, there'd be no reason he couldn't. He'd never had a terribly strong desire to leave Insomnia, but he wouldn't mind it if it meant he could be with her.
At the thought, Noctis suddenly felt a strong, unfamiliar feeling rise in his chest. It was so intense that Noctis felt a little uncomfortable with it, unsure of how to handle the strange sensation. He tried not to let it show on his face, in case Luna mistook his discomfort as her doing, but Luna, it seemed, had picked up on something, because she squeezed his hand gently in both of hers.
"I'm really glad to see you," she said, her voice lined with such sincerity, it made the feeling in Noctis's chest shoot up into his throat.
"I'm really glad to see you too," he said with some difficulty, trying to convey the truth of his words in his tone as well as she had. He wasn't entirely sure he had succeeded, but Luna smiled brightly at him.
"It's been so long since we saw each other last, I was somewhat worried that I wouldn't quite be what you were expecting," she admitted.
Noctis's eyes widened as she echoed the exact way he'd been feeling ever since he found out they were getting married. The way she had so quickly and openly admitted it was only half as surprising as the thought that Luna felt she could disappoint him in any way.
His hand tightened on hers, unconsciously, and he felt himself sit straighter. "That's silly," he said, automatically. Then, realizing how brusque that sounded, he reached up to rub the back of his neck. "I-I mean, I was worried about the same thing," he quickly added, "I just meant that you didn't need to be…"
Luna's eyes twinkled. "Perhaps we were both being silly then," she said, her voice lined with laughter.
"Heh. Yeah, probably."
This wasn't so bad. Not with how fondly Luna was looking at him. It wasn't as awkward as he'd thought it would be. If anything, Noctis felt more at ease now that he was in her presence. It reminded him of when he had been in Tenebrae and was recovering from his injury. Things had always seemed to be less bleak when Luna was around. As it turned out, she still appeared to have that effect on him.
"How was your trip?" he asked, trying to focus on having a conversation with her instead of the fact that she still held his hand in hers.
"Not so terrible," she said, pleasantly. "Although I was anxious to arrive. Especially once I caught a glimpse of Insomnia. Your city is so magnificent. I wish we had time for you to show it to me."
"Well pretty soon it'll be your city too," Noctis pointed out. "And we'll have plenty of time to tour it…after." He didn't want to bring the wedding up outright. It was still hard for him to grasp that it was really happening, even though it was in a few days.
Luna nodded. "Of course. You're right." She said it lightly, but he thought he saw a shadow cross her face. He wondered if Luna also had her doubts about the peace treaty and about the motives the empire had behind it. Before he could ask, she said, "I'm also excited to meet your friends you keep telling me about."
Noctis smiled. "Yeah, they're excited to meet you too. Prompto especially."
Luna beamed. "I'll finally get to thank him in person for taking care of Pryna all those years ago."
"Oh yeah," Noctis said. After years of their friendship, Prompto had only just recently told him that story. "How come you never told me that you'd written to Prompto before?"
"Well, I didn't want you two to be friends just because I asked," she said, mildly. "I just encouraged him to try and hoped that you two would take to each other."
Noctis remembered how on the first day of high school Prompto had come up to him and casually slapped him on the back, like they were old friends, but then proceeded to act like they'd never met before. It had confused Noctis, considering both were false at the time. But something about Prompto's cheerful greeting and the obvious effort he was making to talk to him had Noctis falling into step beside the blonde and giving him a playful shove in return.
It was years later and they were still best friends.
Noctis's lips turned up slightly at the memory. "Heh, well you were right on the money with that one."
Luna's face lit up. "I'm glad to hear that." Her fingers squeeze his hand again, a sensation Noctis didn't think he'd ever get tired of. "I just wanted you to at least have one good friend there for you...since I couldn't be."
There was somberness in those last several words. A shift in tone that he wished he didn't have to hear from her. His mind flashed to the image of Luna, when she was only twelve years old, surrounded by imperial troops after she had let go of his father's hand. She knew that she had been slowing them down. She'd let herself be captured to make sure they were able to escape.
But the look of resolve on her face hadn't made leaving her behind any easier. Not as he'd called out her name, while the distance between them grew.
The memory had Noctis leaning forward, and he forgot to be shy about getting so close.
"You were there for me," Noctis said, earnestly. "The best you could be. And now you're here, and I have the both of you to hang out with. Which means I'm pretty lucky."
He didn't know how those words had come to him. They'd almost tumbled out instinctively, before he had even thought about them. While usually dangerous, this time his words caused the biggest smile to appear on Luna's face. As he experienced the full extent of that smile and the bright glow in her eyes that radiated sincere joy, that intense emotion from before, not so unsettling now, rose back up in his chest.
Noctis had to agree with what Ignis had said. It really didn't matter what expectations and worries they'd had before.
As long as they were together, things were going to be so much better.