Aij Writes

Come Stare At My Attempts

[aij-writes]

The Lake House

Fanfic: Made to Serve III (Between a Star and a Rockplace) by @aij_writes and @jimmythejiver

Probably not to proper size as this as done in MSPaint and I’m not a professional.

[aij-writes]

Mafia Cross Over Snippet

Co-written by @jimmythejiver

Noctis used GPS to find the high rise apartment uptown. They pulled into the car park. "Ever been here?" Noctis asked.

"Nope," Gladio said. "When I knew them, they lived in a two story in the midst of Little Piztala."

"Luna lived there," Noctis noted. "Isn't it a Tenebraean community?"

"They smashed in a lot of Nifs there post-war," Gladio commented. "You coming up?"

"As much as I’d like to be leered at by Kadaj as in never," Noctis said snarkily, "I figure I go pick up Prompto a proper present and pick you up when you're done. Just text me when."

"Alright," Gladio said with a hint of suspicion. "Don't make me regret you're not on a shorter leash." Gladio leaned in to kiss Noctis before getting out with his bag. Gladio walked to the building as Noctis drove off. He punched in the number for the Argentums.

After a confirmation, the door swung open and Gladio trekked to the elevator to the door of the apartment. He knocked and waited.

Gladio came face to face with the girl from that night. Aerith stared at Gladio, only to laugh. "Looking for a rematch?" she asked almost sweetly.

"Who you picking fights with now, Pink?" Sephiroth asked, appearing at the door. He pulled it open, only for his eyes to close a bit in pleasure. "Mr. Amicitia. A pleasure," he purred. "Won't you ignore the little nuisance and make yourself at home?" he asked, turning to guide Aerith away from the door. Sephiroth had his hair pulled up in a pile on his head and was wearing an apron that declared Mr. Good Lookin is Cookin. As he turned to head back into his apartment, Gladio realized he wasn't wearing a shirt under said apron. His bare back was exposed. Interestingly, he had a tattoo of a single back feathered wing curving over his shoulder and down to the small of his back.

Gladio walked into the apartment. "Neat tattoo," Gladio said dumbly. "Um... I came here to drop off these." He handed Sephiroth the bag of heart-shaped daifuku mochi. "They're courtesy of Ignis."

Sephiroth weighed the bag in his hand, only to chuckle. "Of course," he said. He gestured past. "Join me a moment?" he asked, free hand going to trace up Gladio's arm. "I'm sure I have a little something equally as sweet for the ambitious little baker."

Aerith pouted at Sephiroth, huffing passed them and going to join a man in the living room. She could be heard starting to say something about Goonies only for Sephiroth to cut over her. "Now Aerith, you know I don't like that slur. If you must slag off on Shinra's dear, esteemed friend, let's not do it within ears of his lord, shall we?" Sephiroth smirked at Gladio. "Youth. So crude. Come," he insisted, heading to his kitchen where he set the bag on the counter.

Loz, a beefy guy the same age as Aerith and Ignis, grinned and nodded. "Hey Gladiolus," he greeted. "What are you doing here? Uh, you come to play with Zoo? He's not here."

"I haven't kept in contact with Yazoo for some time," Gladio admitted. "Not since I graduated last semester. Got busy with my own life over the summer. Got engaged; moved up. How's your life treating you?" Gladio felt sort of foolish dropping those tidbits, as though he were bragging, but calmly sat in a stool by the island opposite Loz.

"Come now, Loz," Sephiroth said, giving his son a reproachful look. "Mr. Amicitia's been quite busy." Sephiroth started going through the bag, finally pulling a gun out. "Though...odd his man makes him play the part of runner, but administration was always a bit odd in the Family." He turned the gun this way and that before tossing it to Loz. "What do you think?"

"Oh yeah...not bad," Loz said, taking aim with it before pouting a bit. "What about me?" he huffed, putting it down on the counter.

"Don't cry," Sephiroth said, going to examine the bag. "Eat," he said, shoving the sticky mochi into his son's mouth. "You know how rare arms are at the moment." He sighed. "We'll need to thank Mr. Scientia for his regards."

Loz grunted around the mochi, but he still looked appeased.

"I'll send your regards," Gladio said. "He's under scrutiny at the moment." Gladio could see why, not that he was going to jump to conclusions.

"I'm surprised he's not under a thumb," Sephiroth said, watching Gladiolus with his sharp green eyes. "Please, you can send him payment as well. Loz, go grab my coat," he sent him off. "Tell me my big, strong flower, so the feathers go all the way up?" he asked, eyes roaming over where he could see ink. "I never knew we'd have so much in common, you know."

"Oh yeah, he hates shirts and loves tattooed feathers as much as you, Sephy." The man from the living room came in. Zax Fair eyed Gladiolus. "Though I guess I can see something else you like," he said, cracking up as he went to help himself to a bottle of pop in the fridge.

Sephiroth shot Zax a dark look. "Ignore him. I like to pretend he's not even here."

Gladio gave Zax a glance before turning. He had an x-shaped scar on the side of his face. Long, spiky black hair to die for. He was broad and muscular, but had a glint in his bright blue eyes whatever his age. Sephiroth's type of guy briefly ran through his head before he shook it off.

He wondered what he meant by what else Sephiroth could like. He also couldn't gauge how much Sephiroth's dismissal of Zax was put upon or serious.

"Maybe sometime you'll see the whole work," Gladio said with a wink. "At a cross company swim meet." He did not know why he did that when he meant for the inane comment to be a brush off. The equivalent of the saying in your dreams.

Sephiroth chuckled. "I see enough to appreciate," he assured him.

"You're drooling," Zax teased, poking a finger into Sephiroth's cheek.

Sephiroth glared, but did nothing to dislodge his mass from leaning on him. "I don't listen to dead people."

"Are you telling your conquests I'm dead now?" Zax asked, pouting. "That's cheating."

"Not legally," Sephiroth insisted, leaning back into him. "Ah," he said, taking his long leather coat from his son. "Put this in the safe," he said, passing Loz the gun. He pulled a heavy envelop out, sliding it to Gladio. "We good?" Sephiroth was giving him an all business look, despite his flirting only moments ago and the large mass of man cuddled against him.

"Yes," Gladio said with an amused smile. "You two are cute." He took the envelope from Sephiroth.

"I know he is. Too bad he's next to useless," Sephiroth huffed. "Being dead and all."

"This is how he talks to the stepmother of his kids," Zax exclaimed.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes, finally pulling from him. "We're legally separated. Marriage takes a lot of work, my flower," he warned. He slipped his arm around Gladio's shoulders, walking him to his door. "As does any relationship, really. It's reassuring you come in person to strengthen ours. I was getting a tad worried with all of Mr. Scientia's run around. As if this was his business and not yours," he said leadingly.

"I trust Ignis's judgement on our operations," Gladio said. "Without him, I'd fall on my face. With all he does for me, I could return the favor and meet your...now ex while I'm at it. You take care, and pleasure doing business."

"Always a pleasure, Gladiolus," Sephiroth assured, backed him up against the door for a moment. "Maybe you'll grant me more outside these little business transactions." He looked like he was going to move in for...something, but he merely opened the door, gently pushing Gladio out.

[aij-writes]

Quarter Past Wrong, Pt 2

Rating: Teen, Swearing, Mild Fantasy Violence, Romance

Pairing: Ignyx (Ignis/Nyx)

Summary: Ignis is superhuman...if he is human.  Nyx is pretty sure he’s a vampire.  Case in point...

Warnings: So…going by Japanese standards, even a 17 year old isn’t at the age of majority, so by Insomnia standards, Ignis is still a little young for the 26 year old Nyx.  In Galahd, and his heart, it wouldn’t matter.  Age range is nine years because I accidentally bump up Ignis’s age to three years older than Noctis (instead of 2 ½ of canon) and Gladio a year older than Ignis.  Also, I have a headcanon I’m carrying over that Dragoon is a race and Ignis is a Dragoon.  If I ever write an explanation to this I’ll link it.

Other Tags: Canon compliant, Brotherhood Era, Best friends Gladio & Ignis, Slow burn?, pining, OCs with no development for plot purposes, gratuitous workout and training scenes

For @ffxvignyxzine using all the prompts on day 2 “Meet me after dark”, Rain, Is he a vampire or am I imagining it

Second part of a multi-part fic trying to tie it all together

“Is he a vampire or am I imagining it?” Nyx asked, leaning back against the bleachers.

“Huh?” Crowe asked before throwing her fist up and cheering.  “Come on!” she yelled.

“He’s talking about the bureaucrat again,” Luche complained, leaning back from the next bench down.  He groaned, slapping money into Pelna’s hand.  “Shove it,” he complained.

Crowe continued to watch her team trounce Luche’s in rollerball.  Finally, though, she glanced at where Nyx was staring.  “Dude...don’t be weird,” she complained.

“I’m just saying,” Nyx said, insistent and on the edge of unloading.  “The kid’s not human.”

“He’s a Dragoon.  You know they say the same about you Galahdians,” Tredd offered.

Nyx kicked him hard, sending him crashing into Axis.  He leaned forward, chin in his hand balancing his elbow on his knee and watching the much nicer box seats where the prince watched.  Galahdians didn’t officially have to sit in the low stands, but they just typically did.  along with all the others that coun’t afford better tickets on their salary.  There was no use bothering to mingle with the rest of Insomnia.  They preferred them out of sight, out of mind.  As a Dragoon, Ignis might have had the same issue, the son of refugees himself.  Of course, he’d been handpicked by the king to see to his son, but Ignis faced enough discrimination that Nyx couldn’t help but sympathized.

“I mean...what does that even mean?” Crowe asked.  “Are you calling him a daemon?”  She laughed, taking the box of popcorn from Nyx and munching on a handful.

“I mean, sure, it sounds crazy but like--”

“Fangs?  He’s got fangs for biting the heads off anyone that looks at the Prince the wrong way,” Luche pointed out.

Nyx rolled his eyes.  “Okay, okay, forget it.”

“Maybe you should,” Crowe said, straining up.  “You know...no one finds stalking romantic, Ulric.”

“I’m not...and I don’t...!”  Nyx finally let his cool demeanor crack.  “It’s not like that!”

“Sure, of course not,” Luche agreed.  “He’s a teenager.  Nyx isn’t looking to break Insomnia law.”

“Forget the age of majority, Luche,” Crowe pointed out.  “The kids practically royal court.”

“I’m not trying to date anyone let alone him, Astrals!” Nyx said tensely.  “I wouldn’t date a vampire anyway!”

Tredd snickered.  “Interested in guys, Hero?”

Nyx rolled his eyes.  “All I’m interested in is figuring out if Scientia is a vampire.  That’s it.”

“Here,” Crowe said, having been on her phone.  She mailed him a list.  “Checklist.  Go do your stalking and find out before you go completely stark raving mad, alright?”  She motioned her head.  “The Crown finds out they’ve got a creature of the night tucking the prince in, they’ll give you another medal, right?”

Nyx rolled his eyes.  Still, he couldn’t help but look over the list.

---

Pale Skin/Aversion to Sunlight

Nyx was walking down the hall, talking to Gladiolus Amicitia.  Over the years, he’d gotten to know the Shield’s son as a pretty cool guy.  He’d even been invited over for a few meals at the manor and sat in on one of Gladio’s tattoo sessions when he went to get the line down his own right index.  Gladio tended to be easygoing, but honest, and just as fun and without caring he wasn’t native.  His sister liked to ask him questions, even if she never asked anything important.  Which, to be honest, he sort of liked.  It was rough with the only thing anyone wanted to ask him was about fighting.  Even Gladio’s father balanced a line between respectful and boyish enthusiasm.

Right now, Gladio was talking about a movie adaptation of some novel, complaining about the casting and merging of characters.  Nyx followed along, having read the book but not having gotten around to seeing it.  The set pieces sounded cool, but it didn’t sound enough to save a movie on a book he’d actually enjoyed.  They were headed to lunch together, as Nyx had had to pull guard duty at the gates and missed his friends’s break and Gladio just liked to rotate his options.

As they went to turn into the cafeteria though, they nearly ran right into the prince.  Fourteen and every bit as sullen as the age demanded, Noctis huffed, stepping back and looking away.  His shadow cleared his throat and Noctis rolled his eyes.  “Yeah...sorry...”

Gladio raised his eyebrows, before asking Ignis, over Noctis’s head and silently, He alright?

Ignis gave Gladio a sympathetic look.  Father, he mouthed back.

Nyx guessed that meant something about the king.  Before he could get too worried about King Regis, though, Noctis huffed and kicked his shoe against the floor.

“Since Dad’s too busy, can I just go back to my room?”

Ignis frowned, fingers nervously worrying over his cuff.  Gently and proddingly, he said, “Noctis, wouldn’t you like to sample the changed menu?  There’s a new burger I think has merits and--”

Noctis let out a tortured noise.  He frowned as Gladio snorted and rolled his eyes.  “Oh yeah, sure, and then everyone can whisper and point and go Oh look, it’s the prince.  I put up with that enough at school, Ignis, thanks.”

Ignis sighed, pushing his glasses up.  “Your Highness...”

Gladio threw an arm around Noctis’s shoulders.  “Come on.  You two can join me and the Hero.  That way, if anyone’s staring, you can tell yourself it’s in awe of braids and muscles.”  He eyed Ignis.  “And those ridiculous bags under your mom’s eyes.”  He put a hand on Ignis’s shoulder, holding him there.  “Astrals, Iggy, you stay up all night cleaning up after His Bratiness again?”

Ignis squirmed.  “Honestly, Gladio!”  He frowned.  Like the kid didn’t have enough criticisms getting through his teenage years.  His acne was finally under control.  Though his skin was much smoother and soft now, he was all the more paler for it.  For a moment there, Ignis had quite a time.  He dressed like a little business man, had glasses, an overbite, acne, and carried a briefcase everywhere.  At seventeen, he was finally growing into his looks having started to do things with his hair and put together slightly more stylish versions of the blazer-dress pants-collared shirt that was his uniform.  Still, he had a wan look.  He looked like he carried the fate of the entire kingdom on his shoulders.

“I’ll grab us a table,” Nyx offered.  “You’re still buying, right?” he asked Gladio, punching him on the shoulder  “Get me an orange juice with a deluxe burger and onion rings.”

Noctis made a gagging noise.  “Orange juice at lunch?” he said to Nyx.  He looked around the cafeteria then settled his eyes outside.  “Can’t we go eat outside?”

Nyx looked at Ignis, almost holding his breath in expectation.  It was dumb but--

Ignis gave Noctis a patient, apologetic smile.  “It’s really more comfortable in here, right?”

“In the gardens, no one will know I’m there,” Noctis tried to and failed not to whine.

“And I won’t know anyone’s sneaking up on you,” Gladio said, crossing his arms.

“You’re supposed to be ready for sneak attacks,” Noctis pointed out.  “Warp boy’s got us, right?”

Nyx glanced at Ignis.  “It’s really nice out.  Even pencil pushers have to get sunlight sometimes, right?”

Ignis sighed.  “I’m afraid it’s a tad windy and I’d hope to finish going over your homework so I might have an evening to myself, Your Highness.  Do you mind if we stay inside?”

In the end, Noctis assented.

Mind Control

“Oh...hey,” Nyx said.  He was leaving the library, book tucked under his arm.

Ignis pursed his lips in that displeased way he had.  “Yes,” he said.  “I need to--”

“They’re closed,” Nyx said, jutting a thumb back.  “Just got kicked out myself.”  He grinned, leaning on the door.  “Not so quick now, huh?”

Ignis frowned at Nyx, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Hey, come on, no need to pout.  I’m sure you’ll be up early enough that you only have to wait a few hours, right?”  Nyx tried to nudge Ignis on the arm, but he didn’t even respond.

Nyx wasn’t even sure how, but in less than a moment, the door was unlocked and opened.  A single hand reached out with a book.  Ignis reached behind Nyx and took it.  He nodded his head at it.  He didn’t even look at Nyx as he rotated on his heel and marched back the way he came.

Arithmomania

“Anyone ever tell you that you have an attitude problem?” Nyx asked Ignis.  He was doing pull ups near where another Crownsguard was working Ignis through stretches.  Ignis looked like he was in extreme pain or simply concentrating, but he clearly ground his teeth too much.

Ignis put a finger out to flip him off.  That was with him being flipped and having his leg extended.

Nyx tried to laugh and regulate his breathing but he ended up releasing his grip.  He fell onto the mats below.  He grabbed his towel and wiped down his face.  “Wow, Scientia...you’re too much.”  He stooped down next to Ignis’s head, watching him.  “Careful Novitas doesn’t rip something.”  With his worst impression of Ignis’s Dragoon accent, he teased, “The Kingdom would fall without our favorite high-stressed gov’nor doing everything for everyone.”

“Let me...do you a favor,” Ignis said with a surprising amount of breath control.

Nyx grinned.  “Oh yeah?  You want to come over and set my pants on fire?”  Last week in training, Ignis had missed a mark and set Luche’s pants on fire.  Though Nyx had to admit it was awesome, he hadn’t let Ignis live it down.

Ignis’s face was already flushed but now he was glaring.  The way he clenched his teeth, though, it made his lips pouty and his narrowed eyes behind glasses gave him a sultry look.  Nyx tried not to notice that the guy was hotter than Ifirit’s sigh.

“No,” Ignis grunted.  “The favor is, I won’t punch you for gawking.”

Nyx grinned at him with a wide, toothy smile.  “Who’s staring?  I’m wondering if you’re almost done being stretched like taffy.  I wanted the mats for crunches and squats.”

Ignis groaned, tapping out.  “Enough, Nov!” he gasped.

“Getting limber, aren’t you?” the grinning blonde asked.  He eased Ignis’s leg down.  “One more?”  He ran his hand up and down Ignis’s back along the spine.  “Help you cool down?”

“Might put the fire out,” Ignis agreed, still giving Nyx a glare that only made him hotter.  “No, you can use the mats all around me, though.”

He tried not to think about it.  In Galahd and the rest of Lucis, it might not have been so odd to find a seventeen-year-old attractive.  In Insomnia, it was one more disconcerting thing the refugees left around them where the age of majority was twenty.  Never mind the fact Ignis clearly never thought of anything other than work and training to be better at work.  He knew he was the Prince’s future adviser, but there was enough evidence that Ignis did nearly everything for the teen and was still counted on for other things.  He overheard complaining about him speaking up at council meetings he was merely meant to take notes at and, they had the insistence of saying, the King actually discussing with the Head of Urban Development as serious advice!

Not it wasn’t so much Nyx shouldn’t find Scientia hot.  It was that he did and he knew it didn’t matter.  Fellow refugee or not, there was already murmurs of King Regis granting peerage to Ignis.  Then he wouldn’t just be an unofficial member of the royal court, he’d be a lord and there’d be an official House of Scientia.  Nyx knew that anyone that close to the royals was already too high-strung to be interested in grabbing coffee--though Ignis seemed to live of the stuff even at his age.  He’d never risk his standing for a nearly decade-older Rat who didn’t even particularly want anything.  Nyx just thought he was nice to look at.  And maybe a vampire.

As Novitas wrapped an arm around Ignis from behind, Nyx situated himself where he might watch in the mirrors if he chose to.  Between push ups, he did.  Novitas had Ignis drapped over his arm.  Ignis was bent almost double over it, hands sliding down his own legs as Novitas used his other hand to push Ignis down further.  No one should bend that easily.  No one should have Ignis in such a pliable position if he wasn’t going to do something about it.  With Novitas’s serious look, though, he clearly only had the boring workout in mind.

Ignis clearly needed to prove himself even if it was only to himself.  He was like a chocobo in a rainstorm; letting water roll of his back.  No amount of underestimation had ever caused him embarrassment.  But the impossible standards he set himself kept being held up despite how much more he stacked onto himself.

Nyx ended his last set as Ignis ended his actual cool down stretches.  He’d already thanked Novitas and they’d parted sometime before.  Libertus had ended his time on the weights, talking about his day’s best.  As he asked Nyx how much he’d done, they headed to the lockers room, Ignis trailing behind.

“I dunno...I just do ’em til I’m done.”

Ignis rattled off the numbers of pull ups, push ups, crunches, and squats Nyx had done.  He looked at their surprised faces.  “Counting habit.  When I’m working out, I’m trying not to think about anything.  Counting helps.”

---

Invitation Only

“Hey Nyx?” Gladiolus called, catching up to him.  “You good?”

Nyx rubbed his shoulder.  He had bandages over it.  A spell had gone wrong on the field last week and burst from his flesh.  He had electric burns down to the muscle.  He offered a grin.  “Sure, why not?”

“His Highness,” he said, always careful to be proper when not talking to Ignis or Noctis, “nearly gave himself frostbite a year or so ago.  No reason to act tough.”

Nyx shrugged with one shoulder.  “Who’s acting?”  He cuffed Gladio on the head.  “You ever stop growing?”

“If not up then out,” Gladio said, smirking as he flexed.  He was in a tanktop and the steadily filling in lines rippled like a bird’s plumage might actually in the wind.  He looked like he wanted to say something after that, but Nyx let him stew on his thoughts as he kept walking towards his neighborhood.  He actually wondered how long until Gladio refused to go further.

“So...you having a few people over for drinks and watch the Founder’s Day thing?”

“Yeah,” Nyx said.  “You wanna come?”

“Can Iggy come?”

Nyx raised his eyebrows.  “Uh, sure...why not....though, I can’t imagine he’d miss the real thing.”

Gladio shook his head.  “The Prince has finals and is going to stay in all night and prep.  Ignis is hoping he’ll see to himself and I want to give him a chance to be distracted from worrying he won’t.”

Nyx nodded.  “Well, my apartment isn’t going to compare to the Amicitia manor.  Or the Citidal apartments.”

“Ignis isn’t stuck up, you know.  You could give him a chance.”

“I’m not mean to him,” Nyx said with an incredulous look on his face.  “Boy, you really are protective of him, you know.  He probably doesn’t like all that big brother posturing, you know.”

“Sure, I know,” Gladio agreed.  “Except I’m always there to remind him to live a little.  It’d be nice if someone wanted to include him without wanting something from him.”

“I mean, he can come.  It’s no biggie.”  Nyx couldn’t quite say he didn’t want anything from Ignis.  To see the guy smile might be asking too much, though.

“Well, sure, if I tell him, he’ll never come.  Maybe you could invite him.  Let him know he’s welcome.”

Nyx frowned at that, but nodded.  “Sure...I’ll tell him about it.”

---

Aversion to Garlic

“What are you doing?” Ignis demanded.

Nyx looked up.  “You looked tired.  I made us coffee.”

“...what did you put in the coffee?” he asked in a careful tone.  There was some amusement there, though.

“Uh...well, it’s Ebony beans, water, chocolate flakes, honey, and...oh, yeah, I guess that’s...”  Nyx eyed Ignis carefully.  He’d been caught in the kitchens making himself a sandwich after bullshit guard duty released him way too early in the morning and caught Ignis baking.  He slid the mug over, perversely curious.  “You like to try new things?”

“Of course,” Ignis said, frowning.  “One should always look to expand their horizons.”

“Alright, well, you ever put anything in your coffee?  I know I’ve seen you only take it black from the can.”  Ignis raised his eyebrows at this, as if surprised Nyx was keeping tabs.  Or maybe it that there was any other way to have it.  Or the avoidance of answering directly.  Nyx grinned.  “So I made it how I had it back home.  You know...where I’m from.”

“In Galahd?” Ignis asked softly, picking up the mug and looking at it.  “I thought I saw spices go in.”

“Yeah...salt, pepper...garlic paste stirred in.”  Nyx smiled sheepishly.  “It’s better that way.”

“You can’t put garlic in coffee.”

“I think you’ll find I have.”  He picked up his mug, knocking it against Ignis’s.  “Drink up.”

Ignis stared into it.  “No.”

“Well, I’ll admit, a fresh clove it better.  But one sip isn’t going to kill you.”

Ignis sighed.  “I mean, I’m watching you drink it, but I swear you’re just playing a prank on me.  Maybe there’s no garlic in yours.”

Nyx snickered.  He took Ignis by the wrist, bringing his mug up and tipping a bit into mouth.  “Mmm...like Daddy used to drink.”  He released Ignis’s wrist, but used his fingers to tip the mug towards him.  “One sip,” he urged in a soft, teasing voice.  “Be brave, Crownsguard.”

Ignis looked at the mug, before meeting Nyx’s eyes.  He let him raise it to his lips, but put his other hand on Nyx’s.  He took a slow sip, still watching Nyx intently.

“Good?”

“Maybe not my taste but understandably good for others,” Ignis agreed softly.  He stepped back a bit, putting the distance and raising his voice to a normal tone, “I think I’ll take it plain from now on, but once can’t hurt.”  He smirked at bit at Nyx.  “I still think it’s some elaborate punishment game you’re just immune to.”

“No one’s immune to garlic, Ignis.  Enjoy it.”  Nyx turned from Ignis.  “It’s good for you.  How’s it any different from your quest to sneak veggies into the notoriously picky prince’s dessert?”

“Fair enough,” Ignis conceded easily.

“You must be poisoned.  You didn’t even argue.”  Nyx came back, putting the back of his hand to Ignis’s forehead.  “Is that a fever?  You’re burning up.”

Ignis rolled his eyes.  “Like I haven’t heard jokes on my name my whole life.  Imagine if you knew my middle name.”

“Middle?” Nyx asked.

Ignis looked embarrassed, at least for him.  He turned his head a bit even if he kept his eyes on Nyx unabashedly.  “Well, it’s a Dragoon thing.  We have a family, a personal, and a middle.  I wouldn’t be ashamed of it, but it’s dumb.”

Nyx grinned, leaning in.  “You’re full of secrets, aren’t you?”

“I don’t doubt it, Mr. Ulric.”  Ignis smirked a little.  “I don’t let many people too close.  Too close to me is too close to the prince.”

“You’re faithful,” Nyx pointed out.

“It’s love, Nyx.  I love my country and I love my job.”  Ignis looked up at the older man.  “I love Noctis, too.”  He bit his lip at the casual use of his name, but he was already that far in.  “I’ve taken care of him for so long, how could I not?”

“Yeah...” Nyx agreed.  “I know what you mean.”  He didn’t elaborate to Ignis, but his thoughts were to his sister.  “But you know that time isn’t all love is.”

“Of course not,” Ignis said with a huff.  “If the prince didn’t deserve my love, he wouldn’t have it, only my duty and follow through.”

“Still seems like it’s hard to earn those,” Nyx said.  “You think there’d ever be another person as lucky?”

Ignis smirked into his coffee.  “Sure.”  He let the casual assurance hang as he eyed Nyx with his teasing green guys.  “My best friend Gladiolus.”

Nyx nodded.  “Fair enough.”  He reached over, tapping Ignis’s chin up.  “Anyone would be a fool to try to stretch you any thinner.”  He gazed at him before moving on.

“That’s you, Ulric,” Ignis said, setting his mug down.  He flipped the timer on the oven off at four seconds and peered inside.  “Always issuing a challenge.”

“Name a time I ever do that,” Nyx demanded, only to frown.  “Alright, alright...”

Ignis huffed, pulling the pastries out.  He used the mitts to fan the steam rising off them.  “Everything you do around me is a challenge.  Even coffee.”

“Well...maybe you’re looking at it wrong.”

“I often don’t,” Ignis said carelessly.  “I tend to have an accurate idea of others’ motives and strategies.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”  Nyx sipped at his coffee.  “I must be that annoying know-it-all you think me as.”

Ignis raised his eyebrows.  “Or you find pushing me around is the best way to get me where you want me.”

Nyx startled, coughing around a bad swallow.  He set the mug down, watching Ignis’s back.  He took a careful step forward, sliding in next to him.  “You always seem to like things a bit direct so as to get it over and done with.”

“Hmmm...that would be a mostly accurate summery,” Ignis said, sprinkling powdered sugar over the pastries.

“Maybe I’m tired of you being over and done with people.  Me or otherwise.”

“You?” Ignis asked, having the slightest look of surprised as he realized Nyx was closer.  Right next to him with the heat off his body warmer than the pastries.  He shifted, turning to look up at him.  “And what more would you want from me?” he asked, no blush or nervous tremble.  Just honest, direct curiosity.

Nyx couldn’t help but look at those lips.  “For you to engage with people for the pure pleasure of their company.”

Ignis blinked at him, before breaking the moment by moving away without a word.  He pulled a linen-lined basket towards him and began to load the pastries in to bring up to Noct.  “I would have to find their company pleasurable, don’t you think?”

Nyx scowled.  “Right,” he said a bit abruptly.  He went to pick up his plate, ready to retreat.  “Unlike a Rat with too many opinions.”

Ignis let out an annoyed hum.  He lifted a pastry that had broken apart.  He took a knife to it, cutting it evenly in half.  He tipped it onto Nyx’s plate.  “I may be efficient, Mr. Ulric but I’m not boring.”  He gave Nyx his own challenging look.  “You want to order me around, make sure it keeps my interest.  Trade for the coffee.”

“I don’t want anything from you,” Nyx said irritably, turning to catch the hurt look cross Ignis’s face before it was as quickly schooled into a challenging look himself.  He winced at that, before taking a bite.  “Pretty good,” he mumbled around the crumbles and silky filling.  It had a warm, nutty flavor.

“Probably not good enough for His Highness but I try,” Ignis said, shrugging.  “Well...if you don’t want anything more, I guess I better leave for someone who always needs me to get him up and going in the morning.”

Nyx watched him leave, gap-mouthed.  Okay...never mind what he wanted.  What did Ignis want?

---

Bloodlust

“I’ll kill him.”

“Sure Iggy.”

“No, I will,” he snapped.  “Slowly, too.  I’ve been working on interrogation techniques with the Marshal.  I’ve found plenty of places to put a knife that’ll bleed good but not kill or maim.  Enough of those, though...”

“Well...that’ll come in handy,” Gladiolus marveled.  “How come he never has anything useful for me?  All I got was this amazing physique.”

“You did that yourself, you swole-head.”

Nyx kept walking, not wanting to know who’d get Ignis that worked up over anything.

---

Animal Familiar

Nyx burst into laughter.  Ignis shot him a look from across the hall they were passing in.  Nyx shrugged, gesturing behind him.

Noctis had stopped in his walk, standing in the light of the high window.  He had none of his usual teenage scowl.  He just blinked sleepily, smiling faintly.  He looked a bit puffed in the warmth of the sunlight.

“Your cat’s distracted,” he said with a grin, gone before Ignis could throw another withering look at him.

---

Water Barrier

Nyx had his hand over Ignis’s on his kukri’s handle.  “I want you to feel it pass from my hand to my blade,” he instructed.

They were nearly back to front, past the usual training time, but Ignis had finally asked for something.  He was having difficulty with lightning spells and issued his own challenge to Nyx he made it look so easy.  Ignis still had problems with aim and release and the erratic electricity was the worst.  Just today, upon issuing the command, Drautos had taken a tiny bolt to his knee.  He’d limped out of there after carrying practice on as normal, wincing and using Luche and Libtertus’s help to walk as he couldn’t feel his leg.

“Come on, Scientia,” Nyx urged.  “This is the only area I’ve seen where your power outstrips your finesse.  You don’t have to be the strongest on the field.  But there’s so many people around, you run the risk of getting your guys.  No amount of battle formations is going to prevent friendly fire.”

“This fire isn’t feeling so friendly,” Ignis muttered darkly.

“You need to let failures happen,” Nyx coaxed.  “Doing it right the first time means you fall into bad habits.  Like confusing trying with succeeding.”

“You are really arrogant, you know that?” Ignis shot out.

“We’re not sparring, let alone trading barbs.  I’m here instead of showering and getting a beer.  I think I’m being fucking gracious and you’re the arrogant one,” Nyx snapped.

Ignis startled.  With that, a bolt shot out, hitting one of the stone pillars.  He looked back at Nyx.  He pulled his hand from Nyx’s, using the other, uncharged one to push his glasses up.  “My apologies.”

“I don’t want ’em,” Nyx assured him.  “Just focus.”

Ignis looked around the training yard.  It was just him and Nyx.  “Of course,” he assured him.  “I let my frustrations get the best of me.”

“The best of you is better than that,” Nyx couldn’t help but say.

“You know me so well?” Ignis inquired.

“Uh...well, I know the standards you hold for yourself...they’re not easy.”  Nyx shifted a little so it was less like Ignis was in his arms.  He took his fist, placing it at the center of Ignis’s gravity above his navel.  The teen had started to shoot up in height.  Already tall, he was squeezing a few more inches out of what was left of puberty.  Nyx started to wonder if he’d end up towering like his best friend.  At seventeen, Ignis was nearly Nyx’s full height.

He swallowed, trying to ignore his thoughts of how neither would strain into a kiss.  At least physically.  The emotional, societal burden was insurmountable he decided.  Had to conclude and be done with.  This attraction was getting out of hand and it was so one-sided he’d started to consider his friends were right.  He was stalking the damn kid.

“F-feel right here,” Nyx said, only the slightest waver in his voice.  Ignis stiffened at it, but relaxed as Nyx went on, “I want you to be a storm.  Gather, pull, twist and turn in place.  Build it up.  Draw from every bit but keep it here.  Then...”  His hand went from fist to open palm, cupping the taut muscles of the Dragoon and dragging his hand up over his chest.  “Direct it,” he ordered quietly, “only a little.  You hold that storm in place,” he said, other fist going back to the spot.

He now had both arms around Ignis.  Nyx was pressed against him, their different body types fitting together well.  He kept his head turned slightly, chin barely resting against the back of Ignis’s shoulder.  His open palm continued to run, curving with Ignis’s defined curves.  “You are bringing forth one bolt,” he reminded him.  “You aren’t separating it, though.”  He gently ground his fist in a little.  “Connected to your storm, but seeking grounding.  You are connected.  Your aim is to find the easiest root from your storm to your target.”  His hand ran over Ignis’s pectoral, fingers trailing a little high to touch the exposed skin of Ignis’s collarbone for a moment, but moving on.

His hand continued its path.  From Ignis’s shoulder to arm, down, down, slow and direct.  Nyx shifted, pressing as close as he could, breath its own heat cloud against Ignis’s ear.  His hand turned, running over the inside of Ignis’s wrist before the final rest, wrists pressed together.  Ignis still had Nyx’s kukri closed in his his hand.

“Release,” Nyx guided, directly yet soft.

Ignis released a single blast that as quickly webbed out and enveloped the pillar, turning it into a beacon.  Both had to shut their eyes, but Ignis held strong as he overwhelmed it with his entire charge.  Behind eyelids, they could see it get brighter still before plunging them into darkness.

Ignis was breathing heavily, obviously worn out.  Both kept their eyes shut, but Ignis shifted in Nyx’s arms.  He handed him back his knife and turned, his own hand drawing over Nyx’s chest.  He was quicker with his movements and it came to rest in the crook of Nyx’s neck.

Nyx felt charged lips near his.  His hand gripped at fabric, holding Ignis close to him but not moving closer.

A crash of thunder startled them apart.

Ignis gasped and Nyx yelped.  But it was a real storm.  The exposed air of the training grounds let in the storm above and rain started to fall on them.

Ignis dove for cover, but it was harder to tell if it was from the rain or the man that stood in it, watching him go.

---

Fangs

“There are eyes everywhere, Scientia,” Nyx murmured, holding an impassive look.  He had guard duty for a delegation of scholars that wanted to discuss crystal magic.  They mostly wanted to implore the king again to ask him was it wise to let the Rats steal pieces.  That the Kingsglaive would be the guard was by design.

Ignis wasn’t looking at him.  But he was wondering close to Nyx.  He’d been asked to the meeting personally by the king and had stood up, impassioned in his argument that the Kingsglaive was not only necessary, but in favor of King Regis’s duty to his people.  The scholars had argued back that first and foremost, the King had to duty to the crystal itself.  The heart of their star resided in it and needed to be protected above any people.

Drautos and Leonis, rarely on the same page of anything, had taken their time to both argue.  The Marshal had pointed out His Majesty must protect his lineage to continue protecting the crystal.  Both Ignis and King Regis had shared a mutual look of distress at summing up Prince Noctis’s purpose as a progenitor for more servants to the crystal but neither had voiced it.

Drautos had merely spat out there wouldn’t be a crystal to protect if Nifleheim was allowed to snuff the lands out.  “There’s hardly a star, let alone its heart, if there’s no people to stand upon it and receive its blessing, right?”

The meeting wasn’t futile but it was frustrating.  No one walked away happy.

But Ignis wasn’t walking away.

Nyx had put a healthy space between him and Ignis.  As in always several floors away if possible, as he’d started to make himself unavailable.  Ignis hadn’t acted as if he’d noticed, but he now shot Nyx a questioning look over his glasses.  Nyx merely stood at attention, eyes gazing past him.

Pushing them up, Ignis gathered up his papers and put them in his briefcase.  He pulled on his tie, loosening it a bit.  He walked past Nyx without another word.

Only once the meeting room was empty did he finally relax his stance.  And look at the tiny paper pressed into his hand.

Meet me after dark.

Nyx wasn’t sure where or why or should or even could.  He didn’t know where Ignis went when he wasn’t working.  He certainly didn’t know what he wanted.  Not really.  The almost kiss, if that’s what it was going to be, had worn him out.  He hadn’t even thought about it.  It was too much to consider so he hadn’t.  He just avoided it and avoided Ignis.  Now he was summoning him.  Where?  Who knows.  When?  Dark was relative.  He was in the dark now.  Why?  To be threatened and yelled at?  To be grabbed and kissed?  To be lectured about propriety and laws and how a royal retainer and a soldier with nine years difference and from two completely different backgrounds were not meant to have so many run-ins?  Should he go and assure him it was a moment they’d both read wrong?  Could he really face those wide, searching eyes and listen to the berating from those pouty, full lips?

He went home.  He went home and changed and fed himself, and even got some of the chores he’d let slide.  He distracted himself.  Then he groomed himself, checking his braids and washing his face.  He dabbed on cologne and changed his shirt.  He frowned at his reflection.  He stopped dawdling and caught the train back to the Citidal.

He walked towards it with purposeful steps even if his mind was blank of any strategy.  He stopped short, though, seeing that Ignis always had a plan.

The rain had continued to fall for the last week.  Nyx had shrugged on a raincoat with a hood, but Ignis stood in his partial suit under an umbrella.  He was off to the side, at the foot of the steps.  He turned this way and that, looking like he was trying not to look so obviously looking.  But Nyx stared.

He was too much.  Too cute in his obviousness.  Too young in his unabashed forwardness.  Too out of his league in his poise and elegance even under duress.  He was too much of a bad idea.

Nyx approached, boots splashing in the rain.  Ignis still hadn’t noticed him even if he made no attempts at stealth.  But his mouth wasn’t working right, so he didn’t call out.  Nyx reached Ignis.  Ignis looked up at him, surprised and unable to force his expression to something neutral.  Nyx didn’t even pause, reaching Ignis, closing a hand around Ignis’s back, and pulling them close together under the umbrella.  It was a tight squeeze.  Ignis continued to look at Nyx, not hiding his thoughts so well.  He was wanting.  Nyx wanted it back.

They met into the kiss, neither making the first move.  Ignis’s freehand went to tangle into Nyx’s hair, stroking at braids and petting down to his nape.  They opened their mouths to each other.  They kissed until breaking apart.

Nyx was hugging Ignis, though, so they didn’t move more than their faces.  Ignis ran his hand over Nyx’s scruffy beard.  His expression was thoughtful, soft, still wanting but only more now instead of unchecked yearning.  Nyx watched Ignis with something akin to hope as his fingers traced patterns across Ignis’s shoulders.

Nyx closed his eyes for a long moment as he sucked in a stuttered breath.  Can’t, won’t, shouldn’t, never ran through his head.  Ignis’s next kiss only tasted like yes.

They made out in the rain, not sure where this was going and what they’d have to do to keep it.  But Nyx did have the presence of mind to run his tongue over Ignis’s teeth.  Just to check.

[aij-writes]

Quarter Past Wrong, Pt 1

Rating: Teen, Swearing, Mild Fantasy Violence

Pairing: Ignyx (Ignis/Nyx)

Summary: Ignis is fifteen and at the start of his Crownsguard training.  Nyx is twenty-four and a bit of a show-off, already earning his Hero moniker from battles with the Kingsglaive.  Cor Leonis decides Noctis’s retinue might need magic training.  Ignis is eager to show off in the ring. Nyx thinks he’s only helping.  Ignis wants to get away and Nyx doesn’t want him to give up.

Warnings: So...these characters first interact at a questionable age but there’s no romancing (yet).  Age range is nine years because I accidentally bump up Ignis’s age to three years older than Noctis (instead of 2 1/2 of canon) and Gladio a year older than Ignis.  Also, I have a headcanon I’m carrying over that Dragoon is a race and Ignis is a Dragoon.  If I ever write an explanation to this I’ll link it.

Other Tags: Canon compliant, Brotherhood Era, Best friends Gladio & Ignis, Slow burn?, Trying to be your mentor but you just find me annoying

For @ffxvignyxzine using all the prompts on day 1, why not?  “Stay with me”/”Don’t go”, Ring, Help/Rescue

First part of a multi-part fic trying to tie it all together

“Glaives!” Drautos called over his men.  “You see we have a few guests joining us today.”  He spread his arm out.  “The Marshal and two Crownsguard recruits.”

“Sir!” they yelled in acknowledgment.

Cor eyed the men, before turning to Gladiolus Amicitia.  “Recruits, he says,” he said in a carrying voice.

“Well, you look good for your age, Marshal,” Ignis Scientia said in a droll tone.  “Perhaps they have you confused for me.”

Cor shook his head, but there was a slight twitch in his expression.  He ruffled the kid’s grey hair.  “You’re a hoot.”

“Is something funny, Leonis?” Drautos asked.

“No,” he said.  “I leave two of my most promising soldiers to your dexterous hands, Titus.  I have others to babysit.”  He shook his head to Gladio.  “Don’t hold back now,” he said, calmly walking away.

Drautos shook his head, sighing.  “Most Crownsguard don’t fight with magic,” he explained to his battalion in a carrying, commanding voice.  “That’s why the King has so graciously extended his magic to the Kingsglaive.  But these two pipsqueaks are a special exception.  I want you all to meet Ignis Scientia and Gladiolus Amicitia.  You may know them as our dear Prince’s babysitter and manhandler.  As they’ve recently began practicing magic as connection to our future king, they need training the typical Crownsguard does not receive.  Something to say, Furia?”

“How old are they?  Sir?” Tredd, a red-headed Glaive asked, bumping Luche with his elbow.

“Old enough,” Drautos offered.  “Everyone knows us to be war heroes.  Now let’s prove that we know how to play nice.  Exception being they will not being joining us in warp practice.  Now!  To the training yard!”

They were put through the paces, starting with perfectly normal training exercises.  Warm ups that lead to sprints.  Ignis was fast, but he was young so the older Glaives had him beat.  Gladio didn’t even try to compete, comfortable in his stance, but Ignis had a hard enough time proving himself in Crownsguard training to not feel discouraged.

Luche, the unofficial second-in-command, pulled them aside when warp warm ups were announced.  He took an appraisal of their abilities.  Gladio could summon his sword after a few tries, but was hopeless with elemental.  Ignis had his daggers in hand before asked, but only seemed to be able to get a small flame going across them and had no projectile or release abilities.  Luche tried not to come off as condescending, but it was hard.  They were kids.

“How’s it look? Drautos asked, coming up behind them.  “Anything?”  He listened to Luche’s summery and frowned.  “Alright,” he said with an annoyed sigh.  He eyed them.  “Alright,” he repeated.  “Okay, so how old are either of you?”

“Fifteen, Sir,” Ignis answered respectfully while Gladio answered over him a gruff and defensive, “Sixteen.”

“How long have you been tapped into Prince Noctis’s magic?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

“Uh...about a year,” Gladio answered.  “Since he turned thirteen I guess?”

“For eight days now,” Ignis said.

Drautos’s eyebrows raised further.  “Let me see you summon fire.”

Ignis looked at him with a calm expression, but argued quietly, “With all due respect Sir, I can’t--”

“I want to see you do it so you’ll do it.”

Ignis, the picture of control and respect, gave him an icy look.  “I can only enchant things.”

“Fine,” he said, hand waving.  “Wouldn’t want to burn the little adviser's hands now.”  He turned his back on Ignis, smirking at his crew.

Ignis frowned, throwing his hand out.  Though he’d not managed to do it before, Ignis’s hand sparked briefly with fire.

Luche nudged Drautos, speaking in an undertone about what Ignis had managed to do.  Turning back to him, Drautos gave him a grim look.  “Be careful being motivated by anger, no matter how checked you keep it.  You’ll have to dig deeper and deeper for your fuel.  Finding out how deep the vein runs is dangerous.”  He eyed Gladiolus.  “Alright, Shield-in-Waiting.  You focus on getting a little more graceful and Scientia, you go with Altius.  She’s my best mage.  Maybe she can teach you a thing or two.”

---

“You ever get tired, Iggy?” Gladio asked, doing squats in front of their tutor’s office.

Ignis looked up from placing a tab on the report.  “All the time,” he said, tilting his head.  “I require sleep like everyone.”

Gladio laughed, huffing and falling down on the bench next to him.  He shared a smile with his best friend.  “Wiseass.”

“Better than being a dumbass,” Ignis shot back.  He took his binder and bopped Gladio on the head.  “Of course I’m tired.  But I worry that if I don’t attend to it, it won’t get done.”

“Are you doubting me?” Gladio asked, throwing an arm around him.  At sixteen, he was already larger than many men.  “I’m here to kick the princess into shape and you’re...well, what are you supposed to be doing?”

“Right now I’m making sure he has all the required--”

“Nah, Iggy, right now, you’re doing stuff you’re not supposed to be doing but do anyway to coddle him.  You’re his adviser, not his--”

“I’m his chamberlain,” he pointed out.  “I manage His Highness, too.”

“No one can manage him,” a new voice spoke up.  Nyx Ulric slid against the wall rounding the corner still leaning against the new wall.  He was a tall Galahdian with bright blue eyes.  “I commend you both for trying.”

Ignis scowled and Gladio glared.

“Alright, alright, protective to a fault.”  Nyx put his hands up in defense.  “But you know, the Shield’s got a point, kid.”  Nyx was in his twenties, already a veteran of so many battles against Nifleheim and Tenebrae forces.  He had seen battles Gladio and Ignis had only simulated.  He was the Hero of Insomnia.  He leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and smiling.  “I mean, you have to admit, Scientia.  No one’s expecting a servant to take on actual battle duty.”

Gladio stood up so fast he nearly bowled Ignis over.  He got into Nyx’s face.  “Ignis isn’t a servant.  He’s smarter, sharper, and ten times the tactician than most Crownsguard and he’s already nipping on the heels of any Glaive in magic.”

Nyx laughed.  “Sure, big guy.  I bet he’s juggling that along with the rest of everything he does, but honestly, who’s he to lay down his life for the Kingdom?  That’s what I do.  That’s what you might have to do if not the Prince himself.  But Ignis Scientia?  No one’s going to expect more out of him than a spare pen.  So honestly?  You’re both wasting your time.  Maybe go act like teenagers for a minute while you still can.  You’re going to hate it when there’s nothing left but full time duty.”

“Thank you for the unsolicited advice, Mr. Ulric.  If I wanted to know what you thought about my ability to balance my work, I’d have asked.”  Ignis raised his eyebrows, shooting him a sharp look learned from raising his own kid since he was six.

Nyx shrugged.  “Only trying to help.”

---

Drautos yelled commands before finally giving up.  He fell back, frowning.  That disappointment rippled through the practicing Glaives until one by one they stopped, settling their gaze on him.  He raised his eyebrows.  “Oh, now you stop?” he asked, shaking his head.  “Alright, well, I didn’t know this was an exposition and not a practice.  Someone else must have ordered it.”

“Sorry!  Sir!” they called in unison.

“Are we here to help the Prince’s retinue or make asses of ourselves showing them our flashy moves?  What if they go back to the King and Shield, reporting the waste of magic?  Enough!  One-on-one sparing.  I want you all practicing form and observing, so two in a ring a time.  No warping!  Practice knives only!”  He eyed Gladio.  “Good luck.”

Drautos moved through the group, jostling people together and pairing them off.  He gave each of them two minutes to knock one of them out of the ring.  But as Gladio approached, he glared.  “I thought I put Ulric with you.”

Libertus eyed Drautos warily.  “Well, uh, Sir...we switched.”

“Did you now?” he asked, unimpressed by the initiative.  “Why?”

“I thought it’d be helpful if the bureaucrat didn’t get crushed so soon,” Nyx offered.  “Motivate him to keep trying.”

Ignis scowled but didn’t voice his displeasure.  Gladio wasn’t quite so tactful.

“That’s bullshit!”  Gladio jabbed a finger towards Ignis.  “Ignis has been training with the Crownsguard and he’s not merely a show piece!”

Nyx shrugged.  He was flipping a practice dagger in his hand.  “You can be quick and still lack any strength behind it.  He needs to work on his physique to be any good.  Otherwise, he needs to stay on the books and let the men battle.”

Drautos stared at Nyx, but allowed a faint smirk.  “Alright, Nyx, maybe you’re right.  Maybe Ignis doesn’t belong here.”

“That’s--” Gladio started.

“You know, I think maybe my authority here wasn’t properly explained by the Marshal, since now I got everyone telling me how to train these Crownguards.  Okay, Nyx...you run practice with Ignis and I’ll observe.  Make it a real show.”

Ignis let his daggers appear with a blue flash.  “Real weapons then,” he said, unable to more than set the wooden knife on fire rather than enchant them.

“Alright,” Nyx agreed, pulling out his set of kukri.  “No time limit.  No out of the ring BS.  First person to yield.”

“Feel free to warp,” Ignis offered, taking his glasses off and handing them to Gladio for safe keeping.

Nyx raised his eyebrows.  “Oh boy...skinny, blind, and turned around.  Make sure you say uncle before I kill you, kid.”

“I don’t need anymore of your help, thank you,” Ignis replied crisply.  He joined Nyx into the ring, offering him a handshake as was custom in the Crownsguard.

Nyx took it and bowed as was custom in the Kingsglaive.

Ignis darted back as soon as he released.  He was quick.  Rapid and smooth with movements, but as Nyx soon critiqued, “You waste energy staying on the move.”  He dove towards Ignis, not quite aiming with his knife.  He did grin though as Ignis swept and turned, rolling his back against Nyx’s and catching him on the side with a well-placed slice.

The Kingsglaive as a collective let out a groan.

“Alright, teasing?” Nyx asked.  He caught Ignis as he swung around, blades clashing.  They traded quick swipes, each catching the other.  Nyx pushed out with his hand, knocking the much smaller kid back easily.  “See, you can’t possibly--”

Nyx’s advice was cut off as Ignis had performed a handstand only to flip back and kick him in the mouth.  He fell back, but caught himself.  He stayed crouched, eyeing Ignis as he wiped blood off his mouth.

“Sir?” Pelna spoke up.

Drautos raised a silencing hand.  “Let Nyx learn his lesson.”

“Sir!” Libertus and Crowe insisted.

Ignis darted around Nyx, avoiding his furry of swipes.  He was as quick on his feet as suspected and left Nyx little time to offer his brand of help.  He finally took the chance he saw in Ignis’s opening, throwing his kukri at one of the looming stone pillars.  He warped to catch it before releasing it and diving at Ignis.

Raising his head, Ignis watched Nyx’s falling form, the Galadian all smiles and him a frowning concentration.  Gladio tried to shout a warning for Ignis to Wake up! but he waited for the last possible moment.  His knives disappeared with a flash and in their place was his polearm.  Not quite as practiced and with admittedly all the problems of lacking core strength, Ignis relied on whatever reserves he had in magic to get more lift in his Jump.

Now Nyx was the one looking up, stunned.  It wasn’t a warp technique, that was for sure.  He didn’t even respond, just letting Ignis land on him, kicking him onto his ass and standing over him.  His staff was stabbed into the mats right next to his head at the crock of his neck.

“Wow...” he said unabashedly.

Ignis was heaving his breath, though.  That’s taken all of it out of him.  He slid down the pole only to sink to one knee.  He huffed before tapping the mat.  Using the leverage again, he stood up and started to walk away.  “You’re right,” he said over his shoulder as he let the polearm fade into the Armiger.  “I have to get stronger.”

“Hey wait!” Nyx called, looking devastated.  “Hey...come on!  Don’t go!”  He watched Ignis pick up his pace as he scurried away but for some reason couldn’t move after him.  Gladio glanced at Nyx and didn’t wait to be dismissed by Drautos before going after him.

Nyx glanced at Drautos, frowning.  “I think he won fair and square.”

[aij-writes]

“I don’t understand,” Nyx said, looking at the keys.

Noctis shrugged.  “I don’t need two cars,” he said helplessly, looking over at Ignis.  He wasn’t paying attention, though.  He motioned his head, sucking on his teeth.  “I guess my dad...knew...”  He grimaced.  “Maybe he knew or...he wanted a back up plan.  I don’t know.”

Nyx looked at the Star of Lucis, the prince’s car.  It was a great car.  Too expensive to even imagine owning.  “What do you want me to do?” he asked, still looking confused.  He didn’t look like he was looking for an order, just an understanding.

“Take it, drive it, you know...keep it.”  Noctis shrugged.  “The Regalia is...well, it...”  It was his dad’s car and it...it was home.  He didn’t need his stupid sports car.  He put a hand on Nyx’s arm.  “I know...I know it’s not an exchange, but...you did so much for my dad.  My kingdom.  I couldn’t ever repay you.  I saw...I saw the scars.  From wielding the magic to fight.”

“I didn’t fight for your dad,” Nyx muttered.  He was silent on what he did fight for.

“For tomorrow,” Noctis said quietly.  “That’s...what I have to push for.  I have to...I have to see this road the gods laid out for me and the only way I can do that is moving forward.”

“Yeah,” Nyx agreed with a dry-throated agreement.  He looked down at the keys again, but this time he closed his hand around them.  He looked back over his shoulder at the caravan Luche, Libertus, and Crowe were behind.  “I figure...well, if there’s a place with a boat, maybe there’s a way back to Galahd.  I think...that’s where they might want to go.”

“There’s harbors,” Noctis assured him.  “But you...you don’t want to go back?”

Nyx frowned.  “Not to see if like that.”  He gestured to the fleet of imperial dreadnoughts that littered the night sky.  “I’ve seen what they do.  Your girlfriend has, but they still mostly leave them alone, but you try asking Manager.  His homecountry doesn’t even exist on a map anymore.  I don’t think there’s a home to go to.  But that’s not your problem.”

“It sort of is,” Noctis said with a sigh.  “I just...”  He looked up at the sky ships silently for a long time.  “I’m going to do something.  I won’t hide behind the walls like my dad--”

“Your dad didn’t hide,” Nyx said, biting his words off angrily.  “King Regis was a great man that took us in even if he didn’t have to!”

“Because you could use his magic and fight his wars!”

“You sound like those two idiots and the whole lot of traitors!  I told you!” he yelled, hand out like he’d grab Noctis by the collar but stopping in half-remembered propriety and order.  “Life isn’t fair!  Even-stevens isn’t ordained, kid!  I fought so that maybe tomorrow was better.  And you’re alive, right?  That’s got to lead somewhere.”  Nyx dropped his shoulders.  “You can’t pay me off with a car.  So when you and your girlfriend figure out how to turn the world around, I’ll want my job back, all right?”

Noctis’s mouth twitched, confused.  It was like having two different conversations.

“In the meantime...yeah, I’ll look after your car.  But I’m not going to stop fighting for tomorrow because everyone thinks I should be sad.”  Nyx shook his head.  “I’m not done.”

Noctis watched Nyx, then nodded.  He was in awe someone still believed in his dad.  He felt something warm in his chest like maybe he could still, too.  “...yeah.”  He wanted to thank him.  He looked over at Ignis, but he had been too distracted with taking inventory and whatever else went through his head to know Noctis needed help.  Finally, he squeezed the words out, “...thanks for...thanks, Nyx.  I’ll...I’ll keep on...yeah.”

Nyx seemed to accept it as an eloquent sentiment more than the keys to the car.  “Of course.”  He finally did reach a hand out, clasping his arm.  “Hero to a prince...it’s okay to not fight sometimes.”

[aij-writes]

Noctis looked up at Libertus in awe as he was telling a loud, boisterous story about home.  He and Nyx, before ending up as refugees, ran their own food stand in Galahd.  Crowe made a hand motion of talk talk talk, rolling her eyes as Libertus talked about her doing her homework at the end of the bar.  Noctis shyly talked about his after school job at a sushi restaurant and prodded Ignis about his cooking hobby.  He gave a few answers, but he didn’t have much to say on the subject.  He didn’t go into why he’d started.  Noctis was a picky eater and he showed little interest in anything except that dessert from Tenebrae.

Luche was trying to eat the Leiden Jambalaya he’d ordered despite the rest pooling money to split bowls of Chili con Carne between two people.  Libertus kept stealing stabs of meat and Luche kept punching him in the arm each time.  Nyx had given the rest of his portion to Crowe and started cleaning and sharping his knife where he sat on the restaurant floor by the booth.  Libertus kept passing the bowl to Ignis, but he was busy on his phone and didn’t notice.  Noctis and Luna seemed the best able to take turns eating.

“There ya’ll are.”  Cid stood over the table next to where Nyx was sitting.  He had his hand on his hips, watching them.  “Dave told me what you did.  You really went above and beyond?”  Cid shook his head and laughed.  “Don’t worry.  Your old man liked to show off, too.”

“His Majesty?” Ignis spoke up, surprised.

Noctis grinned at him excitedly.  “Yeah?  I think I did pretty good, right?”  He threw an arm around Luna and Ignis.  “We all did,” he spared.

Ignis looked up at Cid.  “Mr. Sophiar?”  He stood up, bowing slightly.  “Ignis Scientia.”

Cid eyed him up and down before blowing a sigh.  “Yeah...where’s the Shield?”

Ignis’s face twitched but he held his mask.  “Not with us,” he said, wondering if anyone could hear the echo his words cast over the pit in his stomach.  It was filling with his sinking heart, so probably not.

“Yeah...” Cid drew out.  “Late edition just came.”  He tossed the paper on the table in front of Ignis.

Picking up the paper, Ignis stared at the front page.  He didn’t even realize it’d been taken out of his hand as Luche and Libertus began to read the headlines.  Insomnia Falls

All Ignis can do is picture what they found in the throne room.  He’s right there again.  The hotel tower had stabbed through the Citidal like a wrapped dagger, stabbing right through to the throne room.   The entire counsel was dead, slaughter mercilessly.  Kingsglaive, guests from around the world, some Nifleheim forces, but no sign of the King or his Shield.  And the Shield-in-Waiting?

Ignis’s mouth dropped open, staring but not understanding.  Someone had taken pictures!  He put his hand on the paper, running over the halftone dots that formed Gladiolus Amicitia’s final resting place.  He’d seen it in person but hadn’t the choice to stop when it came to getting Noctis out.  One of the Kingsglaive, maybe it was Crowe, had urged him on.  He’d caught Gladio’s hand anyway, almost as if he could pull him with him.  It was still warm.  There was still life in his embered eyes.  He’d opened his mouth to form Sorry but a bubble of blood had pooled out.  Ignis didn’t remember how they ended up in the building overlooking the burning town, clear across city, but somehow he’d left him behind.

“Says we’re dead, too,” Luna noted, breaking Ignis from his thoughts.  She nudged Noctis gently.

“Y-yeah...” Noctis said, reading where she was pointing.  He looked at her.  “People will lose hope if the Oracle is dead.”

Luna placed her hand on his arm.  “For now, this is to our advantage.  We can move down our path a little less noticed.”  She smiled at Noctis sadly, even if Ignis only saw a mocking superiority.  “The people will need to know eventually we are here for them.  Destiny calls for us both.  You bring them hope, too.  Your people and the world need their King.”

Noctis swallowed around the rising lump in his throat.  “I promised you I could do it, yeah,” he agreed.

“You won’t have to do it alone,” Luna assured him.  She reached over to place a hand on Ignis’s, but he reacted with displeasure at the attempted touch, his face contorting as he jerked his hand away from her and the placement on the picture.  “Ignis?”

“Pardon my rudeness,” Ignis said quietly.  “I wanted to allow the page to be flipped.”  Please get the picture out of my face, he didn’t say.  “Of course Noctis knows I remain at his side and with the Oracle, he will not fail moving forward.”

“But what’s next?” Noctis asked.  “What do I...?  Specs?” he almost whispered.

“I think you and Luna have plenty to discuss,” he said quietly.  “As do I with Mr. Sophiar.”  He stood up, nodding to Cid.  “Do you mind if we get down to business?”

“Sure kid.  No more delays,” he assured him.  He patted him on the back, ignoring Ignis’s flinch as he led him outside to the garage.

[aij-writes]

“There is only so long a man can walk,” Noctis complained.

“Don’t look to me for a piggie back ride,” Ignis said, shaking his head.  Luna was getting one from Nyx.

“Gladio would have--”

Ignis froze in his steps, fists clenching to his side, staring at the space before him and seeing nothing.  His stomach was churning on their cold breakfast of left over stirfry he’d choked down with his can of Ebony.

“Ignis, come on!” Noctis yelled in his face.

Looking up, Ignis felt like he was being dragged from across an ocean, forced through crashing waves and being pulled out from under.  He met Noctis’s blue eyes.  He wrapped his arms around himself, turning a bit to keep Noctis from touching him.  “Yes, Your Highness?” he said, voice automatic in answer.

Noctis deflated a bit.  “You...you zoned out there,” he murmured.  He looked down.  “Hard work after sleeping on rocks, right?”

“Right,” Ignis agreed.  He became painfully aware of the others’ eyes on him but he didn’t acknowledge them.  “So with that task put to bed, I’d like to talk to Mr. Sophiar about--Noct!”

Noctis turned, looking up at what caught Ignis’s attention.  “Wha--?” he asked.  “What is that!”  He grabbed Ignis down.  They all dived down as the massive black shape swooped over them.  “Awesome!” he gasped.

“That thing is on a whole other level!” Nyx cried.

“Is that...is that a living thing?” Noctis cried.

Luna slid down from Nyx, staring up after it as it disappeared into the distance.  “Bennu,” she finally answered.  “There’s a lot of the world you haven’t seen,” she said, more in awe than any attempt to show off.  She looked to Noctis.  “It’s getting dark.  We should get back to Hammerhead before we’re facing full daemons.  That bloodhorn was bad enough.”

Noctis eyed Luna, before nodding.  “Yeah...”  He reached a hand out to Luna, offering a silent invite in.

Luna smiled, taking it.  They walked ahead of the others, quiet.

Nyx and Ignis were their own brands of silent.  Luche whistled, not the least bit bothered.

[aij-writes]

“So the Hunters are like, what?” Noctis asked, ducked behind a rock with Ignis.  They had had to take cover after the first assault proved to be an exercise in futility.  The beast was more dangerous than the Hunter Dave had properly warned them of.  “The new Crownsguard?”

“I suppose,” he confirmed, “but perhaps more of a civilian outfit.  They rose up to make due after your grandfather pulled--”

“I hardly knew the guy,” Noctis muttered.

“Yes, of course,” Ignis agreed.  “So the dualhorn is clearly mutated.  Best make quick work of it.”

“So do something.”

“What did you have in mind?” Ignis asked dryly.

“Teamwork!” Noctis yelled, throwing his sword and warping into the massive beast.

Ignis shook his head.  “Indubitably,” he called, diving after with his spear.

Luche and Nyx swept around, knives flying even if they didn’t.  Without the connection to the king, the Crystal’s magic failed them.  They remained impressive warriors, but like Ignis, were stuck in close range with kukri and short swords.  They had to keep pulling back and letting Noctis handle most of the heavy damage.  Cross-trained, Noctis had to rely on the heavy two-handed swords Gladiolus had favored, but it slowed him down.  But they had managed to slow the beast down by breaking a leg.

“I’m thinking this wouldn’t make a great dinner!” Luche yelled as Ignis dove over him, catching the dualhorn before it could gouge the Glaive.  “Thanks!”

“My pleasure!” he called, throwing a materialized dagger.

“Final push!” Nyx cried.

“Wait!” Ignis called, throwing his hand out to try to stop him.  He could see it before the others.  Nyx was overestimating his range without warping.

Nyx dragged his kukri down the dualhorn’s side but landed under it.  A foot started to slam down over him.

“Shit!” Luche cried.

“Ig--” Noctis wasted a breath trying to get him to do something.

A trident arced through the air, catching the beast in the side.  It threw it back onto its side, vulnerable.  There wasn’t time to stop and Nyx leapt up, but he called out, one hand taking his chance for retaliation and the other waving over.  “Hey Princess!”

Luna had ripped the rest of her dress to her knees, giving her more range to run.  She retrieved her trident.  “Ignis!” she called out.  “Same time!”

Luche and Nyx caught Ignis and Luna each in their folded hands, giving them the boost to leap.  They each performed a High Jump, breaking one of the horns.  “Prince!” they cried out together.  “Finish it!”

Noctis raised his blade Ignis had imbue with fire, killing the half-daemon with a final swipe.

“Impressive!” Ignis cried.

“Yup!” Noctis answered, bent over and gasping.  He fell back, landing on his butt and leaning back on his hands and staring up at the dead beast.

Luche eyed Nyx, watching him stare at Luna.  “So...time to divide the spoils.”  The blood-red horn was pulsing with life even if the beast wasn’t.  And there were two to go around.

[aij-writes]

Ignis had almost given up sleeping when he felt a warmth roll over.  He smiled faintly as his over-heated prince came grasping with hands in his sleep.  Even in the desert heat, the magical warmth was comforting and soothing.  He’d made a pillow for Noctis out of his shoes and rolled up suit jacket, but he’d abandoned those for the pillow that was Ignis’s side.  Grunting a little to strain, Ignis stole them back, laying his head on the makeshift.  He gathered Noctis to him, remembering when they were children and how Noctis, not quite as tired as he’d become, would struggle to stay awake, listening to Ignis read.  Though it was stupid and fantastical and all together pointless to a sleeping prince, Ignis dug up some memory of words.

Oh my hero, so far away now. Will I ever see your smile? Love goes away, like night into day. It's just a fading dream.

I'm the darkness, you're the stars. Our love is brighter than the sun. For eternity, for me there can be, Only you, my chosen one...

Noctis didn’t wake, but his hand reached out, touching Ignis’s moving lips.  Ignis offered the briefest kiss to his fingertips before shifting him to settle more comfortably on him.  There were only two people, now only one left in this world, Ignis would allow to touch him with no regards.  It was something of a relief to find the prince’s greedy touch hadn’t waned.

[aij-writes]

Ignis picked at the stirfry Libertus had made from gathered ingredients.  Apparently Noctis had found wild onions and garlic and compulsively picked them between battles.  He was actually a bit proud of Noctis’s foraging but there was the part of him that felt like he needed to round him back up and dust him off, shining him up for whatever next set of proper things they should be doing.  He didn’t mean to pout, but sitting on gathered logs between Luche and Luna, using his hands to pick at the food in tinfoil bowls, listening to Noctis get more and more excited by Crowe and Nyx’s stories, Ignis felt alone and out of sorts.

He knew he was difficult to get along with people.  He was used to the give-take of professional relationships.  He expected things and knew he was expected the same.  It wasn’t that he was upset or even jealous Noctis was hitting it off with their companions, either.  It did him good to see Noctis smiling and laughing.  He spent so much time sullen and sleeping through things.

Shifting, Ignis slipped his phone out with his non-greasy hand, going to check despite the reality he hadn’t heard it go off.

When he had eaten his fill, he went to excuse himself to tidy up for the night.  Luche nudged him.  “Hey, uh...be careful.  It’s not quite sundown, but...”

“Daemons at night are natural here,” Ignis agreed.  “Hard to believe.”

“We had it good in the city, huh Specs?” Noctis called over.

Ignis nodded.  “Afraid that’s the truth.  I’ll be careful so as not to become monster food,” he assured his charge.

“I’ll come with you,” Luna said, standing up.

Ready to protest, Ignis instead nodded.  “Of course,” he said, realizing it couldn’t hurt to have her.  He headed out a ways, using dust to rid his hands of the oil and scraping it off with a dagger.  Didn’t look like their was a water source near enough to try.  He nodded when Luna called it clever.  He was tired of everyone treating him like he was unable to handle roughing it but didn’t say as much to the Lady.

But when she spoke, “You’re carrying a great sorrow,” Ignis righted himself, eyes wide.  He frowned at her, waiting for more.  Her soft smile might have been serene but Ignis only took it to be mocking.

He dunked his head, looking away from her.  “Of course.  After everything, I think we’re all doing our best to set aside the horrors of last night.”

Luna nodded.  “We lost a lot, didn’t we?”

“The Prince is safe.  That’s what matters.”

“And you, for you’ll look after him.”

Ignis opened his mouth, only to close it again.  He adjusted his glasses.  “It’s my duty.”

“As is mine,” Luna said, looking up at the rising moon.

“You look after the Chosen King and I’ll look after the man that carries the burden.”

“As you always have,” Luna said with a nod.

But I wasn’t there when Nifleheim attacked.  If it had, perhaps I’d have seen to Noctis’s safety and the King could have seen to yours.

Ignis opened his mouth to say something he’d probably regret, but Noctis and Luche running past him with Nyx not far behind cut them off.  He sputtered when he heard Noctis excuse himself for a piss.  He looked at Luna to apologize but she was laughing behind her hand.

“If funds open up, we’ll all need to find less conspicuous clothing,” Luna pointed out.  “The Prince and Oracle attract enough attention without an entourage.  I think you should worry less about Noctis having a bit of fun.  Give it a chance, and perhaps the outdoors is what you need.”

Gladio loved the outdoors.

Ignis banished the thought.  “Well, the stars are going to look beautiful,” he confessed.  “Nothing like what we could see behind the wall.”

“Hey,” Noctis said, breathless.  “What are you two going on about?”

Luna smiled at Noctis.  “Anyone’s favorite topic.  You.”

Noctis made a face.  “Of course.  Big outdoors and nothing’s changed.”  He looked at Luna through his long lashes.  “You’re not going to start carping me, too right?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Luna giggled.  “I was just telling your chamberlain that perhaps the two of you are ready for an adventure.”

“Specs?  I doubt it.  He likes order too much.”  Noctis nudged him playfully.

“And you like avoiding duty too much.  What will the two of us do when the order is adventure?” Ignis demanded with something akin to a laugh in his voice.

“He’s got you there,” Luna said with a laugh.

Noctis opened his mouth a few times like a guppy only to nod and sigh.  “So, um...what are you going to do?”

Luna clasped her hands into Noctis’s.  “I will bear my calling to the Crystal.”

Noctis scowled, looking away.  “Why?” he asked, voice low and harsh.

“It is the duty of--”

“Duty...forget duty!” Noctis exclaimed, wrenching his hands from her.  “I’m so tired...I’m tired!  I am tired!”  His hand tugged at his hair.  “No, Luna, no!  My dad died for his duty and what good did it do him?  If it wasn’t at the end of invasion he invited in, he’d have succumb to that terrible Crystal’s strain, just like his father before him!  Was that my duty?  To sit on a throne and have a son so he too could maintain peace with nothing but words and a stupid Crystal?  To grow old before our time and never spend a moment to know me?  Ship me off to school to learn facts and names and it’d never even matter?  To sit and be a generator?  What if I couldn’t do it?  Huh?  What if like my grandpa I’d had to pull back the Wall even more and abandon more people like Nyx and Luche?  Like you, Luna!  Is that the legacy of my forefathers?  To run?”

Ignis tried to gather up his charge, but Luna swept her hand out to stop him.  “Noctis,” she said, voice firm.  “Grief and confusion can fuel hatred we didn’t know we had.  We all lose something when we assume we are alone.  Your father was a wonderful man that did his best to all his duties.  He was not merely he King and the Servant to the Crystal, but he was your father.”

“He protected me for the prophecy,” Noctis said in a hollow voice.  “Nothing more.”  He clenched his hands into fists at his side, refusing to look up.  “As is the only reason you care.  Why anyone cares.”

Luna sighed heavily, shaking her head.  “I will walk my path beside yours, Noctis, even if you run from it.  We will meet up when you’re ready.  But your brother does not care for destiny, be it yours or any.  Let him be a hand upon your back as you carry the burdens.”

Noctis looked up, meeting Ignis’s eyes.  His lips parted in protest, but he swallowed back any words.  Finally, he reached out for him.  “Ignis...what do I do?” he asked, voice a desperate plea.

Ignis shook his head.  “For now, we rest.  The morning holds a new day in which we start with ‘what’s next’.”  Ignis reached for Noctis, before finally pulling him into his arms.  He rubbed his back and let himself by the counterweight to Noctis’s burdens.  He couldn’t forget Noctis’s own grief, so much greater than his own for so much a greater duty than his own.  “We take reprieve where we are able to better face the repercussions of our stations.”

[aij-writes]

Clunk

Ignis looked up from the brief shut-eye he was allowing himself behind his hand.  His eyes traveled first to his watch and then up to Noctis.  Noctis’s beaming face.  He picked up the watch, eyeing it, before pushing it back in question.  Noctis slid in across the booth, offering him some of his fries.  Ignis picked one up, dragging it through the ketchup and ate it silently in neat, precise bites.

The two of them burst into laughter.  Noctis’s a goofy giggle and Ignis a rich chuckle.

“I had explored the idea of taking up some hunts, but you beat me to it.”

“Not really beat...but yeah, Cid put me up to it.”

“Cid?  Cid Sophiar?  Where is he?” Ignis asked, surprised.

“Around,” Noctis offered unhelpfully.  He reached over despite his greasy hands and went to hook Ignis’s watch back on his wrist.  “Oh sorry,” he said, trying to use the cuff of his shirt to wipe it clean.  Given he was dusty and a bit wrecked from the creatures, it didn’t do much but Ignis smiled at the effort all the same.  Noctis ran his fingers over the band.  “I think you need to hang onto that a little better.  How else you going to be my taskmaster?”

Ignis dunked his gaze a bit, but let his gloved fingers meet Noctis’s.  “I will stay by your side, Noct.  I remain faithful.”

Noctis sighed, only to lean closer.  “Iggy...you’re my best friend.  My brother.  Okay, maybe sometimes more my mom, but nothing changes.  Everyone calls me moody and unreachable and they call you a robot with coiffed hair.”

“Do they really?” Ignis asked, patting at his hair in a put-upon show of self-conscious vanity.

“Why they’d build an automaton that needs glasses, I’ll never know.”  Noctis smirked at Ignis teasing innocence.  “Yeah, and...it can’t be so bad out here.  No one knows to treat me with unearned respect.  That Luche guy kept calling me a sissy.  Cid says I have to earn my keep.  Better than a government-paid apartment and part-time job to teach me how the world works.  Maybe when all’s said and done, this will be a cool story to tell my kids.”

“Very well could be.”  Ignis took a few more fries.  “I hope you got more than spuds or out-dated tech for your trouble, though.”

“Met a guy name Dave.  He wants us to check out a bigger threat.  I thought you might want to show those Glaives you’re not so delicate.”

Ignis indulged a smile, reaching over to steal a sip of Noctis’s soda.  “You were always going on about your father’s own trip.  I suppose it might be the same.”

“Think Gladio was more the one to talk about it,” Noctis said carelessly.

“Must have been,” Ignis said quickly.  “Well now...we have things to discuss, decide, and divulge.  We can’t rely on the kindness of strangers--”

“I don’t know about that,” Nyx said, going to nudge Noctis over.  He helped himself to a fry.  “Me and the boys were talking it over and we thought maybe we could stick together for a little bit.  Just until we all decide what’s next.  I was talking to Takka,” he said, gesturing to the restaurateur. “and he told me about some Havens.  The magic is Oracle-based and should keep the daemons at bay.  I picked up some meat from the kills and we could eat.”

“That would be amenable,” Ignis agreed quietly.

“I know we’re Galahdians, but we’re all Lucians, right?” Nyx asked.

“Lady Lunafreya and I might not be, but we’re still looking to survive the same,” Ignis offered.

“I don’t really care where you’re born,” Noctis said seriously.  “You both served the crown.  That makes you crown citizens.”  He felt awkward making such statements.  Still, he tucked his chin down, sucking on his teeth thoughtfully.  “And so we’ll be in your debt.”

Nyx smiled around his pointed look.  “Galahdians don’t deal with debt, Your Highness.  We deal with what’s fair.  So you join us for a campfire and meal, that’s it.  We’ll expect the same sometime.”

“O-of course!” Noctis said, annoyed with the sudden use of his epithet but too shy to correct him.

Still, Ignis was notoriously good with reading Noctis.  “I think, given the nature of things, it’d be best if you called him Noctis.  None of us can really do by our titles at the moment.”

“Sure thing,” Nyx said easily.  “Where I’m from?” he said, offering Ignis a handshake.  “I’m just a son of an ancient line of hunters.  Meant a little more there, but we didn’t have need for ruling class.  But as this is your first trip outside the Wall, I want to welcome you to my stomping grounds.  You two are going to be fine.”

“I should hope,” Ignis said with a sigh.  He started to gather up the papers and tuck them neatly into a notebook.  “Honestly, we should look into scrounging up some proper clothes.  I’m afraid we stand out.”

“It’s hard to hide good looks,” Nyx said with a wink and a laugh.  “Noct, go ask Takka there about the camp.  I’m going to go figure out what Libertus wants to do, alright?”  He spread his arms out.  “It’s out under the stars, boys.  Yet in this heat?  I’ll be calling for rain.”

[aij-writes]

Noctis kept smiling despite himself.  His car might not be his favorite subject, but it made it easy to talk to Cindy.  She was talking about how hard it was to get certain parts anymore when the garage door open.  She slid up from where she was leaning on the car.  “Well, I guess I let the excitement get the better of me.”  She turned to the man approaching.  “Paw!  Guess who we have here!”

Cid Sophiar let out a scoff, eyeing Noctis.  “Bit conspicuous in that outfit, arencha?”  He dragged himself over, beating a crowbar against his hand.  He was an older man, nearing his 80s.  He was casual in jeans and a polo under a red jacket.  His hat looked like Cindy’s.  He stood before Noctis, eyeing him up and down.  “Reggie’s boy.  Well, they scrubbed the dignity off his face and there you were.”  He stepped around him, going to look inside the car.

“Huh?” Noctis said, turning to look at him.  “You know my father?”

“Know?  No...knew.  Once upon a time, I was an Insomnian, too.  Bunch of hand-wringers ya’ll were.”  Cid kicked the tire, testing it.  “You need service.  You’re not going to get far in this heat.”

“I...I don’t really know where we’re going,” Noctis confessed.

“Then it might be hard to leave,” Cid admitted.  He watched Noctis over his shoulder.  “Listen, boy, you need to get it together.  Your father would’t let a few mishaps and missteps slow him down.  You got air in your lungs and shoes on your feet.  That’s more than most after turning their back to the enemy.”  He shook his head.  “Reggie, Reggie, Reggie...well, it’s time you got your first lesson out here.  Nothing’s free.  Not even this lesson.  You got a weapon, right?  You go swing that around and I’ll tell you what comes next, alright?”

“Next?” Noctis asked, stepping after him.  “I don’t think I should just--”

“You’re right, you don’t think.  Your fancy, special-made car’s taking up room in my lot and I know you think being a royal counts for something.  You go get a little more dirty and then we’ll talk.”  He motioned his head to Cindy.  “You get a map and show him where those varmints are and make him earn his way.  This isn’t the City, boy.”

Cindy laughed, waiting until her grandpa took off.  “Well now, here,” she said, showing him the map.  “Paw-paw says you’ll have weapons training.  Maybe it’s trial by fire, but everything is out here in this heat,” she teased.  She unfolded the map across the trunk, using a pencil to circle an area.  “You take these baddies out and I’ll be sure to pay you.  That’s what your job’s gotta be sometimes.  People out here do their best and there’s hunts you can take.  These shouldn’t be too tough, but they’re ornery little fellows.  Attacking travelers and the locals.”  She glanced over her shoulder, then passed him some money.  “I’ll pay you in advance.  Not much, but should be enough for a room,” she said, pointing towards the trailer that could be rented.  “Get yourself cleaned up.  It’s not safe out here at night.  Daemons’ll be sure to get you.”

“Oh...oh yeah,” Noctis said, having learned about that in some dusty lesson.  “Well, thanks Cindy.”  How did he say thank you for the conversation?  The fact he was expected to do something?  Sent out and made to earn his keep?  He shuffled his feet, looking down.  “I won’t let you down.”

“Aw, Prince, we know you won’t.”

---

Noctis started towards the diner to let Ignis know what he’d found out, but Nyx Ulric motioned him over.  He’d stripped down from most of his uniform, but he was twirling a knife.  Admittedly, Noctis was a little intimidated by him in the light of the new day.  He was the brave hero, always fighting for his dad.  He’d followed about his exploits out against the Nifleheim forces with more excitement than he wanted to admit.  Nyx actually did something.  He went out and tried to bring peace while Noctis was only ever lectured about war.

“Hey,” Nyx greeted, giving him a nod.  “I’d be careful.  Manager is real cranky right now.”

Noctis shot a look over his shoulder.  Ignis could be seen through the restaurant's windows, scribbling something out.  He was too neat for such an action.  He looked back up at Nyx.  “Well...I don’t think any of us got a great sleep.”

“Just you,” Luche said from where he sat around the corner.  He’d found shade, but was still fanning himself with a bit of advertisement that’d been blowing around.  “Guy gave us water but that’s all the comes free.  Could tell it was out of pity, though.”

“Your girlfriend is in the caravan,” Nyx offered.

“Who?”  Noctis gave him a blank look, only to blush a little.  “Luna is not my girlfriend.  She’s...like a childhood friend.”

“It’s fine,” Nyx waved off.  “She’s seeing if she can’t do anything for Libertus’s leg and Crowe’s taking it easy.  So that leaves us.”

“Us?” Noctis repeated, a bit dumb.

“Well, I was talking to the guy in there.  Name’s Takka.”  Luche stretched.  “Says we can earn a little money.  I figured you might need to earn something, too.”

“Oh...yeah,” Noctis agreed.  “The mechanic gave me my own assignment,” he hated how formal those words sounded and wondered if there was something better but pressed on, “but it’s not like we can’t spread it out.”

“Well, I was thinking it made more sense to work together.”  Nyx offered a smile.  “Libertus says Manager is about to strip down to civvies to pay for some food.  Already sold a watch.”

Noctis frowned, looking at Ignis again.  It was Ignis’s father’s watch.  One of the few things he had from his homeland.  He looked back to Nyx, but he couldn’t meet his eyes or even fake it.  He shouldn’t be the one being sacrificed for.  “Work together?” he echoed.

“Yeah, see, three of us can have each other’s backs.  We pool resources and we split earnings.  I have a few potions and Luche has an elixir.  Sorry, we were on low equipment even before all that fighting last night.”  Nyx shrugged sheepishly.  “We can’t summon fire or anything anymore, but our weapons work without warping.  You hold onto the curatives in that Armiger of yours and don’t be stingy.”

Noctis couldn’t help but see it as them making any excuse to make him sound useful.  They probably just felt like they needed to keep an eye on him.  Still, he summoned his sword with a show of sparks.  “Yeah, sounds good.”

[aij-writes]

Libertus slid into the booth, eyeing the young man.  “You alright?”

“No,” Ignis said, looking hassled and trying to cover up what he’d been working on with the other prolific work he’d accomplished in the time they’d left him alone.  It was mindless doodling as he tried to pull himself back together.  Stupid relief from a heavy burden that welled immediately back up.  Trying to capture the Amicitia crest and maybe something as dumb as what their names hyphenated looked like.  Luckily the other didn’t seem to notice and Ignis made plans to flush the offending paper.

“What’d you sell to get that?” Libertus tried to joke.

“My watch,” Ignis answered, showing his empty wrist.  “Didn’t get me far, but should get the car filled up.”

“What about people fuel?”

Ignis picked up the can of Ebony coffee.  “I spared a bit to keep myself sharp.  But looking at the prices, no, I don’t think I can even spare a plate of fries for us all.”

“You planning on adopting all of us, Mom?” Libertus teased.  He leaned back, sighing.  “The prince is your duty.  If you remain loyal.  But the rest of us--”

“Without a King, there’s hardly a Glaive.  And with that, as the only formal officer known to survive at the moment, you’re all dismissed of your duties.”  Ignis didn’t look up.

“You hardly have the authority, Scientia.  And it’s not what I was going to say, so maybe cool your heels, Crownsguard, and listen to what we were discussing.”  Libertus motioned his head out.  “I know what you’re seeing out here is making you nervous.  You’re too put together not to be. You hold it together for you and your prince and we’ll see how rustling up some food.”  He leaned down, rubbing his foot.  “I figure I’m nearly healed.  But I wanted to talk to you.”

“Yes?” Ignis asked, taking a drink off his can.

“Fleeing can feel like a cowards way but sometimes--”

“I suffer no such delusions, thank you,” Ignis insisted waspishly.  “My parents fled Nifleheim-controlled territory to even bring me to the city.  I am not afraid to run when it’s the sound strategy.”

“Like you ran from your prince?” Libertus offered.  “Looked pretty overwhelmed.”

Ignis gazed at him.  “Thank you, I’ll do a better job at holding my ground.  Anything else?”

Libertus sighed.  “Well, yeah...”  He leaned on his hand, looking over the figures Ignis had been scribbling away.  He had been working on a budget with unknown or so far, unobtained funds.  “Normally, I’d be in debriefing after last night.  You’re right.  You’re the highest officer and Luche agrees you should know.”  Luche was the unofficial second-in-command of the Kingsglaive.  “Normally, I guess we’d go to the Shield, but--”

“But he’s dead,” Ignis said bluntly.

“Uh, yeah...you two were friends, right?”

“As much as anyone,” Ignis agreed.  “He stood by his king.”

“He should have stayed with his prince,” Libertus couldn’t help but mutter.

Ignis blinked.  “We had the Glaive.  I thank you.”

“Moving forward, though.  You going to wander around here, hocking your royal items one by one to try to keep ahead of the Imperials?”

“There’s not exactly anywhere to go, is there?”  Ignis tented his hands together over this mouth.  “Mr. Ostium--”

“Libertus,” he insisted.

“Mr. Ostium, I have sworn my life to my prince.  I know what the other rough types around the Citidal say.  I’m merely an adviser.  A pencil pusher,” he added, rolling the one he’d found in the glove compartment between his fingers.  He waved it around, like a wand as his words cast their spell.  “Perhaps you aren’t aware of it, but I am trained in combat.  I passed the same tests and excelled at them as any other Crownsguard officer.  I had private tutoring under the Marshal and both the Shield-in-Waiting and the Shield himself.  I am prepared to face the realities of violence, so I thank you for your concern, but without Amicitia to step in, I will allow this as simply another duty I assume for my prince.”  He stilled his movements with a punctuating slam of the pencil down between them.  “No one else need risk their lives for the crown.”

“I knew what I signed up for, too, you know, and there’s no way you agreed to all this when you were six!” Libertus roared quietly, but indignant.

Ignis allowed a smirk to break his composure.  He knew he was gossip.  It wasn’t like the Amicitias.  Of course Lords or not, they had children to pass on their legacy.  The first knight in the king’s service.  But, while Gladiolus had begun training when he was a child, too, he didn’t take on more responsibility until he was about fifteen or so.  Ignis, however, had entered into the king’s service to his son when he was a child.  He was a companion for Noctis, but he’d assumed the role of caretaker naturally.  With his special training and education, he was ready to wage war from an early age, whether it was complex battle strategies or wrangling vegetables into the picky prince’s mouth.  He was considered more than an asset to the prince, but as a trusted voice in the Council, even if he was only supposed to represent the prince.  The Crownsguard knew he excelled in weapons training and battle simulation, even if he got to skip some of the grunt work.  To most, though, he was simply a child that’d put on a suit and pretended he was an adult way too early.  New to the city or not, that was the gossip the Kingsglaive would have traded in.

“I agreed to all this,” he said, extended his hands out, “and more.  We were prepared for if the treaty was a trap.  Things went awry when Mr. Amicitia did not stick with the script.  I have since improvised and I am prepared to move forward.  What I am not prepared for is an entourage of disrespectful Galahdians telling me how to handle what I have given my life to.  Certainly not ones in service to General Glauca.”

And there it was.  The real catoblepas in the room.

Libertus gave him a twisted up look, only to huff and grab his crutches.  “Good luck, Goonie,” he threw over his shoulder.

[aij-writes]

“Whoa,” Crowe said, eyes widening.  “Gets hot out here, huh?”

Libertus let out a long whistle.  “I’ll say.”

“You’ll say nothing of the sort,” Ignis snapped back at him.

Libertus leaned forward, battering Ignis on the arm.  “Hey, relax.  Where we’re from?  You’re lucky if we wore even that much.”

“I’d love to see you in a bikini top,” Luche teased.

“Right, let me out,” Noctis huffed, pushing on the door.  He tumbled none-too-gracefully.

“Whoa there!” a cheerful woman in her mid twenties called over.  “Is this a Crown City-issued car?”  She practically skipped over.  “What a beaut.  You don’t see too many of these all the way out here.”  She eyed the Star of Lucis like she was checking it out.  She had a cute face, curly blonde hair under a red cap.  Her yellow jacket matched; both stamped with the service station’s logo.  Hammerhead, a place to fuel up both the car and the passengers.  If they had any money.  Out here, their Crown cards and wallets of Yen wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

Due to the heat, and probably style, the woman wore a lot less clothing than Ignis or Noctis were used to, but the rest of the boys seemed to appreciate.  Still, the young woman was cute and clearly dressed for herself.

“So which one of ya’ll should I be talking to?” she asked, eyeing the crumbled up prince at her heals.  “Well howdy, look it here!  Lady Lunafreya herself.  Well it is a pleasure.  I’m Cindy, Cindy Aurum.  Quite the entourage you got here.”

Luna clasped her hands on hers, not minding the grease as she offered a nodded greeting.  “Oh, thank you, but I’m afraid these are all Noctis’s.”

“The prince?”

Ignis blinked, silent for a moment to be taken as anything as grand, only to realize Noctis was still slumped on the ground.  “Honestly, your highness...” he muttered.

Luna let out a giggle but composed herself.

“Well howdy down there!” Cindy called, waving at him.  “How you all managed to cram into something so sleek is beyond me.”

“Some of us are pretty flexible,” Luche offered.

Ignis was blushing harder than Luna was giggling, but it was an arms race.

“You’d have to be,” Cindy agreed.  She wiped her hands off on a rag before running them over the car’s trunk.  “This baby was built for efficient luxury.  They say, just like the prince.  Well now, what all can I do you for?”

Noctis had finally gotten to his feet, but he was hovering back, hoping Ignis would handle it.  Considering he had no idea what was going on, it seemed fair.  But Ignis had looked around, eyeing the place.  There was nothing like this where they were from and he seemed preoccupied.

Finally, Noctis offered an awkwardly casual, “Uh, hello.  I was wondering, um, who was in charge?”  For negotiations, died on his tongue.  That would be odd to say here.  They weren’t hostages.  Not yet, at least.  Would being in Nifleheim territory really be better than what they fled?  The girl didn’t look hostile, more preoccupied with the car than its famous owner.  Still, she had recognized Luna.  She was famous all over, not just him by name all the same.  He really wished Casual Conversation with His Subjects had been a required class.

“Oh, that’s Paw-paw,” Cindy answered, knocking on the tires with her boots.  “This girl doesn’t get to really stretch her legs much, does she?”  Noctis started to say he didn’t know only for her meaning to sink in.  Cindy had her head stuck into the window, admiring the paneling.  “How fast you take her?”

“It’s a smooth ride.  I was driving it yesterday,” Nyx assured her.  “We’re mostly freeways in Insomnia, but I could tell she wanted to race.”

Luna laughed.  “You sure that wasn’t the driver?” she asked, head tilted with a quiet reproach.

“Well, Specs and I sometimes took her out for a real race around the abandoned warehouse district.  What’d we hit?”

“Our heads,” Ignis said dryly.

“Got it to 140 on the speedometer but she had plenty more push.”  Noctis was getting into the conversation.  “She handles like a dream.  Remember?” he called over to Ignis, who still wouldn’t look towards him.  “The only time he came with us, Gladio kept roaring at you like he thought for sure you’d lost your mind.  Every pylon he was sure was going to knock out the electricity.”

Ignis took a deep wavering breath, but said nothing.  He reached into the car and pulled out his suit jacket.  He walked away toward the store without a word.

[aij-writes]

“Where are we going?” Nyx asked, leaning forward.

Ignis glanced back at him.  “I have a contact to make.  That’s all I have to go by.”

“You going to share this with us?” Libertus asked gruffly.

“Your Prince has fallen asleep,” Luche spoke up.  He was crammed in the seat with Noctis who’d fallen off the window and into him.  He tried to be careful when pushing him off but he just did not have the patience.  He huffed.  “Let me switch.”

“You want to sit in my lap?” Libertus asked gruffly.

“No, I thought maybe sleeping beauty could.”

“Can it you two,” Crowe threw over her shoulder.  “When you consider it, we’re lucky he let us into the damn car.”

Ignis kept his eyes on the road, admittedly nervous driving outside of the city.  Everything just...seemed to go on forever.  And there were animals in the distance.  Massive ones that didn’t shy away from the roadways.  Though it was no wonder.  Cars didn’t pass by that often.

Listening to everyone quibble and pump him for answers he didn’t have, Ignis didn’t think it was up to him what happened next.  He’d gotten directions from a passing motorist he’d flagged down and that was all he could hope for.  He kept his phone charging.

Just in case.

[aij-writes]

Is the prince's car a clown car?

It's a cute little sports car, so basically, yes.  It's full of clowns because the Empire played them like Fools.  Ohhh!

[aij-writes]

Ignis groaned, trying to shift to find a more comfortable position.  That wasn’t going to happen.  They were packed in like sardines in a can.  The Star of Lucis, the prince’s car, was a luxury sport, so it wasn’t meant to fit so many people.  Ignis was careful not to dislodge Noctis where he was draped over him, but he took visual inventory.  A Chamberlain and Prince in the front.  A Glaive and Oracle in the passenger seat.  Three Glaives smashed in the back.

No Shield.

Ignis dropped his eyes again.  He closed them, as if it could block what he saw.

Opening them again didn’t endear itself much, either.  The Crestholm Channels outside the abandoned gates to Insomnia weren’t exactly the best greetings of the new, outside world.  This place, too, had been abandoned long ago.  It was a fitting graveyard for hopes and dreams, and perhaps duty and propriety.  There was no Kingsglaive, no crown.  They were refugees leaking into enemy territory because that was the only place left to go.

He gave himself a moment longer to rest in his own self-pity, before finding his glasses and pushing them on.  There was no more waiting.  No one else was coming.