la lune

LUNAFREYA NOX FLEURET.

[sxrtis]

{ @ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ said: He isn't wearing his uniform for once, but is dressed fairly nicely (especially for Nyx) when he comes to pick her up at the Citadel, flowers in hand and an actual plan for the evening. No time like several months into a secret affair to have a first date, he supposes. }

He’d been fairly cryptic for the last few hours -- unusual for him.

So she’d busied herself instead: taking a bath, reading some, finally getting around to getting dressed (which were the only instructions he really gave her), and was finishing up the little touches on her makeup when there was a knock at her door. 

Opening said door to a well-dressed Nyx holding a bouquet was probably easily one of the bigger surprises she’d received in quite some time.

❝Hello. You look very handsome. What is this?❞ Grinning at him, having to resist the urge to tug him inside.

[tuinendraws]

My grandmother heals quicker than you lot and she has osteoporosis

[sxrtis]

{ ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ | Nyx. }

Nyx’s hand freezes on the key as it’s turned in the ignition– the engine doesn’t even do him the decency of trying to turn over to fill the silence. 

“No. No way.” 

Ten years? 

Ten goddamned years?!

“No,” he repeats firmly, even as her face, her eyes, the hold her magic has on his heart tells him that she’s not lying, that it is the pure, unvarnished truth, and it’s harder for him to accept a decade’s passing than it is to accept coming back from the dead. 

He tries the key again. 

Again. 

Nothing. 

Nyx gets out of the car abruptly, ripping open the hood and finding wires, sparking them together. It’s something to do that isn’t screaming, even if it’s a lost cause. 

“Try it now,” he orders her, head jerking toward the wheel, and his voice is harsher than he intends it to be.

Yes. Exactly the response she’d anticipated from him.  A little shake of her head -- no, she wasn’t lying. She almost wished she was, like somehow things would be better if ten years hadn’t gone by. Absolutely things would be better without the ten years passing...

But they had, and even without seeing much of the world she knew that it was a devastating impact.

Of course the truck refused to start. She almost offered walking again, trying something else, but he’s up and out and attempting to fix it before she can even open her mouth to do so.

She shifted over to the driver’s seat as told, turning the key and praying that it works. A short stutter, more promising than before, but still no full turn over. A sigh, gripping the keys in her hands again -- ❝Please...❞ -- before trying once more.

It rattled to life and Luna let out a sigh of relief, immediately trying to figure out how to flick the lights on and doing so before moving back over to the passenger side. 

[sxrtis]

{ ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ | Nyx. }

He gets distracted for a while, bestowing those affections, just enjoying her for a while while they try to keep the scandal at a distance. The idea of Galahd is helping him relax, too, and the idea of being there with her– even moreso. 

“You’ll love it,” Nyx promises her, as he sweeps back some of her hair, nipping just beneath her ear. “It’s the best place on Eos.” 

His fingers graze down, finding whatever tiny fiddly closure is on this dress by feel alone, and pauses briefly, chuckling against her throat. 

“It’s only murder if I get caught.” 

The thought of packing up and leaving that instant is almost too appealing, to the point that she almost voices the desire to do so. But she reigns it in -- worried that he might actually agree and it would ultimately make their entire situation worse in the long run.

No. She’d face Noctis tomorrow. Deal with it all.

After she was done enjoying this time with Nyx. Who’s never ending struggles with her dresses had her rolling her eyes playfully at him, sitting up again so she could undo it for him.

❝I’ve never been somewhere so warm before.❞ Said dress slid from the top of her frame, pooling around her hips. ❝Though you’ll be happy to not be freezing again.❞

[sxrtis]

{ ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ | Nyx. }

He turns around, shutting the doors in the Glaive’s face. Then back to Luna. 

“I just had the weirdest fucking conversation with him. And the big guy. And the one with the glasses.” 

Nyx throws himself down on the sofa, boots propped up on the armrest in stark defiance of the urge to be all proper and shit that the Citadel made him feel like being, and reaches for her to tug her down into his arms. 

“Thought he was going to kill me. He gave us his blessing. I also quit the Glaive, just to give you some breathing room, but… yeah. I don’t know how I missed it.”

His whole body feels wired, adrenaline beating in his veins, heart pounding in his ears. He’d gone into the meeting expecting a fight, and to come out with that…

Six. 

He’s pretty sure the Lucian line really does want him to die of heart failure before he’s forty. 

❝Gladiolus and Ignis,❞ She reminded him with a little huff of laughter, finally recovering enough from his outburst to function again. 

She doesn’t say anything about his... well... everything about how he was acting -- his immediate following statement after he pulled her to him answered all her questions and wonderings. ❝Quit the Glaive?❞ Luna supposed it made the most sense, anyway. They were planning on leaving, why keep the job any longer than necessary? However, the prospect of him just... doing nothing for the time it would take for them to get things sorted out before they could seemed strange to her. Like he’d lose his entire mind before then.

❝We are getting an annulment. Since Noctis and I never consummated the marriage was technically never confirmed.❞ She can feel the buzzing of energy radiating from him, soothing fingers across his forehead and back into his hair, repeating the motion over and over while considering him. ❝We will have to go to the council, announce this fact, which should be just such a fabulous time for all involved. Noctis will have to announce that he is gay - unless of course you would like to tell them in the ever so delicate way you just told me. I assume they will try to ask for witnesses or something ridiculous regarding the consummation fact, you may be needed for that.❞ A little eye roll. ❝It may not come to that. ❞ 

[sxrtis]

{ ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ | Nyx. }

So was I. 

He stumbles down the mountain of rubble, sliding down most of it on his ass, turning to help Lunafreya down every few feet. 

“Ardyn? The chancellor?” He puts his hands around her waist, lifting her down the last ledge of concrete until they’re both on mostly level ground. 

Streetlights flicker around them, and Nyx has the unfortunate feeling that they’re the little bit of light keeping a lot of horrors of the dark at bay– but when he looks at her face again, the shadows in her eyes are still there, more pronounced. 

What the hell happened to you?

“How long has it been?” he asks instead. There’s a truck nearby, by some miracle largely untouched. He takes her hand, pulling her toward it, and tries to ignore the low, deep throb in his leg that’s slowly making its presence known again. 

There are keys in the ignition, the car abandoned. 

“Get in. Any luck, there’ll be enough road left to get us out of the city.” 

❝Ardyn is not who he seems.❞

Who he was exactly... That she could tell him later, preferably when he was sitting down and she had a moment to gather her thoughts properly. She’d spent days moving, charging forward with such a determined plan -- now she had Nyx and... What now?

How long has it been? That she stops for, looks him full on in the eye. ❝Ten years.❞ Because when she’d first was told the date she’d nearly had a panic attack. Ten years of full darkness, ten years of Noctis just... gone. Ten years since her own death. 

Now what?

Into the passenger seat of the truck she slid, shutting the door behind her and immediately searching the glove compartments and the side pockets for anything of use. Another potion (handed over to Nyx, immediately) a small knife, a flashlight with no batteries.

[sxrtis]

{ @ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ said: There's no sense in keeping any kind of secrecy anymore, especially since he'd essentially quit his job and was no longer a Glaive-- Nyx beelines for Luna's quarters, barging in heedless of what she's doing. "Hi. You look pretty. Did you know that Noctis is gay?” }

There was some nameless Glaive that was currently now in charge of her wellbeing, choosing to guard her firmly from outside of her room. Just as well, she supposed -- despite knowing the truth of her husband and his own affair, the rest of the kingdom did not, and any and all glares she was receiving from, well, everyone was getting exhausting.

Said Glaive’s shocked little yelp alerted her to Nyx’s presence before his flinging open of her doors did.

She’d just left her own meeting with Noctis where she’d heard the news, so really it shouldn’t have been such a shock. But somehow, with the way Nyx delivered it, it took Luna a full few seconds of rapid blinking at him, halting in her movements entirely.

❝Y-yes... He just left here and told me himself. How did you find out?❞

[sxrtis]

infideliis​:

sxrtis​:

…. please dont make that a challenge

…we shall have fisticuffs by the light of the dawn.

you have an unfair advantage with your daemon arm!!

[sxrtis]

{ ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ | Nyx. }

He leans his forehead against hers, enjoying the closeness of her. 

“We can go to Galahd.” 

Home. 

Insomnia’s never been home, not in the real sense that matters– but Galahd is still standing, is free from occupation, and Nyx hasn’t been back since Selena’s death. 

It’ll be nice to go home, and to see his mother, and to live a life away from all of this, Kingsglaive and royalty and paparazzi and a city that never sleeps.

He kisses her again, along her temple and cheek and jaw, and murmurs his offer between them. 

“You want me to kill her for you? Because I can. You just have to say the word.” 

❝Good. Galahd it is. I am excited to see it.❞

An entirely different environment than she’d ever been, Nyx’s true home... Of course she was elated, happy to make their home there. Actually have a peaceful life, one that she did not even think was possible. 

She lets out a small, content sigh, readjusting to settle back into him and angling her neck better to let him bestow his affections.

❝No. We do not need to add murder to our growing list of crimes against the crown.❞    

[infideliis-a]

@sxrtis

luna voice: but?????

ravus voice: tbh he probably dislikes me as much as i dislike him. …and if he doesn’t, he will.

[sxrtis]

.... please dont make that a challenge

[sxrtis]

{ infideliis​ }

“Yes.”

How glad he is to hear that she and Noctis had finally seen sense. Though what a shame it is that it had taken such a scandal. But better late than never, Ravus supposes.

“Good.”

For a moment, he is silent.

“I am…proud of you, Lunafreya.”

That surprised her.

She’d never heard him say such before -- not that she really needed to. Doing her duty was never a matter of pride or reward; and Ravus would certainly never tell her that he was proud of her for that particular part of her life.

This?

❝... Thank you, brother.❞   

[sxrtis]

{ ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ | Nyx. }

“Wherever you go, so will I.” 

Nyx reaches, running his fingers along her cheek, tucking errant blonde hair back behind her ear. How is it possible that she’s still so beautiful even with the world going to hell around them?

He tugs her down briefly, enough to kiss her, and like every other time he’s kissed her, it feels like the universe has come into some kind of balance; it allows him to breathe a little easier. 

Whatever happens because of this, happens. They’re in this together. 

“I love you. So, whatever you decide, whatever you gotta do, I’m with you.” Like hell he’d let her go through any of this alone, even if it means quite possibly Noctis trying to murder him. 

There’s a brief thought that flickers across his brain, enough to bring a wry smile to Nyx’s face. 

“Although, when I find out who took that picture, I might have to kill them myself.” 

She doesn’t know why it surprised her that Nyx was still so willing to follow her anywhere, but it felt like a weight lifted off of her shoulders. Of course he was going to, she knew that, she always knew that -- but in these moments where once again chaos seemed to be reigning supreme, it just... Helped to hear him say it.

Luna kissed him back, only pulling back away from him marginally, forehead resting against his. ❝We should go to Galahd.❞ It made complete sense to her at this point -- Ravus had control of Tenebrae, there was no sense in disrupting that at this point. And she was certain that she’d had enough of a taste of royalty and leading for the rest of her life at this point, despite her preparations for it.

A little laugh. ❝I’ve an awful feeling it was a specific handmaiden of mine. She is both very upset that I’ve not produced an heir yet, but also has harbored a crush on King Noctis since their school days, I’ve heard. She tends to stick me with pins whenever she can during my fittings.❞

[sxrtis]

{ noctoutlucis​ }

If he were honest he didn’t expect her to go for it. It was completely unorthodox and the council would have a fit over how inappropriate it was for the king and queen to do such a thing. Maybe that’s why it sounded like the perfect idea.

“I can talk to Ignis about it. See how we should go about it.” As for the question of their marriage.. They never really acted much like a married couple to begin with. People always hounded Luna asking if there would be an heir soon and they never even consummated the marriage in the first place. “… I feel like we might be able to work it out. I just need to look into the rules of royal marriage. Gods know there has to be a loophole somewhere.”

A loophole. 

The obvious loophole was, well, never having consummated the marriage, a thought that had her cheeks flushing red at the thought. It would be fairly easy to prove to the council, she imagined, given the circumstance.  It caused her to grimace, nonetheless, the thought of the two of them having to plead their cases to that particular group of people, that they’d never managed to have sex.

Luna shook her head.

❝In the most biblical of all senses, we are still not technically married... So a divorce is not an option.❞

[sxrtis]

{ ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ | Nyx. }

Her palms against his skin are like ice; Nyx hisses at the contact, trying to understand what the hell is happening. 

“–How…?” he asks, and his voice creaks like a coffin opening, like his throat’s been incinerated. He takes the hi-potion, fumbling with the seal with fingers that feel numb, nearly dropping it before he gets the wrap off. It dumps down his throat tasting too sweet, too acidic-grape as he swallows– it works fast, though, and when he’s finally done coughing against the burn of the potion, his next words sound close to normal. 

“What’d you do, princess?” he wheezes. “‘M supposed to be dead.” 

Had been. Liked it, even. 

The world hurts.

But she is real, she is in front of him like starlight in an empty sky, numb fingers coming up to trace her perfect face. There’s something different in her eyes, something dark like shadows; he blames it on the nighttime, and makes to haul himself to his feet. 

“–The light is gone?”

How long? What the hell happened?

There are a thousand questions he wants to ask, and has no words for any of them. 

Supposed to be dead.

❝I know. So was I.❞ She was just full of fun information for him today, dropping bombshell after bombshell on him. But it was easier to rip the bandaid off on some of these things -- she didn’t really know when they were going to be able to sit down and discuss things at length.

And she also didn’t really know how at this point.

Hands come to assist him to his feet, finding it easier to help in the movements now that the Scourge wasn’t exactly eating her alive in the same way.  No... Now she was absorbing it in a more dangerous way.

❝The light... Noctis failed. I know not how. I’ve yet to make contact with any of the rest of his retinue. Just...❞ Focused on finding you, was the unspoken part of her statement. ❝Ardyn sits the throne. Whatever remains it.❞ His name is spat from her lips, an anger she’d never really managed before.

❝The Hammerhead outpost has provisions and a place to rest. We need to get there.❞

[sxrtis]

{ ofsylleblossomsandsteel​ | Nyx. }

He laughs, a little horrified at the prospect of encountering Ignis again, and runs his hand across her narrow back in reassuring circles. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs against her forehead. “Should’ve been more careful.” 

Could’ve given them more time, time to figure this out, time to–

What the hell was he expecting? For the King to magically give them his blessing, for all of this going on essentially under his roof? That wasn’t going to happen. 

So he stays there, holds her until she begins to breathe easier, and no one comes kicking in his door to hunt down their errant Queen. 

Three days. Three fucking days, and they would have never had to deal with any of this at all. They could have been happy somewhere. He should’ve just taken her out of Insomnia when he was given the directive, not turned around and tried to save the whole damn world. 

Our fate goes with you, Nyx Ulric. 

Nyx presses a kiss into her hair, shifting her into his lap so he can stretch out on the sofa a little, catch his own breath, make it feel a little more normal, despite their lives falling apart outside the apartment walls. 

“You wanna stay here tonight? I can get some Glaives to watch the place, keep all those vultures at bay.”  

And give her some space away from Noctis, keep her from having to face her husband right away. 

Should have been more careful.

Something about the statement deflates her, like the meaning wasn’t for the affair. Ugh, she hated that word. Yes, that’s what it technically was. But in the most traditional and biblical of senses, her marriage with Noctis was not even consummated... She chided herself for trying to find a loophole right now, even if it made her feel marginally better.

Luna shifted with him, curled up in his arms and against him like she could just stay there forever and ignore everything else. Hells, maybe she could. Never come back out and let them wonder instead what happened to the Queen. Send a note apologizing profusely to Noctis and run off to... Somewhere.

But she’d never been a coward before... Except perhaps for a night or two, starting now.

❝Yes, please. I will... Try and figure out how to handle this. Just... Not tonight. Maybe not even tomorrow.❞

She sits up in his arms, facing him, frowning.  ❝I am... Not certain what this means. What this divorce will mean for where I need to go after.❞

[sxrtis]

{ noctoutlucis​ }

The king shrugged. It was the best idea he had and it would get the important information to the public with no room for media lies. He wanted to be open and honest with the people about who he was.

“Let’s stream it online ourselves like gamers used to.” He replied, only half joking. “I can hang a rainbow flag behind me to make it more obvious.”

❝Perhaps that is not such a bad idea...❞

Doing it themselves allowed for information to be clear, concise -- to get the truth out, not allow room for silly interruptions from the media to try and twist the narrative. 

❝Ignis can help -- well, will need to. Though we need to address what to do about us as well. The marriage...❞

[sxrtis]

{ infideliis​ } 

“There need be no rush. Let people talk. It would only make it worse if either of you were to rush to speak.”

Or so Ravus figures.

“In the end, the two of you should do as you both wish to do, for once, instead of bowing to the whims of everyone else. You’ve both sacrificed more than enough for the sake of everyone else. It is time for you both to live as you wish to live, not as others wish you to live.”

There are vines crawling along the edges of the paper now.

❝Yes. I said as such. And for Noctis to announce of his own affairs with whomst it is with... It would only add to the scandal and outrage on a level it does not be right now...❞

She sits on the window sill, enjoying some sunshine in the privacy of this part of the Citadel without any vultures coming for her in droves. A relief. It’d been days now since she’d had such peace.

❝I know. I think that we are finally on the same page for that.❞