#gralea

Prompto choked himself awake with a sharp gasp, leaning forward into a sitting position. Panting heavily.

“Woah, woah there, jumpy”, that familiar silky accent floated through Prompto’s itching ears. Those charcoal black hands gently holding his body steady.

His indigo iris’ lifting to view those teal lagoons he longed for these past 2 years.

It wasn’t a dream.

“Muerlin, you...”.

Prompto longingly reached toward her face, running his fingers through her silver locks.

It was longer than before...everything about her seemed brighter.

“Doc said you shouldn’t move so much”, she explained with a smile.

Rising from her seat next to the bewildered plebe, she made her way toward a pot of tea that was still steaming. “You all were ‘bout an inch away from frostbite”.

“Us...all?”, Prompto raised a confused eyebrow.

“Yeah. All your men are safe”. She began pouring the hot liquid. “The ones that are awake won’t pipe down about you so at least I’ll have some satisfying news for them now”, she chuckled.

But Prompto’s conscious wasn’t clear yet.

“What about Talcott?”

“Little Talcott? He’s fine. I took care of that ice bomb before it could do any damage”.

Prompto’s eyes nearly popped from his skull.

“Wait…”.

That blast…it wasn’t an explosion.

“That was YOU?!”

Muerlin grinned at the shocked man and giggled.

“Well, of course it was. What, you think I’ve just been wanderin’ around Eos healing folks?”

She returned beside the bed and to her seat, handing him his cup. 

“I’ve got a few new tricks up my sleeve”, she sighed as she took a sip. Prompto following suit. “Kind of didn’t really have a choice anyway”.

“What do you mean?”

The wizard lowered the cup to her lap, staring at the steamy contents inside.

“After…Gralea”, her hand gently placed upon her lower abdomen. Prompto’s heart sank as memories of that fateful day flooded through his mind. He never wanted to ask her exactly what happened to her in that horrible place…all he knows is that that bastard hurt her…and somehow used him to do it…just like with Noct.

He remembered her blood squishing in between his fingers as he carried her to safety…the wound was deep…to this day, he wishes she would just come out and tell him what happened, but in all honesty, that would probably make him a hypocrite.

…because the whole while he was panicking and scrambling to save her life, all Muerlin could see was the cuts and bruises that coated his body…the grief that burdened her eyes when they found each other again was far too much for Prompto to bare.

She begged him to tell her what had happened after he fell off that train, but even now, he wasn’t sure how she would take it.

The last thing the world needed was a reason to fear her...again...

“...because of it...”, the wizard spoke once more. “I swore to never fail so tremendously again”.

Prompto began to shake his head. “Muerlin-“.

“You know what they call me, right?”, the wizard cut the man’s words. “The ‘New Oracle’”.

Prompto’s eyes fixed on those deep lagoon pools.

“Tch...the real Oracle is the one that should be here, not me”.

“Hey...”, the ocean eyed plebe spoke up at his love’s negative words.

Muerlin’s gaze now lowered to her charcoal arms.

“It probably would’ve turned out better if I was the one rotting at the bottom of the sea”.

“Hey!”, Prompto lightly shouted toward her, pulling her vision upward toward his own.

Their pupils locked.

“You fought hard just like the rest of us...and like us, you have the scars to prove it”.

Despite their battling emotions, Prompto couldn’t believe he was finally able to hold her once again.

He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and reaffirm his undying love.

However, she seemed preoccupied with something else...her eyes locked onto his bare chest.

Her heart sank upon viewing the many scars he had accumulated over her absence, delicately feeling their gravity against his freckled flesh.

“A scar for every man that calls you ‘Captain’ I suppose....”, she nearly whispered. “...and then some”.

“...I have to protect them”, Prompto firmly declared, feeling the weight of Muerlin’s sadness. “Like I promised to protect you”.

“I’m the one that’s supposed to be protecting you...”, Muerlin shamefully sighed, placing her hand upon Prompto’s as it rested against her cheek. “...and everyone else”.

Prompto could feel the somberness within her usually bright spirit.

“I failed Luna, Nyx...Ravus, Noct, you...I can’t keep failing like this”.

“You haven’t failed anybody”, Prompto interjected.

“Everyone I loved”, Muerlin retorted, her tearful eyes staring directly into Prompto’s, “...and love”.

“That’s not up to you”.

With Prompto’s callused palms pressed against her temples, Muerlin couldn’t help, but feel a peace brew under the chaos that warped her mind.

“There’s a reason why they call you the ‘New Oracle’”.

“I’m not Luna...”.

“No, you’re not and you don’t have to be”. His tone softened with a light smile.

“You’re the Pythoness. Raised by the Oracle, watched over by the Oracle, sister of the Oracle, but still the Pythoness...still Muerlin...”.

The lagoons twinkled in the warming embrace of the oceans tide.

“...still you”.

Prompto brushed a few strands of silver from her freckle dusted cheeks.

“And it’s you that Eos needs right now...that’s out there roaming from place to place in this Hell to bring hope and strength to the entire world. That’s opened Willownoire’s gates for the first time in centuries to treat the sick and the helpless. That’s bustin’ daemon heads left and right with literal friggin’ LIGHTNING like a total BADASS”.

Finally forcing a giggle out of the woman.

“And you’re the one that I love...”, his gaze so heavily sweetened, “so so so much...that seeing you again has literally been a dream I’ve had for so many months. I can’t get you out of my head!”

Muerlin melted into his grasp.

Prompto just staring in awe at the beauty he had longed for all this time.

“Well...”, Muerlin smiled toward him, “...consider it payback for keepin’ me up all night”.

Prompto chuckled lightly as his eyes began to dart between her eyes and her grey glossed lips.

Muerlin’s cheeks flushed at the pleasant anxiety roaming through her.

2 years of anticipation and yearning.

These few seconds feeling like an eternity compared to that.

The familiar warm of their breath ghosting each other’s lips before impact.

An explosion of ecstasy the two had pinned for for so long was enough to nearly bring them to tears.

It was too good to cease.

Roaming her silky locks, caressing his blonde stubble, intertwined with growing passion.

Trailing fingers down her back that was mostly bare, admiring the strength in his neck and his chest.

Their tongues in synchronized dance.

Prompto could feel the heat of her flushed bosom as he inched closer and closer to Muerlin’s body.

His thumb passing over her nipple inviting a sharp gasp into her throat just barely pulling their lips apart long enough for their eyes to reconnect.

Panting against their swollen lips, a loving smile painted upon Muerlin’s face followed by a light chuckle.

“New Oracle or not”, Muerlin started as she finally stood from her seat. “I should follow some sort of ethics and not sleep with one of my patients”.

That familiar laugh widened the woman’s smile.

“Fair enough”, the plebe captain complied. “Buuuuuuuuut...”, he added, gently pulling her closer, lightly trailing his fingers against her waist toward her rear.

“...afterward, Doc, I gonna have a bone to pick with you”. His exaggerated rusty country accent making it nearly impossible to keep a straight face. “A BIG one”, he added waggling his eyebrows.

Muerlin threw her head back in a light giggle fit before wrapping her arms around her beloved chocobo.

2 years and he hadn’t changed a bit.

“Fair enough”.

Just how she had dreamed.

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