An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: K
Pairing: Chrom/M!Robin
AU: Coffeeshop/Fantasy/College(idek)
(it’s still the 27th somewhere in the world probably)
(im sorry blueberry husbando)
'Caffeine addiction was the walking punchline of every single student currently pursuing higher studies. Even more so if that particular student happened to be pursuing academic magic/physical training drills with plans of joining the country's army; there was a particularly popular joke amongst healers of expecting brown blood every time they had to cut into a mage.
Being a prince and needing to do all of these things, Chrom was expecting to be hooked onto the stuff by the time he was 12.
...Less expecting, more dreading, actually. And seeing as he was also heavily advised to temper his food intake to avoid both addictions and accidental poisoning, he made sure to avoid drinking coffee and staying up past midnight unless he absolutely had to. Of course, there were exceptions. He is still a college student.
And he had a perfect run of that. Up until a few months ago.
And all it took to break his streak was a very attractive barista.'
Chrom/M!Robin, magic/college/dragon tamer mashup au with snarky Grima and a lot of flowers and coffee. Happy birthday you dumb blueberry!
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[[aka the ashiya birthday fic thats like a day late im sorry my cinnamon son]]
[[well you made me update which is a miracle in itself but anyway]]
Title: Ring in the new year a little earlier than usual.
Pairing: Abeno Haruitsuki/Ashiya Hanae
Rating: K+
AU?: Canon-compliant
Ring in the new year a little earlier than usual.
A Fukigen na Mononokean fanfiction
"..."
"..."
Ashiya stares at him from the doorway, frozen in an awkward gesture. Evidently, he'd been halfway in the middle of his sentence before he registered the scene in front of him.
"...."
"...."
"......"
"......"
"U-um."
"Why are you standing there?" Abeno asks, more than a little impatient at this point.
"That, um." Ashiya looks around, "Are we expecting someone?"
"Expecting someone?"
"A-a client? Or something?"
Abeno stares at him, "No? If we were, I would have told you."
"I-I mean, sure, but, why are you doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"Sitting there so seriously?! I thought I was in trouble or was going to get into trouble or some demons were in trouble or-"
"Just shut up and get in here!" Abeno snaps finally.
"Yessir!" And Ashiya dashes in the room, kicking off his shoes and settling down. It's only then he notices other details about the scene that he'd missed previously.
In front of Abeno and now in-between them both, were two similar boxes. Two very familiar boxes.
"...Abeno-san? What is this?"
"What does it look like?"
"Uh? Two boxes...are we continuing my training from last time? Is that why you look so serious??" Ashiya blinks, having realized something, "Did I mess up on the last job somehow?!? Is it because of-"
"Ashiya!"
"Yes?!"
"Shuddup and pick a box! ...Ugh." Abeno pinches the bridge of his nose.
...He looks tired.
"Abeno-san? Are you...?"
"Just pick a box already, you pain in the butt."
"Okay..."
Out of habit, Ashiya closes his eyes and focuses.
Then frowns. Scrunches up his face in a nexpression of intense concentration.
"...What are you doing?"
"I...don't sense anything, Abeno-san?" Ashiya somehow says while scrunching his face up so much he resembles a fish at this poin.
"I didn't put any youkai inside."
"You didn't?"
"Listen to what other people are saying, oi. Just pick a box."
"Why?"
"Why, you say..."
They're interrupted by the Mononokean's chime.
Itsuki, we have visitors.
"Visitors? But we don't have any jobs today?"
"People don't visit you on your days off? Okina-sama did? Don't you have any friends!?"
"This is a shop remember. And oi, what was that comment about no friends?!"
By this point, the Mononokean had materialized the Nijiriguchi and they're both interrupted by a knock on the wooden door.
"...?"
"Itsukiiii," Says the voice from beyond the door, "Quit fighting with Ashiya and open up, already." A very familiar voice.
Enough to make Abeno pause for a bit, debating whether he should open up or not.
"...Uh. Mr Legislator?" Ashiya says, hesitantly.
"Yep."
"O-oh. Wait, Abeno-san!"
"What."
"Don't just stand there! Open the door! We should make some tea too!"
"Justice is here too."
"Justice?!"
"Apparently." Is Abeno's input.
"Abeno-san!!"
"Calm down already."
Abeno then opens the door to the grinning face of the Legislator and the deadpan expression of the Justice.
"Hey there."
"Yes, he's ditching work again." Justice says, without any preamble.
"I'm more surprised you joined him in the ditching." Abeno remarks with a raised eyebrow.
"I finished mine, of course."
Are the heads of the Underworld's society actually so free?
"But we're here on more important matters." The Legislator says, with an air of seriousness.
"I know."
"You know?"
"I figured as much." Abeno eyes Ashiya for a moment, who's busy making some tea, "There's a problem with that, though."
"A problem?"
"I told you about it already, Legislator." Justice says.
"Really? How boring. I have so much time on my hands these days..."
"Use that time to actually finish off your work." Abeno says with a huff.
"I've been working non-stop these past few days, you know."
"Non-stop..." There is not a hint of belief in Abeno's tone at this point. Thankfully, the Justice interrupts them both. "We'll come by later, then."
They're still planning on visiting later? "Sure."
Abeno says his goodbyes to them and shuts the door.
"...Eh? Where are they?" Ashiya pipes up behind him.
"They've gone back."
"Gone back?!"
"Yep."
"But...I made tea for them!"
"No one asked you to make tea though."
"...Boo. Whatever."
And now, he's sulking. What a pain.
With a sigh, Abeno takes a cup from the tray.
"Thanks."
"You say that but I didn't make the tea for you." Ashiya says, with a pout.
"Uh-huh."
"Abeno-san?"
Abeno looks up to see Ashiya regard him with an unusually shrewd gaze.
"What?"
"Are you-"
This exchange is interrupted by a sudden ringtone. Ashiya starts, and pats his pockets before realizing, "Eh? That isn't my ringtone?"
"It's mine, obviously."
"Abeno-san...you actually have people to call you on your phone?"
"Do you think I'm a hermit or something?!"
"Yes!?" Is the panicked reply. Abeno sighs again and just picks the phone up, "Hello?"
While listening to the response, he appears a little surprised. "Really? Now?"
Ashiya watches him closely.
"Alright. I'll do that."
He hangs up and looks at Ashiya. "Can you come with me for a sec?"
"Come with you?"
"Mmmhm."
"Sure, I guess. Where are we going?"
Abeno shrugs the kimono off his school uniform. "Well, the Mononkean can take us there but..."
Abeno gives a meaningful glance at the wall scroll who goes,
Let's go there now! ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆
"Sure...? But where-"
There's a rattling noise as the tearoom opens the door to said place, without so much as an announcement or fanfare.
Ashiya almost stumbles through as Abeno gives him a final shove through the door.
And then, a loud bang interrupts them suddenly.
"Wha-"
"Surprise!!!!"
Ashiya blinks as he sees the scene in front of him.
"Mom? Sis??? Saga and Fusshin?????"
Not just them but almost their whole class? They're surrounding the dining room table where there was a warm glow and-
"Eh?"
"Happy birthday, Hanae!" Sis says happily, and Abeno skillfully ducks out of the way as she comes barrelling through the crowd and hugs him tightly.
Tightly.
Too tight.
"S-sis, wait, can't...breathe..."
"Ahhhh, you can finally see this, we've been planning this for weeks, so happy!!! So happy!!!!"
"A...beno-san?"
"Looks like it runs in the family. That energy." Is the side remark from Abeno, to Saga probably. Or Fusshin. And not helping in the least.
"Abenon could have used that energy these last few weeks right?" Fusshin says.
"He looked like he was about to die yesterday..." Saga worries.
"I haven't seen him talk to that many people though!"
"I haven't seen him talk to people at all..."
"For so long, either!"
"Well, we helped spread the invitations too."
"Since he's Hanae's best friend, he should have done it himself!" Sis says.
By this point, Abeno is very clearly ignoring all of them and averting his eyes from Ashiya's pointed expression.
He still looks exhausted.
"Hanae, it's time!"
"Eh, Mom?"
"Blow out the candles, Hanae!"
"Sis, wait!"
He's pushed again towards the table, away from Abeno.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
...Noisy.
He should've gone home by this point.
"Of course you're in the corner."
"Don't you start making any more comments, you five year old." Abeno says irritably.
"Any more comments?"
"I've heard enough of them to last the week." Enough side comments from people who were surprised that Abeno was talking to them for once.
"Isn't that because you're a loner in class?"
"You-!"
Abeno rounds on him, but notices Ashiya wearing a strange expression.
"You're still super popular anyways. They keep saying so."
"What?"
"So!" Ashiya interrupts, and holds his hand out.
"What."
"Present."
"What?"
"My birthday present."
Abeno squints at him,, "What makes you think I have one?"
"You were trying to give it to me earlier, right? Before the Legislator and the Justice came by."
"That-"
"The Mononokean told me. Also, it was obvious."
"How was it...obvious?!"
Ashiya just grins at him then. "Present~"
"Tch!"
Ashiya barely manages to catch the box Abeno throws at him, "Hey! Careful!"
"Shuddup! Ugh."
"Hmph." It's one of the boxes from earlier. "Was there anything in the other one?"
"You thought I was going to give you two presents?"
"No, but. Why give it to me in such a roundabout way?"
Abeno deigns not to answer, just looking to the side.
....
There's a bit of red creeping up his ears.
The sound of wrapping paper inside the box.
"This is...?"
"You were complaining about not having a kimono for the underworld, right?" Abeno says, still not looking at him.
"That was...mostly because I had to wear a woman's kimono, though."
"You still complained enough that it was a pain in the ass, though."
"Uh-huh. It's pretty."
"You have to represent the Mononokean well, of course it is."
"Abeno-san."
"What?!"
Abeno rounds on him then.
And there's something soft on his lips.
"?!"
Ashiya pulls away quickly, looking about as embarrassed as Abeno felt. He still has that annoyingly smug smile on his face, though.
"Thank you."
".........."
"...Um."
"..............."
"For, uh. A-all that...and this present and...d-don't look so shocked! Why are you so embarrassed?!"
"...Why are you working yourself up that much." Abeno says, still red-faced.
"!!!! You're embarrassed too!!!!!!"
"Of course I am, when you're reacting so weirdly!"
"Ugh, shut. Up."
But his hands are unexpectedly tender when he pulls Ashiya closer for a softer, slower kiss. This close, staring into each other's eyes, the most embarrassing thing by far.
He's been doing a lot of weirdly embarrassing things this week.
"...Happy...birthday."
"Jeez, you finally said it." Ashiya doesn't nearly sound as pissed off as he's pretending to be, a sweet smile on his face.
Might as well keep that tradition going.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
For more super sugary shenanigans like this, head over hereto request some more drabbles
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Y’all are best goodmorning goodbye goodnight time to sleep for a hundred years love you byeee
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
[[the AU with akira making a deal with demon!arsene, and a whole lot of fuckery follows.]]
[[so like. right up my alley there’s a lot of things i indulge in here like tragic backstories, gothic style demon settings, the end of the world as we know it and confusing super high UST between a detective and his suspect like thats all the boxes ticked right there]]
[[also usually i post the fics up here on tumblr and don’t just link it buuut]]
[[im trying a new writing style that only works on A03 so sorry bout any inconvenience! i hope you enjoy reading!}]
Title: With claws, teeth and crooked tongue
Pairing: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Rating: T+(for this chapter)
WARNING: Detailed gore, suicide, mentioned character death
AU: Demon!Arsene and DemonContractor!Akira
Summary:
'With claws, teeth and crooked tongue,
Through bone and marrow, the damage is done,
Clothes blackened by crimson blood,
He drags your forgotten name, through the mud.
Oh! Poor, unloved soul, no chance for thee!
He rips through your fragile life with glee.'
A detective passes through the town, a string of murders follow.
A criminal appraising him from the other side of the table, his mouth sealed shut, his eyes seeing all.
The town falling deeper and deeper into the darkness,
The thief, who had given his heart to the demons,
The ones that had eaten the moon, stars and sky,
[[aka the arranged marriage fic where ashiya almost marries abeno]]
[[boy save it till after the first date yeesh]]
Title: In Unholy Matrimony, Death can't take me fast enough
Pairing: Abeno Haruitsuki/Ashiya Hanae
Rating: K+
A03 Link
AU: Modern-day Onmyoujis(on Abeno’s side at least)
The more he remembers back to those events, the more he realized how strange it had been.
The warning signs were prevalent even all the way back then.
It started off small and wrong, like shards of glass under his feet, that fell into place as a series of strange events.
First, the youkai.
They acted as they usually do. Around him, at the very least, but that didn't mean much.
When they already looked at him with suspicion, wariness, with fangs and claws bared, any new, alarming signs would be lost on both him and themselves.
Second, and related to that, was Yahiko. The much more noticeable of the lot.
The youko had disappeared following the start of the lunar cycle. Vanished completely.
Right in front of Abeno.
No parting words.
No trace of a presence.
But before he had time to even react, Yahiko had reappeared.
He seemed to even be unaware that he had ever left.
Could it have been a joke? In poor taste, but he's known worse from Yahiko.
The third sign was the fact that he'd been forced into an arranged marriage with the lady of the Ashiya house.
...What was with that escalation of events?!
An arranged marriage in this day and age?!
So Abeno thinks furiously and that does nothing but agitate his already terrible headache.
...Headache? And why was he lying down?
...............
And why were his eyes closed?
He opens them and the response- one that he definitely wasn't expecting-was immediate.
"You're alive!!! Oh my god!!!!"
"...So loud."
"Ah, sorry!" The voice says, in an attempt at a whisper this time. Still too loud. Abeno frowns.
It's not a voice he knows. He opens his eyes.
He doesn't understand what he's seeing.
"What...?"
"J-Just, um...keep lying down. You shouldn't strain yourself."
"Strain myself?"
There's an insistent throbbing at the side of his hip, over his chest.
Also his robes seemed to have been pushed down, baring his chest.
"I'm not done treating your wounds." The boy continues.
Wounds? He'd been injured?
At the back of his mind, there's something trying to click into place.
"Where...?"
"We're in a hidden room. The one we planned to use for youkai attacks." The boy grimaces, "Like right now."
"Youkai don't attack people." Not usually, anyway.
"You already said that." The boy doesn't look convinced in the least.
He did? Probably. Probably?
It's difficult to remember.
"Head. Ow."
"You may have hit your head on the way down, too." The boy says, and he's sounding more and more guilty with every word.
"Great." Abeno says, scathing. Taking a deep breath, centering himself, regaining his bearings.
The smell of herbs in the air and the stinging as the boy continues applying...something to his wounds. Salve, probably. And bandages, he adds, after experimentally flexing his fingers.
It felt like his bones were powdered from the inside on his palm.
How did this...even happen?
The wedding. Oh.
That explains some things.
"Wait, wait, wait! Don't get up!!"
Too loud. Abeno glares at the boy again and he immediately goes quiet, wordlessly helping Abeno into a sitting position.
"What is this?" Abeno demands.
"Eh?"
This entire farce.
"This omiai, was it a trap?"
"A...what??"
"Three weeks ago, I was ordered by the Emperor to marry someone of the Ashiya house." An order and less of a marriage offer. It was expected.
It was planned.
"...Yes, you were." The boy says finally, "And we were ordered to have the lady of the house marry you."
Abeno raises an eyebrow at him.
"And I met you."
"Y-" The boy shrunk under his glare, "Yes?"
"Forgive my impertinence", Abeno says in a tone that implies nothing but impertinence, "But even if your clothes imply otherwise, you don't seem much like a lady to me."
And from shame to anger, with a snap of his fingers. Were all the members of this house so mercurial?
"I'm not!" Is the boy's immediate reaction, then the color drains from his face as he realizes what he said, "I-I mean! I...am..."
"Your wig is askew."
"Crap!"
Also he hadn't been talking in falsetto this whole time, Abeno notes dryly. Though to be fair, he'd pulled off a decently convincing act until the...attack.
Dressed in a kimono, wore makeup and a wig with longer hair.
And when Ashiya fixes his wig, he then seems to realize he'd given himself away. Again.
"Ah."
"Naturally I'd be suspicious of you, if you're acting like that."
"A-ah." And a blush creeping on his cheeks.
...Dressed like that, it would actually look somewhat becoming on him. It suited him, oddly. That is, if his voice hadn't gotten louder and louder as he attempted to explain himself.
Abeno sighs. That headache was returning.
"A-And I needed to...dressupandcomehereth-the Emperor ordered our families to marry and it's not-they don't know! Mom or sis! About youkai!"
That certainly grabbed Abeno's attention.
"They don't know?"
"No! They think..." Ashiya pauses, then actually brings his voice lower to whisper. A miracle.
"They think that it's all stuff in the past. Their ancestors did it and not...the us of now. Does that make sense?"
"Barely."
"I don't know how else to explain it!"
"Except for you apparently." Abeno points out.
"I just-" Ashiya falters, "I just started seeing them recently! With a super fuzzy youkai that started haunting me a few days ago and-"
"The one sitting on your shoulder right now?"
The fuzzball demon wags at him when he points at it.
"AAAAAAAAAAH THERE HE IS-"
"You're too loud!"
And Ashiya starts, falling quiet abruptly.
So does Abeno, when Ashiya pulls him closer.
"Hey-"
"Shh!" Ashiya hisses. He yanks at the demon on his shoulder and presses it between them both.
There isn't that much space between them.
"Be quiet!"
That should be my line, Abeno thinks. But he falls silent anyway, compliant.
...Perfume, too? It smells like flowers.
Ah. That's right, his family runs a flower shop.
Abeno can also see the miasma over their heads.
Chills through his body. He's shivering.
"...Are you alright?" Abeno asks carefully.
"I'm...fine."
No, you're not. We should move." He'd just awakened a few weeks ago.
"You're badly hurt though!"
"I'm fine. This is nothing."
"Don't try to act cool now!"
"Tch. Says the asshole shaking like a leaf over me."
"I don't want you to get even more hurt, you know!" Ashiya says, furious. At himself, or Abeno or this turn of events? Hard to say?
"I said."
Abeno locks eyes with the youkai above them both.
A gigantic, blob-like youkai filling the room.
With one giant, black claw reaching down for Ashiya's shoulder.
"Move!"
And he throws Ashiya off of him with all the strength he has.
"...!"
And while Ashiya stumbles, he pushes himself up with the fading strength in his arms. Standing, then taking Ashiya's hand, and rushing for the door.
"Wha-!"
"Run!"
"O-okay!"
Ashiya kicks off his sandals and his wig falls off, hugging the youkai close to his body.
"Where do we go from here?!"
"Follow me!"
Ashiya grips Abeno's hand tighter and rushes forward.
"That hurts...!" Abeno hisses.
"Ah, sorry!"
He was more talking about the state of his body than anything.
But it feels oddly light.
Beneath the bandages, he feels the sting of salve.
Abeno falls into step beside Ashiya.
"Ah? Your wounds-!"
"Like I said, not that bad. We need to keep moving."
"Can't you use your powers to get rid of that thing? Aren't you an exorcist?!"
"I could ask the same of you, deadweight!"
"Ugh! Like I said I just-"
The roar of wind and the hand that holds his yanks him back.
"...Stop pulling-!"
Then he sees the youkai again, with its claws on Ashiya's kimono, its heaving body and gaping maw close to Ashiya's face.
And the look...on Ashiya's face.
Desperation.
Ah, didn't he see that look earlier?
In that farce of a marriage meeting, in the garden.
When he shielded Abeno's body with his own.
I don't want to die.
"Ashiya!"
"...!"
Just as they round a corner, Abeno pulls Ashiya's hand and grits his teeth as Ashiya crashes into him. Barely keeping himself on his feet somehow.
"Abeno-san!"
"For once, be quiet."
Ashiya pressing up close against him helps matters somewhat, as he takes a deep breath and gestures with his hand.
"Mononokean, come!"
The walls rattle loudly as the door forms right beside them.
"Grab the door!"
"O-okay!"
Ashiya's still holding his hand tightly, holding himself as close to Abeno's body as possible and Abeno stares right at the youkai chasing them.
And then the door shuts and they collapse in an ungainly heap on the floor.
Ow. Owwww.
"Owwwwwww." Ashiya echoes his thought, "My nose, my face, my everythinggg..."
Itsuki?!
The sound of a bell ringing.
"I'm....back...." Abeno says, somehow, through grit teeth. Ashiya looks up then, just as words appear on the scroll on the wall.
What happened? Who is that? I saw some youkai going on a rampage outside!!
"Wha-what is that?! Who...what?! Abeno-san!!"
His headache is returning.
"This is...Ashiya Hanae. The son of the Ashiya family." Abeno says, absolutely unwilling to move. He'd like to avoid speaking too, but the misunderstandings would be even more of a pain to deal with, "And this is the Mononokean."
"Oh, the...tea house thing you're in charge of?"
"It's more of a room. The Mononokean itself is a sentient being...that scroll expresses the will of the youkai."
"Youkai?!"
You're of the Ashiya family?
"...Y-yes?!"
I see. My apologies for startling you.
Well, at least one of them was acting calm. And civil.
"Ah, um, no. The pleasure is mine?" It sounded more like a question.
Perhaps...you should get off of Itsuki. You both don't seem very comfortable.
"Oh! Right!" Ashiya scrambles to a sitting position next to Abeno.
"Finally." Abeno mutters. Somehow pushing himself up into a sitting position.
"Are you okay?" Ashiya asks, concerned.
"Do I look okay?!"
"N-no??" Is Ashiya's slightly panicked response.
...Abeno feels tired all of a sudden.
"Never mind." He sighs, placing a hand over his forehead, "Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?"
"Huh?"
"You're injured too."
"E-ehhh? Why are you saying that...?"
Abeno squints at him.
"I-I'm not! Injured! In any way! Anywhere!!"
"Pretending to be a girl comes naturally to you but lying doesn't?" Abeno asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Ugh...don't call me a natural at that!!"
...Itsuki?
Also how was it that he was feeling the scrutinizing gaze of an inanimate wall scroll?
"This is. Things happened."
Things..?
"A-Abeno-san! That is a very misleading explanation!!"
"You explain, then. I'm going to sleep." Abeno says, closing his eyes.
"Ah, wait! What am I...supposed to do now...?"
"...Your family."
"Eh?"
Abeno looks up at him again. "Your family. Where are they?"
"Oh. They're at the kingdom's border...I came here alone."
"So you ran away from home, cross-dressed to pose as your sister and attended a marriage meeting as that sister. All alone. With no plan beforehand."
"I-I had a plan!"
"And it worked out so well, didn't it."
"Ugh."
"The Mononokean will be detected if we travel past the border now. We should wait till morning."
What of the royal guards?
"They'll be distracted with the recent attack. Even the Emperor wasn't expecting this..."
Won't they call upon you?
"They would. Then again, we were attacked at the omiai, so we can use that opportunity and say we dropped the bride back at her family's place."
...The Emperor was very insistent that you meet. Is this why?
"Because the Abeno family and the Ashiya family were rivals?"
That's surprising. Abeno looks at him.
"What? When I started seeing demons, I did a lot of research. You couldn't exactly call us rivals though." Ashiya says, somewhat peevish, "It was more one-sided. On our family's side."
"Imagine that."
"Anyway! Is that why?"
Possibly.
"We can't do anything now, so we have to stay here for the time being. It'll be especially bad for you in that state."
"Okay."
"I'm going back to sleep."
"W-wait! You need a futon or something! You're injured, don't sleep on the floor!"
There's one in the cupboard...
"I'll get it."
"Hey! Don't move!"
"Shuddup already. Too loud." Abeno gripes, and he somehow manages to make his way to the cupboard and pull out a futon, "I'm going to sleep."
"Fine! I'll sit over there!"
...
"...What?" Abeno says.
"Did that scroll just triple-dot us?" Ashiya asks the obvious.
Aren't you injured as well?
"Um. Yes?"
Abeno wisely keeps his mouth shut at this time, and elects to glare at the scroll now.
Why don't you-
"No." That didn't last long.
Itsuki, it would be rude for us to leave an injured guest like this.
"What about that consideration for my well-being. Also what is wrong with you."
I just don't want to be rude. (￣ε￣)
"Is that. An emoticon??" Ashiya asks.
"They're very modern."
"Uh-huh."
"...Ugh, I'm going to sit over there. You, rest on the futon."
"But-"
"Rest. Now."
"Okay." Is the immediate answer.
Abeno sighs. Again. A heavy sigh. And drags himself out of the futon to sit next to the scroll, while Ashiya sits on the futon awkwardly.
He hears the scratching of words on the scroll.
"Don't start."
"I didn't say anything?"
I didn't either, Itsuki.
"Shuddup both of you. And don't you imply anything."
"Me?"
"Not you!"
But I didn't say anything. (￣▽￣ゞ
"Ugh. Let me sleep."
Alright. I'll keep watch over both of you.
"Um. Thanks."
"..."
More scratching.
You say 'you're welcome', Itsuki.
"...You did that, already." And Abeno closes his eyes.
So he hears the scratching of text on the scroll but he doesn't see it.
"N-no! I just..." Ashiya pauses, then lowers his voice, "I wanted to keep it a secret."
...
Sleepy.
Abeno doesn't hear the rest of it.
"It's not...I didn't want to drag him into this."
"..."
"Not her or mom or him."
"..."
"Don't tell him, okay? I just need to find him on my own."
"..."
"I didn't want to start the war again. I don't know why."
"..."
"Keep it a secret and if need be, I'll speak with the Emperor myself. Don't let Abeno-san know about anything."
"..."
"...!!! OR THAT! Ah, crap that was too loud...good he didn't wake up. Don't tease me!"
Somehow.
It feels like it was going to be a long night.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
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He stares at the cup in front of him. Green ceramic, green liquid, something floating inside.
He's thirsty, yes, but just the sight of it made him feel sick somehow.
"It's not poisoned."
"That's a very suspicious claim." Ashiya squints up at the stranger, and the stranger huffs.
"You're very easy to read." He says irritably.
"You too?! Is it really that visible??!"
"Look, just drink. And stop acting so weird, you're making a scene." Subtly, the stranger tilts his head and Ashiya follows his gaze to the curious crowd around them.
Monsters mixed with humans...or rather, human-looking monsters.
Ashiya's gaze pulls back to the stranger in front of him.
"These are all youkai?"
"Keep your voice down. And yes, they are." There's a bite of impatience in the stranger's voice but he answers regardless.
"Th-they look so human-like though. Especially the lady and the girl who found me-" Ashiya blinks and stares up at the stranger, "Are you a youkai too?"
"...Of course I am." The stranger raises an eyebrow at him.
"And you know I'm a human?"
"I do. And if you don't keep your voice down, everyone else in this shop will as well."
"S-sorry."
Something butts into his hand just then and Ashiya looks down to see a very familiar fuzzball.
"Huh...? Fuzzy?"
"He wouldn't leave me alone until I followed him back to you."
"Really?" The youkai blinks up at Ashiya and...smiles? Somehow? Without a mouth?
It's made a little more obvious by the tail wagging.
"That's...so cute..."
"Isn't that one of the youkai that you're afraid of?"
"But it's cute!" Ashiya declares, as if that answered the question and there's some confused blinking on the stranger's part but he just shrugs.
Perhaps warranted, because cautiously petting the youkai is difficult when it feels like his fingers would freeze off with every touch.
At this point, Ashiya decides to take the cup. It's still a bit too warm in his hands, but it staves off the chills.
Which should have served as a proper warning that the tea is still at boiling point even after all this time. But he doesn't realize that, puts it to his lips and-
The white fuzzball starts as Ashiya coughs. Loudly.
"What part of-" The stranger starts, but cuts himself off and sighs. He gets up from his seat and walks over, before he claps Ashiya on the back.
It's much more forceful that Ashiya expects and he stiffens up, immediately quieting down.
"Better?"
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"Enough to complain, apparently." The stranger says smoothly and walks back to his place.
"Ugh...it feels like there's fire in my throat..."
"...It's going to be unpleasant, but try drinking that."
"Why?!"
"You don't feel as sluggish anymore, do you?"
At this, Ashiya pauses. His fingers don't feel as cold.
His head doesn't hurt much anymore. He doesn't feel as feverish either.
"...Wait, how can I be feverish and cold at the same time?" He wonders aloud.
"It's this town's atmosphere. It was hardly intended for humans to live in." The stranger points to the drink in his hand, "But if you drink that, and imbibe some food in whenever you can, it'll help with that feeling."
"...Oh. It tasted like tea. I think?"
"That's because it is. Or the human equivalent of it."
"Youkai have tea?"
"They look like humans and that's the question you ask?"
"..." Ashiya looks down at his cup, "It's...I wasn't...expecting it." He says lamely.
"I can see that. In any case, what are you going to do now?"
"What?"
"You can't stay here. The youkai will notice that you're a human eventually."
"I'm not planning on staying here! I'm...there was this golden beast that took me here and-" Ashiya begins to say before he's rudely interrupted by a hand clapping over his mouth. "Mmmpf?!"
"Oh my. Is something wrong?"
"Nothing!" The stranger says. Hastily. A bit too hastily, as he stares up at the woman youkai from earlier, "I mean...nothing at all."
"If you say so. The shop is closing up anyway, so if you would please..."
"Right, right." And he easily drags Ashiya outside, while the younger youkai plucks the cup from his fingers.
"Hope you feel better!" She says brightly as they make their way outside.
And the doors shut abruptly behind them.
"...Ah."
"...It's getting dark. You need to find a place to stay."
"A place to stay?"
There's a severe expression in the stranger's eyes. "You were with that golden beast, right? If you want to stay somewhere and stay alive, don't mention it anywhere."
"What...?"
"There are a lot of people who wouldn't like to have it mentioned."
"Abeno-san?"
"Yes?" The stranger blinks at him, "...I...You're referring to it by name, too? Don't do that either!"
"O-oh. Uh, but wait! I can't stay here!! Abeno-san was supposed to take me out of this place!"
"Like I said, you can't go anywhere now and-"
There's a howl that sounds in the distance, stopping them dead in their tracks.
"..."
"...Wh...what is. that."
"It's either your new best friend, which I seriously doubt", The stranger glares at the woods in the distance, "Or our time limit to find a place to stay just got drastically reduced."
"I-Is a monster going to attack us?!"
"Maybe."
"Maybe?!"
"It won't if we find a place to stay. So help me find one."
"A-Alright!" Ashiya says, as determined as he could manage while also squeezing the little fuzzball youkai between his arms and his chest as tightly as he could, The stranger rolls his eyes at him and mentally makes a note to do the talking himself.
It takes a while, but they do find one. Situated safely away from the forests' edge, far away, a quiet little inn.
"You certainly took your time." The owner says, with a raised eyebrow, looking at the night sky.
"A bad hunt today." The stranger says simply.
"Aiming for the golden wolf's pelt?"
Ashiya stills.
"Not really."
The owner chortles again.
As they make their way up the steps, Ashiya finally couldn't help himself.
"Why?"
"Hm?"
"Why...can't I mention Abeno-san to anyone? Why is-" He interrupts himself, but he can't speak back up.
There's a strange look in the stranger's eyes.
Something that bites into his expression and sits uncomfortably in Ashiya's heart.
"Why? I'm surprised you're still alive."
"...Huh?"
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Title: insomnia somnium vidisse se dicat
Rating: K+
Warnings: glitching text
@ignoctweek day 5
>Simple: Constellations
>Situational: Ignis manages to use the last of the magic in him to bring Noctis back from the dead when he finds him on the throne.
Summary: A prince who loved the stars finally gets to see them.
A03 Link
insomnia somnium vidisse se dicat
A Final Fantasy XV fanfiction.
These days, he doesn't even need the alarm to wake him up.
No, he's got a human one right beside him, apparently.
Noctis groans and shoves his head under the pillow. It only provides a brief reprieve before its snatched away and he groans feebly.
"Come now, Noct. Morning waits for no man." Ignis says brusquely, and Noctis loses his blanket too to the Great Awakening of Insomnia to a literal bear man who's somehow also his friend.
He glares at both Gladio and Ignis through half-lidded eyes and yawns.
"But it's still dark outside..." Is his feeble excuse and they exchange a glance before Gladio bursts out laughing.
"Ha! Haven't heard that one in a while!"
"He's...definitely still half-asleep." Ignis says, as he conspicuously hides his mouth and a suspicious coughing sound comes out. Noctis merely glares at them before he gives up and pulls himself up into a sitting position.
"Please tell me it's noon." Noctis manages out between yawns.
"Nope, still breakfast time. Tough luck, princey boy."
Noctis does brighten up a little bit at the prospect of food, even as he squints at the clock.
"I guess I can live with that."
He still lags behind as he gets ready, washing his face, brushing his teeth, every action with a half-hearted sort of languor.
And takes his own sweet time as he exits the room, the dull, mechanical whirring settling into radio silence. Where Gladio and Ignis were waiting for him. There's a snort from Gladio and he pretends not to hear it.
The cafeteria is mostly empty again when they enter. Noctis makes a beeline for the counter while the others make for the table.
When he rejoins them, he sees Prompto and Iris in the group.
"'Sup, buddy!"
"'Sup."
"You okay? You look like you've been dragged through a Chocobo racetrack and back."
"Yeah. Just...nightmares."
"Nightmares, again?" Iris asks worriedly, "Oh no, are you okay? Are they bad?"
"Nah, nothing I can't handle."
"Oh, look at this guy." Prompto snorts, "That kinda line only works when you don't have bags under your eyes, Noct."
Noctis blinks, then touches the underside of his eyes, flushing red a bit, "I-It's not a big deal."
"Now, now. As lovely as this is, we have to get on with breakfast, then on with our training."
A collective groan from everyone except Gladio and Noctis says, "I'm still sore from yesterday, though! And nightmares!"
"Neglect your training and those nightmares of yours will definitely come for you." Gladio points out.
"Fiiiiine."
He takes his own sweet time as he always does. People talk around him, to him, and the sound of voices is oddly comforting in the radio silence.
Iris checks the plushies she's made for him and shows off her own moves, Prompto's fiddling around with his camera and snapping photos out the window.
Gladio's reading the same old book he's read about 400 times now and Ignis is frowning long and hard at the food, book at his side.
And Noctis faces away from all of them, staring out the window. Chin placed in hand, lazily picking up his spoon and fork as he eats.
"Still half-asleep?"
Ignis asks, settling down on the bench next to him.
"80%." Noctis says.
"Might I suggest some Ebony, then?"
"Maybe." He doesn't make any move to take any though, "...Maybe not." He decides, after thinking.
"Suit yourself. More for me, then."
"Mm."
It's at this point Noctis sets his container aside and sighs, wiping his mouth.
"It's quite the sight, even after all this time. Isn't it?" Ignis asks. He too was staring out the window.
A clear, pristine, glass-pane from the ceiling to the floor, separating the cold, sterile white of the cafeteria.
And the frigid, beautiful darkness outside, with stars glimmering coldly at them as they drifted by.
Sometimes, if he peered through carefully, Noctis could see the lukewarm colors of purple and pink, other colors glowing softly in the night.
"Quite the sight alright." Noctis says.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Such blissful days of normalcy.
They seemed so far away now.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
When he wakes up again, it's to Prompto peering down at him.
"...!"
"Whoa! Sorry, buddy. You've uh, been knocked out quite a while, I was trying to wake you up and-"
"I...It's nothing. No prob. What's wrong?"
"Ignis needs some help."
"Uh...sure. I'll be right there."
Apparently, Ignis is in the control room. Noctis puts his boots on and is barely out the door when he sees Gladio.
"Hey, Noct. You seen Iris anywhere?"
"Huh? Uh, no. Not really. Just woke up..."
"Hm."
"I'm going to meet Ignis in the control room. Do you wanna come along?"
"Sure. Keep an eye out for her if you see her, yeah?"
"Cool. I'll join up with you guys later; I have to talk to Vyv." Prompto pipes up.
"Vyv? Does he have another assignment for you?"
"Kind of? Need to check on some things, but I'm taking my camera just in case."
"Sure, okay. Have fun with that." Noctis says and he walks out the door, the dull, mechnical whirring settling in the radio silence.
The control room was on the other end of the spaceship, and quite a long walk.
A very long, very uneventful walk.
"Well, you've certainly kept me waiting." Ignis says, eyebrow raised.
"Sorry. You seen Iris anywhere?" Noctis asks.
"Hm?"
Ignis pauses. Seems to ponder something.
"No, not really. Do you want us to send out a search party for her?"
"No, I..."
Noctis looks up at Gladio.
"...I'll go look for her. Both of you have something important to do, right? Just don't crash the ship." He says brusquely. Then he walks out the door.
"...Ignis?"
"It's nothing. Well, since you're here, you'll have to oversee the system functions and-"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Such blissful days of normalcy.
They seemed so far away now.
To keep himself sane, he forces himself to dwell on happier times. He says that, but it does nothing to help his fervor.
It's all he has. It's all he has left.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
He wakes up again.
This time, it's Gladio.
"...Hey, bug guy."
"Hey." He's sitting at the edge of the pod and Noctis sits up.
"What's up?"
"Mhh. Nothing, really."
"Sure sounds like nothing."
"...Look, I don't know. Just...do you ever get the feeling that's something...off?"
"Off?"
"I don't know how to say it." Gladio seems to be considering something. His arms were folded, he stares at the ground. And Noctis waits, expectant.
But before he could say anything, a loud piercing alarm tears through the silence.
"...!"
"Daemons. On the ship?!"
Noctis looks at his watch, "Whatever it is, looks like it's in the main hull. Doesn't look friendly."
"Great."
"Well, wanna come with me? Some head bashing'll get some things off your mind."
Gladio grins.
"Sure. That'll help loads."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Such blissful days of normalcy.
They seemed so far away now.
To keep himself sane, he forces himself to dwell on happier times. He says that, but it does nothing to help his fervor.
It's all he has. It's all he has left.
He tells himself this, as he walks forward to the future.
The shards of his past, their past, tearing his feet.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
He watches Noctis and Gladio exit the room.
And the dull, mechanical whirring of the camera watching them, fills the room.
On the other side of the screen, Ignis watches them.
"...."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
He wakes up.
The air is colder.
He pulls himself up.
"...They're getting more predictable now." Noctis says.
He pulls his glove on and experimentally flexes his arm, grimacing as he feels the pins and needles effect recede under his skin.
"How long's it been since the last attack?" Checking the dial on his watch, he sighs.
"...Seriously? Whatever."
With a flourish, he summons his sword.
Just in time for the alarms to blare red.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
When he wakes up again, the air is...
Silent.
Cold.
Quiet.
Inside his pod, it's even colder. More alien, more plastic to the touch.
How long was he asleep?
...However long it was, it was long enough. There's a hissing sound as the pod opens. Remotely.
He blinks up at the open lid, then pulls himself up.
"What's wrong?" He asks the empty room.
"Systems are failing." Ignis' tinny voice breaks through the silence.
"Already? It hasn't even been 15 cycles."
"...It's taking less and less time to corrupt the support systems."
"Is it the demons?"
"They're certainly not helping matters."
"I'll clear out a pathway to the control room."
"Hurry."
Ignis' voice already sounds strained. Scratchy.
And he rushes towards the door.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
It's harder and harder to keep up this facade.
It's taking all he has. All that he's made of, all that he owns.
And this ship falling apart certainly wasn't helping matters.
The screens glitch to life, turning on, turning off, there's a low screeching noise as he struggles with the air locks.
While built to house over a 1000 people, it doesn't seem to hold off daemon attacks.
One hell of a rush job.
On the cameras, Noctis easily, effortlessly makes his way past the waves of creatures, of daemons.
Be safe, Noctis.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
It's strange.
Something seems off.
It's empty.
Where was everybody?
"Gladio? Prompto? Iris?"
Did the daemons...?!
He yanks the sword clean out of the daemon's skull and looks around.
Then freezes abruptly.
Someone else was...there.
A figure dressed in a trenchcoat.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
...Impossible.
Inconceivable.
How was...
"Who are you?!" Noctis' voice through
A spine-rending chill as the man chuckles.
"How hurtful, little prince."
He knows all too well, that voice.
"What?"
"I wasn't expecting you to forget, even after all these years."
No, no, no, this was all wrong.
No.
"No͠c̴t͏i̧̡̨s̛͢͞!"
"...! Ignis?"
"Run!"
"But what...why?"
"And why not?" The man says. His voice was distorted, his eyes were blackened, his pupils soulless.
But it was him.
Not again!
The lights on the spaceship flicker.
"Noctis, run!"
And Noctis finally complies.
He runs. He runs far, far away.
Ardyn stands around in shock before he laughs, uproarious.
And he follows.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Through the empty cafeteria.
Through the empty hallways.
He runs and he runs.
Where was he going?
"Noct!"
"G-Gladio?" Noctis huffs. There he was, standing in a doorway. "This way!" He yells.
"This way, buddy!"
"Prompto!"
"Noct!!"
"Iris!"
The minute he was through the door, it shuts immediately.
Noctis looks around.
"...Guys?"
They're gone?
"Noctis."
Ignis stands there. But...Noctis had come through the entrance?
"Go towards the escape pod."
"But what about...the others? You?"
"I'll be fine. Now, go!"
To Ignis' relief, he complies. Even if he looked uncertain.
And Ignis follows, to the center of the room.
Towards the pod that Noctis slept in.
"Lie down in there. I'll be along shortly."
"Ignis-"
"You'll be fine."
"...Hurry. Okay?"
"I will. I'll-"
He's stopped dead.
Ignis falls.
"...!"
Just as the glass lid falls.
"Nooooctisss."
He hears the whisper again. That voice.
It sends a chill down his spine, a tightness in his gut.
Rage. Rage in his heart.
The man looms over the top of him again, gazing at him with the same expression. Gaping at him with a lopsided smirk.
Dark tar oozing from his cheeks.
"Where are you going?"
"...Where..."
So familiar. Where does he know-
Eme̢͠r̡g̕͠ȩncy shutdown activą̡t̷ed.
"What?!"
"...No! Ignis!"
His cries go unheard.
The man is thrown back as the pod starts to rise.
"Noctis!"
Out of the ship, impervious to his cry.
He looks back down to see Ignis collapsed on the floor.
"You." His voice drips with venom and Ignis resists the urge to laugh, "You've cost me valuable time. Valuable...patience."
"Ap̵ologies, bưt I really don't...care."
It's harder to breath. Difficult to speak.
The life support system had finally given out.
"Lack of oxygen of all things wouldn't result in the death of me, you know."
"I knǫw."
Ignis stares up at him, even as his body flickers in and flickers out of existence.
"Neither will̕ it be for ͟mȩ."
"Oh, most certainly not. However, the power in this ship can't sustain such a complicated AI personality for long. Let alone three."
Behind him, Prompto, Gladio...Iris.
They all stood, static, motionless, dead-eyed. Puppet-like.
"We man̨age some̡ho̶w."
"Is that how you tricked him?" Ardyn asks. He honestly sounds curious.
"W̕e ̶didn̕'͡t̕ ̛do.̸..͠an̕y̶t͘hing҉ of t̨h̵e̷ sor͜ţ. ̧Ḩę...̵"
His words were breaking down.
He couldn't...play human anymore.
Not that he ever believed for a second that he was.
"He'd rem͠aine͞d҉ įn c̕ry̶ost͟aşi͡s for several thousand years. When the 114th king had t̢̨a̡̢k̡͢͡en Insomnia back, his friends...had found him dead upon the throne."
"Pronounced 'dead'." Ardyn says, with a scoff, "If I had survived that ordeal, he had obviously done as well."
"Yes. I͢͜g̛͢ņi̶͠s̵ S҉c̡͜i̧͞ȩ͠n͢t̢͡i̢a҉ had kept his body alive through cryostasis."
"His Royal Highness sleeping through hundreds and thousands of years with that little girlfriend of his." Ardyn chuckles, "Is that why you've never made a puppet of her? Were you jealous, little machine man?"
Ignis' expressions were harder to process now. His AI core was freezing up.
But he was still able to direct a glare towards Ardyn.
"Y̶̶̡͘͠ơ̸͞u̴ were the one who killed her. Hę͢͡s̨t̷i҉l͏l͏ ̕͞͏ļ̷̷ơ̸v͏͏͏e̸̡s̶͜ ͟͠her̢ even now. If I'd m͜a͞d̵e...an AI of the Oracle, h͞ȩ̶͟'̴̧d̛ ̛͘͜i̸m̕me̴͢d̸͞i̸̴͏a̕t͠ę̕l̵͜͡y̧ ą̕sso̷͘c̵͘͟į̶a̷͘͜t̡e̢ h̶̢er͡ w͟ith̛ y̧͜͝o̴u̴͢͜."
"Must be harsh for the man who'd made all this with so much care." Ardyn drawls, sarcastic and biting.
It was.
Possibly.
"He made all this. A habitat, a place of play for his beloved highness. Where he could sleep for several thousands of years at a time, get up and play with machine copies of his friends for a day and go back to sleep."
"I̶̧n͟ ̛͠a ̶̡w̢a҉y̛͝."
"All for the prince who'd never love him back. Oh, what a tragedy, isn't it?"
"Į͏̺̺̗͈̰͉͖ͅ wouldn't know."
"I'm asking you." Ardyn says coldly, "He created you to watch him. In the night sky that he loved. You should know best what he wanted."
At this point in time, his emotional core had completely malfunctioned.
Ardyn cackles, crazed laughter as he feels the air drain from his lungs and the energy drain from his body.
The engines stop, the smell of smoke.
̡̄̇͛̎̽̂̿͏̙̦͍͓̩̜̙̩̪̙͖
"N͉̠̩̞̠͝o͉͙̟̳͘c̛͔̬͓̗tị̹̣̗̺͖s̲̻̺̥͙̻̗."
The last human whisper of his name, in a hissing, mechanical, wavery voice.
It's the most he's sounded like the original Ignis, he thinks with a mirthless smile he could no longer represent.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Year 20XX,
Such blissful days of normalcy.
They seemed so far away now.
To keep himself sane, he forces himself to dwell on happier times. He says that, but it does nothing to help his fervor.
It's all he has. It's all he has left.
He tells himself this, as he walks forward to the future.
The shards of his past, their past, tearing his feet.
But still, he's in the lab. Staring up at the person he'd trapped behind glass, sound asleep.
...
Ah, he'd never noticed before.
The glass around this person looked like a coffin.
The creator speaks again.
"He's still alive. The magic within him is weak, we had to use everything we had, but he's still alive."
It was obvious. Yet, the creator repeats it again and again in an attempt to steady his psyche.
"His life systems wouldn't be stable. He'll sleep through months, years, decades at a time, his body frozen into the same physical state, but he's alive. He's alive."
He pauses and seems to consider something.
"We were lucky that...he did wake up once. But he didn't remember us. The trauma he had undergone was significant enough to take his memory away."
Wasn't that what the creator wanted?
His expression...seemed torn.
"But he was alive. We talked about the days he knew us. Of course, we could hardly tell him that us wrinkly old prunes were the same brothers he once rode with."
"And I...the fact that I could see him again, that I could see him be happy. Well."
In a discreet manner, he wipes his cheek.
"But I won't be around for very long. I knew it ever since I saw him. One day, he'll wake up and we'll be gone. He won't know that, though."
The creator walks towards the keypad again, staring at the monitor, where the code was compiled.
"I've worked on this...Project Somnus. The spacestation parked in the stars that he loved, coupled with machines to keep him alive. And...to keep the friends that he has in his memory alive, whenever he wakes up."
"..."
"That should be enough."
"...Why are you doing all this?" The AI...that was a part of me, asked suddenly. He looks startled, as he should, with a voice sounded so uncannily close to his.
He recovers quickly though.
"It's...the least I can do for him now. After everything he's done for us."
Another question that burned at the back of my artificial tongue. I'd heard of it recently, another of what they called 'emotions'.
Something that the lady had told me, between them.
I'd calculated the chances he would answer.
0%.
"Understood."
He nods.
"That was all I needed. This should be enough."
He says to himself again. His hand pressing lightly against the glass, over the sleeping king's hand.
"This should be enough."
End of memory entry.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Songs used for inspiration:
Hyun-ae(Innocence): Analogue: A Hate Story OST
Prologue: Analogue: A Hate Story OST
The Smiths: Analogue: A Hate Story OST
Somnus: Final Fantasy XV OST
Somnus(w/ Vocals): Final Fantasy XV OST
I actually did take some inspiration from Analogue: A Hate Story for various parts of the fic. It's quite a good game, I recommend you play it! :>
Title: At Insomnia’s End.
Rating: K+
Warnings: Major character death, spoilers past Chapter 13 of main game and implied spoilers past Chapter 10
@ignoctweek day 3:
>Simple: Sleep
>Situational: Reincarnation/Time Travel AU
Summary: At the edge of a dream, and the end of a nightmare, a king finally gets to say goodbye. Time travel meeting between Ignis and 10yearsolder!Noctis
A03 Link
At Insomnia's End.
A Final Fantasy XV fanfiction
Maybe he was dreaming again. Apart from the usual daydream kind, it does happen sometimes.
Visions of the future, the past, of things occurring in the present.
'Nightmares' would be a more appropriate fit.
And this one was particularly cruel.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Is what he says finally. Maybe he couldn't resist.
Ignis, for his part, looks suitably dumbfounded. Of course he was.
"A ghost?" It's the only possibility for what Ignis could see in front of him.
A man with sunken eyes, unshaven cheeks. Knuckles white as he gripped his throne, his shoulders weighed down under the Lucian finery that he was dressed in, that he wore with a broken, hollow sort of pride.
"The ghost of someone you knew once." The king says in a...strangely familiar voice. "I know that feeling."
"...This is..." Words, sentences start to form in Ignis' mind, but fail once he tries to voice them, as he takes in what he sees.
A room in pieces, with the elegant staircase wrecked beyond recognition. Corpses hanging from the ceiling of people he knew well, and the ghost of a king upon his throne.
"It's in bad taste, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"This." The king gestures between them, "I say that with confidence, but I don't know what that means to you."
"What that means to me?"
"I also say it's in bad taste, but then I know a jester who'd employ such a travesty." His expression sours, but it's strangely faded.
It's like it took everything the man had to even speak, or show what he felt.
Ignis frowns, "Who would that be?"
"Considering who we're talking about, it would probably be a bad idea to tell you."
"And why would that be a bad idea?"
"Mostly because of why you're here."
In the back of his mind, there's something that clicks in to place. He can see it in Ignis' eyes.
Because that was the main difference.
He could see it.
"Do you know why you're here?" There seems to be something odd in the king's expression then. He holds Ignis' gaze with a strange sort of care, as if considering whatever the man would do next.
"I don't."
"I have an idea that neither of us would like the answer."
"Who are you?" Ignis manages to ask finally and he doesn't miss the way that the king's expression flickers. Nor the way that his fingers grip the arms of the throne.
Minute little details, while the man seems to clutch for his mask.
"I..."
In a way...he almost succeeds.
Almost.
"I am..."
The king closes his eyes,
All he could see was pain.
There's a dull echo of it in Ignis' chest.
"No...No-one. Just...no-one of importance."
"Forgive me for not believing that, with you dressed as you are."
Something seems to occur to Ignis just then. There were certain odd details that stuck out to him, of what the man wore.
"...You look...quite similar to the king we once had."
"I know. That was the intention." The man draws his jacket closer over himself. And Ignis finally sees it.
In this light, it was almost impossible to, but he noticed it.
A stain. Scarlet spreading over his shirt.
Before he could even question it, Ignis was already rushing up the staircase.
"Don't come any closer!"
And halts dead in his tracks with the man screams.
He's close now. Close enough that he can see the rip in the man's shirt and the jagged stab wound in his chest.
Over his heart.
"Don't...come..." The man gasps out and he's hunched over now.
"You're on the verge of death, you know."
"I...know." The man chuckles, and it sounds hollows, "I know that."
And Ignis faces him again.
"You...ensured that." Ignis says. It's a question, but doesn't sound like one.
It's...all of a sudden it's difficult to breathe.
"I did."
"Kind of contradictory to an ascension, don't you think?"
"..."
A bitter smile. "I know."
Ascension.
A lonely king, dressed in black finery.
It starts to click together in his mind.
Something seems to show in his face.
"You're-"
"Sorry."
And he hunches over, forward.
When Ignis catches him, he feels incredibly light. There's a faint rustle and the clinking of metal.
His fingers smeared with blood, the color drained from his face.
His eyes.
"I'm sorry."
Sounding so, so, so lost, a broken voice so familiar.
Like how he cried when he was a child.
"Noctis..." Ignis' voice breaks on his name, a whirl of emotions that makes him sick to his stomach, "What's...what happened? Why-"
Noctis shakes his head. His lips are thinned out and pale and he already feels so, so cold.#
"I can't."
"Can't what?! What happened...we...we need to get you to a-"
"Ignis." Fingers grasping his shirt and Noctis draws himself closer, burying his face in Ignis' chest, "Please...I can't leave."
"What happened here, Noct? Who did this to you?!"
"Ignis!"
Everything about him seems so easily breakable. The way he held himself, the way he shrunk away from the world.
Yes...everything.
Save for those eyes.
They gaze into Ignis' own, now, and there's a firm resolve that Ignis had never seen.
"I won't be able to leave this place, Ignis." He says, every word tortuously slow, like every word pained him, "I can't."
"But why-?!"
"I'm not the Noctis you know."
"What?"
The words make him falter for some inexplicable reason.
And while he remained still, his mind kicks into overdrive.
Because Ignis Scientia was a man who prided himself on his logic, his reason.
It's what he was effectively raised into being, seeing as he was to be a part of the prince's entourage. The Lucian Prince's eyes and ears, his voice of reason and the sword to his shield.
And now? In his arms lay his friend, dressed in royal finery, slowly growing colder and colder as he bled to his inevitable death, and while every single part of Ignis screamed at him to save him, Noctis himself denied any help or attention, and every single part of him seemed. Different.
When the possibility presents itself in his mind, Noctis could see it in his eyes.
"You couldn't save me", Noctis says, as he let the pieces fall into place, "because you shouldn't."
"...Is this..." Ignis clears his throat, but his words still shake, "...what...this is what happens?"
Such a simple question. So conveniently simple.
Noctis feels like laughing again, and possibly would, save for the blood flooding his lungs.
As it was...he could barely speak.
"Is this what happens? In our future?" Ignis repeats again.
It honestly seemed like something out of a nightmare. Like a trick or illusion.
And while the more pragmatic side of him considers those options, something in him as he sees Noctis makes him consider only that.
Noctis couldn't speak. Tell him yes or no.
It was so hard to breathe now.
And as he feels the life drain from his body, he feels something inside him swell.
With the last of his strength, he pulls Ignis down into a shaky embrace.
He feels Ignis stiffen up almost immediately, and it's like a twist of the knife in his dying heart.
"I won't hurt...you."
"I wouldn't expect someone bleeding out of his heart to." His tone was flat and his fingers shake over Noctis' back.
Noctis does laugh then, "Hey...in all these years...I've grown strong enough to kick your ass, you know."
He couldn't keep that smile for long, but he tried to.
The end was near and he could sense it.
It's harder to hold on to Ignis now.
Noctis hands seem to phase through his body.
"Sorry you were...dragged into this."
Ignis notices the strange blue glow that surrounds his body then, but keeps holding onto Noctis for dear life.
"What happened to you? Whatever it is, we can stop it! Where's Prompto and Gladio and-"
"I said...that you can't."
"Noctis!"
"I don't...know why you came here. But I'm glad."
"Glad for what?"
"I can say goodbye this time."
As Noctis' life fades, so does the Ignis in front of him.
"Noctis!"
"This isn't your fault, Ignis."
With the last of his strength, he pulls himself up and kisses Ignis' forehead.
Presses their foreheads together to look into his eyes.
"I doubt that you will remember me...but please."
A hand on Noctis' cheek, and the tenderness wrenches at his very being.
"Savor the days we had together. The times we fought together...and laughed together. Treasure them for as long as you can."
He could barely feel his own body now, but he still clings on.
"Like I do. It's all...I have now."
And Ignis could see the life fading from Noctis' eyes, the tears that fell onto his cold cheeks.
"Goodbye, Ignis." He says quietly, as his eyes start to close. Through numbed lips, he feels Ignis' kiss.
"I loved you."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Ignis?"
Ignis starts, eyes snapping open to see Noctis hovering in front of him, regarding him with a curious expression.
"...Oh! What is-"
"Hey, easy, easy. I think you just dozed off."
"Dozed off?"
"Yeah, you crashed in that chair right after we entered the caravan." Noctis blinks, then frowns, "Are you alright?"
"What?"
"You look kind of off. Bad dream?"
Ignis ponders this for a bit.
"Not sure."
"Not sure?"
Subtly, Ignis brings his hand up to brush his cheek.
Simple: Noctis cooks
>Situational: Fantasy World AU (via Dragon!Noctis)
Summary: After Noctis seeks out a particularly harsh hunt alone, Ignis must track him down in the wild and re-evauate the careful relationship that they’d kept together.
A03 Link
Violin waltz.
A Final Fantasy XV fanfiction
The sun had just about reached its peak when Ignis finally finds the cave.
A particularly well-hidden haven in the heart of the rocky terrain. Not too far above the ground, strangely enough, easily accessible.
He surveys the landscape again as he dismounts from his chocobo, giving it a cursory pat and words of gratitude before turning around and walking inside.
The echo of the wind, that swept past his feet, of his voice trapped in place as he walked on by, mingling together like the singing of nymphs. He could almost delude himself into thinking there was music there, at the edge of his hearing, if he focused on it.
He's getting close. It's confirmed when he feels the air turn to liquid at his fingers, presses down at his lungs and the thrums of piano and violin creates a sorrowful duet, echoing in the large chambers.
He stops at a fork in the path and considers his options...before calling out again anyway.
"Noct?"
There's a rather loud sound to his left and he elects to follow it. The music gets louder and louder and it feels less and less like he's walking and more like he's swimming with the magic that swirled in the air with a familiar, comforting bluish light.
To the point, he felt like he wasn't walking, dragging himself along. Into someone else's rhythm, performing a waltz with the air.
He stops when he reaches a wide area surrounded by several tunnels, one of which he seems to have traversed through. An open area after such narrow tunnels, oddly enough, does nothing to ease his wariness, but it does help the claustrophobia a bit.
Enough room, he thinks grimly, to house a rather large daemon. A Nagarani, perhaps even a Jormungand. But he doesn't see either of them.
The swords, spears, daggers at his feet and buried into the ground certainly didn't help matters.
What he does see is discarded and burnt sticks on the charred ground and several glowing lines of light that illuminated the heart of the haven.
Where his missing liege slept, ever-so-peacefully.
"..."
Merely setting his eyes upon him and Ignis felt it all rushing back; the exasperation, the humor, the stress, the relief, a slow, flickering spark of irritation that he'd learnt all too well to deal with and cope with once he'd entered the Crownsguard service.
And a slower, warmer sense of familiarity.
Ignis sighs and walks towards the center, past the charring, the claw marks on the ground, the faint smell of fire.
Clambering up on the top of the haven stone and settling down carefully on it.
"Noct. Wake up."
An annoyed grunt.
"Noctis." A tap on his shoulder and Noctis shakes it off, rolling over to the side.
Some persistent shaking does get some progress; Noctis groans, pushes his hand away, then groans again and sits up.
At least his eyes are open. Kind of.
Clouded, electric. A wild, bright red staring back at him.
They flicker over, then focus on Ignis and Noctis frowns. "Ignis...?"
"The one and the same."
"Huh. Isn't it...what are you doing here?" Noctis pauses to yawn, "Is it morning already?"
"1 in the afternoon."
"It's still...oh right. The cave." Noctis chooses this point to stretch, reaching his arms up and exhaling as he sits cross-legged on the rock.
Followed by the wings unraveling from his body to stretch out behind him, a royal dark blue that reached towards the lighter colors as it travelled on his webbed wings, glowing the faded, gentle blue color of the magic in the air.
Like the magic that flickered in his eyes.
"...A tough battle?"
"Hm?"
"Your arms."
Noctis looks back down and frowns. His arms were covered with the same dark blue scales as the ones on his back and wings and his talons were fully out.
"...Y-you could say that." Noctis says. He discreetly tries to hide them behind his back and Ignis could already see blue sparks over his skin as his fingers pressed into his palms, "It wasn't a big deal, really."
"...Certainly seemed to be enough of one for you to run away in the dead of night. To fight it. All by yourself."
"Uh." Noctis falters, "You, uh. Sound a bit pissed."
"Worried, mostly."
"Not denying it, huh." Noctis scratches his cheek, sheepish.
By this point, his hand seems to have reverted back to normal.
"Really, it wasn't that bad. It was much more difficult than what we handle usually. Just at...nighttime."
"And was there a particular objective or clause at this hunt of yours that couldn't inform me about this?"
"It was...nighttime?" Noctis repeats lamely.
"..."
Of course, it came back down to that.
"It would be wise to pursue such difficult objectives with backup."
"...Right."
"At the very least, you could prepare to avoid awkward situations such as these."
Ignis hands him the change of clothes he'd brought and Noctis takes a moment to register what that means before his cheeks flush and he accepts the pile in a hurry.
"Yeah, uh. Right." He says again. There's a slight thud as his tail hits the ground in embarrassment.
Still not embarrassed enough to change right away. Ignis frowns.
"Were you injured?"
"Hm? Not badly, it'll heal up in a few days." Is the dismissive reply.
"...Days."
"Days. Uh. It wasn't that tough, but it was a high-level daemon. Which automatically makes it tough and-" Noctis wisely chooses to close his mouth then and hold his now human hands out. With a bad gash down the arm.
The expression on Ignis' face seems to speak volumes.
"It looks worse than it is."
"So I've been told multiple times."
"It's not as bad as last time!"
"I'll have to agree with that. You do seem quite well, if this is any indication." Ignis gestures around them, noting the blue-ish light that marked where his fingers were. Surrounding the tips of his gloves as he carefully wrapped the bandage around the boy's arm.
"That usually happens when I sleep."
"Hm. Quite interesting. Like an practice arena/healing station of sorts."
"Yeah. Uh, Ignis?"
"Yes, Noct?"
"There's possibly another um. Another injury near my neck. It's not too bad, just a scratch and-"
"Noct."
"Right."
Noct nods his head and winces a bit.
The cut on his neck is jagged and rough.
And deep.
"You should see the other guy."
"Daemon corpses evaporate after several seconds."
"Just great." Noctis winces again, but suppresses it somewhat, "Well, the proof is in the sighting. Or lack of it."
"A powerful one like that would be an eyesore in these parts."
"Like I said, it wasn't that bad."
"Says the draconian forced to transform to ensure victory."
"That..."
"Your horns are still out."
"Wait, what?" Noctis' hands shoot up and the movement jostles them both.
"Keep still, Noct."
"Right. Yep. Bad idea."
"And so is having your identity exposed."
"Yep. Worse idea."
"And sleeping in a cave in the midst of the wild."
"Worsest idea."
"Unless you needed healing."
Looking suitably chastised, Noctis looks away.
"...You're acting like a regular dragon of legend."
"Of legend? Like the fairytales you used to read?"
"Something like that. Most of the ones that featured dragons usually had them as the villains or as servants for heroes with a greater cause."
"So, not a good thing." Noctis says with a raised eyebrow.
"And the rare ones who did usually had them as princes suffering from evil curses."
"Oh, princes?" Something seems to occur to Noctis then, "From those witches you used to talk about? The bad ones?"
"Something like that." Ignis sets the bandage on his neck, then runes to ensure faster healing. Presses them on carefully. "It changes on the story. But usually the story outcome is the same."
"And what's that?"
"They're usually transformed back into humans. Usually with a princess' kiss."
Noctis raised his eyebrows, "A princess. Really."
"That, or throwing their clothes on their back. That transforms them back as well."
"Well, we have that covered." Noctis holds his clothes pile up, "So, what, they just go up to them and kiss them?"
"Essentially."
"Huh. Princesses are usually the ones who have to be saved."
"Like me."
Noctis looks at him and then back down again. "You're the one who told me you could handle yourself."
"And you're the one loathe to believe it."
"You're-" Noctis stops himself. Shakes his head.
And he knows.
"Being spirited away helped in that regard." Ignis says simply, "I know my enemies better now."
"...Yeah."
Noctis presses his hands against his horns and Ignis watches as they flicker out of existence, in a blue flash of light.
"That'd help, I guess."
"It does."
"...Sorry. I should have trusted you."
"Apology accepted. But like you said, I was more worried about you than anything."
Noctis does grin then. "Thank goodness. I didn't know what'd happen if my princess was mad at me. ...Hey, don't look at me like that. You said it yourself."
"I suppose I did. Well, here are your clothes, so change back quickly before the clock strikes midnight."
"You're embarrassed." Noctis snickers and pokes Ignis' cheek, "You're definitely fitting the part of blushy maiden right now. What, embarrassed to give me a kiss for good luck?"
And Ignis leans away with as much dignity/grace he could muster. "Pray tell what would the illustrious dragon prince who singlehandedly took down an Adamantoise need luck for?"
"Facing Dad after you told him I went on this hunt alone?"
"Fortune does favor the bold, Your Highness. Make your own luck."
"Traitor."
By this point, he'd pulled his shirt and pants on and stood up, stretching fully and kicking at the dust in his feet.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be." Noctis responds.
By this point, the music had died down.
The magic in the air had disappeared.
And Ignis could already feel eyes surround them.
"Wanna bash some heads in?" Noctis asks quietly. Daggers in hand and staring behind Ignis' shoulder.
"Yes, let's."
"Alright." Noctis takes a step towards Ignis then.
Ignis turns and is about to discuss strategies with him, but is stopped when he feels soft lips on his own.
Insistent fingers tugging at his shirt and a gentle, careful hand on his cheek. The warmth of a sigh.
When Noctis pulls back, Ignis swears he feels the ghost of a snake tongue slither between them.
"For good luck." Noct says softly, with a smirk. Then his eyes flash red and warp behind Ignis, stabbing his dagger deep into the daemon's skull.
Ignis, for his part, merely stays in place for a few more seconds before he turns around abruptly.
He had a job to do after all.
This dragon prince couldn't protect him forever or for very long.
He thinks this as he falls into step with Noctis, a smile on his lips as he sees Noctis' childlike expression of wonder.
And into the waltz that only the both of them knew.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
For reference, the music is Noct's cave is: What lies Within: FFXV OST. i adore the dungeon music. so much. the dungeons themselveeees tho lmao they can go burn
Songs used for inspiration:
Dragon Boy: Spirited Away OST
Somnus(sob): FFXV OST
Lost Time Memory: Jin ft IA
