Archive of Our Own ^beta

It is a gray and stormy night that finds the crown prince of Lucis wandering the halls of the Citadel. He is dressed, matching the gray sky with equally stormy gray sweatpants and a hoodie to block out the chill of the high ceilinged fortress. Stolen slippers clack softly against the polished ground (from his father or Ignis no doubt). Noctis listens to the quiet patter of the rain against the towering windows, preferring to walk the perimeter of the tower, instead of the silent interior halls.
He wanders and finds a nook to sit in near one of the interior gardens, the fresh smell of rain and damp ground wafting in from an ajar window. A Crownsgaurd stands nearby, silent and unmoving as Noctis ignores the guard and settles comfortably into his perch. They have grown used to his late night wanderings after he fully recovered a few years ago and was able to walk without assistance. More often than not it was him wandering to sneak into bed with his father, (or Ignis if his father wasn’t available) to run away from the nightmares that plagued him after the daemon attack. Luckily, tonight was not a nightmare filled night, he was just… restless.

Bright moonlight shines suddenly and Noctis glances upwards to the sky as a break in the rain gives him a sliver of moonlight and stars. The cool light washes over his features for a moment before disappearing back behind storm clouds. He smiles to himself, wondering if Luna enjoys the sound of rain as well, if the storms in Altissia are as tumultuous as the ones in Lucis. He should write to her… it has been a week since they last corresponded. He just hasn’t known what to say, embarrassed by how many times his writing to her is often “silly” questions. She never makes fun of his questions, and responds with questions of her own most of the time. He loves hearing what she thinks of things, they always sound poetic and much better than his fumbling thoughts.
As if summoned by the gods, there is a patter of paws down the hall and Umbra appears from the dark, the red notebook clutched gently in his muzzle. Noctis smiles in surprise, and reaches for the journal. He ponders over what to write, holding the blank page open in his lap.

-Luna…

He pauses, considering his phrase before writing

-What does the rain sound like to you?

He doodles a little moon hidden behind a grumpy faced storm cloud that sheds messily drawn raindrops down the edge of the page. His gives Umbra a scratch before handing the precious book back to the mystical canine. Umbra gives a small ‘woof’ before turning tail and scampering down the dark hall until the sound of paws against the hard floor vanishes into the night. Noctis lingers for only a moment longer, the chill of the night air getting to him as he sits still. He rises, cupping his hands to blow the cold sensation away and wanders back into the ornate halls that he has called home for 12 years.
Noctis pauses his meandering at the sound of music trickling down from the carpeted hall that leads to where Ignis and his uncle live. Curious, he turns down the hall to follow the sound, leaving sound of rain behind him as the tinkling of piano keys grows louder until Noctis stands before a slightly ajar door. The warm light from the interior lamps floods into the dim hallway as he gently pushes open the heavy oak door.
Ignis sits at the piano, in his pajamas and dressing robe, fingers gently flowing over the keys. He doesn’t acknowledge Noctis, as the prince quietly wanders in, immersed in the piece he is playing with the grace of years of practice. There is a window open behind the piano, and the sound of rain trickles into the room accompanying the piece Ignis plays. He walks towards Ignis, who glances up briefly from his sheet music to smile softly at Noctis, before turning his attention back to the keys. Noctis crosses behind his friend and sits back to back with him on the wide padded bench, leaning into Ignis’ back to leech off some warmth. He sways with Ignis as his body moves with his hands over the keys, growing sleepy with the calm rhythm of the movement.

“The song sounds nice with the rain.” He mumbles, not wanting to disturb his friend’s practice any more than he already is. He feels Ignis hum in agreement as he moves into the next phrase of the piece with a run of the keys. Noctis closes his eyes, and continues in a murmur.

“I wrote to Luna again today… I asked her what she thinks the rain sounds like…”

Ignis hums in approval and Noctis feels himself slouching heavier into his friend, the calm atmosphere of the room becoming the solution to quelling his restless mind. The breaths against his back flowed steadily in time with the entwined trickle of keys and rain, wrapping his senses in a reassuring feeling of safety and warmth. The musical notes began to soften and slow as Ignis approached the end of the music.

“And what does the rain sound like to you, Noct?"

Noctis was already drifting off to with a smile on his lips as Ignis withdraws his hands from the piano keys. The warmth of his friend cocooning him, and the steady patter of rain too tempting to resist the pull of sleep he so desperately needs. He feels himself being lifted as he thinks his answer before falling fully asleep.

'The rain sounds like you, Iggy…'