Chapter Text
Noctis couldn’t believe any of this. His home had crumbled, his father had been killed and now to top it off one of his father’s closest friends was being a cryptic ass. This was just too much to handle. As if all this wasn’t enough, a terrifying thought crossed his mind: Phila, like all the other Crowns-guard, had been in the Citadel during the attack. Like lightning, Noctis whipped out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he came to a silly picture of the Captain clinging to his arm.
“Come on, pick up, pick up.” He muttered, pacing back and forth as the phone rang. The Prince’s companions looked on in concern as their friend fretted, no idea what he was doing.
“Hello?” It wasn’t Phila’s voice that answered and Noctis’ heart rate soared with worry.
“Cindy? Why do you have Phila’s phone?” He questioned, sounding harsher than he perhaps should have but damn it he was worried about his fian- ex-fiancé.
“Highness? Oh so you’re Prince Charmless.” Though the mechanics attempt at a joke was appreciated, unfortunately she couldn’t exactly keep up the cheerful tone at the moment.
“Why do you have Phil’s phone? Is she okay?” The question tumbled out his mouth at one hundred miles an hour and poor Cindy had trouble keeping up with them all.
“Well, I’ve got her phone because she’s here.” Cindy admitted, “A hunter brought her in about an hour ago an’ I gotta admit, she’s not in great shape.” Noct’s heart dropped, this couldn’t be happening, Phil can’t die, she’s just as bad as Cor!
“What is that supposed to mean?” Noct asked desperately, already trailing back down the hill with his friends still in a confused, and now worried, tow.
“It means she’s battered and bruised but Paw-Paw says she’ll be fine. Y’all might wanna come on over though, it’ll do her some good to see friendly faces when she wakes up.” Nocits made a sprint for the Regalia from there, unfortunately, Ignis would not allow him to drive in his worked up state and was quick to banish him to the back seat.
The car ride only took about twenty minutes but for the Prince it felt like an eternity and when the gang finally reached Hammerhead, Noctis barely waited for the car to come to a complete stop. The Prince immediately found Cindy and began bombarding her with questions about the welfare of his friend.
“Whoa, highness, calm your farm. Your friend is in the house out the back resting, doctors’ orders.” Cindy finally got a word in when Noctis paused to take a breath. The Prince opened his mouth to say something else when Cid’s voice broke over Hammerhead.
“Hold you chocobo sweetheart! You’re in no condition to do anything.” He called and the entire group looked over Cindy’s shoulder to see the old man talking to a younger woman that looked far worse for wear.
“But I’ve been wrong before.” Cindy muttered to herself as Noct side stepped her and began making his way over to the pair.
“I’m sorry, Cid, but I need to find- Noctis!” Phila nearly cried at the sight of the Prince alive and well. Despite her entire body hurting, she rushed over to Noctis as quickly as she could and the Prince gathered her into his arms in a bone crushing hug in return.
“You’re okay, you’re really okay. Thank the six.” Noct muttered over and over and, despite having ended their relationship, he planted a soft kiss on the top of the woman’s head. “I was so worried you were dead.”
“Oh ye of little faith.” Phila joked, her voice sounding like she had swallowed sandpaper but it was okay, she was alive at least. “Lady Lunafreya got out of the city too, she’s on her way to Altissia.” If Noctis was being honest, he hadn’t given much thought to Luna, knowing already that she would be safe.
“You’re never leaving again. That’s an order.” And he was serious too, he would handcuff her to the Regalia if that’s what it took to keep her by his side this time. Phila pulled back with a giggle to look at the Prince who had no sense of tact only to watch him flinch and stare at her in mild horror and worry.
“What? Is there something on my face or is it just funny looking?” She joked, looking to the other boys only to receive a similar reactions.
“Actually, something is on your face this time.” Noct gaped, gaining a curious look from the woman before she hobbled over to the Regalia and looked into the mirror only to scream at what she saw. Across her once flawless face ran a big scar starting above her right eye, crossing diagonally down her nose and ending on her left cheek under her eye.
“Six years of ‘not the face’ and what do those assholes do?” Phila shouted, succeeding in aggravating her wounds, “They go for the face!” the Captain clutched her side as the pain of her injuries made themselves known once more.
“Careful, darlin’ you’ll reopen your wounds.” Cid called from his lawn chair, only earning a dismissive wave from the woman.
“Does Cor know you’re alive?” Surprisingly it was Prompto who asked and all Phila could do was wince at the thought of facing her God-father. Her very angry God-father.
“I won’t be after I tell him considering last I saw him, I was legging it down a street with a platoon of MT troopers on my ass.” Phila admitted with a guilty smile as her boys all gaped at her. Leave it to the Captain of the Crowns-Guard to pull off that stupid stunt and still manage to get out alive.
“We should head out to meet him then.” Noctis suggested, stepping up to the woman and taking her hand, yes he was aware they were broken up but it was a physical reassurance that she was there, that he hadn’t lost everyone.
“First I need to change. As thankful as I am to Cindy for the pyjamas, I don’t particularly want to travel in them.” Cindy laughed at the statement and nodded with a friendly smile.
“Anytime. Although, I don’t think y’all be going anywhere in what you had. It’s a little torn to shreds.” The blonde said carefully and Phila sighed, nothing was turning up her way today.
“No sweat, you can borrow some of my clothes!” Prompto suggested, knowing full well he was the only one to even come close to the woman’s size. Reluctantly, Phila agreed and Prompto was quick to rummage through his bags and tossed one of his casual outfits at her.
Phila was not happy, as she stepped out of the bathroom of Taka’s diner. While she was grateful to Prompto for the loan of his clothes, it was definitely not her style. The red tank top was loose on her, the pants required a very tight belt, fortunately she had her own boots and the vest’s collar came up to cover half her face. In short, she looked much smaller and adorable than usual.
“Take any photos of me in this and you will not live to see another day.” Phila hissed, tugging at the loose clothes as Prompto lowered his camera.