Archive of Our Own

It had been downpouring for almost a week straight, which has only seemed to delay their mission. Prompto didn’t seem to mind, holing up in a crappy motel as he listened to the hard pings of rain on the tin roof. The citadel didn’t have acoustics this nice, even with as high up as their room was. It was just like the old days, and, with little to do, the sex was plentiful. That also meant that they didn’t have to shove all four of them into one room. Gladio and Ignis got their own bedroom, if only to allow the King and Prompto their alone time.

Prompto listened to the rapid rising and falling of his boyfriend next to him in the bed. He propped himself up, leaning over, and placing his hand on Noct's chest. Slowly, he ran his fingers from bare sternum to the scruff of hair on his chin. “Hey Noct? When ya gonna shave this bad boy off?”

Vibrantly blue eyes peeked open, a hand reaching out, though it never quite made its mark, falling short of the little blond patch of hair on Prompto's chin. "Soon as you do. It's ten years of hard work right here."

"Hey. I've worked on this beauty, too." Prompto grinned, resting his head on Noctis's chest. He smiled softly, eyes closing as the world became heavy. 

"Maybe I'll get a trim… end up looking like Gladio... but I kinda like it like this." A roll of thunder was enough to keep his eyes open. The loud, rumbling claps had been getting closer, though his preoccupied mind had made little note of it.

"Hey, Prompto? When was the last time you heard a thunderstorm like this?"

"Hmm?" Prompto yawned, hand resting idly on the smooth chest next to his face. "Didn't rain, like really rain, during the ten years. So. Like, before that."

Noctis listened, really listened to the sounds of rain pattering on the thin roof shingles, as though it were something entirely familiar and foreign at the same time. It should have been a comfortable sound but for some reason… he knew it was probably just paranoia, hearing things that couldn't even be real.

"Prompto, there's something out there, listen…"

"Hmm," Prompto hitched his breathing slightly, cracking one eye open. "Like? What?"

"It's probably just me… but it's like a chirping sound, in between the thunder strikes." Noctis shook his head against the pillow, his hands moving smoothly along Prompto's spine. "Wondering if I've forgotten what weather sounds like…"

Prompto forced himself up, pushing the sleep from his eyes. “Noctis. Did you smack your head in the crystal? Birds hide when it rains.” 

And yet, as there was a lull in the thunder, there was in fact the distinct chorus of chirping and ... kwehs? Prompto shook his head. That was impossible. A behemoth had taken out Wiz and the entire post early on in the ten years of darkness. They had figured all chocobos had gone extinct since that moment in time. But that kweh was undeniable.

“Wait. I heard it.” 

"So it's not my imagination running wild, then?" Noctis didn't quite lift his body, he was still pinned down by the blond, but his head rose a few inches from his pillow. "It's still pouring out there…"

Prompto nodded, moving to slide out of bed. "I gotta see with my own eyes if what I'm hearing is true." When he wanted to, Prompto could dress in the blink of an eye, and he was quick into his Kingsglaive blacks. 

Noctis wasn’t as quick, on the other hand, and instead followed along wearing his slacks and a black zip up hoodie he’d found draped across the side table. It was likely Gladio’s, but the tall man probably wouldn’t notice. After all, he had left it in the wrong room. “If anybody knows their giant birds, it’s you. But don’t you think that… you know… someone would have noticed stray chocobos running around?”

“We haven’t seen chocobos since-” Prompto had been there, seen what had become of the Chocobo Post. It had broken his heart and he had had a good hard cry about it. “Since Wiz went down.” 

Eager, Prompto opened the door. The Duscae downpour was in full swing, and from their motel door, it was evident that Duscae had not been ready for the week-long torrent. Puddles had become lakes, and the rusty shells of cars in the parking lot were starting to hold water. Noctis was hesitant to follow Prompto down the small walkway that led to the ground level. If they were out too long, there was no telling when they would be able to come back. 

The pair squinted through the downpour, which had already soaked them from top to bottom, leaving nothing untouched. “Maybe it was a false alarm?”

From the corner or Noct’s eye he saw it. Something small, about the size of a car tire, zipping around behind the wreckage. Lightning cracked, so close now that they could see the tree struck in the distance snap into two. The chirps and kwehs they’d heard inside sprang back up from that same spot behind a pair of car skeletons and something… brown? fluttered for a few moments. 

“That’s… not a chocobo. Maybe we should go get Gladio and Ignis?”

Prompto was moving before Noctis spoke, reaching the spot where the fluffy brown creature had been seen. Chocobo or not, this poor creature would drown if left alone for too long. Prompto reached the car and summoned a package of saltines from the Armiger. “Hey little guy.”

It looked like a chocobo, except for the fact that it wasn’t in any of the traditional colors of a chocobo. But if anyone knew what a baby chocobo looked like, it was Prompto, and this was undoubtedly a chocochick. The chick’s feathers, which would normally have been a straw gold, were brown, flecked with silver and black, forming a pattern across its back and head. 

“Prompto… are you sure that’s a chocobo? I mean the colors, it’s--”

The chick tilted its head, and just when it looked like it was going to take the crackers it darted off, trotting quickly into a nearby grove of trees. 

“It's a chocobo sure as I am the best shot in Lucis.” There was a sly smirk over Prompto’s shoulder as he began following the bird. They were already soaked to the bone, exhausted from earlier tumbles, and it was well past midnight. And yet, he still pressed forward. 

Really, what was the worst that could happen? With a low grunt Noctis followed his boyfriend into the brush. He sure as hell wasn’t letting the blond go off alone, regardless of the fact the man had survived ten years of daemon infested… everything. 

They were moving fast, however, and Noctis was starting to lose the ability to see in the endless woods. He reached, but found that he did not have a flashlight available in the Armiger. It must have been clipped on the clothes he’d decided not to put on in their haste to leave.

 “Prom, flashlight?”

Prompto turned, and subsequently found that he was falling over on his ass over the root of a tree. There was a squelching noise from the mud as his back depressed into it, and after a few blinks, he was laughing as Noctis stood over him. “Can you see now?”

It took more than just a little effort to yank Prompto out of the mud, and even once he was up the mud did not let go. More than once Noctis almost lost a shoe in the process. “Good thing it's still raining or that mud in your hair would be really gross. And yeah. Did you see which way that little dude went?”

“We should have gotten Gladio. How can he move so quick in this?” Prompto ran his hand through his hair, chunks of mud coming with it. “I think he went that way?” He pointed off in the distance, but with how quickly the rain fell, there was no evidence to prove it. 

Noctis looked where Prompto was pointing, then back in the direction that they… might have come from. He couldn’t see anything but rain and trees. “O-okay. We’ll keep going. Listen for kwehs.”

They moved slower, the weight of exhaustion pairing with the now extremely heavy and wet clothing. After what felt like hours, which was realistically only twenty minutes, a chorus of kwehs greeted them. With each step, the kwehs became louder, and more excited. 

The sound seemed to spark a last little flourish of energy in Prompto, the idea of many chocobos bringing a light back that had gone out when Noctis had disappeared into the crystal. Prompto had three true loves; Noctis, photography and chocobos. 

There was another flutter of wings as the small brown chocochick hopped upwards onto a small rock outcropping. Prompto saw it first, but Noctis was quick enough to confirm. “Either he waited for us or we’re lucky as hell.” Noctis fumbled over the rocks, which were still rain slick and slippery, until he reached a sort of cave. Or… it was more of an alcove. But lining the alcove were various dried twigs and grasses, mostly still dry, and of course several small balls of fluff, of which the brown chick was the largest.

The range of colors was amazing. As Prompto leveled his flashlight over the cave they witnessed feathers of whites, browns, blacks and even gray. Not a single yellow feather in sight.

“Wow! Would you look at that!” Prompto turned around to beam at Noctis, his eyes full of the same child-like amazement that he had had before the world turned to ruin. 

“Uh.. yeah.” Noctis still wasn’t a hundred percent that these were chocobos, though he was sure they were something similar. “What about a mom or dad bird? That’s a lot of little ones to just be hanging out here alone.”

Prompto’s features shifted, worry now etched on his face. “Oh no! What if something happened and momma bird is stuck in the mud somewhere, you know, like we almost were? Oh no! Oh no!” 

Prompto was torn between the cute little birds chirping behind him and the prospect of an injured Chocobo stuck without help. “What do we do?”

“Man I wish cellphones were still a thing.” Noctis sighed. While he was less animated about it he was also not sure what the right course of action was. “Here, let’s count these little guys… then maybe find them something to eat… if we can do that either their mom will come back or we can head out and look around.”

Prompto nodded, seeming to calm now that there was a plan in place. He looked down at the group of off-colored birds with a smile. 

The fastest of the group with his odd brown and silver flecked feathers bounced up to Prompto with a kweh. 

“I can’t pinpoint it, but the little guy reminds me of someone.” Noctis gave a chuckle before refocusing on the little chocobos. There were six including the little brown and silver one. There was a black one with some white speckling on its throat, two gray and silver, one with patterns of whitish feathers on its wing and one solid, and two mostly white with tan flecks in their feathers, one of which was significantly larger than the other.  “Wonder why they’re all these colors. And why there’s so many. I thought chocobos only laid one egg at a time.”

“They used to?” Prompto scooted closer to the group of chocochicks, the smile firmly on his face. “I guess if they survived the long night, who knows what they evolved to be able to do. Ya know? Maybe they were so few in number they started having the need to lay more eggs ‘cause more were dying. Might explain the colors too!” 

“Or maybe they started living in colonies or something.” Noctis knew that from this one group it was unlikely they’d get any solid answers. After all, neither of them were scientists. “Or interbreeding with other… bird things. I don’t know.” Noctis stood, hair still dripping in his face as he looked back towards the rainy world behind them. It was still very much dark and they had to be careful. “Okay mister chocobo lover. What do we look for to feed them?”

With a yawn, Prompto rested his head against the rock. “Something green. If we were closer to Cleigne, we could look for real gysahl greens, but here?” Prompto closed his eyes as if to think, but the exhaustion was finally catching up with them. “Shrubbery or tree leaves? Stuff like that.” 

“So just anything?” Noctis wasn’t entirely sure he understood. But then again, him and green things had never really gotten along. “There were shrubs back the way we came…there’s not a ton of stuff out here anymore…”

“It’s all still growin’. Ya know. Give the world some time and everything will come back.” Prompto smiled, opening his eyes and turning to the little baby birds. “Stay put. We’ll be right back. K? Can’t have ya running round on yer own right now.” 

It seemed to be extremely difficult for Prompto to stir the last bits of energy to stand and stretch out. “Off to find the greens!” 

….

It took two hours, soaked head to foot with mud in every imaginable crevice before Noctis and Prompto returned with enough greens that they hoped would be enough to feed six baby chocobos. Fortunately the Armiger was still good for something, even if that something was simply a bag of holding for chocobo food.

They had also searched for some firewood, and in the downpour, that was not an easy task. But with the leaves came dry sticks. They would not be returning to the motel before the sun came out, and they both knew that. 

“You think we left a spare set of dry clothing in the armiger?” Prompto joked, climbing back into the alcove. They were greeted by six very happy and very excited chocochicks. 

“Yeah I wish.” Noctis shook a head of wet, shaggy hair. “But they don’t care. They can smell the greens on you. That wet grass smell don’t lie.” Kneeling down, Noctis held his hands out to the baby birds and immediately he could see the little ones were mostly paired off.. All but the brown one and one of the gray ones.

Prompto let out a defeated sigh, summoning all the greens from their space in the armiger. Immediately they were swarmed and the chocochicks were kwehing happily and devouring the feast. “Well, at least they’re happy.” There was a smile as Prompto watched the birds, feeling a part of his heart warm and jump. Hope. 

~~~~

When dawn broke the next morning, it was without a torrent of rain or the crash of lightning. The sun climbed steadily in the east, pouring yellow light and warmth over their cold, damp bodies. Noctis woke first, his eyes blinking and blinded by the first rays. When he did, he found himself draped in chocobo chicks, the campfire having gone out on its own. He didn’t want to disturb the little birds and instead rolled his head to the side to see Prompto, who was only starting to stir in the morning light. He reached out a free hand and poked his boyfriend’s nose.

Prompto grumbled, covering his face with his hands to the soft chorus of kwehs. “Five more minutes, Ignis.”

“I mean… Ignis hasn’t styled his hair like that in forever, but I guess I can see the confusion.” Noctis chuckled, booping the blond a second and third time, a teasing smirk passing over his features. “Didn’t know you dreamed about Specs often.”

Prompto groaned, shifting and displacing a few of the birds as he buried his head into Noctis’s moist shirt. “Not dreaming. ‘E’s the one who always wakes us up. Why are you up before noon anyway?”

Well, Noctis had two answers for that, really. “I mean… I pretty much slept for ten years… and besides, the light was in my eyes.”

Prompto buried his face further into the fabric, wishing for nothing more than a longer sleep. “Come on. Just a little longer?” Prompto yawned, big lavender blue eyes glancing up at the King. In the early morning light, he looked almost unreal, a halo of light surrounding his head. “You know. I could survive a lifetime in the dark if you were there.”

“You know it couldn’t work that way.” Noctis started moving the persistent chicks, getting up after a few long minutes. “My knees are killing me. Sleeping on this hay pile was a bad idea…” 

Noctis looked around, seeing the rocks had almost dried off in the last few hours, though the ground below was still muddy and difficult to trek. It would take them a while to get back, if they could figure out which way the motel was. 

Prompto sat up, stretching out with a yawn. “Guess momma chocobo didn’t make it back last night.” The words were sad as the blond stood and looked over to the birds who were obviously hungry once more. “What’da we do?”

Though he was still rubbing at his knees, Noctis tried to focus on his thoughts and figure out something. “We can’t carry them, they’d be too heavy, and I’m not putting living creatures in the Armiger again… maybe we can find their mom?

“You don’t think momma woulda really left her cuties alone this long on purpose, do you?” Prompto felt his stomach grumble as the little chocochicks chirped at him, excitedly. Obviously they thought he would magically pull breakfast for all of them from the Armiger. 

“No, but…” Noctis let out a sigh. “Okay, I get it. Maybe we should figure out where we are, and then we can work out some way to get them to safety…last night the little brown one made it to the motel, right? So it can’t be far and they should be able to walk on the mud better than we can. You think you can get them to follow you?”

Prompto stretched out his back, staring down at the little shiny eyeballs, all staring back at him. “Yeah, I think I can. Uh, gimme a second.” Prompto shuffled out of the alcove. In the early morning light, he could see they had missed greens much closer to where they were. In less than ten minutes he was back with more. 

“Alright. You ready?” The tiny chocochicks kweh’d excitedly at the stick of greens in Prompto’s hands and were immediately at his feet. 

Noctis nodded, taking the lead down the stones as Prompto kept the excited chicks at his feet. Once at the bottom Noctis surveyed their surroundings, not even finding their footprints from the night before. All around was wet mud and barren shrubs. “Damn, I really wish we had Gladio right about now… or a compass or something.” Though a compass would do them no good if they didn’t know where they were going.

Prompto and the chicks joined Noctis, as they stared around. “That way.” Prompto pointed, and a chorus of kwehs echoed him.

“Aye aye, Captain.” Noctis chuckled despite his pains, turning with a squish beneath his heels and heading the direction of Prompto’s finger. Any direction was better than nothing, and if all else failed, at least they’d have a chance to collect more greens along the way.

....

“You know. I think we went the wrong direction.” Prompto was once again on his ass after having slipped down a hill, the chocochicks finding the slope a fun slide, chirping at him as he summoned yet more greens from the Armiger. 

From the top of the hill Noctis gazed down, careful not to repeat the steps that had sent Prompto slipping down the hill, screaming like a little girl. “I think you’re right. Maybe we should find some higher ground!” After all there were trees everywhere, the only difficulty would be in finding one they could actually climb.

“Hold on. Do you hear that?” Those words that Noctis had only first spoken hours ago to get them into this muddy, lost, wet conundrum. “I think that was, Gladio?”

“What? Gladio?” Noctis grunted, unsure he was hearing Prompto properly from the top of the hill. “You sure it’s not some kind of monster? I’ve mistaken Garula cries for his voice before… are Garula still a thing?”

“I mean, if Chocobo are still around-” And they were very much so dancing on his stomach as he attempted to right himself.”

“Noct! Prompto!”

“Okay, dude. That is Ignis this time!” Prompto was standing now, but the clothing underneath the mud was indiscernible. 

“Give me a sec!” If Prompto could hear it and Noctis couldn’t, that meant getting down the hill to get closer… but not doing it the way Prompto had. He climbed around some of the larger rock formations, using them as handles as he made his way from one point to the next. Within a few short minutes he’d reached the ground again, only slightly winded. “Okay, which direction?”

“Have you tried warping since, you know. You died? I’m pretty sure you could’ve just ... warped?” Prompto, however, had enjoyed the show, waiting for Noctis to reach his level. 

Noctis wrinkled his nose, mud smeared all over his face. “You know what--” He paused, hearing his name somewhere in the distance. Prompto hadn’t been imagining things, after all. “Hey! Guys! Over here!”

The shouting spooked the chocochicks slightly, causing all six to hop, flap and hide behind their new foster mother. 

Prompto leaned over the babies as the thundering sound of footsteps quickly surrounded them.

“You guys are a bunch of fuc-” Gladio huffed, looking them up and down, and losing his desire. Unlike the other two, Gladio, Ignis and the troop of Kingsglaive were almost mud free in their uniforms. “Just about gave us all heart attacks. Noct. We already lost you once...”

“H-hey don’t blame me for this one!” Noctis put his hands up, defensively, taking a step closer to Prompto and the chocobos. “It’s not my fault Prompto wanted to go chasing chocobo chicks in the middle of the night!”

“Chocobo?” Ignis had moved away from the group, rounding Prompto to gaze at the fluffy birds he was leaning over. The chicks scooted away as he approached, as if terrified of the advisor’s very existence. “What kind of bloody brown birds--”

“Hey! You leave my chocochicks alone!” Prompto shifted, keeping the baby birds behind him as best he could. “Don’t scare them away. They are frightened and hungry and we can’t find their mom, but I am pretty sure something bad happened!”

When Ignis pulled back there was a slight note of offense, but he otherwise said nothing. Noctis, on the other hand was mildly surprised. "We were trying to get back to the motel with these guys but uh… it's hard to figure out where you are in the middle of the night and--did you know there's no map in the Armiger?"

Gladio kept his arms crossed as he addressed Noctis. "Wake us up next time you two feel the need to run around in the middle of the night and get yourselves lost." But the Shield left the rest of his words on his tongue. 

Prompto on the other hand managed to calm the chocochicks down enough he could pick one of them up, the small white one. He turned, and while the little bird kwehed nervously she let Prompto show her to Ignis. "You gotta be slow and gentle. They're scared."

“Prompto…” Ignis kept his voice calm, but made no move to touch the chick just yet. “We’re a mile from the nearest working vehicle. How do you assume we are to get them back to civilization, and then how do you intend to care for them? There isn’t exactly a field or a forest within Insomnia, and you certainly can’t keep them in your chambers.”

"Hey. I'll think of something. Fund a chocobo conservation program. But you can't expect me to leave these babies here! They can't even forage on their own." Even at thirty one, Prompto could make convincing puppy dog eyes. He jutted out his lower lip in a pout, turning to Noctis. 

It worked every time. Noctis let out a grunt and looked up at the Shield once more. "What about the old training grounds behind the Amicitia manor? No one’s using them… we could plant things… you know, green things."

Gladio lifted one brow, looking at Noctis. From one pouting boy to the next. "Fine." But his arms nor expression changed. "But there'll be rules."

"Rules? It's a dirt farm…" Noctis grunted louder, looking over at Prompto and Ignis, who were trying to gently wrangle the chicks, though it was obviously more than a two man job. "What rules can you possibly have? If anything you'll have the first lawn in Insomnia!"

"You clean up after them. We build them stables and they're not allowed in my house. It's still my family's house." But at the end of the day, Gladio couldn't say no to his King.

"That's it? Oh." Noctis perked up, and despite the mud spun around spryly to help Prompto gather the chicks. "Hey, maybe you can call up that scientist you've been talking to and figure out how these guys survived out here? They still ate greens and as far as I know there weren't any for a long time."

“I am sure Sania would be more than excited to poke at these, but that’s gonna have to go through momma bird over there.” Gladio laughed, finally uncrossing his arms as the trio worked. Perhaps he should help, but he was rather enjoying the distress had between the lot of them. 

“Gladio, gather up two of the least intimidating Glaives and give us a hand.” Ignis’s words were curt, but only because the chicks were slipperier than greased pigs and had already tramped tiny little mud prints all over his arms… and one curious set over his shoulders and back.

There was a chuckle, and Gladio waved down two glaives. Gladio dare not defy Ignis. It did seem, however, that neither Glaive seemed all too interested in assisting with chocochick wrangling. "What's the plan?"

"Prompto, keep them occupied." Ignis began physically directing the other men, though he did this slowly, checking back over his shoulder to make sure the chicks had calmed down. "Quietly, slow movements. Focus on one, approach from behind and cup your hands over their wings, then pull them in close. They shouldn't be able to escape, and if we are gentle they will hopefully let us carry them."

"Sounds like Gladio's dating strategy." Noctis snorted, staying still.

Noctis received a firm nudge to the ribs and Prompto chuckled, having already carefully picked up one of the grey chicks. "And then we walk?"

"Follow the Glaives if you want to avoid mud." Ignis gave the last bit of advice while crouching down once more in an attempt to catch the black chick. Instead the chick flapped away, only to be caught by Noctis in the process. 

"Hey Ignis? Having fun playing boss while Cor's out on business?" Noctis teased, falling in line beside Prompto. 

"Hardly. But even as King you're unlikely to budge without very specific instruction."

Prompto chuckled, shooting Noctis a look over his shoulder. “It is so true.” He knew that the comment might come with consequences later, but for all it mattered, Prompto would take those consequences. 

“Careful lover boy or your King will put you in time out.” 

Noctis lowered his brow, but the smirk was undeniable. “Yeah, and he hates time out.  You just get him all bothered, tie him up and-” had his hands been unoccupied, he would have mimicked the ‘poof’ that formed across his lips. “And hey, Ignis, you do a bad job as stand in boss and who knows, someone might put you in time out too.”

“I don’t know who you are talking about.” Ignis said, having finally gathered the largest chick in his arms. The brown one, who was wiggling fiercely. “Cor isn’t kinky like you are. At least not that I know of, but I tend to stay out of the personal lives of others.”

"The only person who'd know that is Cor's lover. If he keeps one, secretive bugger." Gladio laughed, moving back the way they came. 

"Come on slow pokes. Or the sun'll set before we get back."

~~~~

It had taken them longer than they'd have liked to get back to the motel and not once, but three times there'd been a full scale chocochick break out and they'd had to regather the happy birds. 

The conversation that Ignis had to have with the innkeep to allow the birds into the motel was been amusing, and by mid day, the six birds were feasting on a pile of greens in the middle of the room Noctis and Prompto were sharing, Prompto beaming like a goon. 

As per the agreement, anything the birds damaged or dirtied was their responsibility, and while Noctis wasn't fond of all the dirt he was going to have to deal with when it was time to leave, he'd put up with much worse to keep Prompto happy. 

"So, you gonna start naming them, now?" 

Prompto crossed his legs on the bed, fingers wrapped around his knees. "Hmm" The smile on his lips didn't falter as he sat and thought, humming to himself. "Is it just me, or did they remind you of people? Like-" Prompto stopped, frowning as he turned to his King. "People we lost?"

They did, but when Noctis looked up a frown crossed his features. "You don't think that would be sad?"

Prompto frowned, looking at the birds as they started to get sleepy after their big meal. “I dunno. I mean. We all lived with the sadness for so long. These little guys are alive and .... It’s not as sad, because they all died to give us all this.” Prompto gestured out and smiled. “So, I mean. No?”

"Okay, momma Prompto, what were you thinking?" Noctis scooted away from the birds, feeling a touch exhausted and glad they were finally settling down. He pulled himself on the bed and crossed his legs, happy to be in dry clothes, even if they hung loosely and made him look like a teenager all over again.

Prompto placed his hand on the tiny white Chocobo who was currently cuddling next to his knee. “I know I never met her, but I just-” Prompto fell quiet as he forced the tears starting to brim to the surface. “Luna. She is such a soft little bird.” 

There was a kweh as the chocochick perked its head up, and looked at Prompto as if she had understood the words that had come from his lips. 

"All right." Noct's smile faltered for a moment, though he forcibly picked it back up. "I guess even if it's a little silly it's one way to bring everyone to the new world with us." His hand gripped his ankles tightly, but he knew the knot in his guts would fade. It always did. Prompto was good at keeping the feelings at bay.

Prompto nodded, a smile coming to his lips. “So Luna, and I was thinking this could be Sylva.” Prompto gestured to the larger of the two white birds. As such, he went down the row of Chocobos, pointing to the black, silver, and two gray ones and naming them respectively, “Regis, Clarus, Jared and of course Wiz...”

He finally landed on the fat brown bird, his grin having grown with each bird who received their name. “The Hero, Nyx!”

“All right you dork.” Noctis chuckled, finally flopping back on the bed. He wasn’t tired, but he did feel a bit exhausted. It would pass. “When we get back to Insomnia I’ll get Sania on the line. You better be nice to Gladio after this, though. He was really cool about letting you use his family’s property to raise baby chocobos.” 

"Awesome. I'll draw him up a 'thank you' card." Prompto laughed, climbing onto the bed next to Noctis. Being mud free was a blessed relief. "You think he'd like that?"

Noctis grinned, reaching to pull Prompto against him, nesting the messy blond head under his chin. "Gladio has always had kind of a sentimental streak so...yeah, I think he will."

"Cool." Prompto's eyes settled on the little baby birds. Ten years in the dark had put scars over his heart. When he'd thought Noctis wasn't coming back and that the world would slowly die, he had almost lost all hope.

But here, and now with Noctis holding him right and the chocochicks softly kwehing in their sleep; Prompto knew everything was going to be alright.