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“That’s my sweater. And scarf,” Nyx commented as Noctis stepped into the dimly lit bar with a smile and, well, obviously wearing Nyx’s sweater and scarf. Not that Nyx minded. In fact, he loved seeing Noctis in his clothes, always a tiny bit too big on him, but to Nyx he definitely wore them better, looking all soft and cuddly.
Nyx immediately gravitated towards him, tossing the towel over his shoulder and stepping around the wooden counter to pull Noctis closer for a kiss. His hands found their way underneath the gray fabric and to Noctis’ hips where his thumbs brushed over warm skin, feeling him shivering.
The life they had built over the past year was nice. Everything was just nice. Nyx didn’t dare using the word perfect, scared he might challenge fate to take it all away. Maybe there was one thing Nyx would wish for to make it even nicer, but knew asking for too much could ruin anything. So nice it was. It was nice coming out of the dark with everyone alive, a feat no one considered possible. But here they all were ten years after the Long Night and living a nice and comfortable life. Noctis could be a prince for a bit longer while Regis was still sitting on the throne with Clarus as his advisor, Luna and Ravus were slowly rebuilding Tenebrae, Pelna finally asked Crowe out and she actually said yes, and he and Libs were allowed to pursue their dream of having a bar. It wasn’t in the heart of Galahd as they said in the past, but right in the Crown City, with Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio as their regulars.
Life was nice. Even more so when he could hold Noctis like this, kissing him, having him near, with no one judging.
“Ewww, can you maybe not? This is a reputable establishment.”
Okay, maybe Libs did judge every now and then, although Nyx considered it more light teasing, knowing his friend was happy for the two of them. After all, they all deserved happiness.
As hard as it was pulling away from Noctis, hands staying where they were resting against his skin, he turned to Libs.
“You’re just jealous.”
“No. Actually I’m not, thank you very much. Still would love to see you leave.”
Nyx made a face. “I already told Noctis I couldn’t make it to the Christmas fair because of the preparations --”
“And this,” The swing door to the kitchen was pushed open and Crowe stepped in, “is why Libs asked me for help. Now go, you promised him a visit to the fair. Are you that knight in shining armor for your prince or not?”
Too surprised to say anything, Nyx looked from Crowe - who looked ready to go to work as she always did - to Libs to Noctis, who smiled at him sweetly.
“You heard what they said,” Noctis said, his own hands resting against Nyx’s chest. “I trust they can handle the preparations for the Christmas party just fine without you. Come on, it’s the last day.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you got stuck in Tenebrae because of the snow storm for the past week,” Nyx pouted, but already let go of Noctis to untie his apron and toss it with the dish towel towards Crowe who caught both.
He noticed the look shared between her and Noctis, who only chuckled lightly as he ducked his head. “Yeah. Who would have thought.”
Nyx eyed them curiously as he walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed his peacoat and slipped into it. “Yeah. Weird, huh?” Up until Noctis’ weird little laugh and Crowe looking at Noctis so conspiratorial, he didn’t think anything was amiss. Now he got excited. The smell of a surprise was in the air and Nyx loved surprises. Especially when Noctis was the one giving them.
Usually he would ask some questions, trying to see if Noctis would give him a hint, but seeing today was the big Christmas party with all of their friends and gift exchange, he decided he could wait just that much longer. Instead he held his hand out for Noctis to take and gave Libertus and Crowe a final wave before they left the warmth of the White Coeurl and stepped into the cold evening air.
The Crown City had made a huge leap since the Long Night ended, construction sites and reconstruction eras were scattered all across town, but the majority of apartment buildings had been taken care of. Even the refugee quarters which looked a lot nicer than before. Nyx’s apartment now had two rooms and a huge bathroom, making it look more like a real living space than a hole in the wall. Which was probably good because so far Noctis had relocated most of his belongings into Nyx’s apartment, making his apartment their apartment.
Nyx loved nothing more than coming home from a shift when Noctis was out of town for one royal reason or the other, and he still found him all across the place in clothes and books and pictures. Those nights he would reach for Noctis’ pillow and bury his face against the fabric, smiling while he chased his scent.
Life was nice.
“What are you thinking about?” Noctis wanted to know as they strolled down the sidewalk, occasionally stopping for some window shopping. He had slipped an arm underneath Nyx’s coat, snuggling up against him as Nyx admired a particularly lovely watch.
“That you haven’t told me about Tenebrae. How is Luna? Her brother still his grumpy, charming self?”
“I might have told you about it if you’d given me the chance to say anything. But someone pretty much scooped me up and, well--”
“You didn’t complain about it last night,” Nyx pointed out and gave Noctis a cheeky grin, the one he knew Noctis liked and made him look at him in this particular way.
Noctis pulled Nyx from the window to continue their way to the market place where the Christmas fair took place. “As for your question: Luna sends her greetings and hopes next time you’ll accompany me. As for Ravus, he isn’t so bad. I even heard him laughing. You need to give him a chance.”
Nyx made a face. “Yeah. Maybe I should.”
“Can you smell that?” Noctis suddenly asked and Nyx inhaled deeply, another smile growing on his face.
“Smells like pancakes and waffles,” he described as he closed his eyes and let Noctis guide him closer to the fair. He even could hear some music being played in the background, but his focus was still on the scent. “There’s honey mead and skewers.”
“I knew you’d mention the skewers. You’re obsessed.”
“Don’t tell Scientia, but I still think he makes the best ones outside of Galahd.”
“Maybe you should tell him so you get them more often,” Noctis suggested, and they finally took their first step onto the market, the stalls decorated with white and red and green, all offering different treats and trinkets. They both knew they had to hold back when it came to the food because of the party later, but Nyx still got them some candied almonds and a waffle on a stick dipped in dark chocolate. Just seeing Noctis’ eyes sparkling when he handed him the treat, the way he immediately dug in, Nyx decided this was more than he could have asked for. Yes, life was most certainly nice. Even more so when he leaned in and sucked some of the chocolate from Noctis’ bottom lip and saw the slightest blush underneath the beard.
“Good to know I still can make you flush,” Nyx whispered into his ear as he pulled Noctis against his side, guiding him over to the next stall.
“Maybe you should remember I do know at least three different ways to make you turn crimson,” Noctis retorted and yes, Nyx remembered all three ways very vividly.
“Might need to remind me later what you mean,” he said, stopping at a stall with jewelry, looking at the watches on display.
“What about the one you saw earlier?” Noctis wanted to know, finishing his waffle off and tossing it with Nyx’s stick into a nearby bin.
Nyx shrugged. “It’s too expensive. I need one for everyday use, it’ll get dirty and scratched up.”
From the corner of his eye Nyx saw Noctis nodding along as if he agreed, but he still pulled him to another stall. “None of them was nice enough for you, though.”
As they were halfway through the fair, Noctis stopped Nyx with a quiet, “Wait,” before he tilted his head up to the sky and Nyx followed suit. At first he didn’t know what this was about, but then the first tiny snowflake touched his nose.
“Seems like you brought a gift with you from Tenebrae. But how did you know?” Nyx asked, amazed, and when he looked at Noctis, he found him smile serenely at the white fluffs slowly sailing down on them.
Noctis only shrugged. “I just did. It’s like when you know it’s about to rain.”
Nyx laughed as they continued their way. The ground was cold enough for the snow to stay. For now the cobblestone looked like it was sprinkled with powdered sugar, but if it would keep snowing like this through the night, they would be waking up in a tiny little winter wonderland.
Maybe Nyx was imagining it, but somehow he felt as if Noctis tried to slow them down, occasionally looking at his phone to check the time just to ask Nyx to go back to another stall they just had passed. It was adorable how he tried to be subtle, but Nyx went with it. It gave him more time to keep pampering Noctis the best he could while on the fair, buying some cotton candy and warm honey mead, taking pictures in one of those ridiculous booths with filters adding antlers on him and a Christmas hat on Noctis.
Yet, Noctis wanted to pamper him too. So once they were on their way back to the White Coeurl, he dragged him into the store with the watch Nyx had been salivating over and no matter how many times Nyx told him not to, Noctis bought it nonetheless, telling the saleslady to wrap it.
Bashfully, Nyx watched it all happen, rocking back and forth on his feet until Noctis turned around with the tiny box in hand and held it out for Nyx to take.
“I didn’t have the time to get you something,” Noctis explained, smile so bright when Nyx finally took the box. He was sure it was the best thing about accepting the gift. Ignoring the lady behind the counter, Nyx used the scarf to pull Noctis closer and kissed him, just a tender nip on his bottom lip.
“You might add a fourth way to make me blush,” he mumbled against his lips before pulling back. Noctis may have expected Nyx to unwrap the watch right away, but he waited until they made it back to their apartment to get ready for the party.
As hard as it was to keep their shower together short, it still saved them time to make it back to the bar on time. Nyx was curious why he wasn’t supposed to be at the White Coeurl before eight, but he enjoyed the way Noctis was glancing at him every now and then, commenting on how good he looked. Noctis always said nice things to Nyx, just as much as Nyx liked to compliment Noctis, but tonight he seemed particularly attentive. He kept fussing over him, fixing the cowl on his sweater and pulling the braids over his shoulder to be seen right away.
“You okay?” Nyx eventually asked as they got closer to the bar, feeling Noctis getting more and more nervous.
“Yeah. Sure. Why?”
Running his fingers through Noctis’ hair, stopping him so he could look into his eyes, Nyx smiled down at him. “Because you’ve always been a bad liar. But it’s okay. I’ll find out.” Before they continued the rest of the way, Nyx tilted Noctis’ head up at his chin, smile growing at the feel of the stubble against his skin, and kissed him once again. And again. And again.
Life was super nice.
He got the proof the moment they stepped into the White Coeurl, ignoring the sign on the door that read ‘Private Party’, and were greeted by a room full of people. It took Nyx a good moment to recognize everyone, but was in particular stunned to see blond and white hair in the back.
“Luna and Ravus are here?” Nyx said over the noise, a mix of music and chatter filling the room.
“Guess I forgot to mention that,” Noctis grinned as he took Nyx’s jacket and just dropped them on the pile of jackets on a corner table before joining him again. Nyx could tell Noctis was ignoring the side eye he was getting from him, which turned into a glare when Noctis said casually, “Oh, and dad will come as well. Surprise.”
Nyx loved Regis, they got along great, but he always felt he needed to prove himself. As if he needed to show he was worthy of his son.
“I didn’t get him a present. Or Luna, for that matter.”
“Tonight is not about presents,” Noctis said lightly as he wrapped his arms around Nyx’s midsection, lips brushing over his jawline. He knew how much Nyx liked it and just melted into the touch, but not without pointing to the watch again.
“Oh yeah? That’s not what you said an hour ago as you bought me this.”
But Noctis didn’t pay any attention to the watch, just looking at Nyx with his bright blue eyes, a smile so disarming it left Nyx’s mind blank. For a moment they got lost in each other, still not noticed by any of the other guests.
And once they did, Nyx felt more as if it was his birthday than a Christmas party, everyone seemingly paying more attention to him than to any of the other people around. Occasionally he would look over at Noctis, not sure how to react to all the ‘great day today, huh’ or ‘smells like a surprise’ comments he was getting, but Noctis wasn’t such a big help either, just smiling and hugging him close.
An hour into the party, things were thankfully calming down, and they all were more interested in the food and drinks Libertus and Crowe had created, complimenting them both whenever they passed them. By then Nyx still didn’t get the chance to talk to Luna, and if he wouldn’t have known it any better, he would have thought Noctis tried to keep them apart.
Someone just mentioned to Libertus to turn the karaoke machine on when the door of the bar was opened and Regis entered. His hair and shoulders covered in snow he tried to shake off. Just like the two women who accompanied him.
At first Nyx didn’t think any of the new guests, assuming they were friends of friends who would join them for a night of fun. But then he heard one of the women laughing and Nyx felt as if he was in a dream- His eyes darted back to the silhouettes in the open door, trying to see them more clearly.
A moment passed and then the door was closed shut, giving him a better look at what he considered a dream. Nyx knew them, knew both of the women. He still recognized them, although it had been over twenty years since the last time he had seen them.
His mother’s hair was nearly completely gray, but she still wore it in a bun at the nape, little braids hidden in between. When Nyx’s eyes wandered to Selena, grown up and laughing Selena, his vision got blurry. For such a long time he had been sure everyone had been taken from him. Now, decades later, his family stood in front of him. Here in Insomnia with Regis by his side, beaming at him.
Still, Nyx feared his mind was betraying him, voice breaking when he asked, “Mom? Selena?”
The laughter stopped, but the smile stayed on their lips as they turned to Nyx who had taken a step forward. The Music had stopped as had the chatter. All eyes were on them, and yet he still couldn’t believe it.
“I thought--” No sooner did he say these two words, two pair of arms were reaching for him, pulling him closer, hugging him, holding him. All while he was rooted to the spot, unable to say or do anything in return.
When Galahd had been invaded, the islands overrun by Niflheim, he had thought he lost them. Selena’s screams had haunted him during every waking hour and dream, and now he was holding her while looking into the eyes of his mother. He had no idea how any of it was possible, but he didn’t care. He got his happiness right here in his arms, and he would protect it with his life. This time he wouldn’t fail.
Tears were shed and hugs exchanged, Nyx couldn’t let go of either of them, needed the touch as a proof they were both here with him. He only barely registered Prompto taking pictures and Libertus sobbing into a dish towel while Regis and Noctis stood close by in case either of them needed anything.
“How?” Nyx eventually asked, looking from Selena to his mother and then to Noctis, one arm wrapped tightly around his sister while holding his mother’s hand. “You did this?”
“Your friend Libertus told us about rumors spreading through Galahd,” Regis started as he looked at the huddle of human limbs in front of him. “A woman had been found after the attacks, heavily injured without any memory who she was and where she came from.”
“It was only when mom found me I started to remember,” Selene picked the story up, smiling brightly at Nyx, reaching up to dry his tears. “We stayed hidden. We had no idea if you were alive or not and had no way of sending word out. When the light came back, we started rebuilding and asked around, but no one knew anything about you. Or Libertus. So we gave up hope.”
“They protected you. Because we changed our names and never said why we wanted to know so much about you, they didn’t say a word,” Velia, his beautiful loving mother continued, squeezing Nyx’s hand and bringing it up to her cheek.
“Libs didn’t want to bring your hopes up. He told me about it and I said I’d look for them,” Noctis finished. “I wasn’t in Tenebrae this past week. I was in Galahd. You’ve no idea how hard it was for me not to call you and tell you I found your family.”
As much as Nyx wanted to keep his mother and Selena close, making sure he wasn’t just imagining any of it, he pulled Noctis in a crushing hug. For a long moment they both clung to one another before Selena joined them, then his mother, and even Regis wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
Life wasn’t just nice.
Life was perfect.