Chapter Text
Digital beeps called out as the alarm switched on.
A hand reached up from under the blanket and prodded around and pressed for switches and buttons until it hit the correct one.
The room wasn't completely dark - it never was. The base boards and the molding along the ceiling were lit, casting the walls in a strange, white shower of cold light. The dark haired man stared at the clock with bleary eyes. The digital, red numbers on it stated 3:00.
Slowly, Noctis dragged himself out of the large bed and tossed his dark sheets aside. He walked across the room to a small table, and flipped through a number of sleeves before he found one that sounded right.
Since he started living this new lifestyle, it became a necessity to cut off everything that left any sort of digital footprint. Which meant no cloud-based music players. He definitely had a digital one that had no internet connectivity, but in all of this, Prompto got him into picking up vinyl records every once in a while. It was a nice luxury that became a part of his morning routine.
With the record on the player and running, he carefully set the needle down. There was a pause and once the classic rock came from the player's small speakers, Noctis grinned. He turned away from it to step into the area near his bed and began to run through some morning stretches. It was easy to do in his baggy pajamas. Once he crossed one arm over his body to grasp the other, his fingers ghosted the edge of a bandaging.
Oh. He had forgotten about that. He and Gladio got caught up in a fight with some of the enforcement MTs, and he took a shot to the arm. It didn't hurt anymore, so he believed that his magic did heal it without any issue. But he still needed to check to be sure.
He decided to forego the rest of his stretches to go to the bathroom and do a quick examination of the bandaging. He watched in the mirror as he ripped the bandaging off. He studied where it had been, then followed through with a few movements to be sure he hadn't lost his range of motion.
Once content, Noctis checked the bandage. There was still some of his blood on it. There were rules about that, too. Rules that probably didn't really apply to the privacy of his own suite, though... As a result, he just carelessly tossed it into the trash.
This is when Noctis decided he'd just let his mind settle in on the music. It was almost meditative - the music while preparing for the day. He didn't sing with it or anything, he just let his mind fall back into it while trimming his beard, taking a shower, then combing and styling his hair.
He finished in the bathroom with the perfect timing to return to the player and flip the record to the other side. As it began to play again, it came time for Noctis to put on one of the most important parts of 'the mask.'
His suits and clothes for any special functions were always tailored. It was part of his life as Crown Prince before Insomnia fell. He didn't fall in line with it immediately. It was too expensive at first. He only had what good clothes he managed to rescue before he lost access to everything. Now, he had enough to keep a perpetual mask as a king of the underworld.
Noctis dressed in a well made black dress shirt and slacks. He put on a vest, then finally pulled the suit coat off of the hanger. As he pulled it on, he looked at himself in a mirror and took the time to straighten it and make sure it looked as crisp as possible. Were this the past, Ignis would have been the one to give a last check of his appearance. Unfortunately, their lives had changed so much in the past decade, Noctis just learned to handle it himself.
It didn't hurt that he was completely dedicated to maintaining this mask himself, at least.
Once pleased with the outcome, Noctis turned to his dresser and opened the middle drawer. There was a safe with no dial or panel on it. Just a plate and handle. Noctis set his hand on the plate, and lines traced out in a faint blue glow of light. He pulled his hand away and opened it.
Noctis retrieved the first of two items from the safe and held it up to examine it in silence. It was a heavy, metal watch. It was far more valuable than anything he had any right to wear. Silvery links were actually platinum. It had a black dial and more sub-dials than anything Noctis wore during his time as the Crown Prince. A luxury watch maker had given his dad this beautiful custom watch when he was very young. Then his dad gave it to him the last time they saw each other.
As Noctis slipped the watch onto his wrist, he looked at the back of the links, where the Lucian crest was stamped into the platinum. He clasped the bracelet closed, then shook his hand out to make sure it felt right.
It always did.
Noctis often disliked that it did.
While Noctis held more reverence to the watch, there was another, more important, item within the safe. He carefully lifted the Ring of the Lucii out with two fingers. He studied it in silence before he simply put it onto the middle finger of his right hand.
Every morning, as part of this routine, Noctis was subjected to the onslaught of magic the moment he put the ring on his finger. And he would continue to do it every night when he settled in his suite. This was the one place where he couldn't be Noctis Lucis Caelum . This was his personal haven. He would not be a prince or king here. He would not listen to the whispers of the Lucii.
It was worth the pain every morning to have some time to himself. He set his hand on the frame of the dresser and took several deep breaths. Everything hurt. He felt and heard reminders in the back of his mind over his decision to take it off every night. He was given reminders that he needed to reclaim the Crystal. He was the Chosen King. The darkness was coming.
Yet, he already knew all of that. He didn't need those reminders.
Noctis stood up once the pain subsided. He looked at his reflection again. He took one last moment to adjust the coat, then closed his drawer. He returned to the record player and removed the vinyl so that it could be put away.
With everything done, he turned and left his room.
Once he left, he was in a small hallway, still lit by the same cascading lights. They provided enough light without being disturbing to people at all hours of the day. Much of the main hallways of the underground network were set up this way.
Noctis turned from the hall that led his suite and stepped out into the main thoroughfare. He walked with his head held high - a reminder of his dad's reminder to walk tall . His attire, appearance, posture, and demeanor were all part and parcel of the mask that he wore. People who worked for him, but didn't know him, would either bow or scramble out of his way with whispers of Your Majesty . Noctis paid them no mind.
The hallways were generally busy like this during the day. It didn't have a fraction of the employees that the Citadel had, but it still had plenty of people that ensured that the plans that he and Ignis put into motion would continue without problem. These were people that had proven themselves as being loyal to his cause. They were willing to live a life as a criminal to win Insomnia back for Lucis.
Many pockets on the sides of the hallway were once storefronts or restaurants intended to serve employees for the buildings above. Since he took the area over, Noctis had them converted into offices, meeting rooms, and other utilities needed for their operation.
Noctis finally arrived at an elevator, marked with an FL at the doors. He pressed the call button, and waited patiently. Short moments of downtime like this were the bane of his existence in the early years of this new lifestyle. He didn't have a phone or any means to entertain himself. These days, however, he enjoyed the, albeit short, period of quiet.
The door opened with a ding and he stepped inside. There were only two buttons - up and down. He pressed the former and took a step back.
Noctis used to be his own worst enemy in moments like these - when he had these moments of silence where his only company was his thoughts. It got easier to manage, but some days - like today - had an old, aching melancholy that lingered in the back of his mind.
There was no ding to announce the arrival of the elevator. Just the gentle stall of its momentum. The doors opened to a black painted hallway that was, once again, well lit. Just as he was about to step out of the elevator, a door to the side of the hallway opened and a familiar figure stepped in to join him. "You're finally awake, Noct?"
Noctis snorted at Gladio's teasing. "We both had a long night last night. This makes me think you didn't get enough sleep yourself, big guy." He patted his Shield on the chest with the back of his hand before he walked past.
Gladio filed in to follow along behind Noctis this time. He was dressed in dark clothes - not all black like his king - and had a leather jacket on top of them. It was a strange contrast. "You know how it goes. No rest for the wicked?"
Noctis just laughed. Past the elevator doors, the hallway became far more narrow than the one further underground. It was impossible for them to walk side by side. There was music on one side, the rhythmic thumping of bass from some indiscernible song caused the wall to Noctis' left to tremble. It ended in a stairwell that followed up the side of whatever room was outside the hallway. Once Noctis arrived at the door, he opened it, stepped in, and held the door open for his Shield.
This was a large room. It clearly sat on top of the area below. The room was done up in a surprisingly ornate manner. There was a window on one side, which let the thin light of a seemingly overcast, twilight sky filter into the room. The other side had a dark window that looked down into an area of artificial colored lights and arcade machines accompanied by a bar and tables. The first establishment Noctis bought during his rise to power - under one of several pseudonyms, of course - was an arcade that he cheekily named The Fisherman's Lighthouse .
It was currently too early for the place to pick up a crowd, but there were some afternoon customers. No one was drinking yet. That would probably pick up later in the night.
Under the window and in the corner of the lounge was a large, plush sectional sofa. Noctis walked around a table in the center and sat down in the corner of the sectional before he leaned back. "Well, have you heard from Iggy?"
The door opened before Gladio could answer and - he just added, "Speak of the devil."
"Good morning, both of you."
"Morning, Iggy." Noctis gave a casual wave from his seat.
Ignis had a folder and a newspaper tucked under an arm as he closed the door. He crossed the room to offer the newspaper to Noctis.
As Noctis took it, he skimmed the headline - EMPEROR ALDERCAPT SPOTTED AT CAELUM VIA. That was an odd headline. The emperor had not made any public appearances anywhere outside the Citadel for at least a year. Noctis made note to come back to it later and flipped to a page further in. "What other info do you have for me this morning, Ignis?" There wasn't enough time to continue through the small talk.
"Unfortunately, imperial forces have begun to crack down on anyone who is openly mourning your father's death."
"Oh," Noctis said, almost dispassionately. "Today's the anniversary, isn't it?" The lack of emotion wasn't really the intent. He knew it was. He felt the weight of that death every time he put on the watch. However, Noctis also knew he couldn't really afford to let it drag him down.
"Are you alright, Noctis?" Ignis was sincere in the question. There were a lot of things he wanted to say in response. Except Noctis quickly folded the paper, tossed it onto the table. He kicked his feet up on it as he set his arms on the sofa cushions to either side.
He allowed the mask he wore daily to slip onto his face. "Absolutely." There was a cocky, shit-eating smirk that accompanied the mask. Ignis no longer addressed Noctis Lucis Caelum, the deposed prince - now king - of Lucis. Instead, he now spoke to the Insurgent King - the powerful lord of the underworld of an occupied Insomnia.
"Now," Noctis rapped his fingers against one of the cushions as he tilted his head, the smirk never left, "What kind of chaos is on today's agenda?"
These 'mornings' were always always the same, even if they weren't at the same time. They were when time permitted, but still always necessary. This was how Noctis got word of what was happening within his 'kingdom,' as broken as it was.
Ignis stepped over to the table and casually swept Noctis' feet off. "It seems that someone has found our means of bringing in the photocells from Altissia for our western controlled district. I believe that we were only able to receive half of the photocells necessary to make the changes around the Neon Haven bar before they cut us off from that line."
As Ignis spoke, he pulled out a sheet of paper from the folder and set it down on the table. Noctis had been forced to adjust his posture after having his feet needlessly returned to the floor. He leaned forward and picked up the paper to read it then asked, "Can you reroute it?"
"Unfortunately, no. We'll need to find another supplier." Noctis, at the answer from his Hand, tossed the paper side, then leaned back and rubbed at his face. These photocells were a cheaper alternative while providing a light bright enough to help keep daemons at bay. There were too many shadowed spots in that area, and without the Wall's protection, they needed new ways to deal with any potential threats. Especially in areas where Noctis promised his protection.
It just became much more difficult when Niflheim was actively trying to undermine his movements.
"Fine." Noctis sat up again and said, "Iggy, have Dustin contact local manufacturers and see if any of them have changed their minds and are now willing to work for me. We may have to be a little more... convincing if this has become our only option."
"Understood." Ignis pulled out his notebook and added to it. "A little more immediate, but it seems like Ivar over at TechTrove is about to have his yearly permissions expire. We've not heard from him in our attempts to contact him this week."
Permissions had to go with people who weren't necessarily allies but still wanted to stay in the two districts that Noctis controlled. He rubbed at his face with a hand and thought about it. As he realized how odd that sounded, Noctis asked, "...he's had his shop here for a few years, hasn't he?"
Ignis was, unsurprisingly, prepared for the question. He pulled out another paper from the folder and handed it over. This was a history of the man's payouts. He was never for Niflheim, but he never fully supported Noctis. However, he ran a shop with components for electronics that people in the area frequently visited. Ivar's had no qualms paying the 'tax' that Noctis levied to people who weren't direct supporters.
After he studied the sheet, Noctis offered it back to Ignis. "Something seems off."
"I would agree."
Noctis leaned back on the sofa and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes as he thought over the conversation. The shop itself wasn't that far from the Lighthouse. "Gladio, do you think we can stop by and see if he'll talk to me?"
"Not a bad plan, Noct."
"Great." Noctis clapped his hands and stood up. He smoothed out his suit. "The first order of the day doesn't have a guaranteed risk of being shot at. I love it."
Ignis tried to stave off the sarcasm with a cool, "Noctis, please." Except Gladio snorted a laugh which ruined the attempt.
"Look," Noctis added as he started towards the door. He gestured for Gladio to follow him. Before he left the lounge, he gave Ignis a glance with a shrug. "Ivar's never shot at me before. It'll be fine. "
Ignis didn't let it stop there, "What's with this worry about being shot all of the sudden?"
"Well," Gladio added, "He got shot last night."
Without missing a beat, Ignis just said, "Excuse me? I must have misheard you."
Noctis patted his arm where the bandaging was earlier. "You didn't. I just didn't have the chance to tell you about it yet."
"Were you actually planning to say something about it?"
There was a pause as Noctis looked up, then he grinned. "Nah. It's healed. I'm good. I just don't want to get shot again ."
Noctis turned to close the door behind him, but he couldn't help barking out a laugh as he heard Ignis, "I swear, Noctis, you have very strange priorities these days."
He paused with the door still cracked open, "I'm a modern day Robin Hood trying to tell the Niflheim Empire to fuck off and let me have my kingdom back. I've got my priorities in all the right places, thank you."
Once done, Noctis quickly pulled the door shut to block Ignis from getting the last word.
In spite of not getting shot at, it wasn't fine.
Noctis stood in the middle of the small, cluttered electronics shop. There weren't any customers when he and Gladio arrived. Once Noctis stepped in, Gladio followed behind, locked the front door and took up a bouncer-like pose with his arms crossed to block it. This was something that they had practiced many times together.
"Good afternoon, Ivar." Noctis spoke evenly. The Noctis that was speaking to Gladio and Ignis about twenty minutes ago was a very different man from the one that now spoke to the shop owner. "I'm here to inquire about our agreement."
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty." He seemed nervous, which was the point of the whole show that Noctis put on.
While the shop's owner quickly ran through his papers to try and find what had been given to him before, Noctis seemed to run out of patience before he produced a copy of the sheet from the armiger. He stepped forward and set it down on the counter. Instead of just simply letting Ivar have it, Noctis kept his hand flat to ensure that the Ring of the Lucii was visible. He had used the ring's magic in front of people before. It was an intimidating part of his abilities. He made it a point to flaunt that it was there as a reminder of what could happen if people didn't cooperate.
Once Ivar reached for the paper, Noctis lifted his hand and took a step back. "Your tax is due. Either you pay, you leave, or you swear fealty to me."
"There are too many people who won't buy from me anymore if I swear my loyalty to you, though, Your Majesty."
Noctis tilted his head as he crossed his arms. "That's not my problem, is it?"
A pause. Then, "No. No, it is not."
Noctis didn't say anything. He made his point. This time, Ivar added, "You see. There's been a visitor lately. He's been... kind of getting at me for not paying the city's taxes."
This was new. One of the perks to having establishments in one of his districts was that Noctis had garnered enough wealth and influence for Niflheim to send collectors after him. He made it clear that he extended that protection to anyone who ran a business in his area, as well. Taxes were paid to Noctis, and only Noctis. Not both.
Without looking back, Noctis asked his Shield, "Gladiolus, you haven't heard anything about this, have you?"
The answer was nothing more than a simple. "I have not, Your Majesty."
Of the two in Noctis' control, one was a small entertainment district that had a lot of restaurants, bars, and other places for people to forget their day to day problems. However, this specific area was not only the home to the Lighthouse, his headquarters, but it was also more of a business area. This meant it was closer to distribution centers which were a very important part of his day to day operations. If someone from Niflheim was going through here and trying to pull power away from him, this meant that they were getting bold again.
He made a demand, "Describe him to me."
"I can do better than that, Your Majesty." Ivar quickly raised his hands. "May I go to the back for a moment?"
"Be quick about it."
"Thank you." With a bow, the owner disappeared behind the opening to the back of his shop. Noctis didn't say anything, but he looked up and around. His eyes locked onto a camera in the corner. Was he about to get footage?
It was two minutes later when Ivar re-emerged from the back. He held a flash drive out in both hands. "Please take this, Your Majesty."
Score . Noctis couldn't hide the slight twitch of his lips. As he took the drive from the owner, he wanted to smile, but didn't allow it. "I assume this has footage of the man?"
"You assume correctly. I will pay your tax, I promise. I just need to have your assurance that I won't be bothered by him again."
This time, Noctis allowed that smile to show. It was a well-practiced, dangerous smile. "I would not be upholding my part of the agreement if I did not. Someone will contact you for the payment once I've completed my part."
This time, Ivar set a fist over his heart and bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Without another word, Noctis turned on the ball of his foot and by the time he reached the door, Gladio had already unlocked and opened it. The two disappeared from the shop without any sort of fanfare, just as they had arrived.
The trip hadn't taken long. Once Noctis returned to the Lighthouse, he walked in from the front door. A man in a full, tailored suit seemed out of place at such an establishment, but Noctis stepped in out of the darkening, afternoon sky with an easy confidence about him.
"Andrea," He walked up to a young woman at the bar.
She glanced up. "Yes, Your Majesty?" She had dark brown hair tied back into a braid. Her skin was tan, and she had dark eyes. She wore jeans, had layered several tank tops of different colors and wore a gauzy jacket on top of it all. She had been in the middle of her prep work, but had disengaged, grabbed a glass, and put some ice in it. She poured a fruit mixer into the glass, then topped it off with a splash of soda.
Noctis never demanded full attention from his staff. In this case, Andrea was doing something for him, anyway. "Send a call to Prompto and Ignis. Tell them to meet me in the lounge." He set out several bills on the bar.
Before she snatched up the bills, Andrea put a slice of orange into the drink as garnish and handed it over to Noctis. This was an exchange they did frequently. He always paid way more than the drink was worth, but it was a quiet way to pay her a little extra. He had a reputation for this kind of thing around the people that worked for him.
"Absolutely, Your Majesty. Enjoy the drink."
"Always do." Noctis raised it in her direction before he turned to walk to the door to the back hallway. Gladio had gone ahead of him to have the doors open. Once Noctis entered the lounge, he crossed to take his usual seat on the sectional, and set the glass on the table.
Gladio took a seat next to him. "One of these days, Andrea is going to mix something for you that has actual booze in it."
"Maybe, but that day's not today." Noctis settled down and set his arms across his knees as he leaned forward. He took a deep breath, then pulled out the small drive and stared at it.
"You okay, Noct?"
"Yeah." Noctis said breathily. "I'm just tired. I'll manage, though. I have to wonder if it's easier being a legal king."
"I guarantee that you would have different kinds of stress." Ignis spoke up before Gladio could answer. He arrived at the lounge just in time to hear Noct's question.
"I bet it'd be better than this stress," Noctis simply held the flash drive up. "The Niffs have a new friend hanging around."
"Oh?" Ignis walked up to take the USB stick from Noctis before he looked at it. He walked to a table and pulled out a laptop before he returned to the sofa. Ignis took a seat on the other side of Noctis and set the laptop out on the table.
Noctis picked up his drink and leaned back as he watched Ignis. "The whole reason we've not heard back on Ivar's agreement is because an Imperial- somebody is trying to fleece him for tax payments." He took a sip from it.
Once the computer was started, he stuck the stick into the USB slot and glanced at Gladio, "And this is?"
"Security footage."
When the door opened, Noctis began to quickly sit up, but stopped as soon as he saw it was Prompto. "Oh, it's just you."
"Gods, Noct." Prompto feigned a hurt tone to his words, "Good to see you, too."
Noctis just waved a hand in the air while he let himself focus on the drink. Ignis filled in the lack of anything being said by adding a comment: "I assume that this is our man?"
He turned the screen to show the other two. Noctis answered with the most kingly, "I dunno," that he could muster. He moved to kick a foot up on the table, which Ignis immediately pushed off of the table. "I'd imagine that he'd only put one video on the dri-"
Ignis interrupted by saying, "There are four."
Noctis fell quiet and looked at the computer. "Are they all the same?"
While they were looking over the footage, Prompto sat down on the arm of the sofa and watched the video. Most of them showed the same man entering. He didn't wear anything that marked him as Imperial. It looked like regular street clothes. Sneakers, t-shirt, pants or jeans.
In one of the videos, the man seemed to get violent and reached across the counter to try and grab Ivar, who scrambled out of the way in time. Noctis didn't change positions from his seat, but he narrowed his eyes at the video clip. "Play that one again."
"Of course."
Ignis let it play on repeat another three times, before Noctis sat up. He set the glass on the table, then looked at Ignis and Prompto. "Can I task the two of you into finding out who that is?"
"Absolutely."
"Not a problem, Noct."
Encroaching on his territory was one thing. This looked like a threat. That was something else entirely. He mumbled, "This kind of thing won't fly under my watch."