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Excited. Elated. Ecstatic. There were other positive words to describe Noctis’ happiness, but whatever they were he certainly could not think of them because he was hovering on cloud nine. The one thing he thought would never happen actually happened. Luna agreed to go fishing with him.
Though the more he thought of it it was less agreed and more resigned herself to it as she did not have much of a choice. It was his fault. He never changed his calendar, had gotten some dates mixed up, and accidentally booked a camping trip with his friends the same weekend as his and his fiance’s anniversary. He realized his mistake to late to make any changes and went to Luna’s room and sat her down on her bed, while praying his confession would not lead to any form of tranquil fury.
“Okay, so, let me see if I have this right.” Luna had started after Noctis had stumbled himself through his explanation. “You accidentally scheduled a camping trip with your friends on the same date as our anniversary.”
“Y-yeah.”
“And now you’re asking me to go with you instead.”
“Yeah.”
“Even though you know I don’t like fishing and am terrified of camping.”
Noctis winced. Luna was not comfortable with camping because of the daemons. “Y-yeah…”
Silence followed then after finishing registering everything Noctis had said, Luna brought her hand to her head to stem off the forming headache. “You gotta be kidding me.”
Noctis was on his knees holding her hands in an instant. “I know. I know, it looks and sounds bad and I’m really really sorry. But...look, just hear me out. Again.” He stuttered and Luna let her hand drop to look at him. “We were going to go to the Vesperpool because it’s near Meldacio and has a great camping spot but a little southwest from their is the Myrlwood. Here,” He reached into his pocket and pulled out some photos of the place he had printed off the internet. “See?”
Luna looked at him, then looked at the photo and when Noctis saw her eyes widen a bit he had a feeling she might be just a little big interested. “Those blue lights are the runes, those ones I told you keep the daemons away? They cover the entire Myrlwood, except for the tomb to the far west of the area. And see all those flowers?”
Luna nodded at the sight of the blue flowers. “They’re beautiful looking.”
“Yeah. And at night, when the weather’s right, the fireflies come out. The place glows with light.” Noctis told her and watched as Luna nodded as she stared at the pictures. Her face told him she was not fully sold on the idea. “Okay, how about this? Just one day, maybe two? If you don’t like it, we can leave and drive back to Meldacio. It’s small, but there’s a nice restaurant and small mall with a bookstore and an arcade.”
“Sounds like we should be there instead.” Luna said and Noctis’ face dropped before she paused and thought it over then nodded. “Alright. We’ll go to the Myrlwood.”
He perked up then. “Really?”
“Yes. Really.” Luna said, “It looks like it’d be peaceful. We can take a walk and while you're fishing I can do a little light reading, maybe pick some flowers?”
Noctis smiled and nodded. He squeezed her hand a little tighter, then suddenly reached up, and wrapped his arms around her waist, head resting against her thigh as he hugged her.
“Thank you so much Luna.” He said then moved again so he could look up at her, “It’s gonna be fun. I promise, you won’t regret it.”
Luna smiled and put a hand to his head. Much as she loved Noctis, she was praying he was right.
Noctis made sure there were a few extra things to make the tent more comfortable, including a new sleeping pad, and the two left a day early to accommodate Noctis’ sleeping habits and Luna’s inability to drive. They reached Meldacio as expected and Noctis filled the car with gas while Luna got them lunch from the diner. Noctis insisted on a good kenny crow burger and Luna was more than willing to agree with him if it meant a nice grilled chicken sandwich and potato fries.
The drive to the Myrlwood was a few extra hours but they reached it by early afternoon. Luna helped Noctis take the camping equipment out of the car and walked the short trail that opened to a tunnel that glowed of faint blue light as Noctis passed through it. The tunnel opened up to the small field of flowers with a lake in the distance, Noctis’ fishing spot, and Luna looked around as she saw the flowers in full bloom. She smiled, then her eyes widened and she yelped as her sandal slipped on the mud and fell.
“Luna!” Noctis was at her side in a second hands on her shoulders, “You okay?”
“I slipped.” She said looking up at him. Noctis let out a small laugh in relief looking down at her muddy sandals.
“I told you to wear boots.”
Luna pouted which made Noctis laugh again as he helped her to her feet and hold her hand. He moved it to her back and motioned for her to follow the trail. He would walk behind her just in case she tripped again.
Once they reached the site and set up camp, Luna took off her sandals and saw down on the edge of the rock. She put her hand on the surface, running her fingers over the rune’s symbols. She could feel the subtle pull of magic from when Noctis first stepped on them, a magic that would remain while they were in the general area and would ward off daemons even if he was not in the campsite. She looked up as he put his hands on her shoulders.
“What do you think?” He asked kneeling next to her. She looked around, nodding slowly, as she took in the peaceful sounds around her, of the wind rustling in the trees and of the frogs croaking by the small lake.
“It’s pretty.” She said. Noctis smiled and gave her a light squeeze on the shoulder, eyes diverting away for a second before looking back at her.
“You wanna take a walk?” He asked.
“You aren’t going fishing?” She asked and he shrugged.
“I can always fish tomorrow.” He said. Luna stared at him, she had expected Noctis to jump off the rocks and rush his way over the the fishing dock the moment they finished setting up the tent. Still she smiled and stood up as he did, taking his hand as they walked off the rocks. The two went down the path, Luna putting her hand to the walls of the closed off forest. It was fascinating to her how the vegetation grew and wrapped itself around the boulders which formed the small maze.
She knelt down as she saw some flowers, and picked one off the ground. It was a soft blue color, not quite like the syllablossoms she planted in Tenebrae, the shape wasn’t even close, but she felt the flood of memories all the same. The flowers were precious to her and she found herself looking at what she guessed was a hydrangea with fondness. She looked up at Noctis who was a few feet away from her, hand against the stone wall as he looked out over the forested landscape. She got up and walked over to him, tapping him on the shoulder.
“Hey.” She said getting his attention and then before he could speak reached her hand up and moved some of his hair before placing the flower behind his left ear. “There we go.” She grinned as she saw the confused look on his face as he reached up and touched the flower.
“Does it look good?” He asked.
“Looks great. The color brings out your eyes.” Luna said, smiling and Noctis felt his face become hot and was sure it was turning red.
"G-great. Thank you."
He let her lead him back to the flowers and they knelt down in the grass, picking up a small handful. Noctis found himself staring at one that was a little lighter and looked to Luna who was twisting some stems together. He knew right away what she was working on, a flower crown and he crawled a little closer to her to get a closer look. “Looking good so far.” He said. She nodded, eyes never leaving her work as she concentrated. Noctis lifted his hand up to her face, brushing a free strange of hair behind her ear. She paused, glancing at him and smiled as he continued to stroke her scalp. He then let his head rest against hers.
“You’re a distraction.” She pointed out and Noctis mumbled something unintelligible as he closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again as he slid his hand down her arm, letting his fingers tickle her skin. He saw her shiver a little at his touch and leaned back just enough to look at him. “You are a big distraction.”
“Course I am. I’m a prince, I demand to be the center of attention.” He said a small smirk on his face. Luna gave him an amused look before rolling her eyes.
“And I’m an Oracle who is requesting a chance to focus on my work.”
“You work enough as it is.”
“Do you want a flower crown or not?” Luna asked, trying and failing to sound annoyed; the smirk on Noctis’ face was not helping her keep a straight face. A smile cracked and Noctis playfully stuck his tongue out at her. “You’re so immature.”
“Hey!” Noctis pouted at her words and Luna broke out into laughter that echoed faintly in the woods. The young prince watched as the joy on Luna’s face made her eyes light up before moving his arm in front of hers and plucking the just started flower crown out of her fingers. “You’ve already graced me with flowers. How about I make the crown?”
He placed the crown on his lap and Luna watched as he set to work, adding the discolored flowers he had picked up to the set. She let her head rest against his shoulder as she watched him work, watched his fingers fumble over the stems as he twisted them around each other. His hands lacked her delicate touch and she already knew the crown would be a little lopsided when he put it on her head - Noctis’ talents with his fingers extended primarily to drawing and a few private uses and that was it. But what he lacked in refinement he made up for in charm.
Watching him work was peaceful and hypnotising and the sounds of the forest did not help her already relaxed state. Her eyes drooped a bit and she moved a little to be curled up closer to him. They were almost closed by the time he finished, the sound of his voice being the only thing that made her stir. “There we go.” He had said and she raised her head up as he moved and sat in front of her. “What do you think?” He asked holding the crown up for her.
Luna was right, the crown had a bit of a lopsided look to it, but she said, “looks beautiful,” and lowered her head so he could put it on. Her nose tickled at the smell of the flowers and she smiled as she felt Noctis’ fingers touch her cheek.
“Looks great on you.” He said, letting his hand slink across to her shoulder and pulling her a little closer to him. His lips met hers, a soft touch which tickled, and after the short kiss he let his forehead rest against hers. He exhaled from his nose, letting his eyes close as he felt her bring her hand up to his cheek. Her hands were warm against his cool skin. It felt nice.
“Thank you for bringing me here.” Luna said. Noctis smirked.
“Thank what god out there makes me forget to change my calendar.” He said. The two laughed.
“So what are you reading anyway?” Noctis asked as he finished heating one of the meals Ignis had made them. He placed part of the stew in the bowl and placed it next to her. She looked up and closed the book.
“Just brushing up on my cosmogony.” Luna said, “Tonight I plan to finish the next chapter in Dreams from Spira. ”
“Oh?” He asked, his interest piqued and he saw her nod her head.
“You going to listen again?” She asked.
“Long as I can keep my eyes open.” Noctis told her then frowned and said, “We left off on which chapter again? The one after the sports stadium was attacked by monsters.”
“And Seymour summoned the Anima to dispatch them.” Luna told him. Noctis frowned, “What’s wrong?”
“Is it bad that I’m already calling that he’s the bad guy?” Noctis asked, “I mean just from his description; blue hair, weird hair and robes...chronic shirtlessness?”
“Shirtlessness makes someone evil?” Luna asked an amused look on her face. “Better watch Gladiolus from now on.”
Noctis chuckled as he ate a big of his meal. “But I’m totally on it, right?”
“Well I’ve read this story twice already so I know where it goes and whose good and bad.”
“And you’re not going to tell me.”
“And spoil the surprise Noct?” She asked a small smirk on her face as she gave him a small kiss on the forehead, “You’ll just have to stay awake long enough to find out.”
The two ate their dinner, Noctis occasionally finding a vegetable in his stew that he tried to put in Luna’s bowl only for the young woman to protest and tell him off. Which in turn made him pout and place the despicable green food into an empty bowl. Luna shook her head at her fiance’s aversion to vegetables. She finished her dinner and looked up at the sky. The area of the campsite was just open enough to see the stars in the sky. “Beautiful.”
“Yeah. One great thing about being out here instead of in Insomnia is how easy it is to see the stars and constellations.” He said.
“Anything you can see here?” Luna asked and Noctis cast a hard glance over the night sky before shaking his head.
“No. Not the best spot for stargazing, to many trees.” He said as he shrugged. He then looked at her. “But I see a very bright and beautiful moon right in front of me.”
Luna smiled at her fiance’s cheesy sincerness and turned her attention to the sky again.
After dinner the two retreated into the tent. The new camping mat was far more comfortable than Noctis imagined and having only two people in the tent made it easier to stretch his legs and back, which popped so loud it startled Luna until he let out a sigh of relief. The two curled up under the blankets and Luna began reading her book as Noctis listened to her. His eyes became heavy rather quickly and after a good ten minutes Luna felt Noctis put more weight on her shoulder. She glanced at him and noticed he was already asleep.
She closed her book after marking her spot and settled against her fiance, closed her eyes and joined him in sleep.
There was a boat tied to the dock. Noctis had no idea why there was a boat tied to the fishing spot, but as he looked it over and found it was actually in good condition he found himself not caring about the why’s and only that it was there. He just grinned as he looked out on the lake. Having a boat meant he could move further in, probably catch some really good fish that normally did not play by the dock.
He turned to the tent to see Luna reading through another book, which left him blinking. How many did she bring? The Cosmongy book, the book she was reading him last night - probably? He couldn’t remember if she started the next chapter or not - and now a third one? He knew Luna liked to read, but three books for a short weekend seemed like a bit much.
Then again, it was Luna. She could read more in an hour than he could in a day. “Hey, Luna!” He shouted getting her attention and waving to her. She closed her book and got to her feet and hurried over to the pier.
“Yeah?”
“Gonna start fishing.” Noctis said, “There’s a boat here, wanna join me on the water?”
His question was met with a curious face and he watched with hope as she considered his proposal. She nodded her head. “Sure, better than watching from the dock.”
He grinned and got everything in the boat, before helping her in. She sat down, book on her legs, and hand on said book as he untied the rope holding the boat in place and pushed off. He rowed them out, Luna looking around the boat as she realized how old it was. “You sure this thing isn’t going to sink?”
“Well it hasn’t yet, so it should be fine.” Noctis said. Luna winced, somehow that statement did not make her feel any better.
Noctis stopped rowing once they were in the middle of the lake and double checked to make sure the boat was in fact not going to sink, got the appropriate lure and cast his line. It did not take long for him to notice a fish getting interested in the bait and gave the line a subtle tug. That was all the fish needed to go for the lure and Noctis’ landed and reeled the fish in with the same fiery passion he had when he lured any other fish on any given day. He wore it out and reeled it in...then his face dropped when he lifted it out of the water.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” He muttered. Luna looked up from her book to see the sour look on Noctis’ face and the small trout he was holding out at arm's length.
“Wow, catch of the day.” She said and Noctis groaned as he carefully placed the fish back into the water.
“With how aggressive it was I thought it would be bigger.”
“Well you know what they say, it’s not the size that counts but how you use it.” Luna said flipping to her next page. Noctis could not help but chuckle.
“If you say so.” He said and returned his attention to his tackle box and picked out another lure. He had read up on the fish beforehand and if the first one was not getting him what he wanted, he figured a second option would do better. He replaced his lure and cast his line again, then sat down and waited for the next fish to swim closer.
After a good hour or so he successfully caught two more fish, these ones larger and more worthy of being remembered. He grinned and posed with them as Luna snapped pictures at his request with his phone. However as he placed them back into the water and turned to see Luna had already gone back to her book, he did notice a small subtle change in her expression.
“You’re bored aren’t you.” He said getting her to look up.
“I’m fine.” She said and turned her attention back to what she was reading. Noctis pouted then looked down as he heard the line of his fishing rod suddenly begin to pull. Faster and much harder than the last two times.
He wasted no time, he grabbed his fishing rod and landed the catch. Immediately he felt tension on the line and he cursed under his breath as he felt the fish try and fight him for freedom. He pulled in the right direction, following the fish hoping to ease some of the tension and when he felt the fish calm down reeled it in a little before suddenly feeling a lurch as the fish shot in the other direction. He grunted as he felt himself pulled forward before readjusting his footing and he saw Luna look up.
“Big guy.” He muttered and his eyes widened as the fish jumped out of the water, “Real big guy.”
The fish then lurched and he almost fell forward before feeling Luna grab his arm. “Careful!”
Noctis laughed as the fish tried to fight him for the lure, swimming left to try and break the line. The young man watched it carefully, tilting a little bit forward as the fish jumped up again and directed the line to ease tension off it. He continued to slowly but surely reel the fish in, feeling it getting tired as it moved closer to the boat. The grin on his face was wide as he imagined taking a picture and sending it to his friends back home to brag about his catch.
Then just as it was close enough for him to land it the fish caught a second wind and rushed in the other direction. Noctis felt the line tense up and he tried to regain his bearings only to hear a loud snap followed by a scream and the sound of splashing, which fell deaf on his ears as his head hit the back of the boat. He winced at the sudden shot of pain and groaned as he rubbed the back of his head.
“Strong fish.” He muttered as he sat up and looked at his rod. The line had snapped and he sighed as he saw he lost his lure. “Dammit.”
He then looked around and his eyes widened as he turned to where a certain someone should be but was not. “Luna?” The splashing; he got to his knees and looked out to the lake, “Luna!”
He looked over the water trying to see any sight of blonde hair, and after a few seconds saw a hand then a small splash as Luna broke the surface of the lake. “Luna!” He shouted as she caught her breath. “You okay?”
“Uh, regretting not bringing a bathing suit.” Was the blonde woman’s unsure answer. Noctis reached his hand out for her to grab and tried pulling her back into the boat. The boat rocked because of the sudden shift in weight, but steadied once she was inside. She looked to the water and groaned. “My book…”
It took Noctis a second to realize Luna’s book had fallen into the water. He bit into his lip, by the time he could get it it’d be unreadable so he shook his head and made a mental not to ask Luna which she had been reading so he could order her a new one. He took his jacket off and wrapped it around his fiance when he saw her begin shivering.
“You okay?” He asked and she nodded as she sat back down, keeping his black coat as close as she possibly could. “I...think that’s enough fishing for today.”
Luna nodded in agreement and she winced as she felt something light tap her head. She then felt another steady tap and recognized it as a cool raindrop. She and Noctis held their hands out as they realized it was beginning to rain and the young prince sighed and began rowing the boat back to the small dock. By the time he got to the dock and tied the boat back in place, the rain had gone from a mild drizzle to a heavy downpour. The two rushed back to the tent and Noctis waited for Luna to get inside before following her. He kicked his shoes off in a heartbeat and began going through one of the bags to find something to help them dry off.
He was grateful he listened to Ignis about packing things he did not think he would need. Or more like he was glad when Ignis packed him a small set of towels and he had been to lazy to get rid of them. He pulled one out and handed it to Luna. “Here.” He said and Luna took it, pushing his jacket into a corner of the tent, and unfolding the towel to dry her legs. Noctis watched for a second, his face turning red as he realized she needed to pull up or off her dress and turned to the tents entrance.
Luna grabbed his arm before he could open it. “What are you doing?”
“Uh, trying to give you some privacy?” He answered though it sounded more like an unsure question. Luna shook her head.
“Noct, it’s raining. And it’s not like you haven’t seen it all before.”
“R-right.” Noctis muttered, moving away and after some hesitation turned to the corner of the tent and began to take his shirt off. He grabbed a spare towel and began to dry himself off, then reached down and began to unbutton his pants. He froze then and there and turned behind him to see Luna taking off her dress. His face turned red as he looked away, remembering Luna’s dresses were so tight she did not wear anything underneath them except a strapless bra...which out of the corner of his eye he saw her taking off. He took a deep breath and let it out as he undressed to dry himself off.
“Uh Noctis? Can I borrow one of your shirts?” She asked and Noctis hesitated for a second before answering.
“Sure.” He said as he finished drying off and hid himself under the blanket until he could get himself a fresh pair of boxers. He put them on and turned around to see Luna had put on his black shirt, and was tying back her blonde hair. Noctis stared at her. He rarely saw her in black and when he did it always mesmerized him how good she looked in the color. His eyes moved from her face to other places on her body, pausing for a long period of time where his shirt stopped which was just passed her well defined butt. He took in a deep breath and let it out as he felt his stomach turn and his chest become tight.
The sound of thunder got his attention and Luna visibly jumped. “That doesn’t sound good.” She said.
“No, it doesn’t.” Noctis muttered and after a few seconds moved to the entrance of the tent and pulled it open. To his surprise and dismay the rain had turned the peaceful wood dark, the drops heavy on the ground and the lake water. He closed the front, “I don’t suppose you can ask Ramuh to chill with the rain.”
“Ah, I get the feeling he’ll say no.” Luna said giving him a small laugh.
“We should wait until it lightens up. Then probably head back to Meldacio. Wouldn’t want to stay out here in this weather.”
Luna nodded in agreement and shook as a shiver ran down her spine. It did feel cold, Noctis moved over to her, wrapping her in the large blanket. “Better?”
She nodded. “Much better.”
The two sat in the tent in silence, listening to the rain pouring down. After a little while Noctis plugged the battery pack he bought for the trip into his phone and brought up one of the episodes from a tv show the two liked. The sitting changed to lying down and watching turned to dozing as the credits rolled on the phone and the two nodded off to the sound of the rain.
Luna stirred a little while later, the thunder breaking the barrier of her trance-like doze, and blinked a few times before propping herself on her arm and wiping the drool from her mouth. She looked at Noctis to see his eyes still closed, but he stirred at her touch, eyes opening a bit. “Hey.” She said giving him a soft smile that took a few seconds for him to respond to. He reached a hand up and brushed a strand of loose hair from her face.
“Hey…” He muttered closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again and stretching his shoulders. He checked his phone and saw the notice it was low on battery. He turned it off, then turned his attention back to Luna, blinking half asleep. “It still raining?”
He got his answer at the sound of another low rumble of thunder, which made the rainfall more obvious on his ears. He let his eyes close again at the feel of Luna’s thumb caressing his cheek before opening his eyes again to see her blue eyes looking at him. He took in her face and lips, eyes falling on them and studying how they moved as she breathed. He watched as she moved a little closer, eyes closing as he felt her lips touch his. The feeling sent a tingle down the back of his neck and he kissed her back, his lips moving with hers as he felt himself get lost in her touch.
He moved his hands up to her head, fingers running through her hair before settling onto her back. Their weight shifted, and the kiss broke just long enough for him from his side to his back as she climbed onto him. She kissed him again, fingers running through his soft hair, massaging his scalp, letting a small noise escaped her lips as she felt his hands run down her back, lower, lower, until his fingers touched skin, rubbing across her butt. She shuddered a little as his touch, kissing him deeper, taking in the feeling of his touch, and the scent of his skin.
He gripped her ass tight and pushed up against her, and a moan escaped her lips. She broke off the kiss. “You’re enjoying this.”
“...yeah. I’m with you.” He said, his face red. He felt hot and he was positive it was because of the lovely woman on top of him whose face was just as flushed as his was. He tensed for a moment as he felt her put pressure on him, his breath catching in his teeth. “Damn that feels good.” He muttered before meeting her lips again, the kiss deep and passionate as he held onto her tight, not wanting to let go.
The sun was up, the two woke up late after the long night, but were relieved to see the sky was clear compared to the other day. Noctis finished packing their things and closed the trunk of the car. “I say it every time, I know, but camping sucks when it rains.”
“It wasn’t that bad.” Luna said with a shrug from the passenger seat of the car, “Last night was wonderful if you ask me.”
Noctis chuckled and gave her a small kiss on the head after he got into the car, “That it was.” He said then started the engine, “But I think I need a shower, a real shower, not a rain shower.”
“I need pants.” Luna said as she hid a good chunk of her frame under Noctis jacket, which she buttoned as far down as possible to pretend she was wearing something besides his shirt underneath it. She looked up at him, “I had a good time.” She told him then added, “I don’t think I’d want to go camping again for awhile, but it was a lot of fun.”
“Except when you fell into the lake.” Noctis said as he started the car. Luna considered it, then shrugged.
“I don’t know, the end result of making out half naked with you in the tent was worth it.”
“Well I am quite a catch.” Noctis said then paused, “Or maybe I’m just lucky I got someone like you.”
Luna looked at him then put a hand to his cheek and gave him a light kiss. “You don’t need luck when you have a heart like yours.” She told him. It took Noctis a second to process her words then he smiled and started the engine.
“If you say so. Alright, to Maldacio, so we can shower, get you a new book...and sleep in a real bed. Because I really need a real bed right now.”
Luna opened her mouth to say something, but fell silent and cried out as Noctis slammed on the accelerator and drove onto the road.