daysofthunder | lost all memory of the time before you, home is a foreign land [ffxv au]

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lost all memory of the time before you, home is a foreign land [ffxv au]

Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum was a moody teenager at best.

Everyone knew that.

Of course the tabloids enjoyed spinning it with such phrases as "stoically aloof" or whatever nonsense they were feeding to the public at large, but really he was just. A teenager. One that had actually dealt with more hardships than most realized, as well, which certainly didn't help his outward demeanor, but he was still mostly a child trying to navigate his way through a difficult world that refused to slow down for anyone, least of all him, and the unique burdens of being the next in line for the throne.

But there was a difference between his usual quiet, reserved moods and whatever he had been in the last few days. Any time he got to spend with his father outside of mind numbingly boring meetings and other royal responsibilities was usually a cause for at least a few light, corner-of-the-lips smiles and bright eyes that betrayed how much he actually enjoyed it, but the last dinner they'd managed to squeeze in had him distant at best.

It took a good week to finally hear from Clarus who had overheard from Gladio that there had actually been someone in Noctis' life that wasn't his skinny, overly excited blonde best friend. The way it was told, as these games of telephone tended to do, was that he had befriended the adopted family of a former Kingsglaive, specifically the woman's two teenaged daughters, and while everyone around them could see that Noctis was absolutely smitten with the eldest daughter and she clearly had feelings for him in return, neither of them had acted on it.

And when Gladio had tried to give him (and Prompto, in regards to the youngest daughter) a push in his gruff and probably less than tactful way, he'd gotten a strange reaction from Noctis. A mix of upset and anger that he didn't usually display before stomping off. That very night had also been dinner with his father, and the entire time he was absolutely dour, barely responsive, dodging questions about school and worryingly distant.

The pieces were somewhat there to understand what may have been going on in his son's head, but something was still missing. Namely the 'why'.

Regis wasn't the best with emotions, either (Noctis had to get it from somewhere, after all) but this was something he actually felt couldn't just be regulated to letting Ignis try and pry it out of him. He wanted to address it directly, or as direct as he could, and see if maybe he could offer some legitimate fatherly advice.

Or if he would somehow make things worse.

Either way he felt for his son, truly wanted him to live his best life, and it worried him that he wasn't going for something so easily within his grasp.

Hence why he had asked Noctis to his office during a rare bit of down time in between meetings that afternoon, sitting comfortably in one of the plush chairs off to the side of his large heavy wooden table. Once Noctis entered quietly he motioned with his hand to the other empty chair.

"Thank you for coming, Noctis."

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It's not like she has much herself. Most people were entirely too afraid of her or her mother (or considered her too "other") to give any attention to her in that way, and those that did ended it very quickly for want of avoiding social ostracization. Even those she barely considered 'friends' from her club weren't about to suddenly confess their love to her after all these years.

And really, once Noctis came along, she wouldn't want them to.

He was the only one she wanted.

And now that it was actually happening her head was swimming with so many emotions and doubts and fears but also excitement and joy and utter elation.

Which all come to the forefront of her mind once his lips were on hers again and she was in his arms. It did the trick because she actually forgot for a moment that they were on the roof of her house, because then they weren't, and she felt a strange pull in the pit of her stomach but it was much less disorienting than it had been the first time.

It made her vaguely aware that he'd warped again, but her attention was far more focused on the fact that he was still kissing her and she didn't want him to stop.

Which is exactly what he intends to keep doing as Rinka isn't the only one getting caught up in the moment. It's just as dream-like for him after all.

He's been wanting to do this for how long?

Damn straight he's gonna kiss her 'til they're both collapsed and gasping for air!

So he'll hold that liplock, his mouth moving against hers, but let her to her feet, if only so he can have his hands on her- don't worry, he'll behave and keep them to 'safe' spots. Noctis does have at least that much awareness of himself, but it's not gonna stop him from backing her to the side of the house and pressing his form to hers just a little.

Rox had been lucky to secure a fairly nice house for a good price shortly after adopting Rinka and it was in a neighborhood that generally didn't see a lot of activity outside the day to day happenings of the people that lived there, but it was probably a good thing that Noct had enough forethought to move them away from the more open area.

They might still get noticed if someone was nosy enough but so far the ones guilty of that were Rinka's family.

She barely noticed her feet on the ground, feeling as light and floaty as she was, just that she had to tilt her head back more to continue kissing him. She wouldn't have complained if he wanted to touch her in other areas but restraint was probably necessary for both of them.

She did eventually pull away, flush faced and breathless, dropping her forehead against his chest.

"... I know for a fact they were still eavesdropping on us" she mumbled, referring to her family. "Whatever. This... it's really happening, isn't it? You're not getting married after all?"

If this is a dream, don't wake me up...

You don't deal with the media your entire life and not learn a thing or two. It's only a matter of time though, and Noctis will feel terrible that Rinka will have to deal with that crap.

For now, restraint it is. Tomorrow they would at least be within the walls of the Citadel.

When she pulls away, he's also breathing hard as he tries to catch his breath.

"Wh... what? Really?! The... fact that... I took you... to the roof... wasn't a... glaring enough... hint for... a little... privacy?" He tries for annoyed, as he replies through panting breaths, but can't keep it up as he's too overjoyed to care.

"Whatever."

Noctis wraps his arms around her and rests his chin on top of her head.

"Yeah. I can't believe it either, but my dad wouldn't lie."

As far as he knows, and definitely not about something like this.

If that winds up being the worst part of their relationship, she'll put up with it. She'd never cared about his status and she wasn't about to start taking issue with it now.

"I can't be that mad. They're looking out for me."

As exasperating as they could be sometimes, Rinka loved her family. They wanted her to be happy, and didn't want anyone to hurt her despite knowing she could likely break the neck of anyone who did before they could get to that person.

"You know we haven't had it easy. Actually getting something I've been wanting for so long? It feels... unreal.'

She smiled up at him, eyes closed as she fought back a burning in them.

"I trust you, though, even if I was skeptical at first."

Aurene was in on the eavesdropping party. Yep. No way she was missing out on this. She was also texting Prompto the entire time, which meant she was being her usual quiet self.

Oh my gosh I think he actually asked her out

I did hear her use full name ultimatum on him, though. He warped them to the roof to get some privacy. Joke's on them, we're listening at the window.

Rox had made sure Nyx stayed silent as they all listened in. They caught bits and pieces, mostly when her daughter and the prince got loud. She was damn sure her neighbors were probably at their windows trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Warping wasn't strictly a normal thing that happened. She had thought to stop them, but she hadn't wanted to embarrass Rinka, not when her sweet baby finally had the man of her dreams in her clutches.

Fucking Six. The prince. King Regis' son. One thing had been having this kid around. It was quite another to know he intended to date his daughter despite his status.

And. Well. Hers.

Rox was overjoyed for her Rinka and she decided to focus on that, rather than the potential dangers her daughter would face being the adopted child of an immigrant. She sure hoped Prince Noctis understood that.

If he hasn't already shown it, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, is anything but your conventional prince.

Maybe it goes with the territory of being the prophesied 'Chosen King.' Maybe that's why King Regis allowed it. Whatever the reasoning, Noctis wasn't going to let this chance pass him by; status be damned. And he would do everything in his power to protect the people he loves.

"Oh yes, gotta watch out for that Noctis guy, he's a troublemaker." He quips in return, "I'm glad they're looking out for you though." He smiles warm with a hint of a protective edge. "For the times when I can't."

There you go Rox.

"You're telling me."

The disbelief is evident in his tone. He hasn't talked about his down past, but Noctis has had it rough at points as well.

That was why she fell for him in the first place. She certainly wasn't expecting the prince that every other girl was fawning over in school to info dump about video games and fishing of all things, to say nothing of giving her and her sister the time of day. It was so damn endearing it had been hard to not fall for him.

Physically she could see what those girls were going on about, but she'd gotten to know him on a level deeper than any of them ever would.

Hearing that he wanted to protect her came as a brief surprise, but then she recalled all the times he'd gone out of his way to do exactly that for Aurene and Prompto. There hadn't been cause for him to do so for her... but that didn't mean it would stay that way.

She could take care of herself, she knew that, but damn if her heart didn't actually melt like she was in reality some damsel in distress waiting for the actual prince to rescue her.

Though in a way he already had. She really didn't know what she would have done with her life if she had to watch him get married to someone else and slowly drift out of her life.

She stood on her tip toes and gave his lips another light kiss, then took his hand.

"We should probably let them unglue themselves from the window."

Through all of this, Noctis can't stop smiling as this is probably the happiest he's been in who the heck knows how long. He has no idea about any of the things she's thinking though.

He can't help but chase her lips when she kisses him, still very much wanting more, but he stops when she says they should go in and making a face.

"I guess I should apologize to Ulric. How the heck did I forgot he's dating your mom?"

Rinka takes his hand and he allows her to start leading him back. They take a few steps before he pauses in his tracks-

"Wait. One more."

-and urges her back towards him in an almost dance-like twirl, before claiming her mouth again. As he presses his lips to hers, the kiss, this time, is more desperate and lengthy, as if he really believes it might be some kind of fantasy. But it's also filled with gratitude and hope.

At length, he'll pull back, one hand wrapped around her waist and the other cupping her cheek; his teeth accidentally grazing her lower lip as he does so, which gives him an odd sort of sensation that he'll have to think on more later.

"Sorry." He apologizes sheepishly, "I've just wanted to do that for so long." He sighs disappointedly and composes himself, nodding his reluctance to go inside.

"Clearly you purged it from your memory. I can't blame you, though. They are ridiculously mushy. You'd think they're some old married couple, the way they act."

She joked, but it still came from a place of happiness from her mom. She hadn't seen her this lively in years, and even though Rox never talked about it, Rinka knew her job and the environment she was trapped in for their sake had become soul crushing in recent years.

Nyx mitigated so much of that.

Rinka let out a surprised, pleased noise at the spin, the sound continuing into a laugh against his lips. Gods, where had this Prince Noctis been all this time?

She didn't mind seeing this other side of him, especially because she knew in her heart it was only for her. He wouldn't be like this with anyone else.

She savored the kiss and the way it made her lips feel, letting out a breath when he ended it.

"Me, too..."

They'll get more chances. She's sure of it.

They would get more chances, once the hazing was done. It's worth it though.

This time, he walks alongside her, hand in hand back to the front door, even so much as holding it open for her.

"And uh, sorry again... About the warping."

And there would, likely, be hazing.

"Hm? Oh. It's alright. I just think I need a warning in the future..."

It wasn't like she'd been doing it for years like he and Nyx had.

She smiled, though, squeezing his hand.

"Or a distraction."

"That, I will happily provide." He replies with a smirk, leaning over and having to stop himself from kissing her again. They would never make it back inside at this rate.

Noctis clears his throat and decides to just go in first, before he can't help but drag her back around to the side of the house again.

However, once inside, he leads her back to the living room and flops down on the couch, pulling her with him and onto his lap. Noctis then flashes her an impish grin. Now he has free reign to flirt as much as he wants.

If he's willing to pay the consequences, that is. Which he's feeling too floaty right now to consider. It's only a matter of time until the others come downstairs though.

Rox came out from the kitchen, arms crossed and looked at the couch just in time to see the prince tug her daughter onto his lap. While she was extremely happy for both of them, especially her baby, that boy was a little handsy there.

"Excuse me, your highness," Rox said, "you best treat my girl with respect." She walked over to the pair, a smile on her face for her daughter. She kissed the top of Rinka's head. "If he doesn't do right by you, you have my permission to stab him."

Aurene was sending off a text to Prompto, but she came out shortly after.

"Finally," she said to the both of them.

"I mean, I know there was a good reason for why it took so long but watching you two flirt relentlessly but not do anything about it was painful."

Rinka squeaked as she was tugged over, but relaxed quickly in his arms, relief melting her into his embrace. Yeah. This was real. And it felt so damn right.

Of course her family had to come in and make noise about it. She rolled her eyes at Rox first.

"Mom, I'm not stabbing him."

"I'unno, a little stab'll keep him in line. Or maybe more than one. He takes a few tries to learn the lesson," Nyx grinned at the two of them as he came out with Rox, knowing he was going to get daggers glared at him again by Noctis but obviously not caring.

"This isn't warp training, Nyx."

A shrug. He stood by his statement.

And then there was Aurene.

"Puh-leeze. Like you and Prom were any better! We had an excuse, you two were just oblivious!"

Noctis just about jumps at that, his eyes going wide briefly.

"R... right. S... sorry." He stammers rubbing at the back of his neck.

It's not like he wasn't going to let her go if she wished it, he was being playful!

"No, no. She's got a point, if I do anything you don't like, you can stab me." Nyx on the other hand gets a 'tch' as he's not wrong on that and it's a bit of a sore spot. Since the Marlilith attack, Noctis has struggled a little, still not having gained full mastery of his powers.

Thankfully, as much as Aurene is also picking on them, it's a change of subject nonetheless.

"Gee, thanks." He replies flatly, but still can't keep from smiling at Rinka.

"Personally, I'm glad that my girl isn't suffering anymore," Rox said as she leaned against Nyx. After all, she'd known what it was like, and it had made her heart ache to see her girl suffering the same way she had, except maybe even worse. At least it hadn't lingered the amount of time Rox's had.

"And I'm glad you got good news, Noct," she added. "Good enough that you can and Rinka can finally act on your feelings. Aurene is right. It hurt to watch."

Aurene merely shrugged at the comment about her and Prom being just as bad. They got there in the end, right? And boy did they start their relationship with a bang.

A bit unconventional, they knew. But hey, it worked.

"Prom's sad that he missed this. I've been keeping him updated."

"Noct already had a hard enough time with an audience. I doubt he would have gotten through it if he had Prompto bouncing off the walls in the background."

Damn ADHD gremlin. (Affectionate)

"And I wasn't suffering. You make it sound like I was some forlorn waif draped over a chaise lounge lamenting my lost love or something," she rolled her eyes. Suffering. Gods.

She was quietly and stoically getting through her days.

And crying.

Inside.

Sometimes outside.

Noctis didn't need to know that, though!

"So what's the plan?" Nyx asked curiously, since he didn't expect it would just be the two of them cuddling on the couch for the next however long.

"I'm uh. Gonna have dinner with him. Tomorrow." She paused, then looked at Noctis. "At the Citadel."

Nyx let out a low whistle.

"Fancy."

Rox nodded with approval. "Fancy and appropriate. Good call, Noctis," she said and smiled at him. She turned to her daughter with some concern and her smile turned rueful. "I didn't mean it that way. You learned from me." She didn't add anymore, because her meaning was clear and she didn't want to embarrass Rinka, but she shot her daughter a look that said, I know you, child, don't act like I didn't raise you.

Rinka had learned to grin and bear it, just like her mother. She trudged through heartache determined to not let her defeat her. Rox might as well have given birth to Rinka. They were so alike in so many ways. Rox was glad she'd given her daughter the strength to survive hardships, emotional and physical, but that didn't mean she had to like it or approve of it.

She would rather her daughter not suffer at all. She wanted Rinka and Aurene happy. She wanted them to have full, beautiful futures, and she would fight to the death to give them that.

"What's the plan for today? Noct, you staying for dinner? Nyx mentioned looked like you ran all the way here from the Citadel."

Noctis runs his free hand through his hair, the other still occupied holding Rinka's

"Uh, well, my dad called me to his office, and yeah... I guess I got a little overenthusiastic."

There's a slight pink tinge to his cheeks, but he quickly zeroes in on the rest of it.

"I could go for some grub. Especially if it's Rinka's cooking!"

The blush deepens just a little.

Hush, Mom. He doesn't need to know that!

Keeping it inside had been the one thing that kept her from driving herself crazy while being around him.

"A little, but it was cute, once you got it out," she grinned at him with her own blushing, squeezing his hand gently.

"I could get something going. I'm pretty hungry after all that."

Surprisingly so. She would have thought her stomach would be rebelling after experiencing warping for the first time. Twice. But she felt more hungry than anything now.

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lost all memory of the time before you, home is a foreign land [ffxv au]

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