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[It happened in the period of taking a breath, and letting it out. Ignis isn't even sure what he was doing before. Was he sleeping? Reading? Though lately he also enjoyed to just sit in the Citadel's garden and enjoy the feel of the sunlight on his face. It was turning into spring again...
Either way, Ignis is sure he definitely wasn't anywhere near a train station. Especially not a strange looking as this one. For some reason, he'd gotten a bit of wary of trains and train stations. Though as he looks around he realizes many other things.
His vision. It's back. He can see things, yet it doesn't feel like he is truly seeing them. It's more like, they are there for him to experience and not to see. In a moment, everything becomes clear.
This is the end, the beginning of the end. He's finally...
Ignis can't help to let out a bit of a relieved breath. They had lost Prompto early on, due to his body not being able to go on for much longer because of his nature. Gladio went just a few years ago and it hit Ignis a bit more than he thought it would. The last few years were... cruel. In the softest, loneliest way possible. It made Ignis wish sometimes that he died somewhere in battle, so he doesn't have to go through all this.
He looks down at his hands, noting how they look so young. They look the same way when he set out on another journey to escort a prince to his wedding. It makes Ignis avert his gaze, up at the blank departure board, hoping something will appear there, and that the train will have a destination before he would board it.
As he turns his head however, he spots someone not far from him. The sight is just so shocking at Ignis barely wants to believe his eyes.]
As he turns his head however, he spots someone not far from him. The sight is just so shocking at Ignis barely wants to believe his eyes.]
From:
what excellent pain, thank you for this
Noctis doesn't really need to be here at the station. Actually, he'd had to pull some strings to get here the first time, to meet Prompto for the ride. Since then, it's become a tradition, pretty much. Bahamut didn't even argue, just waived him off.
Seeing Ignis on the platform now, looking surprise and unsettled... It should be a sad thing. And it is sad, sad enough to make the back of Noctis' throat sting. But he smiles because it always felt to him like Ignis was happiest in Insomnia, before the fall, before everything, when they were kids. He was stuffy even then, but they all had less to worry about. These last few years, it'd been hard to watch as Ignis went on alone.
So even though it's over, they're together now, the way things were when they were young. That's reason enough to smile. ]
Took you long enough, old man.
[ Noctis' voice raised over the quiet din of the busy station is rough with emotion, but loud and steady. It should be weird to sound young, but for Noctis at least, it isn't. It felt weird being thirty for a while. Time is pretty much meaningless to him and has been for a long time. He looks and sounds exactly the way he feels he should. It's Ignis who looks weird like this, young like how he used to be. He'd almost gotten attached to the soft, wrinkled skin and white hair. Seeing Ignis in his prime again after all this time is strange. But he imagines Ignis probably feels the same. ]
Glad you didn't rush on my account, or I never would've forgiven you.
From:
best pain there is, with the pain train ahhaha haha ha
I...
[He stutters, because suddenly it's all too overwhelming. Noctis is telling him exactly what he thought all these years. That Noctis would want him to go on, to wait for an end Noctis couldn't have. Or Prompto, for that matter. Ignis looks down at his hands for a second again.]
I'm glad to comply.
[Ignis settles in a sigh at last, turning his gaze back up at Noctis. Watching him smile. He seems happy. Happy like back in the days when everything was so simple. Ignis realizes once again how he missed him. More than anything, and once Gladio went too, it got so hard. No one had left who understood it all, the weight of it all. And now, at the end, there's Noctis of all people. There's no Citadel anymore, no Insomnia, no nothing and Ignis has no idea where this train will go. Only one time in his life had felt this scared and that time left him blind. But Noctis is with him, smiling and telling him exactly what he needed to hear.]
I missed you.
From:
hjgdd i walked right into that one
Noctis closes the distance between them, a slow swagger because there's even less of a rush now than there was back then on Eos. He drops a hand on Ignis' shoulder and squeezes, grounding, way more real than anything ahead of them, even if the opposite's really true. ]
I told you you'd always be with me, didn't I? It's not like I really went anywhere.
[ His hand slides from Ignis' shoulder to rest over his heart and his smile brightens again. The words, even vague as they are, aren't wholly true. Yeah, he was in Ignis' heart and vice versa, but he couldn't actively watch over the guys all the time. Even with all the power he's gained... it still feels like being asleep most of the time. He's focused now because Ignis needs him to be. But it'll be back to sleeping before long. And he won't be the only one. Once they get on that train, it'll be a good long nap for him and all of them. The gods too, probably. It's been a hell of a century. Of to the side, the destination board flips from blank lights to clear letters, though they're all gibberish, like in a dream. ]
You can rest now, Ignis. I'm not the only one who missed you all this time, and I know there are a lot of other faces you want to see.
From:
yes im sorry XD
[It's indeed the case and Ignis feels a bit stupid for ever doubting Noctis. But when he had to attend yet another funeral, his faith wavered just a bit. The gods were never too kind to them, after what happened Ignis felt a kind of resentment toward them. Just a faint one. Only over Noctis. Because he deserved so much more.
He can't look away from Noctis anymore, feeling his hand on his shoulder, then on his chest. There is no warmth, or heartbeat, yet it feels more relieving than anything Ignis experienced in the last few years. Both of his hand move to cover Noctis' hand on his chest, squeezing his fingers. Noctis is so much more now, more than a boy, a prince... he's a king, the chosen one. The one who brought the light, and Ignis wished so many times it was anyone else... But all that is done now. It ended. It's up to the new world to go on, without them in it. But then... what's next for him?
Ignis parts his lips but he's distracted by the board for a moment. When Noctis speaks he focuses again.
'You can rest now' he hears. It feels different than all those times Noctis told him to rest, to relax, to take it easy. This time, it's final. It feels the same when Noctis told him that last campfire that Ignis can't come with him. Painful, yet, somehow as if a weight was shifted from his shoulders.
The thought that people may be waiting for him at the destination he's headed, is thrilling. Relaxing even. But Ignis can't help to squeeze Noctis' hand once again, moving closer.]
You're going to come with me?
From:
smh
He huffs an amused breath at the question. It's not like he can blame Ignis. He's got a history of leaving Ignis high and dry for years, after all. And then again for even longer after that. But he just said he never went anywhere, didn't he? He tugs Ignis' hands open just to duck under them and pull Ignis by his slim waist into a hug. It's really been an age, and as much as Noctis doesn't put much stock in the tactile side of things, he really did miss this, with Ignis. The simple comfort of just being close to him, of skipping words in favor of easier actions. But words are necessary too, so he admonishes against his shoulder. ]
Yeah, I will be. Like you could get rid of me.
[ He pulls back, not away, but just so his hands rest at Ignis' elbows and his face is turned away enough to look in the direction of the train and bring attention to it. They're here for a reason, after all. Not just to stand around on a train platform for all eternity. ]
It's not much of a road trip, but we've got all the time we need. The destination is...
[ Noctis pauses and his eyes narrow as he tries to classify it. He's not great with words. Ignis will be able to explain it way better than he ever could, not that he'll probably have any reason to. Practically everyone's already waiting for him. So Noctis is left to try his best. ]
It's not like this. It's better, but it's... different. So when you're ready to go, we will. And when you're ready to be there, we will be.
[ "Reflection." That's what Bahamut called it. Not like Noctis can describe it differently, but reflection never felt like the best word to him, either. Absolution, maybe? Anyway, it feels different with Ignis. It's not like this is for him; he resolved himself a long time ago. But it still feels like there was a lot left to say that never got said, between him and Ignis especially. And it's not like anyone on Eos is waiting for them this time, or here, either, where time is kind of indescribably different, too. ]
From:
no subject
His lips tremble as he watches Noctis turning his head toward the train. He can't look away anymore. Then, without any ceremony Ignis puts his arms around him and pulls him into a tight hug. It feels strange to have that much power in his limbs after gradually losing it. It feels strange to catch the scent of Noctis' hair, even if Ignis wonders if it's real at all or all is a memory. His voice is calm as he speaks, closing his eyes for a second.]
It doesn't matter what trip, or where we're going. I'm always ready to go anywhere by your side.
[Now, that sensation is familiar, the fear of the unknown, but the thought that Noctis is there. And this time the destination probably won't bear destruction and pain, not like in life. How strange, Ignis wonders for a second, that at that moment life is more cruel than death.
However, it's not entirely the same as back on Eos. This time Noctis knows where to go, how to get there. This time he's the guide. This time there's no King who bids them farewell, this time, Ignis doesn't have to make a heavy promise. This time, they just take the train to somewhere, to the others.]
Shall we go, then?
[Ignis sighs then, feeling calmer than before.]
From:
no subject
Well, almost. One more train ride. He'd be surprised by the quick decision if it were anyone else. But Ignis more than anybody has always trusted him. It's a weight that used to feel crushing, and responsibility that was almost too heavy to bear. Now Noctis just feels proud to be relied on. He's stronger than he was; he can carry a weight like that easily. With an eager smile, he nods. ]
Let's go.
[ It's not really necessary for Noctis to tug Ignis along by the hand, the same way he has a dozen times over, even more often then younger they were. It's not necessary for him to lead the way at all; Ignis would find him on his own, all of them, Noctis is sure. He made it this far. But even after everything, his friends mean more than Providence itself, and he wouldn't be anywhere else right now than by Ignis' side, either.
The train's an overlay of too many they've been on, the trademarks of Gralea all smudged away to something indistinct and indecipherable. It still feels too familiar to bad times. There was never really a good train ride they were on. Noctis keeps tugging Ignis along with quick, determined steps as the train starts moving, and the landscape outside the window passing by isn't any one place in Lucis, but it's Lucis. All heat and sunlight, open fields and dense forests, not snow and daemons. The warmth of the sunlight itself is more comfortable and more familiar, and Noctis closes his eyes and breathes it in, finally letting go of Ignis' hand as he settles onto a stool of an empty dining car. ]
It's been a long time, huh?
[ He reminisces, not thinking about the train so much as the snapshots of Ignis' life he can remember post-ruin. Ten years and sixty almost felt the same to him, but Ignis... It was like he was a different person every time he saw him. And now here he is at least, that different Ignis, and his company still somehow feels the same. ]
From:
no subject
He holds onto the hands that leads him up the train, and walks with him through all those cars. Ignis does remember the train ride to the Empire, to the snowy death that waited for them. He remembers Prompto's hardship and with it, Noctis' too. He still hears the argument Gladio threw at their king then, only because he was afraid. But that was just one chapter amongst many.
While the landscape turns into light, turns into something Ignis hadn't seen in a long time, he can't tear his eyes away from Noctis. He follows him, as if he would lose him anytime, even if Ignis knows he won't. Not anymore. He only casts a glance outside when Noctis finally settles.
Ignis wonders if all that scenery is real, but he somehow feels it is. It's a scenery from the past, from the time that's yet to come, from all over. But it's theirs, that's sure.]
It has.
[He agrees as he finds a seat next to Noctis, with a heavy sigh. Too long, he wonders. But that was life, Ignis figures. A long time... He has some questions, and he wonders which one he should start with. But then he goes with that one he was thinking about a lot.]
Are you happy, Noct? Have you found peace?
From:
no subject
He's not expecting the question to be about himself, and he turns slightly more towards Ignis, his expression a mix of concern and warmth. Worried about him all this time. It feels like a failure in a way, that he couldn't convince Ignis fully before he died, but then, how could he? He could say he'd found peace all he wanted with tears in his eyes, but he'd be stupid to expect Ignis to believe him. He nods now, no more tears, voice steady. ]
Things didn't go the way I'd planned. But it's the way things had to be. We left the world better than we came into it. There's peace now, and light, thanks to everyone who sacrificed everything to make it happen.
[ He lifts his head. ]
Thanks to you, Ignis. And with you here now, it really feels like our work is done. A long break is just what we need. What's not to be happy about?
From:
no subject
Things only started to get bad when they were left more and more out of commission. When new people took their places, continuing their work.
And the worst started when no one had left, and nothing was left to do for Ignis. Only then he realized how hard it all was. It's not Noctis' fault Ignis could never entirely rest about his case, but his own. Ever since he was little, his life was built around Noctis, it was difficult to shake that off entirely.
Now as he's looking at him, and listening to him, Ignis still doesn't regret a thing. The honesty in Noctis' voice, the way his eyes are so sure and his words steady... it worth everything.]
You're right. The future's in good hands. I'm... happy. For you. For us.
[He adds, because it's not a lie. It's like all his questions and doubts are melting away the further they get from the station. A kind of calm serenity drapes over him he had never felt while on Eos. Ignis smiles at Noctis, thankful and calm.]
A break does sound nice. And then, let's do this again.
From:
no subject
And it did. For a while, they pulled together and worked to make the world better, just like they said they would. It was everything Noctis wanted. Except that it wasn't everything. It's not that he expected them to replace him after he was gone, he'd just hoped... There was just that sadness that was always with them, that he put there. Maybe if Ignis had gotten married, had kids, the times when he was alone wouldn't have seemed so... quiet. But it's not like he would want to force Ignis into a family he didn't want, and if he'd wanted it, he would've had one.
It means a lot, now, to hear that Ignis is happy. That at the end of everything, even with all he'd been through, he can look back and still agree with Noctis, that it was worth it, that the world is better than it was. His grin widens and he huffs a laugh at the idea of "doing this again." ]
No thanks. I'm all trained out after this one.
[ The sentiment, though... That's another story. His smile warms again, looking at Ignis looking at him, no scars, no wrinkles, smiling like he hasn't seen in a long time. ]
But something like it, yeah. You owe me a couple decades worth of pastries, for one. Don't think I won't hold you to that.
From:
no subject
At Noctis' dismissal he can't help a soft chuckle. How he missed him, how he missed their banters, their talks, their presence together. Nothing ever was the same again when Noctis was gone. Not because they lost a prince, a king, the Chosen one, but because they lost a friend, and brother. Maybe that's why Ignis never wanted a family, Noctis' presence was still so strong with him, despite how empty he felt over it.]
Well then, it's settled.
[The fields outside the windows change into a strange, yet familiar one as the train stars to slow down. Though Ignis finds he has no idea how long they are on the train, how long since they departed. But he knows they are getting closer to wherever it takes them. Somehow, it makes him sleepy too.]
I just... need to rest a little. Before all that.
From:
no subject
Take all the time you need. You earned it.
[ That's an understatement, in Noctis' opinion. Ignis always worked way too hard. He deserves to rest more than any of them. As the light shifts, Noctis watches through the windows as the blur of scenery passing by starts to slow down. He knows where they're headed, and so the night sky and ocean of lights looks familiar to him, but it's impossible to say if Ignis sees the same. It doesn't really matter, anyway. If there's one thing Noctis is sure of, they won't be separated again for long. He did enough of that already; there's nothing that could keep him from being at Ignis' side after this. Not for long enough to count, anyway. ]
I'll be there when you wake up.
[ He promises, confident in the words even though he's never really used them with Ignis before. It might've been nice if he could've acted like a king a little bit longer while they were on Eos, but better late than never. He still hasn't said everything he wants to say, but there's no rush like there was at that last campfire. He's got forever to put the right words together. No more goodbyes. ]
From:
no subject
Thank you.
[Ignis whispers, truly meaning it. He is thankful to Noctis for letting him have a good rest, and he's also thankful he won't leave him alone again. Not that he ever truly did. Ignis knew even if Noctis wasn't on Eos, he was still there with the gods, with the kings, looking at them.]
Thank you.
[He adds, once again, kissing into Noctis' hair before slowly letting him go. The train also stops at his station. He has many things he wants to say to Noctis, to ask him, to just be with him a little more. But this time Ignis knows they have all the time in the world. Without any responsibilities, duty and all those things. It's only just them and the bond they share. Which is all he ever needed. In life and in death.
He feels lightheaded, and sleepy, but never tired as he slowly rises from his seat to get off the train, and to where he has to be next. With Noctis.]