at the end of it all

[houseofscientia]

[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.]

Comments

what excellent pain, thank you for this

[mcring]

[ They never really had great luck with trains, did they? Never really the kind of comfort the Regalia gave them, that's for sure. But there's a car waiting for them at their destination. Just one more train ride until they're all home again at last.

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.