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themonotonysyndrome · 2 years

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REDACTED verse - The worst kind of poison

This entire week made me petty and angry. So this is a rushed fic.

(Also, while my Freelancer has a name, they will still be gender-neutral.)

Summary: "Vega would be proud." A small part of the Freelancer whispered as their mother did nothing but cry while her fiancé swallowed a lump in his throat.

A lot of things can ruin a perfectly good day; the Freelancer is no stranger to that after everything that happened in their life.

So when an unknown number has been blowing up their phone the whole day, they know better than to answer it. Unfortunately, they were careless enough not to switch their phone to silent before Gavin swiped it from the dining table.

"Uh, Deviant? I'm pretty sure someone's trying to get a hold of you." The Incubus unnecessary commented as he passed the device to them. He noticed the first call before he Rifted to Aria in the morning, and his curiosity was piqued when the same unknown number continued to call when he returned.

The Freelancer greets him with a lingering welcome home kiss, to which Gavin purrs in delight. He wastes no time in making himself comfortable on the couch before pulling his lover onto his lap so he can cuddle them. The phone and gaming controller are tossed aside. "How's Caelum?" They ask. The moment Gavin arrived home, they withdrew from any online matches on Destiny 2. Everyone agreed to a ten-minute break anyway, especially when they all heard one of their team member's partner screaming for him in the background.

Something about a burning microwave. The Freelancer makes a mental note to ask him about it.

"Caelum's fine. Delphinus and a few Inchoates are watching over the little Empathy Daemons. The Inversion took a toll on them, so the Chorus are prioritising their well-being for the time being." Here, Gavin pauses. He throws an apologetic smile at the Freelancer. "It's probably going to be some time before Caelum could come visit again."

That's completely understandable. The Freelancer's heart goes out to his and his siblings' speedy recovery. "As long as he's getting better, I can wait. Actually, I'm thinking of surprising him with a bake-off when he comes over. Damien has been baking cupcakes lately, and they're delish. Oh! Once I get Huxley and Lasko onboard, we can pair up into three teams. You can be with Damien."

Gavin snorts. "You want to throw Damien off his game before the competition even begins. Naughty, naughty, Deviant."

"Don't pretend you don't enjoy riling him up," The Freelancer grins shamelessly. When Gavin returns it with a smirk, they know they got this in the bag. "Not gonna lie, Damien looks pretty hot when he's mad. And yes, that's a pun. Shut up, you love it. Anyway, we should keep the bake-off in mind during our next grocery run -"

Their phone suddenly rings, interrupting the Freelancer's ramble. It's the same unknown number. The two said nothing as they stared at the phone.

"I think you should answer that." Gavin said finally.

Freelancer hums in agreement and taps on the screen. A familiar voice blurts out before they can open their mouth: "Ain? Ain, is that you? Oh God, baby... It's -"

They immediately hang up. "Wrong number." The Freelancer tonelessly announces and picks the controller back up. They ignore their pounding heart and Gavin's concerned reflection on the glass cupboard beside the TV.

"Deviant, baby, talk to me. You're upset," Gavin begins rubbing their arms in a soothing rhythm. The sudden turmoil from his Deviant's serene emotion is a whiplash. "Do you know the caller? Did they say something to you?"

"Nah, it was just a wrong number." The Freelancer blithely replies, head already back in the game. Their diversion is painfully obvious, and Gavin respects that. He stomps down the burgeoning questions popping in his mind and instead focuses on the gameplay. Making random comments here and there in hopes of distracting his Deviant from the anger that bubbles within them.

It works when the couple eventually moves to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

But Gavin made the mistake of thinking the phone call was nothing more than a fluke.

A new normal has settled in the Empowered world of Dahlia. A sense of fear and suspicion lingers in the air after the Inversion tragedy. The Freelancer couldn't help but notice that their schoolmates, teachers and even civilians are walking around expecting the other shoe to drop. It's tense.

The Freelancer worries for Gavin with this amalgamation of emotions blanketing the city. Their man puts on a wicked grin and assured tone that the atmosphere isn't as bad as during the Inversion, but he promises them that he'll watch himself.

Nonetheless, the Freelancer is ready to help him in any way they can should Gavin buckles under the emotions.

The uncertainty and worry must've shown on their face because Damien clucks his tongue and flip his notebook close. He invited the Freelancer over to his place to go over some notes for their upcoming quiz, but with his friend like this, it's better to address the situation. "This isn't going anywhere. Alright. Let's hear it."

That snaps the Freelancer out of their reverie. Startled, they sheepily apologised, "Shit, sorry, Damien. I know we're supposed to study, but I keep zoning out..."

Damien sigh but pours them a glass of water. The Freelancer gratefully takes it from him. "It's fine. You're starting to worry me anyway. Do you want to talk about it or work it off at the gym with me?"

The Freelancer appreciates Damien's tact. His method of helping always includes problem-solving, and they love him for that. But the thought of going to the gym on a hot Friday like this? Hard pass.

Spilling their guts it is then. "I think I'm starting to worry about everything and anything," The Freelancer complains, rubbing their temple in frustration. "People are still afraid and hurt from the Inversion. Our government hasn't released anything about the reason or people responsible for the portal. Daemons are under pressure from people's negative emotions, and the shitty cherry on top?" The Freelancer shoots a look of disgust at their textbooks. "We have a quiz coming soon. As if everything's back to normal! As if everyone forgot that so many people died in that stadium -"

"Stop it."

Damien's chilling voice made the words abruptly trapped in the Freelancer's throat. They turn away from the Fire Elemental, eyes stinging.

Footsteps went around the table so that Damien could meet with the Freelancer's eyes. "Do you know that Gavin told us he's worried you might take the whole world on your shoulders again?"

The Freelancer stares at him, surprised.

"I'll take that as a no then. Look, Freelancer, you have a big heart, and we love you for that. But you know what we would love more? If you share some of that burden with us. Magic... is amazing, but it never makes anyone invincible. So let's talk."

And talk they did. They talk about their fears and worries from the Inversion until their throats are parched, and both suddenly need to answer some calls.

"Hang on, it's my Mum," Damien said, getting up from the couch with his phone. "Snacks are in the fridge if you want to munch on something. Don't eat too much, though; we're going out for lunch later." He narrowed his eyes at the impishly smiling Freelancer who gave him a salute.

The Freelancer watches Damien step outside the balcony and slides the glass door shut behind him. That's when their phone rings.

They withdraw the phone from their pocket and glance down. An unknown number again. But this time, it's a different one from that woman's. Still, the Freelancer hesitantly presses the button, "Mn-hmm?"

The caller paused at the lack of verbal greeting. A small part of the Freelancer hopes that it's really just a random number now. They're not in the mood to deal with any shitty surprise -

"Excuse me, but is this Ain Nasir? I'm -"

"It's Rose, now." The Freelancer couldn't help but spit out. Their heart begins to race. "Ain Rose. Who are you, and what do you want?"

The caller cleared his throat. His voice wavers a little. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Please, my name is Robin Montgomery. I'm your mother's... fiancé."

Strike one.

"She's been trying to contact you for a while now, but you must be busy. U-Um. She always talks about you; last night, she told me about your first times at elementary school and showed me a picture of your first year in middle school. She's very proud of you. She misses you."

Strike two. The Freelancer's heart is hammering painfully against their ribcage now.

"I don't know what happened between the two of you. And it's not my place to interfere, but I figured since we'll be a family soon, I want to help you and your mother reconnect again! She loves you very much, Ain. She genuinely regrets whatever it was that made you move out of the house." The caller pleads; sincerity paints his voice. "Will you please answer her calls again?"

Flashes of images and a cacophony of sounds assault the Freelancer's mind. Unwanted memories begin to resurface. Screams, furniture thrown against the walls and despair worn around the neck like a noose.

Freak. Rejected. Unwanted. Abandoned for something out of their control -

Strike three. The final nail in the coffin.

"Sure." The Freelancer replied, calm despite the blood rushing to their ears. Hatred and malice begin to stir in the pit of their stomach.

"R-Really?" Stammers their mother's fiancé, taken aback. He immediately lit up, happy that the Freelancer is finally giving in. "That's wonderful! Farah is going to be so happy! Hey listen, if this isn't too forward of me, can I keep calling you? Farah said you're a great kid, and she's right. I was wondering if the three of us could meet up one day. You know, so we can get to know one another properly before the wedding. O-Only if you're alright with it, of course!"

The Freelancer answered that they'd think about it. The man thanked them profusely and ended the call.

Just then, the balcony's glass door slide open once more. "My Mum send her love, Freelancer. She said she wants to have dinner with you and everyone else once her schedule frees up. Do me a solid and tell Gavin not to traumatise her - Freelancer? What's wrong?" Damien halts; the strange expression on his friend's face is enough for him to instinctively hovers his thumb on Gavin's phone number.

Like a whiplash, it vanishes, and the Freelancer beams at him. "How's your Mum? Is she doing OK?"

"...Busy, but that's practically a norm for her. Are you alright? You looked off just now."

"Just hungry. Can we get lunch now? I'm feeling noodle-y."

"That's not a word, and you know it." The Freelancer attacks him with their best puppy dog eyes until Damien gives in. "Fine, noodles it is. Let me grab my wallet real quick, and we can go."

The Freelancer cheers and hurries to wait at the front door while Damien gets ready. As they made their way to the local Chinese restaurant, Damien briefly brought the Freelancer back to their prior conversation. "The offer is still on the table, Freelancer," The bell above the restaurant's door tinkles when Damien pushes it open so that the Freelancer can enter first. The place is lively, but the Fire Elemental's attention rests solely on the Freelancer. "We can help you carry some of that burdens on your shoulders. That's what friends are for."

The two were seated, and after they handed the menus to the waiter, the Freelancer nodded. "You're right, Damien. I can't fret over things out of my control. So from now, I'm going to focus on dealing with the things I actually can control."

When they lean forward and push their palm toward him, Damien high-fives them with a roll of his eyes.

The two enjoyed their lunch, and the conversations were lighter and more fun. The Freelancer mentioned the bake-off, and Damien readily agreed to join. It would be an exciting change of pace, according to him.

The Inversion might leave a scar on the Empowered residents of Dahlia, but Damien is happy that his loved ones are slowly making healthy progress toward a brighter tomorrow.

Damien's only mistake was not realising the meaning behind his friend's words.

Over various calls throughout the month, Robin Montgomery proved to be an earnest man who could use some tact when talking about the Nasir family.

The Freelancer has yet to meet the man, but he has a boyish charm and laughs whenever he updates the latest news about his lover. Very thoughtful of him. Very stupid of him.

"There's this fantastic seafood restaurant in town that I think you'll love, Ain. Farah said that you're big on seafood, so I thought maybe we could all have dinner -"

The last time the Freelancer had seafood was when they were fourteen, and the allergic reaction didn't outweigh the joy of eating lobsters for the first time. But they simply hum and let the man ramble on, enjoying the vile that simmers in the pit of their stomach.

Throughout their various conversations, the man never once asked why the Freelancer changed their surnames, which was enough for them to disregard any lingering guilt they might have. If it weren't, the lack of questions about the Freelancer's life, interest and basically everything else would've sealed the deal.

Because with Robin, it's always -

"Farah's doing alright. She recently had a physical checkup, and we're waiting for the result. She hopes that your health is well."

"We're thinking of a Spring wedding next year. Your mother mentioned that she wants the venue to be surrounded by flowers."

"Farah said she tried to call you last night but, um, you didn't pick up. I told her that you might be busy with... whatever it is you're doing. Um. Can you maybe give her a call? Whenever is alright with you!"

Anger gives a shot of adrenaline, grievance has a way of making one feel invincible, and the Freelancer nurtures both in spades the moment Robin Montgomery introduced himself.

Gavin has been giving them concerning glances whenever Robin ends the call, and it's getting harder to pretend that everything's alright. Well, everything will be fine, but the Freelancer doesn't want to worry their lover and friends.

This is personal and something long overdue.

Plans were eventually made, and the Freelancer learned that their mother and beau had moved to the neighbouring city just a year ago. With a distance of 2 hours via driving, the couple is excited to visit Dahlia and Farah's estranged child. Meanwhile, Gavin will be visiting Caelum in Aria for a few hours, and the Freelancer's friends are busy with their own agendas for the day.

That leaves the Freelancer a free Sunday to confront their past in a hipster-like cafe, waiting for the inevitable. Anticipation brews underneath their skin, sweeter than their coffee, as they idly drum their finger on the wooden table. They deliberately arrive ahead of the agreed time to compose themselves, but as the minutes tick by, the Freelancer is starting to get ansty.

They check the time on their phone. The moment it hits 1 PM, the Freelancer hears the server greet at the door. "Welcome to the Owlet's Nest. Table for two?"

"No, thank you. Will be joining that table near the window." That's Robin. Sure enough, when the Freelancer glances up, a couple is heading straight to their table. All smiles and no hesitation what's so ever.

The Freelancer didn't stand up, didn't offer any words, and they relished when their mother's smile wavers. Farah looks well beyond her age with prominent crow's feet and slightly gaunt cheeks. She's thinner too, as if the years took a toll on her. "Hey, sweetheart..." The familiar stranger's voice is hesitant. Unsure on how to break the frigid ice.

"Freak! Get the fuck out of my house!"

"Hey, kiddo," Robin greets next, a bit more confident than his lover but cautious enough not to step out of line. "Is it alright if we sit down?"

The Freelancer nods, and the couple makes themselves comfortable. Farah is staring hard at them, like a thirsty man on a desert that stumble upon an oasis. Her eyes practically flooded with emotions; grief, regret, longing, shame and worst of all, love. Anger and hatred simmer within the Freelancer in return. Seeing that no one was saying anything, Robin hurried to pass their order to a lingering waiter. He cleared his throat in hopes of dispelling the awkwardness around the table.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Ain. We're happy to see that you're well and healthy." Robin noted, that boyish charm practically bleeds through his demeanour. He looks a little younger than Farah and nothing at all like her ex-husband.

"Ain, listen to me. I don't know what's going with you, but you need to behave like... like normal again. You're stressing out your mother, alright? I hate it when she-she makes you stay in your room all day."

"What do you want?" The Freelancer finally speaks, causing Farah to flinch and a frown from Robin.

Farah starts tearing bits from the tissue on the table, clearly nervous and eyes skittish, but the Freelancer made sure theirs are on her. "I-I want to talk to you, honey," She takes a deep breath and continues. "Ever since that night -"

"When you chased me out of my home of sixteen years with some profanity thrown for good measured, yes, I remembered."

Uneasiness threatens everyone on a chokehold. Including the Freelancer. Their heart is boiling, and it's getting harder to wear a stoic mask. Beside Farah, Robin opens his mouth to say something. Probably to defend his lover, but the woman presses on despite it all.

"You have every right to be angry for what I did to you that night, Ain. Your father and I divorced soon after, and I had a lot of time to self-reflect. I realised what I'd done and I... I regret it. I regret what I said. I regret what I did to you. And I wanted to apologise to you for so long now."

"Freak! Monster! I saw what you did in the living room! Come here. I said, come here! Right. I'm locking you in your room until you stop being a danger to your father and me!" A struggle and then a stinging cheek. Hot tears streamed down their face.

The Freelancer tilts their head. "Regret? You don't regret jack shit. No, you reached out to me because your boy toy told you to. You probably slipped up and told him about me, and his bleeding heart persuaded you to mend bridges." Farah flushed red, and Robin gripped the edge of the table. Wanting to say something but were unable to because they hit it right on the mark. So they sneer and continue, "I'm not fucking stupid. If you actually have any consciousness, you would've contacted the police the moment I was gone. But you didn't."

Farah curls into herself while Robin whips his head at her, incredulous. Aww, looks like his lover never did tell him the full story. It's an open wound that the Freelancer didn't hesitate to stab and twist the knife.

"That's right, boy toy. Your gentle and kind woman here is actually an abusive piece of shit. She and her limped dick ex-husband." Seeing the tears trickle down Farah's face as she shamefully stared at her lap enraged the Freelancer. The audacity of this bitch to play the victim after everything she did to them!

They want to slap her. Kick her. Strangle her. Crush her. Run her over. Stab her - for the first time in their life, the Freelancer wants nothing more than to hurt their mother as much as she had hurt them.

"Ain. I... I didn't know," Robin butts in, cautious yet firm. His hand on Farah's shoulder. A silent support, and it infuriates the Freelancer even more. "But please, lower your voice. We're in public. Look, we can discuss this further at the hotel with cooler heads. Your mother has a lot of explaining to do -"

The Freelancer sweeps their arms over the table. Saucers, cups, teaspoons and napkins clatter on the floor. Silence instantly descends in the cafe as everyone turns to watch the spectacle. But the Freelancer is oblivious to it. They stand up to glare hatefully at the couple who dares to reach out to them, expecting everything but long overdue retributions. "Did this bitch tell you how she used to abuse me? How she loves locking me in my bedroom for days without anything to eat!? How I'm her favourite dartboard after her fourth bottle!? Hah!? How I went to school wearing sweaters even during the Summers!?" Their voice gets higher and higher until the Freelancer is practically screaming.

Robin's face is deathly pale while Farah shakes. Someone is secretly filming, and the wait staff are frozen.

So the Freelancer smiles cruelly. A hand on one hip and a thumb playfully point at the sobbing woman as they address Robin. "And this is the woman you wanna marry? Seriously? I guess if you're into verbal, physical and emotional abuse, then who am I to judge! Though, word of advice? I don't recommend having a kid with her. She might just throw your baby down the stairs while you're working in another room. Why? Oh, it was crying - something completely out of its control - and she just had a bad day at work. I'm sure you love her enough to see past it, right?"

Farah keens like a wounded dog while Robin recoils away from the Freelancer as if they had just punched him. At this point, he'd prefer that.

But they weren't done. It's been years of buried hatred and sorrow, after all.

"You said you wanted to apologise, Farah? Get it through your oversized head that I don't want your superficial apologies or your fake regrets! LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, BITCH!" The Freelancer scream, and Farah obeys with a violent flinch. Her eyes are puffy and red, makeup ruined. Her face is wet, and fear is so very visible. "I will never forgive you! I never want to play house with you or your side piece! Or have anything to do with your family! I fucking hate you! I fucking hate Shahrin! And I can't wait to go to your funeral, knowing that I could've changed the outcome!"

From a nearby booth, someone whispers, "Isn't that from TikTok?" Fortunately for him, his girlfriend quickly shushed him before the Freelancer's ire could be directed at them.

"Vega would be proud." A small part of the Freelancer whispered as their mother did nothing but cry while her fiancé swallowed a lump in his throat. Not knowing what to say and how to react.

But the Freelancer is still so, so angry. Unaware of their Magic begging to lash out. To utterly destroyed the withering couple in front of them.

All of a sudden, the cafe's door roughly pushes open. Footsteps rush towards their table, but the Freelancer doesn't give a shit.

"Shit! Freelancer, Freelancer - let's go," It's Lasko. He's frantic. They feel so distant when the Air Elemental gently grabs their hand, trying to tug them. "You're hurt. I know you're hurt. I'm so sorry - I understand, Freelancer. I know what you're feeling, b-but we need to go now, OK? Please. Can we go home now?" Lasko all but begs.

"No!" The Freelancer shouts, and they yank their hand out of his hold. "Not after everything she did to me! Not until I hurt her!"

Lasko's face twisted in anguish. Beside him, Huxley's big, gentle hands rest on the Freelancer's shoulders. Quietly and sadly, he murmurs, "Easy, Freelancer. Easy. It feels good, isn't it? Being angry. It's better than being sad, but Ain, you're hurting right now." Huxley's voice is so very soft, yet his words throw the Freelancer off the loop. They stared at Vega, paralysed and helpless as he threatened them, but this strange look from the Earth Elemental was another beast entirely.

It doused the anger somewhat. They could care less about Farah and Robin; the couple could rot in hell for their audacity, but they never wanted to be why Lasko and Huxley looked so frightened.

Squeezing their eyes shut, the Freelancer felt like they had just fought a pointless battle. "I'm done here."

Huxley and Lasko spring into action at those simple words. The Freelancer let themselves led away by Lasko while Huxley paid for any damages in the cafe before following suit. Whispers and murmurs rippled the moment the trio left, and the wait staff cleaned the mess done by the Freelancer. Eyes were on the disquieted couple. Robin's face is in his hands, while Farah is overwhelmed with what-ifs and wishes that are just too late.

Meanwhile, the Freelancer and their friends said nothing all the way to the Freelancer's apartment. The moment they're inside, the Freelancer excuses themselves to wash up in the bathroom. Huxley and Lasko didn't miss how they refused to look at them, making the boys worry even more. It wasn't until all of them lounged on the couch did Lasko begin the much-needed conversation.

"I used to imagine what I would say to my parents, you know," He says, eyes distant and sad. "I was their kid, and I loved them as much as they loved me right until my Magic started to manifest. And then it was like those years did exist. They didn't see me as their son at all. It was heartbreaking that Magic made me a stranger to them."

"Lasko, buddy..." Huxley doesn't really know what to say to that. Having been raised by amazing and kind Empowered parents, he knows he can't relate to Lasko and the Freelancer's trauma. But that doesn't stop him from loving and supporting them in any way he can.

Lasko just smiles ruefully. "They didn't understand that I didn't know what was happening. I was just as scared as they were. But they blamed me for something I couldn't control." Here, he lets out a long, drawn sigh. "I got out before things could get any worse, and while I'm happy where I am now, with you guys as my family, I sometimes wonder how would I react if my parents reach out to me." He then turns to the Freelancer, who has been listening quietly. "I would do exactly what you did in that cafe."

"How did you find me?" The Freelancer asks while trying to wrap the image of sweet and gentle Lasko going absolutely batshit insane like they did earlier.

Huxley answers, "Mine and Lasko's plan synced up, and we decided to get the smoothie on the same street. Oh yeah, we got one for you and Gavin too! It's in the fridge. Wait, dude, where was I? Oh right! Anyway, we saw you were with some strangers in that cafe, and then you started... screaming and standing up."

"We could feel your Aura burning up," Lasko adds. "Your Magic was going to explode, and we ran inside and heard half of what you were screaming about."

The Freelancer tips their head against the couch and rubs their temple. All that anger had finally left them with nothing but exhaustion. "Shit. I didn't know I was about blow Covert. Thank you for getting me out of there, guys. I owe you one."

Huxley displays his signature bright smile. "Don't sweat it, buddy! How are you feeling now?"

The Freelancer takes a moment to really assess themselves. What a day it has been. "Not gonna lie, I'm super exhausted, but I feel better now. Lighter. I don't think I'll ever regret what I said to them in that cafe. I don't intend to make amends with that woman or entertain Robin anymore. I want to focus on the family that I have now."

Their declaration made Lasko and Huxley huddle close for a group hug. Wanting to put the whole affair behind them, the Freelancer suggests that they all have dinner at their place. A quick call to Damien, and plans are set. The trio nap for a few hours until Gavin Rift home and immediately picks up on the lingering emotions surrounding them. During dinner, the Freelancer explained to him and Damien what had happened.

"I knew something was up when we were out for lunch," Damien points out. "You were shifty whenever your phone rang."

"You hid your feelings just enough for me to doubt myself, Deviant." Gavin chimes in; his eyes speak concern and a hint of pride. "We talked about this, Freelancer. I'm here for you; we're here for you. I might not be a Serenity Daemon, but I want to help you."

"I'm going to try to be more open with myself," The Freelancer promises. Not wanting to worry their friends anymore. They would need to bring this to their next therapy session, but at least they're on track to get better. "Thank you, Gavin. Thanks, guys."

Despite how terrible the Freelancer's day had gone, their night was filled with good friends and good memories.

The bridges between Farah and Ain were burned to ashes. Not broken. There was literally nothing left to mend, and Robin hates that he realised it too late. Hate how he reaches out to Ain with ignorance.

After the disaster of their first meeting, Robin begins to reflect on his decision to marry the woman he thought he knew. Farah was utterly inconsolable when Ain left with their friends. She remained that way when they managed to return to the hotel. It was only after Robin persuaded her to eat or drink something that Farah all but begged him to understand. That she never wanted to hurt her own child.

"Abused," Robin dazedly corrected her. His world tilted. "You and your ex-husband abused them, and you never told me about it." It took Ain all but screaming in his face to learn about his fiancée's sordid past.

That sent Farah into another spiral, but Robin was too distraught to do anything.

There was nothing left for them in Dahlia. With their tails tucked between their legs, the couple prepared to return to their city; heads heavy with different dilemmas. Robin is re-thinking his decision to spend his entire life with the woman he thought he knew, while Farah does everything she can to hold on to everything she loves while still hoping that Ain would one day forgive her.

And when their car drives into the bustling street that leads to the highway, the world arranges a moment where Farah catches Ain walking past the stores. A wide grin on their face, surrounded by men who clearly love and cherish them.

The picture of a perfect family.

#monotony's rambling #redacted asmr #fanfic #they/them pronouns #gender neutral s/o #tw: child abuse #tw: violence #tw: fantasies of revenge #freelancer (listener)#gavin #caelum #damien #huxley #lasko moore #will do the editing once i come back

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teddybasmanov · 3 years

Text

Let's put all my insecurity rambling and angst aside and think about something nice, for example:

Gavin is actually a huge goof.

I'm dead serious right now - I've been thinking about the last two audios - yes the ones where he's "the boyfriend" - and aside from his classical innuendoes he's often just being plain silly. Like that moment in the baking audio in which he asks the freelance to wrap their arms around him and show him how to stir? By no stretch of logic is that a sexual innuendo - that's an Asher level joke. And in the last one? Everyone agrees that now I decide when it's time to wake up. This was not smooth (unlike the later neck moment).

And I think - before that all his jokes had one topic and usually a pretty straightforward goal, but now... He doesn't need to keep himself in the box of "that's how a sex demon should behave" and apparently he wants to be a little adorably corny, and I'm definitely not the person to be against it.

I think that before, he might have only shown this to Caelum (like that tickling moment) but now feels comfortable enough to be like that with the freelancer and it warms my heart.

#redacted asmr #analysis?#no #I just love him way too much #want to hold him #I think it's my cue to go to bed

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veneli · 2 years

Note

🍦 🏦 🛋 ⛪ 🖊 🍪 ?

- @wegotaselfshipperere

I ship myself with a lot of bois in Redactedverse so let's just choose one based on a wheel spin: Gavin!

🍦 You and your F/O go out to the opening of an ice cream shop. What's the first flavor you'd want to have? - Cookies 'n' Cream!!! I haven't had that in ages and I crave me some of that goodness rn - Gavin would get Chocolate (it's canon that chocolate is irresistible for him)

🏦 Things go awry at the ice cream shop opening and now thugs are robbing the place! You and you F/O manage to hide from them, but how do you escape the situation? - Finish my ice cream and fight them bare handed, using no magic to "keep it covert" - Gavin seduces the thugs into not robbing the place and hands them over to the police -> he gets a lifetime supply of chocolate ice cream as a thank you. Lucky bastard

⛪ Is your F/O particularly religious? If so, which group and how dedicated are they? - nope! we're both atheist in my self-shipped universe. I'm atheist irl too so that just kinda applied

🛋 How do you spend time together? Are you the couple who sits in the same room, not talking and just enjoying each other's company, or do you two go off and have dates/adventures a lot? - Gavin is definitely one that likes going out when he's bored, so 'd imagine that I get dragged along with all his endeavours. However, if we aren't going out, we'd most likely be at home, gaming, watching shows, baking (!!), hanging out with Caelum, or doing schoolwork since Gavin's started classes at DAMN.

🖊 If your F/O were to start a collection of things, what would they horde? What would be their most prized possession? (Besides you, obviously) - I already have a horde of earrings, and that's for sure what I'll be collecting. I have tons of weird accessories. Toilet Paper earrings? got it. Half-peeled Orange earrings? got them. Knitted toque (yes I'm Canadian) earrings, got those too. Cat-bite earrings? yeAh. Mismatched studio ghibli earrings? (MHM)

- I think Gavin would most likely have a collection of really nice decorative chains and necklaces. Made out of multiple types of metals, gold, silver, titanium, aluminum, etc. He layers necklaces and he likes to wrap them around his horns or his tail. He's also got a collection of charms that he can put them on for festive seasons or special occasions, or when he just feels like it.

- his (our) most prized possession: a photo from an anniversary, framed and put on the mantle on the fireplace <3

🍪 You tried to make a sweet surprise for you and your F/O, but something happened and now the cookies are alive!!! They've taken over the kitchen and are starting to push into the rest of the house! How do you and your F/O stop them?

- OOOO COOKIES - Call up Caelum, and he'll have the time of his LIFE catching those cookies and eating them. No worries. Jumping cookies are no big deal for a cookie-loving Empathy Daemon.

#eli’s requests #eli’s rambling #redacted asmr #redacted gavin #redacted freelancer #redacted hc #pocket Caelum eating an entire cookie by himself #<3 i love him #Gavin <33333 ughhhhh

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ryn-halo26 · 2 years

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Hi Ryn! For that Redacted Asks game, 31 to 35!

Hello! Sorry i couldnt answer sooner, i was at school and my phone was in my locker😓

But anyway

31. Video(s) that made you cry?

Inversion. And i was on the way to school when they came out, i had to hold back tears to not cry and look like an idiot.

32. Favorite quote(s)?

" Their aura lit up like a fuckin' christmas tree" - Sam's first appearance( i think). And " And i made some brownies but then i ate all the brownies cause i really like brownies but then i made some more brownies!" - Caelum in his study audio

33. What is a new character you would like to see? (Could be Empowered/Human/D(a)emon) And what would you pair them with? (Empowered/Human/D(a)emon) Describe both characters & their dynamic as much as possible.

Just another energetic please. I would also like to see Morgan make an appearance( or any seer).

34. What was your first Redacted video you listened to?

* sweating intesifies* uhhh.... Vincent and Adam's imperium video....

35. What video got you hooked to the Redactedverse that you knew right then & there this was going to become an obsession?

Gavin's baking video( yes what a drastic change from my first video). I was like, while listening, new hyperfixation ain't?

Again, sorry for the late answer

#redacted asmr #answered ask

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plutobutartsy · 1 year

Text

part 2 of my shared custody au

here's part 1 if anyone is interested but hasn't seen it yet:

okay anyway it's gavin/freelancer time >:D

gavin and freelancer are fighting for their lives trying to keep their relationship strictly professional

they are failing

caelum tries his best to wingman ("did you know that my dad gives the best hugs ever?? and he has cool hair and it's really soft!!")

pet just wants a moment of peace without freelancer talking about gavin (and ofc for their bestie to be happy)

"he's so hot and considerate and dedicated and-" "so date him" "nO i can't do that do you know how inappropriate that would be omg"

they have this conversation thrice a week

at some point freelancer decides it's best for them to avoid gavin so they don't end up crossing any lines

but it doesn't work because they keep being stuck together to prepare for one school event or another

they do their best to only talk about school related things, no more banter, minimal small talk

gavin thinks he did something wrong, that maybe they found out about his feelings for them and this is their way of letting him down easy

then caelum's grade goes on a field trip to a history museum so a few of the parents are needed as additional chaperones

originally, gavin plans on not going since things with freelancer have been so awkward lately (god they're both such idiots)

but he's lowkey a hellicopter dad so he goes out of worry for caelum lol

freelancer and gavin kind of avoid each other like the plague for the bigger chunk of the trip

after the museum guide is done giving the tour, the kids get some time to roam around on their own, the chaperones and teachers walk around the museum as well to keep an eye on them

that's when freelancer and gavin run into each other in a small, empty side room that's on the more boring side of the exhibit

freelancer is almost out of the door when gavin just BLURTS out that he's SOOO SORRY for making things weird and that he hopes they can just go back to normal and-

freelancer is like "huh???" because THEY should be the sorry one for PROJECTING their own feelings onto a a student's parent and oh gOD they're so unprofessional-

so then GAVIN is confused because wtf are they even talking about?? what feelings?? HELLO?????

they stare at each other for a while until freelancer FINALLY mumbles that they fell in love with gavin and just wanted to maintain a professional relationship with him

gavin is just kinda like "oh thank god, i thought i made you uncomfortable and you hate me now-" and he explains that he feels the same way

they get interrupted by some of the children entering the room but they agree on talking some more when they can be alone

you'd think this would make things even more awkward but it actually helps disperse most of the tension between them!!

they meet the following week during one of freelancer's lunch breaks and agree to secretly date even though they're both a bit hesitant to do so

(they're really bad at hiding it though because anyone with eyes can tell how much they love each other)

but it's the end of the school year and after that caelum won't be in freelancer's class anymore anyway

when they finally tell caelum he's so excited

he was kinda sad because he wouldn't be in freelancer's class anymore but now he can spend as much time with them as he wants!!!!

he immediately demands the three of them go out and do something together so they go to the park together

some more miscellaneous stuff

even though gavin originally only showed so much interest in school events because of freelancer, he turned into a full-on pta mom along the way

he found out he had a genuine talent for organizing events and he enjoys it and takes pride in it now

he's very popular with the other parents (yes, some try to flirt with him) and especially after the bake sale he starts trading recipes with a few of them

damien and huxely have a daughter named millie who goes to the same school as caelum, though she's only in first grade while caelum is in the 3rd grade

both damien and huxely are very involved with the school and pta as well

damien stays more behind the scenes organizing; he's the one who knows which permits they need from the city, how to maximize profit from fund raisers, etc

huxely is better at making things fun for the kids

he's very passionate about sports days and such because he knows how easy it is for p.e. classes to ruin the relationship children have with fitness early on

the children really love him because he's so supportive of any effort, no matter how small, and because he doesn't really talk down to them the way a lot of adults do

gavin and huxely become fast friends, damien takes a while to warm up to gavin

vega also gets unwillingly roped into the group because huxely is just relentless in being friendly

damien and vega don't get along that well at first but they bond over lovingly bullying gavin and over their shared taste in books (thriller and fantasy 100% + secret romance lovers (this is canon erik told me so))

millie and caelum have playdates :)

lasko is a history and english teacher at the local middle/high school

he gets a lot of his supplies at the store pet works at

freelancer actually spends a lot of time there on the weekends to hang out with pet

those two become friends with lasko almost immediately

lasko and pet play dnd together (nobody ask me any more about this idk shit about dnd)

they also try to teach lasko how to crochet but he's pitifully bad at it

surprisingly though he is pretty good at knitting

him and freelancer share a lot of their knowledge when it comes to teaching with each other and they have froyo together every friday

the first time vega asked pet to have coffee with him they said no simply because no matter what vega does, he always seems smug and they wanted to spite him

after freelancer and gavin get together, freelancer and pet convince gavin and vega to go on a double date

gavin knew of pet because freelancer is the type of person to brag about how great their friends are but he didn't know freelancer's pet was the same one vega was dating

likewise vega didn't know that pet's bestie and their bf where freelancer and gavin

so when they got to the restraunt gavin and vega where like the spiderman meme

pet and freelancer 100% knew and just wanted to mess with them

after that first double date vega and gavin are very adamant about never doing it again but they both can't say no to their partners

so double dates become a very regular occurence for them and pet and freelancer enjoy every minute of it (they're menaces)

for the first one lasko babysat caelum but he really can't keep up with caelum's energy levels

now huxely and damien mostly do the babysitting allthough "uncle lasky" also helps out when he can

after lasko and his listener get together they also babysit a lot

gavin, vega, freelancer, pet and caelum try to do a family movie night once a month

gavin and pet bake something and freelancer and vega build a pillow fort in the living room

caelum runs back and forth between both because he just can't decide what would be more fun so he tries to do both

he ends up falling asleep really early on because all the excitement wears him out

they do these movie nights at vega's place since his is the biggest but it's still kind of cramped

vega also prays nobody finds any glitter inbetween the couch cushons from before he got with pet because no matter how many times he vacuums, there's always more glitter

#redacted asmr #redacted audio #redacted gavin #redacted vega #redacted freelancer #redacted pet #redacted lasko #redacted huxley #redacted damien #redacted caelum #shared custody au #stella's ideas

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megashadowdragon · 3 years

Text

What Noctis Learned: a tl;dr essay

So I've been thinking about this for a while and seeing so many posts/articles/character analysis on this game has finally prompted me to put it down in words. This is going to be a giant spoiler for the whole game so if you haven't finished it or Episode Ardyn yet then do that before reading this.

Everybody good? Okay.

I've heard lots of people look at FFXV as a coming of age story, with the main character changing and growing from a somewhat lackluster teenager to a responsible adult and in some respects that's absolutely right. It is a story about Noctis' growth from a reluctant and poor leader into a Kingly King like his dad (get it? Regis? Kingly King?). But then people usually follow that up with stating that Noctis started out as a selfish guy who didn't appreciate his friends thought he was too good for them and....wha? Were we playing the same game? Were we watching the same story?

Noctis has always appreciated his friends. Noctis has never thought he was better than them. That was never his issue. In fact, the issue is somewhat the opposite problem. Here me out:

The lesson Noctis needed to learn was about sacrifice. Not just self-sacrifice, although that's certainly part of it. But the heavy burden of sacrifice that only Rulers experience. He needed to learn how to sacrifice others or let them sacrifice themselves for the greater good. The theme was laced throughout the game from the beginning.

Everyone sees Regis as a great King. What makes him so great, though? Well, he knows how and when to sacrifice, not only himself but others for the sake of the future. He takes on the burden of knowing that people are dying for him, and for his kingdom. The Crystal is just a big old reminder of that burden, and so is the Wall, a physical representation of what it means to sacrifice.

Everything outside the Wall has been sacrificed to the enemy so that everything within the Wall may have peace. And then when it's revealed that Regis must sacrifice his only son in order to save the world, he accepts that burden too. He also accepts than in order to let his son realize his destiny, all of Insomnia must be sacrificed.

When Noctis rages at Cor in the tomb, it's because he doesn't agree with his father's sacrifice, both of himself and Insomnia, in order to save Noctis. He doesn't accept that noble burden. He rejects it and is plainly not ready to take his rightful place as ruler. He sees that a bunch of people just died for him, including his family members, and he doesn't think he was worth that sacrifice at all.

When Gladio demands to know before the fight with Titan if Noctis is "of Royal blood or not" it's because he feels the weight of his own father's sacrifice and needs Noctis to understand that he is ready and willing to do the same. If you'll note in the scene, this happens after Noctis has recklessly tried to dart ahead of Gladio and prevent him from doing his job (i.e. shielding and sacrificing his own body for the King) and he wants it reaffirmed in Noct's mind to accept that duty. To accept that yes, he might actually need Gladio to die for him and since Gladio's going to that extent he needs to know that Noctis will actually be worthy of that sacrifice and continue on to fulfill his destiny.

Luna's sacrifice in Altissia, followed by Ignis' blinding and then his moment of doubt where he actually asks Noctis to halt their journey basically represents the lowest point for Noctis, where all his fears seem justified. Noctis fears that he's actually not special or "chosen" at all, he can't save everyone, he couldn't even save the one person he thought he was meant to save, and now Ignis who already sacrificed his eyesight for him is voicing out loud his fear that all this sacrifice might be too high a cost.

So Noctis falters. He doesn't put on the ring. He doesn't head for the Crystal right away. And Gladio becomes upset, not because he thinks Noctis doesn't care about Ignis, but because him not pushing on despite the sacrifice kind of renders it pointless. And Gladio doesn't know that Ignis himself kind of tipped the scales on Noctis' reluctance to sacrifice others for the good of the kingdom here.

Then Prompto gets yeeted off the train, Gralea happens and the sacrifice of Noctis' last real link to his dad, the Regalia. And Noctis has to go it on his own, using the ring's power to survive, and here's where people like to say that being without his friends makes Noctis appreciate them. But I think being without his friends actually makes Noctis realize that he HAS to continue on without them, that his destiny still needs to happen with or without his friends and family surviving to see it. He's starting to accept the true burden of being a leader.

The scenario before he enters the Crystal has him needing to choose between fighting with his friends or possibly leaving them to die in order to fulfill his Calling. Ardyn taunts him with this choice, calling him selfish for abandoning his friends.

Ardyn himself never learned the lesson of sacrifice, which started the entire problem in the first place. As a healer, he refused to accept the deaths of others, and thus kept taking more and more Scourge into himself rather then letting a single person be sacrificed, even to the point where it would damage the future envisioned by the Gods. While we're obviously supposed to regard Somnus as the other end of the extreme; sacrificing people pointlessly for his own gain, I don't think we are supposed to view Ardyn's refusal to sacrifice anyone as a good alternative either. A good leader is supposed to know when and how much to sacrifice for the good of the nation, so when the Crystal rejects Ardyn it's because he hasn't learned how to sacrifice.

So we get to the timeskip, Noctis baked in the Crystal and now he's all done and ready to accept the true burden of being King. No turning back, no preventing his bros from sacrificing their own lives for the effort, no changing his mind about whether it's "worth it" or not. Noctis finally learned the burden of sacrificing for the future, one that he won't get to be a part of.

Originally, the Lucis Caelum line was meant to be a sect that worships Etro, Goddess of Death. Some remnants of the story still show this, what with the Ring of the Lucii requiring blood sacrifice or at least a sacrifice of lifeforce in order to gain its power, the theme of skulls and the significance of the colour black for the royal family.

All this long rambling is meant to say is that FFXV is a story about the main character learning how to accept the burden of noble sacrifice and not really about a lazy slacker learning how to stop whining and appreciate his friends.

source: www . reddit . com/r/FFXV/comments/ol3te6/spoilers_for_the_entire_game_what_noctis_learned/

comments :

Noctis's lesson is also exemplified when he has to encourage his own dad to deal the final blow that sends him to the void. It mirrors Noct's own reluctance, and the choice to push onward anyway, when the sacrifice feels too great to bear. It solidifies the fact that he deserves his seat on the throne.

I agree overall, though I'm also inclined to think that sacrifice itself is intended to throw value judgments into the starkest possible relief by demanding the loss of a lesser good for the sake of a greater good.

Regis makes the astoundingly vast sacrifices that he does because the salvation offered by the Chosen King is the greatest available good. And it takes Noct a long time to understand that because his value judgments are off -- he can't bear being responsible for the loss of an individual even if the alternative is the loss of every individual.

And yes, I think that Noct's choice to let his friends hold off the daemons while he went ahead to reach the Crystal is the point where he truly understands what's required of him... and that it is a very effective reflection of the difference between the point he had finally reached and Ardyn's continuing rejection of that dynamic.

One interesting thing about Ardyn is that he is willing to sacrifice others for his plans, but his value judgments are still really wonky. He went from valuing individual persons to such an extent that he risked being completely ineffective to valuing nothing but himself and his own desire for revenge. Somnus' value judgments are wonky, too, of course, because he over-values his own ambition.

As for the ultimate conclusion of Noct's growth, he develops a quiet confidence in his value judgments that allows him to take risks and accept sacrifice without second thoughts. ("A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back.") Just before he ascends the throne, his friends have to stay behind to cover for him again... and he doesn't think twice about allowing them to fulfill their duty by doing so. Then he willingly endures an agonizing self-sacrifice knowing that doing so will bring about the much greater good of the world's salvation.

#ffxv #final fantasy xv #final fantasy 15 #noctis lucis caelum #ardyn izunia #ardyn lucis caelum #ff15

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gwiiyeoweo · 4 years

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What Regis believes to be Noctis speaking for his imaginary friend, turns out to not be so imaginary after all.

Pairing: Noctis & Ardyn, Noctis & Regis, Regis & Ardyn Rating: G

"Daddy, can my friend sleep over?"

Noctis peeks out from under the cover, eyes threatening to resort to his infamous puppy dog look. The boy already has his fingers toying with the top edge of his blanket, like they're little paws instead of hands, and his lower lip is ready for that little soft quiver. Even under the dim glow of his carbuncle-shaped night light, Regis can easily see the wet glassy look of his baby boy’s blue eyes.

Cor really needs to stop teaching his son these tricks. Horrible influence.

"Hm," Regis starts, rubbing a hand at his beard. "They can stay as long as they want, so long as they pay the rent. A prince's room does not come cheap, after all."

Immediately Noctis turns that woeful look into a bright pearly smile, his shining eyes no longer threatening tears but radiating genuine joy. He also scoots to the far end of his bed to turn half his body upside down, torso hanging over the edge as he peers into the darkness beneath.

"Dad says you can stay!" Noctis excitedly whispers to the dust and crumbs under his bed. Or maybe to a stuffed toy. He hefts himself back up and returns to position, wiggling into a comfortable spot smack dab in the middle of bed.

Regis should make it illegal for any child to be that adorable; it makes him want to clutch his heart and keel over, and Insomnia really can’t afford to have their king die from such unfortunate circumstances at the moment.

But then Noctis hits him with some fancy wording. "He said he accepts your conditions and will provide proper compensation."

Regis lifts his brows a little at that. Has Noctis secretly been hanging outside his office, or did his governess decide on an accelerated vocabulary curriculum? Regis isn't sure if he should be impressed or concerned.

Well, kids do tend to say the darndest things anyway. But Noctis doesn’t give him anymore surprises after that, just the usual demand for a goodnight kiss before getting tucked into bed. And Regis can’t quite say no to any of that.

“Hey, dad.”

“Yes?”

“My friend wants to know when he has to pay the rent. For staying in my room.”

Regis was putting away the last of Noctis’ toys into a chest when he looks up to see his boy clearing off the scraps of colored paper and crayons from the floor. With how brazen Niflheim’s become, the war just requires all the more attention and effort from the king; before long, he fears it may soon end up being days before he can even have a little short lunch with his own son. So now, whatever scant time he has, he pours it all upon Noctis, even if that means playing make-believe and acting along to a child’s nonsensical imagination and getting crayon shavings in his beard.

It’s still adorable though. Especially how Noctis remembers the little “deal” they made with his imaginary friend.

“Ah, let’s see…” Regis lifts his head up and stares at the ceiling, tapping a finger to his chin as he feigns deep thought trying to remember the week’s schedule. “I do believe I have a nine o’clock opening in my office. Would your friend like to drop off payment then?”

He’s only half serious, curious to see what form of payment Noctis will conjure up, if any. Another drawing to add to Regis’ precious collection, a snack or cookie baked up with the help of their many capable chefs, or maybe a shiny beetle found in their gardens. Hopefully nothing poisonous. Though Regis would accept it with all the same gratitude.

“Umm, okay, I’ll tell him later,” Noctis answers back, eyes still drawn to his clean-up duty.

Ah, probably “later” when Regis tucks him into bed. He wonders, briefly, what shape or form this friend comes in — probably Carbuncle-shaped, given his son’s affection for it.

“Noctis!”

“Hi, daddy!” Noctis swivels around, immediately dropping the soccer ball he’s been kicking against a tree and running up to his father. “Did you get the rent?”

Regis has his hands turning Noctis this way and that, searching for any and all signs of damage or wear or blood. His boy just giggles, thinking it’s a game of sorts with the way his father has him spinning around, but Regis is silently screaming inside with panic.

“Ardyn said he left it on your desk.” Noctis says it with such a chip in his voice, that it’s almost comical.

When Regis had walked into his office this morning with his faithful cup of Joe — in a lumpy ceramic mug crafted by his dear son — it was with the innocent assumption of completing some paperwork and chatting with Clarus over a few pedantic details regarding a couple new bills.

And not, say, approaching his desk to find a polished platter and cloche waiting for him. Regis had smiled into his mug at that, figuring it was the promised “rent” Noctis — rather, his imaginary friend, of course — mentioned. A little cake, or perhaps breakfast, he had thought.

Not the decapitated head of Iedolas Aldercapt, emperor of Niflheim who’s hellbent on conquering all of Lucis.

Ex-emperor, now, actually.

(The head had been surprisingly lacking the mess of blood, he’d later realize.)

But right now, he needs to make sure his son was safe. Granted, there had been no screams of panic or trails of blood, no emergency calls or messengers to rush secrets to him. Even Clarus or Cor, often the first and foremost to report anything awry to him, had been off doing whatever their regular Shield and Marshall duties entailed. Clarus would, of course, naturally gravitate toward Regis’s side once he discovered where his King actually went. And Cor would hunt him down to update him on the list of new Crownsguard recruits and who had actually passed the trials.

As far as they both know, Regis is supposed to be finishing his cup of coffee in his office but! Strangely clean-cut head of Lucis’ enemy on his desk!

‘On my desk,’ Regis remembers, as he’s done patting down Noctis and the boy looks sick of his prodding now. It clicks, but he’s almost determined not to believe it. He gently places his hands on Noctis' shoulders, trying his best to not appear too grave as he looks into innocent eyes. ‘Where his friend’s rent is supposed to be.’

Well, shit.

“Noctis,” Regis barely manages without choking, “you said your… friend? Left his, ah, rent? On my desk. Do you know what it is?”

Noctis only shakes his head. “No, Ardyn just said it should help with all the fighting outside. He wouldn’t tell me.”

At least that’s something to feel relieved about. Despite knowing his son would have to one day take up the crown and all the world’s burdens surrounding it, he would like to shield his son from it all until he could no longer; a child at Noctis’ age had no business handling, let alone knowing about, a corpse’s head.

Regis sighs and lets his hands go slack, finally releasing Noctis to pinch at the bridge of his nose. There's a hundred and one questions swirling in his head, and each one just adds to the aching pressure in his skull.

"Ardyn!"

Regis whips his head up and around, eyes trailing after Noctis sprinting to some particularly shady trees where a tall man emerges. His boy wraps his arms around the stranger's waist, essentially latching onto him like a (freakin' adorable) leech, and the man humors him with a few gentle pats to the head.

Regis almost mistakes him for a homeless man, mistaking his ornate clothing for rags. His attire is… Unique, to put it in kind terms. Still, odd fashion or not, Regis keeps his guard up, ready to strike at any moment should he feel any threat, magic thrumming just underneath his skin in anticipation.

"Why, hullo there, Your Majesty." The fellow — Ardyn, according to Noctis — takes his hat off with a flourish and a deep bow at the waist, but the smirk he wears lacks the sincerity and reverence he pretends to hold. "Will my payment be sufficient for the month's rent?"

Regis has so many questions he doesn't even know where to start.

So naturally, the first thing that comes out of his mouth isn’t a question at all, though his tone could almost mistake it as one. “You’re not imaginary.”

Ardyn, with his ever-widening (and shit-eating) smile, knows. “I am very much real, Your Majesty.”

Noctis was sent off with hardly a fight, thanks to Ardyn’s bribery.

“Alright, you little rascal, scamper off to your room now. I’ve left a shiny little present on your bed,” he had said. Noctis didn’t need to be told twice, dashing off and nearly running into a manservant.

It earned Regis and Ardyn an hour to sit in the office, the silver platter hiding a lifeless head all that separated the two. And it’s a riveting hour: ninety percent of it being Ardyn fluttering his hands and speaking in a fanciful tongue about who he is, what he’s done, and what he will do; ten percent of it being Regis doubting all that he’s believed so far, including what his father and his father’s father has told him and what outlandish claims the Ardyn fellow spieled.

Ardyn, as in Ardyn Lucis Caelum, by the way. Which only served to throw Regis into another absurd loop.

This great ancestor — the Scourge, Adagium, the Fellstar, whatever — reaches over the desk and helps himself to Regis’ cold mug of coffee, twisting his face into a grimace after a sip. “For a King, one would think he’d care for better beans.”

“One would think the King would not be sharing coffee with someone as you.”

“Ah, touché.”

“You can’t truly entertain the idea that my trust is to be had so easily.”

“I don’t.” Ardyn shrugs his shoulders, the mug nearly sploshing cold coffee with how carelessly he holds it. “There’s really nothing, aside from myself, stopping you from trying to imprison me back in Angelgard. Or wondering if this is all some scheme of me attempting to worm my way into your good graces, to earn your faith only to trod upon it at the end, delivering darkness everlasting upon this good Star. And I really would prefer you to kindly not try to stick me back into that dusty old crypt.”

Regis only eyes him with suspicion, lips straightened into an unamused line. But despite Ardyn’s terrible personality and ill-timed humor, his gut tells him that Ardyn speaks at least some truth, that this dangerous embodiment of darkness and plague may very well prove to be an invaluable ally. Regis is loathe to admit it, but… he’s already trying to come up with some cover-up story to throw to the council on who Ardyn is and why some strangely-dressed fellow is suddenly leisurely strolling around the Citadel, inevitably with Noctis glued to his heels.

Ugh, that’s a strange image: Noctis clinging to his destined enemy like a curious puppy.

But Ardyn continues his babbling, setting down Regis’ prized mug back on the desk so he has both hands free to do his dramatic gestures, flitting them in the air and making exaggerated motions. “You see, I’m a stubborn man of sorts. Very stubborn. When a god decrees I abide by his will, to make myself the world’s villain only to let myself die in the end, well — I must say, that sort of thing simply does not sound like a jolly good time. This is me, as the young ones like to say, sticking it to the man.”

Regis glances at the platter, the closed cloche hiding the ashen face of Aldercapt, when he shoots back a dry retort. "Or sticking it to the man's neck."

"O-ho! So you do have a little humor. Glad to see some of Somnus' drab qualities were bred out." Ardyn claps his hands in joy before reaching his hand out, over the desk and above the platter. "I think we'll get along splendidly, dear nephew. "

Hm. Yeah. Ardyn is definitely not gonna call him nephew around these parts, or the best case scenario is a scandal regarding an ancestor’s infidelity.

Regis eyes him warily, as if the hand could strike him as does a viper. "Upon your word, you will do no harm to my son or my kingdom. And you would wait upon Noctis' final days, when his hair grows white and his eyes weary, to take your last breath upon this world."

"Oh, must I have everything in writing for you? Shall I sign my name in blood while I'm at it? I'm sure there's some old magicks we can find to swear this oath on, if you're feeling so insistent." Ardyn gives a heavy eye roll. "Yes, Your Majesty, I do so swear. Besides, while I look forward to my day of rest, there is just much to do! Being locked up in a prison for so many centuries then becoming trapped in a perpetual winter steals so much of one's life pleasures. I really would like to visit that famous chocobo ranch Lucis speaks so fondly of. I once had a bird myself, a rare black beauty; and Niflheim, unfortunately, has no such feathery creatures."

Regis extends his hand, albeit just a tad begrudgingly, to shake on their agreement, but he hears a familiar pitter patter outside his door that only grows louder and heavier.

Noctis bursts through the door, glimmering with a faint blue and smelling of magic; he must have warped his way to Regis' office, running in between each shot to save on stamina.

The father in him wants to feel pride at how quickly his son has picked up their family tricks, but the other father in him zeroes in on the very large, very sharp thing in Noctis' hands. It's nearly as tall as the boy himself.

It takes Regis a second too long to realize Noctis holds no ordinary sword.

It's the Sword of the Mystic. The fucking Mystic.

"Dad! Dad, look at the sword Ardyn got me!" Noctis nearly topples over trying to lug the thing around, barely avoiding chopping his little leg off.

Sword who? Ardyn what?

"How many does that make now?" Ardyn asks, looking as if everything is right as rain. He smiles — something like amusement, something like fondness — when Noctis screws his face up in concentration and a dim shimmer spreads from his hands to the entirety of the sword.

And poof, the blade disappears in sparks of white and blue.

"Uhhh. I have a bow, a shield, and a stick." Noctis counts them off on his hand, pulling one finger up for each weapon he lists.

"Scepter, little Noctis."

"Okay."

“Stop right there.” Regis butts in, standing from his seat and circling around the desk to Ardyn. It’s not much, but at least some of his anxiety disappeared when the sword did, the threat of his son slicing off a finger or a hand no longer an immediate threat. But he pauses to look at Noctis, breathing out a weary sigh, and shakes his head. “No, Noctis, not you. Not literally. You may move.”

Noctis unfreezes, who stood ramrod still with his arms in the air when Regis gave the order to ‘stop,’ and lets his hands fall back to his side. He looks ready to vibrate with excitement, no doubt ready to chuck out his newly-acquired sword and start swinging it around. And probably chase Gladiolus down with it, if his past week’s grumblings of “Gladio’s always picking on me!” and “One day I’m gonna beat him up!” are anything to go by.

‘Oh Six, ’ Regis thinks, ‘how do I begin to explain this. ’

But before he thinks of a cover-up story, Regis has some very choice words to share with Ardyn, none of which are meant for little young ears. So he picks his old, forgotten mug of coffee and hands it off to Noctis, tasking him with a simple enough errand while he picks some bones with Ardyn. “Noctis dear, could you get your father a new warm cup of coffee?”

“Oh! Do bring me one too, little scamp,” Ardyn butts in, despite having complaints of the coffee earlier.

Noctis totters off, kindly closing the door behind him before gunning it to the kitchens, and Regis hears the tell-tale stomping and the crackling chimes of their family magic.

Regis hopes the chefs would do him the favor of distracting his son with some freshly baked cookies, because he’s going to crack open the book of scathing tongues and dip Ardyn in boiling words by the time that coffee is brewed.

It occurs to him after he tucks his son into bed, after Noctis asks if Ardyn can stay in his room again.

“Please tell me that you have, in fact, not been living under my son’s bed this entire time.” Regis asks, though he almost doesn’t want to hear the answer to that.

“Oh heavens no!” Ardyn looks aghast, splaying his hand across his chest like he’s been affronted.

Regis wants to believe him, as the idea of a middle-aged man hiding underneath his boy’s bed makes for an uncomfortable image indeed.

So of course, Ardyn has to ruin it when he opens his mouth again. “Not the entire time. Though your servants could put a little more care into tidying up his room; it is a bit dusty under there.”

#ffxv #ff15 #final fantasy xv #regis lucis caelum #ardyn izunia #noctis lucis caelum #i can type

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amongwriters-archive · 5 years

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How Cuddleable Are Your OCs?

Ahhhh thank you @somuchtowrite!! This tag game is SO adorable, I love it sooo much!!✨

Elise: Are you a stranger? Most important: Are you a THREAT to the forest and beings? If yes, -30/10. You’ll get stabbed and killed probably. So people really don’t want to get into her reach. She has been lonely for like 17 years... But the other way: If you did get her trust she is the most cuddly person ever but only to like 5 personas on this earth. 8/10 She is (compared to others) small, has a cold body temperature and is very thin but she has soft feather wings and she can easily fall asleep on your chest without you getting uncomfortable coz she is light af

Liam: 13/10. This boy needs a hug all the time but only if you are one of the persons he holds in his broken heart. Still, he is thin and TALL but who cares, you’ll hugged everywhere !! And he will stroke your hair and sing softly to you until you fall asleep

Luciana: 10/10. She LOVES warm hugs and her skin is (even if she’s being) warm coz she is staying in the sun a lot!! So basically you have to jump right into water to hug her but goddamn it’s worth it

Caelum: 7/10. He will destroy your hair while he hugs you coz he is a big bro but if you are sad there is no one who can comfort you better than him and make you laugh again

Zillah: honestly she tries to be a cold bitch™️ all the time but fails if you really know her and go hug her. She will have a mental breakdown right away and start sobbing so prepare. Anyway 8/10

Sloane: honestly BACK OFF if you don’t wanna get killed. Children please be careful -3/10

Epona: she is too creepy-cute you don’t wanna hug her tbh haha... but is like a 5/10. If you are either Eryx or Sloane it’s okay I guess

Hollis: 11/10 Girl loves hugging just randomly. So if you feel someone jumping on you - don’t worry it’s just hyperactive Hollis who has her five minutes and needs random hugs

Hazel: girly is so sleepy w o w. Will fall into your arms and start napping just randomly coz she is either baking or being dreamy all the time. Anyway, she is soft and smells like fresh cookies and you will LOVE hugging her 10/10

Tagging:

@storyteller-kaelo @farrradays @somuchtowrite @mybookisbad @halohidings @tchaikqvsky @theforgottencoolkid @omgbrekkerkaz @katabasiss

#tag game!#about foaw #my oc #elise wilde #epona lochán #hollis tinúviël #hazel iant #luciana falmarin #caelum monar #zillah érebos #liam wind #if you dont wanna do it then dont #no pressure #have fun guys!

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roses-and-oceans · 5 years

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Once Upon a Dream ~ Chpt. 4

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone that has been reblogging my gf’s post about kofi donations. It means so much to us and we’re absolutely blown away by your kindness,words can’t express my gratitude for you all and I really hope that at least these can be some sort of repayment. expect another chpt soon <3

After being revived with a few slaps, you came to.

“'I need you'. He needs me!” You jolted up, nearly knocking the glasses off Ignis' nose.

Gladio grabbed your arms to keep hold of you, “Slow down, you're not going anywhere!”

“This isn't good,” Prompto squeaked.

Gladiolus looked up and saw the dark storm clouds over head from the window. They thundered loud and terrifyingly close.

“We need to get out of here. Now.”

You got up and grabbed your woolen, knit blanket. Ignis immediately took it and wrapped it around you, “Steady on.” Gladiolus and Prompto ran next to you. Gladiolus scooped you up like it was nothing. The howling winds outside nearly knocked the party off their feet on the first step but it seemed the storm just stayed over your home. From town, you were able to see the thunderstorm engulf the little area of your home.

When Gladiolus finally set you down, your knees were wobbling. You limped over to a chair and Ignis brought you a cup of tea a few minutes later. Even with the warmth of the blanket and tea, you still shivered. Prompto saw this and asked, “Can I sit with you?”

You looked up at him and nodded. He pulled up a chair right next to you and opened his arms wide. You immediately curl up next to him and he's warm, he's so warm and you feel safe. But you feel guilty. The prince...

You curled up into him and inhaled the scent of his shirt; he always smelled of bread and yeast, like its been baked into him all these years.

“Prompto, he needs you.” you said in a small voice after a few minutes of silence.

He looked down at you, his eyebrows furrowed, “Wha-? Who are you talking about?”

“My prince.”

He paled.

“What?”

“He needs you, he needs me, too. I'm supposed to help you, we need to go find him.”

“Y/N, Noct isn't-.”

“I need to show you something.”

You stood up, stooped over and you threw the blanket off you. You thought of your prince, laying on his bed, bleeding and decorated. There was a glowing light and in your hand appeared a sword. The same sword he held onto. It even had a few browned thorns around it.

Prompto got up so quickly, he knocked over his chair. He looked at you, mouth agape. Ignis and Gladiolus came out from the kitchen and froze.

There was a sudden uproar of noise between the three boys. You couldn't make out any words and you walked past them, sword still in hand. You stood in the meadow near the kitchen door and looked out past the clouds still hovering over your home, thunder and lightning striking. And you looked over to the east.

Your name was called from inside the bakery and Ignis came out, bumping into the door frame, “Y/N?”

He was breathing heavily and stuck his hand out, “Give me the sword. A weapon like that is dangerous for someone who isn't-.”

“Ignis, what's going on?”

Prompto and Gladiolus came from inside too. Prompto looked even more upset than how you left him.

Gladiolus said in a tense voice, “How did you access the King's Magic? How did you get that sword?!”

Ignis held his hand up to Gladiolus, and took a deep breath, “I'm not quite sure. Y/N, can you tell me about these dreams that you've been having?”

You sighed.

You told them. You told them of the grand rooms and tower. You told them about the area surrounding it, the sea of thorns. And then Ignis sat you down on the grass, and told you about his home.

These men were guards of the kingdom, brothers-in-arm with Prince Noctis of the Kingdom of Insomnia. And then the kingdom's grand fall.

As they told you about the exploits of “Noct” they so called him, years seemed to melt into their faces, a heavy burden carried for a fallen brother, sworn to protect his people. An evil being from the depths of Hell killed many people; from nobles to the poor, he had no mercy. They killed allies from neighboring kingdoms. He destroyed Insomnia. His curse lingers in the depths of the castle in the center of a field of thorns, poison and lethal.

You were listening intently but couldn't take your eyes off your feet. Your brain was overloaded with information; the kingdom you dreamed about was real and they knew about it. They've known this dead kingdom, lived with carrying on without their prince. There was no hope-.

“No hope?” Prompto choked out. “No hope? Iggy, c'mon.”

“Prompto, please-.”

You looked up and gasped. They all seemed to grow older and scars marred their faces. You almost cried when you looked at Ignis. He told you about how he sacrificed his vision for trying to save Noct, how after years of hard work, he was able to manage living without sight. Gladiolus' face looked far too tired and his scars were etched like worry lines intersecting above his eye. Prompto looked so tired, it looked like he was about to drop.

Every time you described something, the men would help finish for you. It was so bizarre, listening to them paint exactly how the sunshine painted the autumn days, how beautiful the castle was.

They even described Noct's room at the top.

You shook your head, bringing yourself back to earth, unable to comprehend what they changed the topic to something else.

A champion.

“A 'champion'?,” you asked sheepishly. You tried to keep yourself connected to this conversation. You we'ren't going to faint again, you were not-

“-not going to ignore this completely but we have to think rationally!”

“Y/N is the 'champion' Noctis asked for. Now he needs our help-.”

“HE'S BEEN DEAD FOR TEN YEARS!”

“HE NEEDS OUR HELP!”

You put your hands up, all four kingsmen stopped and looked at you.

“What do I need to do?

Prompto hugged you and whispered, “Thank you, thank you.”

He looked up at Gladiolus, “You haven't said a word, big guy.”

Gladiolus looked at him, sighed, “This doesn't feel good. Nothing feels good.”

Ignis shook his head, “I know I'm very adamant at the idea...”

He cleared his throat; his voice was so low you could barely catch it wavering, “But I can't bear the idea of Noct in anymore pain. I will assist.”

Prompto looked like he could have started crying. He gave you a watery smile and it made you tear up too. The blond man then brought his hand up too eyesight and appeared to have started concentrating. A flash of light summoned a pistol to a his hand and he moaned with longing.

“Oh, I've missed this!”

You smiled at them all, summoning weapons; that's what they called it. You rubbed your head and asked them, “What's this about a champion, then?”

“Champion of the Light,” Ignis began, “It was a term used in children stories. It was just a myth after all, the power of the Caelums were the real magic...”

Ignis was rubbing his glasses but stopped when he realized that everyone was staring at him. He sighed.

“But, in texts, the Champion of Light was the first person to vanquish the Darkness, guide the new world into ever lasting peace after eons of darkness. That was rumored to the be the first Caelum to ascend the throne. And throughout the centuries, the darkness would come back again and the soul of the Champion would return as well.”

“Doesn't the Champion die?” you pondered.

“Well, yes. Think of it as reincarnation. Throughout the millennia, there have been different reported cases of Champions, vanquishing the darkness, slaying the scourge of evil and peace and prosperity being celebrated. I think every few centuries or so, the story would morph and so such is the consequence of children's story.”

“There was once a kingdom that celebrated the stars and night sky. The ruling family, seemed to have been made of stars themselves. This kingdom celebrated their hard-earned harvests, their long lasting peace, their life. Though they love the night, they are full of light.

“But one day, during one of their celebrations, the darkness that had been swirling about had lingered too long and wanted to feast upon the light. The darkness was not allowed near the light, for fear of tainting the precious light...

“And so, the selfish, starlit kingdom took the light for themselves.

“The darkness wanted it. The darkness wanted to swallow the light and smother it. Devour it.

“And so I did.”

His voice was velvet.

tagging: @fortheloveofeos @gladiolus-mamacitia @angelic-guardienne @leeyahlee-nai @inconsistencys @furubatsu @hextme @ladychocoberry @mandakatt @casxia @sonsoflucis @allimenthia @gladiosamicitias @whimsyofthewind @jinxed-lynxs-blog

#ffxv #ffxv fanfic #ffxv au #sleeping beauty au #noctis lucis caelum #ignis scientia #gladiolus amicitia #prompto argentum #noctis x reader #my writing #ardyn izunia

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