[this could not have waited until the weekend. besides, noctis doesn't have any classes that prompto is aware of, and mondays is the day where he has an early morning shift and nothing else. an afternoon date with his boyfriend to get matching piercings is the way to go--and the way prompto wants to celebrate this sudden burst of happiness in him.]
or are you backing out?? c'mon it's a date you promised me
[ He literally just got out of bed the second his phone starts constantly buzzing. And he’s actually making an attempt at his look today. Since he’s going out with Prompto and all. Noctis puts on jeans, a shirt, and a flannel on; all clothes that Prompto has picked out for him. He ties his hair back in a loose bun before grabbing his phone and his keys.
At least Prompto seems cheerful. ]
ok ok dude you couldnt have expected much when you asked me to get up at 12
[ He’s literally making sure he doesn’t look like he just rolled out of bed in the mirror by the door before zipping out. ]
so did you know ardyn got married to grell like legit i've been keeping this to myself for four days it was TORTURE i wanna get them something nice but idk what
[he knows exactly what he wants to get them. but...... $$$]
[ By now, Noctis is just laying in bed. It's incredibly late. He'd gotten home in a dark haze and locked himself in his room until Ignis came in. They talked, and the advice he had gotten was... Just about as comforting as it had been when they were kids. Granted, the cat's out of the bag now about his and Prompto's relationship, but Noctis doesn't perceive that as a problem.
He's laying in bed, staring out the large, wall-sized windows he has, where one has the curtain open slightly to watch the night skyline of the city. The tv is on in the background, because he can't sleep.
Advice and all, he's still at a loss. For so many reasons. But he's snapped out of his reverie when his phone goes off. Noctis feels a bit raw when he sees who it's from.
At least they're still talking. ]
its pretty late for you thought youd be asleep by now
[Ignis startles awake, chest heaving as he's gasping for breath, and he stares blearily into the darkness which only has his heart racing faster. It's dark, it's too dark, he nearly panics as he reaches across to fumble for his glasses only for them to fall with a thump to the ground. Ignis curses, reaches higher and suddenly the room is flooded by light.
It's not dark anymore. He can see. It's fine. He can see, it's fine, it's nothing. Yet Ignis continues to stare at the glow of his bedside lamp until the light begins to hurt his eyes. He rubs his face, counts to ten until his breathing begins to settle and it no longer feels like his heart is going to leap out of his chest, yet it takes a while longer for his hands to stop shaking.
Ignis sits there in bed for a good, long while, tracing over blurred details in his room until he finally pulls away the blankets and sets his feet on the ground. He reaches over, picks up his glasses and puts them on, and just like that, everything is so much clearer.
He can see. He can see.
It was only a nightmare. That's it, that's all it was. Just a nightmare.
There's no possible way that was another memory.
Yet even with the slight degree of comfort that comes with his sight, Ignis can't bring himself to return to sleep yet. He's far too awake, probably the adrenaline, but he realizes as he looks over to the bedside table and sees his phone and the pocket watch Noctis had given him--
He needs to see Noct. He picks up his phone only to let out a trembling sigh at the hour displayed on the screen. 4:18AM. He's certainly still asleep. Ignis should just bide his time, read a book or just stare at the ceiling until he gets sleepy. He can't wake him. Even going into the kitchen for a glass of water would be risky. And yet every time he blinks, all he can see behind his eyelids is Noct laying on the ground as his vision begins to flood with black and purple until there's nothing.
As quietly as he can, Ignis soon makes his way down the hall to Noct's bedroom door. It's only by sheer luck that it isn't shut, a slight gap in the doorway allowing him to slip his fingers inbetween and slowly open it. But of course, the room is dark, and Ignis can barely catch the details of a body under the blankets.
He needs to see him.
The door opens wider, hand settling against the wall beside the doorway-- and he accidentally switches on the room light.]
[ Noctis isnt exactly a light sleeper. In fact, Prompto has compared him to the dead when it comes to his sleeping habits. And ever since hes been back on his medication, he sleeps even harder.
But once the lights flick on, Tiny is quick to rouse from sleep. Protective as she is for her owner, she sits up from her spot beside Noctis, barking on reflex. But it quickly shifts to an excited whimper when she sees that it’s just Ignis. She wags her tail hard enough to make the bed shake, crawling around Noct to greet him.
For once, it’s enough to rouse him from slumber.
He groans, slowly sitting up with ruffled hair and tired eyes that squint in the light. Noctis turns his head, looking to see Ignis standing in the doorway. ]
Ignis?
[ He sees that its still dark out, then observes the time. ]
[lately, the amount of nights prompto actually spends at his boyfriend's aren't that many. he keeps a busy schedule now that he isn't taking classes, so he doesn't get the summer holiday bonus. it figures that the one night he actually shows up for a relaxing end of the day is the night he is plagued with a horrific nightmare.]
[he wakes up with a start, sitting up on the bed. his shirt sticks to him, his hair damp and pressed to his forehead, his eyes wild, trying to grasp for a sense of reality in the darkness of the room.]
[he can hear it -- like a waking nightmare; the man's voice calling him a failure of an experiment; the revelation that he is a clone, the multiple casings of bodies that look just like him; the documents, a jumble of words that spelled out insomnia's downfall at the hands of the madman that called him son, shooting him; a woman in red, the facility that's been haunting his dreams shaking; and then ardyn's voice, taunting him.]
--shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!
[he yells, his throat sore, the hollow echo of a gun shooting, blankets twisting as he seizes them and tries escaping the enrapture of his entire being.]
[ Noctis has always been a heavy sleeper, even in the darkest of nights where nightmares are at its peak. Prompto has often prodded Noctis for his levels of dead while he is asleep, but there is a massive downside when you can’t wake up from a bad dream.
But his partner shouting abruptly manages to rouse him awake fast. Noctis shoots up, shifting to see Prompto a sweaty, rustling mess. And the shouting is visceral, heart breaking. Noctis is wide awake the second he hears anything like this at all because he seriously thinks someone has broken into the house. ]
Hh— What? Huh?
[ Noctis quickly turns to Prompto, who’s snatched the sheets and it seems apparent that he’s had a nightmare. ]
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