Gonna try and churn these suckers out ASAP so the real story can begin. But I thought it'd be more interesting to see a glimpse of *your* life in the interim. All of the endings will be roughly the same, with varying levels of creepiness/stalkerness depending on how I'm feeling when I write them. You know Vanny... He just can't help himself xD;
His plot is going to be /very/ different in this series though. It doesn't look it now, but it will. Soon!
SIDENOTE: I never played Noctis' game so... I know literally nothing about his family. Don't kill me if I'm wrong -_-
♥ Alexia
[ONE YEAR LATER]
Humming softly to yourself, you gently place a pair of white-gold earrings in your ears. They're adorned with emerald gems – a one-year anniversary present from Noctis. You smile as you glance at your reflection in the mirror. The earrings perfectly match the emerald-green gown you're wearing. It's just the right amount of poof, flowing down to your feet and just barely covering your black heels.
After moving to Noctis' world, his father had immediately fallen in love with you. He sadly remembered when his world descended into darkness, and was eternally grateful to have his son returned to him. Although the King had more money and power than you could ever imagine, he's surprisingly down-to-earth and gentle – just like his son.
A knock on your bedroom door causes you to jump in surprise, and you glance over your shoulder as it slowly opens. You immediately grin when you spot Noctis standing in the doorway wearing a black suit.
"Ready?" he asks as he moves towards you. A hand rests on the small of your back as he leans forward, placing a kiss to your cheek. "You look beautiful, by the way."
Girlish giggles immediately escape your lips as you collapse into his waiting arms. He chuckles as you cling to him as if your life depends on it. No matter how much time passed, he still had the ability of turning you into a hormonal puddle.
"So do you. Handsome, I mean," you quickly correct as he leads you out of your bedroom.
"Not beautiful?" he teases with a raise of his eyebrow, glancing down at you. "That hurts, [Name]."
"Ugh, you know what I mean," you groan, resting your head on his chest as you wrap an arm around his waist. "Has the party started yet?"
He nods, his gaze locked on the large double doors at the end of the hall. As nice as his father was to let you live with him in the castle, to maintain decorum you were stuck way on the other side of the building in the servant's quarters. It should be humiliating... but quite frankly, you're just grateful to be living in a freaking castle.
"Late as usual," you hum, tutting a bit as he opens one of the doors with a rough push. "I'm sorry."
"I think the whole kingdom is used to your tardiness by now."
You glance up to shoot him a glare, but the second your eyes land on the genuine smile adorning his features you once against find yourself melting into a grin. The past year had been almost a blur of kisses, stolen moments, and – yes – occasional fights (no one's perfect!). But overwhelmingly, it had been the best year of your life, and you'd never want to spend your time with anyone else.
"Ah, thank you," Noctis murmurs as a server walks past with a tray of champagne flutes.
He drops his hand from the small of your back, grabbing two glasses and handing one to you. With a charming grin he clinks his glass against yours.
"To..."
"... us?" you finish with a nervous laugh.
Noctis purses his lips for a second before shrugging and taking a sip.
"Kind of lame, but I guess it works."
The playful glint in his eyes as he watches you sip your champagne sends a shiver up your spine and causes a smile to creep up onto your face.
[♥]
The party continued without a hitch. The food is delicious, the drinks are flowing, and although you're stuck in a room with almost 100 nobles, you still feel as if you're the only person who exists to Noctis.
"C'mon," Noctis hums in your ear as his hands rest on your hips. "No one will notice."
With soft coos in your ear and gentle caresses for almost an hour now, your self-control is almost non-existent. He's been practically begging to leave the party and head to his room, not only to escape the stuffy party-goers but also to try to finally spend some time alone. Noctis' fingers graze over the key-shaped scar on your hip, causing your breath to catch in your throat and a dark look to cross over his face.
"I hate that thing," he mutters bitterly, wrapping his hand around you to rest on the small of your back.
"I know," you whisper, rising onto the tips of your toes to place a light kiss against his cheek. "I know."
Far too many times, the two of you had stayed up and discussed that night. The wounds, the scars, the fact that Noctis watched you disappear, heard your screams... Sometimes you wonder which one of you it haunted more.
"I'm sorry, it's pointless to dwell on it," he apologizes, quickly sobering up as he rests a hand on the side of your face. "Nothing can ruin this night."
You skin heats up under his touch as he pulls you towards you, his lips crashing against yours. The kiss is surprisingly dominating, his lips quickly overpowering yours as he walks you backwards, behind a pillar so that your intertwined bodies are out of view of the people in the room. A hand slides under your dress, trailing up your thigh and leaving a hot trail in the wake of his fingers. Just as you're about to snap and drag him to your room (it's close, so very close), a booming laugh echoes throughout the dining hall.
You and Noctis break apart, peering around the pillar. Standing in the middle of the room is a man dressed in black, his face hidden by the shadow of his hood.
"Who are you?" Noctis' father asks, taking a step towards the uninvited guest.
The man raises his hand and flicks his wrist, sending Noctis' father flying into a table. Glasses, plates, and food are knocked to the ground in a stunning loud "crash." Besides his groans, the room is silent.
"Hey!" Noctis shouts, holding you behind him as he takes a step forward.
With his free hand he reaches for his sword, eyes widening when he realizes he's without a weapon.
Three guards charge towards the man. With a snap of his fingers, they fall to the floor, their necks broken. Their bodies fall into a discarded pile, and with a gasp you cover your mouth and shake your head. Memories of the horrors from last year fill your mind, so quickly and vividly that you stumble backward from the sheer weight of it all. Noctis' hand find yours, helping to steady you as he keeps his gaze on the man. It had been a year since he had to fight, but if he had to do so to keep you safe, he would – to the death.
"Stay behind me," he tells you quietly, glancing down at you out of the corner of his eyes.
You nod nervously, lacing your fingers with his.
"How sweet," the man mocks, taking a step towards the two of you. "Together at last, huh?"
Your eyes slowly widen with realization when you hear his voice. You would never forget it, for as long as you lived, his voice.
"No..." you murmur, shaking your head. "No..."
The man disappears in a flash of smoke. You can feel warm breath hitting the back of your neck, and your eyes well up with tears as his fingers immediately find the scar on your hips.
"Now now, [Name], didn't I tell you?" he muses, his free hand resting on the side of your face, a thumb trailing down your cheek. "There's no escape."
Noctis turns around, eyes landing on you and the man in horror.
"V-Vanitas?" Noctis asks, his gaze darting between you and the newcomer.
Vanitas laughs, golden eyes flitting up to the young Prince as your heart threatens to beat out of your chest.
"You kept her safe, for a time. Let me take it from here, Caelum."
Your hand is ripped out of Noctis' grasp as you and Vanitas are catapulted into darkness. The last thing you hear is Noctis calling your name before the silence becomes deafening.