A/n: Just a small reminder: bold text is a nightmare/dream.
⚠️MENTIONS OF DEPRESSION AND SELF-HARM⚠️
If these are sensitive subjects, please do not read or read at your own risk!
Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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Noctis' eyes flew open as he spotted the same scene he'd been seeing ever since he met (Y/n). "The nightmare again..." He groaned. Just like many times before, the prince watched the girl spend her birthday/anniversary with Caspian. Unlike before, the scene made the blood boil in his veins. That smile she wore was something he wanted to see for himself and not in a nightmare that plagued his slumber. He also wanted that smile directed towards him and no one else.
As the scene transitioned, Noctis desperately thought of ways he could save (Y/n). He'd tried many nights to save her from drowning, but he failed over and over again. He frustratingly ran his hands through his hair as he watched (Y/n) and Caspian go their separate ways. Noctis knew what was coming up next, but the nightmare suddenly changed.
Unlike previous nights, the prince wasn't transported to the docks. He found himself in front of one of the many abodes in Altissia. Glancing around, he saw (Y/n) walking with a hint of pep in her stride. The familiar and gentle smile that was spotted on her face confused Noctis because he had never seen this in his nightmare before.
(Y/n) fazed through Noctis' body as she went to knock on the door. When she received no answer, the girl grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. "It's open..." She murmured to herself, strands of (h/c) falling in front of her eyes due to the slightly harsh breeze. The prince replayed what (Y/n) had told him the night he shared his nightmare with her.
Noctis' eyes were wide as saucers when he knew exactly where this was going. "Shit... (Y/n)!" He shouted, but his words went unheard. "Dammit!" Reluctantly, the boy watched as she opened the door. Peering inside, Noctis and (Y/n) saw Caspian locking lips with another girl. She gasped at the sight, her heart shattering into millions of pieces. The prince couldn't hide his rage as his fists clenched tightly. If he could touch people, the first thing he'd do would punch Caspian. On the counter, he spotted the bracelet the boy had bought (Y/n).
Walking inside the small abode, Noctis grabbed the bracelet and turned to face (Y/n), only to find her gone. He dashes out of the house with the jewelry in his grasp and searches for the crying girl but to no avail.
The scene transitions once again and Noctis is in another unfamiliar place. "What the hell is goin' on here?" He was puzzled as to why his nightmare was showing him things that it hadn't before. Noctis snapped out of his confused state when he heard wailing from down the hallway. Following the sound, he heard it coming from behind a door at the very end of the hallway. He knew the culprit behind the tears, but he was still puzzled as to why his nightmare took him here.
Slowly, Noctis opened the door and saw (Y/n) curled up in a ball with something in her hand. The boy smelt the overpowering scent of iron and wondered where it was coming from. Examining (Y/n) closer, he saw she was crying in a puddle of blood. In her hand was a large knife dripping with droplets of blood. Noctis fell to his knees beside the crying girl and tried to help her, but his hands only passed through her body. "Dammit! Why can't I save her?!"
Noctis tried grabbing the knife, but all he could do was watch the scene helplessly. He felt like crying himself as his heart ached painfully at the sight of her slitted wrists. He desperately wanted to touch (Y/n) and hold her, reassuring her that everything would be alright and he was there for her whenever she needed someone.
Eventually, the scene changed and for what felt like the longest time, Noctis watched as (Y/n) slowly sunk into a pit of despair with no way of escaping. He was powerless and couldn't save the girl he came to love no matter how hard he tried.
Finally, Noctis found himself at the docks on a familiar stormy day. (Y/n) was crying at the edge of the docks, wiping futility at her seemingly endless tears. Just as before, the prince chased the girl through the streets until she reached the roof of the house she'd throw herself off. Before she jumped, Noctis took the bracelet in his possession and placed it around his wrist.
The moment (Y/n) jumped, Noctis followed her into the water below. The prince noticed something was different as he could not breathe like he could the previous times he experienced the nightmare. Instead of heading to the surface for air, he swam towards the drowning girl and reached out. When his hand connected with hers, he was utterly shocked at the contact. He knew now wasn't the time to be awe-struck as (Y/n) was losing air. He pulled her up and wrapped his arm around her waist.
In a haste attempt to save (Y/n), Noctis made sure her head was above water before proceeding towards the docks. The stormy sea proved to be a difficult obstacle as the waves tried to drag them back under. In the end, Noctis was victorious against the unpredictable waves and reached the docks. He climbed out of the water and held (Y/n) tightly, dragging her limp body away from the docks and down a small alleyway.
Once safe, Noctis laid the unconscious (Y/n) on the ground and immediately performed CPR on her. He tried for a straight minute before he felt his strength slowly draining. "C'mon, (Y/n)! Open your eyes!" He shouted over the crashing thunder above. After a few more compressions, (Y/n) coughed up the water in her lungs and flipped on her side so she wouldn't swallow it again. Noctis hadn't realized his heart was racing until he saw (Y/n) open her eyes after finishing coughing up water.
Noctis did the only thing he'd been wanting to do for a long time. He wrapped his arms around (Y/n) and pulled her into a tight hug. Her cheek was pressed against his chest as a few (h/c) locks stuck to her face. Slowly, the girl's arms snaked around the prince's body and returned the hug. One of the boy's hand traveled to the back of her head, pressing her body closer to his. "Thank the Six..."
"Why'd you save me and where did you get the bracelet?" (Y/n) questioned.
"Why would you let that bastard win, (Y/n)?" Noctis retorts.
"I-I..." She started, but she was unable to finish her sentence. Noctis bit the inside of his cheek, his mind now blank. The prince ignored any other questions (Y/n) had and simply kept her safe in his arms.
When a long silence trudged between them, Noctis could no longer hide his true feelings even though he knew this was all in his head. His hands grabbed (Y/n)'s cheeks and forced her to look up at him. Her (e/c) eyes bore into his, hinting at the confused state she was in. Without a single word, Noctis leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. It was a gentle and sweet kiss, providing a small warmth in the cold drizzle. Noctis was about to deepen the kiss when he felt his eyes grow heavy. Then, they shut and he felt his body become heavy as lead and (Y/n) disappeared.
***
Opening his eyes, Noctis slowly pushed himself upwards. Scanning the room, he saw he was back in Lestallum. Unlike prior mornings, the boy woke up feeling refreshed. He figured the unfamiliar feeling was due to what transpired in his head the night before. His mind was made as to what he wanted to do before they left Lestallum in search of more royal arms.
Noctis left his room, leaving the others to sleep. It was unusual for him to be the first up, especially since it was only a few minutes past six. Not even Ignis was up this early in the morning. The raven-haired prince wandered to Talcott's room and opened the door slowly in order to not wake the little boy from his slumber. When he stepped in the room, Noctis only saw (Y/n). Talcott was nowhere in sight and he wondered if he had spent the night in Iris' room.
On the bed lied Death. Her head dangled off the edge of the bed as her (e/c) eyes stared at the wall. Her sable locks pooled on the floor as she didn't even budge when she heard the door open. She didn't even spare Noctis a glance as she bore a hole in the wall with her translucent gaze. He thought the moment he'd see her, his courage would vanish and he'd run back to his room petrified. On the contrary, it only made his resolve stronger.
Noctis closed the door behind him before walking over to (Y/n). She acknowledge his presence when he stood a few inches in front of her. The Horseman blinked a few times before finally speaking. "Noct, I want to apologize-"
"Shut up," he muttered non-threateningly.
Death wasn't taken aback at his response, but she did disobey his orders. She pushed her body into a sitting position and sat on the bed with her legs crossed. "No, this needs to be-"
Not wanting to hear another word from her, Noctis grabbed her cheeks in his hands and pulled her body forward. He watched as her (e/c) widened from his sudden movements and even saw how they were wide as saucers when he leant down and crashed his lips on hers. Unlike in his nightmare, the prince made their first kiss deep, passionate, and intense from the beginning. (Y/n) felt her body shaking from the intense kiss that she was forced to latch onto the sleeves of Noctis' jacket to keep her body from collapsing. Gradually, her eyes fluttered shut as the kiss continued.
Suddenly, Noctis pulls away and proceeds to climb on the bed. He hovered above her body, reconnecting their lips in a fierce kiss. One of his hands wandered to her hair, stroking the inky locks gently. His other arm rested on the bed to support his weight and prevent himself from crushing (Y/n) beneath him.
Realization suddenly hit Noctis like a speeding train as he saw what he was doing. Breaking the kiss, he stared down at (Y/n) with wide eyes as he tried to apologize for his actions. "Shit... I-I'm..." The boy could no longer look Death in the eyes and lowered his head, resting it on the shoulder of the girl beneath him.
The Horseman knew he wanted to apologize, but she wouldn't allow him. Her hands gravitated towards his cheeks and she cupped them gently, running her thumbs across his pale skin. "Don't you dare apologize, Noctis. If I wanted an apology, I would've kicked you off me and sent you to the floor."
"Y-You're not mad?" He questioned nervously, lifting his head from her shoulder.
She shook her head with a gentle, warm smile. "Of course not. Although, I kinda wanna know what made you do this. You're usually not up this earlier, either." The girl suddenly tensed up, remembering what had been the issue ever since they met and she gave Noctis the summoning orb. "The nightmare..."
The prince met her guilt-ridden gaze and smiled. "I did it." He snaked his arm around her head and lifted her up slowly into a gentle hug. "I was finally able to save you."
(Y/n) was shocked to say the least. How Noctis was able to gain control in his nightmare and rewrite the ending, she'd never know. She wrapped her arms around his torso and clutched the back of his jacket. "The ending... You were able to change the outcome?"
"Instead of drowning, I pulled you back to the docks and gave you CPR. You didn't respond for a minute and I was afraid I failed. After another round of compressions, you finally came to. And... uh..."
Death raised a brow when she saw Noctis couldn't finish his sentence. "Don't stop now! Tell me what happened!"
The boy shook his head. "Nope. That's it. Nothing else happened."
(Y/n) rolled her eyes with a smirk, knowing he was hiding something. "Whatever you say, Noct."