A/n: My phone kept autocorrecting "Iris" to "IRS" and I've no clue why. I edited the chapter and hopefully didn't miss any mistakes. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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The couple headed up the stairs after another brief kiss. (Y/n) had been spending her nights in Talcott's room since the little boy had been keeping Iris company for the past few nights. She decided to use the room for privacy and not let the gil for it go to waste.
The duo stopped in front of the room Noctis and the other boys were sharing. Death smiled at the prince as he stood in front of the door. She watched as he reached out to turn the knob, but he suddenly stopped and faced her. She took note of how his cheeks were already starting to redden before he could speak. "T-This is totally gonna be embarrassing to ask, b-but..."
The Horseman titled her head in confusion. "What is it, Noct?"
"I-It's, uh..."
"Use words, Noctis. I heard they make you sound smarter," Death giggles.
The prince sighed, ignoring the last part of her sentence. "Can I-"
Before Noctis could finish, the door flew open and a hand shot out, grabbing the boy and dragging him into the room with a shout of surprise. The door slammed shut and all she heard was the sound of struggling. Not wishing to interfere, Death headed to her room and retired for the night with a flabbergasted expression.
<------<<<<<<<
"What the hell?!" Noctis shouted as he was tossed on the bed by Gladio. Ignis sat in a chair, not wishing to interject himself into Prompto's and Gladio's interrogation. The blonde boy sat on the edge of the bed while the shield stood at the foot.
The brute crossed his arms, smirking down at the prince. "So, what's goin' on between you and (Y/n)?"
"What're you talkin' about?" Noctis scowled at him.
"We all saw the way you were starin' at her today with those googly-eyes. We're not blind," Gladio retorts. "What happened this morning between the two of you?"
"We want all the juicy details!" Prompto proclaimed excitedly. In the background, they heard Ignis groan in annoyance and remain as far from the conversation as possible.
"Why would I tell you guys?" Noctis rebuttals. "Can't (Y/n) and I spend some damn time together?"
"Tell us the truth and we'll drop it," Gladio replied, refusing to answer the prince's questions.
"No," the raven-haired boy hissed. "It's private."
"Even more suspicious," Prompto muttered under his breath.
Gladio's eyes widened a fraction as the prince could tell he was trying to prevent his smirk from bursting forth. "Don't tell me..."
"No! Hell no! It's not what you're thinking!" The boy vehemently denies.
"Then tell us!" Prompto demanded as he scooted closer to Noctis, waiting for the small details.
"Fine! We kissed, happy?"
The two boys were silent, but they knew Noctis was holding back. Gladio walked around to the side of the bed and uncrossed his arms. "You're hiding something."
"Wha-no, I'm not!" The younger boy denies.
"You didn't just kiss (Y/n)." Prompto flew to his feet, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "You made out with her!"
The embarrassment from earlier returned tenfolds as Noctis jumped off the bed to hide his face from his friends. He stormed into the bathroom and locked the door.
"C'mon, Noct! This is great news!" Prompto cheered from the other side of the door.
"No, it's not! Now I'm not gonna hear the end of it!" The prince shouted back.
"We're happy for you, buddy."
"We'll try to keep the teasing down to a minimum," Gladio bellowed with laughter.
Noctis sighed in frustration as he ran a hand through his hair. "Ugh..."
<------<<<<<<<
The next morning, (Y/n) was standing on the balcony when she heard someone knock. Leaving the balcony, she opened the door and was greeted by a smiling Iris. "Good morning, (Y/n)! Gladdy told me you needed another outfit for a couple of photos. I thought we'd go out together and look for one."
Death smiled at the young girl. "I'd like that." Then, she realized an issue with their plans. "I don't have any gil, though."
"Oh, don't worry 'bout that. I want this to be my treat."
Not wishing to argue, (Y/n) nodded and accepted Iris' kindness. "Thank you, Iris."
"Don't thank me yet. We've gotta find something first!" She lunged out, grabbed Death's hand, and dragged her out of the Leville.
In the streets of Lestallum, the girls visited a few clothing shops until they found a small one that was located in the corner of town. Inside the small and quaint shop, Iris picked out a number of dresses and assembled some outfits for (Y/n) to try on. With her hands full, she tugged the Horseman to a changing room and handed over the clothing.
After fifteen minutes of trying on different outfits, (Y/n) tried on the last dress Iris picked out. The young Amicitia also had grabbed a pair of heels that matched the dress.
Death emerged from the changing room and showed Iris. Said girl was in awe at how beautiful (Y/n) looked in the dress. "You look amazing!"
"I don't know. What happens if we run into a battle with imperials?"
"Let's the boys handle them! I'm buying that outfit." Iris walked over to the cashier and bought the dress and heels.
"Would you like a bag?" The lady behind the cash register asked.
"No, she'll wear it out." Iris grabbed (Y/n)'s old clothing and carried them as they left the store.
Death kept glancing down at the sparkly dress, wondering if it truly did suit her. "Are you sure this suits me?"
"Definitely! I know the boys will agree with me one hundred percent," Iris grinned.
<------<<<<<<<<
When the two entered the lobby of the Leville, they found Noctis, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis sitting down and waiting for them. The prince heard their footsteps and stood up. "There you are. We were-" Turning to face the girls, he saw the new attire Iris had bough (Y/n) and was speechless. His azure eyes widened at her beauty as no words could roll off his tongue at the sight.
"Wow, you look beautiful, (Y/n)!" Prompto complimented as he jumped to his feet.
"Thank you, Prompto," the Horseman smiled with slightly red cheeks.
Gladio stood up and elbowed Noctis in the side with a smirk. "Cat got your tongue, loverboy?"
Noctis swallowed nervously as he rubbed his side. "Something... like that."
"Shall we?" Ignis gestured to the entrance of the hotel.
"Where're we heading first?" Prompto asked.
"We'll take the photos, then head to Malmalam Thicket. That way, I can change out of this dress sooner than later," (Y/n) replied.
"Malmalam Thicket it is," Gladio said.
"... Did I stutter?" Death asked, glaring at the shield.
"Heard ya clear as day, (Y/n). We're going to collect the royal arm first."
"No! Pictures first, tomb second!" The Horseman stomped her foot on the tile.
Gladio shook his head. "Nope. Tomb first."
"I am not fighting in a dress!"
The bodyguard sent a smirk in Noctis' direction. "Don't need to worry 'bout that. Your Prince Charmless will protect you."
The prince rolled his eyes with a grimace at hearing the nickname. "Let's just go."
<------<<<<<<<
In the backseat of the Regalia, (Y/n) had her arms crossed and her lips pursed. She sunk in her seat as she sighed. "I can't believe Iris..."
"Me, either. Can't believe she wouldn't give you your old outfit to change into," Prompto said.
"She spent a pretty gil on that dress and wants you to wear it the entire day," Gladio responded.
"I understand that, but when we come across enemies..." Death trailed off.
"The dress and heels would be a hindrance," Ignis finished.
"Yes!" (Y/n) bellowed as she sat up straight. "Thank you, Ignis! At least one of you understands..."
Noctis decided to avoid the conversation as he reclined in the seat, leaning his head back, and closing his eyes. (Y/n) noticed his silence and glanced at the boy to her left. She gently shifted in her seat as she peered at the supposedly sleeping prince with an amused smile. Slowly, she raised her hand and placed her finger against his cheek. Then, she poked him repeatedly. Death received no response in any way, shape, or form as Noctis slept peacefully. "I'm impressed with how fast he can fall asleep."
"As are we all," Ignis said.
(Y/n) ceased poking Noctis' cheek and faintly saw sapphire peek through the boy's eyelashes. She realized he was actually awake and decided to mess with him. She stiffened her body and widened her (e/c). Her head snapped to the left and she noticed Noctis was watching because now both of his eyes were open, but revealing only a little hint of sapphire. "It's here."
Next, (Y/n) scrambled around in the back before pretending to jump out of the speeding car. Before she could even turn around and vault out of the vehicle, an arm shot out and wrapped around her waist. Her body was pulled back down in the seat as a gasp of shock left her lips. The Horseman knew Noctis would react, but she didn't expect him to do it so quickly. Realizing the position she was in, (Y/n) was practically sitting in the prince's lap as he held her close. He glared at her, clueless as to why she acted up. "What the hell were you tryin' to do?! Were you really gonna jump out a speeding car?!"
Unable to hold herself back, Death bursted into laughter. "I knew you weren't asleep!"
"What?" Noctis inquired with confusion.
"I acted like I saw something and you fell for it."
"You're horrible..."
(Y/n) snickered as she placed a kiss on his cheek. "I know."
The others had watched the scene unfold, unable to make a single comment as they were happy Noctis had finally found someone to care about and love after all the hardships he's been through.
<------<<<<<<<
"So..." Prompto muttered as they arrived at their destination. "This is Malmalam Thicket. Kinda creepy, if you ask me."
"Let's hurry this up. I want out of this dress!" (Y/n) huffs, crossing her arms.
"Yes, Ma'am," Gladio snickered.
The band of friends entered Malmalam Thicket in search of the royal tomb. (Y/n) was in the front with Noctis as she was the only one who had a connection to the dead. The monsters hiding within the foliage remained in their hiding spots as the boys and girl passed by. The creatures were frightened of Death's presence and remained where they would be safe from harm.
"Y'know, it's nice not having to fight everything that pops out and attacks us," Prompto sighed in content.
"I'm kinda torn down the middle. Could use the extra practice," Gladio stated with a small huff.
"Though it does keep our supplies from diminishing," Ignis spoke up.
"Not like we've got a lot of gil on us, anyway," Noctis added with a shrug of his shoulders.
(Y/n) suddenly froze at smelling a familiar, rotting odor. The boys halted in their steps, eyeing Death in confusion because they didn't recognize the putrid scent. Ignis was able to recognize the smell after realizing it was the same odor they smelt when they infiltrated Aracheole Stronghold. "Is that...?"
"No, no, no... Why is there one here?" (Y/n) muttered before bolting down a trail that led up and around a small river and waterfall.
"H-Hey, wait, (Y/n)!" Noctis shouted after her. The boys took chase and followed her up the path.
"Wow, she's running in heels like it's nothing," Prompto commented with a huff as he ran.
"I'm impressed she hasn't fallen yet," Gladio added.
"Not only that... She's faster than us in those things!" The blonde stated. "Just hope she doesn't fall and hurts one of her ankles."
"Not helping," Noctis hissed as they continued to chase after (Y/n).