(no subject)

[adelphoi]

[ never before has alisaie so deeply, keenly known what it is to feel bittersweet.

arriving on hydaelyn again, surrounded by the familiar walls of the rising stones, eorzea's peoples and lands safe, restored, full - is it not what she had dreamt of since first she awoke in that icy pod? since she looked out over a wide vista of stars and attempted to process the fact that her home was gone? mourning an entire world had been a monumental effort, and when the news had come that their homes could yet be salvaged she had never been more relieved.

that relief, of course, had been soon followed by a sweeping despair. they were to return home, and only home, the natha had a duty to fulfill, to see to it that everything was restored exactly as it was, no exception, no compromise. for the greater good, they had insisted, and alisaie's heart had broken clean in two. she had made so many connections, so many close friends, she had carved a life out for herself on el nysa and -

- and prompto. to lose him forever was an ache she could not bear. she had already lost so much, so many, and to lose him.. of course she fought. she railed and shouted herself hoarse, she petitioned the natha again and again, begged, but they would not be moved. and so she was home again, surrounded by familiar walls and familiar friends, but on her clothing she could still smell prompto's skin, the sensation of his last kiss clinging to her mouth like a ghost.

a week of stunned grieving was all she allowed herself, but alisaie would not be defeated. traveling to other worlds.. it is possible, she has seen it done. the ascians, the warriors of the first - all had traveled between the planes, and alisaie was entirely certain, with all of her heart, that his eos was one of the many echoes, the worlds connected to her own by the sundering of the mothercrystal. prompto was gone and yet he still somehow felt so very close, just out of reach of her touch, her voice, her heart.

the pregnancy, of course, had been.. entirely unexpected. the natha had rendered them sterile, but she can only assume that they had reversed it some time before their restoration of their homes, long enough for him to quicken within her womb and leave her with a soul to remember him by, a sweet child with her own dark eyes and prompto's fair hair, and smile, and laugh that breaks her heart to hear. but gods she loves him, this little sunshine boy who thrives on touch and love, who sleeps well and smiles often and gives her the extra drive she needs to work, to finish, to find the way to drive open the doorway between their worlds. it is unstable, and unable to linger for long, it is entirely possible that this is a one-way trip, that she will never be able to find her way back, and that is all that stalls her. prompto is her heart, her husband, the mother of her child - but hydaelyn is her home, her family is here, and the thought of leaving her brother behind forever, leaving urianger, and the scions..

gods, it is nearly enough to unmake her, to convince her to abandon her work.

but they remind her, all of them, that prompto too is her family, that their child deserves to know his father, that if she does not make this step she will never see him again. she will.. simply have to do it again, to find a way to keep the doorway open. and if she has not, at least she has said her goodbyes, she has made her peace, and decided what it is that she needs.

and so that is what brings her here at last, to eos, where the air is thick with darkness, where the aether is in upheaval. gods, this is the home he had returned to? this is where he has been? the atmosphere is heady and oppressive, the roads swarmed with terrible daemons. she had made the right decision.

finding him, however, was much more difficult. finding her way to a well lit station had been difficult enough in a foreign world, and she had learned quickly to arrange her hair to cover her ears, avoiding questions she does not have the time to answer. but soon enough she had learned of him, where he was, and how to arrive there - to a city called lestallum, the last great bastion against the doom hovering on the horizon.

alisaie's heart is pounding when she arrives before the worn wooden door, in a narrow staircase with yellow walls, the paint peeling and the light harsh. she's ruffled and dusty with travel, exhausted and anxious, smelling of sweat and chocobo but once she had arrived in the city she could not bring herself to wait another second before searching him out, finding him. hefting the sleeping child higher on her hip, alisaie presses a kiss to his pale blonde head, taking a deep, stilling breath.

and she knocks. ]

Comments

time to die ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

[punshots]

[ It's been three years, two months, and sixteen days.

He knows, because he counts, each and every day that passes since his return to Eos. Three years, two months, and sixteen days, since the Natha had sent them back. When they'd first heard, it had seemed such an impossible joy, that their worlds could be restored from the Storm, that they could have their homes back. A miracle, they'd even hailed it, but such a gift could not come without a price. He'd been willing to give up almost anything to get his home back, to restore the land that he loved, as dark as it had become in his final moments there. Yet there was one price too high, one demand he would not give into. One final goodbye that would cost him the entirety of his heart.

In his darker moments of despair, he'd wondered if this wasn't how it was always meant to be. It had always been beyond wonderful that he, of all people, had been able to find love, that he'd found her. Alisaie. That she'd loved him, with her fiery conviction, her fierce loyalty and unbridled passion, her laughter and her tears and her wonderful mind. It had always seemed too good to be true, an impossible thing he could never hope to hold onto forever. But that did not mean he'd gone quietly - no. Impossible as it was, unworthy of it as he might have felt, he fought, too. He fought for this thing that had made him better, that had healed him and built him up and made him feel, more than anything else in his life, like he was worth something real. He'd begged and pleaded, he'd refused to accept it, blindly believed that somehow things could work out and they could go home together. That this life after death that they'd found with each other wouldn't have to end. But the Natha, in the supposed infinite wisdom, had severed them, all the same, spared them the choice of having to choose which world to return to. All things in their proper place, except even then that isn't entirely what they got, because when they'd been pulled apart from their last embrace, their final kiss, their mingled tears, all the words he desperately needed to say clogging his throat, he'd left his heart with her.

And then...he was back in Eos. It's funny, isn't it? He had changed so completely since he had left this place, but Eos hadn't. It still needed the Crownsguard, even as the world died around them. Noctis had still disappeared. The sun had still vanished. Daemons still ransacked the land. The people still cowered in darkness, still cursed their king that had abandoned them in their most desperate hour. There are no Elezens here. No Eorzea. There is only the Starscourge, the remnants of the world Eos had once been, and her people, fighting desperately to hang on in hopes of a brighter future. Combating the daemons keeps him busy, gives him a much-needed job to do. He lets his work occupy him, lets it drown out everything else, because when it does not, the grief is almost unbearable.

And yet, despite their distance, he'd never stopped hoping, as foolishly futile as it was. But while he'd always had such a remarkable propensity for hope, this wasn't the good, uplifting kind of hope that warms like a flame and kept him going at the worst of times. It was a kind of hope built on habit, on an unwillingness to let her go despite the impossibility facing them. If he ever bothered to talk about it with anyone - and isn't that just such a disservice? that he could never find the words to describe her, to tell the story of the woman he loves, his wife, lost to him a world away - he's sure they'd tell him to move on, to accept the inevitability that he would never see her again. And yet, he can not. He is unable to accept that as his reality, and so he sees her, a shadow. A braid whipping around corners, the sound of her low, warm laugh on the wind, her warmth pressed against him when he sleeps alone on the road. Unlike her, he doesn't have the magical means to hope that he could travel to Eorzea to find her, but in some ways, perhaps that's a mercy, because the choice between finding her and abandoning the Crownsguard would tear him apart. But all the same, it leaves his hope unfounded, because with things as bleak as they are, how could he ever think he might see her again? He won't. He won't.

...Some nights, if it weren't for the wrinkled photographs that were already fading all too quickly, the ones that he'd hold to his heart so tightly as if they could fill the hole there, that reminded him of what love was and why he needed to keep fighting for this world, he might have thought it all a dream. What would she say, if she could see him now? How miserable he is, in these quiet moments by himself? Hadn't he once promised her he would be happy for the rest of his life, just because he'd met her? What an amazing joke that was. He owed her memory better than this gripping despair, and yet...he can't find it within himself to be happy. Maybe in fleeting moments, but not truly.

It's been three years, two months, and sixteen days. Since he'd taken his last photograph. Since he'd left his heart with her.

Prompto hasn't been in Lestallum more than two days, and he plans to depart the next morning. A nasty patch of naga have cropped up near Cauthess, and he's overstayed his welcome, in any case. The knock at his door is unexpected, and immediately has him on edge. He doesn't receive visitors, because he doesn't keep close contacts, save for Ignis and Gladio, and even with them, their communications could be few and far between. For as much as Lestallum was the last bastion against the Starscourge, it didn't welcome him, and it certainly wasn't home. A necessary stop from time to time, to trade information and gather supplies, an occasional rendezvous point with the others. The Lucians besmirched their king, and his retainers weren't any more popular. Prompto would never belong here. But then again, he'd never really felt like he'd belonged much of anywhere, save for one, very special place.

Still, even if he might be met by the drunk complainer of the evening who managed to track down where he's staying tonight, Prompto shuffles to answer it. He doesn't bother to summon his weapon - daemons don't knock - and besides, he can hazard a guess as to what this might be about.

His voice carries through the door, before he even starts to unlock it and pull it open. ]

Vex, you're killin' me! If this is you askin' me about your whole propaganda gig, I already told you ten times, I -

[ The words shrivel and die on his tongue as time freezes around him, an eternity contained in that moment his eyes meet hers. His knees give, and he catches himself on the door frame before he can collapse in a heap before the her, before this impossibility.

N-no. No. This...can't be right. This can't be real. He's fallen asleep upstairs, and he's dreaming, as he so often does, of her coming to him. But as much as it hurts, as much as his chest squeezes and his breath stalls painfully in his throat, he makes no move to rouse himself from his impossible dream. To end this. Because these moments are the only ones in which they are still allowed to be together. This time, she has a child with her, though this one is far more vivid than the ones that usually appear in his dreams. A cruel touch of his subconscious that fills his eyes with tears, that taunts him so clearly with what could have been. And yet, he will not look away. He will not allow himself to wake.

He's forgotten how to breathe, how to move, but somehow, he manages to reach out, his hand trembling, to caress her cheek, fingertips glancing over her skin.

He'd forgotten how soft and warm she is. ]

[adelphoi]

[ before he even opens the door her heart is strangled. she can hear his voice, muffled and sharp though it is through the door, familiar as an old dream, a phantom, a memory. is she ready for this? will she be able to handle it? will she be able to keep on her feet?

mayhaps she should have allowed destiny to run its course. they were from different worlds, the time they had together was a blessing, but unnatural. they should never have existed in the same world, this may have been a mistake, trying to salvage something that should no longer be, to breathe life into a thing long dead.

but when she sees him, when that door opens and his eyes find hers, beautiful clear blue that she could never forget - she knows that she is wrong. this was not a mistake, it could never be a mistake, and even if it feels as if the ground is dropping out from beneath her she still cannot regret, she cannot imagine anything better, or more natural and right than the brush of his fingers against her face. alisaie has never put much stock in destiny, after all.

alisaie's breath rushes from her lungs in a gust, her eyes flickering closed as she turns her face against his palm. it feels a little rougher, a little more callused than she remembers but still warm, still the same shape of the hands that had held and touched her what feels like a lifetime ago.

it is only the weight of the child against her that keeps her on her feet, sturdy and holding tightly to him, but she's trembling lightly, hot tears pricking her eyes, her entire chest tightening like a fist has closed around it. she has no idea what to say, and truthfully, mayhaps there isn't anything at all to say, no need for words to sully the moment.

so she nuzzles gently into his palm, reveling in the scent of his skin that is still somehow the same, exactly as she remembers it, and it rouses all that warm memory, every touch and smile and laugh, every wonderful thing they experienced together. ]

Prompto..

[ she whispers at last, her tears rolling soft and silently over his fingers, before at last she cracks her eyes open again to find his. gods, she is so tired.. ]

[punshots]

[ She may have the child to keep her on her feet, but the same can't be said for him, and as she turns her head to nuzzle against his palm, her warm tears spilling over his fingers, her wonderful voice saying his name in a way he hasn't heard in so, so long, his knees fold, and he sinks to the doorstep in front of her.

It all feels...so very real. Her warmth, her sweet voice, the sight and the smell and the feel of her, that it gives his hear the barest of hopes that maybe, beyond the realm of possibility, she really is here. Maybe it's more then the ghost he stubbornly refuses to give up. Maybe it's what he's been waiting for since the moment the separated, what he'd been too afraid to believe would ever truly come to pass.

And yet, here she is. On his doorstep, in Lestallum, in Eos, three years, two months, and sixteen days later, and a warmth seeps into his chest that he hasn't felt in so very, very long.

His arms come up to wind around her, to pull her near desperately and cling to her like his very life depends on it, and it very well may, from how this moment seems as if it could make or break him. He pulls her close, brow pressed near her navel, near the leg and tiny foot of the small, warm bundle she carries on her hip. He can't begin to comprehend it, when he can barely comprehend her presence here, but that warmth feels like one he has known his entire life. Like one he wants to hold close and protect and love unconditionally, no matter the consequence.

Tears flow freely and seep into her clothing, his whole being trembling with the weight of this reunion they stand on the precipice of. Yet the sobs that wrack him are not grief-filled ones that have occupied him so frequently over these long years. They're something cleaner, purer, born of love and hope and a long forgotten happiness and warmth. ]

Don't wake me up. Please, gods, don't wake me up.

[ Let him dream, and lose himself to this dream forever. ]

[adelphoi]

[ prompto sinks down before her and it is as a knife twisting in her heart, a reminder of the time lost between them, the ache in her breast every night spent alone in her bed, every morning she woke and rolled to the side to hold to someone who was not there.

but he is here now, she is here, worn and exhausted from three years nonstop work, from the energy it took to come to this world, to scour it for him. it is done now, and every hard, painful, frustrating second was worth it.

for a long while, alisaie simply allows them both to experience this moment, to stand in the pregnant silence with only the sound of their hiccuped breaths to fill the space. her free hand winds carefully into his hair, still as soft as she'd remembered, and alisaie closes her eyes, feeling his arms around her, feeling his presence.

but her knees are weak and her arms ache from carrying the boy, and so alisaie soon sinks carefully down onto her knees as well, shifting the toddler in her arms, at which point he finally stirs, blinking blearily. it's been a tiring journey for the little monster as well, but he can sleep through only so much movement; twisting in her grasp, one of his small hands reaches to grasp curiously at prompto's collar. alisaie hiccups a soft laugh, dipping her head to touch her brow to prompto's. ]

'Tis no dream, dearheart. I am here. We all are here.

[ exhaling hard, her mouth curves into a tremulous smile, her eyes dropping to the groggy babe between them, her voice rough and tight with fatigue and emotion both. ]

This is Louisoix. Your.. your son.

[ gods, but does it feel good to say those words aloud. ]

time for prompto to have the best time of his life

[adelphoi]

[ she's been through this before, of course. she remembers the nausea, the aches and pains, she remembers feeling progressively heavier, slower - crabbier. all that talk about glowing, ugh, she certainly doesn't feel as if she's glowing. she feels fat and clumsy and cranky, always tired, always hungry. carrying louie had been difficult enough, but two children; gods, she has a newfound respect for her mother, that much is certain. time seems to slow down as the months drag on, the more uncomfortable she gets, the further away her due date seems.

sleeping has become an exercise in frustration. she's tired all the time, but there always seems to be a baby elbowing her in the gut or kicking at her spine, and even when she does nod off it's not long before she wakes again to use the restroom. are they deliberately smashing themselves against her bladder?? it sure seems that way. these babies are little menaces.

it's a combination of both the urgent need to pee for forever, and stabbing hunger that wakes her this night - morning? - some few hours before dawn. groggy and miserable, she shambles to the bathroom, where it takes her about three times as long to pee as it usually might, and she's yawning and scrubbing her eyes when she waddles right on back to bed, throwing herself down with a soft groan. ]

Prompto..

[ reaching out blindly with one hand, she.. thwacks lightly at whatever she can reach. his chest, his belly, his shoulder, whatever's available. ]

Prompto.

rest in pieces prompto argentum

[punshots]

[ Her tiny fist socks him right in the gut, and in an instant, Prompto is awake. He's been a pretty light sleeper ever since Alisaie and Louie came into his life, ever watchful even as he sleeps in case he needs to be awake and alert in an instant, but even so, when she thwacks him awake tonight, he doesn't comprehend fully at first. The haze of sleep is still around him, and he props himself up on his elbows, peering at her through the darkness with confusion and concern. ]

Wh - what is it?

[ He can't hear Louie crying... ]

think twice next time before knocking up the wife

[adelphoi]

[ oh, good, he's awake - she was winding up for another, more forceful thwack, but it seems that won't be necessary, even if he deserves it, just for existing contentedly while she's so abysmally uncomfortable. who does he think he is?? life is so unfair. if only she had been born a seahorse.

but she hasn't, instead she has made life choices that have led her to this; things were so much simpler when she was blissfully single. anyway. carefully, alisaie shifts onto her side, one arm cradling her belly, the other folded beneath her head, her hair a wild mess. not only is it tousled from sleep, she can't really be assed to comb it more than like.. once a week. too much effort. ]

Do we.. still have that ice cream? What was it.. the road rocks?

he didn't even think once about it honestly

[punshots]

[ She would have made a cute seahorse...

But she is not a seahorse, she is a girl! A woman. A very pregnant woman, and as the sleep-haze begins to lift, he understands all too quickly just what this is about. Ah, her...pregnancy cravings are acting up. But...right now? In the middle of the night??

Even in the darkness, she'll be able to make out the incredulous lift of his brows. ]

...Rocky road? Yeah, think so...what about it?

STOP, BABY TIME

[punshots]

[ What a time to receive the call.

With every day that they crept closer to Alisaie's due date, Prompto has been spending more time at home, helping her with Louie, taking over most of the household duties while she stays off her feet, and trying to make her as comfortable as possible. Which may not account for much when she 's nearly bursting with two babies in her belly, but it won't be long now. It won't be long, but the glaives still need him for some things, assignments and hunts still roll in from Monica and Cor and Gladio and Ignis, and Prompto does his best to answer them to the best of his ability.

Before he takes on any hunt, even nearby, small ones, he checks with her first, trusting Alisaie to know when she's about to pop. She gave him the go ahead to leave today, to take care of some minor daemons a few miles south of their home, and though it takes him a bit longer than he would have liked, it still shouldn't be too long.

Of course, that's when he receives a phone call from Gladio. A very urgent phone call that involves a lot of yelling, and a get your ass here as soon as you can that urges Prompto onto Mrs. Freshley's back before he's even hung up the phone.

Alisaie is in labor, and he needs to get to the hospital asap.

They journey takes far longer than he would like it to, even though Prompto drives his chocobo as hard and fast as she can go. It's still not fast enough, and as soon as the hospital comes into view, his heart jams up into his throat. What if...she's had them already? What if he missed it? He wouldn't forgive himself if he missed the birth of their children not once, but twice.

As soon as he is near enough, Prompto hops right of his bird's back and dashes into the hospital, barely even stopping as he charges towards the room Gladio had told him to find. He finds his friend outside the door with Louie on his knee, but Prompto only stops to speak to them for a brief moment, to tousle Louie's hair and thank Gladio from the bottom of his heart, before he is charging into the delivery room.

She hasn't had them yet. He's made it in time. ]

babies* time

[adelphoi]

[ apparently having had one child before has not equipped her well enough to know when she will "pop." it's honestly a time bomb, with a countdown she can't see, but of course luck is, as always, against him, and her water breaks likely at the exact moment prompto is furthest away.

the ride to the hospital is.. noisy and angry, unsurprisingly, but honestly, wailing and screaming at gladio has helped a great deal. when you're about to push two small people out of your body, verbal violence is always welcome. nevertheless, he does not disappoint, and they make it to the hospital quickly, and with plenty of time to spare. she's set up, given a room and made comfortable, now the only thing missing is prompto. she can only hope that his hunt had not taken him too far.

by the time prompto bursts in at last she is between contractions, lying back against thick pillows, relatively tranquil, though weary, her hair unbound and wild. she exhales hard in palpable relief. ]

Gods, finally..

right........

[punshots]

[ Oh good, he made it after she's been doped up...

I mean, he's so relieved!! The babies aren't here yet, and she doesn't seem to be...having them...in this precise moment. The scene he steps into is actually much quieter and calm than he would have expected, even if it looks like Alisaie has - well - two humans trying to get out of her body.

He's at her side in an instant, winding their fingers together, peering into her face with abject relief. ]

I-I'm here, sweetheart - I'm so sorry, I got her as quick as I could...

[ He shouldn't have left today, evidently, but at least he's here now. ]

H-how far along...?

[adelphoi]

[ don't worry prompto, this is the calm before the storm.. suffering is on the horizon. all the meds in the world won't save you from her wrath.

.. but for now she's quite happy to see him, her fingers grasp tightly at his own, and she offers a tired, relieved smile. ]

I cannot say. It is not an exact science.

[ so like, a half hour, or a day. ah, the wonderful mysteries and surprises of childbirth. at the very least her contractions are beginning to intensify and lengthen, so she can hazard a few assumptions. ]

.. but if I had to guess, I would say - nn - not long, now.

[ ahh here it comes, the wave is on the horizon, her fingers in his tightening, squeezing hard. ]

[punshots]

[ And just like that, their family has nearly doubled in size.

It's several weeks more before Alisaie is released from the hospital, but though she still needs time to recover, what matters most to Prompto is that she is alive. When their family came so close to fracturing irreparably, when they came so close to losing her after everything they've been through together, she pulled through. He knew she would. As dark as those weeks had been, he knew. He has never known anyone with a strength of will like her own, and so she recovers swiftly, and Prompto splits his time between staying with her and girls at the hospital and taking care of Louie at home. Gladio and Ignis have earned the Best Babysitters of Eos title after how much they've been willing to take care of Louie, but Prompto is sure to keep his son as much company as possible as well. Soon enough, they'll all be together again at home. Soon enough, Alisaie will be well enough and they can bring the girls home. Soon enough...

And then that day finally arrives. Alisaie is dispatched from the hospital and with her, Luna and Luci. Prompto loads them all up in the car where Louie already sits in the backseat, waiting for his mother and sisters to join him. For his part, Prompto is a veritable sun of joy, and even if the skies above are still dark and menace, his smile alone challenges the notion that there is any darkness in the world at all. For all Eos has suffered, for all it is a shadow of its former glory, there is still so much beauty in it. In its people, in its history, in the family he has been able to build here. How he ever got so lucky, he will never know, and as they drive back home to their little cottage on the fringe of Old Lestallum, he holds her hand the entire way, hardly speaking, tears coursing freely down his cheeks.

At last they pull up to the house — their home — and Prompto squeezes Alisaie's hand before he lets go to pull the key from the ignition. ]

We're home, sweetheart.

[ They're all home. Prompto can already hear Peo barking from inside the house. He knows who waits outside the door. ]

[adelphoi]

[ alisaie too is relieved to be home, for all the reasons prompto is happy to have her home, and more - she has ever been a terrible patient, and time has not changed that. eos' infirmaries are even worse than hydaelyn's, with their terrible, overbearing fluorescent lights, that horrible sterile smell, and all of those machines and tubes..

they saved her life, and took good care of her, and for that she is incredibly, impossibly grateful. but that does not mean that she enjoyed her stay!!

but they are home now, and gods, the sight of their little cottage tucked beneath the boughs is one of the sweetest sights she has ever laid eyes on. by the time they pull up she is restless and eager to move, and with a bright smile, alisaie gathers the girls to her and steps out of the car (cars are still so weird, even now), greeted by the sound of peo's eager barking. prompto and louie have been to see her many times, but poor peo.. he hadn't been allowed to see her.

with her arms full of babies, she waits for prompto to unlock the door, while peo whines and scratches behind it. ]

Aye, we are, and home has never sounded so good.

[ she says through a broad smile, a heavy weight on her shoulders lifting, dispatched at last. ]

[punshots]

[ Prompto gathers Louie out of the backseat before he steps up to the front door at Alisaie's side, smile warmer and wider than ever. If he's not careful, he'll start crying again, but he can't help it. It feels like it's been ages since they've been here together, and at last, his daughters get to see their home, too.

Talking quickly, Prompto unlocks the door before Louie can steal his keys (again), pushing it open so Peo can spill out through the crack. ]

Don't worry — the nursery is alllll ready. Figure we've still got some time to keep 'em in our room for awhile though, right? [ He was looking forward to that before SOMEONE had to almost die. ] Oh — and I got a special surprise for 'em, too! It's not too early to spoil the most specialest, most wonderfulest baby girls in the whole universe, right?

[ And in they go as he continues to blather. He did make every preparation she asked him to, though. The fridge is even freshly stocked (and the cookie jar, too). If there are some husband Olympics coming up, he is READY. ]

[adelphoi]

[ i mean, yeah, she definitely almost died, but let us not forget that one time he actually died and left her all alone to grieve for like, a week?? remember that hellish time? pepperidge farms remembers. alisaie definitely remembers. and she will totally use it as leverage if need be.. ]

.. well. For a short time, I suppose.

[ unlike prompto, alisaie has been sleeping with babies for an entire month, and she's definitely looking forward to a nice quiet night alone in her bed without having to worry about babies, but she can allow him a little slack. at least, for a short time.

but for now - peo comes tumbling out the moment the door is even half open, and with a quiet wail of happiness alisaie is dropping to her knees to receive kisses. oh, how she has missed her good boy. but she has babes in her arms so for now she allows it only for a few moments before she's standing to sweep through the door behind him. ]

[adelphoi]

[ they're careful. they are always careful.

not only is it important that they stay alive for one another, but now they have a family to protect, young children to look after, whom neither of them are particularly keen to leave parentless. for these reasons they are all the more careful to always check the lights, to patrol the perimeter around their home several times a day, most especially before bed, when they will be asleep and most prone. they live alone, close enough to lestallum for convenience but far enough that daemons are not drawn to them in droves - once or twice a week they slay those that have drawn near enough to present a threat, but for the most part their homestead is peaceful.

of course, no safety net is perfect.

alisaie does not notice when the lights go out. she's grown used to the brightness of the floodlights beyond their window and is able to sleep deeply without them aggravating her, so when they flicker off she does not stir. for several hours after she is still, the house and the area around it remain quiet and undisturbed in the dark, silent and serene.

until the resounding crash wakes her immediately. the house trembles, rattling the window panes with a shudder that passes through the floorboards. alisaie sits up with a sharp gasp, reaching immediately, instinctively for her rapier where it leans against the wall beside the bed. ]

[punshots]

[ They are always careful, but all it takes is one moment, one single moment, for everything to change, for everything to go wrong.

The blast that shakes the house has Prompto upright and alert within a second. He may be a father now, but he is still a member of the Crownsguard, and he has now spent years in service, fighting daemons, training himself for the return of the king. Even so, he has never faced a threat quite like this, unknown, attacking his home, where his children sleep. He thinks of them first, even as a handgun flashes into his grip, and he charges through the door, glancing back at Alisaie as he goes.

He may be a member of the Crownsguard, but she's a Scion, too. They both know what's happening immediately, and they both know what to do. What's at stake. What could happen if they don't act immediately. ]

We have to get the kids to the cellar!

[ It's the safest place they have. There are plenty of lights, equipped for just a situation as this.

Another force rocks the house, and somewhere, a window shatters. ]

[adelphoi]

[ yes, in the end they are both soldiers, they react quickly and efficiently, though not always without excess emotion. when that window shatters, a deep, visceral fear shoots down her spine and right to her gut, clenching it in an icy fist. ]

The children -

[ she starts, leaping to her feet in nothing but her nightdress, rapier flashing in what little light remains.

immediately she is off, sprinting from their room and down the hall toward louisoix's room, the one nearest to their own - she hears him mewl in fear beyond the closed door; never has a sound wrenched at her soul quite so keenly. shouldering the door open with a slam, she cuts down the imp beyond it without a moment's hesitation. ]

[fearlessly]

[ for all they had claimed so boldly and brazenly that it was time to bring another addition into their family, they have yet to make good on their promise. it has been six months now, which is really not so terribly long a time, all things considered, but both louie and the twins had been conceived with such ease that alisaie had simply assumed that they're both as fertile as rabbits in spring, but perhaps they had simply gotten lucky the first two times.

.. granted, it had also been much easier to find the time to smash, before they had three rugrats crawling around the home. generally speaking, by the time they get to bed at night they've hardly the energy for a lazy handjob, let alone a full-on fuck, so fulfilling their desire has not been quite so simple. alisaie isn't worried, it will happen in time, what is important is that they have decided to do it in the first place, that they have made the choice that yes, they do want to grow their little family, at least by one more. when it's time, it will happen, even if prompto is unsurprisingly very impatient, especially now that his head is filled with thoughts of baby. alisaie, however, is happy to take their time, for the twins are still very much baby enough for her now, though they are growing like weeds, having already taken their first steps a few weeks ago.

the upside to toddlers and older, at least, is that they often sleep through the night, and don't scream for the bottle at six in the morning. alisaie's circadian rhythm, however, is still apparently set to 'mother,' so even though the morning is still quite young, she finds herself stirring, turning, staring blearily at the clock.

5:30am. ugh. far too early. even the twins don't usually begin to fuss and squeal until at least seven. with a soft groan, alisaie turns over and slips her arms around prompto's middle, pressing herself against his back, and nuzzling her nose and mouth against the back of his shoulder. ]

[punshots]

[ He sure is getting impatient with the lack of baby! The twins are still very young, and of course, Prompto adores them all so much that his heart feels fit to burst, but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for another. The others had come so quickly, without really any planning on their part. Was that part of the problem? Because they were sincerely trying now?

But they'll just have to keep trying when it happens, given that they're very obviously able to have children. It's just...taking awhile this time. Maybe it's time they try one of those weird superstitions to increase fertility...okay, he's getting a little bit desperate.

Even so, there's plenty to keep them busy every day, and he doesn't want to annoy Alisaie with it too much. Maybe they just need to sneak in more afternoon delight while the kids are napping...but so early in the morning, those thoughts are far from his mind. He's an early riser to begin with, but 5:30 is still way too early for him, so when Alisaie snuggles closely, he stirs a little, instinctively curling towards her, his hand smoothing down her back while he nuzzles into her hair. ]

Mm...m-morning?

[ Is it morning??? He hasn't peaked at the clock, but it still feels way too early to be awake when kids are crying. ]

[fearlessly]

[ alisaie is not a morning person, and she's certainly not very happy at all with the fact that her body and brain are rebelling against this natural fact. too many mornings woken by wailing children, she apparently can't help but wake too early, even when no child is wailing at all. the house is blissfully silent and still, and while she hadn't meant to wake prompto.. well, she's not going to complain either, because misery loves company.

she makes a sound of complaint in the back of her throat, pressing in nearer until she's flush against him, her arms wriggling more tightly around him, squeezing. ]

No.. it is far too early..

[ she says, her voice rough and itchy, her head tipping up to rub her face against his shoulder like a needy cat. ]

[ spongebob narrator voice ] SEVERAL YEARS LATER

[punshots]

[ Their life on Eos hasn't been an easy one, but it has absolutely been fulfilling, and Prompto doesn't regret a moment of it.

It still seems a marvel some days, many days, how he can possibly be this happy when there's so much to worry about, so much to fear, so much uncertainty. The land is still shrouded in darkness, daemons only increase in number, and they draw near to that promised day, when Noctis will return and they will have to make their final stand, an encounter he can't say for sure he'll survive. There's shortages of food, electricity, water, supplies. And yet, his family is taken care of. They make ends meet. He has Alisaie at his side every moment, and his wonderful, beautiful children. They keep him strong, in the face of it all. There's nothing he couldn't do, with them.

They continue to grow, continue to learn and adapt, and it's hard as hell, but they move ahead, one day at a time. The days turn to months, and months to years, until that time Prompto had spent on Eos alone, after returning from El Nysa, are nothing more than a distant memory. The pain of his loneliness has faded in the wake of the bliss of his love for his family, and before he knows it, ten years have passed since the day he returned.

Ten years, full of ups and downs, full of teething babies, first steps, first words. Moments of joy, moments of sadness, of anger, and pain. Perhaps it isn't fair of them, to bring children into this dark world, and that's a question he and Alisaie have had to discuss a lot over the years, to reassure themselves that they aren't being selfish or foolish in making this choice. They had wanted a family since the early days of their relationship, but hadn't been able to build it in El Nysa. Here, they finally had that chance, and while Louie might have been an accident, the others weren't. They chose joy, ultimately, with the steadfast assurance that they would do anything and everything in their power to ensure that their children grew up safe and happy, and so far, they have been able to keep that promise.

And maybe someday, someday soon, their children will be able to see the light of the sun once more. Maybe they can know the world they were always owed. Prompto has to believe that. For his own sake, for Alisaie's, for the kids, and for Noctis, too.

At last, the day finally comes. Ten years exactly from the day Noctis had disappeared. Talcott has gone off to Angelgard, to find the wayward prince if he's there — no, he has to be there. Prompto can't let himself get bogged down in any other train of thought. Soon he'll need to leave for Hammerhead, to meet with Gladio and Ignis once more, and prepare to receive their friend and make the final stand. They all know what awaits them in Insomnia, but that makes it no easier to face it. Once they walk into the city, there's no telling when they will emerge again, or...if.

And...just in case he doesn't, he can't leave anything unsaid or undone. He wouldn't...want his final moments to be filled with regrets.

So after the children have been put down to sleep for the night, and Prompto has kissed them and assured them how much he loves them, he brews some tea in the kitchen and waits for Alisaie in the living room. She knows as well as he does what's coming, and what the risks are. He doesn't need to explain what tonight means, when tomorrow, everything they care about could change.

Though he's brewed the tea, that doesn't exactly mean he's feeling calm and collected, so as he waits for her, he rises from the couch, taking up a slow pace around the coffee table, rubbing at his chin, deep in thought.

Can he do this? Should he do this? ]

[elfducator]

[ ten years is a long time, and yet somehow it feels as if it has passed in the blink of an eye. louie is ten years old now, the twins are outgrowing toddlerhood, and they've added one last child to their ranks - young fabienne, a sweet, smiling thing with her father's disposition and her mother's dark eyes.

they're happy. life is not easy without the sun, with the constant threat of the daemons, with the shortages of food - everything is dangerous, even gathering water, and more than once they have considered abandoning their cottage home for the safer streets of lestallum as the daemons grew thick in the wilds, and resupplying became more and more dangerous with every passing week. truth be told, if noctis's gambit does not work she will have no choice but to shuffle the children to the city.

but alisaie cannot think that way. she must believe. she must believe for the good of the world, for the good of their children, three of which have never seen the sun and one that has long since forgotten it. but she must also believe, because the success of the king and his men means that prompto will return to her, that he will come home where he is loved, where he is needed; gods, just the idea of raising their children alone, without him is enough to make her gut tighten with panic and fear and grief. how would she manage it? how could she possibly move forward, when she moved worlds just to get back to him? when they risked everything to build the family they had always wanted?

it is unthinkable.

putting the children to bed tonight is not easy. they are all worried about where their father is going and why; the twins are too young to understand anything other than the difficult and tense atmosphere in the home, but that is enough to put them ill at ease. louie is old enough now to understand, to know that papa is leaving to bring back the sun, that it is dangerous. but soon enough even he burned himself out, and the house is silent now save for prompto's shuffling footsteps as alisaie descends the stairs.

immediately she slips up behind him, both of her arms sliding beneath his own to wrap around his abdomen, her head dipping to rest in the warm crook of his shoulder. she inhales his warm, familiar scent, closes her eyes, murmurs against his skin. ]

Are you.. certain that I cannot go with you? We have ever been stronger together..

[ she knows what his answer will be before he speaks it and yet she cannot help but ask nonetheless, implore him if she must, for sending him off while she stays behind feels painful and wrong, and against everything she has ever been. ]

[punshots]

[ He can hear her arrive before she does, but even so, a soft sigh gusts out of him when Alisaie's arms slip around his middle, his own gathering over hers in an instant. Gods, they've been together for so long now, and yet it still feels so exquisite to be held by her, touched by her. It feels warm and familiar as ever, even if the weight in the air still remains, before Alisaie addresses it directly.

His shoulders sag as he stares at the flames in the hearth, letting her question go unanswered for a moment, before to be honest...he considers it. He's considered it so many times before, too, because she is absolutely right. They are always stronger together, they fight in tandem as a pair, and if he is honest with himself, she is the much stronger of the two of them. If they were going off of strength and power alone, she would be in his place. But it's more complicated than that, and as much as he's desperate to keep her at his side for as long as possible, he knows it isn't feasible. No matter how much he promises he will come back alive, they both know the risks. They both know what the outcome might be.

Even if they are successful and the sun does return...it doesn't necessarily mean that he will, too. If something happened to the both of them...

It's unthinkable for leave his family behind without a father, but losing their father and their mother? When Fabi is barely old enough to know who they are?

At last, he shakes his head, already fighting off the threat of tears in his eyes. ]

I know. But...we can't. We can't.

[ As much as it hurts to say so. ]

If you were with us, heh...it'd be too easy, y'know? Gotta give the daemons a little bit of a fighting chance...