adelphoi | (no subject)

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[ 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. ]

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[ rip when he does....... ]

I can't wait to see it.

[ prompto belongs behind that lens. it had always given him so much joy, making memories, capturing them in photographs, to think that he had lost his love for it is just one more heartache to add to the pile. but he'll be back in the saddle soon enough.

the little blanket is the last thing to go into the basket before it's finished, and alisaie smiles again when she looks back toward them. the babe is already so comfortable with him, and that's not an enormous surprise of course - he has always loved to be touched, always tolerated being held by others, but prompto's natural warmth is like a beacon of light. it is quite clear that they were made for each other. taking up the basket in one hand, alisaie moves toward them, weary but more content than she has been in a long, long time. ]

For now, however, bedtime if you don't mind.

[ Bedtime...gods, all she has to do is say that word and it feels like a curtain has dropped on him, the show over and time for rest. He may not be fresh off a long journey as she is, but he's exhausted nonetheless, mostly from the emotional outpouring of this last hour or so. Part of him is afraid to sleep, that by so doing he might undo this wonderful dream he's found himself in, but Louisoix is so warm against him, and Alisie's smile so sure that it feels okay. Okay isn't something he's felt in...long. So long.

So he stands, still gently swaying with Louisoix in his arms and he leads the way up to the bedroom upstairs. Like the rest of the house, it's small but serviceable, and there will be plenty of room for all of them. ]

Hope he's a better sleeper than I am.

[ is that a pun?? it's in italics so i feel like it is but i might have missed the joke.................

anyway, alisaie is following him up the stairs, stopping briefly in the washroom to fill up the sippy-cup with water before they're into the bedroom. the basket goes beside the bed, pressed in snugly, and the small blanket and chocobo plush on the bed, before she's reaching toward prompto, ready to take the boy.

though a part of her feels a little guilty. louisoix is so comfortable, and prompto seems so happy.. mayhaps just for tonight, the bed will be fine. ]

Would you like to.. keep him, for tonight?

[ NO IT WAS NOT A PUN, he was just emphasizing the word...but now I'm going to italicize rando words just to mess with you

Her senses are right - he's not looking forward to relinquishing Louisoix to the basket, even though sleeping in there looks like an absolute dream. His eyebrows lift, and he glances at her with the question reflected in his eyes. ]

Would that...be okay? I don't wanna like - throw off his sleep habit, or anything.

[ He may not know much about kids, but he knows that habit is important for them. But all the same, the thought of the both of them sleeping in the bed with Louisoix snuggled between them...it sounds absolutely perfect. A complete reversal of his last night's sleep. ]

[ yeah that surely won't backfire ]

Well. Just for tonight is fine.

[ never let it be said that she's unreasonable or too strict. tomorrow night it's back to the fluffy basket, but for tonight.. for tonight, it's fine. for tonight it's good, to spend the night together as a family for the very first time. she cannot bring herself to put her foot down for tonight.

so she drops the blanket into the basket and sets the sippy-cup on the nightstand, before sliding onto the bed and beckoning to him. gods, it's like a rush of nostalgia, so powerful it's nearly painful. ]

[ It's funny - sleeping in a bed like this had always felt far too large and spacious since he'd had to start doing it alone, a veritable sea of a mattress that reminded him so easily of how it should be occupied, of who should occupy it. But now, she moves onto it in such a familiar way it aches, and he swiftly does the same, clutching Louisoix close as he slips into the bed next to her, pressing close with their child nestled comfortably between them.

It matters little that so much time has passed since they last did this. He never got accustomed to sleeping alone, and so he needs to make no adjustments to sleep with her at his side again. His knees knock against hers, forehead tipping to touch hers, all at once perfectly formed with Louisoix at their middle, their beating heart. ]

Just for tonight, [ He echoes quietly, lips moving so they just brush hers. ]

[ it feels good to slide into bed, but it feels even better to do it beside him, to have the warm bodies nearby that are meant to be there. they are whole at long, long last and the feeling is enough to bring tears to her eyes, warm and prickling, even though she cannot stop smiling.

alisaie tugs the blankets up, and slips the chocobo plush into louisoix's arms, and even sleepy as he is he still hugs it close with both little arms. she shuts off the lamp, settles in, and feels at home, at last.

when prompto's lips brush hers her breath rushes with a soft laugh, her eyes still wet, one arm slipped around the little bundle between them. slowly, gently, she runs her nose alongside prompto's, breathing in the warm, familiar scent of him, her mouth never really leaving his even while she smiles and speaks softly. ]

I love oyu.

[ Everything about this is a complete dream he's lost himself in. Her scent, her touch, the warmth of the child between them and the soft sounds of his breathing as he settles into sleep. How many nights had he longed for just this? For her presence, her touch, just to whisper against his ear that everything would be alright, even if they couldn't be together again.

But they are together again. Somehow, she broke the boundaries fate set upon them and came to this world, dark and terrible as it is, to see him, to be with him again, to bring their son into his life. He doubts he fully appreciates it yet, just how much this will change everything, and there's still at least one dark corner in his mind that fears that as soon as he wakes, he will find this all gone again.

But he doesn't let that thought steal this moment away from him. He's been robbed of so much happiness these long years apart. He'll greedily cling to what he can. ]

I love you, too.

[ And then he kisses her again, fully this time, like he's been aching to for what feels like a lifetime, her scent and her warmth and her taste overpowering all else in his mind. His fingers fit against the back of her head as they always had, carding through her damp hair gently, holding fast.

Gods, he missed her so damn much. ]

[ his mouth fits right over hers so perfectly, just as she had remembered it, and all at once it is as if no time has passed at all. they had once been so clumsy with it, sharing fumbling kisses in the back of a freezing cave, but long years had established their rhythm, and kissing him feels as simple as breathing. alisaie's right hand raises to his face, her fingertips brushing along his cheek and jaw (is that stubble??), tracing the shape of his face, a ghost in her memories.

gods, tired as she is, she positively aches for him, to be pressed against him fully, to fit their bodies together and lose herself in him entirely. but she won't rush, and the babe dozes between them, undisturbed.

later. later there will be time to pull him apart again, to allow him to do the same to her, to renew what it feels like to be touched and loved until they're drunk on the sensation of it all, woven together so tightly that nothing could ever pull them apart again.

but for now she satisfies herself with this kiss, with the feel of his skin beneath her fingertips and the slide of his lips over and against her own. their breath mingles, her teeth worry gently at his bottom lip, her touch dragging to his chin, down his throat, settling at his collar as she at last breaks from him, though still close enough that their lips brush with every breath. ]

[ Though he aches as she does, to seal off every space between them until they're infinitely intertwined, wild and breathless, he doesn't rush this. He doesn't rush her, and her kiss is more than enough to satisfy his need for her, to quell his fear of letting her slip through his fingers again. She isn't going anywhere, and neither is the bundle of warmth sleeping so soundly between them.

It's difficult not to be overwhelmed by it, again and again, but it's much easier to relax and let sleep rush towards him when they are close as they are. Against her lips, he smiles, content in a way he hasn't been for years. ]

Good night, sweetheart.

[ It's been so long since he's been able to do this simple thing, to tell her good night. It feels so good, it feels so right, and holding her hand against his heart, he slips into a deep, restful sleep. ]

[ his hand closes over hers, warm and solid, and all the wild turmoil that has roiled in her breast since arriving in this world at last begins to settle. the exhaustion that she's been fighting is quickly catching up with her, closing in around her, abetted by the warmth around them, the softness of the bed, and mostly, the company beside her. the sheets smell like prompto, she is positively surrounded by him.

so offering little more in reply than a low hum, alisaie closes her eyes and surrenders easily to the sleep that clings at the edges of her consciousness. she sleeps and sleeps and sleeps, hazy and dreamless, resting in a way she has not been able to for such a long time.

in the end, hours later, it is only the toddler's fussing that is able to rouse her, by now she's all but programmed to wake at the sound of the smallest cry, so when louisoix begins to wriggle and whine she stirs all but immediately. ]

Shh..

[ alisaie hushes him gently, folding an arm around him, blinking blearily. she's so terribly groggy it feels as it weights are attached to her arms, and she's so tempted to just go right back to sleep. but instead she sits up slowly, pulling the boy into her lap. ]

[ Prompto is sleeping like the dead and snores right through all of this.

Just kidding. For as deep of a sleep as he's in, he's still trained himself over the years to respond to the slightest shift in his surroundings, in case it's a sign of oncoming danger. This is hardly such a sign, but it is something new and wholly unfamiliar, a tiny body wriggling and fussing against him, scooped up to be smoothed by a mother a moment later.

It takes his weary mind a moment to catch up with what's happening, but then it all picks up so quickly. Alisaie, here, and the child...Louisoix, his child...

That same parental instinct draws him out of his own semi-conscious state, and he sits up, arm moving gently across Alisaie's back. ]

Is...everything okay?

[ He murmurs into the darkness. He knows enough about children to know that they wake up and cry in the middle of the night, but he doesn't know why Louisoix would be now. He can't be hungry again, can he? ...Don't tell him it's the diaper. He worked so hard on that! ]

[ don't worry prompto, she'd be fine even if you did sleep through it, she's been single mothering for three years now thanks deadbeat dad ]

Mmm..

[ she murmurs her groggy answer, then yawns wide, gently bouncing the babe against her, though it doesn't seem to help very much. ]

He probably needs to be changed.

[ sorry prompto. but they've been asleep for a long time now, it's impossible to say when 'morning' is anyway in a place like this. but she's swinging her legs over the side again almost robotically, clearly so used to this that she could probably actually do it in her sleep at this point now. ]

[ His mind is still catching up with the situation presented to him, but he doesn't let her get any farther than swinging her legs over the side of her bed, catching her wrist before she can stand. ]

Wait. Let me do it.

[ He may not be trained in the way she is, but this is the time to start. How many diapers has she had to change alone? He has a lot to make up for.

So before she can protest, he's scooting over and sliding off of the bed, holding out his hands to take Louisoix from her. ]

Think it's my turn, like, five a thousand times in a row by now, anyway.

[ she's too groggy for prompto's.. promptness, suddenly he's standing in front of her and alisaie is glancing up toward him blearily, taking a few moments to understand what he's.. trying to say.

right.

well far be it for her to deny him the fatherly duties he seems so intent on performing. without argument, she's hefting louisoix into her arms and offering him up to prompto. knock yourself out. she's going to flop right back to bed. ]

[ What he's trying to say is GIMME, but before he has to insist she hands the boy over, and with a tired grin, Prompto fishes a fresh diaper out of the bag and turns to pad across the short hallway to the bathroom.

It all goes well enough at first. Removing baby's old diaper, wiping baby's bottom, as you do, he can handle this. Of course, thinking he can handle it is his fatal mistake, and a moment later there comes a startled yelp from the bathroom.

...It's not the baby. It's Prompto.

A moment later, he follows that up with: ]

Everything's under control! Don't come in here!!

[ So, that's reassuring. ]

[ gods it's so nice to be able to go back to sleep after being woken by the baby. she's experienced that.. well, never. but she trusts prompto completely (foolish), so the moment the boy is lifted from her arms she crumples right back down into the bed, still warm from their body heat, and curls up.

ah. lovely.

at least until that screech comes, and she's sitting bolt upright in that buzzing, sleepy sort of panic mode that feels like electricity is thrumming in her veins. for a half moment she's forgotten everything, and that fierce motherly instinct is roaring like a mama bear, she's half-awake and half out of the bed when prompto's voice follows it up.

.. something tells her everything is not under control. ah, so much for being a single mother of one. she is now a single mother of two. dragging herself out of bed, she wanders over to the bathroom, approaching the door. ]

What's happened?

[ did he pee on ur face.. ]

[ Spoilers: he did. Suffice it to say she was right about their boy having sharp aim earlier...

And let it be known that Prompto finished the job before dealing with his current state. Louisoix is lying on the counter still, re-diapered and redressed, happily babbling and chewing on his fists while Prompto grabs the washrag from the tub to start drying himself off. So, this is the dark side of parenting...he can't believe he's already been betrayed by his own offspring, what a world.

At Alisaie's appearance in the doorway, however, Prompto grins cheekily and shrugs while he continues to wipe himself off. He's gonna need a shower now... ]

Nooooothing! Didn't I say "don't come in here"? I coulda sworn...

[ Go back to bed!! ]

Yes, and since when have I ever taken orders from you?

[ ah, did you miss the sass, prompto? alisaie smiles sleepily, leaning into the doorway to watch him suffer. louisoix seems quite pleased with himself, however. it's very simple to see what's happened, what the cause of prompto's.. commotion was and she cannot help the way her smile twists, clearly entertained.

and here she was thinking that she would have to wait a little bit to see prompto discover the wonders of parenting. she steps into the room to lift the boy from the counter and pull him into her arms again, his hands immediately grabbing at her unbound hair. ]

[ Ahh, yes, there it is, her signature sass, her delight at his misfortune...it's just as he remembers it.

Not that he seems to mind it all that much just then, too pleased by her simple presence to put up much of a fuss. Still, there is the unavoidable fact that he's now covered in baby pee and is probably due for a shower and change anyway. How many times has Alisaie be peed on, he wonders...

Enough that she sure seems to be enjoying herself right now. ]

He gets that from you, by the way. [ ... ] Not the peeing, so much as the...laughing at my misfortune.

[ Don't pretend like it's not true, though! ]

[ the only thing more entertaining than prompto being put out is prompto being put out about being put out. his pouting gives her life. ]

I do enjoy watching you suffer, 'tis true, but you cannot claim to be any different.

[ how many times had he cackled at her misfortune, just the same? when she said a modern phrase wrong, when he'd tickle her senseless, when she fell off the bed that he broke. he's no better!!

and, apparently, it is genetic. what a sadistic little family. ]

What is the time?

[ when the sun does not rise it seems impossible to keep track of days.. is it 'morning' yet? she has no idea. ]

[ Onlookers will probably worry that their mutual torture is sincere...little do they know. But yes, Louisoix has apparently inherited mom and dad's mischievous tendencies, and one day when he's old enough to appreciate it, they'll turn the tide back on him...

After another moment of toweling himself off, Prompto pulls his phone out of his pocket. Cell service is spotty at best, but at least the clock still works. ]

Just before seven thirty.

[ He glances back up her with a question in his eyes. He'd had plans for today, but that was before his wife and son reentered his life. He'd be more than happy to scrap that all for another day and just...spend the day here, with them, catching up on everything he's missed. ]

[ it's still a bit early, and of course she's still tired, but she's certain that she could sleep all day and night again and still be tired, so whether they sleep again or stay up.. well, she supposes that all depends on him.

of course she realizes that, welcome though she might be, she has dropped in on prompto's life unannounced, like a bomb set off, likely rearranging everything. she also knows him well enough to know that, when he's feeling upset, he prefers to keep his hands busy, to keep going, keep moving to distract himself from his own hurts. living here, in a world like this one, after losing everything he had built in nysa? she's sure that he's running his batteries low as often as he can.

so, he probably has plans, and the inquisitive way he looks at her says as much. or at least, says something similar. with her hand gently patting louisoix's back, she returns his look with an even stare. ]

Would you like to go back to sleep, or shall we start breakfast?

[ He knows what she's asking with that look, what goes unasked when she speaks. There's no question that her and Louisoix being here has changed everything, but he hardly minds that. They'll have a lot to sort out, and he can't give up entirely on what he's fighting for with the Crownsguard. Alisaie and Louisoix need him, but Noctis needs him, too.

But all things in due time. For now, Prompto doesn't necessarily want to go back to sleep, now rested enough that exhaustion isn't pulling him down. He's still not too eager to start the day, however, so after a moment's consideration: ]

You and Louie go back to bed. I'm gonna...wash up. [ You know. Pee face. ] Then maybe we can just...snuggle and talk a bit.

[ Gods, they've got so much to talk about. ]

[ ah. well. yes go clean up your pee face prompto, alisaie is more than happy to go back to sleep.

.. whether or not louie will be also is yet to be discovered, babies are wont to stay awake once they are awake, so she may not be allowed to have any more naptime. but she'll try. ]

All right.

[ that sounds.. wonderful. louie might only tolerate lying still for so long, but the idea of lying in bed with them both, warm and comfortable, sounds like music to her ears. so with another yawn she withdraws again, padding back to the bed and curling right back up, cradling the boy right up against her chest and kissing the crown of his head. ]