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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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[ He still marvels routinely at how this has become his life now. How everything had fallen into place over these last few months since Alisaie had arrived in Eos, and he's almost - almost - to the point where he no longer fears waking up in the morning only to find her and Louisoix gone. Maybe it's an old hold-over from when he'd feared she would return to stasis on him. Maybe it's a fear that she's still tied to her world, and it's only a matter of time until it pulls her back into it. Could this happiness truly last?

But it does last, though it is not easy. Really, Prompto has to work harder than ever before - not only to fight the daemons, to train himself for the king's return, but to protect his family, small and precious and everything in the world to him. It helps, of course, that he has Alisaie as his partner in this. He trusts her skill more than he trusts his own, and so when he must go out on longer hunts, he doesn't have to worry about something happening to her and Louie while he is gone. Or...he worries less, at least.

Even with all of these things to keep him preoccupied, raising a son and protecting the world, they find time for each other, to simply hold each other close and appreciate the presence of the other. He'll never get over it - loving her, being with her, feeling valued and worthwhile and happy in ways he never thought he could be in a world of ruin. He wouldn't change a thing about it.

But change is inevitable, even if he does not always see it coming. Alisaie hasn't seemed completely well lately, but his inquiries after her health were easily brushed aside. Her symptoms weren't typical of any kind of illness brought on by the Starscourge, and thank the gods for that, and she didn't seemed too concerned about them, so he wasn't, either. No, she'd get better in time, and life would go on in this new normal pattern they've established.

...The moment he steps through the door and Alisaie greets him, however, he can tell something is up. Something in her smile tells him so, as does the weighty way she sets that cup down on the mantle. A kernel of worry nestles in his stomach. Maybe he's reading too much into nothing, but...they know each other so well now. He knows her tells, her smiles, her eyes and that note of hesitation in her voice. Alisaie rarely hesitated about anything, and the things she did, well...

They were Big.

So if doesn't matter if he's had a long day, or if he's busy. (He's not.) She has his full and undivided attention now, leaning into kiss her cheek in greeting. ]

Yeah, of course. What's up?

[ Instinctively, he reaches down to take her hands in his, winding their fingers together. ]

[ of course he knows, he knows her too well to not see the gravity in her expression, and alisaie has never much bothered to hide her feelings most of the time. his hands slide into hers, and she squeezes them in return, pulling in a deep, lasting breath.

there's no reason to drag it out. alisaie is honest to a fault, and they both know that she has something to Tell him right now, with a capital T. but ah, speaking the words.. she had not had to tell him before, and she finds herself impossibly nervous now, though she cannot say why. there is no one she is more comfortable with in the world than him, and this news - it is not bad news, it's wonderful, if challenging, and big, so big.

but it's all right. she exhales and lifts her eyes to his face, squeezing his hands tightly before she tugs them down, and gently presses his knuckles to her belly. ]

I - I'm pregnant, Prompto.

[ gods, to say the words out loud - they ring in her ears, surreal and strange, but her smile is mildly hopeful while she searches his eyes. ]

[ He isn't sure what to expect, with a look like that in her eyes. Was she getting sicker? She'd been so sure it was nothing, but maybe they should have been more diligent. Something with Louie? He sleeps peacefully on the couch across from them, napping without a care in the world. Surely not. Had she received some news? Seen a greater daemon straying too close to the house? It could be any number of things worthy of concern, but whatever it is, he's ready for it.

Suffice it to say, he is not ready for what she actually says.

I'm pregnant, Prompto.

The words wash over him in a rush, eyes widening and his breath shuddering, even as his mind makes room for the enormity of this revelation. Of course, they'd talked about it here and there, how they would like to expand their family further and continue to grow but they hadn't been explicitly...trying. Then again, they hadn't been, uh, not trying, either. He just - hadn't expected -

But oh, how good an sweet those words are, how they swell in his heart and prickle as tears in his eyes. He hadn't been able to hear her announce this the first time; he hand't been there for her pregnancy and the birth of his son. For as unconditionally as he loved Louisoix, there's no denying the heartache he felt at the fact that he hadn't been there for that part of their lives, and that he would never be able to hold those memories dear. But now...his heart squeezes in his chest, replaying her words over and over again in his head as he soaks them in. She's pregnant. Alisaie is pregnant, and as his fingers tighten around hers, an irrepressible grin splits his face. ]

Y-you are? [ Though his voice quivers, it contains nothing but unabashed joy, as do the tears that gather in his eyes and spill forth. Pregnant...they're going to have another child, and this time, he will be here through the whole thing.

Unable to contain himself, Prompto laughs around a sob before pulling her tightly against him in a ferocious hug. ]

G-gods, Alisaie, I-I -

[ He can't even get the words out, overcome with emotion as it is. All he can do is cry and laugh, the tears rolling into her hair, and cling to her with all the dear, dear love he hadn't been able to the first time she had come to this realization. ]

[ she had said it so quickly and suddenly that she isn't quite sure how he will react, if she'll have knocked him for a loop, but tearing off the bandage had seemed the proper course. alisaie certainly isn't the type to do anything by halves..

so prompto is suitably stunned, it seems, but in his eyes she can see her own joy and quiet excitement reflected, and his smile, bright as the sun, is enough to lift her heart. before she knows it she's mirroring that smile, grinning so widely that it makes her cheeks ache, and when he wraps her up in his arms she hiccups a gleeful laugh, her arms lifting to slip over his shoulders and hug close to him.

carrying louisoix had been an incredible journey, and she would not trade her memories of his childhood for the world. he is her firstborn, her little ray of hope, the bright smile that had kept her going when all seemed lost beyond hope, or too difficult to face. still, to have prompto beside her this time, to be here through it all, to know that he will witness the first moments of this new child's life - gods, she couldn't be happier for him, for them both. he deserves it, to be able to grasp this chance that he had once missed.

a warm chuckle rolls from her like the sound of a bell, and alisaie turns to press a line of kisses to his cheek. ]

Now, it is still very new, so we must be.. careful, but..

[ she pulls back just enough to touch her forehead to his, bumping her nose gently to his own. ]

.. but I simply could not wait to tell you.

[ Once the tears start, it's nearly impossible to stop them, to keep himself composed. Not that he ever really needed to keep himself composed - not around her - and with news like this, his hiccuping sobs are fairly justifiable. Every time his mind rolls over the fact, it feels fresh and new, thrilling and exciting, bursting with warmth and love. She's pregnant. They're going to have a baby. There will be another life in this home, another light.

He at last cracks his eyes open when Alisaie leans her forehead against his, meeting her gaze and seeing reflected in it the same joy he feels, the same joy he's certain he will be feeling for days. Weeks. Months - nine months, to be exact. He has so many questions, and they will have so much to figure out - and as she says, they must be careful. Even in his elation, he knows it won't be easy, but gods, he wants this. He wants this more than anything. ]

I - [ he swallows thickly ] - I'll be here this time.

[ An obvious fact, but one he wants to commit to words anyway, for how wonderful it is, how great it feels to say as much. ]

[ of course she had expected his tears, so when they come in earnest she is prepared, even if she can't help her soft chuckle. all that he has been through and prompto is still so soft and tenderhearted, still so quick to smile and to weep, his heart so warm and impossibly resilient.

lifting her hands, alisaie gently draws her thumbs beneath his eyes to sweep away the tears, her eyes still searching his own. ]

I know you will.

[ and no doubt he is sure it will be a wonderful experience - and it will be, uncomfortable and painful as carrying and birthing a child had been, it had still been an experience that she would never take back - still, prompto has no idea what he's in for.

but those are surprises for another time. for now they can enjoy this moment, and that they are here to experience it together. she cannot stop smiling, pressing soft little kisses to his lips over and over. ]

[ It's so sweet - all of it, everything that his life has become, even in this dark and broken world. There were pockets of light and hope here and there, and the ever-present promise of the king's return would have been enough to keep Prompto on his feet through all of this. But that he has her, that he has Alisaie and Louisoix and a new child on the way is enough to fill his heart up so full that it might burst. Her kisses warm him from head to toe, envelop him in an impossibly comforting heat that he never wants to step away from. He knows it won't be easy, and he has so much to learn about pregnancy. (He has no idea what he's in for, really.) But to be there every step of the way this time is more than enough to make him eager to learn everything he can about it.

When his tears finally cease, his smile irrevocable, Prompto nuzzles against her cheek, warm and fond, hands slipping against her stomach again. ]

Anything you need...just tell me.

[ He will do anything and everything he can. ]

[ his hands fall down to her stomach, and she closes her own hands over them; he'd be able to feel it, the slightest swell of her belly, which is pretty surprising - she hadn't shown so soon with louie, but this is different, she supposes. surely couldn't be because there are two little monsters in there..

anyway, she chuckles, leaning back enough to look into his face. ]

I shall need your patience, most of all.

[ because yeah he has no idea what he's getting into at all.. prepare yourself prompto. ]

[ It's subtle, but he knows her body better than he knows own, and the swell of her stomach is unmistakable, and remarkable. They'd created a child together before, obviously, but it's different, to be able to see the signs so early in her, to feel the very beginnings of life beneath his fingertips. ]

You got it. I mean, I'm just returnin' the favor, after all you put up with from me.

[ There's a rolling laugh in his voice, but, well...it's true... ]

[ oh prompto you have no idea what you're in for.. morning sickness is the least of it. but that suffering is for another time. for now, prompto gets to bask in the glow of warm new fatherhood without worrying about the pain and mess and frustration that comes with it. enjoy.. ]

That's fair.

[ this is for all the whining she has had to endure from him for all the long, long years she has known him.. ]

Are you excited?

[ He pulls back just enough to really meet her eyes, and give her a Look, one brow arching high as his smile curls. ]

Am I excited? Are you for real? I'm so happy I could just float away right here. Better tie me down!

[ He laughs, a purely joyful sound before pressing another kiss to her brow. ]

[ yeah if he floats away he'll be a deadbeat dad twice in a raw OH OH OHHHHH ]

I shall see to it that your feet remain planted firmly on the ground.

[ :| :| :| ]

I know you will. [ At last, his eyes travel to where Louisoix is slumbering on the couch. ]

Should we...tell him?

[ He might not really understand, but he ought to know, shouldn't he? ]

[ :blush:

she steps back at his prompting though, and casts a glance toward the snoozing boy. ]

I suppose we shall.

[ he's going to be a big brother!! very exciting. unless he wants to send the baby back in the mail, like she tried to do with her brother a few times. ]

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how dare you i wanted to play out them buying eggs for breakfast!!!

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