Prompto had hoped it wouldn't be, had hoped against what's been proven to him time and time again. Maybe, in some dark corner of his mind, he'd always known it would go this way, that having his best friend back and present to officiate his wedding was too good to be true, too good to last. Turns out that little, anxious voice was right, as it has been so many times about this. Noctis had been taken from them on Eos, and then he'd been saved by the Natha only to awaken and return to stasis three times now. That it has happened before does not lessen the blow when it comes. It does not take the sting from the realization, or dull the numbing feeling that overpowers him. It isn't any easier.
But it is what it is. Noctis' bed is empty. There's no note, and his contact information is no longer in Prompto's phone. Still, part of him clings to deny it, to resist the pull of the truth, and so he dashes right back to Alisaie's study where she works, throwing the door wide and startling poor Peo where he naps at her feet.
Stricken and pale, he stammers out: ]
W-we have to go to the station. [ He swallows thickly, forcing himself to breathe more evenly. It's a vain attempt. ] Do you have time now? S-sorry, I...
[ it's a quiet, ordinary afternoon when prompto comes barreling into her study so quickly that she and peo both are startled, the book in her hands slipping from her grasp to thump back down onto the desk beneath her. immediately, her heart is in her throat - gods, what has happened? is it alphinaud? x'rhun? noctis? krile? a thousand terrifying thoughts cut across her mind in the split second it takes prompto to prepare his words.
oh.
she knows what this means. someone is gone, someone has left them again, back into stasis, and given prompto's expression, it could be anyone. not all of them shared the same world, but they have become something of a comfortable little family, and losing any one of them would be difficult, especially for a boy so tender hearted as prompto. alisaie's throat tightens, but she stands nonetheless, closing the book left splayed on the tabletop as peo scampers forward, clearly concerned.
but within seconds she's there with him, her hands cupping his face to calm him, to bring him back down to earth, while she prepares to ask the question she does not know she wants to know the answer to. ]
[ Alisaie's immediate presence before him is the only thing that keeps the tears at bay for the moment, though they remain there, hovering at the corner of his eyes, waiting to be shed. She supports him as she always does, and perhaps distantly he is at least glad he doesn't have to bring her news about it being someone from her world returning to stasis. Alisaie and Noctis had gotten along, but it won't affect her the same way it will him.
If he's really gone. He can't accept it until he sees it with his own eyes. He can't.
Taking a hold of her wrists to keep the warm pressure of her hands against his skin, he breathes out a shuddering sigh, blinking fast. ]
I-It's — it's Noct.
[ Such a simple thing to say, and yet it carries such a heavy weight, as if saying it out loud is the only thing that makes it real. ]
[ alisaie's heart aches for him immediately, heavy with grief. how unfair it is that this continues to happen to him. were alisaie in his position, she would simply prefer to be without him, rather than this constant yanking back and forth that he's been subjected to, his hope flattened three times now. still, she can't help but be thankful, at least, that noctis had been around for a little while, long enough for him to get to know him, long enough for him to be a part of the wedding. that meant more to prompto than she could rightly explain, she knows.
still, that makes this no easier, especially for a heart so tender as his.
right. alisaie nods, drawing her thumb over his cheek, keeping this contact for as long as he needs. ]
[ Of course, he wants to get a move on, but it's difficult to relinquish that touch, to do anything but sweep her up into his arms and refuse to let go of her for even a second. Thank the gods she is still here, but losing Noctis is second only to losing Alisaie, and he is heartbroken all the same, no matter if this is the third time it has happened.
He sucks in an uneven breath, his expression crumpling as he buries his nose into her palm, pressing a soft kiss there, before he at last steps back. Even then, he keeps a tight grip on her hand, unwilling to abandon physical contact altogether.
Quietly, he asks: ] Can we take Chobi to the teleporter?
[ Normally he have no issue taking both of their birds, but Chobi is the two-seater, and...Prompto doesn't want to be farther from her than absolutely necessary right now. ]
[ there's really no rush to leave, this isn't that sort of emergency, and though it would likely be better than not to simply get to confirming it more quickly, like tearing off a bandage, she will wait as long as he needs.
which doesn't turn out to be long at all, of course. he pulls back, and she offers him a warm smile, peo also leaning against his leg in quiet support. ]
Aye, of course we can. He could do with a bit of exercising.
[ Would that they could bring Peo along as well...but something tells him the pup wouldn't enjoy chocobo-riding as much as his papa does. Still, before he does anything else, he stoops down to scratch Peo behind the ears and beneath the chin, a little show of appreciation for what a stalwart, reliable companion he has been through everything.
But he can't delay any longer. Fingers firmly intertwined with her own, Prompto leads the way out of the house without another word, his posture tight and rigid as they head towards the stable to fetch Chobi. ]
[ peo is definitely better off staying here. he's gotten used to the chocobos, but she doesn't think he'd handle the teleportation very well at all.. and a cold, unhappy place like the stasis hangar is no place for a sweet good boy.
she has to release prompto's hand in order to ready chobi's saddle and bridle and to guide him out of the stable, but it isn't long before she's swinging herself into the seat and patting the space on the saddle behind her. ]
[ And he doesn't hesitate, jumping up into the saddle and winding both arms around her middle, chin tucked over her shoulder. He can't help but be a bit over-affectionate, even by his own standards. The desire to stay as close as possible to her remains, her steadfast presence at his side and in his heart the only thing that keeps him from complete and total despair. What would he have done here, if he didn't have her? If he had to suffer losing his best friend over and over and over again on his own?
But she is here, and as he presses near, he murmurs to her ear: ]
[ alisaie only nods her head in response before she's easing her heels into chobi's flanks, and they're taking off, leaping high into the air and over the trees. from the sky, it's not a long trip at all, and alisaie does not fill the space with conversation, only allows prompto to lean into her, to be reminded that she is here with him, and going nowhere.
but before long they're touching down again, chobi ruffling up his feathers, and alisaie slips down from the saddle and leads him to a post to tether him, before tugging a handful of greens from his saddlebag to give him something to munch on while they're gone. ]
[ Prompto can't quite muster the words to respond to that, so instead he nods, reaching for her hand again. Hopefully she doesn't mind the excessive neediness. Because it's...probably going to last for awhile.
But he steps purposefully towards the teleporter, stepping onto it with her, and moments later, they arrive at Thesa Station. ]
[ chobi is comfortable and settled, so alisaie does not hesitate to step onto the teleporter pad with him - the sooner they face this, the sooner he can heal, after all. his clinginess does not go unnoticed of course, but neither does she seem bothered by it. reminders like this are always harrowing. prompto had gone into stasis before, it could so easily happen again, and the same applies to her. just because she has not been taken back before does not mean that she won't be, some day. the idea is.. more than frightening.
they arrive quickly, the air around them cold and dry where it had only now been wet and warm, ahead of them rows of cryopods that seem to stretch for malms and malms in every direction. her hand in prompto's squeezes, before she tugs him gently off of the pad. ]
Which way?
[ this is the first she's gone to visit the eos pods. ]
[ He knows the way. Has it memorized, in fact, because he has taken this journey so many times before. How many times has he been up here to visit Noct before, when he'd previously been frozen? Gladio? Ignis? Gods, but it's been so long since he's heard their voices. What if he forgets them? Their warmth, their quirks? What if by the time they awaken again, Prompto is long gone, buried into the earth of this new world that would be his home?
As they head to find Noctis' pod, his heart aches more fiercely for Eos than it has for quite some time. The pain had numbed, somewhat, from Noctis' presence at his side, because at least they could share the loss of their world together, something Prompto hadn't been able to really do with anyone else. Alisaie is always there to support him when he needs her, but she misses Hydaelyn, not Eos, and for all the comforting similarities that exist between their worlds, they are not the same. They cannot truly appreciate one another's homes and feel the loss as keenly as that of their own. But having Noct with him had been a balm, for a time, had healed those long-unattended wounds, had reassured him. Prompto had almost gotten used to having him back in his life again, he'd officiated their wedding, dammit. He'd thought—
But of course, it didn't last. It was never meant to last. Not on Eos. Not here, either. Surely, it would be easier, if the scars left behind hardened him to the next time, and the time after that, and the time after that. But they won't. It's not in his nature. It will keep hurting just this much, and even more so, for each succession that rips his friend away from him once again.
His hand is painfully tight in hers as they reach the row in question, his jaw tight. It's only a few in, and he passes the faces of people he knows along the way. Alisaie may even recognize some of them from Prompto's photographs. But he doesn't stop to check on them as he might usually. Instead, he draws up to a cluster of pods: King Regis. Lady Lunafreya. And next to her—
Noctis, back in stasis once more.
It shouldn't be a shock, yet it somehow still is, like a slap to his face, as his breath catches in his throat. ]
[ alisaie is prepared for it. she had known noctis, is sad for his loss, but mostly her heart aches for prompto. he does not deserve this, he could never deserve this, but the kind and innocent always suffer, and prompto is no exception. she knows full well just how much his friends mean to him, how they are family, brothers, but most of the time that prompto has spent here he has spent alone, and without them.
she is not wont to feel insecure, but sometimes it feels as if she can never make up for their loss, never be enough to fill up all the holes in his heart, however desperately she might try. alisaie would never, ever attempt to replace them, but still at times it feels like a losing battle, like she could never be quite.. enough.
but this is not about her. she stands beside him and, after a moment, slips her hand down to his own again to entwine their fingers and squeeze them tightly, steadfast, to remind him that he is not alone here, that he needn't shoulder his loss alone. but her eyes wander, and alisaie's eyes soon settle on another nearby pod, and within it, a face she recognizes - immediately, her heart sinks. would that she could undo this, and keep quiet, but she cannot. better that he know now. with her free hand, alisaie gestures to the pod in question, and within it.. aranea. ]
[ Prompto recognizes the tone in her voice. She doesn't say his name as some form of comfort, or as some way to draw his attention away from his despair and back to her. She's directing him, his gaze at last breaking away from Noct's pod to follow her gesture. Dread clenches in his gut as his eyes travel to the face behind the glass, uncertain of what he will see, but when he sees Aranea behind the glass, he gasps aloud, his hand tightening around hers. No. Not her, too. Not the only other friendly face from home, one who had been here nearly as long as he had, had been through the worst of it with them—
Gritting his teeth, Prompto steps closer to Aranea's pod, lifting his free hand to press his fingertips against the glass. So, that's it, then. Only two remain from Eos, and one of them is Ardyn.
He's quiet, too quiet, as the weight of these two fresh losses settle over him. So many of them, gone now. Noctis, Aranea, Gladio, Ignis, and he can't forget the friends he made here that have since slumbered once more. Prompto may not deal with loss as poorly as Alisaie does, but neither does he deal with it well, especially with so much of it weighing on his shoulders at once.
He doesn't cry. He doesn't speak. He just closes his eyes and tries to hold it in, and tips his head forward to rest on the glass of Aranea's pod. ]
[ would that she could have sheltered him from it, protected him, but that would not have been a kindness..
so instead she can only maintain her silence, give him the chance to take it in, to absorb and internalize it. she cannot make it better, she cannot bring them back, the best she can do is stand beside him, with him, and offer what little support that she can. gods, if only she could do more. her presence alone feels woefully inadequate.
after a time, she squeezes his hand, and speaks softly. ]
Do you remember, you once told me that you fully believed that I would see my brother again? That he would wake?
[ When she speaks, he turns to look at her, his eyes distant, like he has been looking at something very, very far away from this place. He refocuses as he meets her eyes, however, his brow drawn and pale, but after a moment, he nods. Yes, of course he remembers. And Alisaie...
She hadn't been convinced. Not wholly, at least. Even if Alphinaud had eventually awoken, maybe it had been foolish for Prompto to make such a claim. Too audacious, too bold, to assume his simplistic optimism could somehow influence the way of this world, the random nature at which the Natha seem to operate.
He can't find any words just yet, so he waits for her to lead him to where she is going with this. ]
[ her smile is sad, but soft, and when he turns toward her alisaie lifts her hands to his face, tugging him down until she can touch her brow to his, until she can kiss him, slow and soft and gentle. ]
I did not believe you. It is so easy to be.. cynical instead of hopeful, so much simpler to assume the worst and not hope for the best.
[ and it's always been her way. she likes to think that she has rounded off into a realist as she has grown, even if her cynical streak persists and likely always shall, no thanks to him, she is more easily able to see the light. the idea that he might lose that.. gods, it makes her heart ache. but he is stronger than that, stronger than he things she is, and she trusts that warm heart of his to never grow cold. ]
But I was wrong. You were right to hope. And you will see them again, I am sure of it.
[ She leads him easily into that kiss, folding beneath her touch like a house of cards, shedding his tears at last. Does she...really mean that? It isn't easy for her, and he knows it. It's one of the many ways the differ greatly, one of the ways they complement each other. And even if she's leading up to it, he still doesn't quite expect those words, coming from her. But if Alisaie can believe that...
Then of course he can, too.
Slowly, his arms wind around her, pressing her near until there isn't a single inch of space between them. His tears fall in tune with quiet, shuddering gasps, his shoulders shaking, and the pain in his heart doesn't ease. It still remains, and it will for some time, until he adjusts, once again, to life without his dearest friend. But he knows he can do it. He knows he can do it because she's right. He will see them again, someday, somehow. And should he forget that...
He has her by his side to remind him. ]
Thank you, sweetheart. Y-you always take such good care of me.
[ No matter what. He doesn't deserve it, but he's eternally grateful to her for it. ]
[ much as it pains her to hear him weep, to feel his body tremble, it also brings her great relief. these feelings should not be contained or held back, he needs to release them through his tears and sobs, and though it will still ache, he will nevertheless feel better for it. alisaie spent too many long years internalizing her pain and grief, carrying it around and allowing it to fester inside of her, to manifest in a sharp temper and high walls built around her heart, but she had learned better. hopefully, these trying times will not unlearn this lesson from his mind. ]
I love you. I will always take care of you.
[ no matter what, she will protect him, she will bandage the wounds on his body and heart, she will hold him when he cannot stand. but just to be sure that he knows it - ]
As you will for me.
[ she's spent too much time painstakingly building up his self-esteem to allow him to forget this simple fact. ]
[ As always, eventually, the tears run out, leaving him feeling raw and hollowed out, but at least the pent-up grief is no longer there, sitting upon his heart. It is better to let it out, to spend it, even if it hurts, to acknowledge their loss so keenly. This isn't his pain alone. Alisaie knew Noctis and Aranea too, and even aside from that, it's just as she says.
She will take care of him. She will help him shoulder his pains.
And he will do the same for her. Every time, without question. As her wedding ring promises, with all of himself. ]
I love you, too. [ So much the statement alone nearly threatens him with tears once again. ] I love you. I love you.
[ But before his tears can renew in earnest, he turns his head to find her mouth with his, to kiss her ardently. ]
Let's go home.
[ And then they can begin to heal from this, together. ]
[ she holds him as long as is necessary, as long as he needs until the fierce, acute pain can dull into a low, bearable ache, until his tears run dry and he begins to still. whether he will want to linger she does not know, but neither is she surprised when at last he decided to leave.
hanging about here mourning for what cannot be changed will help no one, and were it alisaie herself in one of these cold tubes, she certainly wouldn't want prompto to be hanging about with his life on pause. so she nods, and gently nudges her nose against his own before pulling away, keeping hold of his hand to tug him along, back toward the teleporter pad. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
action; now or something waves hands
Prompto had hoped it wouldn't be, had hoped against what's been proven to him time and time again. Maybe, in some dark corner of his mind, he'd always known it would go this way, that having his best friend back and present to officiate his wedding was too good to be true, too good to last. Turns out that little, anxious voice was right, as it has been so many times about this. Noctis had been taken from them on Eos, and then he'd been saved by the Natha only to awaken and return to stasis three times now. That it has happened before does not lessen the blow when it comes. It does not take the sting from the realization, or dull the numbing feeling that overpowers him. It isn't any easier.
But it is what it is. Noctis' bed is empty. There's no note, and his contact information is no longer in Prompto's phone. Still, part of him clings to deny it, to resist the pull of the truth, and so he dashes right back to Alisaie's study where she works, throwing the door wide and startling poor Peo where he naps at her feet.
Stricken and pale, he stammers out: ]
W-we have to go to the station. [ He swallows thickly, forcing himself to breathe more evenly. It's a vain attempt. ] Do you have time now? S-sorry, I...
gently cries
oh.
she knows what this means. someone is gone, someone has left them again, back into stasis, and given prompto's expression, it could be anyone. not all of them shared the same world, but they have become something of a comfortable little family, and losing any one of them would be difficult, especially for a boy so tender hearted as prompto. alisaie's throat tightens, but she stands nonetheless, closing the book left splayed on the tabletop as peo scampers forward, clearly concerned.
but within seconds she's there with him, her hands cupping his face to calm him, to bring him back down to earth, while she prepares to ask the question she does not know she wants to know the answer to. ]
Who?
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If he's really gone. He can't accept it until he sees it with his own eyes. He can't.
Taking a hold of her wrists to keep the warm pressure of her hands against his skin, he breathes out a shuddering sigh, blinking fast. ]
I-It's — it's Noct.
[ Such a simple thing to say, and yet it carries such a heavy weight, as if saying it out loud is the only thing that makes it real. ]
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still, that makes this no easier, especially for a heart so tender as his.
right. alisaie nods, drawing her thumb over his cheek, keeping this contact for as long as he needs. ]
Let's go, then.
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He sucks in an uneven breath, his expression crumpling as he buries his nose into her palm, pressing a soft kiss there, before he at last steps back. Even then, he keeps a tight grip on her hand, unwilling to abandon physical contact altogether.
Quietly, he asks: ] Can we take Chobi to the teleporter?
[ Normally he have no issue taking both of their birds, but Chobi is the two-seater, and...Prompto doesn't want to be farther from her than absolutely necessary right now. ]
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which doesn't turn out to be long at all, of course. he pulls back, and she offers him a warm smile, peo also leaning against his leg in quiet support. ]
Aye, of course we can. He could do with a bit of exercising.
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But he can't delay any longer. Fingers firmly intertwined with her own, Prompto leads the way out of the house without another word, his posture tight and rigid as they head towards the stable to fetch Chobi. ]
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she has to release prompto's hand in order to ready chobi's saddle and bridle and to guide him out of the stable, but it isn't long before she's swinging herself into the seat and patting the space on the saddle behind her. ]
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But she is here, and as he presses near, he murmurs to her ear: ]
Let's go.
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but before long they're touching down again, chobi ruffling up his feathers, and alisaie slips down from the saddle and leads him to a post to tether him, before tugging a handful of greens from his saddlebag to give him something to munch on while they're gone. ]
Are you ready?
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But he steps purposefully towards the teleporter, stepping onto it with her, and moments later, they arrive at Thesa Station. ]
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they arrive quickly, the air around them cold and dry where it had only now been wet and warm, ahead of them rows of cryopods that seem to stretch for malms and malms in every direction. her hand in prompto's squeezes, before she tugs him gently off of the pad. ]
Which way?
[ this is the first she's gone to visit the eos pods. ]
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[ He knows the way. Has it memorized, in fact, because he has taken this journey so many times before. How many times has he been up here to visit Noct before, when he'd previously been frozen? Gladio? Ignis? Gods, but it's been so long since he's heard their voices. What if he forgets them? Their warmth, their quirks? What if by the time they awaken again, Prompto is long gone, buried into the earth of this new world that would be his home?
As they head to find Noctis' pod, his heart aches more fiercely for Eos than it has for quite some time. The pain had numbed, somewhat, from Noctis' presence at his side, because at least they could share the loss of their world together, something Prompto hadn't been able to really do with anyone else. Alisaie is always there to support him when he needs her, but she misses Hydaelyn, not Eos, and for all the comforting similarities that exist between their worlds, they are not the same. They cannot truly appreciate one another's homes and feel the loss as keenly as that of their own. But having Noct with him had been a balm, for a time, had healed those long-unattended wounds, had reassured him. Prompto had almost gotten used to having him back in his life again, he'd officiated their wedding, dammit. He'd thought—
But of course, it didn't last. It was never meant to last. Not on Eos. Not here, either. Surely, it would be easier, if the scars left behind hardened him to the next time, and the time after that, and the time after that. But they won't. It's not in his nature. It will keep hurting just this much, and even more so, for each succession that rips his friend away from him once again.
His hand is painfully tight in hers as they reach the row in question, his jaw tight. It's only a few in, and he passes the faces of people he knows along the way. Alisaie may even recognize some of them from Prompto's photographs. But he doesn't stop to check on them as he might usually. Instead, he draws up to a cluster of pods: King Regis. Lady Lunafreya. And next to her—
Noctis, back in stasis once more.
It shouldn't be a shock, yet it somehow still is, like a slap to his face, as his breath catches in his throat. ]
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she is not wont to feel insecure, but sometimes it feels as if she can never make up for their loss, never be enough to fill up all the holes in his heart, however desperately she might try. alisaie would never, ever attempt to replace them, but still at times it feels like a losing battle, like she could never be quite.. enough.
but this is not about her. she stands beside him and, after a moment, slips her hand down to his own again to entwine their fingers and squeeze them tightly, steadfast, to remind him that he is not alone here, that he needn't shoulder his loss alone. but her eyes wander, and alisaie's eyes soon settle on another nearby pod, and within it, a face she recognizes - immediately, her heart sinks. would that she could undo this, and keep quiet, but she cannot. better that he know now. with her free hand, alisaie gestures to the pod in question, and within it.. aranea. ]
Prompto..
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Gritting his teeth, Prompto steps closer to Aranea's pod, lifting his free hand to press his fingertips against the glass. So, that's it, then. Only two remain from Eos, and one of them is Ardyn.
He's quiet, too quiet, as the weight of these two fresh losses settle over him. So many of them, gone now. Noctis, Aranea, Gladio, Ignis, and he can't forget the friends he made here that have since slumbered once more. Prompto may not deal with loss as poorly as Alisaie does, but neither does he deal with it well, especially with so much of it weighing on his shoulders at once.
He doesn't cry. He doesn't speak. He just closes his eyes and tries to hold it in, and tips his head forward to rest on the glass of Aranea's pod. ]
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so instead she can only maintain her silence, give him the chance to take it in, to absorb and internalize it. she cannot make it better, she cannot bring them back, the best she can do is stand beside him, with him, and offer what little support that she can. gods, if only she could do more. her presence alone feels woefully inadequate.
after a time, she squeezes his hand, and speaks softly. ]
Do you remember, you once told me that you fully believed that I would see my brother again? That he would wake?
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She hadn't been convinced. Not wholly, at least. Even if Alphinaud had eventually awoken, maybe it had been foolish for Prompto to make such a claim. Too audacious, too bold, to assume his simplistic optimism could somehow influence the way of this world, the random nature at which the Natha seem to operate.
He can't find any words just yet, so he waits for her to lead him to where she is going with this. ]
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I did not believe you. It is so easy to be.. cynical instead of hopeful, so much simpler to assume the worst and not hope for the best.
[ and it's always been her way. she likes to think that she has rounded off into a realist as she has grown, even if her cynical streak persists and likely always shall, no thanks to him, she is more easily able to see the light. the idea that he might lose that.. gods, it makes her heart ache. but he is stronger than that, stronger than he things she is, and she trusts that warm heart of his to never grow cold. ]
But I was wrong. You were right to hope. And you will see them again, I am sure of it.
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Then of course he can, too.
Slowly, his arms wind around her, pressing her near until there isn't a single inch of space between them. His tears fall in tune with quiet, shuddering gasps, his shoulders shaking, and the pain in his heart doesn't ease. It still remains, and it will for some time, until he adjusts, once again, to life without his dearest friend. But he knows he can do it. He knows he can do it because she's right. He will see them again, someday, somehow. And should he forget that...
He has her by his side to remind him. ]
Thank you, sweetheart. Y-you always take such good care of me.
[ No matter what. He doesn't deserve it, but he's eternally grateful to her for it. ]
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I love you. I will always take care of you.
[ no matter what, she will protect him, she will bandage the wounds on his body and heart, she will hold him when he cannot stand. but just to be sure that he knows it - ]
As you will for me.
[ she's spent too much time painstakingly building up his self-esteem to allow him to forget this simple fact. ]
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She will take care of him. She will help him shoulder his pains.
And he will do the same for her. Every time, without question. As her wedding ring promises, with all of himself. ]
I love you, too. [ So much the statement alone nearly threatens him with tears once again. ] I love you. I love you.
[ But before his tears can renew in earnest, he turns his head to find her mouth with his, to kiss her ardently. ]
Let's go home.
[ And then they can begin to heal from this, together. ]
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hanging about here mourning for what cannot be changed will help no one, and were it alisaie herself in one of these cold tubes, she certainly wouldn't want prompto to be hanging about with his life on pause. so she nods, and gently nudges her nose against his own before pulling away, keeping hold of his hand to tug him along, back toward the teleporter pad. ]
Aye.