The Snake and the Widow (FFXV x OC)

Chapter 2

Ignis knows me better than anyone, even King Regis. He was the only one aside from the king that I spent time with. Since I didn't get to go to school with everyone else, he aided me in my studies. Albeit I was a bit behind considering my age at the time, I was a quick learner. He helped me develop my abilities and put them into practice, keeping my secret hidden at my request.

So, it's safe to say he knows when I'm getting exhausted.

Unfortunately for us, the imperials had other plans. "Is that a blockade?" Prompto asks, and I lean forward to look out the front window. Sure enough, a couple of cruisers filled with imperials were waiting not too far away from us.

"Looks like we're going to have to fight our way through," Gladiolus says as he reaches for the door, but stops as I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ignis, you think you can floor it? I'm sure you can't put a car on silent," I joke, and the spectacled man nods. There isn't anything physical on the road except for the imperials, so I don't think it will be too much of a problem.

I raise my hands to the roof of the car, resting my fingertips against its cool surface and close my eyes. After all this time, being so careful not to be seen... I don't plan to get caught now.

Gladiolus' POV-

As Veronica placed her hands on the roof, I could see the car ripple and wave as if the light was bending itself around it. I couldn't hide my amazement as the coloring began to blur, but I could still see it enough to not be too disoriented.

"Since we ourselves are being hidden along with the car, we can see everything that had been cloaked," Ignis explains as Noctis gives him a look. Veronica lets out a shaky breath here and there as the man hits the gas, wincing as the car lurches forward.

Instinctively I put an arm around her, her eyes shooting open as I use it to anchor her in place. "Sorry, but you've got to stay stable," I say, and I see the corner of her mouth turn up a little as she fixes her gaze on the front windshield.

"Thanks, Gladiolus."

"Call me Gladio. Just hold on tight!"

Veronica nods as we speed through the blockade. Imperials go flying as the car makes contact, sending them on high alert, but no gunshots are being fired. The blockade is long however, and as we speed through, I hear the girl's shaky breathing turn to trembling gasps for air.

Even more so as Prompto opens the window to give the flying imperials the finger, causing her to inhale sharply and let out a cry of pain before gritting her teeth. Her hands begin to waver, and I can see our cover beginning to wane as well. "Noctis!" I cry, grabbing onto her arm and holding her hand in place. "Don't let her lose her grip!"

The prince nods and takes hold of her other hand, and the two of us keep her steady until we finally speed past the blockade and away from their line of sight. The second we loosen our grip, Veronica's hands fall to her sides, the girl choking on air as it enters her lungs.

"Veronica!" Ignis calls, sparing a glance to the backseat as the car quickly returns to normal. "Are you alright?"

It takes a moment before she nods, slumping forward in her seat. I take my other arm and help her lean against the backseat, where she uses the next minute to catch her breath.

"Next time..." she starts as soon as she's able. "Please keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle. The entire time."

Prompto's face pales as he immediately begins to apologies profusely to her. "I had no idea, I'm sorry Veronica!"

"It's fine... normally I can handle it, I've just used up a lot of energy getting out of the kingdom."

"Well, we've still got an hour until we get to Hammerhead," I respond as she closes her eyes. "Rest up as much as you can, we've got a long way to go."

Veronica was asleep within moments. The drive back was quiet, as no one wanted to risk waking her up. Ignis assured us she's a heavy sleeper, but even he kept silent until we reached Hammerhead. As soon as we pulled up to the gas station, I could see her stirring, so I merely smiled as the others got out of the car.

"I'll wait with the lady," I say, the others nodding as they shut the doors.

Veronica rubs at her eyes for a moment, before looking around and stretching a bit. "Gladiolu- sorry, Gladio, we're here already?"

"Yeah, we figured we could ask Cid about where to go from here. You're welcome to sleep more if you'd like, though I was hoping we could do some catching up ourselves."

Veronica smiles before shifting a bit, popping her neck and stretching her hands in front of her. "Of course, it's been much too long since I've seen you last. It was good to get some sleep in though. I noticed you got your tattoos touched up since then."

"Oh really?" I respond, unable to hide my smug grin. "Glad you noticed, sweetheart. Did you ever get yours finished?"

She nods, shifting in her seat to lean her side against the back. "Maybe I'll let you see it one of these days. A lovely work of art, it is."

I let out a gasp of mock agony, holding my hand against my chest. "You serious? But Veronica, you promised me you'd show me as soon as you got it!"

"It was finished the day before the treaty, so my skin is still healing. Plus, you promised me you'd take me out for coffee. Along with hanging out more when you had time. But you didn't even recognize me!"

"It's been well over a year since I saw you last! You cut your hair and everything, can you blame me?"

Veronica's laughter rings through the air, causing my smile to only grow. Though we haven't had many interactions, we hit it off during our first meeting and get along better than most.

"I suppose not. But from now on we'll be working together, so we'll have plenty of time to hang out between kicking ass and running for our lives."

"Heh... you could say that again."