After the Light (FFXV)

Chapter 3

          Prompto opened his eyes, and found himself standing not too far from the gas pumps in Hammerhead. Seeing daylight ahead of him, and his change of wardrobe, he knew the time travel was a success.
     Above the sounds of various conversations, and cars passing in the street, the sound of the trailer door closing, echoed in Prompto's ears. He turned his attention to the trailer, and with widened eyes, saw Noctis standing outside of it.
      Gladio stepped out of the diner, just in time to witness Noctis yawning and scratching the back of his head. He chuckled, remembering that Noctis wasn't a morning person, and then approached him.
        "You really should go to bed at a reasonable hour." Gladio said.
         "You should mind your own business." Noctis responded playfully.
          They approached Prompto, who turned away from them to wipe his tears.
          "Morning." Noctis greeted.
          "Morning." Prompto replied with a broken voice.
           Confused, Noctis held Prompto's shoulder and turned him around. "Are you...crying?" He asked.
           "What?! No! There's dust in my eyes!" Prompto responded nervously.
           "Riiight. So it's not from Cindy's rejection?" Noctis teased.
           "Cut him some slack. If he'd been rejected by Cindy, we'd have found him crying up the street." Gladio said.
            "Not funny. Not funny at all." Prompto complained.
            "Where's Iggy?" Noctis asked just moments before turning to see Ignis standing in the doorway of the shop.
           Ignis approached Noctis, and without a second thought, he started adjusting the collar of Noctis' jacket. His eyes were more focused than ever. They were filled with joy, and were glossy from tears ready to fall. Being with Noctis again, and regaining his sight after being blind for years, was overwhelming.
           "Honestly, how do you manage to wrinkle your clothes after they've been pressed and laid out for you?" Ignis asked, trying to remain calm.
           "My clothes are fine." Noctis replied.
           "Really?" Ignis lifted a loose button on Noctis' jacket, with one finger. "Your button is loose."
            "It's fine. I'll fix it later." Noctis said, taking a step back.
           "You and I both know you won't. Hand it over, or it's mixed veggies for dinner." Ignis threatened. Within seconds, he had the jacket resting on his arm. He folded it neatly and held onto it.
           "Where are we headed?" Gladio asked while texting.
           "Ditching us again?" Noctis teased.
           "Not a chance." Gladio said confidently.
           "The boat should be ready. We're going to Caem." Noctis said.
           "It's not!" Prompto shouted, startling everyone. "Iris messaged me this morning. She said it's not ready yet, and wants us to pick up a few things from Lestallum."
          Noctis shrugged in agreement and then proceeded to his spot in the back of the Regalia, and then Ignis took his place as the designated driver. Gladio nodded appreciatively to Prompto for stalling the trip to Cape Caem, and then they joined the other two in the car. Before driving, Ignis handed the folded jacket to Prompto.
         The car ride was silent, as Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto tried to gather their thoughts. It was nostalgic and overwhelming. They silently reminisced about the first trip they took; the one that Noctis was currently experiencing, with no knowledge of its ending. In that moment, they were convinced and more determined than ever, to change Noctis' fate.
         "...What's up with you guys today?" Noctis asked.
         "What do you mean?" Prompto responded.
          "You all seem a little...emotional." Noctis said.
          "Who wouldn't get emotional after looking at your hideous face?" Gladio chuckled.
          "Says the guy with the scarred face!" Noctis said jokingly. "But seriously, what's up?"
          "We're good, Noct. Don't worry about us." Prompto smiled.
           "Uh-huh. Ignis?" Noctis leaned forward, positioning himself between Ignis and Prompto, and looked at Ignis.
            Ignis sighed before saying, "There's no easy way to say this, Noct."
            "What?!" Noctis quickly responded, slightly annoyed, yet concerned.
            "...Not to be rude, but it seems you've put on a little weight. The others agree that I've been spoiling you, and I should cook more veggies." Ignis said.
            "We just took on a behemoth yesterday!" Noctis said defensively.
            "Your performance was flat." Gladio scolded. "You could use a little more exercise."
            "Th-this is a joke, right?!"
            "Have I ever lied to you, Noct?" Ignis asked, shifting his eyes towards him.
          Noctis stared back at Ignis, who eventually turned his eyes back to the road. Noctis sat back in his seat, and sulked. Prompto smiled while taking pictures of the scenery. Gladio opened his book, and smirked as he glanced over at Noctis. Ignis chuckled silently as he drove.

          As they blended with the crowd in Lestallum's market, they found themselves splitting into groups of two. Prompto stayed close to Noctis as they wandered. Ignis shopped for food, while Gladio stood close by.
"Have you heard from Iris?" Ignis asked.
"Yeah. She's fine, but she didn't say where she ended up. Gladio responded.
         "My guess is, she's either in Caem, or here in Lestallum." Ignis said before handing Gladio a bag of groceries.

           On the other side of the market, Noctis turned around just in time to catch Prompto holding up his camera. Before he could cover his face, Prompto took the shot.
           "I wasn't in that, right?" Noctis asked.
         Prompto grinned and then proceeded to take more photos. Realizing that he was Prompto's model for the day, Noctis ran through the market, and Prompto chased after him.
            "Wait! You look great in this light!" Prompto shouted.
            They headed toward the street, pushing though the crowd. Noctis stopped, as one car drove by, and then he bolted across the street. He had no idea where he was going. In that moment, he just didn't want to have his photo taken. Running out of room to run, Noctis jumped over the balcony, down to the lower level parking lot. Prompto stopped, leaning on the balcony, and his eyes widened at the sight of Iris, who was about to get into the car with Dustin.
            "Iris?" Noctis questioned, wondering why she was in Lestallum.
             "Noct?!" Iris responded, happy to see him. She closed the car door and approached him, as Prompto rushed down the steps.
            "Iris! Hey! Fancy meeting you here!" Prompto said with a smile, trying to hide his nervous tone.
            "Why are you here?" Noctis asked. "I thought you were at the lighthouse."
             "I was, but I wanted to come back here to-" Iris began. She noticed Prompto, standing behind Noctis, shaking his head; a sign that Prompto was on the verge of being caught in a lie.
             "To what?" Noctis asked.
             "To...tell you the boat's almost ready. My phone hasn't been working right, so my calls wouldn't go through. When I couldn't find you, I decided it was best to just go back to Caem." Iris said confidently.
             "You probably got here before us. Then again, it's a crowded city. It's easy to get lost in there." Prompto said.
           They were soon joined by Gladio and Ignis, who placed the shopping bags into the trunk of the Regalia.
          "Yeah. We should get moving, since everyone's here." Noctis suggested.
          "Hold on a second." Gladio said. "We need to talk, Iris."
          She nodded her head, and then followed Gladio to the Outlook. Being fifteen years old again, she knew exactly what he was going to say. He folded his arms, while she kept her hands down, and clasped together.
          "....You know you have to stay behind, right?" Gladio asked.
          "...Yes." Iris answered. "But doing everything exactly as before....wouldn't that just lead to the same result we're trying to avoid?"
         "There are some things we can't change. I can't and won't let you go to Altissia. While we're gone, you can't be reckless. We may have the knowledge and skills of our elder selves, but we've lost all the strength we've gained. Physically, I feel weaker. It's as if my fight with Gilgamesh didn't happen." Gladio said.
        Iris understood what he was saying, so she decided not to argue any further. Losing so much of their strength meant they had to focus more. If she were to go to Altissia, she would be seen as nothing more than another person to be saved.
          Telling her to stay behind wasn't as easy as he made it seem. Gladio and Iris fought side by side numerous times, so he knew what she was capable of. They were taking a huge risk by trying to save Noctis. One of the worst possible outcomes would've been to fail their mission, while losing another teammate. Gladio wanted to protect everyone who time traveled, starting with his sister.
          Noctis climbed onto the back of the Regalia and sat with one foot on the door, and the other hanging down in his seat. Prompto stood on the other side of the car.
         "We should ask her to come with us, Noct." Prompto suggested.
         "What? Why?" He asked.
         "We're going to the same place, and she wants to hang out with us." Prompto answered.
         "All right, go bring it up to Gladio. I'm sure he'll be thrilled." Noctis said.
         "...I was thinking you could do it." Prompto said, before checking his hair in the mirror.
         "An invite from his highness would be much more meaningful. It could be a long time before we get this chance again." Ignis added.
          Gladio and Iris rejoined the group. Noctis thought for a moment, and realized that taking Iris along meant they would go straight to Cape Caem, with little to no detours.
          "Iris!" He called out, grabbing her attention. "You can come with us...if you want."
          Her face lit up, and she blushed for a moment. She was always the one reaching out to talk or hang out, so it was shocking to hear those words come from Noctis' mouth. Overjoyed, she agreed, and as Noctis sat in the car, she took her place in the middle of the back seat. Gladio sent Dustin on his way, and then sat beside Iris. Ignis and Prompto then took their seats in the car.