FFXV: The King's Protector (Noctis X Reader)

Chapter 28 - Fireflies

You could hear the birds singing in the trees as you approached the woods that were right beside the house. You looked up as you tried to catch a glimpse of them. But all you could make out was the occasional movement in the treetops. You smiled to yourself as you looked in front of yourself again. Then you glanced over at Noctis. He hadn't said anything since you had walked away from Ignis. He had kept his gaze down and was walking kind of slow.

"So where are we going?" You asked as you tried to break the silence.

Noctis glanced over at you with a straight face. He seemed to be debating on whether to talk about it or not as he looked at you. But when he saw you gave him an encouraging smile. He gave you a sight smile back before he turned his gaze back down.

"To one of my favorite thinking spots." Noctis quietly said.

"Really?'' You asked as you fell in step with him. "All the way out here?"

Noctis simply nodded.

"Well this is the royal family's summer cottage." He said as he gave you a quick side glance before he looked ahead and continued. "My parents and I use to come here all the time and spend a day or two as a means of getting away. There were even a couple full summers when I was little." He said with a light smile as he continued to walk.

You couldn't help but to smile as you saw the warm smile on his face. It was nice to see. Oppose to the grumpy face that he would have when Gladio or Ignis was around. It was like looking into his past. But in a good way.

"You see. My mom." He said as he dropped his gaze and his smile for a moment as he paused for a moment. "My mom didn't really like the city."

He then looked back up. "She preferred to be here."

He glanced around for a moment as if lost in thought before he continued as he looked forward as if in a daze. "She use to say that she couldn't hear the world there. What with the streets being as busy as they are around the citadel."

"She loved to spend all day outside in the sun. She hated being stuck inside of a building. She much preferred to be outside in an open field." Noctis said before he looked at you and gave you a weak smile.

"That's why there's a garden at the Citadel. My dad had it added for her so that she could be happy within the walls." Noctis said as he looked back down to the ground and frowned.

You felt your heart start to break as you looked at him. Even though his mom had been killed years ago. It looked like he was still struggling with the loss. You couldn't help but to dropped your gaze as you sighed. Because you understood all to well how he felt.

"You miss her a lot, don't you?" You asked as you glanced back at him.

"Everyday." Noctis quietly said without looking up as his frown deepened.

You dropped your eyes again as you felt your heart shattered for him. You had been hit hard when your had lost your brother. But you still had your parents to help you out. You couldn't imagine what it must feel like to lose your mom. And to have her killed right beside you? You had to close your eyes and look up for a moment as you tried to fight the tears that were started to form in your eyes.

"They say that it gets easier over time." You commented as you kept walking as you chocked back the tears.

"Yeah." Noctis quietly replied. "That's what they say."

"I personally think that anyone who says that, hasn't lost a very close family member. And that they have no clue how much it hurts." You said as you kept looking down as you felt your throat start to tighten up. "If they did, then they wouldn't be saying that at all."