Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This wasn’t in accordance with the prophecy Bahamut created eons ago. Aulea shouldn’t have given birth on an accursed night such as this.

And she should not have given birth to twins.

When Regis was a young prince, flustered with the commoner that he would marry someday, he was schooled on lessons of the unblessed. They were those born on a moonless night or like tonight, during an eclipse, and because of this they were cast out at birth without the blessing of the Sun--without the blessing of the Crystal. It simply did not make sense, the royal line of Lucis was never to be destined such a fate, yet here he sat cradling his ungodly newborns in his arms. Aulea’s body was already covered, and dozens of maidservants and mid-wives pooled in and out the room to clean up the mess. Though, he found her long before anyone else, half eaten by the daemons that were supposed to be her sons.

Clarus looked away with a pained expression when Regis looked up and said, “ Call me selfish, cruel, they may be daemons--I can’t do it.”

And Clarus couldn’t say anything to that, knowing he had children of his own.

“ Will you name them?” He asked, sparing both of them unneeded formalities. Yes, he would.

Noctis Lucis Caelum and Lucis Noctis Caelum, the princes of Insomnia.

Their first words were eachother's name, albeit shortened down to one syllable. 'Noctis' was too hard to pronounce for Lucis, so it was shortened to Nox. And his brother, with that snaggle tooth of his, followed in his footsteps, so 'Lucis' was shortened to Lux.

Relief washed over him, Lucis and Noctis showed no signs of indulging in monstrous behavior--the kind that had killed their mother. They were more interested in chasing each other down the halls--like normal boys. Well, save for their daemonic form they still had trouble tucking away. Lucis came skidding on all fours, his hands and feet were sharp talons that held no kind of animosity. He scrambled on top of Regis' shoulder, batting a claw at Noctis like how a cat would. 

Regis sighed with a light smile playing on his lips. He pulled Lucis down, who was still reluctant to stand shoulder to shoulder with his twin brother.

" Now," Regis said, " What happened this time?"

For the first time in his life, Nox felt off. Inside him, there was this gnawing emptiness crawling through his skin, making his body twitch and twinge as his bones readjusted itself. He had to sit up when the heavy set of horns weighed on head, raising a hand to wipe the blood dripping down from the base. His twin brother, Lux, had done the same.

“ I’m so hungry,” Nox whispered as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against his brother’s shoulder as if it would alleviate the pounding headache. Lux nuzzled into him and said, “ I know.”

They exchanged looks, and untwined themselves from their cushy bed. Nox carefully ran a tongue over the sharp rows of teeth in his mouth and winced when it cut him. Lux thumbed the small bead of blood trailing down his brother’s chin, drawing back to lick his fingers. He watched as twin’s  pupils dilate completely, was that what they were looking for?

Whatever it was, flowed into him like a powerful undercurrent, flooding his senses with a single, aching need.

Nox cried out when he clumsily fell into the shadows, something that never happened before. Lux had pulled him back and both huddled in the corner when the door clicked open. His scream must have alerted the guard posted outside their room. But this one was different from how his brother felt, he could hear the man’s heart beat hasten and when he looked at Lux again, he knew.

Lux snuck around the guard who was frantically searching for them. Nox eyed the man quizzically, the gesture was so familiar yet so far away at the same time.

“ This is a Code red, the princes are missing. Code--” The man cried into his walker. Lux jumped  from his vantage point on the ceiling and Nox growled in delight, bounding over when the body fell to the floor with a wet thump.

Lux and Nox haunched over, ravenously tearing into the flesh. It tasted so good, exactly what he needed. He howled in laughter when Lux turned to face him. Lux never closed his mouth when he chewed his food and with the addition of his long, sharp teeth, it looked like he was having a tough time.  They ignored the flurry of footsteps rushing to their room by their heightened senses, Nox could have probably went for another, but for now he felt good. He lazily peered over to his brother, who was more fixated on wiping the viscera off his shirt than the new arrivals storming into the room.

“ Noctis, Lucis?” Was that his...father? It looked like it, but he didn’t smell like family. It was okay though, he didn’t need to eat anymore. Lux seemed uninterested, leaning into Nox sleepily. Nox felt pretty tired too.

A small flicker of recognition sparked in him when the man shook his shoulders. It was his dad. But he was exhausted, darkness tugging at his eyelids. His fangs nipped at him dotingly, purring loudly. He loved his dad.

When he woke up from what felt like the best sleep he ever had in his life. It looked like they were in a room of the royal medical wing, Lux in the bed next to him. The nurse smiled, raising her chart to pull off a name for a greeting. “ Lucis Noctis Caelum, was it?”

“ No that’s me,” Lux said, voice still tired from the throes of morning.

“ It’s good to see you awake, I’m going to page your father now,” She said, dialing a number on the phone hooked into the wall.

“ Okay,” they meekly said in unison. Nox shuffled with his blankets and moved to sit in the same bed as his brother.His father must not have been too far away as it wasn’t long until he burst into the room, temper already flared. The twins exchanged looks of uncertain fear.

“ Do either you remember what happened last night,” their father grounded out, his lips set in a fine line. Nox looked down at at his fingers, trimmed and clean.

...No?

He glanced over to Lux, he didn’t know either. When he returned his gaze back to his dad, his father’s shoulders were trembling. “ Dad, are you okay?”

Both of them flinched as their father stood up and pulled them both into a tight embrace.

At age twenty-one, Nyx discovered there was no such thing as ‘off-duty’ for a life of a glaive. When his pager flared the man threw off his covers and reached for the device to confirm his status. He sent off a mental apology to his neighbors, the stupid thing sounded like a smoke alarm. And knowing his luck it would only blare its noise during the middle of the night, when normal people were usually asleep.But such was fate for Nyx, and the other unfortunate tenants of this apartment. The string of code crackled through static of the speakers and Nyx cringed when it ended abruptly in screams. He peered out the window finding that the sky was pitch black with no stars to spare.

It was going to be one of those nights.

Though, he guessed he should count his blessings--these incidents had dwindled down to a rarity of sorts. Nyx was on the move, pulling his arms through the sleeves of his official uniform. He turned on his earpiece to confirm his rank and coordinates.

“ I’m on twin duty,” Nyx said over the speaker. There was a collective sigh of relief over the channel and he heard Libertus say,“ All yours, man. We already lost five men, the Captain ain’t happy about it.”

One could argue that Nyx became infamous for his specialized techniques--which was basically akin to rubbing bacon juice all over one’s bare ass and then throwing insults at a hungry bear.

“ Anyway, can someone give me a run-down on what’s causing this incident?” Nyx said, running as fast as he could.

“  0300, the head of the Crownsguard’s daughter went missing around the same time as the princes did. 0345 is when we found Prince Noctis and Lucis turned. Still no sign of the Amicitia noble,” said a voice who sounded a lot like Crowe.

“ So is there a correlation between the two or are you just adding some fluff?”

“ We’re still searching for the girl, let us know if you discover her whereabouts.”

“ Hopefully not,” Nyx said to no one in particular.

The twins weren’t too far from the citadel, however it was concerning to see all the carnage they had left in their wake. It wouldn’t be long until he found the source of the bloodshed, but to see no end in sight just went to show how bad of shape they both were in. Nyx wondered how delicately the King would handle this situation with PR,if at all.

About three blocks over in a once forgotten alleyway, the princes of Lucis were tearing the flesh off their most recent victim. Well, better late than never, he thought as he rolled up his sleeves to expose skin. He whistled for their attention and they simultaneously snapped their gazes at him. If this wasn’t such a dangerous situation he’d laugh at the turn of their expression, dour and grumpy with a few snarls here and there.

“ Ah, Lux,” Nyx said, pointing to the one chewing with his mouth open, blood sloppily drooling down in excess. His counterpart was cleaner, albeit not by much. “ Nox.”

The black ichor that stigmatized the unblessed as heinous had travelled up their arms and ended in scaly patches at the base of their necks. In the past, it made their movements indistinguishable as smoke. But Nyx could see how it festered and putrefied, now more solid--plated and spiked. These were developments the glaive could expect, considering he was one of the main members in providing care for them. What he didn’t expect, or if he was being honest with himself, what he didn’t want to see was a crying ten-year old girl trembling between them.

It was a mortifying thought but Nyx was bewildered by the fact that she wasn’t dead. Why?

“ Found the girl, she’s alive. Requesting back up,” Nyx said, relaying his coordinates as quickly as he could.

Either way, the glaive dragged a blade deep enough to draw blood.Nox sniffed the air, but Lux was already charging at him on all fours, talons skidding against the pavement. Nyx assumed Nox  most likely was going to take the incognito approach, so prepared himself accordingly. But instead, Nyx watched the other twin wrap a claw around the girl, diving into the shadows.

He barely had time to dodge Lux’s swipe, still focused on where the shadows spat Nox and the girl out from a distance. Nox nudged her away gently, protectively nuzzling her, a display he never seen before.

It sort of made sense.

Nox rejoined his brother and Lux renewed his onslaught of fangs and claws. Nyx saw this as an opportunity to lead them to a warded-zone where they could be monitored in a controlled environment.

A long night indeed.

--

 The princes usually roused together but Nyx couldn’t help but arch a brow when they groaned. Nyx was quick to hand them some pain medication for their inevitable headaches. And as it was, there was a first for everything, the boys were covered in filth.

“ You too usually groom eachother after you feed, like some weird aggregation of daemon cats.” That earned a blushing glare.

“ Eguh. I feel sticky and gross,” Noctis said, trying to shake off some of dried up blood that only came off in flakes. Lux nodded in silent agreement.

Nyx prayed for them under his breath as the boys prepared to see their father. Might as well have been sent to the gulags. He was there when the story unfolded. Lux and Nox shamefully looked down when the King scolded them. Iris was  cradled by her older brother who was busy glaring daggers at the boy, and his father wasn’t  responding much differently.  And right before they were about to receive the punishment of all punishments did the little girl speak up.

“ It’s not true, they’re lying for,” she hiccuped. “ For me. I snuck in the palace and they wanted to bring me back home.”

Nyx remembered his name, it was Gladiolus. The kid looked swollen red in the face, still not buying the girl’s story. Which really was a sound decision. Nyx could only imagine the rage and fear of finding his little sister surrounded by mayhem only the unblessed could cause.

“ It’s true!” She cried, tears now rolling down her cheeks. “ Someone attacked them, and they got weird. But they didn’t hurt me one bit…”

Lux and Nox fidgeted when Regis asked his sons for confirmations. Lux spoke up this time. “ We don’t remember.”

“ Iris!” Gladio said, the girl breaking free from her brother’s grasp to run into Noctis’. She pounded her fists on his chest, wailing like a banshee.

Through her sobs Iris said, “ Please don’t hurt people like that ever again!”

Poor girl, she would need therapy.

Nox tentatively pulled Iris into a hug and mumbled his apologies and Lux looked away with a pained expression, tugging at his earring. King Regis watched the display, but Nyx couldn’t make of his expression.

“ If this indeed true,” Clarus said slowly, “ Then I suppose there’s some good to be found out this disastrous situation.”

Gladiolus crossed his arms at Prince Noctis who raised his training sword for the umpteenth time--not quite grasping the meaning of the drill. It didn’t help that the twins fought an hour before, and Gladio knew it would take days maybe even weeks for them to make amends. He easily flung Noct back with only one arm, and at this rate he could probably spar blindfolded.The only thing that marred Nox’s determination was the uneven breathes that rattled through his chest, but still, the prince persisted. Gladio didn’t miss a beat, noting how Nox’s mismatched eyes shadowed darkly. He observed as their session progressed that the boy’s movements had a more feral edge to it, instinctual stalking instead of purposeful consideration. And that was the problem.

Jeez, he wasn’t even trying. Gladio let loose a drawn out sigh. “ Alright, we’ll end early. You’re obviously thinking about something else.”

The next thing Gladio knew, Nox was on top of him snapping his teeth against his neck. Quickly Gladio shifted his weight, twisting on top of him by pulling his arm in an acute manner. It was disturbing to see how the prince was so frayed at the edges. And the fact that this behavior was exacerbated during the mid-day sun was even more of a warning sign.

“ Hey, calm down or I’m going to have to call a code on you,” he said. The prince let out a growl in frustration but slowly relaxed his tense form. Gladiolus stepped off and allowed Nox to regain his footing. “Sorry, but I’m calling for precautions, Lux can’t be around you if you’re that unhinged.”

Noctis nodded, looking as if he swallowed a stone. After Gladio made a few calls and shot some texts, he felt comfortable that Lux was placed in separate supervision and would remain so during the duration of his twin brother’s ‘episode’. Nox dug his blade into the ground so that it stood upright on its own. They both sat side by side, cross legged. After a pregnant pause did Gladiolus speak up. “ So what’s been eating at you?”

Nox leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. Gladiolus watched the prince scrub at his face, sucking in his breath and holding it there. He shook his head. “ It’s nothing.”

“ I find that hard to believe,” Gladio said. And Nox groaned.

“ Okay,” he sighed. “ I’m not feeling too hot.”

“ You want me to call a code then?” Nox batted a hand at him, eyeing him with a look that made Gladiolus laugh. Might as well get straight to the point, then. “ Okay, then talk. What were you and Lux fighting about?”

Nox ripped up blades of grass as mulled over his answer. Gladiolus noted he could probably twine a small basket with the amount he was pulling. “ Lux...thinks we’re monsters.”

Gladiolus folded his arms, diverting his gaze. “ Okay.”

And Nox directed his at Gladio, accusatory. “ You think we’re monsters too, don’t you.”

“ It’s just,” Nox interjected before the other man had time to respond. “ Dad looks at us and he’s tired. It doesn’t really help that Lux is okay with all of this. I never wanted this, Gladio.”

Gladio slapped his back hard and Nox locked his brows together. “ No, I don’t think you guys are monsters. There are way worse people out there in the world.”

“ But I’ll be frank. At first, yea I did. Being unblessed makes you both dangerous,” Gladiolus started, watching Nox shudder, pushing down a sob. The prince’s expression wasn’t so foolhardy as before, effectively dismantled and scattered. “ But both you, not just Lux, should realize being born like that was out of your control. And you guys are doing great so far.”

Noctis wiped his face, looking up at Gladio. “ You really mean that?”

“ Yea, I do.”

Chapter Text

Lux watched Nyx’s form tense up entirely, listening to the message being relayed over his earpiece. He turned to the prince, expression grim.

“ We have to get you far away, stat. Nox turned,” he said, grabbing him by the wrist and spinning around the corner. They were heading down to one of the ‘special’ rooms, all inscribed with charms to ward off powerful daemons. Lux would have to stake out there for the rest of the night as the others went to subdue his twin brother to another ward.

Lux felt a pull towards his right, his heart thrilling against his chest at the presence closing in on them. Nox always knew where to find him, and he did too. He swallowed hard and said, “ We better hurry up then.”

Nyx nodded, they picked up the pace but Lux had to stop a few times to catch his breath. The prince cradled his head between his fingers, feeling a pressure build up in his teeth. The captain of the Kings Glaive clasped a hand on his shoulder to dig him out of his daze.

“ You gotta fight it, kid,” Nyx said. Lux nodded, they didn’t have much time.

When a shrill cry echoed throughout the halls Nyx hooked an arm underneath Lux, pulling him up to his feet. His charge physically recoiled from the scream, arching his back as if lightning shot through him. Lux’s eyes glazed over and he was breathing heavily into Nyx’s side as they drew closer to the end of the corridor. The feeling was just too intense, familiar, and he found himself wanting.

They didn’t make it that far, there was a slick noise from the opposite end of the hall. Nox was there, one blue and one red eye glowing in the dim shadows. A hand clawed across the decorated wall, smearing blood as he went. Behind him, he dragged a freshly killed body by the crownguard’s collar. He was unrecognizable and Lux hoped it wasn’t Gladio.

Nyx pushed Lux back, brandishing his kukris.

“ Can you run, because that’s what I need you to do.” The hairs on the back of Lux’s neck stood when laughter rolled out in haunting echoes,and Lux found himself clutching his head again. Nyx did a double take and sighed heavily. “ I guess not.”

“ You wound me,” Nox said, his voice distorted by the daemonic influence that pulsed through his body. Lux watched as his brother, a mirror reflection of him, ripped the heart out of the corpse’s cavity. “ I brought you something because I thought you might be hungry, my love.”

Maybe if Lux were younger he’d agree,but he knew it was Noctis’ instincts burning into him. Though, that self-awareness didn’t stop it from being any less overwhelming or stop him from salivating from that sweet sinewy scent. Gods, why was it so hard?

“ Okay, I’m going to skip the ‘speaking some sense into him’ part, ” Nyx said, hoisting up Lux onto his back. “ I remember when you weren’t this heavy. Hey c’mon now, stay awake!”

Lux was too faint to respond, eyes fluttering, breathing in Nyx’s smell. He so smelled good, and what sounded like an purr rumbled in the prince’s throat. Nyx probably didn’t like that. “ Bite me and I drop you.”

Noctis simply tilted his head when Nyx broke out into a full sprint, taking a wet bite out of the heart. He leaped into the shadow, twisting in front of them.He was more powerful too, slamming Nyx’s head to the side of the wall. Lux looked like he snapped to full attention, pulling away from the scene and brandishing an ancestral weapon at his brother. Nox’s smile was more like a snarl, all-knowing that Lux didn’t have it in him to fight back.

Noctis lunged forward, teeth digging into the crook of his neck. Nyx watched powerlessly as Lux’s weapon clattered to the floor. Lux felt everything, Noctis’ hunger cutting into his own. He felt all his rationale drain from him and the achiness in his teeth burned into every part of his being, cracking his bones into horns and claws only meant for one purpose. All Lux wanted to do now was to hunt.

Nox supported him as Lux grew lax in his arms, nuzzling and licking over the mark he left. Lux grabbed his hand, hungrily sucking the blood off his fingers, but it wasn’t even enough to take the edge off. He let go when Lux moved to a crouch, padding closer to Nyx who laid on the floor. The man was quick to regain his sense, kukris at his side.

“ Like good old times, huh twins?” Nyx asked, taking off again.

Nox hung back as Lux chased after the glaive, both of them knowing how badly Lux needed it now.

--

The sun streamed into the room, disturbing their slumber. They were tangled into each other with Lux’s nose pressed into Nox’s neck. One sleepily sat up when the door creaked open, hair dishevelled and fluffed up to one side. The other followed suit, wiping the drool off his face. 

“ Cute,” Nyx said. His kings glaive jacket hung at his shoulders, chest bare save for the gauze wrapped around his torso. When Lux finally took a good look of his surroundings, he was surprised to see they made it into one of the ‘safe rooms’. Though, everything looked pretty torn up--the walls were heavily marked with grooves and furniture was either smashed or shattered.

Before Lux could ask his question, Nyx answered it, “ You two chased me into a ward-room, and then I locked you guys in there. Great in that it works both ways.”

Nox stretched out into a yawn, “ Mm, feels nice.”

“ Speak for yourself, I feel like I got hit by a truck,” Lux said. “ Why did you have to bite me.”

“ Yes, Prince Noctis, why did you have to bite your brother?”

When Nox shrugged, Lux sighed. “ No wonder you’re so ob nox ious.”

Chapter Text

The earrings belonged to the late-queen of Lucis. Their father mentioned it was imbued with the power of the crystal when dropping one into each of their hands. If they were being honest, it was a last ditch effort, one in collaboration between every daemon warding charm and suppressant their best and brightest could concoct. After they were bestowed with the jewelry, hanging on the opposite side of their ears, the bouts of bloodlust had decreased. When King Regis came to evaluate their progress, his face crinkled up with a joyous twinkle in his eyes. And while the improvement in their health was more than likely backed by something scientific in nature--no one wanted to find out what would happen if they took off the earrings.

Insomnia did have a wilderness for recreational use but  it was one that eschewed camping activities, as much of the facilities that spotted the outskirts were usually left decrepit. Besides, according to Gladio, nothing could beat the true wilderness outside of the wall. So while it may have been a moonless night, the twins decided through their intoxicated haze that it was safe to indulge, their curse a thing of a past. A bar had set up shop next to one such campground, making it a fun extension to a night out in drinking. Prompto was flanked by both twins, being dragged by them through all the giggling and whooping.

They had reached an outing-- a graveyard of picnic tables of sorts. Lux set Nox and Prompto next to one another as they nodded off in drunken reverie. It would have been a perfect time to draw dicks on their faces in magic marker, but Lux perished the thought.

Lux must have been smashed, watching his movements lag with a spinning vertigo.  For now, it was only the three of them. Gladio was off buying a few bottles of the “good stuff” because he thought the bar drinks to be overpriced piss-water.

The back of his eyes were stinging but he wrote it off as the alcohol running through his veins because really, that’s what it felt like. So he continued to set up their hobo styled bonfire, pulling the metal barrel towards the center. But the burning was so familiar, spreading out to the rest of his body. Shaking past the dizziness he went to drop piles of dead leaves and set them ablaze with a low-level fire spell.

The next time it was too distinct, Lux blinked hard a few times feeling his throat constrict from being so parched. It was only when he went to tug at his earring, something that quickly became a nervous tick of his since a year’s passing, that he realized the piece of jewelry was missing. Nox jolted up straight when Lux keeled over the can. “ Shit.”

“ Are you--You’re turning now!?” Nox shouted, all alcohol leaving his system. They both felt it through their connection. Nox’s outburst had startled Prompto awake, the blonde rubbed his eyes blearily about mornings and sleeping in. Lux nodded, scrubbing at his face--of all times.

Both twins snapped their attention to the source of the cackling. Some lanky asshole framed by burly goons raised the priceless heirloom up in the air, tilting his head in a grin. “ Looking for this, prince? Well you gotta pay up.”

Lux eyed Nox with a dangerous gleam. His voice was a low rumble, the content of his words still marked he was in transition. “ You should give it back.”

Nox vigorously shook Prompto, “ Come on chocobo head, you gotta get up now!”

He pushed Prompto in a sprint, screaming that he should find Gladio and Ignis, that they’d know what to do. The poor fucks that were threatening his brother stood no chance, especially that neither of them had fed in months. Prompto was nothing more than a blur in the distance, and Nox was in the process of texting Nyx for help when Lux curled around him, grabbing his phone.

“ Oh Noctis,” he purred, pulling off his own earring and flinging it away. “ Don’t tell me you don’t want to have some fun.”

Nox screamed when Lux bit down hard, feeling everything crash down upon him at once.

Until one of the Kingsglaive or Crownsguard came, it was just the two of them alone--of all times for his phone to be dead, really. Nox’s grin widened when Prompto left their apartment, teeth too sharp and cheshire as they glowed in the dark. Good thing the chocobo head listened to him because air smelled too sanguineous, tinged with blood and viscera, and that meant only one thing.

Lux backed away slowly, fear dropping like a stone into the pit of his stomach.

“ You know Lucis, you give yourself too little credit,” Noctis said as he walked out from the shadows. Lux stumbled backwards, grabbing his keys from the counter. “ You’re a better hunter than me… You just need to focus .”

“ Where’s your earring, Nox?” Lux said, voice barely above a whisper. He inched closer to the door with a plan to make a break for it. Blood was smeared across his brother’s face and it dropped thickly onto the wooden floor in splotches. Lux watched in horror as Nox dragged a freshly torn body behind him, his twin giving no acknowledgement other than it was food for him .

“ Noctis,” Lucis breathed. When he turned to run Noct slammed against him, pinning him against the door.

Lux kicked and flailed as much as he could but his efforts all fell in vain underneath his brother’s weight. He was expecting a bite, to feel the crashing waves of insanity pulling him from the shore but instead Nox pushed a cut of meat into his mouth and ordered him to chew.

He wasn’t expecting it to taste so good.

Lux relaxed against the door as Nox moved off him. He ran his tongue over his now-sharp teeth, reminiscing over the exquisite flavor that washed over his senses. Though he wasn’t quite there yet--still very human, but quickly losing the edge over that illusion.

Nox was busy tearing off more flesh from the body as Lux drunkenly stumbled forward. “ Can I have more?”

That grin returned again and Nox shook his head, eating the meat for himself. “ You’re going to hunt for yourself, Lucis.”

When Nox approached Lux, he allowed his twin to bite deeply into him, but they both knew he didn’t need that incentive.

--

Lux was silent as he watched Nox finish his meal, bite by bite. Nox smiled at the success of it all and noted to do this more often, this was the quietest he ever been. Usually Lucis’ turns were a staccato of fury and pain--marked by bone-chilling screams and roars. But this one was much to his liking, a crescendo. The change was insidious,and when Noctis finished Lucis licked him clean.

The kill was perfect, he was so proud of his brother. And when Lux offered the heart, Nox refused and nuzzled into him, saying how he earned it.

As they crawled back into the apartment, they were greeted by Nyx with Cor in tow. Noctis smiled wickedly, but Lucis seemed too tired to really care. Despite coming home to the apartment well-fed, Lux was grumpy by the sudden onslaught of questions. “ Let me shower, first, please.”

“ Shouldn’t you let Lux clean up? He looks more like mess than you,” Nyx relented.

“ I am Lux,” Lux snapped, and Nox rumbled a deep laugh that put both men on edge.

Chapter Text

Ignis packed a few bottles of bug spray for their roadtrip after Gladio shared horrible stories of tiny stragglers . Only when Ignis bombed the place was everyone allowed to bring in their belongings,which wasn't much to begin with. As night twinkled into existence, they nestled into the trailer for dinner. The twins weren’t watching where they were going, eagerly tapping away at their phone game, pushing and shoving when one scored higher than the other. Lux tenderly rubbed his hip  when he crashed into a table that their arrangement provided. After flinging a few insults at the piece of furniture did he feel better, returning to his squabble with Nox.

Prompto met them halfway in the kitchen and Gladio warily regarded them from the bedroom. Those two were in a devilish mood and the blonde didn’t have much of a backbone. They pulled up some chairs in the already cramped space and continued their game with Prompto as the newest addition. Both the princes whined at their loss when Prompto threw up his arms for a victory cheer. The blonde didn’t catch the twin’s mischievous exchange of grins but Gladiolus did.

Lux suddenly keeled over which cut Prompto’s jubilations short.

“ Oh no, Prompto,” Nox said, shaking his bestfriend as Lux made over-the-top groans. Gladio had to bite back a laugh, that kid would never learn. “ I think, I think Lux is turning!”

“ A-Are you guys for real? You’re joking, please telling me you’re joking,” Prompto stuttered out. And Nox shook his head, exaggerating some symptoms of his own. Ignis was on the opposite end of the RV, but Gladio had a good idea of what his expression must have looked like.

Lux clutched Prompto’s shoulder, digging his fingers in for dramatic effect. And then, he snapped his head at the blonde, fangs bared and eyes slitted.
Prompto nearly pissed himself as he ran off. Gladio just shook his head as the twins highfived eachother.

The forests of Duscae were thick with verdant overgrowth and ancient enough to ensnare all the ruins of ages past within the grip of its gnarled roots. Along their trek between fighting off ferocious packs of sabertusks and gigantoads, the gentle side of nature would sometimes show. A deer would hop out of the bushes and prance off, their fur aglow in the dappled sunlight, or a curious chipmunk would follow the group, nipping at their heels. Wind would rustle the trees so leaves could cascade down in a twinkling flutter. A babbling stream could be heard in the distance, offering a fresh source of water and reprieve.

“ I hate nature,” Lux groaned, pulling his boot out of the mud. Nox agreed.

“ Sania told us there was a ruins nearby,” Gladio started. The man raised up his arm and everyone halted. He kneeled down to inspect some broken branches and then leaned forward to survey the land. The twins exchanged a look of exasperation, and eventhough Gladiolus had saved their asses a few times in the wilderness, this felt way too over the top. 

“ And if there is a royal arm we have means to take it,” Ignis finished for him.

The survivalist was leading the group, with the twins flanking Prompto and Ignis in tow. The three of them--Nox, Lux, and Prompto--sighed at the dead signal on the blonde’s phone. There was nothing entertaining to be found within a mile radius.

Gladio and Ignis shared a refined sense of grace when weaving through the foliage. The other three weren’t as lucky. Prompto ducked out of the way when the twins started to squabble, pulling at eachother’s faces if they weren’t punching bruises into their sides. Prompto tried, meekly, to break up the fight. Only when he looked away to search for Ignis and Gladio for backup did he realize they were left behind.

“ Uh, guys,” Prompto said during a lilt in their argument. Two pairs of eyes trailed across to where the marksman of their group pointed, and saw that indeed Ignis and Gladio were vacant. “ I think we’ve been ditched.”

Nox raised his hands to his chin in a thoughtful manner and said, “ So it seems.”

“ Better catch up,” Prompto sighed, unaware of the mischievous glint shining in their eyes. They had silently followed with Prompto none the wiser. The blonde was whistling a disjointed tune, with no rhyme or rhythm to speak of when Lux clutched at his shoulder, moaning out in pain. Prom twisted out of Lux’s grip, eyes wild in fear. Nox and Lux were panting on their knees, fangs protruding outwards.

Then Nox growled, “  You better run, Prompto!”

And so he did.

He crashed into Gladiolus’ back and while Prompto sported a nosebleed from the collision, the older man was barely affected. Maybe that’s why they called him The Shield. Ignis adjusted his glasses and sighed when the twins came into view cackling like imps.

“ Great of you to join us,” Ignis said. “ We’ve arrived.”

While the stone was obviously cut by the hands of man, ivy had climbed all over the remains. Saplings grew out of the cracks on the ground level budding into their first set of leaves. Engravings set in old tongue were inscribed all over, encircling the pillars that supported a roof that rested as rubble between them. The ruins suggested a entrance leading to catacombs that was probably older than Insomnia itself, but it was nowhere to be found. Nox was about to call off the quest until Lux tripped over a vine and triggered an entire web of runes to simultaneously glow, which convinced Ignis and Gladiolus whole-heartedly that their ancestor was entombed here, somewhere.

“ I hope that didn’t do anything bad,” Prompto squeaked.

Gladio and Ignis searched one end, while Lux, Nox and Prompto searched the other. The sun was starting to get low in the sky with still no sign of promise aside from the glowing runes. As the sky dimmed down to the evening glow did the glyphs grow brighter. The ruins were larger than they thought. Ignis and Gladio looked like far away specks as they waved in the distance. By the sound of it, it appeared like they didn’t find anything either. This expedition looked like it was going to take a few nights of camping to map out the entire area if they were to reach their goal:  gaining a royal arm.

When all of them regrouped, they all unanimously decided to set up camp here, in the ruins. Ignis was already preparing ingredients for tonight’s meal as he and Gladio relayed their scarce developments.Nox humorously leaned forward to search underneath a rock. “ No entrance here.”

“ No shit,” Lux snapped, crossing his arms. “ Like there would be some grand entrance underneath a rock the size of a watermelon.”

“Oh fuck off, I was just joking!” Nox twisted around about to spit out some more insults until he saw Lux cradling his head. “ Hey,you don’t look too hot.”

There was a terse pause in their conversation. Nox reached out for his brother but then pulled back like if his hand touched fire. Oh no, he knew this feeling well.

“ Nnngh, I think I’m turning,”  He heard Lux say as Prompto offered a supportive hand to his brother. The prince batted it away. “You should get away, Prompto.”

“Ha. Ha. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on….” Prompto jumped when the runes around them flared to life in an intense wash of light. There was a buzzing noise that accompanied it and Nox winced when the humming peaked to a white noise. Though, it appeared Lux was facing the brunt of the ailment. The blonde’s eyes blew up to large saucers as he saw Lux’s bones crack into a distorted configuration of shadows. He finished in a weak whisper, “...Me?”

" Lucis !" Gladiolus shouted.

Ignis was suddenly there, pulling Prompto out of the way of Lux’s claws.  The prince let out a roar, nostrils flaring and teeth bared. Gladiolus stepped protectively in front of Nox, who still appeared unaffected by whatever triggered Lux’s turning. A good decision by Gladio, as seconds later Lux was pushing against the man’s broadsword. Nox scrambled to his feet, brandishing Engine Blade, knowing it served no offensive purposes. When their gazes met, Noctis knew that his twin brother was trying to get to him. He felt it through their shared connection that Lux wouldn’t stop until Nox was by his side.

But why wasn’t this….affecting him?

“ I think it’s the ruins,” Noctis gasped in realization. “ The runes act against the unblessed.”

“ Then why didn’t you turn with him?”  Gladio asked through gritted teeth, fighting with all his strength to ensure Lux didn’t cause Nox’s own turning.

“ I think when he tripped, it only recognized him. Now he wants me to go all feral too,” Noctis answered. The prince bit his lip as he weighed his pros and cons of the next decision he was about to make.

Despite Gladio’s cries of protest Nox broke out into a sprint away from all the others. There was no point in getting anyone else harmed if he could keep up this game of cat and mouse until dawn. Lux immediately stopped his onslaught and went to give chase. Nox blocked each swipe of his twin’s claw, maneuvering out of the lock of Lux’s jaws by a hair’s breadth. It was easy to see who was winning. And Ignis, calculating as ever, threw a dagger into the feral twin, who roared out in pain. The brief lag in the battle gave Nox ample time to create a safe distance--a false sense of security as Lux leaped on top of him. The others cried out his name in unison, Gladiolus charging at full speed to knock off Lucis.

Lux’s eyes were fixated on him: one red, one blue. His fangs trailed the skin of his neck almost mockingly. The shield skidded to a stop when Noctis cried out but not without kicking Lucis off him. Nox was gripping his neck, blood trailing down from the bitemark.

Prompto’s gun hadn’t fired at all during this skirmish, the weapon trembled between his fingers where it remained, uncocked. They refocused on Lux who paced irritatingly in front of them, waiting. When Nox showed no sign of anything , his twin brother charged at him. This time Noctis was ready, throwing up Engine Blade to block his advances.

“ Looks like it doesn’t work here, huh?” Nox said. Lux looked like he wasn’t listening, and through their connection he realized his brother was trying to figure out what went wrong. “ Come on, Lux. Don’t you see this is a good thing, something here is not letting me turn!”

At that Lux only growled in response, attacking with more fervor. Nox was gaining the upperhand, kicking underneath his brother to knock him off balance. Gladiolus and Ignis gained traction as Lux slowly realized he was outmatched without his other half. Within moments Nox watched as his twin was subdued, making a futile attempt to twist out of the bigger man’s hold. After a few fruitless tugs Lux relaxed and let out a long, drawn out whine. 

Noctis and Prompto shared an exchange of confusion, marked by a shrug.

When the dust settled, Ignis had taken to mending their wounds. Nox winced when the disinfectant stung into the injury he received from Lux. Ignis swabbed up the excess liquid before winding the gauze snugly around his neck.

“ That should do it,” Ignis said, looking pleased with his handiwork. He then moved onto treating Gladio, who was more beat up than Noctis.

“ I guess we stake it out here until Lux returns to normal,” Gladio said before he gestured towards the tied up prince. Lux looked like a drowned cat, his entire body flattened against the stone to enunciate his agitation. His tail flicked wildly whenever Nox looked at him with a pained expression. Ignis caught Noctis’ wrist when he moved towards Lux. Nox yanked his hand away, sucking in his teeth.

“ C’mon Specs, you know food doesn’t taste good when you can’t share it.” At that, Ignis’ expression darkened. Noctis continued, “ Relax, I just want to comfort him.”

He tentatively released his hold on Noctis. Gladio warily eyed them from the distance, muscles coiled up, ready to intervene. Prompto seemed pointedly interested in his gun despite his expression implying the contrary. None of them understood like Noctis did, this wasn’t going to end up in bloodshed. Lucis’ tail thrashed against the ground as Noctis approached, teeth bared in a warning growl though both of them knew it was just bravado.

“ Stop being such a baby, I’m pretty sure this is why I’m the older one.” he said, running a hand through his brother’s hair. He heard his brother quiet down, and finally, Lux pressed into his hand as he continued to pet him melting into a purr. He summoned a dagger from his armiger. Gladio called out his name in warning but Noctis knew.

With a flick of his wrist, Lux’s bindings fell to the ground. Gladiolus was immediately on his feet but he stood his ground, unsure how the scene would unravel. But Lux did nothing, just cuddling up into Nox. Noctis flashed a triumph smile at them, Lucis falling fast asleep on his shoulder.

--

They had backtracked all the way to where the Lux triggered the magical mechanism and dug up some of its contents. With a steel pickaxe and a show of his muscles Gladio sparked a pipe, accidentally puncturing a hole so all its magical substance sprayed into the man’s face.  It didn’t affect Gladio one bit but Nox and Lux visibly recoiled, their eyes watering up.

“ Gah! It’s like someone went crazy on the pepper spray,” Nox cried, rubbing blindingly at his eyes.

“ Nox, you poke it.” Lux shoved him forward and Nox shot his brother a dirty look, rubbing his neck.

Gladio eyed them, obviously pressed with his movements with a pointed expression to not touch either of them when he was covered in the unknown substance. “ How about you don’t.”

Ignis shot out a hand to grab Nox by his jacket’s collar when the twin ignored the warning anyway. The twin drew back and curiously inspected his shadowy talons that showed no signs of spreading much to everyone’s relief.

“ Wow,” Lux said, propping his chin on Nox’s shoulder. “ So that’s what it looks like--look it’s changing!”

“ But why isn’t it doing anything else?”

Ignis snapped his fingers and everyone directed their attention to him, “ Where were you when Lux fell?”

After a few experimental pokes to ensure that any part of skin that was touched by his daemon-tinged appendage would not become apart of it, Noctis cupped his chin thoughtfully. Then his eyes widened and with the same hand he pointed to the circular plate on the ground, “ There, I think.”

When he set foot on the raised platform, it started to glow and the claws flaked off leaving behind neatly trimmed human nails. “ Specs,” he called out, the glow underneath catching the glint in his eyes as he turned to face the group. “ Think Cid can do anything about this?”

“ I think he certainly can.”

Chapter Text

Nyx had no idea how this all started, he just knew that Lux was hunched over a cowering guardsman. Crowe was already calling a code to ensure Nox was vacated out of the citadel, but they still couldn’t pin his location. Not good, Lux appeared to be in the final throes of his transformation yet he didn’t show the usual signs and symptoms of pain. His tail swished back and forth in a pleasant cadence that reflected the pure, utter bliss that was plastered all over his face. Something wasn’t right, Nyx did a doubletake to reassess the situation.

The guard was not dead.

He had his suspicions when the turned-prince focused solely on the glaive and flashed Nyx the toothiest grin ever, pupils blown up to wide, black discs. It seemed out of character that the twin was clean as a whistle, for a second he thought this may have been Nox . And when Lux trotted over and circled around him, his suspicions were confirmed.

“ Are you...” Lux pushed his forehead against Nyx’s hand, as if demanding pets. “...High?”

Lux got heavy, Nyx realized as the twin leaned his full weight onto the older man, sending him crashing to the ground. Lucis had his arms splayed on top of his chest, flexing his claws like how a cat would knead its paws. Sometimes, one of the tips of his fingers would hitch onto the fabric and the prince would awkwardly pull away with a strain of his palms.

The prince inched closer to Nyx’s face, purring so loud that he could feel the vibrations on his chest.

“ I love you this much,”Lux chuffed, nuzzling into him. And when Nyx asked, he answered,“ Nnn… someone gave me something.”

Nyx tentatively raised his hands to the sides of Lux’s face, pulling his cheeks back to reveal sharp canines. Nyx recognized the ashy residue of smoke masking a peculiar scent. The smell was similar, memories retraced back to the shared blunts he had with the guys way before he was an immigrant. And even in its familiarity, it was not quite .

“ Who ?” Nyx asked incredulously.

The only words that fell out Lux’s mouth stringed together by ecstatic delirium was, “ Puff, puff, pass.”

“ I can’t believe he’s letting you do this,” Libertus said. “ Any other situation you’d be dead.”

“ Scratch behind his ears!” Crowe whisper-shouted her advice a little too gleefully.

And in that moment the door clicked open to reveal the other prince of Lucis, who was not high as a kite. Noctis blinked sleepily, a few books jammed underneath his arm with Ignis in tow. And everyone realized in dawning horror that he should not have been here. So much for...standard protocol.

Before anyone could react, Lux was already on top his twin, chomping down. Nox stumbled out of his brother’s grasp like a drunken kitten, his own set of claws, fangs, and a smoky tail unfurling. Satisfied with his work Lux bounded back to Nyx, leaving behind Nox rubbing his cheek against the cool tile of the palace floor.

But midway through Lucis’ trek his attention flipped a complete one-eighty and suddenly he was on top of Gladiolus, who was still agape in silent terror.

“ Gladdy ,” Lux whined, “ I love you so much!”

“ I’ll go get the king,” Ignis quickly said as he backed out of the room.

Nyx watched, Crowe was there in a beat. She scratched behind Nox’s scaley ears, cooing something about ‘scritches’ and Nox seemed to adore it. He melted into her, looking like he would never let go.

“ You know, I planned on eating you,” Nyx heard the other prince say to Crowe. And then Noctis started to sob. “I’m sorry for ever thinking that.”

--

Through their expansive intel  did they discover the culprit to be none other than Prompto, who had smuggled in some sort of smokable herb called ‘the behemoth’s grass’. Nyx heard of it before and tried it himself when he was young and full of rebellion--noting that smoking such a thing would garner the same sort of high as smoking oregano. Upon further interrogation, the blonde squeaked out and confessed. The trio learned through the internet that the herb had a whole line of mythos of it being rumoured to be a daemon’s equivalent of catnip.

Chapter Text

During their roadtrip, Lux would sometimes indulge in his brother’s schemes. He wasn’t particularly famished but the snacks Noctis would offer had an almost pavlovian response to it. The bones and flesh gave a pleasing crunch , and while he would have been sated before, this little appetizer had him craving for more.

They were enjoying the sights and sounds of Lestallum, an enormous city that overlooked a beautiful view of the meteor--where the famed Archaean resided from the mythos. All of them went about their separate ways after Ignis painted some warding runes on the twins, as extra measure. To everyone else the twins showed no signs of turning.

But that was their little secret.

Nox particularly enjoyed the runes because they were so useless. Lux admired his brother’s geniusness, as he figured how to bypass them when they were both fourteen. Though being deceitful was a skill Lux struggled to master even now, and it was a huge relief to be out of Cor and Nyx’s sight because they would always have some sort of hint or hunch. Either way, the twins decided to play it safe and meet up when no one was watching.

Lux was always so impatient though.

Lux plucked off bits of flesh here and there from the body strewn out on the ground. He chewed with a carefully crafted expression of boredom. Nox was right--letting the hunger roll out like a slow burn made everything taste so much better. No wonder Noctis was such a picky eater.

A voice pulled him out his reverie when Prompto greeted him from the top of the stairs that lead into the alleyway. Lux scowled in annoyance but melted into a pleasant smile before he could notice of the carnage.

“ What are you doing here sulking, didn’t you get the text? Gladio wants to meet up for drinks soonish,” Prompto said, still none the wiser.

Despite the likelihood of Noctis being famished in comparison to Lucis. He was probably out stalking some prey with that glamour of his, using his charm as a captivating lure. On the other hand, he preferred to just take them out in a roil of fear. Lux stood in the shadows, while Prompto, still unaware descended towards him. His hair shone brightly in the fluorescent glow of the street lamps, bouncing with each carefree step. He only stopped when the blood that pooled on the ground spilled into the light and stained the soles of his shoes.

Lux pushed up Prompto up against the wall, not even letting the blonde get the chance to turn and run. “ You’re not going to tell on me are you?”

“ You know how Ignis doesn’t like it when you cry wolf, ” Lux growled. Prompto couldn’t even respond, the words came out in hitched mumbles between gasps for air. Lux loosened his hold on him but not enough for him to pull free. “ Are they both at the bar right now?”

Prompto nodded, pressing his eyes shut.

“ Good,” Lux said.

-

Prompto and Lux showed up an hour late, the prince rubbed the back of his head with a bashful smile when Gladiolus glared. “ Me and Prom got a little lost.”

They were both clean as before, donning new pairs of clothing. Gladiolus eyed Prompto but made nothing of it. Lux smelled of soap and lavender. He apologized to Ignis that some of the runes had cracked off while he was showering. Ignis dismissed any worry coming from the prince after seeing that most of the marks were intact and they had nothing to worry about.

And then Lux glanced over to Prompto and said, “ Right?”

Prompto nodded. “ Right.”

Chapter Text

Lux jumped down into the train cart. Gladiolus and Prompto where there to greet him, but by how their expressions dropped he knew they were waiting for another. “ Ardyn, he, I pushed Nox off the train.”

During the next train stop, right before the refuge Tenebrae offered, the group unanimously decided to camp out into the wilderness until Lux found his bouts. So now they were down one prince and the other practically losing his sanity over it.

As the train eased into a critchety stop, Lux leaped off onto the platform, speeding past the other passengers who decided to end their journey here as well. Lux felt sick to his stomach yet still, he pressed on. Hands were grabbing at him, trying to pull him back. He would twist out their lock only to stumble into another. He was losing himself fast and he needed to get out.

It was so hard to breath and he found himself leaning against wall of an alleyway. Infront of him, Gladio was supporting him. The words he said sounded like they were being drowned underwater, but they sounded urgent.

Someone else was near him...Ignis, right?

He suddenly felt overcrowded, like reality was bending and warping into itself. Gladio, he, he grabbed him and screamed something--and at that, Lux didn’t mean to, but he hissed in response.

And now they were gripping him harder and trying to tie him down. He couldn’t stop the panic bubbling up as he swiped at Gladio.

Lux pushed away and followed his instinct once more, searching for him. The others trailed close behind but he didn’t care. He wasn’t hungry for once.

He ran through the wildbrush. He ran, and ran,and ran. Finally he reached a clearing and peered up to the moonless night. Lux padded around in circles with his tail flicking behind him and he let out a single, strangled cry before he curled into himself.  

Whatever Ardyn did to Noctis....it fucked him up. He was no longer the conniving one, the sleepy one, the mastermind of all his and his twin brother's devilish schemes. Just a wild beast that stole Lux away from everyone else.

And when Lux came back with Nox shyly following, Gladiolus knew immediately something was wrong when Nox didn't return to being human.

“ Hey, whose side are you on!?” Prompto yelped, cradling his blossoming wound--a gash he received from a rather snarly Noctis.

Lux became the rag-tag interpreter of the group, seeing as he was Nox’s twin brother. After Nox finished a low rumble of a growl, Lux nodded sagely and interpreted, “ You were going to step on his tail.”

“ And that’s your warning?”Prompto cried.

Ignis assessed the laceration, measuring how much gauze he would need to appropriately cover over it. Nox then plucked his claws against his old sleeping bag before curling on top for a nice nap.

“ At least one thing didn’t change about him,” Gladiolus commented, stringing up some fish he caught earlier so Ignis could cook for later. Lucis shrugged, taking his own station next to Noctis with one of his brother’s old favorite novellas.

“ You were never one to read.” Gladiolus pointed out.

Lux remained fixated on the pages. “ Never too late to start.”

Ah.

Lux filled in the shoes of both his level headed brother, and the King quite adamantly, so Gladiolus didn’t bother as much. They were all following his lead--waiting for the signal, the change of plans, the call to action. And as one who shared a sibling himself, Gladio could understand why Lux was so pain-stakingly slow.

He watched as Nox peeled the book away from Lux’s grip, awkwardly holding the contents upside down. Lux laughed and whispered gentle instructions to him, pointing at lines in the passage. Nox curled his lip in confusion but seemed to follow-along.  

They were camping tonight in unfamiliar terrain, contested territory won by Niflheim during the war. Before Emperor Aldercapt begun annexing other countries this land probably went by some other title, but it burned to ashes long ago. Gladio could only go by the scarce texts about Tenebrae’s wilderness and hope there wasn’t too much diversity between here and there. And while scavenging for food, Gladio avoided any kind of look-alike herbs that had poisonous counterparts.

The one small fortune that Eos granted them was the havens found in enemy homelands.

A carcass of a boar was hoisted on a flimsy tether he managed to weave as the spoils of his hunt. Ignis sent him a grateful smile when he entered the campsite. It hadn’t been long since Nox returned to the group, but he was changed. The daemon manifestations that marked the unblessed were ever present now, never waning. But Gladio counted his stars, at least Nox wasn’t trying to kill them anymore. That damn Niff nearly broke Noctis, reducing him nothing to more than a wild beast. Though, if there were one thing Lucians were proud of, it was their unbreakable spirit. Lux would undoubtedly stand to the call to help his brother.  As shield to both of them, he knew they would make it out okay.

It didn’t go unnoticed that Lux was at his breaking point. Gladiolus could only hope that the worst was behind them. He sat near a snoring Noctis. And on the other end of the camp, Prompto was filing through his photos on his camera.

“ Afraid I couldn’t find much spices to flavor the meat, not taking any chances of poisoning us all,” he said.

“ Not to worry, I think you did more than enough,” Ignis responded. He inspected the meat, and with the help of Gladio they went to work on gutting the animal. Ignis’ finesse in knives came to the forefront, he sliced out the good cuts of meat with pinpoint precision.

Lux approached them when Ignis had deposited all the non-edible parts of the carcass into a bucket. Gladio watched as Lux’s gaze lingered a little too long, rubbing and working his jaw like it was sore.

“ Hey Iggy.” Lux clasped a hand on Ignis’ shoulder, who was in the process of washing off the blood from his hands in another bucket. Lux swallowed and looked away and that bothered Gladiolus a lot. “ Mind if you can cook my meal a little bloodier?”

“ Certainly, yes,” Ignis said with hesitation inching into his voice. The prince gave him a tired smile, a little too sharp, before returning back to his spot in a sleepy gait.

After they all ate, Gladiolus continued to observe Lux’s increasingly odd behavior. He was currently whittling a piece of wood down to a toothpick. Lucis then absentmindedly cut his palm, wincing when the blade bit into his skin. Instead of applying pressure, the  prince simply let the blood roll down his arm, staring at it as if he were in some sort of trance. Ignis stopped short of giving first aid and Gladiolus tensed up when Lux licked up the trail and sucked on his cut, eyes lolling back through a half-lidded gaze. The wound healed up too fast for Gladiolus liking, he saw Ignis immediately intervene when Lux aimed to taste more of his blood.

Snatching the blade from his hand, Ignis grabbed his other wrist. Noctis was immediately awake, growling a low warning at whatever was being done to Lucis. Prompto was also alerted, now attentive to commotion. There was a delay in Lux’s response but then it caught up to him.

With a fleeting apology, Lux pulled away and fled into his tent. Nox eyed the others dangerously, before padding off to join his brother.

Ignis pulled Lux to the side, safely behind cover. “ Your Majesty, if you would.”

Lux blinked, shaking his head as if he were shaking off stars. Then a bright red blush blossomed over his cheeks when it dawned upon him he was spacing out in the middle of a battle. Ignis pressed his palms against the prince’s cheeks, pulling them back to reveal Lux’s sharp canines. “ Are you turning?”

Lux slapped his hands away, more redder than before. “ No, I’m fine.”

“ Is it Nox?” Ignis pried.

And this time rather than bashful, Lux reacted more violently. “ Of course not, it’s not that.”

When they moved back into position, they were surprised to see Noctis had already dispatched their enemies. He was busy cleaning himself, licking the blood off his claws amongst the carnage. Lux groaned and leaned against his advisor, the scent filling the air too much for him.His twin brother grinned wide, an anchor for his swimming vision.

Hands were violently shaking his shoulders and with a piercing slap Lux snapped back to reality. Nox leapt on top of Gladiolus, the spikes along his spine bristled up to flames. He was in Prompto’s arms now, watching Noctis attempt to rip apart Gladio.

Lux looked down to inspect his fingers cracking into claws. And Prompto nearly screamed into his ear because of that. “ Come on, Lucis, we’re all counting on you!”

They were all counting on him.

Lux pushed down everything and screamed Nox’s name, who stopped his wild assault on Gladio with the utmost confusion. “ Everything’s okay. I’m okay. Don’t hurt him.”

Nox had already pinned the bigger man to the ground, and eyed him quizzically before returning his gaze back to Lux. He continued, “ He’s apart of our pack, remember?”

Noctis didn't quite understand the gesture of Lucis, who sat like a crumpled heap, sobbing. He just knew his brother was hurting.

" Remember? "