Chapter 1: Secrets to Protect

Leaves from nearby trees gently swayed along with the mellow breeze that caressed Lightning's cheeks. The clouds drifted idly by obscuring the sunlight from time to time. It was a great day to be outdoors.

"What do you want for dinner tonight?"

A soothing voice crooned inside of Lightning's head. "Hum… surprise me." Was her default answer as she laced up her boots that morning.

"Light look out!"

"Urk!" Lightning leapt from under fallen debris to take alternative cover from a fireball lobbed in her direction. A thundering crack resounded shattering the scenery's peace as one tree burst into flame.

"Hum… surprise me."

"You say that now, but you'll probably change your tone when you see a plate of gysahl greens on the table when you get home."

"Is that your idea of a joke? Cause I'm not laughing."

"She really said that? Haha! Boy did you tick her off."

"I don't need a reminder Gladio."

"Duck!"

"Oof!" Noctis narrowly escaped a wide horizontal slash from Gladiolus as the two friends continued their sparring session. "Way to hold back."

"Gotta keep the future king on his toes!" The stalwart, young man boasted as he adjusted the cap on his head.

"Yeah yeah…" Noctis murmured halfheartedly.

Boom! Another fireball collided against the pavement around Lightning's vicinity sending bits of metal and rock flying against trees and air bikes. "Someone cover me!" She shouted as she vaulted over a ruined air bike and brandished her gunblade.

"Farron! Get back here!" A strict voice commanded.

"Well then… you're gonna have to be more specific with your request then."

"…I'll tell you during lunch. I have to think about it."

Lightning slashed through a flanbanero causing it to lose its form and slop down into a puddle of orange-red before it could launch another fireball. 'Pasta...? Maybe fish.'

"What do you think she'd want? Pasta? Maybe… fish." Noctis absentmindedly paced back and forth as he tapped the blade of his wooden sword on the ground.

"Pay attention!" Gladiolus barked as he swept his massive sword against the back of Noctis's legs tripping him instantly.

"Ugh…" Noctis groaned as he felt the ringing in his head as he rolled over on the grass.

"C'mon future king, you gotta get your act together." Gladiolus hoisted the other man to his feet. "Keep distractions outta your head when you're in combat."

Noctis sighed and rested his sword on his shoulder. "Yeah yeah…"

Just then the sound of rapid footsteps against pavement caught the duo's attention. "Noct! Gladdy! Time for lunch!" A young woman with short brown hair chirped with a bright smile on her face.

"Aww yeah! Let's go Noct!" Gladiolus said as he ran into the house.

Noctis chuckled at the man's childlike reaction and followed suite. "Thanks Iris." He said with a warm smile as he ruffled the young woman's hair.

She smiled and skipped alongside the man. "Be sure to wash up." She told both the men. "You guys are all dirty from playing in the yard."

"We were not playing." Gladiolus managed to say through a mouth full of cutlet sandwiches. "it's training."

"What do you think that was Cadet Farron? A training exercise?!"

"No sir I just—"

"Disobeyed a direct order from a member of the Glaive!"

Lightning continued to eat her meal as she scooped some mashed potatoes into her spoon.

"Look at me when spoken to!" A man shouted as he slammed his hands on the table.

Lightning stared daggers at the one scolding her. He had a fair build and short brown hair with an eye color to match. "Don't get so full of yourself Tredd."

"That's Glaive Furia to you cadet."

"I can easily take you out in a training exercise."

"What was that?!"

The young man sitting next to Lightning quickly sprang up with his hands out forwards. "H-Hey, let's all calm down alright? Glaive Furia, with all due respect, though Cadet Farron's actions were unwarranted she did save several civilians and Cadet's Oerba Dia, Villiers and myself." He looked over to his right to a woman with bright red hair pulled into pigtails who nodded in agreement.

Tredd's scowl shifted from Lightning to the young man with platinum blond hair. "Shut it Estheim."

Just then another man, one taller and bulkier with blond hair stood up. "Hey, Hope is right. Light saved us. Let it go Tredd."

"You cadets have no respect do you? Speak only when your spoken to Villiers! I outrank you!"

"I'm free to talk then right?" A dark haired man voiced as he pushed off a wall he was leaning on. "Quit picking on the cadets Tredd. They did good. I didn't see you out there taking initiative."

"What was that Nyx?"

"Alright, that's enough." A prominent voice echoed through the hall as the sound of heavy, armored footsteps soon followed.

The presence of the knight that had just entered the mess hall caused everyone to cease their actions causing idle chit chat to hush and silverware to clink against plates. Everyone stood up straight for a salute. "Sir Titus." They all said in unison.

"At ease." The knight said as he scanned the room. "Farron, in my office. Now."

"Sir!" Lightning annunciated clearly before muttering a "Just perfect…" Under her breath.

"Noct, you have to leave the fish alone else the skin will never crisp up."

"Ignis, I know, but it might burn!"

"You said you wanted to cook Lightning dinner, but you've hardly gained a grasp of the basics."

"Ya know… this kind of advice isn't that helpful Ignis."

Noctis had been spending the better part of dusk preparing the seafood pasta he had formulated in his head early on in the day with trial and error. He had gone to Ignis for advice since he was the chef amongst his friends but found preparing a proper meal to be more than just boiling water and adding noodles into a pot. At first he thought he could tackle the task on his own, but the burnt remains of his first attempt said otherwise as the pan sat smoldering in the sink.

"Alright, let's try this again Noct." Ignis opened up the cookbook and adjusted his glasses. "First heat the pan up then—"

"Then add the cooking oil and when it starts to smoke add the fish skin side down first. I got it."

"Correct. And make sure you season it."

The lesson lasted about an hour–double the time it would usually take–but Noctis finally produced something he was satisfied with. A simple pasta with fish, veggies and cream sauce. The clock read "18:15" when Noctis ushered Ignis out the door of his apartment and set the dining table in preparation for his girlfriend.

Noctis surveyed the area to make sure everything was in its proper place. His apartment used to be a mess much to Ignis's dismay, however he took up the habit of cleaning after Lightning moved in together with him.

He crossed his arms as he stared at the countertop littered with bits of basil, salt, and pasta and sighed. He tore a sheet of a paper towel off its roll and dabbed it with some water before wiping down the surface revealing its light, gray marble top. "Practice makes perfect." He murmured softly before crushing and chucking the paper towel into the trash bin. He then turned his attention to the pots and set the heat to low to keep the food warm knowing Lightning would be home soon.

Feeling slightly exhausted from the new culinary feat he accomplished, Noctis went over to the living room and flipped the tv on and decided to continue finishing up the homework assignment he started during his lunch break at Gladiolus's house. His work materials were sprawled out across the coffee table (and floor). He was halfway through reading a passage about the history of Altissia when he heard the jamming of a key in the doorknob followed by its slightly squeaky turn. "I'm home." Lightning said sounding exhausted.

Noctis rose from the couch and approached the entrance of the apartment. "Hey now, that doesn't sound too enthusiastic." Noctis mocked as he leaned against the wall. "Welcome back. Rough day at work?"

Lightning sighed and dropped her backpack onto the floor as she undid her boots, "You don't know the half of it."

Noctis gave her a small smile, "Why don't you fill me in while we eat?"

"Sounds good. But first I need a quick bite of dessert to cheer me up."

"Hm?" Noctis felt a sharp tug on his collar as Lightning gave him a quick peck on the lips. His cheeks burned a vivid red causing Lightning to laugh.

"Is that all it takes to make you blush?" She gave him an alluring smile. "Too easy." She said coolly as Noctis shook his head to regain composure.

'Way to keep your cool.' Noctis groaned as he led his girlfriend into the kitchen. Lightning quickly made a beeline for the stove and took the lid off a pot revealing a creamy, white sauce dotted with bits of basil and black pepper. She took a spoon out from one of the drawers and eagerly dipped it into the mixture to sample it. "Let's see… salt, pepper, cream of course…" She smacked her lips. "Basil, hint of lemon?"

Noctis raised his brow looking very amused as he fetched one of the plates from the dining table and filled it with pasta, fish and sauce. "That's right." He then handed her the plate. "Tadaaa. Seafood-ish pasta. Straight from the cookbook."

Lightning eyed the dish curiously and crossed her arms. "Huh… you know to be honest… I wasn't expecting much. So this is quite the uplifting surprise."

"Gee thanks. Well don't just stand there." Noctis handed Lightning a fork. "Dig in."

The pair took their meal to the couch clearing the coffee table of Noctis's study materials, found a movie playing on tv and settled in before starting. Lightning felt relieved to be off her feet and onto the soft cushions of the couch. Her first bite of dinner was a pleasant array of tender, flaky fish, crisp vegetables and slightly al dente pasta. "Mm~" She hummed with satisfaction.

'Whew… it only took like seven tries.' Noctis breathed a sigh of relief and stole a bite from Lightning's fork which caused her to jab him in the sides. The two continued their meal whilst making commentary on the movie playing and recapped their days to one another.

"So then the boss said, 'I'm docking your pay for today.'"

"What?! Just because you got into a small argument with your customer? What kind of retail job is that?"

Lightning shrugged, "Well you know, the customer is always right and all that…"

"Well not if it's a matter of their safety! What an idiot boss."

Lightning laughed, "It's no big deal. I'll show them eventually when I get the promotion." She grabbed a glass of water and took a sip. "So how was class?"

"That Furia! How could he treat you like that?!" A sharp voice pierced through the phone line causing Lightning to pull the device away from her ear.

"Keep it down Serah! Even through the phone yelling like that can still be picked up you know."

"Oh, sorry! What's he doing now?"

"Hm? Oh… uhh well he's taking a bath…"

"Oh~?"

"Shut up Serah." Lightning could easily tell when her sister was mocking her even with just the sound of her voice to go off of.

"I take it you didn't tell him your real job is becoming a bodyguard to the king then?"

"It's… complicated. I just…" Lightning stared at the ceiling from her resting position on the couch. "Don't want him to worry. It's one of his flaws and reasons why I'm attracted to him. He cares too much. Ever since he lost his mother. We can relate you know."

There was a slight pause over the phone before her sister responded. "Yeah. But I still think you should tell him Light. Honesty is the best policy in a relationship."

"Well yeah, but I'm doing this cause I care. Guess you can mark me with the same flaw."

As Lightning continued her conversation with her sister the door to the restroom swung open expelling a puff of steam as a shirtless Noctis emerged from the room drying his damp locks with a midnight blue towel. He looked up at Lightning with innocence who gave him a smirk.

"Oh! Side note, he actually cooked dinner today. I couldn't believe it either… No he burned something… He forgot to clean the pan before I came home so I found out, plus the smell still lingered. It was a good effort though."

Noctis rolled his eyes and walked to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of water. "Better than the raw steak she tried to cook last week." He shouted over the counter so that Serah could hear.

Lightning narrowed her gaze. "Cooking temperatures can be tricky you know." She caught Noctis laugh before he drank his water. "Anyways Serah that's the gist of it. My turn for the restroom. Right… yeah… and keep Snow in check alright? See you later… yeah love you too little sis." Lightning clicked her cell phone off and stuffed it in her pocket before pushing herself up from the couch. She made her way towards Noctis's and her room and got a fresh pair of clothes before stepping into the restroom. "By the way you got number five wrong!" Referring to her boyfriend's homework before shutting the door to start her shower.

"So, I take it she doesn't know you're the prince yet Noct?"

"Does this have to be a thing every time we talk through the phone Prompto?"

"Hey, just saying, it's not that good to keep secrets."

Noctis rolled his eyes and erased his answer next to the "#5" on his assignment sheet recalling the countless times Prompto gave him the same words of advice. "You already know what I'm going to say."

The prince heard a sigh on the other end of the phone. "Yeah yeah, it's for her protection. You don't want her involved in kingdom troubles and want her to live a normal relationship. Blah blah, but c'mon Noct! You're gonna be king one day. She's gonna know sooner or lat—"

"Can we not talk about king nonsense right now?" Noctis rubbed his temples momentarily dwelling on his burden of responsibility. "I've got enough on my plate as is."

"Right… sorry."

Noctis shook his head. "Never mind. By the way, what did you get for number five?"

"Huh..? Oh uhh let's see… 'What's the large beast that roams the Duscaen Landscape on its own. List part of its diet, its color, size and hostility level in your answer.' I put garula."

"See that was my answer too! Light says I'm wrong." Noctis explained as he flipped through the pages of his textbook. "What else could it be? Saberclaws and Sabertusks travel in packs. Some Mesmenirs travel solo but I wouldn't exactly classify them as 'large beast.'"

"Should we just call Ignis so we can move on to the next question?"

Noctis pondered the suggestion for a few seconds until refusing. "Nah, he helped me enough today as is with dinner."

"Helped you not me." Prompto replied smugly.

"The answer has to be here somewh—aha! Prompto, page 115 the passage at the bottom right."

Noctis flipped through his textbook pages furiously momentarily skipping the designated page in his frenzy, "One fifteen… one fifteen let's see— A behemoth?!"

Noctis quickly grabbed his pen and scribbled the answer down furiously. "For such a large beast they sure gave it a small passage."

"I'll say." Prompto said with a chuckle

After switching his phone to speaker, the prince continued to run through his assignment with his friend until he heard Lightning step out of the restroom. He managed to catch a glimpse of her attire while she dried her hair—a dark tank top and dark grey shorts. Her favorite rose colored knit sweater was draped over her shoulder, most likely to be used after her hair was done.

Lightning made her way towards the couch as she dried her hair and leapt over it with grace and plopped down on the cushions. She threw her sweater on the armrest and let her towel fall to her shoulders as she rested her head against Noctis's shoulder. "I see you found the answer."

The fresh aroma of strawberries and rose petals wafting from Lightning's hair gave Noctis a sense of peace. "Ironic that they decided to give it such a small section in the textbook. It was like an annotation rather than a passage."

Lightning fell on her back lying her head on the armrest and placed her legs atop Noctis's lap as she turned her head towards the tv. "Guess they wanted to keep it a secret." She closed her eyes and mimicked a reporter on television as she said, "Feast your eyes on the beauty and splendor of the Duscaen Landscape! And… oh we have behemoths too."

Noctis laughed, "Right, but as Prompto says, honesty is the best policy."

End Chapter:

Hey everyone, it's been a while but here's a new fic with some familiar characters. Love to hear people's input! Here's to the new year!