So, I've always had this theory about the carnival, and then I thought… why not use it for a fic?

Entry for Noct/Luna week (Day 2) for the Cult of Noctis FB group.

The moment Noctis opened his eyes, he knew everything was wrong. It was hard not to when the sunny streets of Altissia were staring back at him instead of the colorful void of the crystal.

This couldn't be right. It hadn't been long enough.

"What the hell is this place?" he muttered. Every inch of the city was decked with flags of moogles or chocobos, plushy moogles or chocobos, mascots of moogles or chocobos, and… actual chocobos. If it weren't for the water, the city would have barely been recognizable.

Chirp.

Noctis startled, turning around to find a familiar face. Carbuncle? He pulled out his phone, glance at the message there. "You again." He knelt down to be closer to the creature's height. "Well?"

Chirp.

Noctis glanced at his phone again. Moogle Chocobo Carnival, huh? He never would have guessed. But that didn't answer his questions. Nor would Carbuncle answer his questions at all.

Not that, you know, visiting the "annual celebration of everyone's favorite fluffy and feathery friends" wasn't great and all, but no matter how much he tried to pester the little creature, he was given no true answers as to why he was here. Carbuncle just seemed insistent that Noctis enjoy the Altissian carnival. A carnival? In this city? So soon after the recent disaster? What were they thinking? Better yet, how was the city in such good condition? Had it actually been longer than he realized?

Noctis stuffed one finger in his ear, trying to limit the noise of everything around him as he hit the speed dial for Ignis' number. It rang once. Then twice. Then again. And again.

"Come on, Ignis," Noctis grumbled. That wasn't like Ignis at all. He almost always picked up before the second ring. Unless his sight was slowing him down, or– wait, why was it still ringing? Shouldn't it have gone to voicemail by now?

Noctis hung up, moving to try and find a quieter area. He could barely think with all the chatter around him. He called Gladio as he walked. Then Prompto. Same thing as with Ignis: just endless ringing.

Noctis huffed in frustration, plopping into a chair in the corner of a less-busy little cafe of sorts that had been at the bottom of some stairs. Absently, he noted that this was where they'd met that shady dealer who sold them stuff for those Oracle Ascension Coins, but he didn't see the guy around at the moment. Probably found a darker hole to lurk in since the city was so happy with moogles and chocobos.

"Just order when you're ready, sir!" called the barista.

Noctis gave her a grunt of acknowledgement and tried to call Ignis one more time. Nothing. That wasn't normal, was it?

Chirp.

Noctis shot a glare at the adorable creature sitting beside his chair. He didn't want to enjoy the carnival. He wanted to figure out what the hell was going on. His phone for some reason wasn't even giving him the date. Well, the barista would know. He could start there.

He pushed out of his chair, heading for the bar. "Excuse me, but would you happen to know the– Coctura?"

Noctis blinked, making sure he wasn't seeing things. It was really her, here in Altissia.

She smiled broadly at him. "Welcome back!"

"Back?" They'd never met here before. Or… did she know he was gone in the crystal? "Yeah, hey, do you what the date is?"

She kept smiling. "That the best pickup line you got?"

"Huh?" Was she messing around, repeating the words from their first meeting as a joke? "Look, Coctura, this is kind of important–"

"You sure I can't get you anything? We use the freshest fish in every dish!"

Noctis scowled. "What is wrong with you?" She seemed so… unnatural. Her eyes were weirdly blank.

She did nothing but keep smiling at him, which was, frankly, creepy as hell. Noctis stepped away from the counter, looking around. Surely somebody around here knew the date. Wait, was that… it was. That guy who had always paid them well for Prompto's photos was over by the Justice Monsters Five machines.

Both he and Coctura here, randomly running into him in the same place when neither of them should have been in the city to begin with? That… could not be a coincidence.

Noctis faced Coctura again, fists clenched at his sides. "Tell me what's going on. Now."

"We use the freshest fish in every dish–"

"Answer me!"

"She can't help you, Noctis."

Noctis' anger drained along with all the blood in his face. He almost didn't dare turn around, but he had to know if she was really there.

And she was. Luna stood as the picture of elegance on the stairs, dressed in a short white dress and heels, fingers lightly grasping the railing.

Noctis swallowed, connecting the dots. "…None of this is real, is it?"

She shook her head sadly.

"…I'm still inside the crystal, aren't I?"

A nod.

"No…" Noctis shook his head, tears pooling in his eyes but not yet falling. "This isn't fair." His breathing hitched, and he took a step back, shouting at the ceiling, "What the hell else do you want from me? I'll be your damn sacrificial lamb, okay? What more do you want?"

"Noctis…" Luna moved towards him. "They know you're set on your path. That's why they've done this for you…"

Noctis reached out, stopping just short of touching her face. His voice barely came out, a cracked whisper all he could manage. "This is cruel."

"No." Luna smiled, her own eyes watering as she placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his cheek. "It is a gift."

His eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into her touch, so warm and real feeling that he could almost believe this was truly happening. "…A gift?"

She chuckled. "Of course. Don't you know what day it is?"

"No…"

Her thumb traced his cheekbone, coaxing his eyes open. "It's the thirtieth of August."

"My birthday?" Noctis choked on a bitter laugh. "The Astrals care about my birthday?"

"Not really." She laughed too, and Noctis wanted to hear that sound a million more times. She'd never laughed in the speeches he'd heard. "But they know what they're asking you. What you've given and are to give to fix their mistakes. This is… the closest they can come to recompense."

"And what is… this?" He gently laid a hand on her back.

She brushed some of his hair away from his eyes. "A chance to see you once more… but this time for a little more than a moment."

Noctis could feel his heart cracking all over again as she echoed the words she'd spoken when he lost her. "…And how long do we have this time?"

Her fingers traced from his temple to his jaw. "Until the fireworks stop."

Noctis nodded, thinking over the posters he'd seen on the way there. "Then I'm getting you the best seat they've got for those fireworks."

"Oh?" Her eyebrow quirked upwards playfully. "That's going to be quite a bit of work. Are you certain you're up to undertaking such a challenge?"

"If you'll undertake it with me." He grinned, stepping back and straightening his posture before extending his arm out to her. "My lady, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the carnival?" he asked in his best Ignis impression.

She smothered a giggle and curtsied dramatically. "Of course, good sir. It would my my pleasure!"

Chirp.

Carbuncle stared expectantly at the two of them, nose twitching.

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Yeah, of course you can come too."

—

He'd never had a day filled with so much laughter. She laughed at his horrible attempt to dance when a woman in a moogle suit forced him into it. He laughed as she chased a fake cactuar around the battle arena with a balloon trident. They both laughed at each other when the escaped baby chocobo they were chasing ended up tripping them both into the canal. He helped her learn the basics of fishing. She helped him decipher the word-puzzle instructions to a set of decorations. He told her stories about the familiar faces they passed, like Dino and Sonia. She told him about her journey from Insomnia to Altissia. They took turns snapping pictures for the photo hunt challenges.

In the end, they had enough medals to get the top prize before dusk. He used his extra medals to get her a chocobo doll. She used hers to get him a ridiculous hat that he promptly put on before sitting next to her on the fishing dock so they could watch the sunset together while they ate cake.

"How is it that Ignis' food tastes better than this imaginary cake? Like, is Ignis actually so good that even the Astrals can't improve on his skills?"

Luna cocked her head thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's because this is mostly formed from your mind? If you have an image of nothing beating the taste of his food in place, maybe it was applied to this world?"

"Hm," Noct agreed around a mouthful of cake. "That would make more sense."

Luna's smiled faded a bit as the last of the sun slipped out of sight. "…The fireworks will start soon. We should go make use of our hard-earned vouchers."

"Yeah…" Noctis set his plate aside, ignoring the look from Carbuncle. Who cared about trash in a world that wasn't real? "Guess we should get going…"

It really was worth all the trouble. Seeing the night city from their little boat as they headed out into the dark yet comforting water. Noct took his hat off to get the full view and scooted closer to Luna. As the fireworks began, he moved even closer, draping his arm around her shoulders. The fireworks were great, but his dread was too smothering for him to enjoy them.

This was it.

He blinked into the breeze. Dammit, he was not going to start crying again.

"Will I… see you again?" he whispered so lowly it would have been inaudible had his lips not been so close to her ear.

"Yes." She put a hand on his chest, pushing him back only far enough to look him in the eye. "Just not in this life."

He closed his eyes for a moment. Right. "But you'll be there? When I'm… done?"

She was fighting her own tears again now. "I'll be waiting for you."

That was all he needed to know. He smiled at her. "Then I guess I can do it. I won't let you down."

He childhood words made her tears fully spill over. "I know you won't."

Chirp.

Noctis didn't even have to look at Carbuncle to know what the creature wanted. That was a warning. The fireworks were ending.

Noctis sucked in a shaky breath, placing both hands on either side of her face as he broke his inward promise to himself not to cry again. "Luna, I–"

"I know." She placed one of her hands over his right one, over the Ring of the Lucii that he was still wearing.

He surged forwards, pressing his lips to hers desperately.

All noise faded. The fireworks. The people ashore. The sea.

When he opened his eyes, she was all that remained. And then she was gone too, vanishing from underneath his fingertips like paper being pulled away by a gentle breeze.

He was alone once more. In the void.

Well… maybe not totally alone.

"Thank you," he sobbed softly. "Thank you…"

One day. One birthday. Maybe it was all they would get in this life, but it was enough.

She was always more than enough.

*sniff* Happy birthday, Noct.