A/N: Well, it's been a while. Sorry bout that. This is a joint birthday (Noctis - 30th August) and Father's Day (Australia - 3rd September) fic that is just a little late. I hope you like it!

"Happy birthday son."

Noctis stared at the pristinely wrapped present laid on the table before him. It was large and rectangular in shape and covered in stunning black paper embossed with the silver skull that was the Caelum Royal crest.

Today was the prince's sixteenth birthday and even though there was to be an official celebratory gathering later that night, his father had requested that he would like to give Noct his present in private – just the two of them.

No matter what the present was, Noct already thought he had the best birthday gift already. Between his father's health deteriorating, royal duties and high school, Noct barely got to spend any time with his dad any more. But today, Regis had set aside five hours so they could have a nice lunch and just spend some time together.

Lunch had been perfect. Every dish had been one of Noctis' favourites (he had a feeling Ignis had been behind at least half of them) and to make it better, there were no vegetables in sight! Regis had even been lenient enough to let Noct have some wine with lunch, something normally only allowed for the formal occasions.

Now the table had been cleared and a large, wrapped box had replaced the food.

"Wow, Dad… this is… a rather large present."

Regis chuckled at his son's slightly baffled expression. Yes it was slightly larger than anything Noct had ever received from him before, but this was a special birthday and this particular present was a family tradition.

"Well go on then. Open it!"

The prince didn't need any more encouraging. Leaning over, Noct started to pry away the tape holding the wrapping together. After a few seconds of tugging, he was able to peel away the paper to reveal a wooden box, stained almost black.

The box was at least five feet long and was decorated with intricate silver designs along the sides and bottom half of the lid. Two latches on the side told Noctis where to open it. At the top, the words Happy Birthday Noctis were inscribed in an ornate silver font and below that, the Caelum family crest had been placed.

It was an absolutely gorgeous piece of work and Noctis had to swallow back the slight nervousness that had jumped up his throat as he reached out to open it. He flicked the latches open and glanced up to his dad, only to see him watching with a small smile on his face and… were those tears in his eyes?

The lid opened with a creak and he pushed it up until it caught on the metal rods that would lock it in place

Noctis got his first look at what lay in the box. The air rushed out of his lungs as he gaped in awe, his mouth hanging open slightly.

It had to be one of the most stunning swords he had ever seen.

Lying on a bed of black satin, the silver sword gleamed under the lighting in the room. It was almost the length of the box, the blade silver with a cut of black slashing down the middle, tapering off to a point.

The hilt however…

Noct had seen some of the old Insomnian technology in the Citadel's history books and photos and this looked like it had come straight off the pages. The mechanical aspects to the hilt were a stark contrast to the sleek lines of the blade, but for some reason, it just seemed to work.

"Dad..." he breathed out, still staring in awe at the sword before him. "This… I… I don't know what to say."

"It is a Caelum family tradition to receive your very own weapon on your sixteenth birthday. I do hope you like it?"

Was that a hint of nervousness in his father's voice? He gave his dad a small smile before glancing back down at the sword. It looked expensive. He didn't even want to think about how much it would have cost. It couldn't have been easy to find either.

"Dad, I love it. Where would you have even found something like this?"

Regis stepped around the table to stand by his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't find it anywhere. I had this designed and made for you."

His dad had what? Eyes flicking back to the sword (he couldn't seem to keep his eyes off it), he looked at it in a whole new light. It was custom made? Just for him?

Of all the gifts he had received been given in his life, the most precious one had been from his father. He had been given a Carbuncle statuette whilst he had been in coma, recovering from the Marilith attack. He still had it to this day.

But now there was this sword. The fact that his father had designed it himself, instead of buying it off a shelf meant so much more to Noct than his father could ever know.

Brushing his fingers over the intricate mechanical aspects of the hilt, Noctis itched to hold the sword; his sword.

"As a part of this gift, I have asked both Cor and Clarus to clear their duties for one afternoon a week to teach you how to wield the blade properly."

Noct almost felt read to burst with happiness. He was pretty suer that if he smiled any wider, his face would split. So far, all of his training had been with Gladio or Ignis and even though they were both excellent teachers, nothing compared to Clarus Amicitia, the King's Shield. Plus, what teenage boy didn't want private lessons with Cor the Immortal!

"Now Noctis," Regis said, smiling fondly down at his son. "This sword comes bestowed with a name already. It is called the Engine Blade and has been designed and forged in such a way that one day it may be upgraded to increase it's power. There are a few in Insomnia who have the tools and knowledge to do so and one other in a small town in Leide, should you ever be out that way."

"The Engine Blade..." Noctis murmured. "Thanks so much, Dad. I will do my best to make sure I am worthy of such a weapon."

"You always have been and always will be, worthy of this blade, my son."

Noct let his fingers trail down the silver and black blade of the sword before turning to his father and wrapping his arms around him in a tight embrace.

Regis let himself fall into the hug, winding his arms around his son and pulling him in closer. He breathed in deeply, letting the smell of Noctis' shampoo and cologne invade his senses. It wasn't long ago that his son was small enough to be carried around and wished for hugs every few hours.

Now Noctis was growing up and Regis didn't know how much time they had left together. He made a promise to himself that he would take advantage of every moment with his son that he could.

Looking over Noct's shoulder at the Engine Blade, Regis just hoped that it would serve his son well and protect him long after he could not.

"Happy birthday Noctis. I love you so much. Never forget that."

And if the tears finally fell, neither one of them mentioned it.

"I love you too, Dad."

A/N: Where did that angst come from? Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. Thanks so much for reading. Please let me know what you thought!

Also, for those waiting on the next Insomniac Dreams chapter - it's ALMOST DONE! Yay!