Water Under the Bridge
Epilogue

"What do you say?" the woman nudged her son, no older than 6 or 7 years old.

The little boy, unruly jet-black hair and a scowl on his face, muttered and pushed the food around on his plate. "I don't like this."

The woman turned to Ignis, a red flush spreading across her cheeks. "I'm sorry. He's still in the whole 'vegetables are disgusting' phase. Please, don't take offense. It's not your cooking at all," she apologized.

Ignis gave her a soft smile. "That's quite alright. I knew a young man once who abhorred vegetables as well. One day, I'm confident that your son will come to appreciate them. In the meantime," Ignis brought a platter of macaroni and cheese from behind his back and placed it on the table, almost directly in front of the young boy, "the young man I looked after also very much enjoyed the occasional plate of macaroni and cheese. Maybe you'll find it delicious as well?"

The boy's eyes lit up and he looked to his mother for permission to dig in, to which she nodded discreetly. Almost immediately, the boy shoveled the food in his mouth and the mother laughed. She looked up at Ignis and placed a hand on his forearm. "No wonder people flock all over to your restaurant. You always know just what everyone wants, don't you?"

"I appreciate the compliment," Ignis smiled in returned toward her direction. "Please enjoy your lunch."

With a bow, his now shoulder-length hair slightly covering his face as he did so, he gave the pair one last grin before turning on his heels and walking back inside. As he crossed the restaurant's interior, he passed by the bar where Aranea sat, tapping a little girl on the shoulder. She looked a lot like Aranea—from her silver hair, sharper jawline, all the way down to the very facial expressions that Aranea was known for. Except for her eyes; her eyes resembled Ignis'—cat-like and green, as his were before his injury. Always sharp, alert, and attentive to every minute detail.

"Sit down, Sage. It's a safety hazard to stand in your seat."

Sage looked wildly to her mom. Aranea smirked and pressed gently on Sage's shoulder. "You heard your father."

"But . . . how does he know?" the child whispered, intrigued.

"Years of practice," Ignis responded as he rounded the end of the bar to stand in front of them. "Now, please sit down before you fall over and hurt yourself. I don't want to have to take you to the hospital today if you don't mind." Sage pouted, finally relenting and sitting properly in her seat.

Ignis smirked, running a hand through his hair while he fell into his own thoughts.

Today was the anniversary.

Five years.

It had been five years since Noctis' departure. Since daylight returned to Eos. Since the end of Ardyn. Ever since that day, life flourished and thrived. It was quite a different world than everyone was used to, but that wasn't to say that it was unwelcome.

Plenty of citizens remained in Lestallum, having already made a life in the city. They didn't want to uproot everything to start over, which was understandable. Instead, the upper echelon of people—Cor, Gladio, Prompto, Ignis, Aranea, Iris, and Talcott—returned to Insomnia to rebuild once more. Biggs and Wedge parted from the group, citing that they were ready to return to Niflheim. A handful of people joined them there as well. Aranea kept in contact with them over the years, continuing to receive letters and updates from their side of the world.

Cor agreed to manage everything during the reconstruction process, but after that, he warned, he was done. He was tired of running a city and wanted a break. Just as he said, after the Citadel was restored to its former glory and a good chunk of the city was repaired, Cor was content to sit back, allowing Gladio and Ignis to take the reins for a bit. Iris and Talcott helped a lot as well.

Once Insomnia was on its way to a full recovery, Prompto told everyone that it was too hard to remain in the city. He left, settling in with Cindy—purely as friends, but Prompto was content with that at this point—at Hammerhead. He was a hollowed version of his former self, the life and light in his eyes merely dimmed to a shadow of what they once were. At least in Hammerhead, it was easy for him to stay busy, helping with the maintenance and upkeep of vehicles and various machinery.

Gladio and Roseline, the bartender from Lestallum, moved into a suite in the Citadel, down the sweeping halls from Cor's wing of the building. They put off having children at first, reasoning that the world, and Insomnia, needed Gladio's full attention for the time being. Once that was taken care of, they started a family—two rowdy and raucous twin boys to complete their brood.

Ignis and Aranea had their daughter two short months after the sun first rose. A few days before her birth, they had a small ceremony to exchange wedding bands and solemn vows with Gladio and Prompto in attendance. It was more a formality between them than anything. Still, it was simple and quiet—exactly what they wanted. Together, with baby Sage, they moved into their residence on the other side of the Citadel.

The time after Noctis' death left Ignis in a strange state. It was a roller coaster—one minute ok, the next minute bitter and wrought with emotions. Aranea worked with him to pull him from the throes of depression. Gradually, Ignis went days without being angry and the long, dark moments of paralyzing grief became few and far between. It stopped being a sharp pain and turned into a dull ache in the pit of his heart, one that would never truly heal. Having Sage in his arms, hearing her babbles and cooing in the middle of the nights, helped a lot. It was hard to be anything but at ease when she laughed up at him, reaching for his tinted glasses and ripping them from his face while Aranea watched quietly from the nursery doorway, unnoticed.

Eventually, Aranea persuaded him to follow through with Noctis' dying wish in opening his own restaurant. Ignis tried to come up with every reason why it wouldn't work: Who would frequent an establishment run by a blind man? How could he ensure that he was attentive to all the customers without the use of his sight? What if no one appreciated his food and this was all an epic fail?

Excuses. That's all they were. He soon caved and scouted out a small, hole-in-the-wall joint that would be perfect for what he had in mind. With some time, elbow grease, and the help of Aranea, Gladio, and Prompto (who still stopped in from time to time, despite how arduous it was for him), Ignis opened his restaurant to the growing population of Insomnia.

People loved the food he made. Most days he was busy with cooking and running the place. Gladio happily took on more of the responsibility of making sure Insomnia thrived, so long as that meant that Ignis continued to stay happy in the kitchen. It was rare if the restaurant wasn't mostly full, but that seemed to be the case today as only a handful of people came in to eat. Probably because of the picturesque weather that day. Everyone wanted to be outside instead.

When Ignis called to check in, letting Aranea know that things were slow, Aranea brought Sage in and kept Ignis company for a while. The little girl had a broken green crayon in her tight grip, doodling a stick figure family that resembled her, Aranea, and Ignis. When she finished, she thrust the paper in her mother's face, proudly proclaiming that it was them as she desperately waited for the Commodore's approval. Aranea smiled and took the picture from Sage before holding it out to Ignis. "She even got your glasses just right."

Ignis' fingers traced over the waxy lines that the crayon left. "Ah, she did. What a marvelous picture, Sage. You're becoming a fine artist," he praised, leaning across the bar to kiss his daughter's forehead.

As Sage giggled, ripping the picture back from Aranea's hands to draw some more, two toddler boys screamed from the other side of the restaurant's glass door. Gladio walked in, a hysterical boy in his arms while Roselin followed with the other crying child.

"HE. HIT. MEEEEEE!" the one boy wailed.

"HE. PULLED. MY. HAAAIIIRRRR!" the other one howled.

"Favian. Valen. That's enough! Don't make your mom and I take you home!" Gladio sternly disciplined, loud enough to quiet the boys in a heartbeat. When they were hushed to silent sniffles, Gladio exhaled and smiled at Ignis and his little family. "Kids. It's always something," he laughed, sheepish.

Ignis extended a hand, gesturing to the empty restaurant. "They're free to make as much noise as they please. It's abysmally dead today, so I'm not worried."

Sage scurried off of her stool and over to the two boys, both placed on the ground by their parents. The three kids shrieked with laughter as they chased each other around in an impromptu game of tag. Sage ran with more speed and agility while the Amicitia boys, a couple of years younger than the girl, bumbled around with their arms flailing this way and that.

While they played, Gladio and Rosaline took a seat at the bar. The former Shield cleared his throat. "Is . . . will Prom be here soon? Thought we could all head out together, but I haven't heard much from him the last week or so. I know this week is hard, but . . ."

Ignis shook his head and pushed his glasses up further on his nose. "I have not. You know how distant he gets around this time of year. I haven't anticipated any communication on his end, unfortunately."

As if right on cue, the bell hanging from the door clinked and Prompto crept in, almost as if he were uneasy about being there at all. "Is this where we're meeting?" he asked, though more tongue-in-cheek than anything. He was alone this time. Usually, Cindy accompanied him on these trips to Insomnia for support as they drove down the familiar streets laden with memories, but Cid had recently taken ill and it didn't look like he would make it much longer.

"Uncle Prompto!" Sage squealed from across the restaurant, abandoning her game of tag with the boys in favor of scrambling to Prompto, throwing herself into his legs and hugging him tight. The force nearly knocked Prompto backward and both Ignis and Aranea scolded the girl to be careful.

Prompto waved off the admonishment and picked Sage up. "Hey, Buttercup! When did you grow up? Weren't you just a baby yesterday?"

"Noooo, I'm almost five!" she corrected, oblivious to the playful tone he used.

Gladio approached Prompto as he put Sage down—and after almost getting mauled by Favian and Valen in a rather violent hug—and took him into a warm embrace. "Good to see you, Prom. It's been a while."

The blonde chuckled and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, well, you know how it goes. People need their cars and technology fixed! But you know I'd never miss today. It's impossible for me to forget."

Ignis shrugged. "Indeed, but we would understand if you couldn't— "

"Hey, woah now. I wouldn't miss today even if I was on my death bed. Never. Don't insult me like that," he snapped, but quickly recovered. "Sorry. It's not— "

Ignis moved deftly behind the bar, turning off a burner and picking up a dish or two that he left out. "Understood, Prompto. No need for apologies. We have missed you, though. Your absence never goes undetected."

Prompto closed his eyes and shrugged. "It's too hard, man. Ever since Noct . . ." he faded off, choked up. The air in the room changed and everyone remembered the real reason they were there today. The Amicitia boys, ignorant to the mood in the restaurant, giggled and wrestled beside a booth in the corner.

Ignis smiled in their direction and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well? After my customers outside finish up their food, shall we head out?"

Gladio nodded once. "Sounds good. While we wait, do you have any of those Memory Lane Pastries leftovers? For nostalgia's sake?"

"Thought you'd never ask," he replied, walking to the counter furthest in the corner where the pastries were that he made earlier the day before, just for the occasion today. "They always do remind me of Noctis."

There was a field of grass on the outskirts of Insomnia, extending and ending right at the edge of the Wall. Prompto hitched a ride with Ignis, Aranea, and Sage while Gladio and his family followed behind. They came up on the grass and slowed to a stop, everyone congregating beside the cars when they got out and making their way to a modest stone in the middle of the pasture.

Ignis held Sage in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Aranea guided Ignis with a hand on his lower back and everyone else fell into step with them. The sun was overhead and bearing down on them, creating a sheen of sweat on everyone's brows. Despite the sadness, the sun made for a pleasant day.

Then, they stopped, standing before the stone. On it were the words:

Noctis Lucis Caelum
735 – 766
Beloved King, Son, and Friend
"Walk Tall"

Sage shifted in Ignis' arms and he let her down, kneeling before the monument at the same time. His hands brushed against the chilled gravestone, fingering the etched lettering as a sigh escaped his lips. Soon, Prompto and Gladio were on either side of him, sitting and kneeling, respectively.

Ignis felt Aranea's presence behind him and soon she had a reassuring hand on the back of his head, her fingers threading through his hair. Roseline took to watching after the children, urging them to keep quiet while they squealed and rolled down a hill.

"Five years. Sure goes quick, doesn't it?" Prompto whispered before sniffling. The other two men had no words. The silence spoke volumes. So, they stayed perched by Noctis' marker, quietly reminiscing in their minds. When a calm breeze blew passed them, it almost felt as if Noctis was there to say that everything was alright.

Even in death, he was there with them.

Finally, once they paid their respects, it was time to go. One by one, the trio stood up and dusted the loose grass and dirt from their hands and pants. As Ignis turned around, he felt Aranea's arms snake around him and pull him into an encouraging hug. She understood how hard this was; after all, she'd been by Ignis' side almost the entire time, from Noctis' disappearance, all the way to his final ascension. She was there when Ignis' eye glazed over, dazed and confused for days after as he tried to comprehend what had happened. She was there when he refused to talk, just sitting by his side.

More importantly, as she said when standing in front of him while they exchanged rings, she'd be there, with Sage, to the very end. No matter what.

Ignis kissed the top of Aranea's head and then brought her face up to kiss her on the lips. Sage, the light of their lives and the physical manifestation of their love for each other, came bouncing over as Gladio's sons cried again in the background—something about one of them pinching the other too hard. Aranea bent down and hoisted her daughter up so she was now level with her and Ignis.

"Daddy?" she started, head cocked curiously. "Is it true that that guy— " her tiny finger pointed to the stone, "—saved the world?"

Aranea stole a glance at Ignis as the edges of his lips quirked into a smile. "It is."

Sage gasped. "And you knew him?"

His smile grew. "Yes. I watched him grow up from a prince to a king. He was one of my dearest friends. Your mother knew him, too."

"Mommy? You knew him?"

Aranea chuckled and brushed a stray hair from Sage's forehead. "I sure did. I was a little mean to him and your daddy at first, but I was nice after that," she said as she nudged Ignis playfully, to which he shook his head and laughed. "The prince, er . . . king, was a really awesome guy. And he saved the whole world and brought back the sun."

Sage's eyes were wide with wonder. "Wow. I wish I could meet him! What else did he do? Did you guys have fun? Did you play? I wanna know!" she inquired eagerly.

He wasn't ever elusive when it came to talking about Noctis, but it also wasn't something he'd ever thought that his daughter would be curious to know about. Just as Aranea opened her mouth to tell Sage that they'd talk about it another day, Ignis turned his face to the sky. He thought about it a second longer and then took a deep breath before looking in Sage's direction.

"We did have fun, and it all started when our car broke down outside Hammerhead . . ."

END

Author's Note: I know I said this would come out earlier this week, but my computer crashed so I just got it up and running Friday (which also explains my lack of responses to any of the reviews and comments I received). My apologies!

But, here we are. Finally the end of Water Under the Bridge. It doesn't feel real. I'm stuck in a weird, bittersweet feeling right now. I started this, not really even thinking I'd get far. I didn't think it would get the responses it did. I started writing this because it was a nagging prompt in my head that wouldn't leave me alone and I ran with it. From this, I've made some incredible friends. I've learned a lot about myself and what I'm capable of. It's surreal, to say the least.

It's not the end, though. Like I said, I have a one-shot coming (it was almost done and I lost it when my computer crashed so yay for rewriting it lol) and then I'm in the process of outlining my next HighSpecs fic. I intend for it to be darker and I'm excited to get it started. As a result, I'll be taking a week or so off to get that going, catch up on some fanfics that I've fallen behind on reading, and just some odds and ends stuff before I throw myself into another long fic. So, I will be back soon! It just won't be this upcoming weekend ;) I'll keep you all updated on Tumblr (same username as here!).

Alright, I've rambled on long enough. Once again, thank you all so much. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I couldn't have done this without you all. It means the world. All the reviews, comments, messages, everything! It kept me going through this. Thank you :)