In Talcott's room, (Y/n) had held the boy closely until he had cried himself to sleep. Her heart ached for the boy as she sat him down on the bed and pulled the sheets over his body. The sun's rays bounced through the windows and she closed the curtains to keep them from waking Talcott. She sat down in a chair located in the corner of the room. Pulling her legs up, she rested them on the chair. Death placed her arm on the armrest and cupped her chin in her palm as she stared out the slit in the curtains.

(Y/n) hadn't heard the door open until she heard her name. "(Y/n)?"

Her head snapped up and she saw Noctis standing in the doorway. "Huh?"

"You plan on staying in here all day?"

"What?" She gasped, glancing towards the clock. She realized it was past noon and nearly fell out of the chair when she tried to stand up. "It's already noon?"

"Yeah. You've been in here for hours. Talcott was worried when you wouldn't move or respond to him."

"I totally spaced out and lost track of time. Did you and the others get a little sleep?" (Y/n) asked.

"Uh, yeah. We're about to head out and grab a bite. Wanna join us?" Noctis offered.

Death nodded with a gentle smile. "Sure. Give me a few minutes and I'll be down."

<-----<<<<<<<

In the lobby, Noctis and Gladio were waiting for (Y/n) while Prompto and Ignis went on ahead to the eatery to grab a table. As they waited patiently, the brute crossed his arms with a smirk. "Someone's crushin' on Death."

"What?" The prince's eyes widened in shock at the accusation.

"I see the way you look at her and don't try to deny it, either. Hell, even Prompto noticed." Noctis fell silent, unable to think of an excuse. He refused to speak about the matter further, but Gladio wouldn't back down. He elbowed him in the arm, his smirk growing. "Tell her."

"You seriously think I'm gonna tell her?" The prince scoffed.

"Damn right. You're gonna tell her and I'm gonna make sure you do."

"Why do you care about this?" The raven-haired boy questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Gladio threw an arm across Noctis' shoulders, pulling him closer. "Not every day you find someone special."

Noctis could only think of one question. "Why should I tell her my feelings when she'll be leaving after killing the other Wendigos?"

"Just tell her, dammit," the bodyguard groaned. "You'll cross that bridge when you come to it."

Noctis was about to retort, but he sealed his lips once he saw (Y/n) walking down the stairs. She smiled at the two before gesturing to the entrance of the hotel. "Shall we?"

"Uh, yeah. Let's go," the younger boy responded with a hint of nervousness. Gladio smacked Noctis on the back as Death walked beside him. The hit caused his body to lurch forward and grunt in pain, earning a confused gaze from the Horseman. "T-Tripped over my own feet," he quickly concocted a lie.

(Y/n) giggled lightly at his lie, but she didn't call him out on it. "Of course you did, Noct."

<------<<<<<<<

At the eatery, the five sat down and enjoyed a meal. Prompto has ordered a slice of fluffy chiffon cake after finishing his lunch and pushed the plate in front of (Y/n). She eyed the blonde in front of her, perplexed as to why he had passed the cake her way. He smiled like a child as he nudged it closer. "Try it, (Y/n)!"

Death eyes the cake with a hint of uncertainty. "I don't know, Prom. I haven't eaten anything in a hundred years. Not like I need to eat, anyway."

"That's just another reason to try it! You're really missin' out. How 'bout a small bite?" The blonde tried to persuade the girl.

(Y/n) picked up the fork and poked the dessert. "I don't know..."

"Just eat it," Noctis sighed. "You might actually like it."

The girl breathed out as she impaled the piece of cake. With a small piece on her fork, she placed it in her mouth and chewed slowly. When she swallowed, she was amazed by how sweet and fluffy the cake was. "Wow, that is good!"

"Never had cake before?" Gladio asked.

"Would you believe me if I said "no"?"

"You're serious?!" Prompto cried out. "You've never had cake before?"

"Nope. Ice cream was more my style. Altissia had so many ice cream shops that there was one on almost every street. They had so many delicious flavors." The boys were silent at hearing the news. Only Noctis was the one who knew where she had grown up and lived her short life. (Y/n) noticed her mistake, but she didn't try to correct it. Instead, she decided to tell them the truth. "We've been traveling together for weeks now. You all deserve to know something about my life before becoming the Horseman of Death."

"You don't have to force yourself, (Y/n)," Prompto gently spoke.

She smiled at him. "I'm not forcing myself. Don't worry, Prom." Death adjusted in her seat before telling all she could about her previous life on Eos. She told them all about Altissia and its beauty. She even shared her drowning with them and what led her to jump into the stormy waters a hundred years ago. Before she had shared crucial information about her previous life, she made sure no one was around to eavesdrop.

After (Y/n) finished, no one said a word. Noctis knew the truth already, but hearing it a second time didn't make it any easier. She fiddled with her fingers in her lap as she crossed her legs. "Was that... too much?"

"Um... uh..." Prompto muttered.

"Do not fret over such, (Y/n)," Ignis quickly intervened.

Death leaned back in her seat, pushing a few black strands over her shoulder. She bit her bottom lip, wondering how to break the awkward tension. Gladio saw this as an opportunity and grinned. "Welp, the three of us got somewhere to be."

"What the hell are you talkin' about, Gladio?" Noctis questioned his shield.

Without a word, the brute stood up from his seat, followed by Prompto and Ignis. The three left the eatery, leaving behind a petrified prince and a confused Horseman. (Y/n) clapped her hands together, snapping Noctis out of his stiffened state. "Since we have the rest of the day together, what do you wanna do, Noct?" Glancing at the boy, Death noticed his cheeks were slightly ablaze. She poked one of his red cheeks with a smile. "What're you blushing for?"

"N-Nothing," Noctis promptly denied.

"Then, what do you wanna do? We could take a stroll around Lestallum."

"U-Uh, yeah. Let's do that."

"Alright. Let's go!" (Y/n) grabbed Noctis' hand and dragged him out of his seat.

"H-Hey, (Y/n)!" The prince shouted as they left the eatery.

<------<<<<<<

During their stroll through the town, (Y/n) had been holding Noctis' hand the entire time. She didn't realize until they reached the outlook and released her grip on his hand. It was nearly six o'clock when they finished their leisurely stroll around Lestallum due to how many stops they made on the way and how lost they got in their own little world.

The sun had begun to set as the two sat on a bench. With the Meteor gone, the only sight to behold was what was left of it. (Y/n) leaned forward, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees. "It was nice having a day off."

Noctis nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

The girl rested her chin in her palms, her thoughts racing to those that fogged her mind during their excursion of the Disc. She decided to break the silence and speak what was on her mind. "At the Disc, I promised to tell you what was bothering me after we left. We were so preoccupied with finding the Regalia that it completely slipped my mind."

"Oh," Noctis said, remembering the promise. "Yeah. What was on your mind?"

"Well," she sighed. "I kept thinking about how my life would've been like if I didn't drown myself. I wondered if I would've learned to love again and would've married someone. I wondered if I'd have a family of my own, but..."

Noctis felt his heart ache at her gentle, melancholic words. ""But" what?"

(Y/n) closed her eyes, placing a hand over her chest. "I'll never know what that life would've been like and it's all my fault."

Shocked by her accusations, the prince turned in his seat to face her. "You can still experience those things, (Y/n)."

Death scoffed at his optimism. "No, I can't. I sacrificed all those possibilities the moment I chose to take my own life."

Noctis flew to his feet, his eyes filled with a familiar fierceness. "Yes, you can. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, you can still be loved, get married, and have a family." (Y/n) stood up, summoned a strange dagger, and extended her arm in front of Noctis. His eyes widened in fear and confusion as to what she was going to do next. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Death brought the blade down on her arm, creating a gash that started at her palm and ended at her elbow. "No one wants to love a monster and that's exactly what I am!" Blood dripped from the large wound, but the gash slowly mended itself. "Humans don't heal like this-only monsters!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she dispelled the bloody dagger.

Noctis reached out to grab (Y/n), but she dodged his hand and ran. "(Y/n)!" He shouted as she left the outlook and disappeared into the crowd. He gritted his teeth, feeling his own tears threaten to fall. Clenching his fists, he slammed one against the stone railing, void of all feelings except for the hurt in his chest. "Dammit... Dammit... Dammit!"

After an hour of wallowing in his own sorrows, Noctis decided to head back to the hotel for the night. When he entered the room, the others were waiting for him. Gladio hadn't noticed the prince's gloomy expression due to his nose being buried in a book. "So, how'd the date go?"

"Shut the hell up," Noctis hissed vehemently at his shield.

Gladio closed the book at the harsh response and saw Noctis' expression. "Somethin' go wrong?"

Prompto looked up from his phone and saw his best friend's bloodied knuckles on his left hand. "What happened?!"

"Shit happened and it's all my damn fault!" The boy snaps, running his hands through his hair.

"What prospered in our absence, Noct?" Ignis inquired.

"Like I said-shit happened and now..." Noctis sits down on the foot of the bed closest to the door, cradling his head in his hands as he stared at the carpet below. "Now (Y/n) thinks she's a monster..."

"What?" Prompto gasped. "She's not a monster!"

"I should've ran after her and told her that. But, I didn't."

Prompto moves from his spot and sits beside his best friend. "Try summoning her!"

Since it was all he could do, Noctis pulled out the summoning orb and called upon Death. When (Y/n) didn't appear, he knew she was somewhere nearby. He seemed a little relieved to know she hadn't run away to somewhere far and out of his reach. The boy shoved the orb back into his pocket and flopped down on his back. "What am I goin' to do now?"

"Talk to her, man! That's the best and only thing you can do!" Prompto bellowed.

"He's right, Noct. Better hurry before (Y/n) really is out of your reach," Gladio said.

"In the meantime, give her time and space to tranquilize her thoughts," Ignis stated calmly.

Noctis closed his eyes with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, you're right. She probably doesn't want to see me right now, anyway. I'll talk to her tomorrow morning."

Prompto grinned as he reclined beside his friend. "Operation: Steal-(Y/n)'s-Heart is a go!"