#iggy comin' to the rescue

[siravron]

casually but still awkwardly gently paps

❖ ⋮ 　 Soft, pleased Auron noises.

[luxettenebrea]

Celebrating Birthdays

Written for Ronsenburg By LuxEtTenebrea

Happy Birthday @ronsenburg ! Sorry I took a million hours, and I`m also sorry that the last part goes all over the place. I hope you enjoy this Promnis. Prompto:  The first time he celebrates Ignis’ birthday is maybe A few months after he befriends Noctis. The party is formal and awkward. He’s a duke, it makes sense. Prompto felt stiff in the pair of black pressed trousers Noctis afforded him. The button-up shirt he wore was also black, but with a touch of silver in the form of the Scientia crest. It was hot and uncomfortable, even though Ignis’ birthday was on the 7th of February. Only just approaching the climate of spring.

The people were all lords and ladies, and felt out of place and awkward. Yet, at least Noctis and Gladiolus’ presence made it bearable. He’d placed his small present amongst the large assortments of fanciful gifts, and felt his freckled cheeks glow.

Would it be enough? It didn’t seem so and the blonde was about to pick it out of the pile but Noctis managed to drag him away, to instead engage with Iris, Gladiolus, and himself in a game of “who wore it better.” When it came time for the presents to be opened, the blonde could feel his throat constrict. Every box unwrapped proved to be an assortment of decadent delights. Jewelry in the form of fine rings, and necklaces. Cookery made of porcelain with the man of the hours’ name carved in fine script along the handles. Clothing from Altissa’s finest labels. Everything Prompto couldn’t afford with his measly allowance.

Noctis had given Ignis a tiny custom made skull on a thin fine platinum chain, both brushed to look dark and aged. The advisor seemed grateful and amused by the gift putting it on. Gladiolus had gifted the man a pair of daggers that looked crystalline and caught the light in a prismatic fashion–distracting yet deadly. Iris’ gift was a set of black gloves, the leather soft and delightful to the touch. The top of them had what looked like diamond studs encrusted over every inch of the surface, and sparkled just as beautifully as the daggers Gladio had given the man–a set, it seemed. A perfect set.

Prompto swallowed when at last came his turn. His heart was practically running out of his chest. He hadn’t gotten the man anything notable really–as far as material or monetary gifts went. He could feel sweat start to collect along his forehead, and his cheeks bloom in colour once more. Even his wrapping didn’t look good.

Blinking away the sting in his eyes, he waited with baited breath for the older man’s reaction. He seemed surprised by what he found in the box pulling out a plain black journal. The leather cover was handbound, and across the front of the cover sat the words “Ignis’ Cookbook” with polished metal shaped into letters and glued onto the material with silver stitching around them. It was simple, and in hindsight, Prompto probably shouldn’t have bothered. Inside was a single framed picture of the four of them. In their very first, very badly taken seflie.

The rest of the pages were blank, waiting for recipes and notes to be taken down. He saw the man close the journal and look up, and Prompto nearly choked when their eyes met–Forest green against cornflower blue. The smile that crossed his face was worth every single uncomfortable moment.

Prompto was in love.

Ignis: Since his loss of eyesight, Ignis rarely celebrated anything. Not because he didn’t want to, but because it was hard to get anyone together these days. The world was recovering from being in ruin. The sun finally out, and the Earth settling once more into the balance of growing plant life that wasn’t solely hardy against the darkness and the cold. Surprisingly, because the soil had been left to rest in the wake of the starscourge, it had become fertile. Plantlife became abundant, food plentiful and fresh. It may have also been the fact that they hadn’t had any crops outside of hard roots, and synthetically grown vegetation that tasted bitter, or of nothing at all.

With the boom in crops though, many ex-demon hunters took to farming. Others in helping the animal life of Eos to reproduce. Ignis himself had decided to stay in Lestallum. He was familiar with the layout of the city, and his home was already fully integrated there. No need to leave to New Insomnia for the sake of trying to recreate the ghost of a life long past.

He sells baked goods in his once small and creaky bakery that sold hard breads, and flavourless scones. Now it was being painted over and refurnished for the demands he will be meeting soon, what with different types of flour like Tenebraen oat flour, Altissian spelt flour, Cleigne amaranth, and Duscaen barley becoming readily available. He’d be making things that ranged from pastries, to cakes, to breads. All sorts of meals he hadn’t prepared in roughly a decade and a half. Taking a deep breath, Ignis began rummaging around his drawers–trying to find the braille cookbooks that Gladiolus had given him.

“A gift from a special bird.” he’d said, voice gruff and yet affectionate. There were only a handful of people that made the shield sound that way.

“Aha!” he murmured in victory as he pulled out cookbooks. He felt the covers, grabbing the correct one and began to feel out for the recipe he needed.

He knew what day it was since Cindy had been nice enough to make him a calendar that read in braille. October 25th.

Prompto’s birthday. Meaning that the blonde would be dropping by soon with his usual ‘What’s cooking, good looking?’ and bright cheerful presence. Before he could only give Prompto a decent meal for his birthdays. This year, he’d finally be able to give him the cake he’d regretted never making.

Setting himself up, he prepared the ingredients as the book called for to make a baumkuchen. The air of the small shop becoming scented with the sweet and simple scent. He placed the cake on the counter, ruffling around the drawer where he found some silicone chocobo molds to place on top of it and began to sprinkle a fine powder of yellow confectioners sugar.

With the cake complete he left it in clear view of the doorway bustling about the kitchen to begin baking the bread dough he’d set out the day before. That was how he spent the evening, listening to the guests coming in and out of the bakery. Gladiolus and Iris were there with him around evening, talking fondly about their time in the barren ruined lands. About the wild hunts they had to do, and the rescue missions.

Then the bell of the shop rung delicately as heavy and tired steps dragged themselves in.

“Heya guys, sorry I’m comin’ in so late there was this–” Prompto stopped talking as he took in the sight. Ignis stood in a flour coated apron and his hair mused. Gladiolus and Iris were seated by the counter, drinks in their hands and wide grins in their faces.

“Finally, the birthday boy is here. Iris, get the candles ready!” chortled out Gladiolus as he stood up and dragged the blonde in, sitting him down in front of baumkuchen, watching as the blondes’ blue eyes lit up with delight over the little decorations of chocobo in confectioners sugar.

“Wait, this is for me?” he stuttered out before looking at Ignis, who offered him the same smile that made the blonde melt inside every damn time.

“Well yes, I dare say that I thought you were not going to make it.” replied the blind man softly, looking sheepish. Iris was already in front of Prompto, placing the candles delicately on the cake, trying not to disturb the decorations before lighting them up.

“Ok guys! It’s time to sing happy birthday, come on Iggy!” Iris called out happily, bringing the man in front of the mentioned birthday boy and clapping her hands. Gladio stood next to Prompto, clapping his shoulder before turning on the candles, grinning down at the other.

“Happy birthday Prompto.”

The blonde felt his eyes sting, blinking them momentarily in the hopes of taming the weepy feeling.

“G-guys..”

“I also have a gift for you. From the three of us.” replied Ignis softly, placing a hand on the other man’s hand, nodding his head towards the cake.

“But first, make a wish.”

Nodding frantically, the blonde blew at the candles, laughing wetly as Iris ran around the counter to hug him, feeling Gladiolus ruffle at his already messy and stiff peaks of hair.

“Ok, ok, come on Iggy, let’s give him the present!” Iris looked up at the other, watching him let out a huff of a chuckle. The larger of the group was ruffling through the cabinets beneath, pulling out a medium sized box with twenty different ribbon flowers on the top of the lid.

“Woah, that’s…”

“We didn’t have much time to wrap it, Iris made up for it.” replied Ignis as he shifted for Gladiolus to put the box down in front of the blonde. Prompto bounced in his seat, eyes bright. He wondered what his friends had for him.

“Now, I know this is a bit sudden–”

“Iggy don’t spoil it! Open the surprise!” interrupted Iris, leaving the blind man flustered.

“Yeah, you’re in for a real treat.” answered Gladdy, grinning.

“Ok! Ok! Here I go!” Prompto pulled off the lid of the box, peering inside with wide eyes. The first thing that greeted him was a letter with a wax seal in black. The crest marked into the once soft seal was the Lucian Crest. His fingers shook as he peeled at the letter carefully, trying to preserve the mark. He swallowed as he read the neatly penned words. A letter of goodbye and hope from Noctis. A Thank you letter, for being there and never leaving his side. The blonde has to choke back tears but he’s quick to put away the parchment paper, catching the familiar whiff of Noctis’ cologne.

The next gift he knows are from Iris and Gladiolus because it’s a custom made behemoth hide gun-holster. It’s smooth and carefully crafted with the Amicitia crest marked on the inside. On the outside however is a beautiful gold crest emblazoned in the form of a Chocobo in midattack.

“It’s your very own crest! Noctis… he’d said that after everything, he was going to make your knighthood the real deal with a seal.” explained Iris softly, watching as Prompto looked up at the siblings, cheeks flushed red and smile wobbly.

“Aww guys…”

“No need to get soft Pom-Prom. There’s one more gift.” replied Gladio looking sheepish. Both he and Iris nudged Ignis forward, making the dirty blonde haired man clear his throat.

“I… do hope you like the proceeding gift Prompto.” began the man, looking nervous. Something he rarely did.

“I’m going to love it Igster, you know I always do!” replied Prompto peering into the box before freezing. There was no way. It must be a mistake.

“Go on, pull it out.” grumbled Gladiolus, grunting as Iris elbowed him in the side. “What? He’s taking forever?”

“You’ve forgotten romance in your old age.” griped Iris, watching as Prompto reached into the box and shakily pulled out a small black box. He snapped it open nervously, eyes growing wide at the simple ring nestled within. The band wasn’t anything spectacular, just the same metal as the skull necklace that Ignis had received from Noctis. The inset stone however, was spectacularly odd.  It seemed to almost glow, the blue that tinted it sometimes looking violet in certain angles. Like his eyes.

“I… Ignis?” stammered out Prompto, looking up at the man who cleared his throat once more.

“I believe that after 15 years or so of celebrating birthdays together, and tiptoeing around feelings of affection–at least on my end… That it would be beneficial of us to take the next step in our relationship.” Ignis moved his visor off his face, revealing the healed over scar on his face, eyelashes melted together with skin on the right of his face. It was smooth now, and silvery. His other eye made pale by the opaque white film that had developed from the damage he’d received. He normally never exposed himself that way, but it seemed almost necessary.

“I’m not… perhaps the most charming of suitors anymore. But I would hope perhaps–with all the intimate years we’ve shared. Well, that perhaps you’d–”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Prompto had launched himself over the counter and straight at the other man, a wet warbling ‘Yes!’ leaving the blondes lips.

Gladio and Iris both crowded the new couple, eagerly hugging the living daylights out of the crying blonde and the flushed ex-advisor.

“Iggy this is… this is the greatest thing /ever/.” replied Prompto sometime after partaking of his cake and holstering his gun lionheart in it’s new home. The blonde seemed content with his gifts, staring in awe at the simple yet lovely ring in his hand. Ignis could hear the hitches in his breath and the happy little warbling humming. The familiar tune that Prompto always liked to sing of about Chocobos.

He couldn’t help himself. He was utterly in love.

[littledraga]

Saving the Mechanic

As soon as Prompto hit the lights of Hammerhead he let out a strangled sob of a cheer, nearly collapsing then. Forcing his way through the gate he smiled brightly and waved to a few hunters who leaned on the fence nearby. It was harder than ever to find happiness now, so he did his best to bring it to others, even if he was feeling empty.

While all he wanted to do was sleep, Prompto forced himself to Cindy’s garage. After separating from the others, Prompto had created his own routine with the other blond. Whenever Prompto came back he would check in with Cindy, letting her know he was safe and helping her with anything she needed in the shop. When the darkness came, she took to repairing more than cars and Prompto had become invaluable in helping her learn.

Stepping inside, he raised a hand in greeting, “Hey Cindy! I got the coolest-”. Looking around, he found his friend missing. In her place, Cid sat at the bench in back parts spread on the table but, he didn’t seem to be paying them any attention. Stepping up to the workbench, Prompto sat next to Cid.

“Hey, what’s up?” Looking up at the voice, Cid looked to Prompto and grumbled, focusing back to the pieces in front of him. None the pieces he grabbed fit together. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Cid finally spoke.

“Cindy’s been gone for too long. Went up to that Nif base up north, hopin’ to find parts we could use.” Before Cid could continue, Prompto was on his feet, hands slamming against the table.

“Why isn’t anyone looking for her? We need her.” Feeling a familiar heat creeping into his cheeks, the blond shook his head, “nobody fixes our equipment like her. No offense,” he added with a bashful shrug.

Leaning back at Prompto’s outburst, Cid just shook his head. Living with Cindy as long as he had, he was used to outbursts like Prompto’s long before the boy came to Hammerhead.

“Nobody wants to risk their necks when I tell them she’s at the base. They act like the place is Hell itself going there.” Both men gave an exasperated sigh. Hunters were supposed to protect the people but Prompto couldn’t fault them for being afraid. Who knew what took refuge in that busted base.

Standing back to his full height, Prompto rolled back his shoulders. As he stepped away from the counter he spoke to Cid, “I’ll go get her. It’s been a few years but, I’ve been there before. Hopefully, she just found something to cool to leave behind.” Before Cid could say anything, Prompto was out of the shop, off to restock his equipment before running back out of the gate.

Getting up to the base took longer than Prompto would have liked, but he parked the truck nearby. Cindy’s truck was parked by the front door, that was a relief at least. Quietly making his way to the base, Prompto tried to guess what he would see inside. Without Ignis there to plan and think ahead, he had to be the strategist. So far everything had worked out well enough, but he had never done a rescue mission alone. He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t afraid.

Slipping past the door, he hurried behind crates that had been left behind. Using his cover the blond looked out and saw nothing. Confused, he carefully came from behind the crates, moving deeper into the base. Gun held at the ready, leaning out from behind a corner, Prompto tried to figure out why it was empty. He could still hear the sounds of various daemons. Maybe they were outside, he reasoned. Even though the base was enclosed, he couldn’t imagine they had left it alone this long.

Deeper into the base he picked up that the sounds were growing louder and his heart picked up beating against his chest. Picking up his pace, he was nearly running, summoning his crossbow. It wasn’t difficult to figure out the most likely reason they would all be in the same area, he only hoped he would be there in time.

The first daemon he saw was the Iron Giant, towering over the rest, sword raised over its head. At its feet, goblins and flan were crowding around Cindy. For her disadvantage, she showed no signs of slowing down. Swinging the oversized crowbar out in front of her she knocked the closest goblin back. Two more took its place, one jumping on her back, knocking her weapon to the ground.

Panicking, Prompto raised his weapon firing at the daemons nearby screaming, “Hey! Over here! Didn’t your mothers teach you not to hit a lady?” The daemons shifted, most of them moving his way, most importantly the Iron Giant had forgotten about the other blond. Firing at the goblin still after Cindy, he quickly rolled away from the first swing from a flan. Moving into the middle of the group, he saw Cindy reach for her crowbar from the corner of his eye.

“Run! I’ve got it!” He yelled, firing at the Giant to keep its attention before switching back to his pistol. Cindy stood her ground, eyes flickering between the daemons and Prompto. If he wasn’t concentrating on not dying, he probably would have blushed like mad at her concern. Instead, he rolled back and an iron sword crashed into the ground in front of him, taking out one of the flans. So far so good just, “Cindy! I have a plan but I need you safe first. Go hide and I’ll find you,” another dodge, this time the claw of the goblin grazing his arm, “I promise!”

It worked. With one last look, the mechanic turned on her heels, running deeper into the base. Chest heaving, Prompto jumped away, firing at a goblin. Twisting, Prompto tried to move away from the Giants blade, still in the air. As it connected with his side, he was thrown into a stack of nearby crates that crumbled beneath him. Resisting the urge to give himself a moment to rest, Prompto pulled himself to his feet, firing off at the giant again. The satisfying sound of its armor breaking filled the air, and Prompto found his second wind.

Running back into the fray, Prompto slid under the Giant’s swing and between its legs. The air was filling with the sounds of daemons dissolving back into the ground. Kneeling behind the Giant he saw only one goblin was left. Aiming carefully, Prompto took it out at the head, creature dropping in a heap before the smoke started to rise.

Swaying, Prompto forced himself back to his feet as the last daemon turned to face him. His muscles screamed in agony and his arms shook as he tried to aim his crossbow. Dropping the weapon on reflex, as the Giant’s sword started to lift to the sky. He didn’t have the energy to keep dodging its attacks.

“Iggy did say to save these for emergencies.” Cold wrapped around his arm as Prompto summoned a flask of ice. There was no room for error as he threw, aiming for the daemon's chest. As soon as the spell left his fingers, he was bringing back his crossbow, chasing after the spell. Fighting past the bitter wind, Prompto jumped to aim his crossbow where the spell hit the hardest unleashing his recoil. The force sent him flying back, rolling and scraping against the concrete as he slid farther away.

Gasping for breath, he waited for the sound of footsteps. Instead, the ground shook and groaned as the Iron Giant fell back into it. Smiling, he half raised an arm, humming his victory fanfare.

Sleep tugged at him threatening to take him if he didn’t move. He wasn’t done yet. He still had to find Cindy and make sure she was safe, and maybe get after her about going out alone. Using the wall, he managed to get back on his feet, dragging himself the way Cindy had run.

“Cindy! It’s okay, told you I had it!” Prompto tried to keep his voice enthused but, keeping himself moving was getting more difficult with every step. Suddenly something was pulling at his arm. Without the strength to fight back, Prompto fell into one of the small shacks. Looking up from the ground, he saw Cindy looking down at him.

“What do you think you’re doing, Prompto Argentum, making all that noise? You want more of those things after you?” Prompto couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“Oh, thank the Six! I’m glad you’re alright.” Trying to sit up, he reached for her, “you are alright aren’t you? Here hold on,” reaching again, Prompto handed her a potion, trying to get her to wrap her hands around it.

“Just crush it, it doesn’t hurt. It’ll heal you, good as new!” Taking the potion in hand, it was Cindy’s turn to laugh, pressing it back to Prompto’s chest.

“I’m right as rain, Prompto. They never had a chance to hurt me, thanks to you.” Wrapping her arms around him, Cindy hugged him tightly, pulling away when he hissed in pain. Doing his best to wave away her concern, Prompto gave her his best smile, gently tapping his side.

“Iron Giant managed to get a hit in. I’m alright, just hurts like hell. Just need to sleep it off.” Unsteady, Prompto tried to get back to his feet, but Cindy pressed a hand against his chest trying to get him to lay back.

“I saw you comin’, we’re not going anywhere until you’ve had a chance to rest.” Before Prompto has a chance to protest, Cindy leaned herself against a wall. Once she was comfortable she pulled him back to lay on her lap. Blushing, Prompto tried to roll away. Laughing, Cindy laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Come on, it’s better than the ground isn’t it? Get some sleep. Once you’re feeling better you can help me carry the parts I found back to Hammerhead. We’re gonna protect a lot of people now.” Sighing, Prompto forced himself to relax, not like he would get this chance again anytime soon. Besides, like always, Cindy was right, he would be more useful if he got some sleep.

"Just promise you won't go off on your own again," looking up to Cindy, he smiled when she nodded. Closing his eyes and humming his thanks, Prompto slipped into sleep.