#let me see Ignis take his gloves off for one of the only times in game and run them over Nocts new face

[shitpostingkats]

The one thing I'm genuinely upset about with the ending of FFXV is the fact that the boys don't hug after reconnecting with Noct. Like I'm sorry, you just spent the last 50+ hours showing me these characters high five, fist bump, slap eachothers asses, sit with their feet in the others' lap, vault off each other during combat, share beds, sleep together in a tent the size of a mattress, and then told me they have just finished waiting TEN YEARS to see Noctis again, and they don't immediately tackle his kingly ass to the ground???? Mr. Square Enix I'm sorry but you're just wrong.

[mehbzz]

FFXV A/B/O au 18+ includes fingering, yandere, controlling behaviour, alludes to forced breeding, depression, mentions of self harm, low self esteem/weight issues. F!reader/Ignis/Gladio

So this was going to be a pretty dark forced breeding kinda fic but my mood changed and it ended up being half the beginning of a forced breeding fic and half depressed reader suffering from a depressive episode. The change in my mood is very noticeable half way though and probably a little jarring so we shall pretend that the second half happens a month or two after the first half, when the topic of kids has been soothed over and temporarily forgotten! No proofreading, no beta.

EDIT- Just correcting a typo that was annoying me!

“….having children.”

“What??” You’d been spacing out, a mixture of the Eos version of antidepressants you were taking and the fact that this meeting with King Regis was more than a little boring. Or had been at least. The end of Regis’ sentence shocks you back into reality abruptly.

Ignis shushes you quietly and you look at him aghast, but he ignores you, focusing on the King.

“Apologies Your Majesty.” Regis briefly glances at you then back to Ignis, “She is your mate? Bonded?” “Yes Your Majesty, myself and Gladiolus.”

Regis looks back at you “And the nature of your relationship with my son is….?”

Ignis answers before you can, “She is companion to all pack members.”

“Can she speak for herself?” Your gaze flicks to Ignis and he nods. “Yes Your Majesty I can.” You feel foolish and more than a little embarrassed as your voice echoes in the hall.

“Your pack keeps you close, understandably so, although I have heard you do not have much freedom?” The King watches you, waiting for a reply you think but you’re not sure what to say. “She’s very quiet isn’t she?” It feels like a jab, and you look at Ignis for direction who looks uncomfortable. He shakes his head minutely so you bite your tongue. Regis sighs and you feel a little like you just missed an opportunity.

“I believe that as Pack Alpha and as The Prince of Lucis Noctis should have first breeding rights.”

Ignis freezes and you bite your tongue so hard you taste blood. Breeding rights?? “I am unsure if that is something Noctis –“

“It doesn't matter,” The King interrupts with a wave of his hand. “I let my son live as independently as possible, and have allowed him to start his own pack but having an omega is an opportunity to continue the Caelum line. An opportunity we may not see again and one that should not be denied.”

You feel incredibly taken off guard with this whole conversation. “You cannot be – “

Ignis grabs your hand and silences you with a tight squeeze of your fingers. You must be dreaming right? This is not truly happening. The floor feels like its tilting beneath you and you have to look down at your feet to make sure it’s not.

“I will let you discuss it with Noctis and within your pack but I hope you will not forget my opinion or interest in this matter.” Regis gazes at you for a few seconds. “Apologise to Noctis on my behalf, I will not be able to make our dinner this evening.”

Ignis bows and you reluctantly do the same. You feel dazed. Ignis tight grip on your hand doesn’t let up as you leave the throne room. He keeps giving you concerned glances out the corner of his eye as you walk back to your quarters, but it takes you until you’re walking down the corridor to your room that you shake yourself out of your stunned stupor enough to say anything.

“Did we just negotiate over which one of you gets to knock me up?” You ask incredulous. He doesn’t answer you but he frowns at your choice of words.

“Ignis, you – please tell me I just hallucinated that whole meeting.”

He sighs “we will need to discuss it.”

“You are not serious. The answer is no!” “It's an omegas role.” He snaps and you flinch, not used to Ignis’ anger.

“My apologies. If the King has taken an interest we will need to discuss it.” he repeats.

“He cant make me have children.”

Ignis hesitates barely a fraction of a second but it’s enough to send a pulse of terror through you that he immediately picks up on. he stops, turning towards you and cradling your face in his hands. “I nor the rest of your pack would force you into anything you didn’t want love.” He lets you go and takes your hands again. “However it is the future of the royal bloodline, it will be something we need to talk about seriously in the future, whether we want to or not.” “We do not! I don’t want kids Ignis!” He flinches and something dark flickers across his face as he looks at you. It’s gone before you can interpret it as he turns away, pulling you after him as he continues walking.

You feel tired. “I thought I was your mate,” you say sullenly “not Noctis’.” “You are, unfortunately it’s more complicated than that.” You think you should be more upset by this than you currently feel. The medication you were on was new and felt a lot stronger than the antidepressants you had been taking back home. It left you feeling a little more numb and placid than you think you would have been otherwise.

He stops outside your room and pulls you into a kiss. Moaning softly when you immediately respond. He’s purring, trying to comfort you and you give in to the calm emotions it provokes, not wanting to feel the disorientated confusion anymore.

He leans closer, pushing you into the wall and his hand tugs up your dress until your thighs are bare. “You did well talking to the King, I was proud of you.” His praise makes you shiver. You thought Gladio was the one with the high sex drive but as his fingers stroke up your thighs you think Ignis is just as bad. Although a little more polite and less aggressive about it perhaps.

You're both quiet as his fingers slip between your thighs and he rubs softly at your clit. He presses harder and increases his pace at your gentle sigh and you turn to bury your face into his neck as the pleasure builds. You’re panting into his neck and he has his face buried in your hair, you’re not sure why you feel like you have to be quiet but you do your best to hold back your moans. He’s saying nothing, breathing hard he slips his hand up, pressing onto your abdomen before dipping into your panties and sliding a gloved finger inside of you. He gives you no time to adjust before he starts fucking you, like he’s desperate to make you cum. His palm grinds against your clit as he adds another finger, your orgasm is building fast, and as he continues his ruthless pace you feel another kind of pressure building slowly low in your stomach. It makes you gasp out his name in mild alarm, “Sl-slow down, I’m gonna pee!” He nuzzles against your ear, his purr increasing in volume. “No you’re not love, just relax,” he nips at your ear, “Let go for me.” He curls his fingers, stroking your walls quickly in just the right way to have your back arching. It’s a quick hard orgasm that takes you by surprise and has your whole body jerking and shaking as you ride out the aftershocks, biting into his shoulder as you try to control your twitching muscles. He seems a little disappointed but he’s still purring quietly and it helps calm your racing pulse. “Good Girl” he slowly withdraws his hand and removes his gloves. Leaning around you to open your door he gives you another quick kiss. “Noctis will be disappointed about this evening, perhaps we should eat together?” Your legs feel shaky as you enter, Prompto is sat on your couch, watching what sounds like a musical and Gladio appears in front of you, pulling you into a kiss before you can even say hello. The kiss Gladio gives you is ravenous, his teeth nipping at your bottom lip. Both hands squeeze your ass as you try to pull away, conscious of the growing slick between your already wet thighs. “Gladio!” He chuckles at your breathless gasp and pulls away, letting you go. He slaps your ass hard as you walk away, almost crossing the line into genuinely painful but he only grins at your glare. You wince as you sit down next to Prompto and he gives you a sympathetic smile. He pats his knee “Lie down.”

Head resting in Prompto lap you half-heartedly watch the musical as he enthusiastically tells you the plot. You gaze flicks between the TV and Ignis and Gladio talking quietly by the door. You can’t make out what they’re saying but you have no doubt what they’re talking about. You’re still a little shook from your meeting with King Regis but you trust your pack to look after you. --------- “She looked to me for permission.” “hmm?” “When the King spoke to her. She looked to me before answering.��� Gladio surprises him with a kiss to his cheek. “We trained her well.” “It’s not the way I wanted this topic brought up.” Ignis says after a few seconds and relaxes a little as Gladio strokes a hand down his back. “I didn’t realise that was what the King wished to discuss.” “Relax babe. We’ll do damage control, it’ll be fine.” Gladio watches Ignis expression closely, “She wasn’t happy with the idea I take it?” “She said No. Emphatically.” They both stand there quietly, watching you as you’re subjected to Prompto’s retelling of the film’s plot. “Accidents happen.” Gladio says quietly. Ignis frowns. “She’s on birth control and heat suppressants.” “You're in charge of her medication Iggy” Ignis finally looks at him, but says nothing. “Who can really tell one little pill from another?” Gladio shrugs. “Just saying.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Noctis said you cancelled your plans with him today.” Ignis stands next to your bed watching you. He frowns slightly when you don’t respond, gently pressing the back of his hand to your forehead. You push him away and he sits next to you on the mattress. He sits and waits watching you patiently until you give in and make eye contact with him. He's worried about you, it’s written clearly across his face and it makes you feel ill. You shrug. You're half expecting him to force you to go anyway.

“Bad day?”

You don't answer and snuggle deeper into your duvet.

“Love?”

“I'm fine,” It’s an automatic answer and a lie. “Just tired.” Not quite another lie but close enough. You are tired. Just not the type of tired that's going to be helped by the 12 hour nap you want to take. You try to force a smile but it feels awkward and it’s obviously not convincing from Ignis expression.

He sighs and cautiously shifts a little closer but you flinch away when he goes to stroke your hair. It's a dirty greasy mess and the thought of Ignis touching it fills you with disgust and embarrassment.

“Don’t.” His nostrils flare as he scents you and the surge of hatred for that invasion of privacy makes you feel physically sick. Nothing is ever just yours anymore.

“Talk to me love, I care about you.”

“Why?”

It's a choked sob and you angrily bite your lip in an effort to stop the tears.

“Because I love you.”

“Well you shouldn't.” It’s a snappy angry retort but he doesn’t flinch or pull away.

He reaches forward, gently brushing some of your hair away from your face. “Sit up.” You scowl but you do as he commands. He pulls your hair gently in to a ponytail, combing his finger slowly through it to ease the knots before tying it with a band.

“Have you eaten today?” You shake your head reluctantly. You hadn’t even got out of bed today let alone eaten or drunk anything. “Have you taken your medication?” His questions and attention are starting to irritate you. You just want to be left alone. “Love?” You shrug. You genuinely don’t remember. “I can take care of myself.” “Can you?” You don’t reply, annoyed at his patronizing, but probably correct assumption and instead lie back down and curl up into a tighter ball and try to ignore him. He sighs and entwines his fingers through yours despite your attempt to pull your hand away.

“I will go get you something to eat.”

You don’t want to eat but you want to be left alone so you nod. He looks almost sad, maybe disappointed and it feels you with a surge of guilt.

��Tell Noct I'm sorry”

“You have nothing to be sorry for love, but I will talk to him?”

It's a question and it surprises you for some reason.

You don't want him to know, it makes you feel pathetic. Ignis notices the way your thoughts have gone and links his fingers back through yours. “He'll understand.” He squeezes your hand on the last word and you look up at him. Noctis is the one most likely to understand you know that but it's still embarrassing.

“I won't tell him anything you don't want me to, just enough to ease his concerns.”

You nod reluctantly, but the thought that Noctis could genuinely be worried about you feels absurd. “Will you be safe on your own?” his gaze sweeps down your arm as he stands, you know what he’s looking for, what he’s thinking, and you feel irritated at yourself for having shared so much with him in the past. The frustration at his question is unfair, you know that but you still feel it.

“I’ll stay.” Gladio’s voice interrupts your reply. You watch with increasing exasperation as they talk quietly by the door, wishing they'd just go away before Ignis comes back to you. You squeeze your eyes shut and try to ignore his intense gaze. He presses a gentle kiss to your forehead and entwines his fingers back through yours. You crack open an eye when he doesn’t move away. He looks so concerned about you that you find yourself crying before you can stop yourself. “I’m sorry.” It’s half choked half sobbed from your throat. “You don’t need to be sorry” he repeats. He makes no move to come closer and you feel grateful for that. You don’t think you can handle too much affection without breaking down completely.

“Why do you put up with me?” you whisper, voice cracking. “I don’t do anything, I can’t fight, I can’t help with hunts, I just do nothing. I’m a burden.” “Love.” he sighs. “You are not a burden.” He kisses your palm. “You are a part of our pack. Our omega. Our mate.” He kisses you. “We love you.” “Why?” you sniffle. You can’t wrap your head around it. He wipes away your tears with a sad smile, “Because I do, because it’s you.” You’ve fooled him somehow, tricked him into loving you. Your stomach twists painfully.

“I won’t be long.” “Ok.” It’s a weak feeble reply but he doesn’t pull away from you, instead waits until you let go of his hand. You watch him leave, expecting him to go and not return now he’s seen what you are truly like until Gladio steps in front, blocking your view.

He stands next to your bed, arms crossed as he looks down at you. “Can I?”

You hesitate in answering and he takes that as a yes.

“Move over,” he says expectantly. Pushing his way into your bed and nudging you gently with his elbow when you don’t move.

You feel guilty that he’s having to stay with you, the urge to make it up to him is strong. You hook your leg over his and slide your calf over this crotch. He grunts in surprise and grabs your leg. “Relax baby.”

“You don't want to?” You're not surprised really, you probably don't look or smell very attractive right now but it still hurts. Why would he stay if you can't give him what he wants?

“Always, but we're napping right now.”

You don't believe him, and even though you don't even want to have sex you still feel the sting of rejection. He notices and presses a kiss to your forehead. Grabbing your wrist he tugs your hand to his crotch. “I'm always half hard for you omega.” And he is. You curl your hand around the bulge in his pants and squeeze tightly. His hips jerk forward and he chuckles pulling your hand away to rest on his chest. “No, don’t be naughty.”

You slump down on his chest, somewhat sullenly, still a little sore from his rejection.

You lose yourself in Gladio’s presence for a while, his heart beat strong and steady in your ear. “Wanna talk?”

“No, just cuddle.”

“I can do that.” He tightens his grip around you, pulling you until you are practically on top of him.

The self hatred comes back and you tense. You try to pull back but he tightens his hold.

“What's wrong?”

“I'm –“ Was he really going to make you say it?

“I'm heavy.” You mumble it into his chest.

“What?”

“Aren't I too heavy?”

“No you’re perfect.” he slides his hands down your sides to your ass. “I love every inch of you,” he continues his movements, gripping your thighs. “You know how much Prompto goes on about these thighs? Gets me jealous with the amount of marks he leaves on them.”

You want to cry. He freezes as your breath hitches.

“We can work on it if it's something you really want baby.” He says it hesitantly, quietly, like he's scared of upsetting you further. Linking his fingers with yours he tugs your hand to rest over his heart.

You don’t know if it is something you want, you can’t separate the dark voice in your head from the logical one. But he’s listening to you. He’s not dismissing you, and he’s definitely not ignoring you and it makes the tears run freely again. Youre not worth such care. His free hand is still wandering, soothing strokes that start at the nape of your neck, swirl down your spine to your ass and dip just barely under the hem of your shirt. It’s a soft gentle caress and even when his hands slip a little higher under your shirt there’s nothing but love and tenderness in his touch. “You’re sexy and you’re smart,” he kisses your thumb, “funny, kind,” he makes his way along your fingers with each word, a kiss pressed to the tip of each one. “brave, and my favourite kind of brat.” he nips at your pinky with the last word, before moving onto your other hand. His hands still when he hears you sniff. ”Want me to stop?”

You bury your face into his chest to hide your tears. “Yes,” you hiccup “No.”

He squeezes you tighter and lets your hand drop, resuming his touch down your back.

“and I like you on top of me,” he says his voice dropping to a low whisper “I love watching you ride me.”

His horniness is predictable, and you smile into his neck, and although it doesn't last long it is a genuine smile.

“I felt that.”

You feel him relax underneath you, he’s not purring but you feel grateful for that.

You're still tired, still sad but the heavy dark emptiness in your chest lessens slightly as you lay there and listen to Gladio’s heartbeat. You feel like you can breathe a little easier. You turn on to your side away from him and all though he looks apprehensive he lets you go.

You shift and squirm until you are comfortable on your front and reach behind you to pull Gladio’s arm across your back. He goes willingly, only resisting when you try to drag him on top of you. “The weight feels good. Please? It makes me feel,-“ It’s hard to describe how it makes you feel exactly, “…safe.” You finish quietly. He opens his mouth to reply and you beat him to it. “No talking, just squish.” His amused huff rustles your hair but he does as he’s told, draping himself over you until your half wedged under him and wrapped tight in his arms.

“I lo-“ “Don’t” you interrupt him quickly, with a surge of panic. You can’t hear that right now. “I’m- I cant. Not now.” You’re pretty sure you’re not making sense, that he’s not going to understand. “Ok.” It's murmured against your hair, a simple acknowledgment but it makes you feel better. “Can I touch you?” You nod and he slips his warm hand under your shirt to rest across your ribs just under your breasts, holding you snugly against him. It still doesn't sit quite right. His affection, his obvious care, still feels alien, wrong, like it’s meant for someone else. The feeling that you’ve tricked them into caring about you and your depressed mood still linger, and probably will for a while. But you’ve been through this before, you’ve made it through this before, and with the sound of Gladio’s steady breathing in your ear as he holds you, the heavy emptiness in your chest lessens a little bit more.

[whumperscorner]

"Hand Gagging " for the bthb please :D

Here you go! Sorry it took some time :3 it ended up slightly longer than I had planned eheh

This is the first time I’ve written and posted any ffxv stuff (even though it is one of my longest whump fandoms eheh) so please be kind :>

BTHB#2- Hand Gagging

Fandom: Final Fantasy XV

Characters: Prompto Argentum, Cor Leonis

Whumpee: Prompto Argentum

Word count: 1950

Warnings: kidnapping

It’s already dark when Prompto steps out into the crisp evening air, waves one last goodbye to his friends and begins on the walk home. Gladio had offered to follow him part of the way, but Prompto had said no. He knows the way well, and it’s not too far. Besides, he really doesn’t mind walking on his own like this. He quietly hums along to a song he doesn’t remember the name of, one Iggy had put on earlier that evening, and pulls his phone out of his pocket. He’d better give Cor a head’s up that he’s coming home soon.

*Omw home now.* He sends the message, puts the phone back in his pocket and blows a breath of warm air on his hands before stuffing them too into his pockets. He should’ve brought a pair of gloves, Prompto thinks as he absentmindedly crosses the street by a corner. One lone car passes slowly behind him when the phone buzzes. Prompto takes it out and the screen lights up with the new message from ‘Dad’.

*Fun evening? Eaten anything yet?*

*Yeah! And no, we sort of forgot.* That isn’t entirely true. Ignis had made valiant attempts at getting them to eat something substantial all evening, but he and Noct had been busy with Noct’s new game. Which Prompto had beaten him at fair and square, no matter what the prince would say to that. The two hadn’t really had time to focus on eating.

*There’s leftover thai, want me to heat it up for you?* Comes the answer from Cor, faster now than last time.

*Oh yeah thanks!* Thai sounds delicious right about now, and the thought makes his stomach rumble.

Prompto’s legs have been moving on autopilot up to this point, but now he glances up from the phone at his surroundings. Aside from one lone car at the end of the street, he’s the only one around. Prompto’s eyes land on a familiar old sign shaped like a pretzel and he sends another quick message to his dad.

*I’m by the old baker’s now, so I’ll be home in 10.*

*Great, see you then.*

*Yeah, see you later!*

After the exchange Prompto again stuffs the phone and his hands back in the warm pockets on his jacket. He looks quickly to both sides before crossing the road again, and well over on the other side he turns right. There’s a shortcut a bit further down that he plans on taking. Behind him, a lone car starts moving slowly in the same direction he’s going. But Prompto doesn’t notice it. His head is full of longing thoughts of warm thai food, and the song that he still doesn’t remember the name of.

He keeps walking for another few minutes, where the most interesting thing to happen is a squirrel jump-scaring him by running across the road up ahead. Then, the phone in his pocket buzzes and lights up to show a message from Noct. It’s a shot of the tv screen and the prince’s new game, with a new personal best he’s showing off. Prompto snickers and writes out the reply.

*Oh shit, didn’t know specs knew how to play that. He’s really good!*

*Screw you xD* comes the answer.

The two bicker back and forth for a good while, and Prompto vows to beat him again soon enough, which Noct does not believe he can do. Prompto smiles at the screen, letting his legs carry him absentmindedly along, he knows he can. He beats Noct fairly often, and not that he would brag or anything, but he’s pretty good when it comes to games.

Had Prompto been less distracted he would have no doubt realised something was off. He would have easily noticed the car, which has been following him down two and a half streets already. Never too far behind, but never passing him either. But Prompto hums and types excitedly as he walks along. It doesn’t occur to him to check, and why would it? He walks this way home all the time, and nothing bad has ever happened before.

Reaching the sharp left turn, Prompto begins on the way down the alley he knows will cut at least four minutes off of his normal walk. He gets a glimpse of the car when he rounds the corner, but it’s out of his line of sight soon enough. The alleyway here is narrower than the previous road, and darker too, but that doesn’t scare Prompto. Though something about that car does feel off to him. It feels familiar and gives him the strangest sense of déjà vu. Prompto makes a valiant effort to shake the feelings of unease now creeping up in him, but it doesn’t take long before the sound of tires screeching to a halt stops him in his tracks. He swirls around and scans the entrance to the alley, but no car is visible there. Still, his stomach twists uncomfortably, and he finds himself regretting that he passed up the offer from Gladio to walk with him.

A growing sense of foreboding dread settles in his stomach as Prompto slowly turns back around and keeps walking. He must be imagining things, he’s almost sure of it. Almost. The wind picks up, howling loudly in Prompto’s ears. The sound of it rustling the leaves on the ground could almost be mistaken for light footsteps. A chill runs up Prompto’s spine at the thought, but he doesn’t dare look back, instead upping his pace slightly. There’s probably nothing, says the rational part of his brain, but then again... How many times hasn’t Cor repeated that it’s better to trust your gut, and that if a situation feels off then it’s better to be safe than sorry? Well, it is better to be safe than sorry, Prompto decides and finds his dad’s number in the contact list. His finger is shaking slightly as it hovers over the call button, a combination of the cold and the nerves.

Just then, as he presses down on the button, something heavy collides with him from behind. His eyes widen and his mouth opens in a surprised shriek, but any sound is muffled by the big hand clamping over his mouth. Then he's yanked back, barely having time to register the screen on his phone changing to show the call trying to connect before it clatters down on the ground. Adrenaline and panic rushes in his ears and he struggles, instinctively twisting and squirming and trying to pull the person's arms off of him as he is dragged back. The haze of fear and confusion lifts for just long enough that Prompto's brain can finally catch up to what's actually happening, and it does in no way ease the panic. A muffled, terrified, squeal bubbles up in his throat and his struggling intensifies, limbs flailing as unknown hands grab around his face and chest. As if by a miracle his elbow connects with something soft and a pained groan sounds from behind, but if Prompto had any hope of that making things easier he was soon proven wrong. With a guttural curse the person behind changes direction, manhandling Prompto around so he almost loses his balance and pushing him up against the wall of the alleyway. A low whine, muffled by the hand, escapes as he pushes uselessly against the bricks in an attempt to give himself any leeway.

"Come quietly pretty boy, and you won't have to get hurt." A deep man’s voice hisses. The voice is low and dangerous, and the man’s breath is hot on Prompto's ear. It makes him shiver. He attempts to shake his head, to protest, he wants the man off of him. His fruitless struggling evidently makes the man laugh, a mocking bark of a sound comes from behind and then-

"-Prom? You there kid?" The call on his phone, now on the ground somewhere, has gone through. That’s Cor’s voice. Prompto recognises it instantly and relief floods through him. For a short moment both he and the man holding him stand completely still, then Prompto gathers himself and wrenches free of the grip. He gasps in a breath of fresh air.

"Dad! Da-" and the hand is back, clamping over his mouth again with bruising force and muffling the rest of his yelling.

"Prompto?! What's going on?" Cor's voice is louder as he presses on, more urgent. He can tell something is wrong, it's obvious in his voice, and the man holding Prompto curses loudly. Out of the corner of his eye Prompto sees another silhouetted person approaching. For one wonderful moment he thinks it might be someone coming to help, but it isn't. The other person strides forward, past Prompto and the man, and through Prompto's muffled yelling brings the heel of their boot down on the phone, hard. Once, then twice, until Cor's voice distorts and disappears and the broken screen flickers to black. With his dad's voice gone again Prompto feels more alone and hopeless than at any other point this evening, and fear grips his chest tight.

"Should teach Leonis to watch who he messes with." the silhouetted person turns back, and Prompto can see the sharp features of another man, mouth twisted in distain at Cor's name. He spits on the ground and starts walking again. "Let's move."

The man holding Prompto nods in response, and without warning manoeuvres him around to walk back towards the entrance to the alleyway. The sudden movement wakes Prompto from his petrified state, he stumbles, but is quick to regain his balance and plants his feet firmly on the ground. Cor knows something is going on. That means he'll come look for him, Prompto is sure of it. He can't let the men take him away before his dad comes for him. He bucks and twists in the man's grip with renewed energy, if he can only stall for long enough this will be fine. Cor will come and he will be fine. It's the only thing on Prompto's mind as the man holding him grunts in effort at keeping him subdued. A few feet up ahead, the commotion alerts the second assailant, who wastes no time rushing back towards the two.

"Stop fucking struggling." he almost spits the words as he comes closer, but Prompto meets his eyes defiantly. He doesn't intend on going along quietly, especially not when he knows Cor is coming. "Fine." the second man spits through grit teeth. Then, with no prior warning letting Prompto know to brace himself, a clenched first collides with his stomach. The impact knocks the air out of him, he cries out into the hand, and if it weren't for the man's tight grip he probably would have fallen. For a short dizzying moment he thinks he might puke, he tries to gasp, but with the hand still over his mouth it doesn't work. He's not getting enough air. Then they're on the move again, and Prompto has no choice but to follow suit. He's more carried than walked to the alley's entry, where the black car from before is parked just out of sight behind the corner. Prompto's heart sinks in his chest at the sight of it, and he tries one last time to pull the man's hands off of him. Some small part of him hopes that maybe if he can yell again now someone will hear and come help, but he's tired, and the hand won't budge anymore. He struggles still, of course, but his resisting doesn't help him as the men lock him up in the dark trunk of the car and drive off.

[archonssun]

To the One Who Holds the Stars

To the one who holds the stars--

“Look alive, kid!” Gladio’s booming voice ripped you from your reverie. (E/c) eyes went wide as an Imperial dropship opened up right above you and the boys, and a group of Magitek assassins descended upon you.

Everyone says you burn like the sun.

You hated this. The constant fighting, the constant running. Always needing to sleep with one eye open lest the Imperials catch you with your pants down. You had been trained to fight, to protect the progeny of the Founder King. But you weren’t trained to camp multiple days -- sometimes weeks -- at a time. You hadn’t slept in what felt like years, and it was while you were fighting off an MT that your lack of sleep finally caught up with you.

The edges of your vision went dark and your world began spinning; not even stabbing the ground with your short sword could keep you upright, and with your limbs going numb you couldn’t completely dodge the MT’s attack. It’s sword sliced a shallow cut into your right cheek, right below your eye, and spanned across your nose.

But I don’t.

Even though the wound was below your eye, you shut it tightly regardless. More than anything else, adrenaline was the only thing that kept you mobile, crouching low as the assassin came to attack you again. You could barely hold onto your sword anymore, the weapon clattering to the stone at your feet as the MT stood over you. There was no way out of this; the others were too far away to reach you in time. So with a sad smirk, you settled on glaring at your killer as it approached.

To me, you’re like the full moon.

The ringing of gunshots made you flinch and you clenched your eyes shut. Mechanical whirring and the Magitek core fizzling out mixed with your uneven breathing. The adrenaline was leaving your system, and it left you feeling even more drained than before. You couldn’t stay upright, slumping to your side and focusing on controlling your breathing.

Lighting my way in this darkness.

“You good?” Prompto’s voice had you cracking open your left eye. He gave you one of his radiant smiles -- the ones that held an undeniable sadness -- as he crouched next to you. One gloved hand reached for you, but instead of helping you up, Prompto just poked your side with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Even when you piss me off, I can’t hate you.

“You fuc--” You hissed, hand covering your right eye. In your anger, you had forgotten about the wound below your eye, and blood had managed to slip into your eye. “Shit!”

Because I know it’s all in good fun.

“What’s wrong?” Ignis’s posh voice joined the conversation. The royal advisor took one look at you covering your eye and the small part of the wound he could see on your nose, releasing a pent up sigh and rubbing at his temples.

Even when you worry too much, I can’t turn you away.

From the corner of your good eye, you watched the bright expression melt away from Prompto’s face. His lips turned down in a frown, his shoulders drooping when Ignis pried your hand away from your eye, exposing your wound entirely. For a second, you thought you could see fear flash in those cerulean eyes.

I know that it’s how you show you care.

You scowled as Ignis’s fingers touched the wound across your nose, biting your tongue to keep from cursing. The pain wasn’t all that bad, but the man was being anything but gentle as he poked and prodded.

“Are they gonna be okay?” Prompto blurted out, coming out of his stupor and taking a single step towards Ignis. The sandy-haired man sighed once more, already reaching for a potion and holding it out to you.

“They’re going to be fine,” Ignis replied as he stood, his green eyes focused on you as you crushed the vial in your hand. Like magic -- because it is -- the wound disappeared, leaving only the smears of blood to hint that you had been injured at all.

***

To the one who holds the stars--

Noct was gone. You didn’t know how, or why. But he was gone.

You lost your shine when I wasn’t looking.

You watched Prompto, every jerky movement he made another dagger to your chest. It wasn’t meant to be this way; Prompto wasn’t supposed to be this… quiet.

You started pulling away like the tides.

“Hey,” you muttered, touching his shoulder as you sat to his left. He didn’t say anything, only gave you a small nod. You frowned and gave him a small nudge, the action resulting in him turning to face you.

“You know he’s gonna be back, right?” You pouted. Prompto was silent for a beat longer before he tore his gaze from you, content with staring blankly at the ground.

You turned dark, turned into someone I didn’t know.

“Of course I know that,” he spat out, startling you. It wasn’t his words so much as the tone of his voice; it was untethered anger you heard in it. It had you hesitating, and he must have been able to tell as he released a sigh. His tone was softer as he said, “I know he’ll be back.”

I didn’t know what to do to make you smile again.

Taking his hand, you laced your fingers with his, earning you a wide-eyed look from the blond. 

“I can’t begin to understand what it’s like to lose your best friend, but if you ever just need to talk--” taking a breath, you managed to pull together a halfway decent smile and turned it towards him “-- I’ll listen.”

***

Someone nudging your leg broke your train of thought, (e/c) eyes cracking open to see Prompto smiling down at you. He held a wrapped parcel in one hand, the other balancing two cans. Your brow furrowed as you straightened in your seat.

“What’s all this?”

“Did you seriously forget what today is?” Prompto pouted, plopping into the seat to your left.

“In case you haven’t noticed, Blondie, it’s kinda hard to keep track of the days in the middle of the literal apocalypse,” you snorted, rolling your eyes. The blond kicked your foot and you turned to glare, only for your eyes to go wide as he pushed the parcel and one of the cans toward you.

“Happy birthday.” You watched him as he opened the can of beer still in his hand, as he relaxed in the plastic chair and took a sip of the drink. These last few years have changed him. His freckles had grown pale and were now only a few shades darker than the rest of his skin. His hair had darkened from the lack of sunlight, having turned a muddy blond. You couldn’t lie; you missed the bright blond of his hair. It had helped you find him on more than one occasion.

A gentle smile touched your lips as you grabbed the can he had pushed towards you, a singular thought rolling around in your mind.

To the one who holds the stars, on his skin and in his eyes-- 

I love you.

-----

Let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list!

Tag List: @katerleegrand, @blossattic, @orgawnas, @kirahhhh, @naisitaable​, @gladiosamicitias​, @kenkopanda​, @sakesays, @raspberryricecakes

[ohdaim]

prompt - neighbors

You caught a glimpse of him while checking your mail. He was a tall, dark line topped with tawny hair, and he left a citrus musk in his wake. Barely conscious, you’d only stepped out to get the mail while your coffee steeped. He’d moved in overnight just a week prior, and he hadn’t made a sound.

Scientia was written on his letterbox next to yours. It was in neat script, simple black letters on white, unlined paper. You’d done yours weeks ago when you’d first moved in and hadn’t gotten around to ever updating it with better handwriting. Next to his, your surname in sparkly gel pen looked a touch silly. Although, compared to the faded and cockled name cards on everyone else’s boxes, you both stood out spectacularly as obvious new tenants.

You shuffled through the mail on your way back in. Among the bills and junk was an unexpected weight. You’d ordered a package, but this didn’t seem to be right. It was a magazine, covered in a thin layer of navy blue plastic, and after turning it over, you were able to read the title, which was, as far as you could tell, the only part not obscured by the plastic.

PENTHOUSE

This was most definitely not yours. You unloaded everything else onto your kitchen table and turned the magazine over in your hands again. There, on a lower corner, you read Ignis Scientia.

“Ah.”

You put it aside, looking at it while you sipped on your coffee. It wasn’t as if you were actively looking for a reason to meet the guy. Considering what this was, you were even less enthralled by the idea of approaching him. I got your spank mag in my letterbox. Just watch porn online like everyone else.

Pouring yourself a second mug, you decided you’d pull the band-aid off once he got back from what you assumed was his job. It was only a dirty magazine, after all. You were both adults here.

Because he never made a sound, and you often lost yourself in your art--oil paintings for wealthy clients--you weren’t able to catch him again. Not even a glimpse in the early morning like that initial sighting.

But the magazines continued to come. You frowned at the pile that had accumulated on your kitchen table in just a week. Hustler, Playboy, something called Erotic Disrobing. You opened one--it had thrown you with its title, Beaver Hunt, which you shouldn’t, in retrospect, have trusted whatsoever--to see a large, perfectly rounded ass with the exquisite main cover line: MILFS that LOVE to be MILKED.

Judging from the Insomnian Bear and Playgirl that had come mid-week, you had to give it to your new neighbor; he had a vast range of sexual interests. He also had a huge problem. No healthy person needed this much pornography.

By the end of the week, you left a note taped to his front door, telling him to knock on yours when he had the time because you had his ‘important mail’. When another week passed with not so much as a word from him and another slew of adult magazines, you began to wonder if you were being pranked by the mail carrier. So unprofessional how they couldn’t seem to differentiate between your letterbox and Ignis’ when your name cards couldn’t have looked more different.

Deep in your focus on the current commission, you were jarred out of your thoughts by a loud noise from next door. It was followed by music, which fluctuated in volume from high to low to high again within the span of a minute. You left your painting, wiping your hands on a cloth as you made for the stack of magazines in your kitchen.

Absolute pervert Ignis Scientia was home. At fucking last.

You blew wisps of your hair out of your face while you waited for him to answer his door. Paint was still on your hands, and you were wearing the least flattering but most comfortable clothes you owned. A vague thought ran through your mind that you should’ve changed before coming over. Except no, you were holding an armload of dirty magazines. There was no saving this from being an awkward first encounter.

The door opened to a bearded man not wearing a shirt. You were sure this couldn’t have been the same person you’d caught a peek of in the morning sun weeks before.

Still, you asked, “Ignis Scientia?”

The man laughed, a gruff, deep sound that shook his broad chest. He looked over his shoulder and called out, “Iggy, you’ve got company.”

Waving you in, he backed away and waited. You were hesitant. Visiting wasn’t in the plan, but you couldn’t deny that you were curious about what was going on. The music was much louder inside the apartment. You passed the man, meeting eyes with another who looked away almost immediately, one hand coming up to card through his blonde hair while the other turned the music down a notch.

“Selling magazines or something?” The larger, shirtless man asked, going around you to drop himself onto the sofa next to a third man who seemed to have eyes only for his phone.

“No.” You looked for a place to put them down, but the coffee table was covered with snack foods and open drinks. “These were accidentally put in my mailbox. They say Ignis Scientia on them?”

It wasn’t meant to be a question, but the longer you stood in the living room with these three men, none of whom appearing to be the elusive Ignis Scientia, you were beginning to worry all of this was a wild fever dream.

“Yes, allow strangers into my flat while Noct is here.” A fourth man stepped through an archway from what you could see was his kitchen, looking from you to the man who’d let you in. “Excellent shield work, Gladio.”

The man on the sofa laughed with a shrug. “Seemed harmless. Look at ‘em. They’re cute, delivering your mail for you.”

“I’m not--” You sighed and faced Ignis to introduce yourself. It took you a moment to speak, caught off guard by the frank intensity of his gaze. “I live next door. These keep coming to my letterbox. Please take them.”

Green eyes flicking down from your face to the topmost magazine, he frowned. “Are you certain those are mine?”

You glanced down. Peeking out through a clear bit in the black plastic cover was the word Boudoir, half covered by the shiny, golden elbow of what you were certain was a naked woman.

“Look.” You lifted the stack in your arms. “Your name is right there.”

Ignis blinked, stepping closer to read the address sticker. His face began to redden. “I don’t subscribe to this sort of…”

You hefted the weight in your arms. “If you would, please.”

Finally, he took them, the red in his face deepening by the second.

“I opened one,” you said. “Just, um, out of curiosity.”

He didn’t respond, looking toward his friends. “Gladio, is this your doing?”

As if they hadn’t been listening, two of the men sitting around looked your way. The largest one came to a stand and closed the distance to swipe the uppermost magazine. Delayed surprise crossed his face, then he laughed.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Iggy.” He tore the plastic off and flipped through the pages. “So you’re into granny fetish stuff. Everybody’s got their thing.”

A scowl came to Ignis’ face. You didn’t like how good looking he actually was. You’d built up a very different image in your mind. For some reason, you’d thought he’d have a mustache. A creepy one. Instead, he looked like he’d stepped right out of a magazine himself. Albeit one where the models wore much more clothing.

“Gladio, this is worse than the last time I moved.” His grip on the bottom of the stack tightened. “Can’t you have these sent to your own place?”

The larger man closed the magazine, his amusement softening. “Iris checks my mail sometimes. I’d just rather not deal with that.”

You stepped back, inching toward the exit. You’d done your job. They seemed absorbed into their own thing. Whatever party this was, your curiosity was sated. And you really didn’t care whose magazines they were. Only that they wouldn’t be in your mailbox anymore.

Your slow steps were halted when Ignis looked at you again.

“I apologize,” he said. “You were the one who left that note, weren’t you?”

You nodded. “You didn’t come by.”

He held the magazines out, and his friend took them, carrying them over to the sofa.

“I thought you were mistaken.” His face was the picture of mortification, his inner eyebrows arched together over his glasses. He held his gloved hands in loose fists at his sides. “Had I known that was what you were receiving, I would’ve put a stop to it.”

You waved him off, thrown by the entire situation. You wanted to get back to your painting. You wanted to think about this in the relative quiet of your apartment.

“Just make sure you have them sent to your box from now on. I don’t think I can handle seeing another--” You made a vague motion with your hands. “Yeah.”

He nodded. “Let me know if you do. Again, my apologies.”

You left from there, beginning to grow embarrassed yourself. Just beyond the door, you heard him say with much less patience, “Thank you, now my neighbor thinks I’m a sexual deviant.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

The door closed, muting the conversation and following laughter. You waffled for a moment, listening as the volume of the music raised again. Well. That was… something.

Back in your own apartment, you found it difficult to return to work. Not because of the music from next door or the unburdening of the magazines.

You cleaned your paint brushes, done for the night, and felt warmth bloom on your face. Pervert or not, Ignis had the kind of face you dreamt of painting.

“Now who’s the weirdo,” you laughed to yourself.

[higuchimon]

[fanfic] In The Arms of Love:  Chapter 5

Yuusaku was a touch loathe to admit it out loud, but he loved the new coat. Ai knew his measurements perfectly – though he hadn’t ever asked how Ai knew and wasn’t sure if he wanted to know – and he’d chosen a perfect color. And it was so warm.

He wasn’t so sure about the ice skates, though. He’d never bothered learning how to do it. He’d seen people going off with their skates before, but he’d never been able to dredge up the enthusiasm to do it himself.

But now things were different. He’d learned everything that he could about the Lost Incident, the Knights of Hanoi weren’t his enemy anymore, and the Ignis were safe with those who cared about them. SOLtech wasn’t an enemy either. He could do whatever he wanted to do. Revenge no longer consumed his life.

Which meant if he wanted to, he could go ice skating. And have fun.

The idea of having fun wasn’t one that had occurred to him in years. Fun was for other people, not for him. The closet he’d ever come to it were those times he’d been in Link Vrains and no one was actually attempting to kill him or worse.

Fun was apparently for Ai, who stood peering out the door and fidgeted, glancing back at him now and then.

“Are you ready yet?” Ai demanded to know. “The snow’s just about stopped.”

Yuusaku could have happily remained wrapped up in his new coat and sitting on the couch the whole time. But with the way Ai looked at him, he couldn’t bring himself to do that. He got to his feet, skates hung over one shoulder.

“We could go skating in Vrains,” he pointed out. That would be a lot less painful when he inevitably fell. He anticipated a lot of bruises today and didn’t look forward to any of them.

Ai patted him on the shoulder. “We could but that would mean you wouldn’t get to use your new skates or your new coat.”

Yuusaku reminded himself that Ai’s body was a SOLtis creation and that it was only Ai’s intelligence infusing it that made it look as if he were being given such large and melting eyes. Given the square shape of the pupils, it really shouldn’t have looked so adorable.

And yet, it did.

He shrugged and headed for the door. “If we’re going to do this, then let’s do it.”

Yuusaku wasn’t surprised to feel Ai’s arm sliding around him as they started walking. Ai had been a lot more huggy over the last day. It didn’t feel bad at all and he was starting to get used to it.

The more Ai hugged, the more he started to like it, in fact. He wasn’t sure of how else to feel about it. Ai was very warm and very strong and Yuusaku could forget about everything else for a few moments. He didn’t want to do that for long, but for those moments, he enjoyed the sensation.

He leaned his head against Ai as they walked. He didn’t see anyone else around who paid attention to them, so the silence and solitude encouraged him to wrap his own arm around Ai. Those few people who were around seemed more interested in the snow themselves than anything else.

“Where are we going?” Yuusaku asked at last. He really only knew the way from his apartment to school and to a few choice places where Kusanagi set up Cafe Nagi. He probably could have found his way to the hospital if he needed to and maybe a tiny handful of other places. But he didn’t remember any particular ice skating areas – not that he’d ever gone looking for them.

“Ice skating! Didn’t you hear me?” Ai stared at him with one of the most convincing innocent expressions ever. Yuusaku didn’t buy it for a moment.

“Where are we going ice skating?” Maybe if he made the questions short and to the point, Ai would give him actual answers.

Ai gestured grandly ahead of them. “There’s a skating rink this way. I found it on the internet last night.”

Yuusaku nodded. At least that made sense. He’d really never gone looking so he wouldn’t have known. Even if he’d walked right by it, he wouldn’t have guessed.

“It’s not one of those artificial ones either,” Ai told him, tightening his hold a little. “It’s a frozen pond. They keep a good watch on it to be sure the ice is thick enough.”

It had been very cold for several days now. He’d spent more time in Vrains because of that. So he guessed the place had thick enough ice to support skating.

Yuusaku wondered exactly what skating would be like. He thought he vaguely recalled having done it when he was very young. But he didn’t remember it well and he wasn’t sure if he really had done it or not. Most of his memories from before the Lost Incident were faded to the point of no longer existing or being so faint that he couldn’t distinguish them from childhood fantasies.

Ai’s arm around him tightened a little and Yuusaku let himself think about the future instead of the past. He did that a lot more these days, since the future held wonderful things such as Ai and all the rest of his friends.

And today it held actual ice skating. He could see people gathered up ahead, and from the way Ai picked up his pace, that was where they were going. Ai guided him to one of the benches and together they started to put their ice skates on.

“Do you know how to ice skate?” Yuusaku wondered as Ai took his hands and guided him towards the smooth ice.

“I know everything I want to know,” Ai promised him, grinning. Yuusaku wasn’t going to question that. He hoped that Ai wasn’t so heavy that he’d fall through the ice. But he had to trust that Ai knew what his body could and couldn’t do.

Ai kept a firm hold of his hands – Ai didn’t have gloves and they were warm - guiding him through the basics of getting his balance and starting to glide along the ice.

Yuusaku remained aware that there were other people watching. He kept all of his focus on Ai, however, more because Ai made sure that he wasn’t going to fall than anything else. He still hadn’t gotten adjusted to the thought that people could watch him and he would be safe.

He could hear a little of what they said – murmuring about how handsome Ai was and how close the two of them seemed. As long as they kept it like that, he was fine with it. He wondered what Ai would think and decided he already knew. If Ai knew that people were watching them, he’d do anything he could to keep their attention.

If? No. He knows. How could Ai not know? He could hear and see on a level that most humans couldn’t.

And from the way Ai chuckled in his ear, Ai was very aware of the fact they were being watched.

“Do you want to really give them something to stare at, Yuusaku-chan?” Ai murmured. Yuusaku shivered at the feel of those warm lips against his skin. He’d never known how good being touched could be until Ai started doing it on a regular basis.

“What do you mean?” There were things he would do and things he’d rather they didn’t show off in public. He had to hope that Ai knew the difference.

“You asked if I knew how to ice skate. Let me show you everything I can do.” Ai guided him back over to the bench and helped him to sit down, raising his voice a little. “You take a break. I’m going to go back out there.”

Yuusaku didn’t argue. He honestly liked seeing Ai move around. He was far too graceful, every movement flawless, and he darned well knew it.

Ai skated back out to the center of the lake and spun slowly. That led into slow, long loops, and a few jumps. Nothing he did was any sort of formal professional work and technically it was all disconnected pieces. But the way that Ai flowed from one action to another and made it look effortless – Yuusaku wished he’d thought to record it so he could enjoy the sight again later. He’d probably have to make sure that none of the local security cameras recorded this. Perhaps he could save it from that.

He wasn’t the only one appreciating what Ai did. Everyone else at the pond stared in shock and awe, and when Ai finally came to a rest, finally skating right back to where Yuusaku waited, enthusiastic clapping rose upward. A few people cheered and one or two seemed to want his autograph.

Ai waved one hand gleefully to everyone. He’d changed out of his usual vampire ringmaster outfit to something much more neutral – ordinary pants and a thick sweater in the same dark shade of his hair – and if someone missed his odd pupils, he looked much like any other human. Yuusaku liked that. Ai needed whatever anonymity he could have – which was, of course, why he kept on doing things that made people stare at him.

As much as he tried, Yuusaku thought there would always be parts of Ai that he never understood. But one thing he did grasp very well was how much he enjoyed it as Ai brought him to his feet, slipped his arms around him softly, and brought their lips together.

To Be Continued

Notes: Tomorrow is the final chapter. Technically Hugsaku Week is over but I have a personal prompt I will be using for chapter 6, since I skipped the crossover prompt.

[writtingfiction]

A Glow in the Dark

Pairing: Ignis x FEM!Mermaid

genre: hinted romance

words:1.8k

summary: Ignis was looking at the Royal Vessel when something more interesting takes ahold of his attention. He hopes it doesn’t doom him for the future.

The boys could hardly believe it, they were finally able to make it to Altissia. Across the sea where the city awaits them and Noctis’ lovely fiancé as they like to tease him about it. However, they would set sail in the morning. Taking the Royal vessel to the magnificent city, with the sun rising and showing just some of the true wonders that Altissia has to offer. It’ll have to wait though, for they rest scattered about Cape Caem, waiting for exhaustion to take them.

Ignis, in particular, was down by the boat, examining and admiring the beautiful boat that she was. Checking more out of curiosity than anything else, but something quickly catches his attention. A splash of water is heard on the opposite side of the boat and he fears he may have knocked something over. He quickly checks and peers overboard to see the faint shimmer of something moving swiftly through the water. He thinks it’s one of the glowing barrel fish he has seen Noctis catch on late nights.

Ignis hears another splash of water, this time towards the bow of the boat. His brows furrow as he follows the sound, once again just managing to see a glow. Ignis hums, confirming his suspicions that the cause of the noise is just a barrel fish. Nevertheless, his thoughts were quickly thrown out when there was a louder and bigger splashing coming from behind him. It sounds like thrashing and Ignis is quick to move.

Before he can call out anything, he’s taken by surprise. A young woman, a glowing young woman is trying to climb onto the boat. No, a glowing young woman with a tail is trying to climb onto the boat. Ignis blinked slowly in shock, the gears in his head were trying to turn to make sense of the situation, but he couldn’t figure anything out. All he could do is watch in awe as she managed to pull herself up about halfway up the stairs before looking up at him, eyes going wide.

She had long hair glowing from the roots which faded out along the length of her hair. Turquoise glowing markings shaped her face which trailed down to her arms and webbed hands. Her tail glowed brightly showing the true beauty of her fin, frills trailing from her waist to the edge of her fin. They gave off a dim glow as her fin was large with glowing spots along it. She was pretty, heavenly even.

“What are you…?” She spoke. Catching him off guard. She spoke in such a heavy accent he could barely understand her, never mind place where the accent was from.

“W-what am I…?” Ignis echoed, surely not with enough class as he would like to admit. She continues to look at him. Tilting her head to the side ever so slightly. Ignis admits to himself that the way she looks at him does unsettle him but it’s also a familiar gaze. He doesn’t know why and he isn’t sure if he should be comforted by that, but he answers her question, odd as it is. “I am human. What are you?”

She stays silent and tilts her head the other way, slowly. Ignis is left in the dark about her intention. He isn’t sure what to do exactly. To help her or not. Would it insult her or no? He is filled with many questions.

“Sirenă.” She says it with confidence, and he knows she speaks a language that isn’t his.

“Siren?” Ignis echoes once again and his brain goes into overload. “You’re a siren? Like those stories we tell children about, where the mermaid is a woman of the sea and that there’s an entire city of them at the bottom of the ocean.” The siren blinks once and sighs.

“Sirena de mare adăncime.” The look in her eyes changes as she tries to settle herself onto the stairs on the edge of the boat. “Deep sea… siren. Different than, other sirenă.” She fixes herself, sitting now on the stairs as she stares up at Ignis. Curious and calm, clearly not sensing any danger from the blonde. Ignis, on the other hand, isn’t quite sure how to feel.

“I see, sorry for the mistake then.” There’s another tilt with her head and this time he catches sight of the gills on her neck. It’s another thing upon another and Ignis is forced to accept his reality that he is meeting a real mermaid, or siren as she labels herself so.

“What is your name…?” She speaks slower, perhaps easier for her but he’s glad either way. He can hear her better this way.

“Ignis Scientia.” Ignis, in turn, says his name slowly. The siren gives a little smile.

“Fire… Science… your name has… funny meaning.” Her smile only grows bigger at Ignis’s dumbfounded look. “I am Y/N L/N, I wanted… to be on ship one last time before… you take for good.”

“Y/N is a beautiful name. It’s a pleasure to meet one such as yourself. What makes you think we are taking the boat for good?” Ignis replies, confused. For all his knowledge is that the boat was kept here the entire time, except for when the king had taken it out for his adventures.

“You go adventure to pretty place. Just like the young King.” Y/N said and Ignis thinks of Noctis but knows he isn’t king yet. He wonders whom she could be talking about before it realizes that Y/N was talking about the late king, Noctis’ father. “Is the young King with you?”

“No, but his son is.”

“Ah, I see.” There was a sadness that had washed over her. “I promised I would… bring gift for son… but I don’t have with me.”

“It is quite alright, I’m sure the sentiment is there. I’ll tell the prince.” Ignis says it but Y/N is quick to react.

“NO!” Y/N shout was loud, echoing through the cave. “My living… no, existence… must be secret. There are bad people…”

“I understand.” Ignis wishes for a moment that he didn’t. Sadness washes over him, he wonders for a moment, how many sirens were there that lived down at the ocean floor. He wondered if there truly was a difference between sirens and mermaids like you had said. “However, the ship will be returning.”

“Then I wait for its return…” Y/N smiles but also trails off, looking at Ignis for a long while before speaking again. “And for yours.” Ignis is surprised by the comment, flustered as his cheeks burn.

“Mine? We’ve only known each other for a few moments.”

“Which makes the next encounter, all the more fun.” There’s a glimmer in Y/N’s eyes and Ignis isn’t sure what it means. “I’ll teach you about me, and you teach me about you. Simple.” Y/N reaches her hand out, almost as if she’s sealing the deal. Ignis nods, however, stays rooted to where he is. Y/N pouts, hand falling back to her side but it doesn’t dissuade her. Deciding to change tactics.

“…Let’s play a little game,” Y/N starts to sing and Ignis is immediately taken in, but still has his wits about it. “just between you and I. Obviously physical~” Her singing is mesmerizing and Ignis can’t help but want to get closer. Nevertheless, he doesn’t want to get closer, something isn’t right. The shine behind her eyes holds much more than the curiosity she had earlier. But he can’t help but take a step closer, and another as she continues to sing. “But either way the objective is the same. To please and entertain.”

Y/N knows it’s working, raising her hand once again. A tantalizing deal awaits him, he just doesn’t fully understand it. However, the elaborate plan is cutting short, she can hear the elevator working and many voices. His companions were coming, cursing herself mentally about her shout earlier. She didn’t have to be so loud. She’s ready to start the next line, but his companions could appear quicker than she thinks but decides to push it. He’s so close.

“You can be my vixen,” His gloved fingers begin to brush against her fingers just as the elevator opens. She takes her chance, the weight of having to see him again versus being seen by his companions is heavily outweighed. His hand is firmly clasped in hers just as they call out to him. “Your demise will be your stage~.”

“Ignis!!” The three of them shout and it’s enough to pull Ignis out of his trance. His head quickly spins towards them as Y/N takes the chance to finish the rest of the spell. Pressing soft lips to his neck and whisper quick details to him, officially bounding her to him.

“Paws off, our man!” Gladiolus shouts, summoning a great sword to his hands. Y/N is quick to react from here. Letting go of Ignis and quickly diving off the boat as he throws the large sword at her, barely missing her.

They’re quick to run over to Ignis and check the water, seeing her glow fade out as she swam away, back into the deep ocean. The boys fuss over Ignis checking to make sure he’s alright but they concluded that the only thing she did was leave a mark. A trident within a circle is placed right by his collarbone and neck. It glows a bright turquoise before going completely black.

“Ok, but let’s confirm that wasn’t a daemon or was it?” Prompto says worriedly.

“If it was a daemon, why didn’t the light bother it?” Noctis makes a note.

“I don’t think it was a daemon.” Ignis sighs, fingers lingering on the mark. The others look at him concerned. “However, we can’t be sure. Let us speak with the others, they may have more knowledge on this beast than we do.” They agree and all move back up to the house.

The second they enter the house, they’re swarmed with concerns from everyone but Talcott was the only one to point out the new mark on Ignis’ neck. Eyes wide with wonder and shock as the kid goes on a whole tirade about mermaids and sirens. Eventually saying that those who bear Ignis’ mark are bound to see the mermaid again at some point in their lives before they die.

“Here I thought it was just a bedtime story…” Iris comments with a small smile. Ignis feels exhaustion take him. He was grateful it was nothing bad, but he wondered if he really could place all his faith into a child's’ bedtime story.

“What did she look like?” Cindy pips up, quickly gaining everyone’s attention. Soon everyone is sitting around the table and telling what little they saw of the siren and Ignis retelling the encounter. As he does so, he wonders if the encounter is as innocent as Talcott’s stories are.

[what-big-teeth]

Spark (Male Fire Elemental, pt. 2)

There are two sides to every story. And for many, both are worth hearing. To help her father heal and to better understand Ignis, Simone knows she must learn of the fire elemental’s past. That is, if he chooses to tell her.

Female Human (POV) x Male Monster [Part 1] [Part 3] [Part 4]

TW: self-harm

As a child, I used to scream myself awake at night.

Sweat soaked my pajamas every time and my muscles ached from thrashing around. The only thing that brought me to my senses was the gentle touch of Nana’s hands.

My lungs always struggled to take in air and there were times when I threw up. But Nana would just draw a warm bath then gently wash my body with lavender soap. And she never let me feel ashamed.

But during the worst nights, I couldn’t look at her. Even after she’d dress me, change my bedsheets, and tuck me back in. I wanted nothing more than for her to leave so I could stay angry at myself. She never did.

“Simone?”

“Mm.” 

“Are you too old to be my grandbaby?”

Every time she’d ask that question with a playful tone, I’d meet her eyes and shake my head.

“Then you aren’t too old to hear me tell your favorite story. Are you comfy?”

I’d nod, only after snuggling further into bed. The act would bring a smile to her face every time.

“Ready, Nana.”

And without fail, she’d spin her tale. Once upon a time, there was a brave, Black girl who lived in a quiet town. It was so quiet that the girl decided she wanted to go on an adventure in the woods. So, she did.

As she explored the forest, the girl found something amazing: fire trapped in an unbreakable glass sphere. But neither were ordinary fire or ordinary glass. The flame was a tricksy spirit and the sphere was its prison, etched with strange symbols. At first, the spirit didn’t want anything to do with the girl and told her to leave. But the girl refused and told the spirit that having company was better than being alone. To the girl’s surprise, the spirit agreed.

Years passed, and with time, the girl and the spirit grew close. The girl eventually found a way to shatter the glass sphere and released the spirit. But once he was freed, the spirit didn’t leave. Instead, he declared his love for the girl. But the girl couldn’t accept because her heart belonged to another. This angered the spirit and he vowed to destroy the quiet town where the girl lived. To save the boy and the town she loved, the girl tricked the spirit and trapped him again using her own blood.

“The girl later married the boy and lived a happy life, but she still thought about the spirit from time to time.”

“But he turned bad. So why Nana?”

“Because before he became the girl’s worst enemy, he was her dearest friend.”

 ________________________________________

I can feel Mica’s gaze trail after me as I unload my large, rolling suitcases and from Mason’s pickup. He slams the tailgate home with more force than usual and the bang drowns out her sigh.

“Are you sure about this, Simone?”

Going from “tidying up Nana’s house” in November to “living there for a week as a test-run” the next month didn’t sit well with her. More so when we found evidence of forced entry in Grandpa’s old den. Just about everything was turned over and rummaged through. And the back-door handle laid mangled in the backyard. The discovery spurred Mason to buy two, top-of-the-line locks and install them while we were still there. I offered to repay him for the locks and new keys, but he refused.

When Dad learned about our discovery, all the color drained from his face. Not surprisingly, he lost his composure when I told him my idea. Mason immediately offered to come along for additional safety as did Mica. Mainly to keep Mason in line and to help ease Dad’s growing worry. Thankfully, after I promised to put his number on speed dial and check in with him daily, he agreed.

I haul the heavier of my suitcases up the front steps and lean it against the door. Once I’m sure it won’t topple over from its own weight, I grab the second one and give Mica a reassuring smile.

“Positive. I don’t want my inheritance to go to waste.”

Mason frowns in return, but Mica quickly intercedes before he can speak.

“If you need anything, give us a call, okay? The motel’s only ten minutes away.”

“I will,” I say.

But neither twin moves. Or says anything. A long silence follows, one that’s filled with unvoiced concern.

“I’m serious, you guys. If anything happens, you’ll be the first to know. Promise.”

The tension in Mica’s shoulders subsides, but Mason just shakes his head and heads towards the driver side of his truck without saying goodbye. As he closes the door, Mica pinches the bridge of her nose with a gloved hand and lets out a deep breath.

“Don’t worry about him,” she says. “His bad mood will blow over and he’ll be back to his normal grumpy self soon.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

Mica’s hand falls away from her face and she stares at me with narrowed eyes.

“Wait, he hasn’t told you yet?”

“If you mean the reason he’s been acting weird lately, then no. He hasn’t.”

My guess goes unanswered until she stomps her foot against the cold, hard ground.

“That dumbass!”

“Uh, Mica—”

“No, no, it’s fine!” She waves off my question and gives me a horribly forced smile. “I’ll take care of it and text you later!”

Before I can say anything, Mica jogs over to the pickup’s passenger side and climbs inside. She starts tearing into Mason the moment she’s settled in. But Mason’s stony expression doesn’t crack. He just focuses on reversing the truck and driving away.

I shake off the feeling of forced ignorance and head inside. No use in getting frustrated over what I can’t change. Not when there’s something I can. And it’s past the foyer and down the main hallway, disguised as a normal fireplace piled with ash.

I stare at the dark hearth, thinking of how to best announce my presence. I’m tempted to let my noisy air mattress pump do the job for me, but any sort of pettiness will hinder my goal. So, I pick up a nearby fire iron and knock it against the brick mantle.

A tiny burst of sparks emerges from the ash slowly followed by bright flames that curl upward until they fill the iron hearth. Unlike the sharp grin Ignis first wore when he first appeared, his features are stretched wide into a yawn.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” I say.

Ignis takes his time coming around, his mouth closing with a sharp crackle. When his gaze lifts to meet mine, I give him a smile. His eyes narrow.

“You’re back.”                                      

“Considering how I’m the rightful owner of this house, yes. I am.”

The bit of flame acting as his mouth stretches into a joyless sneer.

“Does your newfound ownership extend to me?”

I back away from the fireplace and plop down in the middle of the clean area rug.

“No, it doesn’t. And it never will.”

Ignis falls silent and his mocking smile melts into an unreadable expression. I keep going, not wanting to lose his attention.

“All I want is to know the truth. Nana told her side of the story as best she could to a young child. And Dad won’t say anything about what he knows. That just leaves your perspective, if you’ll let me hear it.”

The outline of his humanoid face wavers then vanishes. Ignis retreats altogether, leaving unlit ash in his wake. That was…unexpected. As much I want to learn what happened between him and Nana, I know it’ll take time. Hopefully before Christmas week rolls around. Interfering with my friends’ holiday break isn’t an option and neither is causing Dad further distress. But for now, there’s plenty to do pass the time.

It doesn’t take long to inflate the air mattress and unpack the bedding. Or plug in Nana’s old portable heater. My clothes stay put inside my suitcase, but I drop off my nighttime essentials in the nearby guest bathroom. Mason’s suspicions about rotten wood weakening the second floor were dead on, so the upstairs is off-limits for now.

With all of that taken care of, I kick off my boots, grab my laptop and the mobile wi-fi hotspot, then settle on the loveseat across from the sofa. The lumpy cushioning keeps me alert while doing some early job searching.

I break for lunch after bookmarking a few promising offers and call up Mica. The twins soon arrive and we head into town for food and groceries. Ignoring the suspicious stares from the other shoppers would be easier if Mason and Mica weren’t giving each other the silent treatment. Even the drive back to Nana’s house is awkward with the air charged with an undercurrent of anger.

It’s sad to say, but I’m happier once I’m left alone again. As the day slowly dwindles into night, I make dinner then tuck myself into bed. The dark fireplace is the last thing I see before drifting away. It soon becomes a common sight.

Ignis remains unseen the next day. And he doesn’t appear during following day, either. Worry starts to gnaw at my mind, but I keep busy as best I can.

Clearing Nana’s garden of weeds and wild plants takes an old pair of gloves, lots of elbow grease, and the better part of the day. But it’s worth the sharp aches and stiff fingers once I’m able to see usable soil. With careful planning and the right fertilizer, it’ll be green again. That is, if I can remember what Nana used to grow.

I drop onto the couch and take a much-needed sip from my bottled water. Glancing at the dark fireplace, my curiosity gets the better of me.

“Any ideas about what plants would grow best in the backyard?” I ask.

Nothing. Not even a hint of cinders. Sighing, I flick some dirt from my cheek and get up.

“Abigail was fond of daylilies.”

I freeze in my tracks. Ignis looks at me with that same unreadable expression.

“At least,” he says, “that’s what I heard during the times I was aware.”

My chill-bitten lips stretch into a grin. It’s not much, but it’s a start.

“Thanks! I’ll give them a try.”

Progress is slow but steady after that. Ignis becomes more open to talking, and even though I’m left leading our conversations, he still provides his own opinions and ideas. He tells me that he likes the sunrise, since the sight reminds him a growing flame. But he prefers the darkest of night as that’s when he used to shine brightest. When I ask him about any powers he may have, he tells me to be patient. The next day, to curb my excitement, I decide to tackle re-painting Nana’s front door.

“You may want to come inside,” he calls out a few hours later through the open front door.

I wipe the back of my hand against my cheek, smearing more burgundy paint onto my skin. My old overalls and sweater are completely wrecked, still stained with streaks of dirt from Nana’s garden. And a break sounds wonderful, to be honest.

The moment I step inside with the paint can and brush, rain starts pouring down in a steady torrent. My mouth drops open as lightning streaks across the sky.

“But how did you know?” The forecast didn’t predict any showers.”

Ignis snorts, the light of his flame brightening temporarily.

“Nature is as unpredictable as she wishes to be, regardless of the instruments humans use to try and quantify her.

“Oh?” I say teasingly. “Is that right?”

“Yes. And the cool air blowing in told me all I needed to know.”

This is all just another small part about him, but it still leaves me wanting more.

“Think I can learn how to do that?” I ask “Or is it a special elemental thing?”

“Perhaps,” he says. “You’ve shown an aptitude for many things. I wouldn’t be surprised if you did the same with this.”

His warm reply sends a pleasant shiver down my spine and it takes all my willpower to keep a straight face. Deciding I’m done with chores for the day, I give Ignis a quick ‘thanks’ and head to the bathroom to clean up.

Friday night rolls around with Ignis and I having grown more comfortable with one another. We converse a lot more and he keeps me company as I continue to job search, asking questions about the process. I answer him as best I can, but some of my explanations fall short. He tells me doesn’t mind at all and his words send a rush of happiness through my body.

“Are all humans required to sit through an ‘interview’?”

I hum and close my laptop.

“Honestly, I think it depends on the job—”

Glass shatters. A heavy weight hits the floor; a rock. It settles against the rug just as a black-sleeved arm shoots through the broken windowpane. It bends up and starts struggling with the window latch. I jump to my feet and back away.

“G-go away! I’ll call the cops!”

More glass shatters and my stomach drops.

We took care of the doors, but overlooked the windows’ old locks. If the intruder gets in, they’ll see me and then I’ll be—

“Stay calm, Simone.”

A calming heat washes over my shaking body and I remember how to nod my head.

“Close your eyes and trust me.”

Biting back a sob, I huddle against the couch and screw my eyes shut. A blinding, white light pierces through the darkness of my eyelids for a few brief moments. Against the brilliance, there’s a scream. Then, nothing. Only silence.

“They’re gone,” Ignis says in a weak voice. “You can look now.”

I do. The only sign of the intruder that remains are the shredded tatters of their black sleeve clinging to the broken glass. Ignis is still present, but not as a brightly burning fire. He’s nothing more than the cinders and sparking in the glowing red fireplace.

“Are you alright?” he asks, his voice straining.

I jump over my fallen laptop and scramble towards him.

“Me? What about you?”

“It seems…I expended a greater deal of energy than originally planned. Strained too much against my restraints. If the intruder comes again, I won’t be of much help.”

Restraints? My eyes dart around the fireplace and find two identical marks, both glowing a molten red. Two triangles enclosed by two perfect circles. But the marks aren’t etchings. In fact, they look just like…

“Bloodstains. That’s how Nana sealed you.”

Ignis doesn’t reply. And the light from the cinders is growing dim.

“You wanted to hear my side of things, didn’t you? Call for help, and I will tell you.”

“But I—”

“Please, Simone.”

The heavy fear his plea urges me to locate my phone. My thumbs tap against the touch screen and hit the dial button. A low ring fills the living room three times until—

“Hello? Simone?”

Relief floods by body at the sound of Mason’s groggy voice and I let out a hitched sob. I tell him about the attempted break-in and he immediately comes around. In just a few minutes, he and Mica are inside of his truck, the engine roaring to life in the background. Mason’s voice sound stronger when he speaks again.

“Stay on the line. We’ll be there soon, alright?”

I rub at my eyes with the heels of my palms and promise to do so. Then, I turn back to Ignis. The cinders’ light pulses for a moment, then dims.

“Thank you,” he whispers.

“Please don’t.” More hot tears scald my cheeks. “You’re dying. You’re…”

“As promised, let me tell you my story.”

The usual steadfast bravado in his voice isn’t present. And the cinders are growing dimmer. But I agree all the same.

“My first memory of humanity is of my captor, binding me to an engraved, glass flask. I had no one but my younger, cocky self to blame. My captor soon sold me for a hefty sum of gold and from there I was exchanged by many hands: philosophers, merchants, nobles, kings. Even Paracelsus possessed me for a moment in time. Each and every one of them never attempted to free me.

“Soon enough, I arrived here in the New World by way of ship. It was a miserable journey crossing the ocean, almost torture. Back on land, my last handler hoarded me, wanting to use my knowledge to become wealthy. But he was discovered conversing with me and deemed a heretic. He ran and unknowingly dropped me in a dense, forested area. I could do nothing but wait and observe. Until one day, a ray of light found me: Abigail.”

He’s still slowly fading. I swallow down the painful lump building in my throat and dig my nails into my palms.

“You loved her,” I croak out.

“Yes. But before then, I only saw her as a means to an end. I tried to trick her into releasing me, but she was too clever. Instead, she sincerely offered me her friendship. After everything I went through, all the years of powerlessness, I was stunned. A mere slip of a girl offering me something so simple? Out of curiosity, I agreed. I soon forgot about wanting to be set free, but Abigail didn’t. Somehow, she found a way to release me from the flask. From that moment on, I already knew my heart belonged to her. But the love she felt for me was only friendship.

“When I learned she had fallen in love with your grandfather, my jealousy consumed me. And in my rage, I threatened to burn down the town with him in it. In return, Abigail asked me to meet her inside her home in three days’ time. I’m ashamed to say I thought she would come to her senses by then and renounce her love for your grandfather. But instead, she bound me using her own blood. And here I stayed, partially aware of the passing time. Of her husband and her only son…and later, you.”

He’s only a few glowing cinders at this point. Almost gone. I ignore the sharp pain of my nails cutting through my skin and bite back a sob.

“It’s strange,” he says weakly. “But I just remembered something from that day.”

“What?”

“Abigail was crying as she sealed me away. My anger back then blinded me to that. And now, I’ve made you cry. Please forgive me, Simone.”

It’s funny. Even as an utter wreck kneeling on the ground, I can’t help but wonder. Could Ignis and Nana have reconciled if Ignis had let go of his anger earlier? Would Nana have released him? Would we have met under different circumstances? I’ll never know. But as I unclench my hands, I realize I still have an option left to use.

“Simone?”

This is a huge risk I’m taking. I don’t even know if this will help or make things worse. But his voice is so weak and it’s the only thing I can think of.

“Trust me, okay Ignis?”

“What are you—”

I slam my bleeding palms against the sides of the fireplace. Right on top of Nana’s original seals. A scream pierces my ears and echoes in my blood. A brutal heat engulfs my body, growing in intensity. I shut my eyes to it all, and soon feel myself falling.

_____________________________________________

When my eyes open, I’m not in pain. Even though I should be. Instead, my body is blanketed by a gentle warmth. 

“There you are,” a familiar voice whispers.

The well-built man cradling me in his lap looks down at me with ruby-red eyes. His long, thick black curls stand out against his deep russet skin. He smiles down at me, a kind gesture that highlights the slight bump in the bridge of his wide nose. A soothing heat seeps into my hands and sends a pleasant shiver down my spine. Slowly, the blisters covering my palms flatten into normal, healthy skin. 

“But how…?”

“You did mention wanting to learn more about my powers, didn’t you? Although that was a rather careless way of doing so.”

It can’t be.

“Ignis?”

His smile widens into a mischievous grin.

“In the flesh,” he says.

My mind can’t connect the living flame in the fireplace to the man holding me. Because something is missing. As he examines my hands for more injuries, I slowly lift them and place them against his cheeks. He leans into my touch and I bite my bottom lip to steady myself.

“This isn’t what you really look like, is it?”

He stiffens. I keep holding his gaze and eventually feel the tension in his body seep away. He shakes his head.

“Show me. Please?”

Ignis closes his eyes. And slowly, his human appearance evaporates away. The russet tone of his body gives way to black skin, fissured with what looks like molten lava. But the cracks are organic and follow the natural lines of his large, humanoid body. His real form has no mouth or ears, but two white, hot eyes lacking pupils. And his hands are tipped with sharp claws that lightly ghost across my arms.

“This,” he says, “is the true me.”

He starts to pull away from my hands, but I coax him down and press a kiss to the smooth, surface of his cheek. Ignis looks at me stunned and I grin.

“What? I’m just saying thank you for taking care of me.”

Ignis’ expression softens into something that makes my heart race. He chuckles then nuzzles against the side of my head.

“I think I should be the one thanking you.”

I’m content to stay in Ignis’ arms until I fall asleep. But I know that won’t be possible. The familiar hum of an approaching engine is proof of that.

But as long as we have each, we’ll face and overcome whatever comes next. Together.

[nightowlfandom]

Yandere! Ignis Scientia- No One Can Keep Me Away (Part 1)

So I’m feeling pissed off and like i want to push someone off a bridge/ jump off a bridge onto some spikes because my life is going in a downward spiral and I’m losing control of everything....so here some more yandere stuff.

This is a long one folks...buckle up. 

Plus Ignis is bae.....fuck y’all mean, this one gets a little steamy so if that isn’t your thing thennnn you gotta go. I’m super proud of this and I haven’t felt that way about an entry in a long time so I hope those of you who choose to read this all the way through like it as well!

Leggo!

....

The smell of blood and leftover cologne filled the room. Dried blood decorated the hotel room walls which contrasted it’s pristine white and gold decorated paint. What a shame.

The silent cries almost echoed throughout the room, pleas almost. “W-why are you doing this?”

A man silently paced back and forth, his leather shoes padding against the wooden floors. He was tall and confident. Then again, who would expect someone like that to not be? The stranger pushed his spectacles up higher on his nose bridge, letting out a single huff followed by a simple. “Hm, and why wouldn’t I? Tis the better question here, wouldn’t you say?”

The man slammed his foot down onto the stranger’s face, colliding with their nose. A louder cry echoed throughout the room, making him smirk at his damage. Good.

“See where foolish questions get you?” he asked, shaking his hands. “It’s a shame I have to get my hands so bloody, but you’ve tested my patience enough.”

“I never d-did anything to you!” his opponent cried. “I don’t even know you.”

“Ah, ah , ah.” the man cooed. “What did I say about your tone!” he barked, slamming his foot down on the already beat up stranger. “Even vermin such as yourself should know about manners...how tragic. Now I will say this again. If you admit your wrong-doings, then you won’t suffer too much.”

“I don’t even know who this girl is that you’re talkin’ about man! I don’t know no Y/N girl!”

“Ah...But you do. You’ve been causing quite a bit of trouble-”

“I ain’t cause no damn trouble!”

SLASH!

“Like I said....Manners.”

...

Today was like many others. You were doing your dues as “that girl who liked to bring flowers to people for no reason.” Sure, it didn’t really reward you with any currency, but it was nice to see people’s faces brighten up. Even if you did see them every other day.

You were walking up the road, humming to yourself. You were on your way into town, Lestallum where you usually frequent. You would drop flowers off by all the best spots and doing some shopping of your own. You didn’t live far, just enough to either bike or walk.

“Flowers, check. Sweets, Check...giant monster charging for m- Giant monster!?!” You had to do a double take as you looked up to meet the eyes of what looked like a giant beast with horns. You were basically on the road when you felt the ground shake, then suddenly some crazy animal was charging right for you

Your first instinct was to jump back in a fright.

“Oh my gosh!” You tried to heave yourself back from the monster- whatever it was. “Not exactly what I expected to run into this morning.” you prepared yourself for the worst. 

Now, you knew how to fight...you just didn’t like doing it. Your dual silver daggers were hidden at the bottom of your flower basket, you couldn’t reach them in time. Unless this thing was super allergic to flowers, you’d be kind of screwed. The horned beast raised one of its clawed fists and slammed with down in front of you. 

You screamed and jumped back, watching it sort of rumbled through your flowers, stepping on every single one.

 Now would have been a good time to run- 

“HEY YOU! GET DOWN!” you turned around to find a group of guys charging straight for you, or at least the monster. One of them, a blonde drew a gun which enough to make you drop instantly.

“Why does this always happen to me?” you groaned as you covered your ears. You could feel them all jump over you (quite literally). “Can I have a normal day just once?” you groaned. You heard noises for a few seconds before there was nothing but complete silence. “Is it safe to peek now!?” you called. 

“Allow me...” you heard a voice in front of you. The first thing you saw upon opening your eyes was another pair of emerald like eyes. That, and a hand outstretched towards you. They seemed cold and almost distant. You must have been staring because a strange look appeared on his face. “Are you going to take my hand or stare at it as if you’ve never seen one before?”

“On second thought I think I can get up myself.” You scoffed, standing to your feet. “...Ugh are you kidding me?!?!” you snapped.

“What?!” a black haired boy had asked, almost looking annoyed.

“ That little rat with horns ruined my flowers!” You sighed, picking up the wilted remnants of all your hard work, somehow he had also managed to dinge up and break your silver daggers. One was completely snapped at the blade and the other was too wilted and worn to even use. “....Oh no.” you felt your heart snap in two.

“You were almost killed, and you’re worried about a few weeds.” the biggest and tallest one concluded. “Geez lady, you need to get your priorities straight.”

“Well I was supposed to take this into Lestallum to deliver them, but since you know everything about my priorities, why don’t I stand here and let you enlighten me.” you crossed your arms. “And I have a name, it’s definitely not Lady!”

The man in glasses hadn’t said a word since you had began speaking. He just studied you. As you went back and forth with those other three men-children. You stature, something about it. The way you weren’t afraid to walk back to men that seemed so much more bigger and intimidating than you despite only having flower stems to defend yourself. Maybe it was bravery, maybe stupidity. He admired it nonetheless.

“Great.” you sighed, throwing the remnants of your broken weapons into the basket. “Now what?”

You still had to go to Lestallum, it would just be less of a favorable visit.

“Hm.” Ignis finally voiced his thoughts aloud. “I think I’ve seen you before.” he commented.

Of course he has, he had seen you around for days now. His eyes would follow you as you skipped through town, giving assorted flowers to every clerk, restaurant owner and shopkeep you saw. It was purely “coincidental” he had just so happen to figure out a “short cut” when he saw you get on your bike to go home one night.

But that would have been silly, it was technically your first time seeing him.

“You probably have if you visit Lestallum often...but” you raised an eyebrow. “I would remember seeing a bunch of guys in...weird clothes though. Not that you’re outfits are weird, it’s just...a lot a black for such a sunny place.”

“It’s my style.” The angsty raven-haired boy grumbled.

“I’m sure it is.” you crossed your arms. “I suppose I owe you a thank you for saving my life.” you sighed, beginning to dig to the bottom of your little basket. “I hope I wrapped them up- Aha!” You pulled out a container of muffins. “It’s not Gil, or anything valuable but consider it a token of gratitude.” you held out the container towards him. When he didn’t take it, the blonde one did. At least that beat hadn’t messed with the baked goods you spent hours on, so it was still a victory.

“Gee thanks! I like you already!” He laughed, cracking open the lid. “Muffins! Sweet! What’s your name anyways?”

“...Y/N....” you replied. “Y/N L/N of (Insert city here...any city).”

“Nice. I’m Prompto. This cranky guy here is Noctis. The big, scary muscle head is Gladiolus-”

“You can call me Gladio.” his gruff voice cut Prompto off. “It’s easier for some people.”

“Right! Hehe and Specs right here is Ignis!” he finally finished, motioning to the guy who had so rudely commented on your staring.

“Nice to meet you...I suppose.” you stared down at your feet.

“Likewise.” something about the way he spoke interested you. Where was he from?

“Hey, You said you were going to Lestallum, right? We are too! Why don’t we give you a ride?” Prompto suggested.

“Hey! Why would you offer a ride to a stranger! She could be dangerous!” That Noctis guy snapped.

“I mean...I don’t have any weapons or magic. What am I gonna do other than throw flower petals at you.” you asked. Yeah it wouldn’t hurt, but it would be extremely annoying. “...And muffins, I don’t use baked goods for evil.”

“Hm, it does seem like a long walk all the way from here.” Ignis jumped in. “Maybe for your safety, we should. I read somewhere than there will be a spike in beats lurking around. I’m afraid that this is only the first wave.”

Of course, he’d be more than happy to make short work of whatever mindless creatures were dumb enough to roam during the day. He just couldn’t tell you that.

“Fine, but I’m driving.” Noctis concluded. “Hope you don’t mind the back seat.”

“Thank you, really.” you grabbed your basket. You looked inside to make sure the other containers were in there when something caught your eye. A red rose, a perfectly untouched one. How did it get there? It wasn’t before. You didn’t pick roses that often, let alone full bloomed ones like these. You felt lucky though.

“Are you comin’?” Gladiolus got your attention. You noticed them walking towards a black car.

“Oh, yes. Of course.” you shook off your confusion.

“May I carry your basket?” Ignis offered, holding out his gloved hand.

“Oh...sure.” you trailed off. It was only now that you had managed to get a good look at his face. “H-here.” Oh yes, He was handsome alright.

“Hm, then off we go then?” a slight smirk found its way to his lips. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you it was rude to stare?”

“Huh?” you raised an eyebrow. You had only realized you were looking too hard....again. “Sorry.” You mumbled, walking past him.

Hopefully this ride to Lestallum wouldn’t be too much longer.

...

“Uh...Did you just take a picture of me?” you heard a click and flash go off. You looked up from your hands at Prompto who had a camera in his hands.

“Yep! I like to make memories.” he shrugged. “Wait! I got it! Ignis! Get a little closer to Y/N!”

Wait what!?

“Er...Is that really necessary?” you asked, feeling your heart rate pick up a little. “Isn’t one enough?”

“Prompto likes grabbing snaps of everything. It’s better to not question it.” Gladio laughed.

“Come on, get closer you two!” Prompto urged. “This shot will be perfect, I can just feel it!”

“Really now.” Ignis sighed with an annoyed look on his face. Feeling a little iffy yourself, you turned to look at Ignis, ready to say something when your eyes met again. Your face immediately softened. Not because you forgot what you were gonna say, but because you were just now made aware of how close you both really were.

“That chemistry.” Prompto mumbled to himself, clicking away at his camera. “You guys almost look like a couple!”

“I’ll forget you said that.” You mumbled.

Ignis watched as you turned your head away to look down at your hands again. He though aimlessly to himself. You were much more shy now than ever. He always assumed you to be more talkative and outspoken when confronted with something like this. 

“Now this is a photo.” Prompto showed your what was on the camera screen. Even with the wind blowing your hair in all different directions, the shot still managed to capture you and Ignis’s little staredown. You noticed his jaw seemed to be clenched, but why?

“WOAH!” Prompto outburst again.

‘What now?!” Gladio grunted, slamming whatever book he had been reading shut.

“These muffins are amazing!!” Prompto spoke, with his mouth full. “You gotta try these!”

“Fine, hand em’ over.” Gladiolus sighed as Prompto basically stood on his knees in his seat. “Hm...For once you aren’t wrong about something, these aren’t bad.”

“Ignis, I think you’ve met your match!” Prompto laughed. “Iggy here loves to cook, he gets cranky whenever we like someone’s cooking other than his.”

“I do not!, It’s just that your tastes are abysmal is all!” he turned his nose away. “No offense but they can’t be that amazing.” he huffed. Ignis snatched the muffin that Prompto had been sticking in his face for a while now.

Of course he had to stay in character, the way your face scrunched up hearing his talk didn’t make him happy, but he had to keep up appearances for what he was known for.

“Take your time.” You mumbled turning away. You stared into your basket, glaring at your broken daggers. You knew they couldn’t be fixed, so you’d have no choice but to trash them. Shame.

“I dare say I could make this at camp!” he said, taking you by surprise.

“Huh?!” You were surprised at his words. Plus his outburst had scared you a bit.

 “Would you be opposed to sharing your recipe with me?”

“Oh..Um sure. Do you have a pen I can borrow?” you raised an eyebrow, sort of weirded out that he had asked for it so abruptly. It was just a simple recipe, nothing too special. 

As you scribbled from memory on a little card, you realized how eerily quiet it had gotten in the car. When you looked up, you noticed everyone (excluding Noctis who was driving) was staring right at you. “What?” You had just now noticed your jacket sleeve had fallen down. Without missing a beat you pulled it back up. “...Fighting gets messy Y’know?”

You knew exactly what they were staring at.

...

“Thank you so much, it means a lot.” you climbed out of the car, stretching your limbs. The air in Lestallum was so much different from your town, it was more open and airy. It was kind of the reason you came everyday. You always found something new.

“Sure I guess. If Prompto likes ya, you can’t be that bad.” Noctis grumbled.

“I knew you’d come around.” you said jokingly. “May we cross paths again!” you saluted to the four men who had helped you so graciously.

“Likewise.” Gladio grunted. You waved again before turning to run off.

“Y/N! Wait!” You turned again to find Ignis running up to you.

“Yes?” you tilted your head to the side cutely.

“Um, may I ask about your weapons?” he suddenly asked, making you frown a little.”I couldn’t help but notice you seemed quite upset whenever you look at them.”

“Stupid beast broke them.” you shook your head. “I’ll just trash them.”

“Are they of importance to you?”

“Well yeah...it does seem a shame to throw them out...why don’t you take them?” you suggested. 

“Me?” Ignis seemed surprised. “Why?”

“The handles are probably worth something, you could sell them for some Gil, I know someone would love to melt them down and make new weapons.” You took out to dual weapons. “If you don’t need them, feel free to throw them out. I just don’t want to look at them anymore, it would just-....nevermind.”

Ignis’s face fell, he could tell you were saddened by the loss of your weapons, they were probably more important than you think.

“Also...as a thank you.” you took out the single red rose that seemed to have survived that whole messed up episode. “It’s not much but...here.”

“Thank you Y/N. I’ll be sure to treasure it for a long time” he smiled. He was telling the truth too. Something like this, from you. After all this time after finally noticing him. “I bid you a safe farewell.”

“You as well.” you nodded respectfully before running off.

...

To say you crossed paths with these four men too many times to count was a complete understatement of words. It seemed as if every single day you had managed to run into one, two, or all four of them.

It was strange seeing Prompto carrying a huge bag of Chocobo feed up the road, sure. It was even stranger seeing Noctis and Gladio ‘scoping out’ a local diner and just so happen to run into you. The funny part was you knew they were spying, but they wanted to pretend they weren’t. You had seen Ignis near a waterfall once, but he didn’t seem to notice you.

Pretty soon you found yourself just being in the same places they were. From Lestallum, to literally anywhere. It was almost like somehow a fate would bring your together. You never questioned it. 

It was another day, same any any. You had just left a vendor after delivering some pink and white flowers to the clerk. You waved off, relishing in the sight of his smiling face. 

You were quite literally skipping down the stone path. It was about to be dark soon. Luckily you had prepared since you knew you were going to be out all day. It seemed as if luck wasn’t really on your side. You kept going through mishaps or something. It didn’t help that you began feeling like these mishaps were connected to those four...somehow. But that would be crazy, wouldn’t it?

...

“That will be 400 gil.”

“Here you go.” you smiled at the man behind the counter.

“Hey! it’s you!” 

You turned towards the door, seeing Prompto jog inside. “Um Yes, it’s me! Hello.”

“Hey. Fancy seein’ you here.” Gladio followed. 

“Not really. I see you guys everywhere.” you scoffed, shaking your head.

“And not a moment too soon. We’re right on schedule, aren’t we?” you heard Ignis walk in.

“I suppose.”

Call it shameless flirting, but there was some sort of rift between you and Ignis. Even the smallest of small-talk always left you feeling like you had some sort of unfinished business. 

“Here’s your key mam’.” The man behind the desk caught your attention.

“Ah, thank you! And if you four don’t feel like being locked in a room trying not to kill each other, feel free to pay me a visit.” you picked your woven basket off the floor.

“Y/N, I’d be careful with that type of invitation, you never know who might take such advice a little too close to heart.” you could hear Ignis from behind as you began ascending the staircase to find your room.

“I can take care of myself. Plus my endeavors thrive on invitations...I wouldn’t forget that if I were you.” you said without turning around.

....

After a long awaited and deserved shower, you sat in front of a mirror with dripping wet hair looking like some crazy creature from a horror movie. You had made sure to put a ‘knock first’ sign outside the door just incase. You stared back at your reflection. “UgH!” you snapped, resting your head in your hands.

It was only then, that you heard a knock at the door, followed by a “Excuse me, Y/N...is everything alright in there? I would ask if I could enter but if I’m not mistaken-”

“You can come in Ignis.” You laughed to yourself, trying to squeeze the water out of your hair. You were in a bathrobe anyways, it’s not like it would look weird.

Ignis peeked inside the door and saw you running your hands through your soaking wet hair. “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t realize...”

“It’s fine, did you need something?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I just came to thank you for your recipe. I realize I didn’t thank you then.”” He spoke, looking everywhere but you. 

“No worries, Ignis. Anytime.”

“Of course...Y/N...Did you always have that scar on your shoulder?” You turned around in confusion and followed Ignis’s eyes, which just so happened to be pointed at your left shoulder. You had looked where your bathrobe had fallen to see what was left of a deep scar that started at your heart and ended behind your shoulder.

“...Yeah, got it in a fight.” you waved it off. “No big deal.” It was completely healed now, but the mark it left was still visible. You pulled the robe sleeve onto your shoulder. “It was a long time ago.”

“It is indeed a ‘big deal’ Y/N...How did you obtain such a bruise and with whom?!” he walked up to you, seeming to ignore the fact that you were merely in a bathrobe and nothing else except undergarments.

“Why does it matter?”

“Something like that could have been fatal.”

“But it wasn’t.” You winked knowingly. “I’m still here aren’t I?” you sighed. “Anyways the girl who did this to me doesn’t even know if I’m alive or not, I’d prefer to keep it that way, It keeps me from thinking about what would happen if we did meet face to face again..”

“All the more reason to know.” Ignis turned you around in your seat and grabbed your shoulders. “I need you to tell me.”

You stared back into his eyes, reading nothing but seriousness and urgency. He was dead serious. “Why do you want to know so bad?”

“So I may protect you if it happens again.”

 “....Her name is Sennen...We got into a huge argument a few years back and when I wasn’t looking she threw her sword at me.”You confessed. “Slashed right across my heart and left me for dead.”

You ended up waking next to a running river with bandages all over you and your father worried sick. You never told him Sennen was responsible, and you didn’t plan on it either.

Hearing your story caused Ignis to clench his fists. How dare anyone ever THINK of-

“She took something from me too.” you sighed. It was your prized possession, something that was once of a kind that no one else had. She had taken it from you. In her own words. ‘You certainly have no use for it anymore, think of it as a parting gift.’

“What did she take?” he asked, his face softening.

“It’s just...something that helped me fight a little better. It’s been so long I can probably fight without it, but my father gave it to me...it’s important y’know.” You shrugged, standing up. “Was that all you wanted? To almost see me undressed and ask me about my past?”

“Well...why do you give flowers to people? I never asked.” Ignis raised an eyebrow curiously.

“It makes me happy to make others happy.” you simply put it. “No other reason.” You crossed your arms. “If you can’t put a smile on someone’s faces, then what can you do.” you shrugged.

“Well...You certainly are doing an impeccable job. You always seem to put a grin on my face.” he chuckled. You crossed your arms, shaking your head.

“You’re just saying that.” you denied.

“Actually...I mean it. I mean every word of what I say, Y/N...remember that for me, won’t you? Hm, I’ve almost forgotten! I’ve also came to return these to you.”

You noticed there was a box by Ignis’s feet. 

“Return?” You asked in confusion. “I don’t underst-”

“Open it.” he handed you the box. The outside was engraved and carved with some sort of design. You flipped the tiny latch and opened the box. You could almost gasp as you saw two glimmering silver daggers staring back at you. The more you stared, the more familiar they looked. Wait....were these your old ones?

“Magnificent aren’t they?” 

You looked up, more shocked than confused now.

“Ignis-...Did you do this? I said they were beyond repair.” you were taken aback. “I’m...-”

“When one has connections like I do, anything is possible, Y/N.” he smirked knowingly. He had been proud of his handy work and seeing the look on your face stroked his ego even more. “Plus, I figure if these are your only means of defense, you might as well fight with style as I always say.” he watched your eyes gaze and sweep across the perimeter of the mirror-like blades. The handles, which used to be bronze were brushed with some sort of gold etching that was followed by a single ruby gem at the end of each one.

“Ignis, Why did you do this?” you found yourself confused. 

“You mentioned you’ve been through a lot with just these weapons...and I figured that it would be a shame for you to part ways with them so soon.”

You slowly closed the box and latch and set it gently on the floor at the end of the bed.

“I don’t know what to say...t-thank you.”

“Consider it a token of gratitude.” he smirked.

“How?”

“My lips are sealed.” he again in that tone that only stroked his ego even more.

It was only now that you realize how close Ignis had gotten to you. You took his his smell. It was unfamiliar yet...inviting. 

“Ignis?” you looked up at him. If his glasses weren’t in the way, you might have felt like your soul was being ripped out.

“Hm, Yes?” 

“Um...You’re standing really close.” you stammered over your words.

“I’m aware.” he chuckled. “Is that a problem?”

“Um...no actually.” You whispered. “It’s just...is it normal for my heart to be racing like this?”

“I’m not sure, but if it’s any consolation, my heart hasn’t stopped racing yet.”

“...Cool.” you breathed. (This is where I get too in my feelings. Steamy shit ahead fam!)

Ignis ended up making the first move, twisting a handful of your hair in his fist before crashing his mouth over yours. He could barely hold himself back anymore, he had waited long enough. A loud groan had erupted from his throat sending vibrations all throughout your body.

You had almost fallen back from the impact. That and the fact that your feet almost collapsed. You had grabbed onto his jacket in time as your returned his affections, moving your lips against his in mixed harmonies. 

“See what happens when people take heed to your invites, naughty little girl.” Ignis fake-scolded you, beginning to trail his lips down your jawline and neck. “Look where we are now.” he grunted. “What do you intend to do now?” he growled. While his voice was low and urgent with hints of demand lacing his every word, they way his fingers drew and traced circles on your bare upper thigh had you seeing two totally different sides of this man at once. He had gripped the hem of your bathrobe in his fist, slowly but surely pulling it down.

As soon as the faded scar was visible, there was a moment where he kissed your shoulder gingerly. He waited....He waited for you to say something, our push him away in a haste or in fear that someone could show up any minute. You simply melted into his arms. He smiled to himself seeing the goosebumps rise on your skin. A reaction he himself caused. 

You saw Ignis furiously kick off his shoes before hoisting you up. As if second nature, you wrapped your legs around his torso. Ignis crashed his hot mouth over yours again, this time being less calculated in his movements. In the process, he had managed to free himself of his jacket and shirt.  

You landed on the bed with a thud, staring up at Ignis. Your robe was long gone and it left you in merely your undergarments. You were positive you didn’t look too attractive in a bra with little bats on them, however Ignis didn’t seem to care.

“I hope you don’t mind my haste...but I fear someone may come up and wonder what we’re up to.” 

You looked up again and had noticed that Ignis had taken off his glasses. It gave you a view of his beautiful face. Your eyes bore into his emerald green irises. You weren’t sure if it was the blood pumping to your brain or your own mind deceiving you, but when you stared into his eyes...you could see something. Something strange.

“...Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s rude to stare?” He smirked. “Or do I have to take care of that problem too?”

Before you could answer, your eyes had traveled lower. His body. Was it even real? No, it couldn’t have been. His body was godly, a definite sight for sore eyes. 

“Do you like what you see?” he caught your attention. It was only now that you noticed how painfully tight his jeans looked. “Because I very much am enjoying my own view.” 

Ignis studied the rise and fall of your chest, it was almost as if he could hear your heart beating below the palms of his hands. This was all his doing, it made him feel even more selfish. He fumbled with his leather belt buckle, becoming impatient with himself. 

He wanted- No, needed you, right now.

“Knowing those pests they’re probably eavesdropping as we speak, so you’ll have to be quiet, my love. Do you think you can do that?” he asked urgently. He grabbed the edge of your panties and yanked at it harshly, tearing it to shreds and leaving it as just a piece of cloth that flew somewhere on the floor. 

“I d-don’t know.” you were in shock at Ignis’s movements, but still found yourself succumbing to his fingers. “It depends.”

That phrase alone made Ignis laugh as he yanked his pants down. You almost squeaked in shock seeing his member free of it’s restraint. “Holy sh-” you slapped a hand over your mouth. 

“Hm, are you impressed?” he smirked again. “Are you ready for me?”

It was like the sound echoed through the room, teasing your ears and mocking your brain.

You buried your head into Ignis’s neck and ran your hands through his hair. You had to be quiet, you had to be-

A gasp ripped through your throat and Ignis thrust into you. So much for being quiet. Your legs had hooked around his torso as if it was second nature. It felt right, like this was how it’s meant to be. 

“I-Ignis.” you gasped. “If you do that, I don’t think I can be...q-qui-et.” you whimpered, feeling his thrusts again and again.

“Y-Y/N!” Ignis groaned right into your ear. “You’re mine, all mine, do you hear me?”

Ignis found his resolve to be gentle wearing thin. He pinned your arms above your head and growled with a low predatory voice. “Look at me when I fuck you.” He thrust again, this time his strength had managed to move the entire bed. Who ever was passing by was surely listening in now.

You were embarrassed, you face heating up intently at such a demand. Of those you’ve been with, none of them compared to Ignis. Not even close. His eyes bore into yours. You found it impossible to look away for even a minute despite the rush of embarrassment rushing to your cheeks. You could feel tears sting your eyes at the intensity of Ignis burying himself deep within you

“Are you all mine?” you heard his whimper in your ear. “Tell me you’re all mine, Y/N. I want to hear it.”

“I-ignis?” You were surprised, but what else was new.

“Say yes...please?” his voice wavered unevenly. “I w-want to hear you say it before we come undone.”

“Y-yes.” you mewled. “Yours, all yours Iggy...”

“F-F-FUCK!” you heard him growl out loud. He balled his fists on either side of your head, his arms shaking. Ignis’s knuckled were turning white with how tightly he clenched the crisp sheets in his hands. No, he couldn’t go completely crazy with you yet, he wouldn’t. “Y/N...” he whispered lowly. 

You could feel that cord like sensation right at the bottom of your stomach, it was ready to snap, you could tell. More importantly, Ignis could too. From the way he began moving faster and faster. He slammed his lips over yours again, shoving his tongue through your the gap in your lips to invade your mouth. This time it was your turn to get loud. 

Ignis swallowed your moans, your whimpers, and those half-words you struggled to get out. He could tell you were close to that edge.

He fully intended to shove you right off it.

“Y/N!” he grunted. 

You were first, feeling your own walls throb and tighten so hard around Ignis’s member. The sound of running water made you blush even harder in embarrassment. It was definitely loud enough for him to hear. Ignis was next in pursuit. He yanked his cock right from you, the contents spilling out everywhere from the bedsheets, to your stomach, to even the floor.

Ignis gently hovered his lips over yours softly, wrapping his arms around you. “Shhh, you’re shaking, Y/N.” he chuckled. “Did it feel that good?”

You wordlessly nodded, unable to find the words. With another laugh, he kissed your forehead. “Allow me to stay a while longer?” Another wordless nod.

“That was completely out of my character.” Ignis exhaled as he collapsed right next to you. “But I don’t care, not anymore..”

You were still recovering from the shaking in your legs to even think. It was completely out of your character too...

“Just like I don’t care that those insolent pests have been listening in on us the entire time.” Ignis chucked. 

“How did you-”

“I’ve known those three my entire life, I wouldn’t put it past them Y/N.” Ignis replied. “But enough about them, just lay here in my arms....”

“Oh...O-okay.”

“Y/N...you know what this means, correct?” Ignis draped a tired arm around your body, pulling you closer to his chest. You could feel the rise and fall of each breath as you laid across one of his broad shoulders.

“I’m pretty sure, yeah.” you sighed. You certainly didn’t expect this, but you didn’t hate it.

Little did you know that in Ignis’s brain, he was going absolutely crazy. He had underestimated just how much he had pictured your screaming and needy body below him. Something within his soul went ablaze, and it had been worth every second he spent watching you.

“So....tell me more about this...Sennen character.” 

Without giving another thought to him, you began unraveling your past with your old foe. Little did you know, Ignis was taking notes in his mind.

....

[a-world-in-grey]

Take My Breath au - Roadtrip (Duscae)

Some bad, some good, some cute - and some of Sola terrifying the shit out of Ravus. @secret-engima because hey, we get to see Ardyn and Sola exchange words!

-Sola has to admit that helping Uncle Cor take out the Norduscaen blockade was cathartic (though the exasperated why me look he gave her after she walked in the front gate with the rest of the Retinue, glaive across her shoulders and she cheerfully announced that being the distraction was fun was completely unnecessary) and she’s in a much better mood as they wander through Duscae looking for more royal tombs.

-They pick up a couple hunts - including a damn behemoth so Prompto can ride Chocobos, but in the face of Prompto’s delighted expression no one can begrudge the blonde - and Sola heals a few people from what looks like poison. Black crawling through their veins that feels like a smothering, choking fog as Sola pulls it into herself. She frowns as her magic fights off the poison, but sluggishly, taking hours, even days where normally she’d be fine in a manner of minutes.

-It’s odd, but her magic beats it off as it does everything else, so Sola simply keeps her gloves on and jacket sleeves down to hide the black creeping up her hands and wrists. The others would only worry, and she’s fine.

-Until she’s not.

-Until the poison in her veins are creeping up her forearms, up her arms, and she’s vomiting up black goo almost every night. Fortunately, she has her own tent - as big as Gladio’s is, there’s no way to cram four people inside when three of them are six feet tall, and Gladio is... Gladio - and a decade of having hanahaki has taught her how to hide the fact that she’s getting sicker every day.

-In Lestallum, Sola crashes hard when they reach the Leville. She sleeps in later than Noctis even, and wakes up after Noctis has left with Iris to tour Lestallum. Ignis returns first, and it turns out that Pelna and Axis are in Lestallum and Sola takes the chance for an update.

-She even waves off the Chocobros when they go to find the next Tomb, instead going out to get takeout and finding a discreet place to have lunch and talk about glaive operations.

-Then lunch gets interrupted by that same silky tone Sola is coming to hate. She’s not the only one to react violently, weapons whirling through the air. Ardyn casually sidesteps them all. His casual remark that Sola’s finally found herself a Shield is met with a snarl from Axis, but Sola waves both Pelna and Axis down. They cannot afford to start a fight here - too many civilians, too many refugees that cannot afford Imperial attention turning to the city - no matter how much Ardyn deserves a knife to the kidney.

-Then Ardyn grabs Sola’s hand, pushing her sleeve up and revealing the black poison stark against pale skin before Sola can wrench her arm away. But Ardyn knows what this is, mentions that it is the Scourge her little brother is fated to defeat, even if at this rate Ardyn doubts Sola will live to see it. Pelna and Axis still dangerously, and Adryn leaves with a vague comment of wondering how Sola will go.

-Sola, Pelna, and Axis return to the Leville, where Sola pulls Jared aside and asks him to look into the Starscourge - and what happens to those who are infected with it. It means revealing her infection to Jared and making the man promise not to tell the others, because Sola can feel it now. She’s dying, and unless they miraculously find a cure, Sola won’t survive.

-Pelna and Axis are not happy. They argue with Sola when Sola refuses to divert Kingsglaive forces to researching the Scourge. She tells them that they don’t know if there is a cure, and it’s more important that they continue to fight the Empire. Pelna is named Second, and if when Sola dies, he will be Chief.

-Unfortunately, Iris overhears enough and bursts into the room to confront Sola about it. Sola sighs and lets Iris look at her arms with trembling fingers. She has Iris promise not to tell the others, because they need to focus on protecting Noctis, not her. Iris nods, and Sola kneels down to wipe away Iris’ tears. Especially because Iris sniffles that she’s going to leave her Shield all alone. The glaives blink down at Iris, and Iris sniffs again, this time in part offense and says that she’s not blind. Axis is Sola’s Shield, and... Iris hesitates before she quietly adds that he’s family too, isn’t he?

-Axis is still as a statue, and Iris babbles that he looks a bit like her grandmother, and he acts a lot like Gladdy and her father around Noctis and the king. Iris shuffles when Axis still doesn’t react, and she asks why he never said anything. Axis, faced with a crying kid, immediately switches over into dad mode, and he gently tells Iris that he’s a bastard. It would’ve brought too much scandal for both Lord Amicitia and Axis’ family if Axis came forward. Iris pouts, but she grew up in Insomnia and while she wasn’t involved in court, she was still trained, and so she doesn’t try to argue against what she knows is true. 

-But Iris is also whip smart for being only 15, and Iris asks if they were worried about the Council forcing Axis to be Sola’s Shield. Axis blinks, but Sola smiles at Iris and confirms it. It’s why Sola helps Axis hide his ties to the Amicitia, because both Axis and Sola wanted it to be their choice. Iris nods, hugs Axis tight, before scampering off to help Jared and Talcott with their new research project. Because she doesn’t want either of her older brothers to lose their King/Queen.

-Sola is out with Pelna and Axis, finishing up reports and orders and plans (and telling them to send some of the Ornata over to Galdin Quay to find one Dino Ghiranze) when she gets a text from Ignis that they’ve returned from the tomb and are going to check out the Disk of Cauthess. Sola texts back and tells them to be careful of the Imperial presence in the area. Sola doesn’t worry when they aren’t back by nightfall - Ignis texted her to tell her that they’d rented a caravan for the night.

-Axis and Pelna, being absolute shits, stick Talcott on Sola babysitting duty before they leave. A duty little Talcott takes to with enthusiasm. Sola sighs, flips her two glaives the middle finger where Talcott can’t see, and proceeds to bow to Talcott’s every whim. Because she’s always been a sucker for kids. (Iris, the traitor, hides giggles behind her hands and cheerfully waves as Talcott drags Sola to wander around Lestallum. Sola won’t admit it, but the sunshine hurts on her skin, hurts her eyes and she makes sure to buy sunglasses. Sola refuses to give up sunlight, even if it hurts.)

-Sola abruptly worries a lot more about her little brother when Titan wakes up and throws a fit. Lestallum isn’t too damaged in the resulting earthquake, but the sight of the giant Astral is... an eye catching sight to be sure.

-Then the Chocobros return to Lestallum by Imperial airship, and Sola learns that they’ve been interacting with Ardyn. Sola snarls, because herself is one thing, but he is not allowed to meddle with her little brother!

-Without the Regalia, the group is forced to rent Chocobos to get around. Fortunately, the birds can cover more terrain than the car, and it allows them to avoid the sudden Imperial blockades that have cropped up. Sola splits off from the group in order to organize and lead glaive operations in blowing up the blockades and bases.

-And, well, Sola’s seen the way Ignis keeps glancing at her, and she’s worried that he’s starting to suspect that she isn’t as well as she pretends.

-Sola gets a call from Cindy pointing her towards Archeole base, where the Regalia has been impounded and waiting for shipment to Niflheim. Sola leaves Pelna in charge of wider operations, and takes Axis and two other glaives with her to meet up with the Chocobros just outside the base.

-Sola does not step into the Haven. She tried that a couple days back and it was not fun, Sola does not recommend. It means she’s now running mostly night shifts so she can sleep during the day, but she’s managing.

-Instead, Sola leaves the two glaives to coordinate with Ignis and the others while she and Axis sneak around to scout out the base.

-Night falls, and Sola and Noctis’ group infiltrate at separate points. They proceed to sneak around and murder their way through the base. Sola’s group focuses on taking out as many MTs and imperial forces as possible, while Noctis’ group heads for the main generator and the Regalia.

-At several points, Sola calls forth bursts of sunlight to disorient the mech sensors. It sears through her veins like nothing has before, but it’s the best option she has so Sola forces herself to continue through the pain.

-Frankly, Sola thinks Noctis calling down Ramuh to smite the generator is overkill, but the glaives are an Awe.

-Ravus has just pushed Gladio back against the Regalia when about two dozen weapons materialize around him. And Sola slinks out of the shadows, all predatory grace and lethal smile. “Hello, darling.”

-Ravus doesn’t dare move. Not with the blades pressed against his throat, against eight different spots that will kill him instantly if Sola wills it. With the two blades pointed at his eyes and the gun against the back of his head.

-He’s seen the power of a Lucis Caelum armiger. It’s not something he ever anticipated being on the other end of it.

-Sola’s almost a foot shorter than him. That doesn’t stop her from using the tip of her wickedly sharp blade to lift his chin. “Tell me, darling,” And Ravus has never heard an endearment sound so threatening, “why I shouldn’t cut you down where you stand?”

-He says nothing. There is nothing to say, no convincing reason he can give for Sola to spare his life. And Sola knows it. Her smile widens until it’s less a smile and more a snarl of bared teeth.

-“I’m afraid I will have to protest, dear Princess.” Sola twitches as Ardyn materializes behind them, but her glaive doesn’t move as she turns to glare at the High Chancellor. Thank the Six, that blade is uncomfortably close to his throat. “Lady Lunafreya will be most put out if her brother dies.”

-Out of the corner of his eye, Ravus sees Noctis wince. Sola however, is unmoved. “This is war.” Sola drawls, “Lady Lunafreya will understand.”

-“Let him go, and all of you will be allowed to walk free with your Regalia.” Ardyn promises.

-“Please, I’m not that stupid.” Sola scoffs. “I let him go, you’ll kill all of us.”

-“You have my word, you will not be harmed.” The Lucians give Ardyn dubious looks, and Ravus honestly agrees with them. After Insomnia, what Lucian would trust anyone from the Empire?

-“Your word means nothing.” Sola counters with a vicious smile, “Try again.”

-Ardyn tilts his head thoughtfully. “Oh? It almost seems like you want a reason to spare him, dear Princess.”

-Sola laughs. It’s the most chilling thing Ravus has ever heard.

-“Hardly.” Sola says. “But your attempts amuse me.”

-“Sola,” Noctis intervenes, voice quiet but firm. “Withdraw. We’re leaving.”

-A breathless moment where Sola is utterly still, before her weapons shatter into shards of golden magic. Her hand forms a shape, and Ravus suddenly spots the three figures waiting in the shadows when they move, forming a formation and waiting for Sola to join them.

-“As my king commands.” Sola intones. She fades back into the shadows with inhuman ease, sparing a moment to send Ravus a smile that sends shivers down his spine. “Until next time, darling.”

-Those words are going to haunt his nightmares. And Ravus prays to the Six that there won’t be a next time. He’s not certain he’ll survive it.

[tenshiscientia]

You’re Still Beautiful To Me…

Holding him is so hard now....

I have to be so careful as he sleeps...

His face, it looks so painful...

When I saw him on the Alter, defending our prince...

Fighting desperately against Ardyn...

I wanted to help him,  wanted to run to his side...

However when his eyes locked with mine...

I froze, terrified, horrified, shocked...

That was not my Ignis behind that gaze...

There was no love within those bright violet depths. Strangely enough, I only saw rage.

I turned and ran...ran without looking back, for fear of inciting that rage against myself once Ardyn had faced it and lost.

The next thing I knew....

_________________________

"Where is she? Where is Tenshi?!"

I can hear Ignis's voice on the other side of the door. My hand rests on the knob. I know I need to go in, I don't know why I hesitate. Am I afraid of seeing those same violet hues that stared at me earlier?

'No. That wasn't Ignis. You know it wasn't.' I tell myself.

I open the door and walk in with a smile on my face.

"I'm right here Iggy. It's alright." I say brightly.

His back straightens but he doesn't turn around.

"My love, are you uninjured?" he questions quickly.

I laugh gently.

"Of course I am, remember? You sent me on ahead with the others." I remind him.

"You came back, I saw you." he fires back at me.

I scratch the back of my head sheepishly, "O-oh...I didn't think you'd noticed. Well in the end everything turned out okay right?"

Silence settled over the room and I noticed that Ignis still had not turned to face me.

"Iggy...did something...happen?" I questioned slowly, softly taking steps over to the bed.

I had noticed that he had a bandage around his head, but I merely thought that he had been hit somewhere on his face and it required the bandage. Sliding up beside him, I gently slipped a hand onto his cheek and guided him to look at me then gasped as I figured out what he had been hiding.

"Ignis..." I whispered gently, my hands grazing over the sides of his face, "What happened?"

He tilted his head into my hands, his own hands coming up around my own.

"To save Noctis from Ardyn...I...I put on the ring of Lucii. The Kings of Yore allowed me to make a deal with them. In exchange for my sight they lent me their power long enough to drive off Ardyn..." he replied softly.

I huffed a soft breath with a laugh mixed into it.

"Don't take this the wrong way Iggy, but..." I leaned my forehead against his gently, "You really are one crazy mother fucker, you know that?"

Ignis gave a small chuckle.

"Such unbecoming words from a lady such as yourself."

A snort left my body.

"Yeah well, you know I love you for it." I leaned forward kissing him gently, noticing a new scar across his upper lip, "So how bad are the wounds?"

Ignis's silence told me a lot, but not very much at the same time.

"Will you let me look for myself...since I'm a healer and all?" I asked gently, "Maybe I can help the healing process and make the wounds look better in the long run."

Ignis pulled away and nodded letting me reach up and unravel the messy dressing the doctors of Altissia had put on him. When the last of the bandages had fallen away, I had to fight not to cry out in anger. The so called doctors in Altissia had barely done anything for Ignis. I reached up a hand to lightly trace the outer edge of a starburst mark around Ignis's left eye and before I even reached his cheek he jerked away harshly. My eyes watered as I watched him, that burn was all that it could be called, was brilliant silver for Astrals sake against his skin.

"Ignis, lay down on the bed. I...I'll be right back with something to help." I tried to smile at him, but my smile failed me.

I understood now, the kind of pain that he was going through. I would never experience it myself, nor would anyone else in our little group. He wouldn't let us. But he also wouldn't tell us that he was suffering through that pain as well.

"Please don't leave me..." I heard him whisper softly.

I took his hand in mine, admiring the strength of it which I rarely got to see due to his gloves.

"I'm not leaving you, Ignis. I'm coming back,  I just have to get something. Do you remember that simple little tune I taught Noct? Back when we were out in the middle of nowhere and he ended up with a fever?"

Ignis nodded his head.

"Hum that tune really loud until you hear me call your name, okay?"

Ignis nodded again and I let go of his hand darting out of the room and across the hall to my bag where I kept all my healing items. There was a salve in there that I was only supposed to use for myself...but right now Ignis was more important than me. If my family wanted to bitch at me about it later. Let them have a ball. Darting back in the room, Ignis was humming the tune I had taught Noct and I smiled.

"Iggy I'm here." I called to him.

Crawling up on the bed, I moved up next to his head.

"Sit up for a second so I can slide under you and you can lay your head in my lap."

Ignis moved quickly and efficiently as always even now and I was seated, cross-legged below his head in seconds.

"Now, I know you're going to want to pull away, but you can't. This will help the mark over your eye heal better. I don't have anything that can bring your sight back. Unfortunately I'm not that good. But please trust me." I whispered gently to him,  scooping up some of the blue gel onto a couple fingers of one hand.

I reached down and tapped Ignis's shoulder with my other.

"Here...gimmie." I pouted in a childish manner.

Understanding what I wanted, Ignis took my hand and squeezed it gently. Slowly, I started to spread the blue gel over his left eye. He hissed in a breath and his grip on my hand tightened considerably. Taking a bit more of the gel, I spread it a little further down the side of his face so it would cover the mark completely. As I worked, Ignis's grip on my hand lessened.

‘Good the salve is taking effect...’ I thought to myself.

"Has it stopped hurting?" I asked him gently to confirm my thoughts.

He nodded his head.

"Yes, it's entirely numb. What did you use?" he asked softly.

"It's a salve my family created for me in case I burned myself with a fire I've been trying to master for years now. But I thought your burns needed it more than mine..." I began.

"My dear, if this was made for you so you could hone your skills, I'd rather not have you..."

"Don't even say it, Ignis! I've not used that fire in years. I'm not even sure I can anymore. That salve has just been sitting in my bag gathering dust. I'd rather use it on you than let it go to waste." my voice came out sharper than I intended and I felt him flinch.

"I understand..." he murmured.

"Ignis..." his name softly escaped my lips, "I didn't mean it like...what I meant was...I would rather that...Ignis, please understand, you mean so much to me. And I know that you would rather be burdened with pain rather than let it befall me. But seeing you in pain Ignis...it pains me as well. It's not physical pain. But my heart aches when I see you injured.

You never want to admit it. You never want to show it. But I can see it. And it hurts me so badly it almost feels physical at times. I want to comfort you, to hold you tight, heal you, and tell you that everything will be okay in the end.

But I always know that you won't let me. Because you are Ignis Scientia, Hand of the King. Your supposed to be strong all the time and let no weaknesses show so you can be there for the King. But I wish...I just wish. For five minutes...you would be Ignis Scientia, the regular everyday man that I met in the gardens of the Citadel.

Before I knew you were the advisor to the prince. Before we got wrapped up in all of this...this shit that has destroyed all of our lives. All five of our lives. I just want to go back to what it was before we left. Before I-Insomnia fell..."

A harsh sob fell from my lips as tears started to fall from my eyes. Ignis sat up and turned, doing his best to find my shoulders before scooting close and pulling me against his chest.

"I wanna go back home. See w-what the inside of your house l-looks like. Have you c-cook dinner for me. Go out on a romantic date. All just t-to piss my brother off, c-cause he said t-that I was never allowed t-to fall in love.

But I have and I d-don't care what he says about you. I-I'll never leave your side no m-matter what happens." I sobbed, burying my face against his chest.

I felt his hand slide slowly up my back and ease itself into my hair. Gently, he used it to pull me away from his chest. He tried to look down at me but his gaze was off by a few inches.

"I also wish we could go back. That none of this had happened. But this is Noct's destiny as the King of Light and I have to see it through with him. You know you don't have to come with us, and I can't be selfish enough to ask you to come with us. But I know that you'll refuse to stay behind even if I tell you to.

I couldn't bring myself to ask you to leave my side. I pride myself on being a gentleman and there are few things I am selfish about. But with you, Tenshi I can't help but be selfish. I don't want the others to see you when we all wake in the mornings. I wish to be the only one with that honor.

I want no other to see your smile, to hear the laugh that accompanies it. I desire no other to feel the gentle touch of your hands upon their skin. To know the warmth of your body sleeping next to them at night. Even though it's painful, to know the feeling of your warm tears staining their shirt as you cry your fears and insecurities to them softly. I covet all these for myself alone due to how selfish I am when it comes to you.

But I know that I can't keep you to myself alone. I have no right to..." the low timber of his voice was seductive, contrasting to his words.

"Then be selfish with me Ignis." I whispered, cutting him off, "Ask for me to stay. Ask me to be yours."

Ignis fell silent and averted his gaze from mine fully. Hesitating in a manner very unlike himself, he turned back to me.

"Tenshi, will you allow me to be selfish...just this once? Allow me to be selfish and ask you to stay by my side until the end of my days?"

I smiled at him.

"You can be selfish with me until the day we both take our last breath, Ignis. I'm yours and I always have been."

I leaned forward and ghosted my lips over his.

"Until we both take our last breath then, my love."

[kumeko]

Title: highly improper

A/N: For scientias for the FFXV Secret Santa! I saw the Merlin AU prompt and this just jumped from my hands! XD I didn’t expect to write this much! Originally I was going to put Luna in too but I couldn’t make her fit.

…

…

…

…

i.

Ignis stood on his tippy toes, his arms hanging onto the crib bars tightly as he peered down at the baby sleeping inside. Deep asleep, the baby lay flat on his back, his limbs splayed as he dreamt. Wisps of black hair crowned his head and Ignis tried to imagine the King’s golden crown on this tiny head.

 “Watching the baby again, Ignis?” King Regis softly stepped inside, quietly approaching them. His footsteps were muffled on the plush carpet. Looking down in the crib, he pulled the blanket tighter around the little prince with a smile. “Finally asleep, I see.”

 “He stopped crying an hour ago,” Ignis dutifully reported, untangling his arms. He quickly bowed to the king. “Sire.”

 “I see.” The king’s brow knit, his expression darkening slightly. “He’ll need all the rest he can get. His destiny is a heavy one. The gods have tasked him with saving our kingdom, our world.”

Ignis’s eyes widened. Noctis’s hands could barely wrap around Ignis’s finger, and they were expected to not only rule a kingdom, but also save the world? “Really?”

 “Really.” Regis crouched down, resting a hand on his shoulder. “When that times comes, he’ll need a companion. Will you be there for him?”

 “Of course,” Ignis chirped, no doubts in his mind. If he could help his father, help his king, help the prince, he’d do in a heartbeat. He glanced at the prince between the bars, at his chubby red cheeks and tiny fists.

 Noctis would save the world one day.

 Ignis just had to make sure he got there.

    ii.

“Your highness, it’s morning,” Ignis announced, entering Noctis’s chambers. He closed the heavy wooden door behind him when it was apparent that the prince hadn’t awoken yet. As usual. There were many ways to describe Noctis but an early riser was not one of them. Clicking his tongue, Ignis drew open the thick curtains, flooding the room with the bright morning light. “Wake up.”

 Noctis groaned, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow. “Five more minutes.”

 “Zero more minutes,” Ignis corrected, rubbing his forehead tiredly. They played this game every day and he didn’t know who the bigger fool was—Noctis for thinking it’d work, or Ignis for expecting him to change. “You have jousting and sword practice this morning, before we take a tour of the guards. You barely have time for breakfast, let alone sleeping in.”

 “One more minute,” Noctis recanted, as though that made much of a difference. The blankets tangled around his legs as he burrowed deeper into his pillows.

 “Zero means zero, your highness.” With a sigh, Ignis stepped forward and yanked the bedsheets off. The usual pattern it was, then.

 Noctis shivered as the chilly air hit him. “It’s so cold!” Languidly, he stretched his arms above his head as he slowly sat up. “Do I issue the orders or you?” he complained, his tone belligerent.

 “I am waking you up,” Ignis pointed out, rolling his eyes as he opened Noctis’s drawers. Selecting a fine woolen tunic and matching pants, he laid them down on the bed. “You slept a good two hours longer than I did, sire.”

 “It doesn’t feel like it.” Noctis sighed, balefully glaring up at him.

 “Sire, if you continue to look at me like that, I will call Prompto to wake you up. Or maybe Gladiolus would do?” Ignis crossed his arms, raising his brow. In this room, in the familiarity of their years, he could get away with little challenges like this.

 “No, no, I’m good.” Noctis sat up immediately, giving up the jig. Ignis wasn’t sure which of the two scared Noctis more—Prompto’s overenthusiasm or Gladiolus no-nonsense attitude. He slipped off the bed, his hands on his back as he stretched backwards until a soft crack was heard. “So, what’d you say was first? Jousting?”

 “Yes, you’ve missed the last two practices so Gladiolus will be a little…aggressive,” Ignis explained.

 “That’s putting it lightly.” Noctis winced, spreading his arms out.

 “Very lightly,” Ignis agreed, taking a deep breath before he pulled off Noctis’s shirt. He could do this. He could—the sight of Noctis’s chest, his pale skin bathed in the sunlight, made his mouth go dry. His heart beat so hard, he wasn’t sure how Noctis couldn’t hear it. Swallowing, he turned away as he folded Noctis’s shirt. It was okay, he just had to put the new shirt on. He had this.

 “I’m going to get so bruised.” Noctis shuddered. “Make sure the creams are ready, I’m going to need them.”

 “Y-yes.” He could feel his smile strain. Creams meant rubbing them on meant touching Noctis—

 This had been so much easier when they were children.

    iii.

“HIYAAAH,” Gladiolus roared, his mount charging down the field like an angry boar. His horse was already a monster at eighteen hands. With Gladiolus’s bulk added on top of it, it was like watching a titan attack a fly.

 A fly that also happened to be the prince.

 Noctis swung his lance but it was too late. He grunted as he took the full brunt of the attack, falling hard onto the ground.

 “Your Highness!” Ignis ran up the field. They were wearing armour and the lances were wood, but either way that had to hurt. Crouching next to Noctis, he quickly helped his liege into a sitting position. “Are you okay?”

 “No,” grunted Noctis, a scowl on his face as he yanked off his helmet. He glared at Gladiolus. “You could go a little easier, you know.”

 “Then you would never learn, your highness,” Gladiolus answered cockily, and perhaps it was a good thing they had all known each other since childhood. Any other noble would have had his head for the way he acted. “Now, get back on your horse.”

 “So you can murder me?” grumbled Noctis. Despite his frown, he slowly pushed himself off the ground.

 “Wait!” Ignis grabbed one of Noctis’s arms. “Are you sure you want do this? You could be hurt. You might already be hurt. Maybe we should check with—”

 “Worrywart.” Noctis’s frown melted into an exasperated smile and he shook his head. “This happens every day, you don’t need to be so worried all the time. Nothing’s broken, just a few bruises. I wish he’d hold back a little.”

 “Me too,” Ignis muttered, biting his lip. Worry welled within nonetheless, a fear that Noctis’s smile couldn’t erase.

 Noctis smirked over his shoulder at his knight. “Besides, we can’t keep Gladdy waiting.”

 Astride his horse, Gladiolus lifted his visor. Even from here, Ignis felt a shiver run up his spine from the cold look he shot them. “You’ve been spending time with Iris.”

 “...it is better to deny that,” Ignis whispered.

 “It’s not like he can kill me,” Noctis retorted quietly.

 He shook his head. “There are some things worse than death.”

    iv.

“Again?” Cindy lifted the heavy plates of armour with ease, giving a low whistle as she inspected the dents and cracks. She frowned as her finger traced a particularly ragged line, a frown that grew deeper as she realized just how much damage Noctis’s armour had gone through. Poking her head over it, she glared at Ignis. “Really? Do you know how much work I put in this?”

 “I do, and I am sorry again that we have to take so much of your time.” Ignis rubbed his neck awkwardly, feeling flustered under her angry gaze. No matter how many times he’d faced it, it never got easier, and he wasn’t sure if he should be happy or sad that her grandpa had retired, leaving the castle smithy to her. At least there was one less glare at him.

 “I just repaired it two days ago!” She set the armour down on her work bench. Crossing her arms, she turned back to him. “What’re you doing, beating it with a hammer? Fighting in a war? I’ll have you know none of the other guards, knights, or nobles give me half as much trouble as the prince.”

 Because none of them are trained by Gladiolus, Ignis almost retorted. Wisely, he kept his mouth shut and offered a sympathetic smile. “Your work is exceptional, which is why the prince knows he can trust this matter to you.”

 “The prince knows I can’t refuse, otherwise I would have stopped taking any work from him.” Cindy sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I don’t even know why I try with his things, I just know it’ll get destroyed.”

 Sensing her crack, Ignis walked next to her and squeezed her shoulder. “Your work is exemplary and should be the example for any blacksmith.”

 “Yeah, yeah, just buttering me up.” She grinned anyways. Grabbing a pair of ash-covered gloves, she glanced at Ignis. “Do you give this sweet talk to the prince too?”

 Ignis replied with an elegant, “Huh?”

 “What, you think I don’t have eyes?” Cindy snorted, pulling out her hammers as she set up her work bench. “I’ve seen how you look at him. How he looks at you.”

 “Why I never!” Ignis protested, his cheeks burning at the insinuation. The absolutely false, definitely not true accusation.

 Cindy’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, you haven’t—”

 “I definitely haven’t,” Ignis confirmed quickly, wanting to squash this idea before it found purchase. And definitely before anyone else heard it.

 “I see.” She grinned impishly and he had seen that expression on Prompto’s face too many times before to know where this was going. He should never have introduced her to the stable boy. “Well, if you say so.”

 Sensing a trap, he scrutinized her warily. “I do.”

  “Well, he is a prince after all.” She shrugged, still smiling slyly. “It’d be improper to act rashly.”

 “It’d be improper, period,” Ignis corrected her firmly.

 “Which is why you’re waiting for the perfect, romantic moment,” Cindy continued, not hearing him at all.

 “I’m not!” Ignis growled.

 Cindy laughed. “Sure you’re not.”

    v.

Noctis glanced over his shoulder, his hands loose on the reins of his steed. “It’s strange. I keep expecting to see someone behind us.”

 Ignis looked over his shoulder as well. Behind them, the forest path was completely empty for once. There were no signs of the usual guards, no cloaked knights on vigilant alert as they sat tall on their horses. It even sounded quieter than normal, without the extra whickers from other horses. “Me too, your highness. Though we are still within the castle’s forest, so it should be safe enough here.”

 “No, that’s not what I…” Noctis ran a hand through his hair, before giving a shy smile. “I just meant, it’s been a while since it’s been just the two of us. Without actually having to worry about work or lessons or anything.”

 “Oh.” Ignis flushed lightly as he realised that they were alone. Truly alone. No servants in the next room, no guards in the shadows, nothing. Not even the prying eyes of villagers. “You’re right, it has been a while. Not since we were children, I believe, your highness.”

 “Forever, basically. And, just call me Noctis.” When Ignis opened his mouth to protest, Noctis shook his head. “It’s fine, we’re alone.”

 That didn’t make it fine, not in the least. They were still prince and attendant, still divided by an invisible barrier that remained in place no matter who was there. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from uttering, “Noctis.”

 “Yeah.” Noctis smiled whole-heartedly, his eyes crinkling just so, and Ignis stared, transfixed. “Just like that. I kinda miss when we were kids—you used to be less formal.” He paused, then corrected himself. “Slightly less formal.”

 “A problem I have thoroughly corrected,” Ignis finally replied, regaining his voice. His heart was in his throat and it was hard to keep his voice calm, to keep himself collected. He forced his eyes way and stare at the path ahead instead. At least his mount kept a steady pace, trotting along without any realizations of the issues his rider was having.

 “It wasn’t a problem. I liked it better that way.” Noctis leaned back slightly, staring up at trees. His bangs covered his eyes and his next words were careful. “We were…closer then.”

 Ignis peeked at him from the corner of his eyes, unable to read his liege’s expression. “We grew up, as children are wont to do.”

 “I guess.” Noctis looked down at his hands for a long moment. The only sound was the steady clip-clop of their horses as they traversed the dirt path. A deep breath and he stood up straight, his jaw set. Pulling his horse to a stop, he shook his head. “No.”

 “No?” Pressing his right leg, Ignis guided his horse to turn around and ride back to Noctis. Stopping next to him, he cocked his head. “Is something wrong?”

 “This. All of this.” Noctis shook his head once more. “We…we don’t have to grow apart.” As he spoke, his hand reached out, his fingers almost brushing Ignis’s hand. “I don’t want that, I want us to—”

 It had been easier, when they were children. When Ignis could touch and be touched by Noctis and think nothing of it. When he could watch Noctis get hurt and think only of his improvement, when he could spend long hours helping with paperwork and not feel the small gap between their shoulders as though it were a physical presence.

 But they weren’t children, not anymore, and Ignis could only see the possibilities in that potential touch, the torrent of words within him just waiting to pour out. His heart was in his throat, full and ready to speak, but he couldn’t he couldn’t he couldn’t.

 It was almost reflexive, his flinch. His draw back. Ignis pulled away, just out of reach.

 Noctis stared at him, shocked. His eyes widened, hurt crossing his face, his fingers still hovering where Ignis’s used to be.

 Immediately, Ignis realized he’d made the wrong move. “Noctis…”

 “Fine.” Noctis’s fingers curled into a fist, his brow narrowed. With a click of his tongue, he urged his horse into a gallop, leaving Ignis behind in the dust.

    vii.

“So this is where you’re sulking!” Pitchfork hanging off his shoulder, Prompto entered the box stall. The door closed behind with a click and he cocked his head. “I think the prince’s horse is all cleaned now.”

 “I’m not sulking,” Ignis retorted, barely sparing the brazen interloper a glance before returning to Noctis’s black stallion, Regalia. A brush in hand, he firmly stroked the mount’s side. “And I need to just finish checking his hooves.”

 “I swear you go overboard on everything.” Prompto rolled his eyes, setting his pitchfork on the ground. He crossed his arms over the handle and rested his chin on his arms. “And you are totally sulking.”

 “I’m not,” Ignis snapped back, shooting him a dirty glare. “Don’t you have more important matters to attend? Your job? These stables are in need of cleaning.”

 “Hey, don’t take it out on me.” Prompto pouted, his cheeks puffed and lip jutted out. “Is it because you and Noctis fought?”

 “Your highness,” Ignis corrected automatically, they’d had this argument too many times before. Registering what Prompto said, he froze. “What makes you think we fought?”

 “The way he’s trashing Gladdy?” Prompto gave a playful grin. “And so it was a fight?”

 “I…I didn’t…” Ignis slumped his shoulders. “Is he that angry?”

 “Hmmm…” Prompto tapped his chin, considering it. “Well, Gladiolus did say he’d never seen Noctis so aggressive before. And Noctis kinda just glared at me when I brought up your name. So. There’s that.”

 Ignis closed his eyes. Well, he did deserve this, rebuking the prince like that. He didn’t even let the prince finish speaking before reacting, it could have just been something ordinary, like a renewal of friendship. “I didn’t intend for this.”

 “I’m sure you didn’t.” Prompto softened. Setting the pitchfork to the side, he approached Ignis and squeezed his shoulder. “You always mean well. Sometimes too well.”

 “It’s just…” Ignis stared at the black hide of Regalia, as though the answers could be found in the whirls of his hair. “I want to make sure he’s happy. Always. To help him with his duties and try to ease the burden he has.”

 And to keep these feelings of his sealed away, forever.

 “I know you do. You’ve always put him first. But,” Prompto asked thoughtfully, peering up at him. “You know, he always seems happiest with you. Have you ever thought of that?”

    viii.

 The evening breeze was chilly and Ignis shivered as he nudged open the doors to the rooftop. On the western tower, there was no night-watch or prying eyes. Only the roosting pigeons knew of what transpired here, their coos filling the air as Ignis stepped out onto the exposed roof.

 Ahead of him was Noctis, sitting on the bench they’d set up when they were children. A secret base, as the prince liked to call it. A place where he could be alone. He’d often come here when he was angry or sad. All of which meant that Prompto hadn’t been teasing earlier. Or at least, only teasing.

 Saying nothing, Ignis walked forward carefully, a small tray in his hands. The heat from Noctis’s favourite soup wafted up to his nose and he was glad that the food was keeping warm. “Your highness.”

 Noctis didn’t say anything, his back rigid, his eyes staring straight ahead as the sun slowly set.

 Ignis hesitated. Taking a deep breath, he quickly said, “Noctis.” His ears burned.

 At that, Noctis turned his head, acknowledging his presence. He still didn’t say anything but he moved to the side, making room on the bench for him. Grateful, Ignis sat down next to him, setting down the tray on the space next to him. He folded his hands on his lap. Noctis softly inhaled, exhaled, a sound as familiar as Ignis’s own heartbeat. “I’m sorry.”

 Noctis didn’t reply.

 “I…” Ignis couldn’t say why he really pulled away. Couldn’t break this fragile thing between them. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

 Softly, Noctis sighed. He rested his forehead on his hand, his head angled slightly to look up at Ignis. “I know. You never do.” His expression was still dark. “It’s just…I…” Gritting his teeth, he curled into himself. “Never mind, just…just forget about what I did.”

 “Never.” Ignis shook his head. Noctis had never looked so small before. So vulnerable. And it was all because of him and his inability to keep his feelings in check. “I also miss how close we used to be. It’s just…our positions…you’re the prince and I…”

 “Is that it?” Noctis sat up and leaned close, too close. Ignis barely had time to register his presence before Noctis’s hands were on his shoulder, keeping him in place. “Is that all that’s stopping you?”

 “Noctis?” Ignis glanced nervously at the door. If anyone found them in such a compromising situation…heads would roll. His own, possibly.

 “Is that all?” Noctis repeated, unconcerned.

 “It’s a big thing,” Ignis protested. “You’re the heir to the throne. I’m a commoner.”

 “You’re right, I’m the heir to the throne.” Noctis leaned closer and Ignis could see his long eyelashes, the flecks of grey in his eyes. His hands shook slightly. “So who can tell me that this is wrong?” The gap between their bodies, their lips, was so small. Ignis could feel Noctis’s heat radiating onto his skip, feel his breath on his face. “Who can tell me not to love you?”

 Love? Ignis’s mind went blank. Noctis closed the gap, kissing him hungrily and any thoughts he still had disappeared entirely. All he could feel was Noctis, his hands digging into Ignis’s back as he held him tight, deepening the kiss. And god, his lips were soft, so soft, just as he’d imagined for years, and his arms were strong and—

 And he was kissing the prince. Ignis pulled back in a panic. “Your highness!”

 “Noctis,” Noctis admonished, a small pout on his face. “What’s wrong now?”

 “I…you…this is highly improper!” Ignis blushed a furious red.

 “I thought…” Noctis turned red himself, retracting quickly. Realization dawned on his face. “This…you didn’t mean…” He buried his face in his hands. “Oh god.”

 “No, I did—I mean, I didn’t…” Ignis took a deep breath, trying to regain some measure of coherence. “You like me.”

 Head still buried in his hands, Noctis nodded.

 “Oh.” Ignis felt his skin burn even hotter, his heart doing funny things inside his chest. Noctis loved him too. This wasn’t a one-sided pining. Not now, at least.

 Suddenly, he understood Noctis’s reaction when they were horse riding. He’d taken it as a rejection. Resting a hand on Noctis’s back, his other hand pried Noctis out of hiding and gently pulled him up into a seated position. “Me too,” he admitted. “I like you too.”

 Noctis blinked, confused. “Then…”

 “I…” Ignis touched his lips with a hand. “That was…” He smiled, pleased for a moment, before remembering himself. Remembering who they were. “That was improper.”

 Noctis frowned. “Ignis, I’m the prince. I’ll decide what’s improper or not.”

 “But—”

 “I love you, but sometimes you talk entirely too much.” Noctis wrapped an arm around Ignis, the other hand tangled in his hair. “Do you love me?”

 There was no where to turn, to hide. “Yes,” Ignis admitted, unable to lie when Noctis was staring at him so intensely.

 “Good, that’s all I need.” Noctis smiled brightly and leaned forward to kiss him again.

 In the part of Ignis’s brain that was still functioning, he hoped he’d remembered to lock the door.

[archonssun]

Trouble With Paradise

Trouble With Paradise

WC: 1417

Note: the character is Noct's adopted sister.

"Ignis?" When the man heard his name, he turned around. Instantly, he wished he hadn't.

"Invidia? What are you doing in Lestallum?" the ash-blond male asked, his guard already up. This woman ... She was trouble. Always had been, always will be. It seemed that, wherever the royal retinue went, this woman followed.

"Oh, me? I'm just taking a trip to visit friends in the Cleigne region," she said sweetly, but Ignis wasn't fooled. He knew that she was infatuated with the prince, and that she would do anything to make him hers. But he didn't say anything to the woman that would make her defensive. Instead, he pursed his lips, grabbed the bag of ingredients from the proprietor, and made his way back to The Leville.

As soon as he entered the hotel room, the breath was knocked from his lungs as someone ran into him. The person fell to the floor while Ignis barely managed to stay on his feet. His glasses ... not so much. They fell to the floor with a clatter, but even without them he could see the culprit's face just fine.

"Maris," he began. The tone of his voice made the girl before him jump in her skin. She didn't dare stand up, or even lift her eyes to meet his. "What are you doing?"

"Um, I-I ..." she stuttered, cheeks red in embarrassment. After watching her for a few more seconds, Ignis sighed, crouching down to grab his glasses.

"Be careful," was all he said before he walked further into the room, placing the bag in his hand on the table. Maris watched the way he moved -- how fluidly he walked, how he seemed to float around the room with nary a sound. She watched the muscles in the man's back when he stretched, and she couldn't help but wonder just how toned he was under that shirt ...

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought her back to reality, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red when Gladio gave her a knowing look from where he lounged in an armchair. She sent him a glare, trying her best to seem furious with his antics, but it only caused him to laugh.

"What's with that look, kid?" he smirked. At his question, Ignis turned to the girl, who was still sitting on the floor. He noticed that her face was redder than it had been a few minutes ago, and how it seemed to grow redder as he watched her.

"Are you just gonna sit there?" Prompto asked, pulling out a deck of cards with a smirk. "Or are you gonna join us?"

***

Why did I agree to this? Maris was playing 5-card draw poker with the guys, and Ignis was thoroughly kicking her ass. What made it worse was they were playing a rendition of strip poker. Currently, Prompto had the least amount of clothing; only had on his boxers and the bracelet on his right wrist. Next was Noct, with only his pants. Gladio had bowed out earlier; he wore little clothing to begin with, so maybe that was a blessing in disguise? He was clearly having more fun watching the girl squirm. She had her undershirt and the shorts she wore under her skirt still on, which was roughly a third of what she started with.

But Ignis ... Six above, that man was a god. There could be no other explanation. He had only lost his glasses and gloves, the two articles placed neatly next to him.

Gladio spectated and dealt the cards for the current round, redealing cards as the others put them in the discard pile. Cautiously, Maris took a look at her cards. She had all the cards needed for a full house -- well, almost. She was just missing a seven or a queen. She discarded the useless card, then took the card Gladio handed to her. As soon as she took her first look at it, she struggled to contain her excitement: she had gotten a seven! So as not to tip off the boys, she kept a straight face as she added the card to her hand, waiting for the boys to finish with their strategies.

"Anyone wanna fold?" Gladio asked. His eyes rested on each of the players, waiting for their answers. When they all shook their heads, he smiled. "Ready? Show!"

Maris' heart jumped into her throat as her eyes scanned the others' cards, then went back to rest on her own. A smile tugged at her lips.

"Fucking finally!" she shouted, arms shooting into the air at her victory. Her smile sent Noct and Prompto into silence, and not long after the two bowed out. Ignis, however, accepted the round for what it was, and took off his shirt. He folded it neatly, placing it underneath his gloves and glasses. As soon as he was finished, his eyes locked with the girl's. They were wide in shock, her face about as red as one of Prompto's sunburns. Quickly, she covered her face with her hands, standing up. She muttered softly before exiting the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

"Poor girl's got it bad," Gladio smiled, throwing an arm around Ignis' shoulders. The ash-blond didn't need to ask what he meant: it was pretty obvious.

"You counted the cards, didn't you, Gladio?" Ignis asked, eyes narrowing on the Amicitia. Gladio only smiled in reply, and Ignis sighed. "You should know better than to mess around with her, Gladio. She's very sensitive."

Ignis stood from his seat, pulling on his shirt as he went to follow his girlfriend.

***

A few days later, the group was hanging out with Iris in Lestallum. Ignis was off somewhere else -- more than likely gathering information or ingredients, maybe both. Maris sat next to Noct at a small cafe, sharing smiles and jokes with the prince and Prompto, when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked around, her eyes finally landing on a woman that was glaring at her. She squirmed in her chair, uncomfortable under the woman's frigid gaze. Noct noticed, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, everything alright?" he asked, eyes showing concern for his little sister. She just nodded, not trusting herself to say anything as she looked away from the woman.

"Yeah. Everything's fine, Noct."

***

Later that night, as the group was walking back to The Leville, Maris felt eyes on her once more. This time, she didn't bother looking around. Actually, it was more like she couldn't, because a pair of hands reached out and snatched her from the rear of the group. One hand covered her mouth so she couldn't shout for her friends.

Maris was dragged into one of the many alleys of Lestallum, her body pinned to the wall by the woman she had seen glaring at her earlier.

"Leave my Noctis alone," the woman hissed, spitting in Maris' face. The young princess shied away from her assaulter, squeezing her eyes shut tight. "What a pathetic girl. What does he even see in you?"

Even though she knew the woman was talking about Noct, Maris couldn't help but feel like she was talking about Ignis. She knew the man was so much better than herself, in more ways than one. On more than one occasion, she would doubt herself, doubt the reason why she was sent on this journey with her adoptive brother when Noct would have been fine with just Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis.

As these thoughts ran through her mind, Maris didn't realize that the woman had been pried off her until she sank to the ground. She covered her head, curling into herself as the waterworks began.

"Maris?" the familiar voice made her lift her head to see Ignis crouching in front of her, a worried look on his face. She went to look at the ground again, but Ignis' gloved hands kept her from doing so. "Are you alright, love?"

More tears slipped from her eyes as the love of her life held her so gently, so ... tenderly. He wiped away the droplets with the pad of his thumb. With his other hand, he helped her to stand, pulling her closer to himself.

"Everything will be alright, Mar," he whispered against her hair, and the girl grasped at his shirt, letting the tears fall as she was held by her beloved.

[strictomiles]

@argxntcm​ submitted:  And, like most relationships, there came testing times. And oh, they had plenty – enough to write a book about. But outweighing them was their love for each other, stronger than any other bond and more important to Prompto than he could’ve ever dreamed. He was usually the one to struggle, PTSD as well as recurring nightmares that Gladio would endure nightly, and deal with the aftermath daily. But yet he was still here, holding his hand, kissing his forehead and reminding him just how special he was. So when in fact, his partner was the one who was feeling empty and lost – unable to place himself, Prompto knew he had to do something. It wasn’t a matter of spending the most money, or buying the most gifts. To get him to agree to leave the house was a positive start, regardless. But it was the effort he would make, and how he would remind him that anything Gladio faced, they faced together. No longer a single person’s problem, they faced everything together head on. 

Picking Gladio up from their shared apartment, the sharpshooter awaited his partner in the car, shades on, looking ‘smart-casual’ having planned in advance. He took spare clothes with him when he visited Noctis that day, as well as showering and making an all round effort. And though he was graced with the beauty, that was the man walking towards him; on the daily, his heart would still beat ever faster. He never would tire of that butterfly feeling, realizing this man was his. Only his. 

Once greeted with soft, tender kisses, the blond speed’s off to the first part — a fancy meal, to be assumed. It was simply just a ploy to get him comfortable. Who could say no to a well cooked meal? He makes it known that he wishes to give him as much affection as possible with caring, sweet nature laced within. Only did he let go of his hand when it came to eating their ordered three course, and even then did he ensure he was as close to the taller male as possible. It was romantic to say the least, and seeing a genuine smile from his partner would warm his heart. He was truly happy when Gladio was at his happiest. 

But this was only half of what was to come. Upon finishing and exiting, the blond drives in the complete opposite direction of home. Though he didn’t glance, focusing on the road, and silently hoping he was raising a brow; he was certain Gladio didn’t know where he was taking him. On a drive just the other week, eager for scenery shots for his future gallery; he had stumbled across a private parking spot, a top a hill, surrounded by overgrown flowers and simple nature. It led to a clearing that the car could just about fit through. And as he comes to a stop, he looks to his partner knowing full well he would appreciate the view just as much. They could see *everything* from here and with everything illuminated by street lights and house lights, it added much more to the serene environment. No noise but them and the wind that was beginning to pick up slowly. “ Whatcha think? “ He asks as he exits the car, gesturing for the other to go on ahead as he recovered something from the trunk. 

He would hide a gift behind his back, just incase he might look back. But, thankfully Prompto would know he may be lost in his own thoughts to do just that. “ I thought… this might be nice…” He speaks soft, revealing a sky lantern. On it, decorated with symbols, images and words to symbolize his family. All of them. “ A lot’s been weighing you down, babe… and it’s hard… I know you’re going through… well, a hell of a fucking lot… And I wanna be there for you however I can be… but sometimes words just don’t cut it… Figured this might be like a physical weight off your shoulders. “ He says, placing a soft kiss to his cheek. 

And as it flies off into the sky, the blond takes Gladio’s hand, never looking away from it. He’d never done something like that before, it was rather nice.. And he could only hope Gladio felt the same. It may not heal and be the end of all that he was burdened with, but he prayed it would help. A few moments of silence shared between them. “ I love you, Gladio..” He starts. “ And ya gotta know now, we’re in this together… kay? You don’t have to suffer alone, not anymore. You’ve got me… I know I’m an overdramatic pain in the ass, but i also know you wouldn’t change me. You wouldn’t change this. And, I just want you to know how special you are…. “ He releases his hand and jogs back to the car, calling to him as he does so. “ I was gonna wait until you got back from Altissia… but… I feel like now’s a good time as any… “ He recovered a pouch from the glove box, it was small, intricate and in a way - almost too fancy looking - “ Don’t panic !” He starts with a laugh, last thing he wanted was Gladio to freak out over something – not right now, he’d never forgive himself if he were the cause of that. 

He reveals a silver ring, the shape of a feather, close to one that stretched from his tattoo. engraved inside only for his partner to know of. ‘ you are my sunshine’. The blond was often referred to that of a similar nature, hoping Gladio would understand the reciprocated sentiment. “ It’s a promise ring ! “ Quick to add. Though they had mentioned marriage, he would allow Gladio to do that when he was well and ready. “ It’s my promise to you…” He speaks soft as cerulean meet with his own eyes, instinctively placing it on his finger.  “ No matter what, I’m yours.. And your mine. And nothin’ is ever gonna change that. I wanna be here for you in whatever way you need me. It’s me and you against the world if it has t’ be… “ He adds with a soft chuckle. “ I hope… I hope this is … all okay for you…. .” He hoped he did enough, he hoped he was enough.

It was no question that Gladio had been in a more bitter mood than usual. Biting at anyone who so much as looked at him the wrong way, getting into more scraps and looking for hunts to kill time and avoid talking about what was going on in his heart and his head. It was easier that way. But, eventually even the strongest metals cracked and wore down. Prompto was persistent when it came to figuring out was muddling his boyfriend’s soul. Until now, It would have been likely that only Ignis would know just why this time of year weighed so hard on him until he no longer felt like himself. The anniversary of his mother’s passing ate him up inside on a normal year, let alone this one when he’d so freshly lost his father. It would more than ruin a normal person but, as Shield of the King he felt as if he had to push what bothered him aside.

Prompto had really come into his life like a hurricane, shaking away some of those high walls he’d created to block out the outside world like this and he was endlessly grateful, even if they still did butt heads. But, that was just life and learning to love.

He didn’t look as nice as his partner did as he’d been on the couch pushing through the end of the book he’d currently been reading, tucked under a blanket where he could continue to hide from reality. A very low effort had been made to be passable. His hoodie swapped for a leather jacket and sweats swapped for a pair of jeans while his hair was still drawn up in a messy bun. It made him feel a little out of place in the nicer than expected restaurant but, it didn’t stop him from enjoying the night. In fact, it was the first time he’d truly smiled all week and his amber eyes lit up with Prompto’s jokes and banter. He felt normal. Like finally, there was a chance that all the pain that settled on his shoulders could be lifted.

While Gladio didn’t outwardly question it, he knew Prompto was driving the wrong direction to go home when dinner was finished. But, he was content rolling with whatever the blond had planned. Under the night’s sky was where he felt most at peace on most days, it was all part of his penchant for camping and roughing it in the great outdoors. He figured that was just what it was. A moment to get some fresh air nearly outside the city walls. A much needed moment away. Leaning against the hood of the car, everything felt simpler. Being cooped up hadn’t helped as much as his declining mental state had made him feel it would. “It’s a great little spot.” came a soft reply, “Hard to believe this is still Insomnia, y’know?”

Had he been the crying sort, he would have upon sight of the lantern. It was something Gladio instinctively just knew of. The meaning was there, all of it settling deep past his bones where he felt as if he’d been made of ice. Instead, his hand came to rub the bridge of his nose before giving Prompto a quick kiss on the lips in return. You didn’t have to do this for me. Was the unspoken thought on the tip of his tongue, not falling from his lips as he knew what the answer would have been right back. “It really does feel... better.” Who knew acknowledging the pain in your heart could relieve it? “I don’t think i’ll ever be able t’ repay you for this but, I just wanna say... Thank you. Not just for myself but, on behalf of my parents too.” His mother may have a place to rest but, his father? That was still a whole mess. A mess that felt a little better. Like he could almost finally say goodbye.

“I love you too.” The silence finally broken, as the man of few words watched Prompto move about slightly more antsy than usual. “You know all’a those things, i’d do for you too. So make sure you don’t forget it either.” When Prompto ran off back to the car, a brow rose in turn. A chat beneath the stars was more than he’d anticipated already, now what else could he have planned?

His body stiffened as the box came into view. Had it not been for Prompto telling him not to panic he would have. No doubt about it, turned tail and ran without once waiting to see what was inside. Upon seeing the beauty within, he was glad he did stick around. The ring was beautiful, like nothing he’d ever seen before and surprisingly fit perfectly. Tonight was overwhelming but, not in the way he’d been feeling before. This was an overwhelming feeling of a warm heart and a happier soul. When the ring was secured upon his finger, Gladio’s hands found Prompto’s to take them in a tight hold. A warm squeeze. 

“You’re insane, and too much.” A smile crossed his face as he leaned in to rub their noses together. “But, in the best sorta way. I dunno what I did to deserve such a’ effort when i’ve been in such a shitty mood lately but, i’m real glad you did. You’ve really changed my whole day, my whole week... hell. My whole life. Thank you for everything.”

[thechocoboos]

Hi hon I know you have a specific list of ships that you write for but.. I was wondering if you would be willing to write headcanons for Igdyn please? Maybe even possible family headcanons too? I understand if you don't want to write that though if you can't, thank you! :3

I have never considered Igdyn before but this ask sent me into a hc frenzy, thank u. Wrote these about 20 mins after I got this ask and didn’t post until now, it was too inspiring ;-;

Hope u enjoy!!!!

Igdyn Headcanons

These two. i fuckin. swear to god, are the sassiest, most passive aggressive bfs to ever walk the earth

They sass each other nonstop 24/7, with teasing smiles and narrowed, amused eyes

But despite their snark, they are so head over heels that it’s ridiculous

Ardyn's terrible fashion sense is one of Iggys fave things to tease him about

Meanwhile, Ardyn's fave thing to tease Ignis about is Iggy's… interesting… hair styling choice

When Ignis is nervous about his workload, ardyn whisks him away on a day out and about to get ignis' mind off it, if it becomes clear that iggy needs it

The kind of couple that budgets together

"Hmm, darling, I think we should spend a little less on food this month… otherwise we'll never be able to pay off that credit card…"

"I beg your pardon? And buy frozen vegetables and subpar, on sale meat from the grocery store instead of the butcher???"

"I was suggesting something more like… Grade A meat instead of Grade AAAAA."

"Oh for goodness--fine. Only for you."

Ardyn tries to outdo Iggy's cooking just so Ignis can know what it's like to have his bf cook a delicious meal for him

He can never do better than Ignis' cooking but he comes close

When Ignis gets nervous or fidgety, he automatically starts adjusting Ardyn's many layers clothing

Ardyn ofc has everything the way he likes it already, but he knows it makes Iggy feel better so he lets him

Ardyn loves to style and adjust Ignis' hair, and Ignis loves to run his hands through Ardyn's hair in the evenings

They bitch about their jobs to each other and understand each other's complaints 100%

Worry about each other SO FUCKING MUCH but dont show it

they're both so C U L T U R E D

with ignis' education and ardyn's knowledge of OLD SHIT bc he's an old shit himself, they both debate and argue about classical literature, old paintings, and other such fine art like crazy

they like to have dates at the art museum and debate about the meaning of various art pieces

Ignis swears this one 2000 year old farm painting is about this one man's daughter, but Ardyn swears to the astrals that its actually about the artist’s sexuality

"Ignis, dear, I love you, but I MET that man. Never in my life have I seen a more closeted artist!"

"But this young farmhand in the painting--"

"Was his secret lover."

They both love ebony. And fight over it, all the time. Who's that last can going to? Probably not either of them with how intense their fight over it is

Coffee lovers. They set aside half an hour every evening to sit together, talk, and drink a new kind of coffee

It's their favorite part of the day

Their voices are soft and one hand is touching the other's as they luxuriously take long, lingering sips of coffee

No one knows how they got together but after seeing them interact, they all realize that it was the perfect match

The other bros all hated Ardyn when Iggy and Ardyn first got together, but over time they got used to him

Except Noctis, he's still not the biggest fan

Ardyn makes the coffee in the morning and Iggy makes breakfast

They love holding hands

Sometimes they wear each other's gloves. It's usually on accident but Ardyn likes to do it on purpose

Ardyn is a shameless flirt who blatantly whispers rather bold things in Ignis' ear in public, and it makes Ignis blush to high heavens

Iggy will always clear his throat afterwards and say, "Now, that was highly unnecessary, wasn't it?" (Ardyn disagrees)

Meanwhile, every time Ignis remotely does something to silently show his love, whether in public or in private, Ardyn is the one to blush and become embarrassed

There's more of an intimacy with it that catches Ardyn off guard all the time (especially if it's a soft kiss, a lingering touch, or Ignis initiating hand holding)

They accidentally got each other identical christmas presents two years in a row (last year it was matching pajamas)

Speaking of matching pajamas

This is the most luxurious couple you will ever meet

They're so classy that 200 year old dead pianists can't even compete

They have afternoon ebony from teacups with tiny cucumber sandwiches

Ardyn once bought Ignis one of those high quality, insulated coffee cups to keep Ignis’ beverages cold/hot at work (it’s Iggy’s fave gift from Ardyn)

Ardyn also makes Ignis’ lunch. He’s not too bad at cooking, and Ignis loves having someone take care of him for once

They lowkey nag each other but there’s no malice or anger behind it, just the teasing edge that they both love

Whenever Ignis forgets his lunch, Ardyn comes down to the Citadel and does his best to embarrass Ignis when returning lunch

He’ll always stop at the front desk and talk to the secretary about how his forgetful boyfriend once again left lunch sitting on their kitchen table

“I swear to the Astrals, that man would forget his head if it wasn’t attached to the rest of him--”

And then when he finds Ignis, he makes sure Iggy is in the middle of some kind of conference or dealing with people when he runs up and yells, “Iggy! Darling, you forgot your lunch! I made sure to pack extra smiley face cookies; I know how much you love them!” And just lays a massive kiss on Ignis

Of course, that’s all for show. Ardyn really brought his own lunch and is going to eat with Ignis on those days

It embarrassed Ignis the first couple times, but now he just goes with it. “Oh--those wonderful cookies with the pink frosting? Love, you shouldn’t have, I was saving the rest of those for your birthday, afterall, pink is your favorite color!”

Sometimes, Ignis forgets his lunch on purpose, just to goof off with Ardyn at work and have lunch with him (Ardyn is well aware of it, too)

They propose to each other at the same time

And ofc, it’s done dramatically and snarkily on both of their parts

When Ardyn went to propose, Iggy was already pulling out his own ring

They were both so close to tears that evening

[boomboxigrade]

Birthday Boy

Decided to write something for my beautiful chocobaby since hes officially one years old >:0

beware its kinda long. also theres like a tiny joke about like gun control and shit but please dont take it seriously its just a joke

thanks to my wonderful sibling @agressivemacintosh for brainstorming this with me

Through his sub-consciousness, Prompto's body took in the cool air that was wafting through a newly-opened window. He shivered instinctively, although not fully awake. The blond wrapped his blanket tighter around himself, bringing his own body warmth closer to himself as his unconscious self tried to keep from waking. The blissful sleep wouldn't last much longer, however. The Advisor was on a mission. A musical, soft voice made itself known in the blond's groggy mind. The voice was singing notes familiar to him, but softer and sweeter, the sound felt like a gentle, polished gloss that slid easily across his subconsciousness. However, it did wake him somewhat, as he recognized the tune as the song went on. "...Happy birthday to you," Ignis' voice purred the last line of the song. Sitting on the side of the bed, he bent down and nuzzled Prompto’s cheek until the Blond stirred and began to rub his eyes.

“Wh-” Prompto started, squinting up at the motherly figure above him as his eyes adjusted to the light. 

Ignis smiled down at him, expectant. As if waiting for him to remember something. Prompto worked his eyes open, slowly taking in the situation. 

“What were you-” 

Prompto started to ask the advisor what on Eos he was doing so early in the morning, but the smile across the man’s fine features stopped him. It had been a while since Prompto had seen that smile without any prompting. Usually it took an off-color comment from Gladio, a complaint from Noctis, or an actually funny joke from himself to get this giddy, satisfied smile that the Hand of the King now wore.

“Happy birthday,” Ignis said simply.

Prompto blinked a couple of times. His mind took the words that Ignis said and tried to translate them, but for some reason all he was thinking about was how soft Ignis’ shirt looked. He brought his focus back around and tried to remember what Ignis had just said. 

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” He asked, feeling sheepish.

Ignis chuckled as color flushed to Prompto’s cheeks. He then took the blond’s hands, levering him up so he was sitting against the pillows. 

“I said happy birthday, Dear,” Ignis repeated himself, and this time Prompto’s face shone with recognition.

“OH SHIT!” he cried, rather loudly. Ignis drew back a bit, surprised at the sudden outburst. “That’s today, isn’t it?” Prompto laughed at himself and ran his hand through his unkempt, golden locks. 

“Yes,” Ignis chuckled once more, recovering from the shock. “I do believe it is.” His words were enunciated in a way only Ignis could speak.

“Wow, I can’t believe I forgot!” Prompto exclaimed, waking up quickly. The gunman had an uncanny ability to go from unbelievably groggy to remarkably awake and active in only a few minutes; a skill that Noctis often despised. 

Without skipping a beat, Prompto continued, “I can’t believe you remembered!” He laughed, a bit of softness tugging at his features. 

Ignis watched him with the same, amused smile as the blond finally seemed to be aware of what was happening. He waited for the next barrage of questions, however, before saying anything else. 

Just as Ignis predicted: “What time is it anyway? Have you been planning this? Like, how come you remembered it but I didn’t?” He paused to laugh, “oh, and where are Noct and Gladio?” the blond’s voice softened. 

“They are busy preparing their part of the present,” Ignis answered calmly.

“Present?” Prompto interjected. “You guys didn’t have to get me a present!” He smiled but he looked worried.

Ignis clicked his tongue. “I don’t see why there’s a reason not to,” he reasoned. “Is your birthday somehow less special than Noct’s?” 

“Well no-” Prompto started.

“I didn’t believe so,” Ignis finished. “Now,” he leaned down and planted a kiss on Prompto’s forehead. “get dressed: we have places to go and presents to receive.”

Ignis stood and began shuffling things around the room while Prompto got dressed. As Prompto was about to put on his shirt, Ignis stopped him. After a second of confusion, the advisor handed him a box. 

“This is where the festivities begin.” He proclaimed. 

Prompto looked flustered, but opened the box anyway, intrigued as to what this could mean. He pulled the lid off of the box, and in the box was some sort of folded fabric. The fabric looked too soft and comfortable to be any sort of uniform or formal wear. The gunman picked up the garment to examine it. 

It was a t-shirt! The sleeves were a little too long for his liking, but what drew his immediate attention was the graphic on the front. There was an image of two guns crossed over each other with words reading “Gun control is using both hands”

Prompto outright laughed and held the shirt close to his chest. “Iggy, this is so dumb, I love it!” 

Ignis chuckled in response. He paused, observing the shirt himself, then put a finger to his lips in thought. Prompto was about to ask him what he was thinking when Ignis snapped, then turned his gaze back on the blond. 

“Hold it out in front of you by the collar.” He commanded.

Prompto obliged, and as he did so, Ignis reached forward and grasped the just-too-long sleeves of the shirt. Using force of will and very experienced hands, Ignis ripped the sleeves off with his gloved hands. 

Prompto cackled in delight, remembering the many times Ignis had been dismayed when Prompto mutilated yet another shirt. 

“I was actually about to say something about the sleeves,” Prompto smiled widely at the advisor.

“I know,” Ignis affirmed. “Now, there is one other gift I have to give before we leave.”

The Hand pulled a long chain out of his shirt pocket. He held it out to Prompto for the gunman to observe. The chain formed a long necklace, at the end of which was a pair of dog tags. Prompto’s eyes widened as he further examined the ornaments. On one tag, in their respective handwritings, were engraved Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis’ names. On the other was Prompto’s name. The gift was simple, but Prompto’s chest radiated with the warmth in his heart at the sight of it.

This feeling was further increased as Ignis gestured to the tag with his and the others’ names on it. “This tag usually bares the name of the soldier’s family,” He said.

Prompto’s eyes immediately stung with tears and he lunged forward and hugged the man with all of his strength. There was a “oomph” from Ignis as he did so, but he made no movement to stop him. 

“Thank you so much,” Prompto murmured into Ignis’ shoulder. The advisor chuckled in response.

“You mean a lot to each of us, Prompto,” Ignis said. Prompto nuzzled his head further into the man’s shoulder. The blond took in the sweet, clean smell of the advisor’s shirt.

After a few more seconds, Ignis pulled Prompto away and held him at arm’s length while he adorned him with the dog tags. “Now,” he asserted. “We’d best be on our way.”

---

After a visit to The Hammerhead for a kiss on the cheek from Cindy, and a giant 89′ mm super-bazooka developed by Cid especially for Prompto, the gunman was then escorted to Cape Caem, where it was said the others were waiting for him. 

The blond opened the door cautiously, not knowing what awaited him. As he tried to walk through the threshold, however, he was very suddenly pinned to the wall. He gasped, his eyes growing wide as they took in the sight before him.

“Happy birthday, you little shit,” Gladio’s voice growled from above him. 

Prompto, for some reason, couldn’t quite meet his eyes. His eyes, in fact, were very busy taking in the very, very, very tight recreation of Cindy’s outfit that the Shield had been forced into. 

After accidentally staring for just a bit too long, Prompto cough-laughed, covering his mouth and squeezing his eyes shut. “WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?” he managed to wheeze.

He heard Ignis chuckling behind him as he made his way through the door and shut it behind himself. 

“Something special for the special birthday boy,” Gladio replied shortly, crossing his arms.

“I’m... flattered!” Prompto gasped between fits of laughter. 

Noctis, making his way into the room, faltered in his step as he was wearing 3 inch high-heels and fitting smoothly in one of Luna’s dresses. 

“Noct!” the gunman exclaimed. “You look stunning!” He was still laughing, but he meant it genuinely. 

“Thanks,” the prince replied unenthusiastically. 

“No really!” Prompto insisted. 

He didn’t get the chance to fully flatter and embarrass the prince as Ignis quickly rushed out of the room and reappeared in an outfit almost identical to Aranea’s.

After Prompto finished this third coughing fit, the three gathered around him and led him to the kitchen where Ignis had baked a cake that was adorned with a little fondant camera on top. The blond, of course, wouldn’t let them cut and eat it without taking eighty pictures first. That wasn’t the only thing he took pictures of, either.

Later that night, lying on the king-size bed, Noctis, Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis all laughed at the ridiculous outfits they were wearing, and they were also surprised at how many shots of each of them the blond had snapped without them noticing. 

“Holy shit, Specs looks good in that one!” Noctis exclaimed, reaching over Prompto’s outstretched arm to point at a picture of Ignis. The background was warm and out of focus, while Ignis was framed beautifully by the lighting behind him.

“If memory serves me correctly, that was this morning when I was attempting to wake you,” Ignis stated, his words slowing as he processed what that would imply.

There was a bit of laughter, then a lapse in conversation that Prompto tried to fill by clicking through more pictures. 

“Prompto,” Noctis started. “how did you get all those pics, anyway?”

Prompto made a face. “I don’t know what you mean,” he answered simply. 

“Yeah, how do you get all those pics without us noticing either? I don’t remember you pulling out your camera at all.” Gladio added, and the three of them turned to look at Prompto.

Prompto kept clicking through pictures, avoiding looking at any of them. He kept a straight face and focused directly on his camera screen.

“Who knows.”

---

~~~~Happy birthday, Blondie~~~~