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Relax and Reflect
...with Pocky

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Another day in Eos nearly reached its end. The sun's blazing glow slowly trailed its way down the sky, leaving hues of orange and darkening blue. Before the stars glittered against the black and the moon floated upward, Ignis and the boys discovered an empty haven to set up camp.

They adventured together long enough for the setup to be routine for them. The tents were built, and the chairs were unfolded and lined in a row, surrounding the freshly lit campfire that burned brightly in the center.

Ignis stood with his back to the fire, fingers placed on his chin, contemplating what to cook tonight. Their overabundance of Leiden potatoes had him cooking Dish and Chips for nights on end, but after taking down a herd of Garulas earlier that day, he wanted tonight's meal to be special.

His thought process was interrupted when he heard a shuffle and an unwrapping noise behind him from the opposite end of the fire. He narrowed his emerald green eyes and then closed them, scrunching his face in disapproval.

"Noct," he called as he opened his eyes and turned to face the one he called. Noctis looked back at Ignis, his blue eyes staring back attentively, but his hand holding onto a freshly opened Pocky box. "What did I tell you about eating snacks before dinner?"

Noctis remained unfazed as he sat on the fold out camp chair, tucking his phone away to free his hand so that he could reach into the box of the chocolate biscuit sticks. Ignis walked over and snatched the box before he did so.

"Come on, lighten up, Ignis," Noctis said irritably, although Ignis already walked away.

"I catch you eating these, and I'll be sure to add copious amounts of carrots to your serving."

Noctis let out a loud groan, and Ignis went back to the camp stove, returning to his thinking stance, wondering what recipeh he could use with the Garula meat that Gladio helped him butcher earlier in the day. He knew that the stock of potatoes would never disappear, and they hadn't used the Lucian tomatoes they found a few days before-

Suddenly, Ignis had an idea. With a snap of his fingers, he realized exactly what to cook. "THAT'S I-"

"Ooh, whatcha got there, Noct?" he heard Prompto say, interrupting his 'eureka' moment. Prompto then let out a gasp. "Pocky? I want some!"

Ignis turned to Prompto and Noctis, who had pulled out another box from under Ignis' nose. Prompto gaped with excitement as Noctis tore the top open. It was barely audible to anyone else, but Ignis was growling.

Luckily, from the corner of his eye, Ignis watched Gladio appear into view. He had returned from collecting logs for campfire and carried it all over one shoulder. He met eyes with Ignis, then looked over to Noctis and Prompto, immediately recognizing the situation. He then flashed a smile and a wink at Ignis before approaching the mischievous pair.

"Gimme, gimme-! Aww, Gladio…"

With his free hand, Gladio swiped the Pocky easily from Noctis's grasp, making both Noctis and Prompto glower at him.

"Now, now, kiddos. Didn't Mama Iggy tell you anything about ruining your appetite before a meal?"

Noctis turned around in his chair to watch Gladio walk around holding the box of Pocky high above his head as Prompto failed to reach it, no matter how high he tried to jump. Trust Gladio to help tame the misbehaving children in his time of need. Ignis chortled at this, but masked it as a cough with his fist covering his mouth.

Feeling a little more at ease, Ignis brought out a large pot and turned on the stove, laying out all the ingredients on the side. When the pot was hot enough, he put in the chopped up Garula meat in along with some herbs and spices. It was then when he felt a light whoosh to feel Gladio appear at his side, close to him as he set the Pocky box on one end of the countertop, where Ignis had placed the first one. Ignis turned his head to see Gladio's amber eyes staring into his with his own impish smile.

"We'll save these for later," Gladio said in his low, husky voice. Ignis hadn't a clue what he meant, but as he walked away, Ignis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, wondering if Gladio noticed the tinge of pink forming on his cheeks.

The recipeh Ignis continued to follow didn't take too long to prepare. He kept his focus as the meat sizzled and browned into the pot, then added the potatoes and tomatoes in, followed by throwing in fresh water from the nearby lake. He normally kept his focus on cooking, never turning to check on the others, but from time to time, he heard them with their various reactions, including Prompto shouting with glee as he won a round of King's Night against Noctis and Gladio, and then Noctis griping again with Gladio shouting, "No chips!"

Finally, after simmering the pot, the stew was complete, and Ignis laid out four bowls to serve.

"Dry-Aged Tender Roast Stew," announced Ignis as he served the other three, as they sat in a row.

"Praise Insomnia, there are no carrots," Noctis added, to his utter relief when he peered at the contents.

As soon as Ignis sat in his chair, they all looked at each other, raising their bowls a little higher.

"Itadakimasu!" they all chorused.

"This is soooo good!" Prompto exclaimed between bites, as Noctis and Gladio eagerly consumed their servings. The flavor of the tender meat combined with the softness of the potatoes, the juiciness of the tomato, along with the warmth of the broth in the coolness of the evening-everyone else agreed, and Ignis couldn't deny it, his cooking was absolutely scrumptious tonight. The bowls emptied quickly, but Gladio got up and collected them for another serving for all, although, he passed Ignis with a massage on his shoulder along the way.

After a third serving, the pot was completely depleted, and all four bros lay back, sprawled against their chairs.

"Thank you for the food," Gladio sighed. Noctis let out another groan, this time because he was too full to move.

"Noct," Ignis called from his leaned back position. "You have dish duty tonight."

"I thought it was Prompto's turn," Noctis replied lazily.

"Nope!" said Prompto. "I did them yesterday. Don't try to trick us into getting out of it again."

"Fiiine. Help me carry them, then."

"Okie doke."

Prompto rose from his chair, followed by Noctis, and they both gathered the bowls and utensils before disappearing from Ignis's sight.

Ignis sat up, watching the fire crackle and glow in front of him. He started thinking about what to cook for the next evening, when he noticed Gladio had disappeared from his chair, but reappeared with a small box in his hands.

"Let's get to these before the kids, shall we?" he said.

When Ignis stood up, he stared at the Pocky box now in Gladio's hands, but started thinking deeply the more he looked at it.

"What's the matter, Iggy?" Gladio asked.

"I don't quite understand the allure," Ignis replied, his eyebrows furrowing, and his fingers on his chin again. "It's a long, thin biscuit dipped in chocolate, but I imagine having only one or two at a time would still leave much to be desired."

Gladio chuckled.

"I can fix that for you," Gladio said, leaving Ignis with a second comment that made no sense, though his cheeks feeling warm again. "Try it this way," Gladio added, moving closer to Ignis, and placing the chocolate end of the stick into his mouth.

"I'm not comprehe-"

Ignis noticed Gladio drawing ever nearer, holding up the biscuit end of the stick with his teeth. He was uncertain, at first, on how to proceed, but as he took a bite and saw Gladio biting the other end, he assumed he was slowly catching on. Ignis inched his way along the biscuit, tasting the light, sweet, and crunchy flavor, but his face feeling even warmer, watching the gap between their lips closing in, Gladio's amber eyes brightened by the light of the campfire. Before they met in the middle, Gladio moved forward, snapping the biscuit between them as his lips finally collided with Ignis.

Ignis wrapped his arms over Gladio's broad shoulders, savoring the chocolatey taste against his soft, luscious lips as they moved them together in easy rhythm. As Ignis felt Gladio place his hands on either side of his waist, he moved his body closer to his, holding him tighter, enjoying the taste of Gladio's tongue, long after the sweetness of the biscuit went away.

"Mmm," went Gladio.

Mmm, indeed, thought Ignis, helplessly.

"Mmm?"

Ignis kept his eyes closed, his lips remained playing with Gladio's, but he recognized the third voice as Prompto's, who must have returned from helping Noctis with the dishes. He pictured Prompto at their side, his attention not drawn to the making out before him, but to the box still in Gladio's hand. Ignis knew his accuracy as soon as Prompto let out a loud gasp.

"Noct!" he shouted. "Pocky time!"

Ignis opened his eyes and broke off the kiss, seeing Prompto and Noctis now before them. He eyed Noctis reaching for the box, but heard him whine in disappointment as Gladio slipped the box out of their view. Ignis followed with holding out a carrot, and jamming it into Noctis's mouth.

"I guess no Pocky tonight, then," Prompto said somberly, as he walked away with Noctis, who was gagging and coughing as he followed.

"I think they've earned their right to have these back," Ignis told Gladio, both of them still holding each other.

"How about one more, though?" Gladio asked. "Don't want me leaving you with 'much to be desired.'"

"With you? I find that impossible."

Gladio gave him a smirk, and with one more Pocky stick, Ignis shared another kiss with him, and another, each one more enticing than the last. Ignis might have heard Noctis pass by, stealing back the box of Pocky sticks, but Ignis didn't care. He still didn't understand its allure, but, he would rather bask in the allure of the man in front of him, after all.

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Author Note: This fic was meant for Pocky Day (...two weeks ago).
Heavily inspired by the highly addictive snack called Pocky, the track "Relax and Reflect", and artwork by kumivenarts (on twitter).

Thanks for reading!