I am so sorry there was no beta and I kept fumbling with this fic. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this! I've been wanting to have more cute father-son chats with Regis and Noctis and I meant to have this done by Valentine's day but... As you can see this is incredibly late. Whoops! I would say I'm sorry about the humorous ending but... I'm really not. I couldn't help it.
Noctis kept telling himself there had been a reason why he had pretty much stalked his advisor down through the downtown area of Insomnia. It was simple, absolutely simple, but that did not keep him from dressing in casual clothes he had borrowed from Prompto of all people. The clothes didn't fit well on him, the other just slightly taller and thinner than he was. Also don't get him started on how nerdy and bright they were. The dark grey jacket was all that was covering the tacky look enough that he looked pretty much normal…
For a commoner.
Damnit, the prince really should have thought about that before following him to the downtown area. This portion was chock full of wealthy upper class folk, someone like Prompto would never be caught dead in a place like this. For good reason, although the citizens got along well together, the gap between wealthy and middle or poor class still were viewed with suspicion depending on if they wandered into very high class places.
Something about them being thugs and stealing things, which didn't make sense considering the security everywhere.
Right now he was a prime example. Stiffly dressed men and women walked by him, giving him a rather wide berth, making it quite difficult to hide in plain sight. Once or twice he pulled the ill-fitting beanie further down on his head in case Ignis happened to look around. Luckily that wasn't the case. His hair had been difficult to mess with so everyone wouldn't immediately recognize him. Prompto had helped gel back the unruly strands, bangs swept over so one eye was covered.
Noctis hated it. It took everything he had to not mess it back up to its natural state but he couldn't chance getting discovered. Wandering outside the citadel without Ignis or even Gladiolus was asking for trouble. Honestly he feared the press more than anything due to how determined they were to get any kind of picture or video of him, something that the two were perfect in avoiding.
By the six, he remembered when they nearly got a picture of him eating a hotdog with ketchup dribbling down his chin and Gladiolus had gotten in the way of their cameras so quickly he was surprised the press didn't scream their lungs out. Definitely a protective bodyguard, something he was grateful for.
A sharp voice told him to watch where he was going and Noctis jolted out of memory lane, stammering an apology with wide eyes. A tall gentleman was staring down at him. Noctis felt a shudder run down his spine, swearing to the six he had seen him somewhere, maybe at the citadel? He scampered off before he could properly recognize him, trying to locate his wayward advisor again. Lucky that man brought him out of his daydreams, otherwise he would have lost track of Ignis, and of course, the shop he had been heading to.
Amberlane's Foreign Antiquities. That sure was a mouthful, trying to pronounce each word properly before he realized he was copying Ignis. He fought down the heat that rushed to his cheeks, pausing near the entrance to make sure Ignis wasn't staring in his direction before he ducked inside.
Almost immediately an employee, who had obviously been watching him like a hawk, stopped him at the doorway just as he stepped in. Resisting the urge to grumble at the sudden human blockade, he looked up at him.
"Excuse me sir, if you can't afford anything, please lea-" The younger man's eyes widened almost comically as they snapped over to the small black and silver card in Noctis' upraised hand, sapphire hues staring at him calmly.
"O-Oh your high-" Again he was cut off by a quick gesture from the prince, who looked around for Ignis nervously. Upon seeing the advisor in the far back talking to the owner, he motioned vaguely to a door on the side.
"Is there anywhere we can talk, privately? I'd like to pull aside the owner for a chat." Noctis watched with little interest as the employee faltered before he stuttered a yes, quickly bowing and showing him to the owner's office on the opposite side of the store. With all of the foreign objects, that seemed to range from minuscule antique Tenebraen flower-shaped pocket watches to large Altissian 'water-mirrors', there had been no way Ignis would have been able to see him. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he was quickly ushered into the office.
With a quick exchange of words with the employee, he was told, asked really, if he would sit down and wait as he retrieved the owner. Noctis only smirked at the hastily retreating boy as he almost raced out of the room and shut the door. Poor lad seemed nervous, though being the Crown Prince of Lucis did have that effect on people.
And now said prince was bored. Already. Casting his eyes everywhere, he examined the state of the office. Pristine and clean, as expected of a high class shop. However there was a slightly messy stack in the middle of the desk. Instantly Noctis was drawn to it.
Okay yes, Noctis could be extremely nosy if he wanted to. Prime example was how he found out about his best friend saving for that top-end camera he had been drooling over for the past year. All it took was trying to look through his notebook for the notes he had on the previous week's classes – due to being out due a cold he had caught from one of the Crownsguards during a melee training session – and he came across a tiny tattered and crossed out sheet pertaining to a camera and how much to save.
Nevertheless that year's birthday of his best friend, he ended up giving him some cash saying to use it for whatever he wanted and opted to treat him for some very fancy desserts at a high end bakery. Acting surprised when the blonde finally managed to buy it was easy, but he never forgot that excited look on his face. He could have easily bought the camera for him but when Prompto mentioned before that saving up for something make it worth the hardship, it struck a chord with him. That sentence reminded him that while he had almost unlimited cash, barring the allowance he was given of course, others were not as lucky. It was pretty much eye opening and reminded him about the gap between him and others, even the wealthiest of citizens.
Eyes locking onto a potential piece of paper, there was a sketch of the item in question, an old looking vinyl record with the words 'Accordio's Tunes of the Old' in big letters above it. He had to squint to read the upside down handwriting but the excessive cursive handwriting made it difficult. Something about it being rare with many bidders on it and today's date. Noctis frowned. Vinyl… He had plenty of Ignis' old ones and his fancy vinyl record player in his apartment. His advisor was well known of being fond of them, especially those that come from his home country. He had several Altissian ones and a few Tenebraen ones.
A lightbulb went off on his head. Was Ignis trying to win this? A quick prod at the pile revealed the rest of the sheet. Scientia, Amenca, Tresholm, Liaco. He recognized Ignis' last name but the other three, especially the circled third name, were highly ranked nobles. Tresholm…. Ah, a face popped into his mind and he snorted, pushing the papers back into place. The annoying noble who constantly threw parties with his wealth and believed that his father favored him highly. As if, Noctis knew the man's personality was cocky and arrogant, thinking himself to be high above everyone else and numerous times he caught his father with an exasperated look on his face, when no one was looking of course.
With his beady brown eyes and white hair – obviously a well done wig – and then add an annoyingly long mustache with a short body and there he was. Noctis immediately shuddered when he thought of his daughter. Prissy, high-pitched voice, and all too pretty…. All in all very annoying and so not his type. Okay maybe there was someone his type and it was his birthday and this was exactly why he had followed him in the first place and –
The door behind him opened and he glanced over to see the owner walk in. He frantically threw his wayward thoughts away and tossed them back into the corner of his mind where they belong – honestly thinking of his hard crush on the man supposed to be his chamberlain was never a good thing to let run loose – and sat up straighter, looking every bit the prince he was supposed to, barring the outfit.
"Your highness, I apologize for the treatment you had with my newest employee, if he had any sense to recognize you…" The prince held up a hand, waving it as if to brush the apology away.
"The entire reason why I am dressed like this is to avoid being recognized. I'm not interested in having the paparazzi hounding me every step I take. Plus…. I had a few questions for you…" His blue eyes detected an immediate response in the owner. The older man sat up straighter, squaring his shoulders and looking all too stiff in that chair of his. Noctis almost sighed. He nodded back to the closed door.
"That man you were talking to… He's been coming here recently has he not?" One nod. Before the man could answer, he asked another question.
"What was he after?" As expected, after a little bewilderment on why the prince of all people wanted to know, the owner pulled out the very paper he had been eyeing before, turning it and pointing to the words he had already read. In an effort to look interested, he sat forward, pretending to read what was on the paper. That was when he saw the number of the final bid. Shit, well he hadn't seen that part.
"That much? That was a rather high increase in a bid. I understand, of course, that it is a rare piece for collectors but it seems to be something else driving that bid." The owner sweated in front of him, fingers crinkling the paper as he glanced at the closed door.
"Very well, your highness. You see, Tresholm is an avid collector of vinyl record. He bought the last set of antique Galahd records before I was able to have one day of bidding. Rare collector pieces like them from the old days that are in perfect working order go for a lot of money. He also doesn't like to lose on a bid." The owner paused, seeing Noctis' eyes on him and continued. "I'm…. surprised your highness has interest in such things?" It was a hesitant comment but the prince smirked and waved it off.
"Someone close to me has a record player and is quite fond of them. How much would it take to buy that off you?" It took everything he had to not burst out laughing at the sudden sputtering of the old man. Honestly Noctis wasn't at all worried about how much it would end up costing him if he could make his advisor smile that relaxed and unguarded smile he had seen as a child before the burdens of becoming his personal chamberlain pulled him away….
"Y-your highness, the bidding has already stopped ten minutes ago, the gentlemen I was talking to had asked of the results. I'm…"
"I'll double the last bid." There was a choking silence that stretched throughout the room. The prince found himself antsy to hear the answer. He sort of had a time limit to this. He had to get the item, have it wrapped, and then head back to his apartment before Ignis got there to make supper. Honestly, for a guy's birthday, he never did anything for himself. He made an inquiring noise, trying to get him to agree so he could get on with everything already. He had patience, but that was mainly used for fishing.
"D-double?" It was almost alarming how the owner looked as if he was about to have a heart attack. Noctis produced the card he showed in the entrance and slid it across the table. He did have, as his father said, a cash reserve set aside if he ever needed to use in in emergencies. It was separate from his normal allotted allowance since he was living outside of the Citadel. Sure his father would be alerted to the large amount of money he was spending it on but he'd deal with that later. It wasn't like he really bought a lot for himself anyways other than video games and junk food.
"Right away. I'll have the young man from before wrap it up." Obviously the man would have to give a call to tell the highest bidder, Tresholm, that he had been outbidded. Noctis quickly asked for it to be gift wrapped and soon, with a thanks from the owner as he returned the card, was on his way, looking especially out of place with a very elegant box with ribbon wrapped around it.
There had been no sign of Ignis when he exited the shop, something he was relieved to see and as soon as he had opened his apartment door, his phone rung shrilly. Noctis counted to three before he shifted the box to one hand, kicking his shoes off as he flipped the phone out.
"Hi dad…" he mumbled. There was silence on the other end of the call and the prince shifted his gaze to the ground, navigating his way to the living room, placing the gift gently on the table. Normally when there was silence on the phone it meant there was going to be a long talk. So instead of waiting around for his father to gather his words and begin with 'Son…', he beat through the bush instead of around it.
"If this is about the large sum money I just used, it was a birthday present. Are we good?" His tone was more than a little annoyed, but he dropped himself onto the couch, shoulders hunched in preparation of his father's gentle chiding. For such an imposing, yet benevolent, man to the people, he tended to baby Noctis since he was his only heir. As if Ignis didn't agree to everything the prince said without question, well, almost.
"You've never used that card until now. It was a surprise on this end, Noctis. Pricy though…" Regis' voice held some humor in it. "However, I'm interested on how you managed to trudge downtown, especially the wealthy district, and bought something without the press descending upon you like daemons in the dark with a weary traveler." Okay, that idiom was a troubling thought that was best left ignoring.
"Dad, I have some of your 'going incognito' gift, plus Prompto helped make sure I look, well, normal." There was a pregnant pause where the prince heard signs of a smothered chuckle. He couldn't be laughing…. Could he? The prince rose an eyebrow in suspicion.
"Did it by any chance contain the color black?" Noctis picked at the hem of the jacket, loosening the thread that was already coming out.
"Dark grey…" Bingo, he could feel the smile from here. Normally those even in the wealthy families avoided the color black due to the strong ties the hue has with the royal family. Even by wearing a grey colors could send signals that one was well connected with the citadel. At once he almost facepalmed. How could he have forgotten? In all honesty, Noctis was expecting more chiding after that, preparing himself for a long winded conversation that would no doubt cause him to scramble afterwards to make this place presentable to Ignis in the process.
"So whoever this gift was for, it must be someone you care about?"
Silence.
What? Noctis stared down at the coffee table, eyes wide. He had been expecting his father to be unhappy at how he went alone without any protection but instead he got this? A heated blush darkened his cheeks and he pulled at his shirt collar uncomfortably, glad this was just a phone call and not his father waltzing into his apartment unannounced. Honestly that happened a few times and not even the security team, or even Ignis for that matter, knew about the visits.
Hell, that was how amazing his incognito gift was. Though how in Eos he managed to disguise his limp was beyond him.
Still, that sentence left him trying to grasp for even a simple answer.
"Noctis, no one spends over 3 million Insomnian Dollars at once for a simple birthday gift." Stuck between a high price and an inquiring father. By the six he didn't want to really answer him.
"It was a bid and I just doubled the winning bid to grab it." Noctis stuttered quickly, glancing away. Okay yeah he was slightly ashamed that he, for once in his life, outside the Citadel of course, used his royal title to get what he wanted. The prince was known for hating being addressed by his title and all the formalities and such, which was why he was happy to be able to go to public school for so long. The novelty didn't last wrong, being swarmed around by students who wanted to boast they knew the prince… All of those years putting a façade on that he was aloof and distant until high school when he 're-met' Prompto. A small smile lit up his lips. Oh those memories became brighter ever since then.
There was a small 'hmmm' from his father and more silence, Noctis ducked his head, kicking at the edge of the plush rug on the ground before he heard his old man chuckling.
"If you were that desperate to get this gift, then it must be worth it. I remember those rare Dragon's Heart Lilies I got for your mother…. Cost me a fortune to get them imported from that old women who owned the seeds." His father trailed off and Noctis felt a soft smile bloom on his lips. The descendants of those flowers still bloomed in his mother's private garden hidden behind the Citadel. Black with veins of purple spreading out from their core, it remained his favorite flower, as well as his father's.
"I wonder..." Noctis froze, suspiciously looking at the phone before he put it back to his ear, nervousness pooling in his gut. "Does it have to do with someone's birthday being on this very da-"
"Bye dad!" Noctis swiftly hit the end call button, trying to ignore how his voice had raised an octave. Honestly he was the only one who would ever have the guts to hang up on the King of Lucis. Okay not the only one, he knew from some Crownsguards when they had gotten drunk once retelling tales of both Clarus and Cor having to hang up on Regis back in his younger days. He was pretty sure his father was laughing wherever he was right at this moment too.
Wait, what time was it? Noctis' eyes flew wide open and he dropped his phone on the couch, eyes darting to the clock in the kitchen instead of simply doing the smart thing and looking at his phone. Thirty minutes before Ignis should be getting there. Shit! Nearly leaping off the couch, he began to pull off Prompto's clothes, one hand going to try and sweep his hair back into its normal messy style while trying to get rid of the telltale signs of the gel. No time for a shower, although he swore he didn't smell, after all Prompto did throw his laundry in with his when he came over. Not that Ignis ever said anything about it.
Still, the gel was getting rather stubborn. Throwing the clothes into his closet where Ignis wouldn't look – under the bed was too obvious since Ignis loved to check there for forgotten homework assignments – Noctis grabbing a loose shirt and slacks and threw them on. A quick douse of his hair under the sink helped loosen the gel enough for him to scrub it out within a few minutes. Drying his hair was an easy task, letting it hang unstyled and in his vison like he just got out of a shower.
A quick rundown on anything he forgot raced through his mind. Cake, check, gift, check, card, check… Confession on his birthday?... Yeah, not a chance. He deflated slightly, a frown marring his face as he sank down onto the couch. A tiny nap wouldn't hurt, it would help pass time and make it look as if he had been waiting a while and actually fell asleep.
Noctis hadn't actually counted on falling asleep for real. The next thing he knew was there were three knocks at the door, a precursor to his chamberlain letting himself. He shifted from where he was groggily, trying to place the sound and nearly sitting up to peer over at the door. The moment he realized it was opening the prince pretty much threw himself back down on the couch despite the sleep that tried to lull him back into her sweet embrace. Getting into a semi-comfortable position to be found in was a feat within itself with only two seconds to go. He pulled his arm up to half hide his eyes as well as to make the pillow he was lying on more comfortable.
"Noctis?" Ignis made his way over to the dimly lit living space, dropping his suitcase on the nearby table before kneeling next to the couch. The prince made extra sure that he remained in his position, peering up through his bangs just enough that he could make out Ignis' worried face. Ah good, then he didn't suspect a thing. He then froze, almost holding his breath as his advisor went to lightly brush his bangs aside. Snapping his eyes shut, he forced his body to settle into a familiar breathing pattern, waiting until he felt those fingers retract. Even so Noctis waited a few more seconds.
The crinkling of the tissue paper brought Noctis fully alert, eyelids parting to spy Ignis picking up the box and slipping the bow off, the card opened next to him. It was almost hilarious when his advisor placed the scraps on the table instead of letting them litter the carpet, but he bit his lip to remain quiet. Spoiling this moment would have been terrible. The look of concentration was endearing as he did everything quietly enough that he wouldn't disturb the sleeping prince.
The sleeping prince who actually wasn't sleeping.
Still, it was the thought that counted. Noctis wasn't expecting a gasp of surprise or anything, honestly, he wasn't sure what to expect his reaction to be. The exhale of air when the prize within the box was revealed set his heart quivering, straining to properly place the expression he was witnessing. Shock was one thing but the way his chamberlain traced the small ridges of the vinyl with such tenderness, the slight tremble of those long fingers... There was a faraway look in his eyes, a somber longing emotion that sent a jolt right to his heart. As long as he had known Ignis, never had he seen such an expression.
Noctis' chest fluttered as he watched this unfold before his very eyes. Ignis let out a soft sigh, his eyes closing for a few long seconds before he stood up.
"How on earth did you get this?" he whispered, glancing down at the not-sleeping prince before he made his way to the lone record player that the prince kept in his apartment. Said royalty barely breathed, eyes now wide. He couldn't answer of course, that would ruin the surprise and it wasn't like he could say 'Yeah Ignis I secretly followed you down to where you were shopping like a creeper and then doubled the winning bid for it'. Yet he was positively entranced, this vulnerable side of Ignis he had never seen before fascinated him and caused him to wonder if the vinyl meant more to him that just a mere collectible. Like a lost manuscript that the scholars come across often, there were more than a few chapters in Ignis' life he was missing, wanting to find such pages and bring them to light. However, the thought of prying so deep, it frightened him that it could tear them apart.
Some pasts were bright and full of color, yet others were not as picture perfect as his younger years, before the attack, had been. Grey and other muted hues, pained emotions and memories rather left to rot in the back of one's mind. Still, he yearned to learn more, but time would tell, he wasn't eager to cause a rift to grow between them. He almost did when Ignis was deciding which universe to go to, especially when he choose the Accordion one and he wasn't too keen to make that mistake again.
Soft music, a mix between a soft waltz and a gentle hum similar to that of a mother's lullaby, filled the room. It was comforting and for a split second Noctis could feel himself wanting to fall back asleep. And then Ignis began to hum, his body swaying to the rhythmic beat of the song. This time he actually did, lulled into a nice doze with that soothing voice haunting his mind. The last thing he heard was the hum turning into words.
"Noctis, wake up. At this rate you'll fall off the couch." Noctis jerked away, jerking back from a voice that seemed far too close. For a moment he huddled against the back of the couch, head turning this way and that to figure out what was going on before he met the eyes of his chamberlain. Everything began to fall into place, seeing Ignis get his present and begin to sway to the sound, him drifting off to sleep … Oh and him singing! He almost blushed at that. The only time he had ever heard the normally composed and business-oriented advisor sing was back when he used to have nightmares, holding him in bed and singing a lullaby he didn't recognize. That was many years ago too…
"Huh?" Great Noct, way to play completely dumb. He blinked several times before realizing the record was still playing, but it was a new song from when he had actually fallen asleep. Suspiciously he glanced towards the record player before sending a pouting face to Ignis.
"You opened it without waking me up?" The way those eyes crinkled upwards even as Ignis tried to not sigh down at him, it made his knees weak; thank the six he wasn't standing.
"I've learned when to not wake you up, Noct. You were incredibly stiff and I feared any interaction could potentially turn your dream into a nightmare." Oh…. Oh! Well, it seemed he had unintentionally passed the Noctis-sleeping radar undetected. Damn, and he couldn't even gloat about it either, not without ruining that new cherished memory. Though it was incredibly sweet that the older man continued to pick up even the smallest of things. He'd never forget getting his favorite meal cooked by him after a bad day when he thought he had hidden the negative emotions.
"Oh, good call… Sorry it was a long day." It wasn't a complete lie. With having to get dressed in a 'normal' outfit, trying to trail Ignis without being seen or getting too many odd looks, and hurrying back before the other could get here, it did take a lot out of him. Making a show of stretching like a cat who took their ninth nap of the day, he nearly missed a soft expression in those eyes the other tried to cover up by glancing at the record player as a new song began, this one rather haunting.
"How did you know?" A gesture to the record left a smug smirk on Noctis' face as he leaned back onto the couch, closing his eyes.
"I have my ways… That and you did mention you wanted another record. Thank goodness this wasn't another waltzy one, I don't think your feet have recovered from our last session." The teasing joke slid out way too easily, referring to their bouts of dance lessons in which the prince had a gift of having two particularly difficult left feet, unlike his father. That earned a rather sharp cough from Ignis, habitually pushing up the frame of his glasses by the nosepiece before he turned away slightly.
"Be that as it may, you were getting better… If you stopped being so busy at looking down at your feet and simply let me lead you. I will not let his highness make a fool out of himself by stepping on another one's feet at a conference ball." While it was meant to originally be a lecture, the humored tone and soft gaze proved it to be nothing more than a teasing remark. Ifrit knows he wasn't out of the ballpark yet, he had plenty of dance lessons to go, and the waltz was only the first dance he was learning. Noctis made an amused noise in return, standing up to stretch once more before his advisor spoke again.
"No cake?" It was a gentle tease, and even without looking Noctis knew there was that gentle look in his advisor's eyes. The prince's lips twisted up into a smirk.
"Unless you want food poisoning or my kitchen up in flames, you'll have to settle for the cake I begged from the head chef." Okay it was an overstatement; thanks to Ignis' help and a long tortuous process, he could cook simple meals, preferably ones that didn't result in him using the stove or oven. Microwave was safe. But normally he required supervision if he wanted to make something more elaborate. Even baking cookies had to be done with someone. The prince just didn't have a cooking thumb in him.
"I'd prefer not having to explain to the King why his son is covered in soot or why the glaives descended upon your room with Blizzaga ready." Noctis snorted at that, going to retrieve a plate of cake for each other from the fridge. He thanked the six that the head chef had sliced the cake earlier, fumbling around to get two forks before he handed Ignis his once the other followed him to the kitchen. His advisor would have taken the knife out of his hands and insist to cut the cake properly if not.
"Looks delicious." Of course Noctis knew better, trying, and failing, to hide a smirk. Anything Ignis cooked was ten times better than the head chefs at the citadel. They would have not been able to admit it either, but he knew they thought so too. The perks of being able to warp anywhere he wanted to without being seen from inside, meant being able to sit above the long window near the kitchen as they slaved over their hot stoves and ovens.
"Of course it is, it's your favorite. What kind of friend would I be if I forgot that?" Inwardly Noctis winced, looking down at his slice and shoving a piece into his mouth so as to not look at Ignis. Friend…. Yeah right…. Due to avoiding Ignis' gaze, he failed to see how the other paused in chewing, looking down at Noctis with a hesitant expression before it smoothed over.
To prevent himself from becoming an overthinking mess of emotions, he hummed as he devoured half of his slice, licking his lips as he lifted his head to check Ignis' reaction to the food. What he saw nearly caused him to drop his plate in shock and awe. His advisor had his eyes close, savoring the piece that just went into his mouth. The creases between his eyebrows due to looking stern all the time were smoothed out; for once Ignis look truly at ease.
Then there it was, Ignis' tongue darted out to discreetly lick away some frosting that had stuck to his lips. Noctis couldn't prepare himself to stop in time. One second he was looking at those frosting covered lips and the next thing he knew, before Ignis could lick them off even more, he leaned in. He wasn't aware of how his cake piece toppled over onto the counter when he shoved the plate onto it nor how Ignis' eyes shot open as his own fluttered close. All he could focus on, in his rather clumsy kiss, was the feel of those frosted lips, how after all of these years, he could taste them. Wait.
Wait…
Oh by the six FUCK.
Noctis' eyes snapped opened and he drew back, staring at his advisor and breaking the record on how wide one's eyes could go as he realized that this wasn't a dream. This was reality, he just had kissed his crush and oh fuck he was in trouble. Not only trouble, but hell there was no way anyone would have been interested in him other than his position and god damnit this was his advisor and what would his father think and oh god he had to get out of there before he made a fool of himself.
Mind reeling and unwilling to stare at the still-as-Shiva's-blizzard-frozen-enemies Ignis, he quickly stuttered a sorry, turned tail, and pretty much tried to run out of his apartment, wanting to distance himself from this incident. Well the prince would have, if not for a firm grip on his wrist. He was jerked to a stop before he even made it out of the kitchen. Skin trembling under those fingers, he stubbornly looked down at the ground, not daring to struggle like he normally would have.
Silence filled the room, Noctis finding himself drowning in it. The air was too thick to swallow, his mind faint with the fear that this could had shattered the precious relationship between them, that his rash action could have cost him the friendship of the man he had known the longest, the one whose presence meant everything to him.
"Noct…" A brief flash of conflicted emotions flickered through Ignis' eyes. Many would have thought it was a trick of the light but Noctis knew better. It was similar to Ignis schooling his emotions so he could properly face an unfamiliar situation. Except this was still different. That conflicted look bordered on worry and even the flash of uncertainty threw him for a loop. Noctis bit bottom lip hard as the two stood there. He was in uncharted territory, had crossed the threshold of a line he skirted around, not daring to step even his little toe over in hesitance. And now he didn't know what to do.
The fact that this could be the same for Ignis did cross his mind, it did, yet Noctis felt as if he was the only one adrift at sea. He was incredibly inexperienced, after all, how could a Crown Prince have a relationship or even try to experiment when the media hounded him everywhere he went in public? But Ignis… It was not unheard of for the Crownsguard or Kingsglaive to fraternize with each other off duty. He tried many a time to not think of that. There had always been the possibility that Ignis would have been straight or that he was already involved with another but then came the realization that Ignis barely ever had free time due to throwing most of it towards doing extra duties to support Noct. Honestly he wasn't sure if he was happy or guilty of that.
Okay guilty… Definitely guilty.
But also happy because it meant there was no one else. But still very guilty.
The longer this silence went on, the more Noctis berated himself, wishing he had just turned away instead of kissing him like that. Eyes shut tightly, fisting his hand before they relaxed, hunching his shoulders in the well-practiced Noctis-way of putting his walls up. It was something that was easily picked up by the ever-observant advisor. Noctis should have hated how Ignis knew him like the back of his hand, but he never could bring himself to. The grip on his wrist loosened, fingers trailing up to gently grasp at his shoulder, turning him so he was fully facing him.
Their eyes met and Noctis swore by the six that time stopped. All he could think about was staring into those intelligent eyes. Hope bloomed within his chest like a tiny little flower after a vicious drought. His worse fear, Ignis rejecting him instantly, didn't seem as if it would come to light. Instead here they were, halfway to the door, Ignis quieter than normal and just staring at him. And that soft look, the way his other hand touched his hip to guide him closer. There was no permission asked, at least not by speaking. But it was there in his eyes. Noctis' response was only to let his eyes dart down to those still frosting covered lips and back up. He let Ignis guide him into a proper kiss.
Gods he tasted even better the second time around, one hand rising to clench at his shoulder as if it was a lifeline.
While a voice inside was yammering away on how south this whole thing could go if any of this made it past these walls, Noctis shoved it into the darkest recesses of his minds for now and closed the door. For just these few moments, he wanted to live in the now and cherish this kiss, the way Ignis' hand rested ever so lightly on his hips. But Ignis had to break that tiny moment in paradise.
"Oh, and Noct… Next time you try and pretend to be asleep, make sure your eyes are fully covered by your hair." Noctis's eyes snapped open, staring up at his advisor incredulously as realization dawned on him. Ignis knew he hadn't been sleeping the entire time…
"Oh fuck me…" There was a twitch of those luscious lips and a hint of something else that glittered from behind those beautiful verdant eyes. He tried to look away but long leather-encased fingers brought his chin back to face him.
"Language, Noct… A few dates are in order first. You may be the prince but I don't fuck on the first date." His advisor chided gently, earning an embarrassed groan, which was promptly swallowed by a light kiss that he melted into. Behind them, the sad piece of cake still lay forgotten on the tiled floor.