Chapter 10

When Gladio saw the beaten look on Ignis' face as he walked up slowly to the little cottage they were staying at, he couldn't help but smirk a little. The royal advisor was his friend, and part of him felt sorry for him, but at the same time, he had warned him Lyne would chose the one she thought best for her.

Sure enough, the king's shield had been a little worried after letting Ignis go look for the young woman. He had seen how they looked at each other, and he feared a little to see them arrive in Caem hand in hand. So when he saw Lyne open the door of the cottage that morning, it was all he could do not to let out a roar of triumph. She hadn't been very explicit on whether she had been with Ignis or not, but she sounded a little sullen when talking about him, so something told Gladio that they had indeed seen each other, and that things didn't go the way the bespectacled man had planned.

And the circles around Ignis' eyes as he came to stand before his friends gave him all the confirmation he needed.

" Hey Iggy, good to see you mate!" piped up Prompto.

" Good day." he replied simply, his eyes looking everywhere for a familiar figure. When he saw her nowhere, he couldn't stand it any more.

" Has Lyne rejoined you yet?" he blurted out, trying to keep the worry off his voice.

" Yeah, she came here this morning. She mustn't be far." Noctis provided.

Visible relief surged through Ignis. Ruthless, Gladio couldn't help himself from teasing his friend and rival.

" Didn't you two travel together then?"

He was very curious as to which version Ignis would give him.

" Lyne and I... got separated along the way, and I wasn't able to find her after that. I am glad to know she made it back safely." Even though discomfort was unmistakeable in Ignis' answer, he had still managed to provide quite a convincing lie.

Gladio decided to seize his chance then. Ignis had disappeared in the bathroom to take a shower, and Prompto and Noctis had decided to go to the sea shore to take some pictures and maybe fish a little.

He found Lyne sitting on a wooden fence overlooking the sea. A tree shaded her from the sun, and she was looking at the horizon, deep in thought. When she noticed him, she put a small smile on her face.

" Hey, Big Guy, what's up?"

" Do you have a moment to talk?" He suddenly felt very shy, and he wasn't used to that.

" Sure."

He stepped over the fence to come and sit next to her, thinking how to put things. Lyne was looking at him, expectant.

" We've known each other for some time now." Oh great Gladio, wonderful start! The young woman seemed to agree with his thoughts, as she replied, unsure:

" Yeah?"

" Well, we get along great, don't you think?" Gladio wanted to bury his head in the sand of the beach spreading before his eyes.

Her gaze changed then. She knew where this was going. Her eyes widened, and she raised her eyebrows, looking taken aback.

" Oh, Gladio... You're the best friend I could hope for, I love spending time with you, but... I don't see you that way... I'm so sorry."

She looked so uncomfortable, face crimson and not knowing where to look. Gladio tried to come over his disappointment to help her.

" No problem, Sweety. I can't say I'm used to being turned down, but I should have seen we didn't have enough in common to..."

" No, no, you got it wrong Gladio! I'm sure you would be the sweetest boyfriend and the two of us would probably work! But... I fell in love with Ignis the day I met him..."

There it was. Competition was over.

" Well I can't say I hadn't seen anything, the way you two looked at each other. Had I known I had no chance, I wouldn't have hit on you." He laughed out loud. "Heh, if someone had told me that Specs would best me at winning a lady's heart one day, I would have laughed in their face so hard!"

He made to stand, but Lyne's hand caught his arm.

" Thanks Gladio, for understanding, and for being there when I needed you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been so supportive when Ignis started ignoring me."

" Huh, well, that might have to do with me though... He decided to distance himself from you because I'd told him I was going to hit on you, but... Truth is, the man's as smitten with you as you are with him. And by the way, he's just arrived, you should go talk to him." He winked at her, and made his way back to the cottage. He felt like hitting a bar in the closest town that evening.

ooo

Ignis had spent two days in near complete silence. He knew he had to face Lyne about what had happened. He needed to apologise for ignoring her, needed to explain. And he felt the need to make up for his stupid actions in Lestallum. The thing was, he had no idea how to express his feelings. He who was usually so good with words didn't know where to begin. Several times, he'd caught her staring at him when they were all together at the diner table, but she quickly averted her gaze, blushing slightly. He could see that Gladio was less flirtatious with her, and he was grateful to his friend for that. He must look truly miserable if even Gladio restrained himself.

That morning though, he had decided that the situation was at an end. If they were to keep on travelling together, Ignis and Lyne should solve their issues, for the group's sake if not for Ignis' well-being.

He could feel cold sweat forming along his spine as he made his way to the place facing the sea where Lyne loved to spend her waking hours in deep thought.

Halfway through though, he heard Prompto call out to him.

" Hey Iggy! Gladio wants to talk to us all, could you find Lyne and tell her to come here!"

Ignis waved his hand at his friend to acknowledge his request, and resumed his walk. It seemed he had missed his chance, once again.

He stopped a few feet from the young woman. She had her face in her hands, and hadn't heard him coming. He was petrified. He cleared his throat, and called out her name softly. She jumped, and her gaze darted to him. He thought he saw fear in her eyes, but he couldn't be sure as she made herself smile shyly. He realised he was staring when she raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to talk. Instead of running back to the cottage like a coward, he turned slowly, and not looking at her, managed to say:

" Gladio wants to talk to us. He requires your presence."

" Hum... okay..." she sounded disappointed, but Ignis was too scared to turn back to her. He started the walk down to the cottage, not looking back to see if she was following, while mentally killing himself a million times.

ooo

Gladio had decided to part ways for a few days, to deal with some personal things. Lyne supposed that her turning him down had something to do with his decision, though she was sure his main reason for leaving the side of the prince must be far more serious.

He was to depart on the morrow, and Lyne couldn't help feeling a tinge of sadness at losing her friend. Prompto and Noctis were quite inseparable, so who was she going to turn to? She hadn't managed to open up to Ignis yet, as Gladio's revelation had scared her even more. And seeing how he kept acting around her, she supposed that what she'd done had completely blown up her chances. She knew that she should apologise all the same, but she hadn't worked up the courage to talk to him. And the way he'd just spoken to her wasn't helping. She was walking among the trees near the sea shore, trying to find a new spot to think in peace, when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned, only to find him walking to her, a determined look in his beautiful eyes. A surge of panic threatened to take over her as she struggled not to start running, but she supposed they had avoided each other long enough. Best be done with it than let the awkward situation further settle in. She waited until he came to stand before her, and made herself look into his eyes. She couldn't tell if he looked frightened or if he was about to tell her how much he despised her, so she decided she was going to talk first. He could always express his contempt once she was done with her apologies.

" Ignis, I... I wanted to apologise for what I told you the other day in Lestallum. I was angry, but that doesn't justify my behaviour. I should have listened to you instead of shouting at you and running away."

Ignis lowered his gaze, and she could see a half smile form on these enticing lips of his. She waited for his reply, her hands sweaty and her legs slowly turning to jelly.

" There's no need to apologise, Lyne. I am the one who should present his apologies to you for my appalling behaviour. I shouldn't have ignored you like that, and even though I had reasons that seemed legitimate to me at the time, I know full well that it's not a proper way to treat a lady that I..."

He closed his eyes, looking for his words. Hope crept through Lyne's mind.

" That I respect."

Yep, chances full blown, she thought, averting her gaze as she felt tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't respond.

" I wanted to talk to you, to suggest that you go with Gladio on his quest tomorrow." Lyne's gaze flicked to Ignis' when she heard that.

" Do you want me gone?" she croaked.

" No, not at all", he replied as his hand made his way to Lyne's shoulder, squeezing her reassuringly.

" It's just that, seeing what the two of you share, I thought that maybe, you would want to stick with him to... have some private time together."

" What do you mean by that?"

" Well, most young couples love to spend time together, I assumed the two of you wouldn't be any different."

She laughed through her tears.

" You think Gladio and I are together?"

She thought she could see hope sparkling in his eyes, and that gave her the strength to go on.

"Oh boy, it's true then, guys are truly stupid" she jested.

Ignis didn't seem to understand.

"Lyne, maybe, you are not aware of that yet, but Gladio likes you very much. He…"

"I know how Gladio feels. He told me days ago! And he was very understanding when I told him my heart belonged to another." She stressed the last word, raising her eyebrows at him.

She saw a series of emotions pass on Ignis' face then. Despair, as he thought she talked about someone else. Jealousy, as he started to envy the man who owned her heart. And, when her gaze remained locked with his, sudden realisation.

"Oh."

He stayed there, mute and petrified. After an awkward minute, Lyne realised that she'd probably been mistaken, that his feelings for her had indeed died that night in Lestallum. She started to turn, to leave him to his thoughts.

"I'll just…" "No." He'd said that and at the same time he'd grabbed her wrist. Pulling her gently to him, he closed the distance between them, and put his other hand around her waist. Lyne could feel her heart racing in her chest as he leaned in, his lips hovering just over hers, asking for permission. She didn't even bother to grant it, taking the lead instead, pressing her mouth to his. Their kiss was soft at first, almost hesitant. She put her hand behind his neck, deepening the kiss as she pressed her body against him. She could feel heat spreading in all the fibers of her being, and that felt delicious. Ignis ran his tongue along her bottom lip, and she granted him entrance willingly. As they explored each other's mouth, Lyne couldn't help notice how perfect it felt, how tuned the both of them were. Ignis groaned softly, and made himself part from her, never ceasing to look into her eyes. He raised a hand to stroke her cheek gently, and, panting slightly, whispered:

"You're wonderful."