"Can you ever comprehend how much I hate that?" Rayne snapped, whirling her head around to scowl at Prompto. He froze, halfway through slurping a spoonful of soup.
"... Sorry," he murmured, ducking his head. "It's hot!"
"Then blow on it. Or wait." Rayne slouched in her seat, pushing the liquid around in her bowl. Gladio frowned, glancing up at Rue, who shrugged. "Don't think I can't tell you're having a silent conversation."
"Sorry," Rue huffed.
"No, you're not," Rayne sighed. Noctis rolled his eyes at Ignis before clearing his throat.
"What crawled up your ass?"
"A whole glaive of useless assholes," Rayne scoffed.
"Gee, thanks," Rue muttered.
"Don't do that," Rayne snapped, sitting up. "They're just nowhere near as good as the glaive before the Fall. I don't know what to do."
"Work with you have," Ignis replied simply. "It's all under different circumstances."
"Iggy, I don't even think they realize the gravity of the job."
"It's a difficult concept for those on the outside."
"True," Rue pitched in, pointing her spoon at Rayne, who only sighed again. Gladio rested his hand on her back.
"At least you can beat the hell out of them if they mess up."
"Yeah, there's that."
"The weirdest shit cheers you up," Rue grumbled, shaking her head. She glanced across the table at Ignis, who made a point of sitting at the opposite end. Before she could mouth anything, she realized Prompto was staring at her. She frowned, raising an eyebrow. Catching himself, he blushed and turned away, going back to his slurping. Rayne groaned, tugging her hair.
"Prompto."
"Sorry!"
Gathering the bowls in her hands, Rue carried the dirty dishes to her kitchen, where Ignis was scrubbing away at pans with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Rayne chose Rue's house as their weekly dinner hub, determined to see the new décor. As a result, Rue decided to make a point of telling Ignis where everything was very clearly—he didn't know her house all that well. Not well at all. He'd only cooked and showered and slept and cleaned and done his laundry there. Rue shook her head, setting the bowls on the counter. Ignis glanced up at her.
"Thank you."
"For giving you more work to do?"
"Well, you can dry."
"I can," she shrugged, leaning back against the counter and staring back at Rayne, who was slumped at the counter watching them tiredly. Ignis sighed, pausing to face her.
"Would you?"
"I guess," she scoffed, though she smiled and reached around him to grab a rag. "Still pouting?" Rue called over her shoulder. Rayne groaned in response.
"No. I'll just so tired."
"Why?"
"I don't know. Must be overworking."
"Wouldn't be surprised." Rue flinched when Ignis handed her a hot plate, staring at the water in disbelief. "Is your skin okay?"
"I'm fine," Ignis muttered. "But thank you for your concern."
"Weird question," Rayne cut in. Rue scrubbed at the plate carefully, ignoring the angry marks raising on her skin.
"Weird answer."
"Did you have a C-section?"
"Wow, okay." Rue turned around, cocking her head to the side. "What's prompting this?"
"I dunno, I just wondered it one day."
"Hm." Rue shook her head. "No, I didn't. Popped that sucker out."
"Did it hurt?"
"Is that even a question?" Rue snorted, setting the plate down. Ignis listened as they carried their conversation on, brow drawn together ever so slightly. "Of course it did. You try squeezing a nine-pound human being out of a very small orifice. It hurts."
"Nine pounds?" Rayne repeated, shaking her head quickly. "Yeah, no. Gladio's never getting his kids." Ignis huffed a short laugh to himself that only Rue could hear. "How did you not rip?"
"Oh, I did." Rayne gagged. "Yeah." Rue laughed at Rayne's reaction. "I was in labor for twelve hours, I shit myself twice, and my husband wasn't even there. Fun stuff." She didn't miss the disturbed glance Ignis shot in her direction. "Yeah, I don't know if I want any more," she said to him, laughing. Rayne raised an eyebrow, not missing their exchanged glance.
"Why does he need to know that?"
"I was talking to both of you," Rue frowned, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel herself going red. "Because you were both listening. And you're both my friends."
"... Uh-huh." Rayne shook her head and stood. "Alright, Iggy, I was promised alcohol. Where is it?"
"Under the sink," Ignis replied without thinking. He paused when Rayne didn't answer, realizing his mistake. Rue was quick to cover for him, waving him out of her way.
"I demanded too much wine when you were here, dude." Dismissively, she nudged him further to the side and pulled open the cabinet door, grabbing bottles at random and passing them up to whoever would take them.
"C'mon Iggy, how dare you know anything?" Rayne teased. Rue could tell she was getting suspicious that something had happened between them, probably during Ignis's care for her. But she shrugged it off and uncapped a bottle, knocking her hip to Ignis's with a wink.
"Very unbecoming of me," he replied dryly, closing the cabinet with his knee and offering a hand to pull Rue up. She took it, reaching for her rag. Rayne smacked her hand.
"Come enjoy yourself, you dumb bitch. You never do anything but clean and hide from me."
"Rayne, really—"
"What's your deal?"
"I do stupid shit when I drink, namely."
"Well, I'm here to watch you."
"That's reassuring." Rue allowed herself to get dragged away, resisting the urge to beg Ignis for help.
And so, because of Rayne's irresistible peer pressure and Gladio's mocking, she drank. A lot. By the time Ignis returned to the living room, she was crying from laughing so hard at Prompto's impression of Noctis, which in turn made Noctis (loudly) voice his protests. Gladio glanced up at Ignis, chuckling.
"Sorry, lost track of all the kids."
"What have you done?" Ignis muttered shaking his head. Wheezing, Rue leaning her head back and patted the empty spot on the floor beside her.
"Just told you."
"Come sit, Iggy. Want anything?"
"No, thank you. I'd like to get home tonight."
"Aw, why?" Rue pouted, crossing her legs. He raised an eyebrow.
"I don't live here."
"You should."
Rayne snorted, choking on her drink. Ignis frowned.
"Damn, you haven't had that much," Rayne cackled.
"I had a lot," Rue argued. "I'm small."
"You're almost as tall as me," Prompto argued.
"You're small, too."
"Am not!"
"Gods," Ignis sighed, shooting Gladio a displeased look. The shield shrugged it off, entertained.
"What do we do now?" Rayne asked, leaning back against the couch between Gladio's knees. "Some stupid game?"
"Like what?" Noctis yawned, clearly disinterested.
"Two truths and a lie?"
"No, we know everything already," Prompto groaned.
"Fine, fine." Rayne huffed, trying to think. "Hide and seek?"
"Hide and fuckingseek?" Rue snapped.
"No, I didn't say that. Watch your goddamn mouth, bitch."
"I'll do whatever the fuck I please, shithead."
"That's your boss," Prompto reminded Rue, but he was giggling. Rayne raised her eyebrows at him, watching his face go redder the harder he laughed.
"Who gave the child something to drink?" She thrust an arm out toward him, wiggling her fingers. "Give me your idea, sir."
"Idea?" Prompto wheezed.
"ID, whatever."
"Perhaps you should cut her off," Ignis suggested, nodding toward the cup in Rayne's hand. Gladio reached for it, but Rayne snatched it away, shoving it into Rue's lap. Rue snatched up the glass, sniffing and faking a gag.
"Gross," she scoffed, taking a drink anyway. Ignis tried to sneak it away, but she caught him, holding the cup out of his grasp. "Come and get it, Scientia."
"I'd prefer to wait."
"Oh, really?" Rue leaned closer with a grin. "Don't be a little bitch. Get it." Ignis raised an eyebrow.
"I'll wait."
"No, really." Rue cocked her head to the side. "What's it gonna take?" Rayne snickered at Ignis's concerned expression and Noctis seemed to be on the edge of his seat, ready to watch what happened. Prompto was lost in his own world, humming and picking at the rug. "Seriously."
"Seriously what?"
"Get it away from me." She took another drink, nearly choking as it burned her mouth. What the hell is in this? "Steal the alcohol from the drunk."
"You're not a—"
"C'mon, Iggy. Just take the damn cup," Rayne jeered. "She's small."
"Don't be a bitch," Rue sang out. Ignis sighed and shook his head. Rolling her eyes, Rue took a third drink and set the cup back in her lap. The playful tension dissipated. "Damn, you're no fun."
"No, I'm not."
"They had us in the first half," Rayne muttered, patting Gladio's shoe.
"They really did." Rue turned to speak to Gladio, crying out when she felt the glass jerk out of her hands. Ignis raised an eyebrow, holding the cup far out of her reach. He could not have looked smugger if he tried. "Dude!"
"You've had enough."
"Damn, you're not a little bitch after all."
"No, he's not," Gladio chuckled.
Rue laughed dizzily, having lost all sense of the world around her very quickly. Feeling a thrill she couldn't quite understand, she leaned closer to Ignis, smiling up into his face.
"Good job."
"... Thank you."
Ignis looked very uncertain, glancing up at Rayne involuntarily. She was preoccupied with retying Gladio's boots the way she liked better. Laughing softly, Rue lowered her voice, resting her hand dangerously high on his leg—it was enough to make him squirm. She thought it was hilarious.
"Want your reward?" she slurred out, staring intently into his eyes. He couldn't look away; he was stuck in place.
"Rue..." Her name came out almost silently, raw with helpless concern.
"Sure thing."
Rue was so lost that she didn't see anything wrong with it—not at first. She mashed her lips against his, laughing when he jerked away like he'd never met her before. The conversations came to an abrupt halt around them as she howled with laughter, scrubbing away the tears on her face. Everyone stared with their eyebrows raised to their hairlines—everyone except for Prompto. Ignis's eyes bored into hers, but she wasn't sure why. Why did everyone look so surprised? Then it hit her. Hard. So hard, in fact, she couldn't breathe.
"What the hell?" Rayne choked out, breaking the silence.
"It was a joke," Rue muttered, rubbing the back of her neck as her face grew redder and redder. Even Ignis looked more embarrassed than she ever could have imagined, though there was more disappointment than anything else.
"Didn't look like it," Noctis scoffed.
"It's not like we haven't before," she protested. Ignis frowned.
"Once," he gritted, his eyes sharp.
"Yeah, once."
"No!" Prompto pointed an accusing finger at them. "Not true!"
"What?" Rayne snapped. All eyes were on the tipsy gunman who shook his head furiously, face flushed. Rue felt sick to her stomach.
"I saw them!"
"Saw us doing what? Talking?" Rue demanding. "Wow, incriminating."
"I saw Iggy's car at her house—" He paused to hiccup, unfazed. "So I peeked in the window—"
"That's fucking invasive!" Rue cried. Ignis's jab to her back reigned her back in. It's over. It's fucking over for us.
"They were kissing!" Prompto shouted over Rue's protest. "It was dark and they were on the couch and then Iggy—"
"Dude," Noctis snapped, kicking him. His face was getting red, too, and he glanced up at Ignis pointedly for confirmation. Gladio chuckled, slouching in his seat. The advisor's face could not have been more incriminating.
"Cat's out."
"What? Honey?" Rue started to get to her feet. Exasperated, Ignis grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. Rayne was on another planet entirely as she stared into space, dazed by the news. She gathered her words slowly.
"So... Was that the first time, or...?"
"I—" Ignis sighed, looking at Rue. She shook her head, clearing it as best as she could—the world kept rocking below her regardless.
"My birthday," she muttered finally, playing with her hair. Rayne paled. "That's when it all started."
"You're telling me that all this time that I've been trying to set you two up and you've been denying feelings and insulting each other behind your backs... that it's all been bullshit?" She scoffed in disbelief, slouching against Gladio. "Holy hell." She stared up at Noctis. "Iggy's had a girlfriend for weeks and we didn't even know."
"I know." Noctis shot Ignis a look before huffing and looking away, irritated. Ignis touched his glasses, fixated on the floor.
"Well, this certainly isn't how we meant for you to find out," he replied quietly. Gladio shook his head.
"Sure as hell hope not."
"When did you want to tell us, then?" Rayne demanded.
"When we were ready."
"Which isn't now?"
"... I don't think so."
"Let me give you some advice, buddy," Rayne started, taking a drink from the cup she snatched from his loosened grasp. "You're never ready for anything. Sometimes stuff has to progress on its own." She eyed him a moment longer, scoffing. "Still, I can't wrap my head around it. This is real. You're the guy Rue's been seeing."
"Oh, okay," Rue snorted. "I see how it is. Iggy's the lucky guy who got the girl and I'm just a slut. Cool."
"Don't be like that," Rayne grumbled, rolling her eyes. "You messed it up, not him."
"Rude."
"But not wrong."
"No." Rue yawned and threw her arm around Ignis's neck; he flinched. "Cat's in."
"That's not..." Ignis sighed, giving up at the shake of Gladio's head.
"Don't bother. Thinks we're talking about Honey."
"Where is she?" Rue huffed, unsteadily getting to her feet. "Baby, where'd you go?"
"You think she'll answer to that?" Rayne grumbled. Rue rolled her eyes.
"Honey, you hairy pussy, get your ass in here!"
"That's one way to interpret that," Gladio laughed.
Ignis touched his glasses with a sigh, defeated but relieved. The burden that crushed their relationship for so long had been lifted so suddenly, and now, it felt as if they really could carry it as far as it was meant to go, whether that was another week or an eternity. Whatever happened, he was satisfied knowing the others had their backs through it all.