A/N : More of my fan-service. You know the drill. Don't take it too seriously. AU-ish. Ravus x Ignis, some Noctis x Ignis mutual pining, some Nyx x Lunafreya later on.
WHITE GARDEN
Chapter 1
So many people in the world took traveling for granted.
Able to go here and there, back and forth, coming and going as they pleased, and all because their country didn't find itself in the midst of a war. The freedom given to humans, unhindered because of politics.
Wished he had it.
Above all else, all Ignis had ever wanted to do was to travel and see the world. Go where he wanted to go, when he wanted to go, to see things in person that he had seen in books.
An impossible dream for him, although so easy to many, and all because he was the personal advisor of the crown prince of Lucis. For him, traveling was impossible, because he couldn't leave the city without Noctis' permission, without Noctis' company, and Noctis couldn't leave Insomnia because there was nowhere to go that didn't involve him traversing hostile lands. Always, the risk of assassination loomed over Noctis' head, and therefore Ignis' as well.
Couldn't travel, no matter how he longed for it.
Couldn't, because Lucis would never end the war with Niflheim, would never concede, would never give up, and Niflheim seemed quite as determined, given that they had already conquered most of the world.
Just wanted to see new lands, but most of those new lands belonged to Niflheim, and Ignis couldn't go.
Not that Lucis wasn't beautiful, because it was. But Ignis had seen all there was to see in Lucis. Had been to Hammerhead, had been to Duscae, had been to Galahd before it fell, had been to Galdin Quay, had been to Lestallum. Had seen the deserts, had seen the mountains, had seen the wetlands, had seen the beaches, had seen the caves, had seen the ruins, the volcano.
Wanted new sights, and more so wanted to see them with Noctis.
He wanted to see Niflheim, wanted to see the Arctic, wanted to see the snow and the glaciers, wanted to see Gralea lit up in the white of ice, wanted to see Tenebrae, wanted to see the grand hall of the Oracles, wanted to see the rocks and the forests. Wanted to see Accordo, wanted to see Altissia, wanted to see the water rippling beneath the white stone buildings, wanted to see the viaducts and the canals and the ancient architecture.
Above all else, Ignis wanted to see the flowers of Tenebrae.
Had heard of them from Noctis, who had visited Tenebrae before it fell to Niflheim, and seemed to look back upon it very fondly. Ignis wasn't certain if it was for the land itself, or rather for the long-forgotten failed attempt at an arranged marriage to Lady Lunafreya.
Noctis had called the flower fields beautiful, and for Noctis to actually utter words of praise to anything at all was rare. Perhaps Ignis wanted to see those flowers so badly with Noctis, because in that moment Noctis would be elated and more open to sharing that contentment with Ignis.
Noctis was aloof, distant, behind some veil, and although it was so clear that Noctis cared for Ignis, it was impossible to know in what manner. Ignis felt that Noctis considered him a true friend, of course, but there were times when Ignis felt that his presence annoyed Noctis. That perhaps Noctis found him overbearing and far too smothering.
He didn't mean to be.
Ignis only tried to do his duty, and beyond that he tried to look after Noct because Noct lacked a mother and King Regis had requested that Ignis have a care for his son. Ignis wasn't required to cook and clean and mend and tend; he did those things because he enjoyed doing them, and also because he loved Noct.
Sometimes, however...
Ignis wasn't so sure Noctis really wanted him there. Noctis would likely rather be alone without Ignis nagging him, but alas, it was what it was. Ignis wasn't going anywhere, especially with this war raging.
Ignis wasn't exactly a bodyguard in a traditional sense; after all, that was Gladio's job. But Ignis had been taught to fight, had been taught to defend himself and others, because even the prince's advisor and chef and friend may have one day been put into a position that required him to battle. King Regis had put trust into Ignis, and Ignis could never have lived with himself if he ever let him down, so Ignis trained alongside Gladio, and had earned his position in the Crownsguard. He wasn't as strong as Gladio, no, wasn't as powerful or as intimidating or as ferocious, but Ignis was fast, quick on his toes and agile, and sometimes battles came down to speed, not strength.
Gladio and Ignis filled in each other's weaknesses, amplified each other's strength, and for it Noctis would be ever safer. Not that Noctis couldn't fight, mind, and to be quite frank Ignis was sure that Noctis was stronger than he was, and just as fast.
Bodyguards for a man who could have beaten his bodyguards down—
Well! Strength in numbers, after all, and more than that Noctis was adept in battle but not in common sense. Gladio and Ignis were so important because Noctis had a tendency to get frustrated and overwhelmed, and without them Noctis would likely have started a battle with the Imperial Army, gotten annoyed halfway through, and would then have thrown his sword down, sat atop a rock, and griped, crankily, 'Whatever, just fuckin' kill me, I don't care, this is so lame.'
Best avoided.
Gladio and Ignis watched Noctis' back and front.
And Prompto…
Well.
Prompto was just there, Ignis supposed, because Noctis needed a best friend. Needed someone to chat with, someone to fool around with, and there were times that it stung Ignis a bit that he couldn't really say that Noctis was his best friend.
Prompto was the guy that Noctis could joke with and drink with and talk about non-political things with. Prompto was there with constant teases and innuendos, making Noctis laugh as no one else could.
But Prompto, in the end, was an outsider, and wasn't allowed into the citadel any farther than the lobby, unless Noctis snuck him in with Gladio and Ignis' help. Prompto never sat in court, had no affiliation with the royals, and that was probably exactly why Noctis liked him so much.
Noctis roughhoused and was crass with Gladio. Noctis was loose and relaxed and playful with Prompto.
With Ignis?
Strange, sometimes, and hard to pin down. Noctis was a bit stiffer when it came to Ignis. His posture was a little better, but his movements less graceful. Seemed anxious at some level, perhaps, or a little nervous. It really did look like Noctis was being on his best behavior around his mother, and Ignis detested that. He had always wanted Noctis to treat him the way he treated Gladio and Prompto.
Ignis had never meant to be overwhelming. Didn't want to be a nagging mother hen, no, but someone had to do it.
He wished...
No point dwelling on it. It would never be.
Couldn't be.
Ignis' other impossible dream was Noctis.
And, even beyond the traveling, that could never be, because Noctis was the prince, and Ignis was nobody. It was a silly childhood crush that Ignis had assumed would dissipate as they grew older, but it hadn't, had only gotten worse, and now Ignis found himself smitten with a man he could never have.
Ignis devoted every minute of his time to Noctis, took such good care of him, tended him and fussed over him and nagged him, because, beyond the call of duty, Ignis was enamored and tried to show Noctis how much he really cared about him.
Seemed to have had the opposite effect, naturally, and now Noctis stood up straight and fidgeted when Ignis was near.
Great.
Ignis' life carried on in a loop, every day the same and mournfully pining for Noctis as if from across the sea even though they were side by side.
Sometimes, though, Noctis gave Ignis mixed signals, and that was likely why Ignis still held this torch instead of dunking it and moving on. Every so often, when the stars aligned, Noctis would smile at Ignis, sometimes that stiff stance loosened and Noctis would slap Ignis' back. There were times when Noctis would reach out and place his hand on the back of Ignis' arm as they walked, for just a second, before he quickly pulled it back as if abashed. Sometimes, when Ignis was in the library, Noctis would creep in, sit down across the table from him, and whisper to him about whatever Ignis happened to be reading. Noctis hated reading, studying, found it awful and boring, and yet sought Ignis out in the library all the same.
One night, when Ignis had been reading about Tenebrae, Noctis had come in.
Ignis glanced up, felt that familiar rush of his heart at seeing Noctis visiting him, that nervousness that came from being around someone he was romantically interested in. As usual, as per his training, Ignis' face gave away none of those sentiments, but he smiled at Noctis as he always did.
Noctis glanced down at the book, and asked, "What'cha readin' about today, Specs?"
"Tenebrae," Ignis replied, quietly, as Noctis leaned over the table to get a better look and Ignis felt his stomach flip.
Noctis' face lit up a little at that, and that nostalgia came over Noctis, as it sometimes did, and his stance loosened and everything about him softened, and he said, "Tenebrae, huh? I miss it. I want to go see those flower fields again."
Loving the sight of Noctis in gentler moments, Ignis murmured, "I pray you'll be able to. The war can't go on forever, one would hope."
Noctis gazed at the book for a while, glanced up at Ignis, seemed to hesitate, and then Noctis suddenly lowered his voice into that very thunderous rumble that gave Ignis a thrill every time he used it. A simple, succinct whisper.
"When the war ends, I'll take you to Tenebrae. I promise."
Awe.
Ignis must have looked amazed and flabbergasted, despite his training, because he felt his lips had parted and his eyes had widened.
Noctis very abruptly stood up, turned away, and in a second was gone, leaving Ignis to stare off into nothing as his pulse raced.
Oh, Noct!
Why did he have to torment Ignis like that? Bad enough to be in love with the Prince, worse to hear those little things from time to time and actually feel that twinge of hope.
Ignis could only take it for what it was, try not to read too much into it, and above all else absolutely not get his hopes up.
Time passed, as Ignis watched Noctis walking down the hall and daydreamed, and then one day, out of absolute nowhere, there was sudden news out of the Empire.
Calls for a ceasefire.
Ignis' buried hopes reared their heads.
'I'll take you to Tenebrae,' Noctis had said, and Ignis held his breath.