Chapter 5

Night Owl

Time dragged when one was looking forward to something.

In this case, the week was miserably long, as Ignis counted the literal minutes until Saturday. Class was a daze, as Ignis found himself terribly unfocused and always falling within three moves under Gladio's great sword. Not great for Gladio's already overprotective sentiments towards Ignis, but who could ever focus when the Marshal was staring at them and sometimes smirking?

Cor never said a single word about what was coming, gave absolutely no hints at all about Saturday, and in fact said nothing at all about the park or the theatre. As if it had never happened, and Ignis was both excited and terrified.

Still wondering, in the back of his mind, if all of this was a misunderstanding.

If Cor had forced him to take a weekend off, and was now so silent because he was figuring out how to handle Ignis' next request. If Cor hadn't sent those flowers after all, and was now hunting down the Glaive that had in order to force them onto a date with Ignis come Saturday. Would have dropped dead from shame right there had there been a knock on his door this weekend only for it to be Cor, clenching a Glaive by the collar and dragging him up to present him to Ignis dutifully. Oh, Six above, would never have recovered from that.

Cor was so hard to read, and gave no information.

Friday came, and when Ignis lingered that day after class, he so desperately wanted to ask, 'Are we still on for tomorrow?'

Didn't, because that would imply that Ignis assumed Cor was his date, and presently there was still too much doubt, despite how obvious it may have seemed. Ignis was so afraid to make a fool of himself that unless Cor leaned right down and kissed him then he would still presume there could have been a misunderstanding.

Cor saw him fidgeting, barely smiled, and inquired, as he so often did, "Something on your mind, Ignis?"

Ignis shook his head, anxiously, and nearly winced when his voice broke as he replied, "Nothing at all, Marshal."

Cor teased him by uttering, "That's not a good sign. Go home and rest up. Aren't you doing something tomorrow that will require your attention?"

An awful blaze of red, a race of his heart, that rise of ever-present hope.

He bowed his head, and said, "Yes, sir!" and then backed away towards the door, fleeing before he could trip over his own feet and make Cor reconsider.

Thought he heard Cor give a very deep, very coarse laugh.

Another restless night, tossing and turning as he waited for dawn.

Came too soon, and Ignis bolted out of bed in the pink light of sunrise and darted to make coffee. He tapped his foot, glancing at the wilted flowers that still sat stubbornly on his counter, and waited. And waited.

And waited.

He glanced every few minutes at his phone as morning faded into afternoon, and with every silent hour that passed, Ignis' heart sank. Tried yet to be optimistic, because Cor hadn't given him a precise time, nor any inkling at all as to what to expect. He passed the time by dressing very nicely, styling his hair perfectly and shining his glasses. Preening with extra care, as his foot tapped endlessly away.

Seemed, however, that his preening was for naught, because the sun was lowering in the sky and there was still absolute radio silence from Cor.

Still no knock on the door.

Time dragged, and Ignis' mind began whirring away. Fretting and thinking back on it all. Maybe Cor really had just been trying to distract Ignis in order to wean Noctis off of him a little, and Ignis had misunderstood the entire situation, fool that he was.

Despair.

He glanced at the clock shortly after—already 18:00.

No sound.

He had expected far too much, and fell harder for it. With a crinkled brow and pursed lips, Ignis finally went over to the wilted flowers, removed them from the vase, and threw them away. Hurt to do so, but it was necessary because they were dead and his hopes were dying right along with them.

It had all been a misunderstanding.

Cor must have been unsuccessful at hunting down the suitor and convincing them to take Ignis out.

As if Cor the Immortal would ever hold interest in someone like him. The most dull, uninteresting person in the citadel entire. Cor had a ship-full of admirers, and Ignis was just one of them, a small drop in the sea.

Foolish.

He began tidying up his apartment then to calm his nerves as the heat of embarrassment took over, and a moment later he realized how utterly ridiculous he looked, dressed to the nines then with nowhere to go. Couldn't remember the last time he had felt so stupid, and with a heavy stomach he made his way back into his bedroom. Stood in front of the mirror then, and it struck him how truly bland he was.

Absolutely forgettable, in a city full of beautiful people.

He raised his hands, and it took him a long while to fumble about the knot in his tie enough to remove it. He tossed the tie aside, and remembered that Noctis hadn't called him once these days he had been absent—hadn't even noticed that Ignis was even gone in the first place. He unbuttoned his shirt, traded it for a t-shirt, and remembered also that Gladio had not pressed in the slightest when Ignis had refused that initial birthday drink. Hadn't offered again the next day, nor the day after, and hadn't offered again this weekend. Hadn't texted him since then, either, because of course Gladio had much better things to do.

It was childish, yes, but once Ignis was in the pity-party-for-one, it was sometimes hard to get out of.

He collapsed down onto his bed, removed his glasses, lifted up his hands, and with harsh motions he destroyed every bit of work he had put into his hair, sweeping it back and forth until it had fallen down and was sticking out every which way.

He dared to glance over at his phone then, and there was nothing.

As usual.

He sat there for a long while, staring off into space, and couldn't really summon up any sort of anger, because Cor had gotten his hopes up, yes, but had never once promised him anything. Cor had made no outright declaration, not a single word of confirmation, and Ignis had only assumed.

The flowers had been from Titus' Glaive, and who could ever imagine why they were enamored in the first place, if they truly were. He had been flirted with, of course, had been propositioned, but in the end every single comment made to him had only ever really been about his legs, where anyone's interest ever lied.

Even Gladio had said that Ignis' legs were by far his best feature.

Alas, legs could only get you so far in romance, and he had nothing beyond that to catch interest.

He lied down, sighed, and drifted in and out a bit, because sleeping then was better than staring desperately at his very still phone.

Night came.

He dozed in and out in a fitful sleep, coming to blearily when he heard his phone buzzing a while later. A squint of his eyes, as he groped for his phone, and he was pessimistically hopeful that, at long last, Noctis had noticed his absence. When he pulled the phone next to him and tapped it, his heart jolted so fast he felt faint.

A text from Cor.

...of all people.

He bolted upright, dizzy with adrenaline, and read the text as quickly as he could, and his pulse was racing when he at last comprehended the words on the screen before him.

'If it's not too late for you, come downstairs.'

Short and simple.

Terrifying.

And for just a moment, as he held his phone there in his hand, Ignis almost wanted to reply, 'No'. No, because he had already come down too hard on himself, his mood was ruined, his look was ruined, his confidence was ruined, and perhaps he was just being, for lack of a better word, a bitch, because he had expected something else.

Wanted to say 'no', because Cor had kept him waiting in fear and uncertainty.

But Ignis was far too desperate for that, far too subservient to those in power, and it was only natural that his response was, 'I'm coming.'

Pitiful.

Felt sick, and didn't even bother trying to make himself presentable. There was absolutely no hiding the fact that he had been sleeping, so he just kept on that t-shirt and pulled on a pair of jeans, remembering at the last second to grab his glasses. Looked a total mess, he knew, as he jogged down the stairwell and into the parking lot. Hadn't even stopped to grab his coat.

Could see a familiar car waiting there.

Ignis trotted over, reluctantly, and when he was close enough, the passenger window rolled down, Ignis leaned over and peered inside, and Cor was quick to say, "Care for a ride?"

A glance around.

The car was empty, save Cor, and there came that stupid, foolish hope again, much more muted than before and yet there all the same. No Glaive sat there in the backseat, so, really...

The implication seemed obvious.

Without even asking to where they were headed, Ignis opened up the door, got in, and put on his seatbelt.

He noticed, before all else, the scent of Cor's cologne. Different than the one from the weekend prior. Deeper, a bit stronger.

The car began pulling out, as Ignis stared over at Cor in disbelief, and Cor glanced very frequently at him, giving him a long rake-over before he said, calmly, "I didn't mean to wake you. I'll keep in mind that you're not a night owl. Guess you do sleep, after all."

Ignis tried his best to smile, in spite of how awful he felt, but likely failed.

Cor suddenly said, in a softer voice, "I've never seen you without gloves."

An odd thing to notice, something Ignis just didn't really think about, and he would never have noticed it if Cor hadn't. A habit that had been neglected in a moment of panic. He was quiet then, because he didn't know what to say, and Cor was quiet too.

The road passed.

A while later, Cor lifted his voice and asked, very carefully, "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

Absolutely not, because he couldn't even put it into words himself.

He was just in a mood, and there was really no way to say that and explain it in a manner that didn't make himself sound ridiculous and childish.

He had already made too great a fool of himself, and so Ignis instead asked, in an effort to distract, "Where are we going?'

"That's a question that is best asked before you get into a car with someone, Ignis. I already worry enough about you without now having to fear stranger-danger."

A tease, he knew, but his heart sank all the same, his face falling right along with it, as every inner fear he had came roaring back up. Maybe there were undertones, maybe there were other interests Cor had beneath the surface, but the main motivation was suddenly very obvious, as it perhaps always had been : Cor was worried about him, about his intensity with Noctis, about his endless work schedule, and had been giving him a break. Nothing more, nothing less.

Cor must have seen how disheartened he looked, for his voice was much softer and gentler when he pried, "Was it something I said? Or, rather, not what you were expecting?"

Ignis turned his head to the window and watched the road pass, cheeks red and feeling nauseous, and after a moment he managed to utter, weakly, "You didn't have to go through all of this trouble. If you were so worried— Had you ordered me to take a vacation, I would have done so without wasting your time. You didn't need to...baby-sit me."

Silence.

He just eyed the streetlights as they passed, chest heavy and brow low.

Cor had been suggesting to Ignis for months now that he needed to scale back his care of Noctis, and had finally inserted himself to make it happen.

An unbearable silence, heavy and long, before Cor finally broke it to whisper, softly, "Sorry you feel that way. I rather enjoyed myself. I hope you don't honestly think I would ever lend myself as royal babysitter, when that's a job I've tried so hard to drag you out of."

Ignis dared a glance over at Cor then, as the car lit up in bursts of orange, and gathered the courage to try, "Then why bother humoring me? I feel dreadful now for dragging you along like that."

"Thought I was the one dragging you," Cor retorted, gently. "You know, for such a brilliant kid, you can be a little dull at times."

Embarrassment.

He turned his eyes once more to the window, and wished that Cor would just take him back home.

No go—a half hour or so later, the car finally came to a halt, and Ignis had zoned out so much that he looked around then and realized he had no idea where he was at. An isolated area that he had never seen, on a dirt road perched at the bottom of a steep hill. Brush all around, beneath the stone wall of the city.

Stars above.

He looked over at Cor once more, dumbly, to see that Cor was staring straight back at him, pale eyes lit up in the moonlight.

Before Ignis could say anything, Cor murmured, "The last two times we did what you wanted. You said the only thing left was a date. So, I thought I could show you one of my favorite places. But if circumstances have changed, or if this is in any way not what you had wished for, then tell me now, and I'll take you back home."

Felt entranced then, and even though it was so glaringly obvious, Ignis just couldn't understand it.

Because he wanted absolute clarification, once and for all, Ignis heard himself breathe, weakly, "This must be one of my duller moments, Marshal, for I fear I don't understand. Please be direct with me, for I find myself quite confused."

There was far too much for either of them to risk on a whim.

A long, hard stare, before Cor said, in barely a whisper, "If it truly hasn't dawned on you— Perhaps I'm the one who misunderstood. I thought I had been making it obvious. Forgive me. Clearly we were seeing things on a different level. In a way, I should have known. I was foolish."

Cor averted his eyes then, reached out his hand, and Ignis was jolted with adrenaline when Cor grabbed the gearshift and clearly meant to start the drive back.

No—

With a rush of fear, Ignis snatched out, grabbed Cor's hand within his own to stop him, and it was only that panic that would have ever given him the nerve to touch Cor at all, let alone grab his hand like that. Cor fell still under his touch, glancing up to meet his eyes, and there was yet another long stare between them. Well. Maybe both of them were having their own doubts. Neither of them could seem to be painfully direct, playing coy and choosing words carefully, and Ignis realized that no one would get anywhere like that.

Ignis knew then that he was going to have to be the one to take the first step. Cor was bold and aggressive, but always pulled back at the last second, because Cor had so much more to lose, had so much more at risk in the chance of rejection. Cor had the position of power, and in this one rare instance that meant that Cor couldn't be the one to act.

In that case...

With a deep inhale for courage, Ignis braced himself, leaned over, and before he could think too much about it and make himself sick, he had pressed forward and pushed his lips into Cor's.

Could hear his own heart hammering then.

Cor was very still and quiet, and when Ignis pulled quickly back, he was still staring away, eyes ever intense and piercing. Did Cor realize how hard he actually stared and how intimidating it was? It was Ignis who looked away first, naturally, absolutely sick with adrenaline and heart pounding so fast that he was dizzy. Head spinning.

Oh, gods, please—

Couldn't handle being wrong about this, really couldn't, would have dropped immediately out of the Crownsguard and never showed his face to the public again.

Another awful silence, and Ignis actually jumped in his seat when hands had suddenly grabbed his arm and shoulder very harshly, and the next thing he really knew he was wrapped up in Cor's arms and being dragged across the seat and right into Cor's lap.

O-oh!

Couldn't breathe suddenly, but likely only because Cor had pushed in and was suddenly kissing him so furiously. Ignis had no choice but to squirm over, because Cor's vice-grip on him allowed no escape. Cor continued to drag him, reposition him, drag him some more, and all without ever once breaking that kiss. Cor reached down with his left hand and fumbled about, and suddenly the seat was pushed back, allowing more room for Cor to haul him in.

In the end, Cor got what he apparently wanted, when Ignis was successfully straddling him there in the driver's seat.

It was a bit of a cramped position, for sure, but he found that he fit quite nicely between Cor and the steering wheel, head just barely bumping the roof and legs somehow able to tuck in. Not the most comfortable position, but heavenly all the same, as Cor held him by the waist and his own hands gripped the sides of Cor's neck.

It would appear that there had been no misunderstanding at all.

A long, heated minute as they tried to meld into one being, before they pulled apart for breath. Cor stared up at him, face softer than Ignis had ever seen it, and Ignis couldn't have stopped smiling then even if he had physically attempted to. He lifted his hands, ran his thumbs over Cor's cheeks, and when Cor closed his eyes, Ignis murmured, "I suppose those flowers were not from Titus' Glaive, after all."

Cor opened his eyes, smirked, and retorted, "Oh, no. They were."

Ignis must have looked as confused as he felt, because Cor snorted.

A gentle chide.

"Ignis—as the future royal advisor, you surely must know that the Marshal of the Crownsguard is also technically a Glaive, if only on paper."

Everything fell into place then, everything clicked, everything finally made sense at long last, and all Ignis could really think of to do then was to kiss Cor once more.

He only pulled back then to clarify, if only to himself, "But you said that Titus informed you that one of his Glaives—"

"He did," Cor interrupted. "When he beat it into my head that I had started falling for you. He noticed it long before I did. I would have lived in denial if he hadn't pushed me. He wouldn't let me sleep until I acted. I think it was sleep-shock that led me to send those in the first place. Try having a text every half hour all night, every night, asking for an update."

Ignis snorted and smiled at that, and made a note to himself to thank Titus greatly when next he saw him.

The Captain had been most helpful, indeed.

"That must be why you're suddenly a night owl," Ignis teased, thumbs ever running over Cor's face.

A deep-chested noise of contentment from Cor, who very suddenly pressed forward and buried his face into Ignis' collar, falling entirely still.

The night had gone from dismal to ethereal.

Him and Cor, pressed there together in the cramped front seat of Cor's car, the sky outside dark, the air cold, the heat on and the smell of the leather interior, Cor's cologne, a faint chill from the glass near his arm. Surreal and beautiful. He ran a hand over the back of Cor's head, as Cor continued to rest his face there in Ignis' neck.

For a moment, Ignis thought perhaps Cor had fallen asleep, as still as he was and as quiet.

Ignis didn't rush to stir him.

He may not have been asleep, but Cor did seem rather lethargic and drowsy when he finally inhaled and leaned back, lifting his head. Lidded eyes, a relaxation of the line of tension in Cor's brow, and there was finally a heavy sigh, when Cor reached out and grabbed the door handle, pushing it open and looking up.

"It's cold out. You should have worn a coat."

"Apologies. I was in a hurry."

Ignis took the hint and untangled his legs from around Cor, reluctantly, and stepped out of the car, Cor's hand ever around his own for balance. Ignis got his wish at long last; that time, Cor didn't let go of his hand. It stayed there warm around his own, grip firm, and Ignis was quite enthralled and speechless when Cor walked him up a foot-worn path and over to the end of the hill.

Ignis had never been here before, and hadn't known this place existed at all.

He had watched Cor the entire while that Cor had walked him up the hill, entranced as he was, and it wasn't until Cor stopped moving that Ignis bothered to turn his head. He cast his eyes to the distance then, and felt himself exhale.

Beautiful.

Could see the city entire glowing below him, the wall rippling gently above, and, in a very rare moment, he could see the stars in their entirety. A faint glow of the galactic dust rings. Something that being amidst the bright lights of Insomnia simply didn't allow. Still very much in the city and yet seemingly miles away, tucked away into this brushy hill beneath the stone wall perimeter.

In the middle of nowhere while inside the country's biggest city.

Stunning, truly, and Cor spent a long minute sweeping his gaze over the city, and then up to the sky.

A low, rumbling whisper.

"This is where I come when I need to clear my head. When I need to get away. When the pressure gets to me, or I feel angry or worried, then I come here to think. To see things for what they are. To see the city entire, and remember what we fight so hard to protect. What matters, at the end of all things. Here, I can find a little peace. However much I doubt myself, coming here gives me to motivation to continue."

Cor's pale eyes traced the stars above, and everything was beautiful, it really was. The city, the stars, the galaxy, the constellations he had never seen, but Ignis didn't look at any of that. Only stared at Cor then, because of it all Cor was by far the most stunning thing there.

Didn't even feel the chill then of the freezing air, mesmerized as he was.

To hear Cor of all people expressing such things.

Ignis doubted himself so much, wanted nothing more than to be just like Cor, aspired to emulate him, and so to hear Cor say that he, too, suffered doubt and uncertainty—

Remarkable.

Cor finally lowered his eyes from the stars, noticed the way Ignis was gawking, shifted his weight and asked, "What?"

Dumbly, Ignis just said, "I never realized that you... I thought you were impervious. I fretted so about showing fear and doubt in front of you, because I was worried you find me weak and thrust me out of the Crownsguard. I try so hard to appear unfazed, because I always thought you were."

Cor snorted, eyes turning back up to the stars, and he murmured, "I'm only a man, Ignis. Nothing more. But I know that I have a reputation, and to lead by example I must be impervious. The city needs someone to be inhuman, I suppose. Something to hold on to. So that's why I come here, so that I can keep up with what is expected of me without dashing their hopes. But I fret, just like everyone else. It's difficult to be a normal man who must pretend to be anything but. May I say, though, that you have done an excellent job of hiding any fear. I was beginning to think you were the impervious one. Or perhaps I just didn't notice because I was so blinded by you as a whole."

Didn't understand that, at all, but would gladly take it for as long as Cor was willing to offer it.

At last, Ignis tore his eyes away from Cor and turned his head straight, as Cor's hand ever held his own.

A thumb, running over his knuckles.

There was a long silence then, as they gazed at the stars, and then Cor suddenly said, in hardly a whisper, "Titus showed me this place many years ago. He found it not long after he came to Insomnia as a refugee. He wasn't used to the city, he said, and was trying to find a place where it felt more like home. Took him weeks of scouring, but when he found this hill, he called me and said— Much like me, Titus is not impervious. He was homesick. We came up here together, and it was just brush then. We spent many months clearing a path so that we could drive instead, to make it easier to reach. Only we know about this. You're the first person we've ever shared this with."

Mindlessly, Ignis breathed, "We?"

Cor snorted, glanced over at Ignis, and replied, "Of course. I desperately wanted to bring you here, because you remind me so much of us back then, but I would never have done so without Titus' blessing. After all, this was his spot first. He doesn't seem to come here so much anymore, though, and said I could do what I wanted. So. Here you are. If it's all the same, I would rather this stay a private matter between us. I would hate for word to get out and for this to become a city getaway. It's silly, maybe, but thinking about someone else coming here to Titus' hill..."

Understood, entirely.

So Ignis just leaned over, rested his head against Cor's shoulder, and agreed, "I would have it no other way. Thank you for sharing."

A comfortable silence, as Cor gripped his hand and stared at the horizon, and Ignis closed his eyes shortly after and felt more peaceful than he could ever remember. Relinquishing control to someone else, in whatever manner or for however briefly, was a burden off of him that he hadn't even known he had been carrying. Cor had always been right, after all; Ignis really did need some time off.

Rested there for so long that he started drifting, startled back to alertness when Cor suddenly released his hand and moved, but that was only because he was removing his coat, when he swiftly placed over Ignis' shoulders.

What a gentleman, as he often was these days.

The scent of Cor's coat was quite wondrous, and before Ignis could think of anything to say, Cor had led him over to the lone tree on the hill, where he sat down on the dead grass and brought Ignis down with him. Ignis was very quick to huddle up to Cor, taking the coat from his shoulders and instead placing it as best he could over the both of them as he all but crawled up into Cor's lap to make it work.

Cor clenched him quickly up, and said, "Next time I'll bring a blanket or two."

Next time.

Astounding words.

Thinking that there really would be a next time, feeling wanted for the first time, considering that maybe, just maybe, someone out there actually cared about him—no words for that. Nothing he had ever felt, experienced, nothing he could ever hope to describe. So long walking the Citadel and feeling as if he didn't really belong, that no one really even saw him there, and now to be held.

Never once did it really occur to him that this was an inappropriate situation, never once did it cross his mind that Cor was still technically his instructor, that Ignis was the pupil, never once did it matter that Cor was old enough to be his father. Didn't care about the repercussions, the consequences, the potential chaos for gossip and demotions. Just cared that Cor's arms were around him, and that was where he wanted to be.

Nothing else mattered.

So he just lifted his head from Cor's chest and kissed him again. Cor closed his eyes, seemed content, and when Ignis pulled back, he rested his head once more and listened to the heartbeat beneath his ear. Nothing immortal at all about that steady rhythm.

Cor rested his chin atop Ignis' head, and began speaking then, murmuring away against the cold wind as Ignis listened. They sat there on that hill for hours, chattering away to each other in the middle of nowhere in the deep night freeze, away from the city and lost in their own universe. Just the two of them, hidden away from the constant prying gaze of the public.

Ignis was creating his own little world with Cor, and hoped that Cor would be willing to hold it up for a while.

The veil of sleep steadily dropped down, and chatter slowed and then faded altogether as Ignis succumbed to Cor's warmth and began drifting.

A sudden kiss on his temple, and then Cor had pulled himself up to his feet, dragging Ignis along with him. Time to go then. Ignis would have regretted it if he didn't feel that it certainly wasn't his last time here.

A bit dazed and bleary then, when Cor led him to the car and pushed him inside.

When Cor started the engine and turned the heat on, he reached out and brushed Ignis' bangs out of his eyes, muttering, "Sorry to keep you out so late. I promise the next date I take you on will be a little more distinguished."

All he could do was turn his head to kiss Cor's palm, and reply, "You outdo yourself each time, Cor. No need. Simplicity is happiness."

Cor snorted, and teased, "With you? Hardly. Complexity is your very definition."

"Indeed. That's why I want a little simplicity. I think... Hm. My ideal date?"

Cor waited, rather impatiently, and when Ignis was quiet, he pressed, eagerly, "Yes? Do tell."

Enjoying Cor being on his toes for once, Ignis smiled and crooned, perhaps a bit sultrily, "I'd like to spend an evening with you in your home. I'll make dinner, and then perhaps we could enjoy a game of chess in front of a fire." To save a bit of face should he have pressed too far, Ignis quickly added, "Or perhaps my own apartment."

Cor smirked a little, and said, "Sounds all well and good, but sorry to disappoint, kiddo; I don't have a fireplace. Take it up with Titus."

Kiddo? How wonderfully informal.

It was Ignis who snorted at that, quipping, "I've already invested far too much time in the Marshal to go and switch to the Captain, however handsome he may be. So. Candlelight it is, then?"

Cor arched a brow in a rare moment of humor, and smiled. "I'll see what I can do. Just be aware that I will tell Titus you called him handsome. In case you receive more flowers."

"Noted."

The drive home was cheery, content. Cor reached out, from time to time, to briefly place his heavy hand stop Ignis' thigh, and Ignis would place his own hand atop it and trail his fingers over Cor's.

Cor's persistent and soft smile.

Ignis' apartment came far too soon, and when the car came to a stop, Cor immediately reached out and snatched Ignis' hand. Fingers intertwining within his own, and Cor leaned across the seat, until their shoulders were pressed together and their noses nearly brushed. A long, piercing stare, as Ignis smiled sleepily away, and suddenly Cor had pushed their heads together.

Lips right atop his ear.

And then a whisper, low and guttural, words he never thought he would hear from anyone, let alone Cor.

"I want to see you again. May I call on you tomorrow?"

Someone noticing his presence and requesting it.

Ignis took hold of Cor's coat, and replied, as Cor lingered there yet, "You may. And the day after that, and the one after that."

Cor's lips were still pressed in his ear as he teased, "Only those? I better make the most of it."

"If you're on your best behavior, perhaps you'll earn more."

A happy snort.

Lips on the side of his head then, a brief kiss that ended far too soon, and then Cor swept back, bowed his head, and Ignis stepped out of the warm car and into the freezing night air.

Ignis turned and watched the car, attempting to convey to Cor in his lingering how much he truly cared for that man, and Cor must have understood, for he closed his eyes briefly with another inclination of his head. Satisfied, Ignis turned and trotted back upstairs, as Cor waited down below until he saw that Ignis had made it to his door.

Ignis suppressed a squeal of glee, darted into his bedroom and threw himself quite literally onto his bed, burrowing under the covers and going straight to sleep, because he was very impatient for it to be tomorrow.

A brilliant night, in every possible way.

The stars that had been visible over Insomnia had seemed quite dull compared to Cor.