Darn it, late on the update again! Oh well...at least it's here now.
I was at my friend's house for the weekend, so writing was pretty slow.
Have to say though, I'm really enjoying writing this. The romance and drama just gets to me. XD
Thank you to all of my supporters, as always!
Also, swearing and slight...suggestion? XD Hope you enjoy!
To his surprise, Ignis noticed just how late it was getting.
Orange light started to seep through the trees, casting long shadows across the racetrack. Only this time, he didn't feel like a part of the shadows.
The woman in his arms could drive away any darkness, no matter when or how; all she had to do was just be there. However, despite it being so easy, she was leaving anyway...and he couldn't understand why for the life of him.
Nothing really made sense about it: there was no way back home to where she came from, and she wanted to stay...but something was keeping her from doing so. What that thing is must be important.
Hopefully, everything would be made clear tonight.
Ignis couldn't help but smile upon hearing the headhead's quiet, steady breathing. She had already fell asleep upon his shoulder, most likely wiped from having to travel on her own for the past few days.
He was certain that Dawn was gone forever after she had turned her back on him. yet here she was...right in his own arms. Whether it was fate or just dumb luck, he was grateful to be next to her once more, even if for only a day. There was still some things they needed to say to one another...and Ignis woudn't feel at peace until those things were said.
As he approached the starting line, a pang of worry suddenly hit him: What exactly would his brothers think, seeing Dawn all cuddled up and sleeping in his arms? He dreaded the comments and teasing already...a headache waiting to happen.
He would just have to deal with it. He wasn't about to let Dawn go...not yet.
The familiar vivid blonde hair came rushing towards them upon noticing their arrival, his high-pitched voice breaking the calming atmosphere. "Heeey! There you are! Man...we were so worried about you guys!" Yelled Prompto.
The Prince was behind him, wearing a look of concern. "What happened? Are you guys okay?"
"We're both alright." Ignis responded, a little quieter than normal to keep from waking Dawn. "Miss Spectrum fell off of her Chocobo, the creature falling on her in the process..."
Prompto gasped. "...Is she really okay? Chocobos are pretty heavy, you know..." He looked at the sleeping redhead.
The brunette nodded. "I am certain. It retreated soon after falling, so she seems to have avoided any serious injury."
"Whew...that's good at least."
"So...she's just sleeping?" Said Noctis, having caught up with his blonde friend.
"Yes. Poor thing is absolutely bushed." Ignis walked past them, towards the shiny Regalia. "It would be best to let her rest for a while."
Both Noctis and Prompto looked at each other for a brief second, and nodded.
"Yeah. Sure." Said the dark-haired Prince.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached the group, wide and heavy. Everyone, even Ignis, was shocked to see who it was.
"What happened?" The deeper, gruff voice reaching everyone's ears.
"U-um...Dawn...fell off of her Chocobo. She's resting now." Prompto responded.
Gladiolus crossed his huge arms, eyebrows furrowed. "I see. Hope she's okay."
Hearing Gladio's concern was even more shocking to the rest of the group. After attacking her and seemingly turning his back, he was worried about Dawn?
Noctis was first to speak about it. "So much for her being a fraud, huh?" He said.
"Don't get me wrong, I still don't really trust her. But that doesn't mean she deserves to die."
The blonde smirked at him. "Aw, I knew you'd come around, big guy!" He said, also giving him a small punch in the arm.
"Tch. What did I just say?" Gladio somewhat rolled his eyes at the younger man, knowing full well that there would be a misunderstanding.
Ignis rejoined the group, his arms now empty. "I suggest we find the Chocobos before there's trouble. However, someone needs to keep an eye on her. There's no telling what the Empire would do if they found her in our car, alone."
As if on cue, all three men looked at each other, then back at the advisor. It almost seemed scripted.
"What? Did I say something?" The brunette looked back at them in confusion.
Prompto put a hand on his shoulder. "Um, we all know that's gonna' be you, Iggy." He said, grinning.
Ignis's face turned slightly red. "And how do you make that assumption?"
"Oh! Uhhh...just a hunch!" The blonde responded in a panic, suddenly sprinting the other direction. "Have fun!" He laughed as he got further away from the group.
"We'll be back later. Don't do anything too crazy, Specs." Noctis followed suit, winking at his brother before running to catch up with his retreating friend.
Gladiolus just gave a small, quick wave of the hand. "See ya'." He said.
With that, Ignis was left alone with the redhead, wondering what had just occured in the last few moments. However, he really didn't mind.
Not one bit.
Sighing, he returned to the ever-familiar front seat of the Regalia, next to where he had set down the resting woman. She sat comfortably in the passanger's seat, still in the exact position he had left her in.
Ignis had seen Dawn retire to her own tent on the nights she was with them, but he had never actually seen her asleep. Honestly, he felt like a creep, watching the redhead like that...be he couldn't help it. She looked to peaceful, like nothing could wake her.
He noticed her shiver as a cool breeze flowed by, slight goosebumps appearing on her pale skin. Being in his arms for a while must have gotten her used to the body heat...making her cold with the absence of it.
The brunette walked towards the back of the car, opening the trunk. There must be something in here he could use...
After a minute of searching through the mess that was the Regalia's trunk, he finally returned to the driver's seat with a blanket in tow. Nothing too fancy, but it certainly did its job well.
Dawn only moved slightly as Ignis entered the vehicle, settling down next to her.
"Here you are." He whispered, though he wasn't quite sure why he did. She couldn't even hear him right now.
He gently veiled the blanket onto her body, making sure there would be no need to fumble with it afterwards.
The redhead's face soon relaxed again, no longer chilled by the bothersome wind. Her hands slightly gripped the new source of warmth, pulling it closer.
He silently wondered if she was dreaming. From the looks of it, she either wasn't or was having a good dream. Hopefully it was the latter of the two.
Maybe she could be dreaming about him...like he has done with her. There have been a few nights where he actually dreamed about Dawn one way or another; whether it was a nightmare or a good dream.
Tonight would probably be the dealbreaker; once he knew the whole truth, he would then decide to either ask her to stay...or let her go. He really wanted Dawn to go with him and his friends, since she had nowhere else to stay. That, and another reason...
If she absolutely desired to leave, however...he wouldn't stop her. The whole decision was hers alone. All he was really asking for was the truth.
The brunette studied her face for a moment. In actuality, she was the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on, fairy or not.
The color of her hair was the most vivid red he had ever seen, her deep, forest green eyes complimenting it perfectly...a look befitting a supernatural fairy.
The whole fairy thing didn't bother him either somehow. She was an alien, yet she was just like every other person here. In fact, it didn't matter if she was an alien, a bug, an animal, or anything of the sort...Dawn was still Dawn.
And that was all that mattered to him.
Suddenly, Ignis did something so out of character that he might as well consider himself another person entirely.
Still looking at the redhead, he slowly leaned in, his face getting closer and closer to hers. A strong heat was radiating off of her skin, which was something weird he noticed lately. Every time he touched her, it was like standing next to a fire. Fire...a lot like her spirit.
The brunette closed his eyes as he felt his lips connect with the woman's smooth, pale cheek. His heart started beating faster.
He sat there, kissing Dawn's cheek for a few fleeting moments before finally breaking contact. His eyes now opened again, now looking at the spot he dared to touch with his mouth.
Still in some sort of trance, he whispered to her again. "Sweet dreams, Dawn." He said.
As he pulled away, back into his own space, he suddenly saw a reaction from the fairy. For a second, he was afriad he had woken her up, but was soon relieved as he realized what she was actually doing.
Dawn was smiling.
Although the reaction was positive, Ignis couldn't really believe what he just did.
Did he seriously just kiss Dawn? In her sleep?
He pushed up his glasses with a gloved hand, sighing once more. He wasn't quite sure what had gotten into him...the redhead would be furious if she knew.
Then again...she was smiling...maybe she actually likes it?
Either way...Ignis felt like an idiot.
A couple hours passed before Dawn finally awoke from her slumber. Deep green eyes at first took their time to open, but soon picked up the pace as the redhead realized what just happened.
Somehow, she had passed out in Ignis's arms...without even knowing it.
Her surroundings also became clear as her mind registered more and more; she had ended up back in the Regalia.
"Did he being me here?" She thought to herself. "And...with this...blanket?"
Pale hands explored the fabric, feeling its soft texture. She knew full well that the brunette was considerate and gentleman-ly, but this act of kindness seemed...different. More than just mere manners.
Dawn nearly facepalmed herself after realizing something else. "The others must have seen me asleep like that...great, more Sleeping Beauty jokes for me..."
"Miss Spectrum, I see you are awake." That smooth, accented voice interuppted her thoughts.
The woman yelped as Ignis was suddenly standing next to the car, with some sort of object resting in his hands.
"GAH! Goodness, Iggy...you scared the shit outta' me." Replied Dawn with slight embarrassment.
"Apologies. How was your nap?"
"Oh, um...it was nice. But...where is everyone else?" She said, scanning the surrounding area for any sign of the other boys.
"They went to find our missing Chocobos. I had stayed behind to watch over you." Replied the brunette as he entered the driver's seat, next to her.
Dawn's eyebrows furrowed. "I should be the one looking for them...it was my fault they ran away."
The team's advisor shook his head in response. "Nonsense. You were the one hurt. Besides...it was an accident."
"I guess..."
She felt something touch her hand.
"Here. Maybe this will lift your spirits?"
Dawn grabbed the object, now actually noticing what it was. "Some sort of...cake?" It was some sort of dessert-looking object on a small circular plate. The food, too, was circular, and had the spongy look that a cake did.
"Correct. It's carrot cake, made with the ingredients we recently picked up. I thought you would appreciate the sweet yet, how should I describe...'earthy' flavor."
The woman inspected the dessert, seeing the indeed slight orange hue that matched the color of a carrot. "Huh...interesting. What's the occasion?"
Ignis grinned, remembering where it originated. "I promised to make you something special tonight, didn't I?"
Dawn's eyes widened as she suddenly recalled the moment as well. "That's right...you did! Right after I...uh..." She stuttered in embarrassment over doing such a childish and idiotic thing while being half-asleep.
"Well, congratulations. You have succesfully flattered me enough to do your bidding." He laughed, pulling out a fork from his jacket. "You must feel powerful now, Miss Spectrum."
Feeling less embarrassed upon seeing him so lighthearted about it, the redhead laughed along. "Heh, maybe I do. You may seem all tough and levelheaded, but I know you're just a big ol' teddy bear on the inside, Iggy."
She took the silverware from her companion, their hands touching for a moment. Despite it lasting for only a second, it sent sparks through her system. The fork cut out a sliver of the cake, more of the orange color showing.
It seemed really strange how carrots could be made into a sweet dessert. They weren't sweet at all, and came from the ground...the woman made one last inspection before putting the sliver of the cake into her mouth.
"Well?" Asked Ignis, watching her taste his creation he worked hard to make.
It was amazing. It wasn't the usual sickly sweetness that a cake normally had...it was just right. The 'earthy' flavor that he mentioned went with the sweet flavor in complete harmony. Not too much, not too little.
"Woah...that's some awesome cake, Ignis." She replied after swallowing the bite. "I really don't get how you do this so damn well."
"I suppose it comes naturally to me." The brunette chuckled. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."
"You seriously need to make this again."
"I shall remember that." He said, taking out his personal notebook and jotting down a few notes. "I will make as much as you desire."
Dawn smiled mid-bite, enjoying the cake, kindness, and the company. She was glad it was Ignis who stayed behind with her instead of any of the other boys. Not that she didn't like their company as well, but...you know.
Speaking of the boys, they suddenly came into view as Dawn was finishing her gift. The brunette exited the car, meeting them halfway.
"How did it go?" He asked, back to his serious self.
"Got em' back to the guy in one piece." Said Noctis, who was leading the group. "Just in time, too."
Prompto spoke immediately after the Prince. "Yeah! Now that's some people cleared out, it's time for the show!" He looked past their cook, gazing at the fiery woman sitting in the Regalia. "Well, I mean...if Dawn is up for it."
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I guess now is as good a time as any." She replied, setting down her now empty plate and fork, exiting the car with the blanket draped over the seat.
"Are you certain?" Said Ignis, turning to look at her.
"Yes. It's about time you guys knew the truth."
The fairy went the other direction, towards the area that the brunette had pointed out earlier that day. It didn't seem like anyone else was around.
The boys shrugged and followed her into the patches of foliage, out into the small clearing that was surrounded by trees and bushes.
Dawn stood at the center nervously, her hands starting to sweat. This was the make or break moment they had all been waiting for. This would prove to them that she was from another world, as well as the reasoning for her absence. This would either save her friendship with Gladio, or destroy it altogether.
There was no telling how they would react...how Ignis would react. Letting him on like this was pretty cruel...they seemed to be having something together, but now all of a sudden she had to throw it all away.
All over some stupid vision that might not even exist.
Hopefully he would understand...she just couldn't take the risk; his life was more important.
Maybe...in some other life...they could be together.
Dawn faced the men, now standing and watching her a few feet away. They looked at her in curiosity and wonder as she lifted her arms into the night air.
Her eyes met with Ignis's.
"Here goes nothing..." She thought.
The fire burst out of her hands, the flames circling her arms.
Oh boy, here we go. Moment of truth...sort of. XD