fourstrings | I'm gonna walk right across this town

I'm gonna walk right across this town

[ It is the evening of the last day of exams, and Ignis Scientia has no choice but to party. He's earned it, really, after a year of hard work and some blisteringly challenging exams which he suspects he's done well on nonetheless. So he goes, and he has fun. There's drinks, and dancing, and then more drinks in a different bar with a different sort of dancing. His friends seem determined to visit as many different bars in one evening as they can manage, which is fine by him. The brief walks from bar to bar serve as a kind of interlude in which everyone has to take a brief break from drinking, if not actually sober up.

As the evening wears on Ignis has his first blue drink ever and his first on-fire drink ever, a process for which he is handed a plastic straw and urged to imbibe the drink through it “quick, before it catches fire too”. He loses a button from the top of his shirt, recaptures his glasses after a small woman with hair dyed the bright orange of a free-range egg yolk puts them on and walks away, eats a chicken wing handed to him by a stranger and is dragged into the women's restroom in order to participate in an animated discussion about whether one of his friends should go home with the young man who is so clearly trying to convince her to do so. And it's fun, it really is, but the more he has to drink (and the more he dances, and the more he sees his friends making out with one another or people they've collected on the way, though he's too drunk to make that connection now and will be too embarrassed to do so once sober) the more he just misses Nocts. He receives only minimal bullying about leaving early, and the cab ride to Noct's apartment building – unfortunately – is not sufficient to sober him up. The result is that he's not remotely quiet when he lets himself into Noct's home, humming to himself as he makes multiple unsuccessful attempts to unlock the front door before finally getting it open, and loud when he calls out as he cheerfully steps inside, hair fallen down from its usual vertical style and a smear of glitter rubbed over one cheekbone. ]

Evening!

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[ okay, that's good. that's great. not touching ignis makes him feel less like he's about to combust at any moment, and focusing on a mundane task like grabbing a glass of water should give him enough time to steady himself again. so he nods, raking a hand absently through his already sleep-mussed hair as he turns to head down the hall of his apartment and grab some water.

glass? check. ice? check. water? check.

and now he's debating whether he should offer to brew a pot of coffee or something -- it is nearly 2AM, but isn't coffee supposed to help sober you up? ]

[ Noctis does a wonderful job preparing a glass of water. Ignis knows this because he follows him up the hall at a not-terribly stealthy distance, and if Noctis was flustered enough not to hear Ignis trailing after him any stealth advantage is surely ruined when Ignis comes up behind him, looping his arms around Noct's waist. ]

You were asleep, weren't you?

[ There's a mournful note in it, Ignis having only just realized that this is likely - and sadly it's not sue to the time, but the extra-rumpled state of Noct's hair. He presses his face into it, and then leans forward until his lips are directly next to Noct's ear. He's had a wonderful idea, and wonderful ideas like this should be whispered, yes? ]

Do you want to go back to bed?

[ You can hear his eyebrows waggling suggestively. ]

[ noctis has just settled on a plan involving thinking about emperor aldercept naked as a way of effectively killing his boner when ignis slides both arms around his waist and presses close. he jolts in surprise and very nearly fumbles the glass of water, just narrowly managing to avoid dropping it. ]

I, uh --

[ the two sides of his brain are engaged in a pretty fierce civil war, hang on. because half of him is convinced that this is just ignis' usual way of trying to fuss over him, made... extra friendly thanks to the alcohol. but the other half is starting to grasp the idea that ignis might actually be... hitting on him? and that's such an earth shattering revelation that he isn't even entirely sure how to deal with it, other than the usual routine of deer-in-the-headlights flustering. ]

... sure? [ manfully, he attempts to Do The Right Thing and shut down that... uh, offer? ] I think your bed's still made up from the last time you spent the night, so...

Oh, how convenient.

[ That sweetly innocent half of Noct is about to get a very rude awakening, because as pleasantly as Ignis says that - and he means it genuinely - his hands slip around to rest at Noct's waistband, and he nuzzles ever so gently at the shell of Noct's ear. ]

I was rather hoping you'd join me.

[ And if by some miracle of denial that isn't enough to clue Noctis in to the fact that Ignis is indeed making a pass at him, Ignis drops his face just a little lower and presses a kiss against Noct's jaw, just below his ear. ]

[ okay, having ignis' hands take up residence in the general vicinity of his waistband is already a Lot to process, but. then ignis hits him with that line, and follows it up with an actual kiss, and shit.

ignis is hitting on him.

... which noctis has absolutely no time to decide how he wants to respond to, because the startled little jerk that runs through him at the kiss is enough to make him drop the glass he's holding. and this time, his fumbling doesn't pay off in a successful catch -- it hits the ground with a shatter of glass, splashing ice cold water down his pantleg and over both their shoes. ]

Shit, sorry! [ it's excuse enough to wriggle himself out of ignis' hold, lunging for the paper towels like his life depends on cleaning up this mess. ] Dammit, hang on, I got it, I got it...

My fault entirely.

[ And for all that Ignis may be able to keep his voice level, he still wobbles dangerously when he kneels to help in collecting the shattered glass. He collects a large shard with the exaggerated care of a drunk person trying to will themselves sober, places it carefully on the countertop and then shifts to turn a smile on Noct. See? He's helping!

Unfortunately he's so focused on trying to smile at Noctis that he lists to the side, and when he plants his knee down to recapture his balance, the predictable occurs. ]

Oh, balls.

[ He moves back a touch, and gingerly pulls a curved - and now bloody - shard of glass from his knee. Rather unfairly, this hurts more than it did going in, and he frowns. ]

My trousers.

[ honestly, noctis is so used to ignis being an ultra-competent human being that it's hard to adjust to... drunk ignis. that's why he doesn't immediately assume the worst when ignis kneels down to help him, which... turns out to be a fatal mistake. ]

-- Ignis!

[ which is equal parts worry and oh god why, already lunging for the roll of paper towels he was planning to use to dry the floors. instead, a wad of them immediately gets pressed to the other man's knee, trying to apply the pressure to get the cut to stop bleeding. he's practiced healing magic before, but he's never had much luck unless he can infuse it into something else -- and naturally, he doesn't bother keeping the results of that sort of practice at his apartment. (it's hard to seriously injure yourself while napping or playing video games.) ]

Here, gimme a sec -- [ and he sweeps over the shattered glass with his boot, effectively scattering it all over the kitchen floor but managing to clear a space where he's sure that ignis can sit/kneel without managing to bleed to death. ] C'mon, you're usually the one telling me to be careful.

Sick of being careful.

[ This is delivered in a tone that Ignis incorrectly believes to be under his breath, and it certainly doesn't help with secrecy that his eyes are on Noct's face as he says it, flicking between his eyes and the concerned line of his mouth. Hes very close, and it would be terribly easy to place his hand over Noct's and just... lean in and kiss him. To bring their lips together in something he's imagined thousands of times before. For a moment a deeply serious expression settles on Ignis' face, and he takes a slow breath. Then... ]

It might be easier if you took my trousers off.

[ And then he smiles the wide, goofy, eye-scrunching smile that few people ever see and only Noct sees with any real frequency. ]

That was a joke.

Yeah, well... [ and even though his tone is exasperated, it’s still undeniably fond. it’s pretty hard to be mad at ignis when this is honestly all so out of character — it also feels like he’s dealing with a clumsy toddler instead of a grown ass man, so.

... although, right as he thinks that, ignis suggests that noctis take his pants off.

predictably, noctis splutters, feeling the heat flushing all the way up from his neck to the tips of his ears. and it doesn’t exactly help matters when ignis clarifies that it was supposed to be a joke, because it doesn’t erase the mental image he now has. of ignis. without pants. in his kitchen.

... bleeding, which kind of ruins the sexy factor. (but just a little bit.) ]

I’m saving it for the third date. [ with a snort, doing his best to play it cool despite the fact that he’s cherry red. ] I’m a romantic.

[ Oh, but that's charming, and any hope of hiding that is completely beyond Ignis' reach right now. A romantic. He'd like that, he thinks; to woo Noctis properly, take him on dates and bring him flowers and let him know how very special he is, how much looking out for him has become less a necessary part of Ignis' job and more an urge driven by a deep and complicated devotion. And so he reaches for Noct's hand, but what comes out of hims mouth is: ]

Three dates, hmm? We did go to the museum last week.

[ There's mischief in his eyes as he says it. It's another joke; it was the opening of a history exhibit, artifacts of old Solheim, and though Noctis had looked very handsome indeed in his suit it had been work for him, an obligation of his position. He'd been gracious and thoughtful and completely exhausted by the end of it, and every time Ignis lets his eyes drift to Noct's sleeping form as he drove him back to his apartment he'd felt his chest tighten with affection.

Even through the fog of too many drinks, joking about it is far easier than openly admitting to any of that. ]

If I make you some dessert, will this count for the second?

If that's your idea of a date, I'm already starting to rethink this relationship.

[ because joking about it seems safe enough -- he doesn't know much about dealing with drunk people, but if that whole thing about losing your memory pans out? ignis isn't likely to remember much (if any) of this, and noctis isn't about to be the one who reminds him.

still, the idea makes something warm in his chest. after all, his favorite part of the day had been the hour before the exhibit opened to the public, when ignis had taken him on a private tour of the artifacts to ensure that noctis would know enough about them if asked. there'd been something endearing about the earnest reverence in ignis' voice as he'd identified each piece and told noctis the story behind it, and noctis had been just as charmed by the way the tips of the other man's ears flushed red when noctis elbowed him in the side and called him a world-class nerd.

not a bad date, even if noct would never admit it. ]

Besides, if you think I'm letting you mess around in the kitchen right now, you're nuts. [ and that's all the warning ignis gets before noctis slides an arm around his shoulders and one underneath his knees, managing to heft him up into his arms in a bridal carry. it's... a little more awkward than impressive, especially considering the difference in their respective sizes, but it's better than letting ignis mortally injure himself in the pursuit of pastries. ] C'mon, Mr. Romance. You're sleeping this off.

Edited 2018-04-18 02:55 (UTC)

[ Noctis may not think it's impressive, but Ignis still gives a little "ooh!" as Noct lifts him, followed by chuckling warmly and wrapping his arms around Noct's shoulders.

Unfortunately, he also takes this as an opportunity to start listing things that would be better dates. Dates he's planned, in idle minutes of pure fantasy, accompanied by his counting them off on his fingers. ]

Walking through the park to the night market, dinner at that Galahdian skewer stall, then watching the fireworks display. Sneaking out past the wall with a thermos of hot chocolate to see the stars without all the city lights. [ and he raises his eyebrows again, because apparently tequila makes him completely incorrigible. ] Breakfast in bed?

[ when ignis talks to him like that, like all these dates are something he's planned out for ages, it's stupidly hard to remind himself that it's not just the drink talking. and it almost aches, because he'd like so very much to believe that it's real, but --

then ignis says breakfast in bed, and it's very fortunate that noctis doesn't drop him.

instead, he just snorts a laugh to cover up the way the words make him fluster, shaking his head a little as he moves into the bathroom of his room. he doesn't feel great about settling ignis down to bed without making sure that he takes a proper look at the cut on his leg, which means... awkward or not, the pants are probably going to have to go. ]

You're gonna have a hard time putting the moves on me if you bleed to death, Specs. You think you can let me take a look?

I could haunt you. There was an episode of that old science fiction show where the chief medical officer was haunted by a sexy ghost. And good for her, I say, Beverley dealt with a lot of crap on that ship.

[ But Noctis sets him down and Ignis obediently unfastens his belt and his trousers, apparently too busy fondly remembering television shows that aired before he was born to make much of a show of it. ]

He turned out to be an alien, though. A rather malicious one, in fact.

I can promise you I'm all human under here.

[... maybe not so well-behaved after all. He even hazards a wink, which is not his forte at the best of times, and in his current state probably looks more like a minor stroke than a sexy and flirtatious move. ]

[ noctis has maybe 2% of an idea what ignis is talking about, but it doesn't matter. focusing on the matter at hand is the best idea when he's helping to work ignis' pants down around his ankles, aggressively trying not to look at anything but his knee. ]

You're human, all right. Pretty sure robot butlers don't bleed this much. [ and then he's standing and rummaging through the medicine cabinet ignis always insists on keeping fully stocked, trying to call to mind every bit of combat medicine gladio ever crammed into his head. ]

[ The robot butler joke is not a new one, but Ignis chuckles anyway as he kicks his trousers off completely. They felt silly, just hanging there. ]

Beep boo-fuck.

[ The quiet, hissed curse is because Ignis, in his drunken wisdom, has taken Noct's temporary absence as an excuse to investigate the wound on his own - a process which rather stupidly involves placing his thumbs either side of the wound and pulling to investigate how deep the cut is. Rather deep, as it happens - the skin pulls apart and offers a somewhat alarming glimpse before it fills with blood again, and hurts like the dickens besides. ]

Butterfly stitches, I think. They should be... hm. Well, they should be in there, even if I don't quite recall where.

[ okay, fuck, he is not going to practice that particular skill on ignis. he's only had a couple of lessons at it with gladio -- enough to keep himself alive in a pinch, but there hadn't been much point in focusing on specifics when magic was expected to do the brunt of the heavy lifting. ]

I'm -- I can't --

[ shit. ] Listen, I'm gonna try something, okay? Just hang tight.

[ because healing magic isn't his thing; it runs in his bloodline, but the true power of it has always resided within the oracle. still, ignis needs his help, and he's never tried tapping into the power when it's a situation like this. so... he presses both hands over the wound, ignoring the warm stickiness of blood against his palms, and closes his eyes. tries to reach into that place inside him where all the magic comes from, shifts aside the more familiar channels to the armiger and his elemancy, and...

nothing.

but he pushes down on the frustration before it can distract him, and digs deeper. leans forward until his forehead is resting against his hands, summoning up the mental images of luna he keeps tucked away, safe and secret. the sound of her voice as she told him stories about the gods, the way she always smelled of sylleblossoms when they'd sit close together, and... the touch of her hands, cool and gentle against his skin, spilling warm golden light into the poisonous scars left by the marilith.

he thinks about their last letters, when he'd spilled out just how much he cared about ignis. how scary it was to admit that he wanted to be more than just friends, all the hundreds of little reasons why he liked him so much it made his chest ache. and he thinks about how sweetly she'd advised him to follow his heart; how a friend like ignis wasn't likely to leave his side regardless of how he might feel in turn, and how dearly she wanted noctis to be happy.

and just like that, it's almost as if some searching part of him brushes against some glittering piece of her, tucked deeply inside. he can feel the magic spill out of him before he can even think to control it, and he opens his eyes just in time to see the last of a warm golden light fading away from his clasped hands. when he lifts his hands away, the skin underneath is bloody but whole, and --

he doesn't even get a second to congratulate himself before the force of expending even that little bit of unfamiliar magic takes a bite out of him, making him drop back flat on his ass as the world tilts unevenly beneath him. ]

[Noct's magic feels wonderful. He's felt it before, of course - little hints of it doing the necessary to draw weapons from the armiger, the training that will one day lead to them being able to fight tighter than any normal unit, and to draw on Noct's magic to wield elemental spells. This is nothing like that - it's a warm, golden thing, liquid honey spilling through him, making him feel safe and valued. Cherished. When Noct's hands pull away and Ignis looks to his knee, the wound is gone, and his voice is a whisper of awe - ]

Highness -

[ before Noct falls to the floor and all that wonder hardens into concern. Ignis moves quickly, worry seeming to sober him up in rather a hurry as he managed not to collapse on Noctis as he moves to his side. He fits himself behind Noct's back instead, taking the weight of his body, hands stroking over his arms. ]

Are you alright, Noct? Sorry, silly question. What can I do to help?

[ Given his behaviour so far tonight - this morning, really - putting his trousers back on might be a start, but he's not that sober. ]

I'm cool, I'm cool, I just --

[ which is right about the time his mind catches up to the fact that he's very nearly in ignis' arms, and that the other man still isn't wearing pants. so whatever he's about to say is lost to a little flustering noise, feeling the heat bloom upwards from the nape of his neck all the way to the tips of his ears. ]

... got dizzy for a sec, no big deal. [ and if his voice is about two octaves higher than usual, he's praying that ignis is too drunk to notice. ]

I'd argue that it's a very big deal indeed. That was beautifully done.

[ He'd be brimming with pride anyway, but with all the alcohol coursing through him it's magnified to a frankly ridiculous degree. He wraps an arm around Noct's shoulders from behind, cradling him, and presses a kiss into his hair - not the faintly lecherous kiss of earlier when he still thought he had a shot at talking Noctis into bed, but something born solely of pride and affection. Noctis healed him. Noctis drew on his healing magic, for him. No vile energy drinks necessary. He sighs happily for a moment before he releases Noct and moves to wet a washcloth, returning to wipe the blood from Noct's hands with only a bare minimum of weaving in his steps. ]

After that, I think we definitely need to get you into bed.

Hey.

[ which as much of a protest as he can manage, letting ignis wipe his hands clean like he's a toddler with jam on his fingers. ] I'm s'posed to be the one taking care of you.

You did! You did very well.

[ He beams at Noctis, carefully wiping his hands clean before he gives his own bloody but miraculously healed knee a desultory swipe and throwing the cloth aside to clasp Noct's hand in his own. He means to use it to help Noct up, but he can't resist just holding it for a moment. ]

One day I'll work up the courage to tell you what I want is for us to take care of each other. One day when I'm not pissed, and you'll believe me. Come on, up we get.

[ oh.

it's probably stupid for something like that to have such a profound effect on him, but he feels the heat flush into his cheeks all over again. it seems very unfair that ignis can undo him with such a simple sentiment, but... it's such an earnest thing that it twists his chest into knots. ]

Yeah, I'd -- [ with a touch of shyness in his voice. ] ... I'd like that too.

[ and if he keeps his hold on ignis' hand even after he's been safely helped back to his feet? it's important to make sure that ignis doesn't lose his balance and stumble, that's all! ]

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I'm gonna walk right across this town

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