the longer the waiting, the sweeter the kiss

[blindsider]

[ There are probably men on death row who approach the days preceding their execution with less gravity.

In his defense, it certainly doesn't help that Noctis is giving him a daily countdown. After Ignis had received the king's blessing to begin a relationship with Noct (conveniently leaving out the part about Noct having put the moves on him after downing rather a lot of champagne and ditching the gentleman she was supposed to be spending time with, though the knowing look on His Majesty's face suggested he knew perfectly well what had transpired) he'd suspected that if things progressed to the point of becoming intimate there would be a conversation about birth control during which Noct said "I know" a lot and they couldn't quite make eye contact. Instead, Noctis had put down her controller one day and hit him with "Specs, can you give me a ride to the pharmacy? I need to fill my prescription for the pill". He'd dropped his ladle into the pot of soup he'd been preparing, requiring the brief delay of Ignis changing his shirt before they went out. At the time he'd admired her initiative and the adult way she went about it, merely setting a repeating alarm in her phone to remind her to take it. He almost regrets that confidence now, particularly after she turned to him at the conclusion of a meting and said, slyly, "six days" in full hearing of Clarus Amicitia, and then left the room without him.

Yesterday had been "Tomorrow, Specs", and he's been in a tizzy ever since. Ignis likes to think he would have wanted the first time to be special no matter who it was with, but there's a certain weight to it when that person is a) the princess royal, and b) someone you've been preparing to give a shovel talk over since you were twelve. Ignis knows he would never intentionally hurt Noct, emotionally or otherwise, but his energies have been otherwise directed towards fretting over making things absolutely perfect. Noct has a meeting that doesn't require Ignis' presence - by her design, he suspects - and that has given him time to make preparations. He's freshly showered, wearing his hair down in the way he knows she prefers. The bed is made up with fresh sheets, and nearly every available flat surface in her bedroom is covered in ivory candles of varying shapes and sizes to provide a soft, romantic glow to the room. There's champagne in a bucket of ice, which is more there for an attempt at a humorous callback to the evening of their confessions than to provide dutch courage. There is, additionally, a large crystal bowl of roses set next to the bed. In a fit of romantic foolishness he'd purchased full-blown red roses with the intention of scattering the petals over the bed, but his hand had been stayed by the realization that Noct would likely laugh at the sight of them and that rose petals are probably a lot less romantic when you've having to peel them off your bodies and hoover them up afterwards. They're pretty, though, and the scent is pleasant but unobtrusive, so it seemed a shame to get rid of them.

Now there's nothing to do but wait. He paces a lot, not wanting to crease his clothes by sitting. He's right at the point of wondering if it's too late to take up biting his nails or smoking when he hears the door. ]

Comments

[blindsider]

[ She moves towards him in a way that feels just a little like stalking, like he's the luckiest anak calf in the world being eyed up by a coeurl, and he's not even thinking about it when his hands settle on her waist. ]

You are -

[ beautiful, wonderful, the best thing that's ever happened to Ignis. The best thing that's ever happened to anybody, surely. ]

- a menace, highness. An absolute terror.

[linkstrike]

And you're a hopeless romantic.

[ but the way she's smiling makes it impossible to find any sting in her words. and if there is, then the way she pulls him down for a kiss, gentle and sweet, is certainly more than enough to soothe it. ] A ridiculous sap.

[ then her smile softens even more, turning a little to take in the room all over again. the candles, the champagne, the roses. all set up with what she knows must've been the utmost care and attention, as if she were some lovely prize to be wooed and won and then spoiled utterly. ] It's beautiful, Specs.

[blindsider]

[ The kiss is more than enough to repair the ruin of Ignis' calm, and when she turns he keeps his arms looped about her, nuzzles his face into the dark silk of her hair. ]

I may have gotten a little carried away. If you're as serious about your little countdown as I thought you were - [ and is now convinced that she wasn't, which a man not quite so foolishly in love might take very hard indeed ] - well. I wanted it to be special.

[linkstrike]

[ the mention of her countdown is enough to make her laugh, giving one of the arms he has looped around her an affectionate little squeeze. ]

Y'know... I actually thought you'd take more convincing, that's all. [ and she twists a little, just enough to beam up at him. ] This matches my timeline perfectly.

[blindsider]

[ I thought you'd take more convincing, she says, and Ignis laughs - not a little chuckle, but something rich and full of affection. Bloody hell. ]

Hardly. I've been ready for this for longer than I care to admit.

[ And it's mostly affection, not embarrassment, that has him guiding her hips until he can move her back to him fully so he can kiss her. This time it's a slow thing, as full of want as it is adoration. He threads a hand into her hair, cradling the back of her head even after he pulls back. ]

I wanted to make sure we were as safe as possible. If I was so focused on those details that I let you think for even a moment that I wasn't as interested as I could have been... well, I look forward to convincing you otherwise.

[linkstrike]

[ his answer is enough to make her smile stretch that much wider, even as he leans down to press their mouths together. and when he pulls back, she's left a little breathless from it -- dizzy in the best of ways, heart fluttering in her chest. ]

That sounds like a promise. [ and she pulls him down to her for another kiss, nipping playfully at his lower lip before she pulls away again. ] ... but, y'know, I appreciated the other stuff, too.

[ reaching up to cradle one of his cheeks in her hand, stroking a thumb gently along his cheekbone. ] Even if you do worry too much, it's okay. It's like... one of your weird Ignis ways of saying you love me.

[blindsider]

I do love you. More than I can possibly say.

[ And the fact that she understands so well only makes him love her more, makes him smile until his eyes crinkle at the corners, full of love for her. He's happy, so happy he's full to bursting with it, and even the gentle tease about making promises can't throw him now. Inexperienced as he is in this particular field he may not be able to give her the mindblowing experience of ecstasy she deserves, but they can learn together - and that, he thinks, may actually be better.

And if he has a few tips courtesy of fevered internet searches that required an immediate scrubbing of his browser history once the knowledge was retained, well, that's only reasonable preparation. ]

Thank you. For understanding. Nothing has ever been as important to me as you, Noct.

[linkstrike]

And I love you too, Specs.

[ stepping backwards a little, counting on his arms still around her to help tug him gently towards the bed. it's still something of a marvel that she's allowed to say the words to him so easily -- even moreso when he says them back, as warm and natural as the sun rising at dawn.

... still, she can't resist teasing him. just a little. ]

More important than cooking? More important than coeurl-print? More important than... [ pausing for emphasis, though the effect is pretty much ruined by giggling. ] ... your backup pair of specsacles?

[blindsider]

[ A callback to when she was three is the sort of thing that should probably put a damper on his ardor, but it just warms him through. It's a reminder of just how long they've been together, in one way or another; woven into each other's lives, constant and close. He lets himself be steered, goes easily with her to the bed. ]

More important than all the books in the world. More than vegetables. More than manners.

[ It's a joke! A terrible one, as it turns out, because it only serves to remind him that he has reservations at three different restaurants made with the intent of letting her take her pick. Of course, if he tries to cancel them now it might take a little weight out of what he's saying. ]

[linkstrike]

Oooh.

[ and her eyes light up at the last one, every bit of that mischief from earlier returning to her expression. it's an easy enough thing to turn him until his back is towards the bed when he's showing her no resistance, both her hands splayed on his chest. ]

Does that mean I don't have to say please? [ and down he goes with a push! but she's quick enough to follow after him, pouncing with another laugh. ] Or thank you?

[blindsider]

Not to me, love.

[ It's true. Not because he's so slavishly devoted that he doesn't care, but because he already knows it. It would take... significant practice for Ignis to break himself of the habit after all his training, but he reads all the please he needs in the shape of her eyes when she asks for something, hears thank you in the contented way she sighs at his cooking. He settles his hands on her hips again just as soon as she takes her position on the bed, lets his fingers trail up under the hem of her tshirt and over soft, warm skin. ]

[linkstrike]

[ she hums a pleased little sound as his fingers find her bare skin, arching up into the touch like a cat being stroked in a favorite spot. ]

Does that mean you wouldn’t like hearing it? Even if I was like... [ and she lets her voice go soft and breathy, lashes fluttering. ] Please, Ignis, yes, Ignis...!

[blindsider]

[ She's teasing him. He knows she's teasing him, knows she's making a joke, and that's fine! It's an important and beautiful part of their relationship! However, when she says that it's all a bit too much for him. The breathy sound of her voice, the fact that they're on her bed, the feeling of her skin under his fingertips and the memory of that kiss lingering on his lips.

She's making a joke, and he's getting hard.

He gives her a flat look, the effect of which is damaged somewhat by the faint flush in his cheeks. ]

If I can get you to say please I'll probably have to retire as your advisor and start touring the world giving talks on how to achieve the impossible.

[linkstrike]

[ she wrinkles her nose at the idea of him retiring, sitting up a little to tell him firmly that he better not get any ideas about leaving. but the change of position allows her to feel the way he's already starting to get hard beneath her, and her expression brightens with mischievous interest. ]

Bet you could find a way to make me say please. [ and she rocks back onto his hips, the shift subtle enough to be innocuous. ] If you gave me something good enough.

[blindsider]

[ Noct shifts over him in a way that he'd think was simply resettling if it weren't for the positively impish light in her eyes, and Ignis can't help but make a quiet noise in response, his own hips twitching up in response. It's a tiny movement, but still enough to be slightly embarrassing. He tries to distract her with the movement of his hands instead, letting his thumbs dip under the waistband of her sweats to run over her hipbones. ]

Now there's a goal worth striving for.

[linkstrike]

[ it's impossible to miss that little movement from where she's sitting, and the next roll of her hips is slower, more purposeful. they're both still fully clothed, but the way the movement makes him rub up against her is still enough to make her next breath catch -- there's something thrilling about just knowing that she's turning him on, that he wants her. ]

Mm. You're the one who always says how important it is to -- [ another slow grind of their hips together, and this time that tease of friction is enough to make her gasp. ] ... have a goal, right?

[blindsider]

[ That movement and the sound she makes is more than enough to take him from half-hard to fully hard. He lets one hand slip upwards, tracing over the stretch of her waist and curve of her ribcage, hesitating only a moment before he slips it up to cup lightly over her breast. ]

True. Though you've opened me up to the benefits of following one's heart when it matters.

[linkstrike]

[ she hums a sound in response to that, arching up into his touch as if to encourage more. it's a simple point of contact, but just the feeling of his hand on her bare skin is enough to make it good. ]

Yeah? So what's your heart telling you to do?

[blindsider]

[ None of this is going how he'd planned, but somehow it's all the better for it. Relaxed and joking, comfortable in each others' presence. So he smiles at her, toys with the hem of her top. ]

Something's telling me to take this off, though to be completely honest with you I'm not sure it's my heart.

[linkstrike]

Well, I don't wanna disappoint whatever part of your anatomy is doing the talking.

[ ... although it's pretty easy to talk a big game and quite another to actually go about doing it. which is why she hesitates shyly for a moment with her fingers still fiddling with the hem of her shirt, cheeks tinting pink as she works up the nerve. it's not like she doesn't think ignis doesn't know what she looks like, and she'd have to be dumb to think he doesn't want her, but...

she knows that she's not hiding the kind of body that belongs to the women in gladio's magazines, that's all! and there's a brief flicker of doubt that ignis might see her for the first time in this light and be disappointed --

but noctis shakes off the thought and yanks her shirt up and over her head, stripping off the sports bra underneath right along with it. it's a struggle to resist the urge to cross her arms over her chest, but she manages, trying to puff herself up in a show of confidence. ]

So? What's your heart telling you now?

[blindsider]

[ Her body language is enough to communicate that she's hesitant about it, if not nervous, and Ignis is just about ready to tell her she doesn't have to - that he'll turn all the lights out and make love fully clothed under the covers, if that's what it takes to make her comfortable - but then her eyes take on a shine of determination he's familiar with, and she whisks her shirt and bra up and off before he can speak -

and then he can't, for a moment. She's like something from an old Solheim painting, pale and perfect, her breasts small and high and her hair spilling around her in a fall of silk. Rude as it is to stare, he can't help himself, feeling his cheeks shading with a flush as he tries to remember how to breathe. ]

Oh, much the same as it was before. That I'm the luckiest man alive.

[linkstrike]

Gross. [ but it's obvious from her voice that she's pleased, even if she bites down on the inside of her cheek to hide her grin. ] You're just a big sap, that's all.

[ then she leans forward a little, hair spilling over one of her shoulders like a veil made of night sky and silk. ] ... a big overdressed sap.

[ which she punctuates by plucking the top button of his shirt loose, her grin going crooked and playful. ]

[blindsider]

[ Noct leans forward, her hair spilling over her shoulder, and Ignis suddenly wants very badly to feel it against his skin. It makes him hasty to obediently pop the rest of his buttons free and prop himself up enough to skin out of his shirt, and then the next natural step is to wrap an arm around her bare waist - always tiny, but more obviously so now it's bared - and pull her in close for a kiss.

That feeling - being skin-to-skin when their mouths meet, is electric, and the quiet noise that curls out of his throat is a breathless, needy thing. ]

[linkstrike]

[ the speed at which he moves to obey her makes noctis laugh, a delighted little sound that melts into a gasp as he draws her closer and seals their mouths together. it's not the first time he's kissed her, but it's the first time they've kissed like this -- skin against skin with absolutely nothing in between. and it adds a new level of intimacy to it; she skims her fingers along the broad planes of his shoulders and hums at the feeling of warm skin, dizzy with all this uncharted territory to discover.

she was shy a moment ago, but the feeling is quick to fade -- and in its place comes desire, excitement, and a warm little thrill that shoots up her spine and leaves her dizzy. ]

[blindsider]

[ All of Ignis' previous insistence that they not go too far is vindicated in the sudden evidence that Noct is just as excited by this as Ignis is. The feeling of her small, strong hands over his shoulders is intoxicating, and he lifts a hand to comb his fingers through her hair, letting it fall softly over her skin and his before he finally pulls back to smile at her, stupid and soft with love. ]

You're so beautiful, Noct.

[linkstrike]

[ she snorts at that, cheeks flushing a dark pink and chin dipping shyly. he's far too earnest about it for her to be able to believe that he's just saying it for the sake of saying it; there's a conviction in his voice that makes her believe he really means it, and she wants him to say it again and again in the same way that she wants to punch him in the shoulder and tell him to shut up. ]

You might need to get your prescription checked. [ trying to play it off like a joke, reaching up to fiddle with his glasses. ] I'm not sure these things are working.

[blindsider]

Don't malign my specsacles.

[ Still smiling, he reaches up to take them off, but instead of setting them aside he tucks the arms over her ears. They're too wide on her smaller face, but the fact that one of his eyebrows twitches up minutely is either evidence that she's so stunning she can carry off any look or evidence that Ignis is so smitten he'll adore anything on her. However, he did have a point. ]

You know as well as I do that I barely need the things. My vision is adequate without them. It follows, then, that I am not a man who would settle for adequate.

Particularly not if it would deprive me of the opportunity to see you more clearly.