#animakupo writing

[animakupo]

Dearest Heart (Ravus x Reader)

COME ONE COME ALL TO SOME RAVUS FLANGST BROUGHT TO YOU BY A LAMEASS (me) AS REQUESTED BY @aeciru !!!!!!

From the prompt list:

#8: “I don’t need you anymore.”

#20: “Please don’t hurt me like this.”

#59: “You own my heart.”

I did all aforementioned prompts despite having the option to choose just one because there just isn’t enough love for Ravus ok!!!!! I took the liberty to adjust the prompts accordingly to fit with the dialogue though.

ALSO. BOY OH BOY WAS WRITING THIS A CHALLENGE. Ravus and Luna speak in a really eloquent and flowery manner, so I did my best apply such a style and drop contractions here and there whenever I saw fit. I went back and forth with several sections here just to beef up the story and make the relationship and history with Rea more developed and fluid. (((((idk why but i felt pressured to do our boye real good)))))) (i hope i delivered)

(keeping just ravus in character is hard okkkkk)

Speaking of!!!! I read that smol Ravus was actually really nice and kind, so I wrote him as such in the beginning. He becomes the Giant Angst Bean™ that we all know and love later on.

Title was inspired by @birdsandivory who often tags posts relating to their s/o as “dearest heart.” I thought it was the most DARLING thing ever, so I hope you don’t mind that I took that as inspiration!!

Tagging @thatoneawkwardfanthing and @lokewight who asked to be tagged!

i hope you all enjoy this ; w ; 

word count: 5.3k+ words, fluff and angst, soft Ravus and hard Ravus (not sexual ok), spoilers for Kingsglaive

Growing up within the walls of House Nox Fleuret was a privilege that not many were privy to. Luckily for you, your family maintained close ties to the royal family of Tenebrae, thus granting you access to the more personal side of the Nox Fleuret family.

Though you were shy, your parents insisted that you befriend the Nox Fleuret siblings as a show of goodwill. Something about “maintaining peace,” or whatever it was the adults often talked about.

When you were first brought to Tenebrae to meet the nation’s royal family, you were in awe of the region’s majestic architecture — was that an actual castle? — and its signature blue flora, the sylleblossom. Fenestala Manor blew you away in particular, so you were all the more enlivened when your parents explained that this would be your new living quarters.

It was a long time coming, your move to the Manor. After all, you were being groomed to become the Royal Advisor to rising generation of Nox Fleurets.

Upon your arrival at the Manor, Queen Sylva had greeted you personally with the warmest of receptions. She even offered you a brief hug after you clumsily bowed before her. The queen’s friendliness took you aback, but it made you feel all fuzzy on the inside. She was nice.

With Queen Sylva were her two children, a boy and a girl. The female of the two siblings gravitated towards you naturally. She called herself Lunafreya, and she had the sweetest eyes and kindest smile. You regarded her with awe of her beauty.

“This is my brother, Ravus,” Lunafreya introduced as she gestured for you to step closer towards her sibling.

“Welcome to Tenebrae,” Ravus greeted with a friendly smile. “I do hope you enjoy your stay here.”

The different hues in Ravus’ eyes helped you maintain eye contact with him. “H-Hello,” you mumbled timidly. “I’m (Name).”

“What a lovely name!” Lunafreya clapped her hands excitedly as she looked to Ravus. “Wouldn’t you agree, Brother?”

Ravus nodded. “Indeed it is.”

You immediately blushed under their compliments. “Thank you,” you managed to let out, feeling the last of your discomfort crawl away from your skin. These two were good people, you could tell. Even though they were royalty, they welcomed you into their home — into their lives — with open arms.

That was the start of your allegiance to the royal family of Tenebrae.

*

“Princess,” you called. “It’s time for your lessons.”

“Oh (Name),” Lunafreya hummed from her bedroom. “Can’t we skip for once? Please?”

It had been several years since your life had first become interwoven with that of House Nox Fleuret’s. Since your initial meeting, you had only grown closer to both Lunafreya and Ravus at varying degrees.

Lunafreya was almost always attached to your hip. If she wasn’t busy with her duties, she was accompanied by Gentiana. Otherwise, she was often around you. You had come to love her like a sister and would do anything to keep that divine smile on her face.

On the other hand, you had also forged a very formidable friendship with the elder Nox Fleuret. You were closer to Ravus in age, so naturally, the two of you found a lot of things in common. In the years you had spent getting to know him, you had come to realize that Ravus was very much like his mother.

Unbelievably kind.

Incredibly accommodating.

So, so warm.

You were honored that Ravus felt safe enough around you to let his guard down and not just be himself, but also show his softer side to you.

You wanted to think that you were at least somewhat special to him in that regard.

These days, you weren’t sure what to make of the butterflies that went wild in your tummy whenever you were around Ravus, but spending time with him always made you giddy and caused your heart to race. It was hard not to smile in his presence.

“Your mother would have my head if I allowed another absence, Princess.”

“She would not!” the young blonde retorted as she fixed her fringe in place. “Mother is much too nice for such barbaric extremes.”

“Perhaps not,” you replied, a teasing smile sneaking its way onto your face, “but if Her Highness won’t have my head, then it will be your brother who may scold me if I continue to be soft on you.”

“That won’t happen,” Lunafreya assured you, a knowing smirk on her otherwise delicate face. “Ravus adores you.”

You immediately flushed at her statement. “H-He…! He does not!”

“Oh, but he does. In fact, Ravus-”

“Are you speaking ill of me again, dearest sister?” Ravus’ voice interrupted from the doorway.

You spun around to face him, feeling embarrassed that he had nearly caught onto what his sister had been insinuating. “My Prince!” You bowed before him, trying to keep the warmth in your cheeks at bay.

“At ease,” he said, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder to set you upright again. “How many times must I insist that ‘Ravus’ is enough?”

“My apologies.”

“And how many times must I defend my honor in front of you, brother dearest?” Lunafreya challenged teasingly, staring indignantly at her older sibling with her hands on her hips. “When have I ever spoken ill of you?”

“If we count all the instances,” he said, “then you will most surely miss your lessons, and we cannot allow that, now can we?”

Ravus glanced at you then, his dual-colored eyes holding a playful glint. You took this as a sign to usher your charge out the door and off to her obligations.

“I-Indeed, we cannot!”

Lunafreya threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. “Ah, I can only take so much when the two of you bully me together! Off I go, then.”

“We-! We weren’t bullying you, Lady Luna-” Your impending apology was cut short with the realization that Lunafreya had already left. Flustered, you turned to Ravus and asked, “She’s not… She’s not angry with me, is she?”

Ravus chuckled, waving his hand to dismiss your fears. “Fret not, dear (Name). My sister merely jests.”

You let out a sigh of relief. “Lady Lunafreya will be the death of me one of these days.”

“As she will be for me, as well.”

His reply caused a few giggles to escape your lips. Once your small bout of laughter tapered, you found Ravus to be looking at you with what appeared to be fondness in his eyes. His gaze made you blush, so you opted to break the silence by bringing the attention back to him.

“So how may I be of service of you today, my Prince?” you asked, returning to your well-mannered front.

Ravus sighed at your ignorance of his name yet again. “Yes, I’ve come to you in need of a favor, actually.”

“Oh? A favor?” You looked at him questioningly, your curiosity piqued. “I will do my best to be of assistance to you, my-”

“Ravus,” he repeated sternly, though his eyes remained tender. “When we are in private, kindly refer to me by my name.”

‘I take it back,’ you thought, feeling your cheeks burn all the more thanks to Ravus’ sweet plea. ‘It is the prince who will be the death of me, not the princess.’

“R-Ravus,” you tested, feeling lighter at the sight of elation on the prince’s face upon the utterance of his name from your mouth.

“Much better.”

You had to keep it together to stop yourself from swooning at his dazzling smile. At the age of 15, Ravus had grown well into his body, and by the looks of it, he would only continue to grow as the years go by. His face had matured some from the time when you first met as children, and while his features sharpened, his kindness had not wavered.

Especially not around you.

“U-Um… Ravus. Ahem. What is this favor you speak of?”

“You have heard of the upcoming ball, have you not?”

“Ah, yes.” You nodded, thinking back on the invitations you had glossed over just a few days prior. “The one celebrating our nation, correct?”

“That is the one. May I ask if you will be preoccupied then?”

You did a mental scan of your duties and responsibilities leading up to the ball. “I may need to assist Lady Lunafreya,” you answered, “but otherwise, I will be present at the sidelines in the event that my aid is needed for the remainder of the night.”

“I don’t suppose you would like to attend as a guest of the family?” Ravus quietly proposed.

Your brows furrowed. What need of Ravus required you to attend as a guest of House Nox Fleuret? You would already be present at the ball anyhow, so the invitation seemed odd as it was rather unnecessary.

Regardless, attending as a guest of House Nox Fleuret meant that the festivities would at least be a little more entertaining, what with the company of Lunafreya and Ravus making everything a little more enjoyable.

It also meant that you would by their side for most of the night, and that alone seemed more appealing than having to lurk in the shadows by yourself.

“That is a very generous offer, my- Ravus.” You winced at how your correction made it sound like you had referred to the prince as ‘yours,’ but you trudged on, hoping he hadn’t taken notice of your slip up. “I would be honored to-”

You were stopped by Ravus clearing his throat. “I’m afraid I failed to clarify.” Dusting off imaginary dirt from his sleeve, he added, “Would you be willing to attend the ball as my guest?”

You blinked up at him, caught off guard at the offer. “A-As…? As your…?”

He huffed a little uncharacteristically. “As my date.”

“Ah.”

An awkward silence enveloped the room. On your part, you were unsure as to how to respond to Ravus’ request. While there was no denying that you would be more than happy to accompany him to the ball — as his date, no less — when it came right down to it, you were torn between your personal sentiments towards the prince and what was expected of you as his Royal Advisor.

Perhaps it was because you were in your teenage years — being just a year younger than Ravus — but it was quite evident to you that you had begun to develop some feelings for your charge. It was a bit of a pickle for you, because it became a challenge having to keep your feelings at bay without crossing the line of what was considered proper.

Though your relationship with the Nox Fleuret family was definitely friendly and familiar, it was still encased in decorum and your respective obligations not just to each other, but to the nation of Tenebrae as well.

Thus, Ravus’ proposal practically blindsided you. You weren’t so naive as to presume he harbored some sort of romantic feelings for you as well, but you could hope, couldn’t you? He wasn’t required to bring a date to the ball; you knew, because you helped piece the occasion together. So what was he doing here, asking you of all people to come with him?

Your nerves and apprehension over how to approach Ravus’ offer must have shown on your face, as he immediately backtracked, saying, “You are not obligated to accept, of course.” Was he worried that you would only say yes because you thought you had to? “I am well aware that such gatherings are not to your taste. Thus, my request may be more of a nuisance than anything, so-”

“Yes.”

Ravus’ rambling came to a halt. “I… beg your pardon?”

“Yes, Ravus.” You gave him a bright smile, hoping it would convey enough of your feelings for him to understand. “I would be delighted to accompany you to the ball, if it won’t be too much trouble for you.”

His shoulders practically sagged in utmost relief. “No, never,” he said as a small smile began to bloom on his face. “You are not an inconvenience in the slightest.”

“So…” You looked away, feeling bashful over the how things had unfolded. “I shall see you then, my Prince?”

“You do me the greatest honor.” Ravus reached out to you and delicately grasped your hand in order to lay a soft kiss on it. “I shall see you then, my (Name).”

“Ex-Excuse me?” you blubbered, feeling your cheeks grow even warmer. “Your (Name)?”

“It’s only fair, is it not?” he asked, a teasing lilt in his voice. “I am your Ravus, and so in return, you are my (Name).”

“Th-That’s-!”

“I shall see you at the ball, dearest heart. Good day.”

And with that, Ravus not only left you a flustered mess, he took with him the rest of your heart as well.

You didn’t really mind, though.

*

You often look back on that time with much fondness and love. The ball was boring as expected, but being by Ravus’ side for the entirety of the night made it much, much more tolerable. Lunafreya sending the two of you some smug smiles also made for some amusement that night.

Despite the fact that you came as Ravus’ date, neither of you initiated the step to further your friendship into a romance. Both of you merely skirted around your feelings, too shy to do anything beyond the confines of your personal and professional lives together.

Lunafreya often urged you to take the initiative and allow the love between you and her brother to prosper, but you always evaded her prodding. In spite of Lunafreya’s unabashed approval and support, you believed that you were in no position to present your feelings to Ravus and expect some sort of reciprocation in the form of a romantic relationship.

No, you wanted it to come from him. You were merely his advisor and a childhood friend at best. There was no way you were going to burden him with your feelings, not when you were unsure if this was what he really wanted with you. If he was not going to take the step forward, then you would adjust to his pace, as you have done all these years.

You were content with remaining by his side. Whether it be as his advisor, his friend, or his lover… so long as you were with him, then that was more than enough for you.

Things changed just a year later with the death of Queen Sylva and the imperial control of Niflheim over Tenebrae.

*

Now, years later, you still remain by Ravus’ side. Many things have since changed, such as Lunafreya’s appointment as the new Oracle, as well as Ravus’ new occupation under Niflheim’s invasion.

No longer was he the prince of Tenebrae. Now, he was known as Ravus Nox Fleuret, the High Commander of the Imperial Army.

You still referred to him as your prince, though. Ravus would merely ignore the title as if you had never said it in the first place.

After the death of Queen Sylva, Lunafreya had pleaded with you to place your focus on her brother rather than on herself. You had objected, arguing that both she and Ravus were your responsibility. However, the young girl proved to you just how mature she was beyond her years when she countered that Ravus needed you more than she did.

“There is only so much that I can do for him,” she had admitted to you tearfully. “But you… you are his heart. Please, (Name), I beg of you. Please do not leave my brother’s side.”

“Lady Lunafreya…” You had held onto her as she fell apart in your arms. Right then and there, you swore that you would remain steadfast in your devotion to Ravus regardless of what life would throw at you.

“I promise.”

If only it were so easy.

At present, the young boy you came to know and love was nonexistent in the Ravus that stood before you today. Gone were the warm smiles and gentle eyes, now replaced by hardened glares and permanent scowls.

The death of his mother had clearly changed Ravus. Though you held him close to your heart, you struggled to reach him beyond the icy walls he had put up around his own heart. Still, you stood by him and remained at his side amidst all the changes he went through.

“My Prince,” you murmured timidly, stepping into Ravus’ office. “Your sister requests your presence for supper.”

“Tell her to proceed with her meal,” replied Ravus from a pile of papers he had not looked up from.

“My Prince, if I may.” Shutting the door behind you, you made your way across the room and settled in front of his desk. “It’s been several days since you last shared a meal with Lady Lunafreya. She merely misses your company, and-”

“How many times must I tell you?” Ravus abruptly stood up and sent you a cold glare. Though you had become used to such painful gazes, you had to admit that they still pierced at your heart rather agonizingly. “I am no longer a prince, and you must address me accordingly by my new title instead.”

It was hard to keep your face neutral when the sadness in your heart overflowed for Ravus.

“My apologies, High Commander,” you muttered softly, offering a bow. “Old habits die hard, I suppose.”

“If only some would die easier than others,” you heard him grumble under his breath.

His harsh tone made you wince, but you did nothing to address his statement. Sending him an affirmative nod, you said, “I bid you a good evening, then, High Commander.”

Noticing your wounded look, Ravus softened his voice and called out to you almost apologetically. “Have you forgotten?” He combed a hand through his hair, which had grown much longer over the years. “I am Ravus to you in private.”

So there was still a bit of the old Ravus somewhere in there. The thought made you smile, albeit a bit sadly.

“Please don’t forget to eat something, Ravus.” Your eyes softened as they met his. “Feel free to summon me if my help is required.”

At that, you made yourself scarce, unaware of the look of longing in Ravus’ eyes as he stared after you.

*

Just a few hours later, Ravus had called for you once more, requesting for dinner. You delivered his meal to his office without a word, only to be stopped by him as he requested that you join him and have a bite as well.

“I’ve already eaten, Ravus.”

“Would you do me the honor of gracing me with your company, then?” He pulled out a chair for you, the hard strain in his eyes growing tender for a few moments.

Only you still got to see this side of Ravus. Only you could do this to him.

“It would be my pleasure.”

The two of you sat there in his office, basking in the quiet. Though no words were shared, the company you offered each other made for a fairly pleasant night.

*

When word of Lunafreya’s imminent union with Prince Noctis of Insomnia came to light, you grew worried. Not just for Lunafreya, but for Ravus as well. Ever since the death of his mother, he had come to loathe the Caelum line and, in effect, Noctis himself.

His bitterness and rage towards the Lucian royal family had consumed him over the years. You had seen firsthand how such dark thoughts and feelings had changed Ravus, so with the announcement of his sister’s engagement to the Crown Prince, you became distraught over how your own prince would handle the news.

One day, you noticed the younger Nox Fleuret carrying a suitcase as she made her way across Fenestala Manor. She appeared to be dressed for travel, prompting you to wonder what her intentions were. As far as you knew, Lunafreya had no meetings scheduled for today. She made no mention of going out, either.

With your brows furrowed, you caught up to her and asked, “Princess, where are you off to?”

“(Name)!” she squeaked in surprise. “I am in need of your help, kind (Name). Please, allow me to leave as I must speak to King Regis immediately!”

“King Regis…?” you repeated, trying to process the growing urgency on her face. “Is this about your engagement to Prince Noctis?”

“It is more than that.” Lunafreya nodded, taking ahold of your hand. “Please, (Name), I must make my way to Insomnia as soon as possible. Will you assist me?”

Your mind scrambled to sort out your thoughts. “I… I cannot, my Princess,” you informed her regretfully, feeling a pang at the frown that took residence on her face. “But it is only because I swore that I would remain by your brother’s side. You remember, do you not?”

“Of course I do. I am eternally grateful for your honor and devotion to Ravus.”

You bit your lip, sending a prayer to the gods above that all would work well. “Still, I cannot simply abandon you in your time of need.” You pulled her to the side and stealthily made your way to the lower floors of the manor. “I may not be able to escort you to Lucis, but I can at least ensure that you find your way out of Tenebrae.”

Lunafreya’s expression brightened at your words. “Thank you, (Name). I owe you.”

“You owe me nothing. Now come, we must make haste.”

Both you and Lunafreya had evaded the imperial guards that monitored the hallways of the manor. Just as you were nearly at the door, the two of you were stopped by none other than Ravus himself.

Snatching Lunafreya from your grasp, he dragged her towards a nearby room, but not before sending you a scathing look.

“And you,” he snarled, “I will have a word with you once I have settled things with my sister.”

The dread that churned at the pit of your stomach almost hurt as more as the pain in your heart due to Ravus’ anger directed towards you.

*

“What were you thinking?!” he barked, slamming the door of his office.

You opted to create a small distance between you and Ravus, growing cautious of his boiling rage. Drawing closer to his desk, you answered, “I merely offered my assistance where it was needed, Ravus. It is as I have done for you and your family all these years.”

Ravus sneered at your response. “Were you foolish enough to allow Lunafreya into the clutches of our mother’s murderer?”

The neutral mask you wore began to crumble with the beginnings of a frown. “Ravus, I understand that you blame King Regis for the death of our queen, but-”

“Understand? You think you understand?”

This was the first time you had ever truly been on the receiving end of Ravus’ fury. It wounded you deeply, causing you to wither away at his spiteful voice. His build, which had grown sturdier even more, now felt menacing as he towered over you.

Still, you reminded yourself of your promise to Lunafreya, no matter how much Ravus was now hurting you.

“You think you understand what my sister and I have been through?” he continued with a scoff. “Are you so stupid to believe that you are so special simply due to our history together?”

Your eyes began to water by then, but you remained rooted in your spot. “I-I…”

“If that is what you believe,” he snapped, “then you are much more idiotic than I thought you to be.”

This time, you flinched. You kept your head bowed in order to hide the steady stream of tears that rolled down your face. “R-Ravus, please…” you hiccuped, “I know you are hurting, but please…”

“YOU KNOW NOTHING!”

A sob threatened to escape your throat, but you slapped a hand over your mouth to keep it in. “Please,” you whimpered pathetically, “do not hurt me like this, Ravus.”

Your plea seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, for Ravus broke you down even further with one simple but cruel statement.

“I do not need you any longer.”

“Wh-What?”

“You are hereby dismissed of your duties,” he continued, voice devoid of emotion. “Until a more suitable role for you can be found, you will remain at the manor for the time being.”

You were openly weeping by now. “Ravus, you cannot mean this.”

“I do,” he retaliated coldly. “Now get out.”

You lifted your pain-stricken gaze, only to pull away the moment your eyes met Ravus’ seething glare. Where was the Ravus you loved? This wasn’t him. The Ravus you loved wouldn’t hurt you so brutally without any heed to your sensitive emotions. The Ravus you loved wouldn’t strip you of the one thing that gave your life meaning throughout the years.

What were you to do now, if you could not remain by his side?

Sniffling, you shuffled your way towards the doorway where Ravus stood. You lowered your head once more as you bumped against him. But, before taking your leave, you offered some parting words to Ravus that would haunt him forevermore.

“You… You will always be my heart, dear Ravus. I pray that you find peace and happiness.”

*

In the days leading to Lunafreya’s escort to Lucis, you steered clear of both her and Ravus. Ultimately, you were no longer bound to them, at least by Ravus’ words.

‘I have failed you, my Princess,’ you thought glumly, looking up at the night sky. ‘How can I remain by your brother’s side if he no longer wants me there?’

Soon, Fenestala Manor grew quiet with the departure of the remaining Nox Fleurets as they traversed to Insomnia. It didn’t take long before news of the nation’s fall reached your region, causing you to plunge into a pit of despair as the tragedy sent a blow to your very core.

King Regis, dead. Even the sweet Prince Noctis was said to have passed on. But what truly broke you was the news that your dearest Lunafreya was gone as well.

Maria, who had remained in your company the past few days, could do little to console you as you drowned in your hysteria. This couldn’t be true. You refused to believe it. No, Lunafreya was still alive. She had to be.

And what of Ravus? Where was he now? Had he fallen amidst Niflheim’s betrayal as well?

You didn’t know what to do with yourself.

‘Please,’ you begged to the heavens above, ‘please, keep them safe. They’re all I have.’

*

Some of your worries had been eased at the return of Ravus. Though he retained his cold demeanor, he brought with him a new prosthetic — one that you couldn’t help but marvel at as you stood before him in his office yet again.

Though news of his arrival had reached you, you had forced yourself to remain at your quarters and not seek him out. With the memory of your last conversation still painfully fresh, you chose not to look for Ravus, providing him the space and privacy he had forcefully set between the two of you.

Your efforts were put to rest when Ravus himself summoned you. Here you now were, avoiding his gaze as you fidgeted nervously in front of him.

The silence was incredibly overbearing, but you feared that if you spoke, he would only lash out at you again. Thus, you kept mum, giving Ravus the floor to voice his thoughts, whatever they may be.

At first, he sighed. Then, with a few careful steps, he approached you. Raising a hand — from his flesh limb, notably — he caressed the side of your cheek in a motion so affectionate, you had to question if this was really the same Ravus you had last perceived before the blatant dismissal of your obligations to him.

“You appear well,” he commented softly, his hand leaving your face.

You couldn’t help but long for his touch. Still, all you could do was nod, feeling as if your voice and words would merely betray you if you tried to speak.

“I…” You could hear his fists clench. “Will you look at me? Please?”

At this, you lifted your gaze to meet his eyes. Based on the memory of your last meeting, you had expected to see bitter rage in his stare. You were proven wrong, however, as you found nothing but throbbing emotion looking back at you.

There it was. The same fondness he used to look at you with. The same tenderness and affection his dual-colored eyes had always revered you in.

There was also one other thing you found in his soft gaze, but you dared not voice your thoughts in fear that you were simply dreaming.

In his eyes, you found love.

“I am sorry.” His voice broke. The last time you were a witness to Ravus’ tears was shortly after the death of his mother. Now, such waterworks were making a return, though you found it hard to fathom that these tears were due to his own grieving for you.

“I was wrong,” Ravus went on, reaching out to you but stopping short, as if he was afraid you would reject him. You eased his fears by meeting him halfway, reaching up on your heels to hold his face in your hands. “I do need you, (Name). I will always need you.”

His hands enveloped yours as you both cried for each other. “Ravus…”

“I meant none of it. Not a single word I had uttered that day held any truth. Please, believe me.”

“I know, Ravus,” you sobbed. “I know.”

You don’t know what it was that had happened to him in Insomnia to cause this sudden turnaround in Ravus, but you weren’t going to question it. All that mattered was that he was here now, with you.

“I realize now that it was I who was the foolish one. It was always me. Never, ever you.” This large man, whose mere presence held a threatening aura towards his foes, was now a snivelling mess in your hands. “I beg for your forgiveness.”

“There is nothing to forgive,” you assured him tenderly, wiping away the tears that had leaked during your exchange of words. “I am relieved that you, too, are well.”

“I will never forgive myself for hurting you that day,” he admitted, pulling you closer. You felt your lip quiver as you recalled the relentless words he had directed to you back then.

You shook your head, trying to rid yourself of such memories. “None of that,” you told both Ravus and yourself. “What matters is that you are here now.”

“There is so much that has been lost, but I will not allow you to be lost to me as well. Not anymore.” He paused for a bit, moving his grasp from your hands to your face, albeit hesitantly. “What you said then, did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“You… You own my heart, (Name),” he confessed at last, leaning his forehead on yours. “I would like to know if your sentiments remain the same, though I know I am undeserving of them.”

A sweet smile began to surface amidst your tears. Carefully bringing your face closer to his, you whispered against his lips, “You are my dearest heart, Ravus, as you have been and always will be. Nothing will change that.”

What lay ahead seemed bleak, what with Niflheim’s rise and the still unknown whereabouts of Lunafreya. But, as you remained glued to Ravus, your mouth locked with his in a passionate exchange, all you could do was melt into him and allow your feelings of love to come undone once and for all.

Come what may, you would remain by his side until the very end. What made it easier this time around was the knowledge that he would do the same for you.

At the end of the day, it was just as Lunafreya had told you all those years ago. You were his heart, just as he was yours.

[hanalwayssolo]

In The Line of Duty

A/N: Timely for Iggy’s name day! So. Slightly departing from the usual structure in which I write my stories, so this may seem a bit... weird? Fragmented? So I kind of not recommend reading this via Tumblr mobile bc that app murders the formatting lmao

Tagging them pals! @blindedstarlight @valkyrieofardyn @bleucommelhiver @gowithme @noboomoon @emmydots @lazarustrashpit @raspberryandechinacea @hanatsuki89 @mp938368 @boo-dangy @animakupo

(Links in AO3) Alternate Universes in Which You and I Belong Together: Noctis | Gladio | Prompto | Ignis | Nyx | Cor | Ravus | Ardyn

Ignis breezes through the freeway, his Aston Martin almost flying through the rainy night. He is never one to drive like a madman, but this is a desperate time that certainly calls for this very desperate measure. He spares a glance at the rearview mirror. A shabby white Mitsubishi and a gaudy yellow Volvo still remain in close pursuit. Looks like the flock of paparazzi back from Maagho’s really is a persistent lot. In the passenger seat, you sit in an unsettling silence.

Fuck these bastards, he mutters under his breath.

Speed limits be damned. His fingers tighten around the steering wheel. Ignis revs the engine and zips past the steady traffic.

“Let’s get you back to your flat, alright?” he offers kindly.

You say nothing.

Suddenly, Ignis finds himself missing your chatty, teasing antics. That silly smile of yours. By this time, you should have been pleading him to let you go someplace else—anywhere but your place—while annoying him to death with your usual smartass quips. You never do.

Months before, Ignis had been perfectly convinced you were the most insufferable human he has ever come across. Funny how he now thinks otherwise. Even funnier that he now cares. Because it’s not his business to care. His job was never to look nor to listen.

But at this point, you have made him break every single rule in his book.

The first thing Ignis notices when he meets you is your eyes.

Something about your strong and striking gaze makes him wonder why someone like him is even employed at your service. One look from you, he is pretty certain you are completely capable on your own in terms of sending anyone who dares cross your path—may it be troublesome paparazzi, or overzealous fans and haters alike—to run with their tails between their legs. Your composure and confidence says just as much. Seems to him that you’re the type of person who does not need anyone’s protection, let alone a bodyguard.

Which is a sentiment you made very clear that morning in the luxurious luster of Hotel St. Regis’s lobby.

“I’m afraid Aranea here has wasted your time—” you tell Ignis as you set your cup of coffee back on the table, sharply turning your attention to the silver-haired woman who is sitting across from you— “but like I said, I can take care of myself just fine—”

“Really?” Aranea scoffs, casting you a challenging glare. “And by taking care of yourself, do you mean going around punching paparazzi square in the face and breaking their camera as you please?”

You shrug. “Well, that fella fucking deserved it—”

“Whether they deserved it or not isn’t the fucking point, you idiot. Do you have any idea how Cor had to shell out his own money to keep that incident from going out to the press?” Aranea sighs in resignation. “Look, this is more than just taking care of yourself. This is about—”

“—my career, my image, and my reputation, blah blah blah. Yes, you don’t need to do all of Cor’s spiel—I get it.”

Aranea raises an eyebrow. “Do you really? ‘Cause if you really did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation and Ignis wouldn’t be the fourth replacement in the span of six fucking months.”

You fall silent. Though Ignis is compelled to say something, he knows very well not to provide his thoughts, unsolicited or otherwise. That’s never in his job description. He had been trained to keep his mouth shut, and he is going to do just that. Besides, what would he know? Such is the world of glitz and glamour that is show business, and Ignis has never been tasked with handling celebrity clientele before. If anything, among his peers, it was either Gladio or Nyx who gets paired with the high profile A-listers. Clarus’s directive for him came as a strange surprise, the initial briefing of his task even stranger. All throughout his fifteen years of service in the Lucian Security Bureau, people frequently assigned to Ignis were government big shots, business moguls, and upper echelons of society who have been targets of terror and violence.

However, in your case… Ignis could see that you fit in neither the former nor the latter. At least for now, that’s what he thinks.

You spread your elbows over the table, eyeing Aranea with a wicked smile all over your face. “You know what would be better, Ari?”

“Don’t call me that—”

“You could pass as both my handler and bodyguard, don’t you think?

Aranea looks at Ignis, then back at you. “Does that come with a raise?”

You lean back against your seat. “Nope.”

“Didn’t think so.” Aranea exhales a derisive laugh. “Then I suppose we leave Ignis to do that job for all our sakes. Anyway, we better get going—” from her satchel, she pulls out a sleek-looking tablet— “you have to be ready for your four p.m. table read and a seven p.m. interview Dino of Meteor Publishing.” To Ignis, she says, “I assume you’ve already been briefed by your superior about all your responsibilities?”

Ignis sits up straighter and nods. “Yes.”

“Good. It’s pretty simple actually, but the past bodyguards can’t seem to do it.” Aranea smiles, clapping Ignis by the shoulder as she narrows her eyes on you. “Just don’t let this moron out of your sight, and we’ll all be fine.”

The first thing you notice about Ignis is his eyes.

Never mind the scar that cruised the left side of his face, that tiny slash over his right eyebrow, or even the one on the bridge of his nose. He didn’t even need to look at you directly for you to marvel at how fiercely green his eyes are, like the colour of a bright summer’s day. However, back in the lobby with Aranea, there is no warmth in his silences nor in his clinical concentration; there is only a crippling coldness. One look at him and you could already surmise that he’s had his fair share of danger in his profession. Though he is lean and lithe unlike your past bodyguards who all seem to be built out of heavier materials, you cannot shake the feeling that Ignis might have killed a man with his bare hands.

Still, you don’t really need someone like Ignis. You never needed someone like him. A bodyguard should have been the least of your concerns. Besides, you have enough people monitoring your every move that getting a fucking bodyguard is as insane as it’s going to get. Cor often reminds you that this is all for your safety, and that as your manager, he only wants to keep you safe. Aranea chastises you that you’re overreacting, and that you’re still free as a bird. Except you’re as free as any bird locked in a cage that they might as well just lock you up in prison.

And in the first few hours that Ignis has started following you around, the fact that he hardly spares you a moment for a decent conversation—except for his courteously clipped responses like “Let me know if you need anything else,” or “I’ll be right outside your door”—prison seems like a more amiable place to be.

By his second week, Ignis finally understands how unpredictable you can be.

Okay, maybe he does not understand it quite fully. He has to admit, though: he admires the elaborate effort you put into your juvenile pranks. It comes in the strangest of ways and in the oddest of days: from your attempts to lock him up inside your trailer, down to that crafty disguise to sneak out of the film set, all of which he had seen you fail miserably time and again. Out of all your many crimes, petty they may be, hopping in the backseat of someone else’s car to escape him from an after party still takes the cake. He had to forcefully “borrow” a stranger’s motorcycle just to chase you down, which he managed to do in less than an hour. Not an impressive feat for someone his calibre, but at least he got you home in one piece—and without Cor or Aranea even knowing.

What fuels your sheer determination to drive him off his wits, Ignis does not know. The only thing he knows for sure is that you’re one bloody piece of work.

“Can’t say I didn’t warn ya, Specs,” Gladio reminds Ignis one sordid afternoon back in the Lucian Security Bureau HQ. In the saintly cleanliness that is his cubicle, he finds Gladio lounging on his seat together with Nyx, as if they had been expecting his unlikely visit. The air-conditioned hustle remains the same, the glass panels and all the white walls still as stark bright as Ignis remembers it to be. He really has been away for far too long that he finds himself missing that familiar scent of ink and paper, and even the faces of these two troublemakers.

“So how’s your new post treatin’ you?” Nyx breezily asks. His tone is not of concern, but a knowing amusement that Ignis can easily recognize. “The look on your face says you’re either in need of a stiff drink or to get laid.”

“Or could be both,” Gladio adds.

Actively ignoring the smug looks on his friends’ faces, Ignis does not answer them, but instead, he asks: “Aren’t the both of you supposed to be somewhere else?”

“Could ask you the same thing,” Gladio snaps back. He picks up Ignis’s tin of mints on his table and pops one on his mouth.

Nyx loops an arm around Ignis. “Y’know, celebrities can be a pain, so if you’re here to request Clarus for a reassignment, we promise not to judge.”

Ignis looks at Nyx for a brief moment. A reassignment. How come he never thought of that? Sure, you can be annoying and a menace to his daily routine, but Ignis suddenly finds it strange that he has never considered the prospect of requesting for a change in client. Maybe he has his brand of patience to thank for, or his unworldly forbearance in the years that he has spent in this profession.

But then—as if by seeing Nyx and Gladio after such a long time of being away—he realizes that maybe, you’re not that bad. Even in your reckless and determined attempts of making his life a living hell, you also make an effort to make conversation. Not that it’s anything special. He has been wired to being strictly on someone’s beck and call that most of his past clients do not even bother to look at him in the eye. Most of them see him as a weapon, a blade to be wielded against their enemies. Small wonder Ignis himself often forgets that he is a living and breathing person. He can barely remember having a life outside this job. He can barely remember the last time someone apart from Gladio and Nyx asking him anything about his hobbies or other interests or even about his family.

But you do. You try. Even on the first few days when Ignis didn’t know how to respond. It’s just that he doesn’t know how to. He fears that you might have interpreted that as indifference, and he regrets to have responded to you as such. He thought you would have given up by now, seeing how he had acted so callously, but you have the persistence of a honey badger that you use on him to get him to talk, or to even to smile a little.

Nyx looks at Ignis, this time with a genuine hint of concern. Ignis has not realized that he had been quiet for some time.

But he has realized that you have grown so much on him, which is such an disturbing thought to entertain.

“I think a reassignment is highly unnecessary,” Ignis says finally—almost to himself and not to Nyx and Gladio—as he takes his leave. 

By his second week, you finally understand how Ignis can be so predictable.

There’s the matter of his morning routine. He follows it too religiously that you start to notice the little things. He wakes up as early as six a.m.—on the dot, not even a minute late—to work out at the back of your trailer. Three sets of push ups, squats, crunches, all in that order. Seven-thirty a.m., he wraps up, takes a shower, grabs a nice cup of coffee with some of the film crew. He likes his coffee strong and black, no sugar. How you know all of this like the same way you know all of your lines is beyond you.

But maybe he’s not too predictable. Not entirely.

You still have not seen him smile, despite the significant progress in the conversation department. And by significant, you mean that his answers have finally upgraded from one-word responses to lengthy sentences. Considering all the stupid shit you pulled on him, it’s almost a wonder that he even indulges you from time to time by answering any of your random questions.

Though in the process, you have learned a handful of tidbits about his life. For one, you find out that he happens to be an excellent cook. Once, he has shared with you how he wanted to build a restaurant of his own, and that it is only a matter of time before he could pursue that dream. Hearing him confide something that personal throws you off guard, but somehow, you feel quite relieved. You also learn that he has never seen any of your films, nor is he even aware of your awards and accolades—which, frankly, is the most gratifying thing you have ever heard in your life. You have also learned that he has not forgiven you for making him chase you all throughout the city. Which is fair. If that had happened with any of your previous bodyguards, they would not even bother sparing you another word even if you are the last person on this planet, and they would most certainly quit their job the next day.

But Ignis is different. A good kind of different.

Nevertheless, what you now find unfair is that you have never seen him smile. Unfair because he has seen yours a countless times at this point—fake ones on set included. He even gets a bonus because he has also seen you laugh at the most ridiculous things. Ignis, however, seems to be programmed with a limited range of emotions. You have not seen his face look anything but blank or bored, too surly or too serious.

It is only when you suddenly fall sick in the middle of filming that you find a new expression on his face.

Right after the director screams “Cut!” you wobble outside the set, past the cameramen, past the make up artists, past Aranea who’s probably busy handling your next schedule. When Ignis hurries by your side, you could barely focus your eyes. Your mouth tastes like acid. The world is spinning out of control.

Ignis presses the back of his hand to your forehead. “You’re burning up. I’m calling a doctor—”

“No, don’t.” You weakly wave a hand. “I’ll be fine by morning. Don’t tell Aranea. I just need to sleep, that’s all.”

Ignis walks you back to your trailer, looping your arm around his neck, and his around your waist. Your cheek momentarily rests against his chest, and you can feel his warm breath fanning over your head. You try your best not to retch on his shirt. Perhaps it’s the fever talking, but all you could think about is how this shirt looks perfect on him and you do not want to ruin it with your vomit.

Which is why out of your delirious haze, you say out of the blue: “Have I ever told you that you look so good in black?”

Ignis tilts his head. He hesitates for a moment, and then says, “I’m afraid not.”

“Well, now you know. I like your black dress shirt. You look so dapper in it.” And there goes your filter straight out the window.

“Thank you. It’s… nothing special.” He sounds unsure. Or is that embarrassment? Either way, you’re too sick to even look at his face to see his reaction.

Ignis guides you straight to your bed. You toss yourself so gracelessly against the mattress, and you gather the sheets to bundle up for warmth. A wave of nausea threatens to lurch out of your mouth. As far as you’re concerned, the inside of your trailer should not be this freezing cold.

“I’ll get you something to eat,” Ignis says, and as he prepares to drift to the kitchen, you grab for his hand.

“Please stay for a minute. Tell me a story.” You sound like a five-year-old.

He sits on the edge of the bed. “What kind of story?” His voice is gentler than usual. It is jarring, to say the least.

You pull yourself up, your arm brushing against his. “Like, is it possible that you’re a gremlin? ‘Cause how come it’s so hard to—” you thumb the corners of his mouth to make him smile— “see you do this?”

You can feel his face tremble a little in your touch. He looks at you strangely. You know he’s about to say something, but you are ill-prepared to what happens next.

Ignis starts to laugh.

You can’t believe this is what you have been missing for the last couple of days. What you have been missing your entire life. You have only known him for two weeks, but now, it’s like looking at a completely different person. He’s all lit up, his laughter radiating like the sun, bright and warm and blinding. His eyes disappear behind his smile lines, and his mouth curves to exhibit his perfect teeth and that illegally gorgeous smile. Your heart is pounding and you are certain that this is not your fever doing the talking anymore.

“I can assure you, I’m not a gremlin,” he says, wiping his eye with his hand.

“Good to know,” you say, sinking back to your pillows. “But I swear—I will make you laugh like that again when I get better,” you say confidently. And as you drift to deep sleep, the sound of his laughter is the last thing you hear.

The third month arrives and Ignis sees you a little differently.

Different in a way that your smile is now a bullet to his heart. Your laughter, a drug. Your kiss, a secret he would forever keep. Not only have you grown on him, but you have made a home inside his body. His mind, your temple. You have seduced his empty heart, and now it is beating only for you.

But if there’s anything Ignis knows by now, it’s that good things always come to an end. They always do. And he knows better. He knows you aren’t for him, and he isn’t for you.

The third month sweeps you off your feet as Aranea enters your trailer with a new man in tow. At first, you think he is one of the new actors with the way he carries himself with an air of confidence, but you immediately recognize the logo on his jacket.

The first thing that leaves your mouth is: “Where’s Ignis?”

Aranea’s mouth twists. She hesitates, then says, “Ignis quit. Told me he found a new job. Nyx here would be his replacement.”

Your heart plummets. The expression on your face might have been so fucking obvious because Aranea casts you a worried glance, and so does this Nyx. He looks slightly uncomfortable with the way you skate your narrowed eyes at him, as if he has no right to be in your breathing space. As if he has no right at all to ever replace Ignis.

“I can see that you’re upset with this change,” Nyx begins to say, quickly regaining his charming composure, “but by 'quit,' it means he has left to pursue a different career path. Doesn’t mean he left you—I mean, for another client, that is.”

A simmering silence. Aranea and Nyx are watching you with growing alarm. You don’t know why, but something in you breaks.

You force yourself to smile, but it’s not very convincing. Some actor you are. And in the most modulated voice you could muster, you say, “Good for him then.” To Nyx, you say, “Do send him my regards when you see him around.”

As soon as Ignis pulls over your apartment building, you climb out of his car, weaving past another throng of paparazzi. Someone yells “Congrats on another blockbuster! Is this your new boyfriend?” and a couple of other things that only grates your ears. Ignis is quick to follow, and he shields you with his body as he leads you inside the lobby. Probably his force of habit, but it only unearths a memory of a good time that has already hollowed you out.

When the two of you reach the front door of your apartment, he finally breaks the silence. “I’m assuming you have Nyx trapped in some dark alley?”

“No, not really,” you say flatly. “He actually let me go on my own. Cooler than my previous bodyguard, if you ask me.”

“How convenient.”

“So, sous chef to the illustrious Weskham Armaugh, huh.”

“Indeed.”

“Now, care to explain to me why you really left without even saying a word? Especially to me?” There is a tremor that breaks your voice, and his smile slowly creases to a frown. “Is that it? Was that your grand plan? Make me fall in love with you and then just go up and leave—”

“I beg your pardon?” Ignis looks mystified, as if you have said something completely ludicrous. He stares at you for a long, scalding moment. “What did you just say?”

You scoff. “Are you kidding me right now? I said…”

The realization dawns on you in a slow unravel. Before you can even formulate an explanation, Ignis steals your breath away with a kiss. You have done this before in the confines of your trailer, but this time is different. This time, the feeling is no longer secret.

“You have absolutely no idea how I’ve wanted to do that this time around,” he says with a smile. And when he tells you I love you, he does not mean I love you regardless of or I love you despite, but rather I love you just because I do.

[shadyafternoontea]

Desperation- Ignis x reader

The reposting continues.

But also I’m writing again! Thanks for all the patience, you wonderful people!

Summary: The world was still dark. And your work as a doctor in Lucis was hard enough. But what happens when you're forced to see your partner almost die? Warning: unrealistic medicine lolz

LOL-ing at my pre-smut days @whimsyofthewind @iggys-sous-chef @animakupo @jastiss @xalmasyx

You felt a gnawing in the pit of your stomach.  The night had been much too quiet.

Working at the only hospital around the Leide region, you had come to expect busy nights when you were on call.  36-hour shifts where you weren’t able to use the bed in the call room had become the norm—a good night had you resting your head down by the computer for a few moments before yet another page alerted you to a new patient coming into the ICU. The admissions were getting more frequent of late. You’d be tempted to complain about the sheer volume of patients under your care, but you knew Dr. Aldoras and yourself were the only Critical Care physicians around.  You also knew that for every patient under your care, the three trauma surgeons on staff each saw two.  The nurses were run just as ragged, sometimes even more so as they took care of so many who passed.

You rested your head on interlocked hands, elbows resting by the keyboard. Your eyes fluttered closed, your brain thankful for this brief respite even as your stomach growled to remind you that the only thing you had for sustenance in the past 24 hours was stale coffee.

You were startled awake by the loud beeping from your pager.

Fuck.

You blearily glanced at the page, wondering who was the new admission.

30 y/o male hypovolemic shock, acute blood loss, non-surgical. Callback: 58602.

You were about to go outside the small, makeshift physician workroom to alert the nurses as well as ask the secretary to brew yet another pot of coffee before you called the number back to get report from Triage about the new patient. You didn’t even make it out of your chair before Talcott burst in, accompanied by a very annoyed but anxious charge nurse.

“Talcott, what—”

He was breathing hard and his words came in a rush. “I’m sorry to barge in, but it’s Ignis—” he said.

You bolted out of the chair and were out the door before Talcott finished his sentence, before you even processed what you were doing. Making your way to the hallway with tunnel vision, you were desperate to reach your only goal.

“30 y/o male hypovolemic shock, acute blood loss, non-surgical” rattled in your brain over and over and over until you could think of nothing else.

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you registered Talcott and your Charge following you saying something, but there was no part of your brain that was listening.

“A surprise group of Aramusha joined the fight with two Red Giants…”

“You need to slow down, the nurses are taking care of him…”

Your heart raced in your chest, adrenaline and anxiety racing through you in equal measure. You recognized the Crownsguard uniform worn by the body on the stretcher before you saw his face as the stretcher was wheeled into the room.  EMS was standing by the door, starting to give you report, but you brushed past them, halting them in mid-sentence. Nothing, no one else mattered other than seeing him.

Heart pounding and hands shaking, you watch the team transfer Ignis onto the hospital bed.  Your heart leapt into your throat, acid rising to your throat when you took in the tatters of the Crownsguard jacket and shirt, stained dark maroon and the soft groan that left his throat at the sudden movement. You thought you were going to vomit as nausea churned your stomach.

But there was a reason you were in Critical Care and there had been purpose to those long years of training. The beeping of the monitor flashing brightly colored alerts of the low blood pressure pulled you out of the clawing panic that had been threatening to envelope you since Talcott had come bursting in.

“What did he get on the field?”

“He got a 1 liter bolus of normal saline. We’re trying to conserve our elixirs, but when we saw the uniform he’s got on, well, we didn’t exactly hesitate to crack open our last two hi-elixirs,” one of the EMS personnel said.

“It probably was the thing that saved him. He hasn’t been bleeding since we gave him that. But we just gave it about five to ten minutes ago, so he’s still looking pretty rough,” the other said.

“Start the massive emergency transfusion protocol. And I’m going to need a central line kit and an arterial line kit,” you said.

Those in the room looked around uncomfortably.

One of the nurses spoke up. “I know you’re on call, but considering how close the two of you are, we should probably page Dr. Aldoras…”

“If I have to do all of this myself, I will. Get me those kits.”

You were thankful your charge nurse had your back.  “Everyone get out. I’ll help her.”

While supplies were being gathered, you let your professional demeanor crack as you approached the man you had been with for the past two years. Your relationship had come a long way since he had saved you from a tribe of hobglobins when you were going home after drinks with Cindy.

Your lip trembled with the effort to not cry as you saw the condition of his body. His jacket was opened, part of it torn, as was the shirt he wore underneath. His chest rose and fell rapidly with his labored breathing. A gash marred the skin of his stomach, just below his ribs. The wound was closed, but it looked angry. You dragged your eyes to his face, and your eyes teared. He looked so broken with his his eyes closed with another healed laceration on his right temple, and he was so pale after all that blood loss.

You reached out a hand to cup his cheek. “Iggy?” Your voice was small, and it cracked you spoke.

He didn’t answer, but when your fingers brushed against the recently healed wound on his temple, he groaned in pain, and your heart broke.

The charge nurse moved around you to hang the bag of blood, not wanting to disturb the moment.  But when you started to sniffle, she placed a hand on your shoulder, pulling you out of the pit of despair into which you were falling.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

Giving you a small smile, she gestured to the arterial line kit behind her. “You’ve got a job to do. We’ll worry about the rest later.”

Taking a deep breath in and forcing an exhale to clear your mind and remind you of your job, you nodded and began your work.

It wasn’t until a few hours later when your lines were placed, medications started, and labs had returned that you let yourself give into the weariness.  You could do nothing now but wait to see which way Ignis would go, though you hoped in your heart that the hi-elixirs hadn’t completed their work. You were eternally thankful when the secretary brought you a cup of hot chocolate.  Someone else had brought you a blanket, and someone had clearly already forwarded your pager to someone else’s given the lack of pages you had gotten in the last few hours, and you were touched by their kindness.

You made your way back into Ignis’s room, and were relieved so see his blood pressure had improved and the color in his face returned after the transfusions.  His breathing wasn’t labored any longer, and he just seemed to be sleeping.  The injury on his abdomen and temple were looking significantly better. Sitting next to the bed, you interlaced your hand with his and lay your head on his arm, tears finally falling.

You didn’t know when you fell asleep or for how long or who had placed a new blanket on you, but you were awakened by the movement of the arm beneath you.  You shot up, your surprised tear stained face staring at unseeing eyes.

“Darling?” Ignis’s voice was hoarse—low and raspy.

You honestly weren’t sure if this was a delirious dream or not, but you didn’t care. You stood and threw your arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder.  His arm came around you, holding you as close as he could, which in turn just made you cry harder.

“You’re alive you’re alive I was so scared I didn’t know what to do I thought I was going to lose you when I first saw you.” Your speech was bordering on incoherent, interrupted only by the hitch of your breath between sobs.

“I’m sorry to have worried you so, love,” said Ignis as he released his arm holding you and used both his hands to pull your face up. His thumbs caressed your cheeks, wiping the tears running over them.

“How do you feel?” you whispered.

“I suppose my injuries will take time to heal, but your presence has already done wonders.”

You sniffled again at that, but managed instead to close the distance between the two of you to softly kiss him.  Ignis responded immediately, hands sliding from your cheeks into your hair keeping your lips pressed against his.  Warmth blossomed inside, and your hands came up to bracket his face within their confines.  

You would have deepened the kiss if it hadn’t been for the cough you heard behind you.  You pulled away, face red, and looked behind you to see Gladio and Prompto, the former with a smug grin and the latter blushing just as red as you.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we wanted to make sure you were okay. Talcott called us after he was here. He had to go back to Hammerhead, but he wanted to make sure we knew, ” Gladio said before the good natured grin left his face, his features becoming somber. “I wish I had been there with you, Iggy.”

You didn’t know Gladio very well— only as Ignis’s friend from happier times before the sun had disappeared behind the ominous dark clouds that had taken up permanent residence in the skies.  But given the concern etched across the large man’s face, you would have known they were more like brothers than anything else even if Ignis hadn’t told you as much during the years you had been together.

“I wish you had been there as well, my friend. It has been far too long since I have seen you—and Prompto. I have been in very good hands, however,” he said, as his hand slid down your spine to settle in the small of your back.

A flush settled across your face at that.

“It’s good to see you too, ya know!” Prompto piped up as he stepped forward and gave you a crushing hug.

You didn’t know him that well either.

“We figured you’d need a couple of these,” Prompto said, rummaging in his bag and pulling out multiple canisters of hi-elixirs.

Ignis grunted as he attempted to sit up.

“Ignis,” you chided, arms going to stabilize him as he sat up.

A fond smile crossed his lips. “Ever the dutiful doctor.”

You brushed the hair he normally kept styled up out of his eyes with a soft smile of your own.  “What would they say if they saw me being soft with patients, hmm?”

“I certainly hope this isn’t the treatment you give all your patients. You’ll make me jealous, darling.”  He placed one of his hands on yours, thumb brushing the tops of your knuckles in an intimate gesture.

“If we can hurry along,” Gladio said breaking the small moment between the two of you, “we can probably get you out with a few more of these now that you’ve been treated for most of your damage here. Maybe get that big IV in you out.”

“Yeah, that one’s going into his artery, so we should probably get that out sooner rather than later.”

“I’d very much appreciate that,” Ignis said holding his other hand out, “Prompto, if you would kindly hand me those hi-elixirs, please.”

“Got it!”

A hi-elixir—when one had them—was a truly remarkable thing. Its healing powers were unrivaled.  They were in short supply throughout Eos, and even paramedics and hospitals only carried a very limited supply. The fact that EMS had used two—their only two at that— on Ignis was nothing short of remarkable and spoke of the power that Ignis commanded. Prompto having five hi-elixirs in his bag was nothing short of a miracle.  Your interventions may have been the reason that Ignis was still alive, but you knew the speed of his recovery lay solely on the powers of the hi-elixirs. Ignis only required another two, however, before he felt his strength returning.

You pulled in one of the ICU nurses before you set to removing the arterial line in his arm. Ignis murmured a relieved thanks as you freed him from the various devices and wires that connected him to the monitor.

“We can take him to his apartment,” Gladio said, “you don’t have to worry about that.”

You bit your lip. You were glad Ignis would be able to leave by some stroke of luck given the extent of his initial injuries, but you were still concerned about his recovery.

“I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“You promise you’ll go rest?”

“Cross my heart.”

You sighed, knowing that you were stuck here at work a lot longer.

Ignis stood up from the bed with your help, and you helped him put on the shirt that Prompto held out from the bag. You smoothed your hands down his chest in a small moment of intimacy, wishing the other two weren’t in the room.  Ignis bent down to place a soft kiss on your cheek before you pulled away.

“Come on, let’s get you out,” you sighed.

At Ignis’s still unsteady gait, Gladio stepped forward quickly, placing a hand around his friend’s back to support his steps.

“You’re going to straight to bed,” you said as you exited the room, trying to manage the most stern expression you had.  

Considering he the condition he had been in and that he had come in only about 12 hours prior made you wary about letting him go, but those four hi-elixirs seemed to have done their job. His injuries were closed, no longer angry looking, and his strength seemed to be returning quickly, even if he did need some help with his balance.  The hi-elixirs still hadn’t worked to their full potential, and you were hopeful that with the level of recovery he already had, he would be closer to his full strength even in just a couple of days. Still, you hated that you wouldn’t be there with him.

The gods must have smiled on you, however, as your Charge Nurse interrupted your goodbyes.

“I’ve already spoken to Dr. Aldoras and Dr. Sanze. They’re covering your shift for the next two days, so please get out of here,” she said with a smile.

“I—I don’t know what to say,” you said, almost scared to hope that this was real.

“Leave before they change their minds!”

You gave a quick glance at Glaadio and Prompto leading Ignis towards the elevators. You smiled at your friend, basically pounced on her to give her a hug, and ran towards your boyfriend.

The car ride to Ignis’s apartment was somber and quiet even with Prompto in the group. Ignis might be safe and on his way back to his usual state of health, but he was still out of commission. And now with you in the car, only half the team was in any state to fight.  The four of you were fortunate—there were hardly any daemons out at this time, and the only skirmishes you stopped were small groups of goblins that even you could have handled.  

The elevator ride up to Ignis’s apartment was equally quiet, especially since Prompto had stayed to keep guard up front. You kept telling yourself that he was alive and that he was safe, but you knew how equally possible it was for events to have occurred very differently. Lady Luck had smiled on you this time, but you weren’t sure when she would stop as far as either of you were concerned.  You were so far in your own mind, you didn’t realize that you were in front of Ignis’s door until Gladio finally spoke.

“Will you be okay?”

You met Galdio’s warm eyes and nodded. “I think I can handle it. Thank you for your help.”

“We will be fine, Gladio,” Ignis replied with a touch of exasperation. “I haven’t become an invalid yet.”

“Just offerin’ Iggy. But don’t hesitate to call me,” Gladio said briefly placing a hand on Ignis’s shoulder for reassurance before turning back towards the elevators.

You supported Ignis as you made your way into his cheerfully lit apartment. For someone who was blind and had normally such a somber taste, his apartment was cozy.  Bookshelves all full of books adorned both his office and the living room, plush chairs were placed carefully around the sitting area, and a cozy blanket lay folded neatly over a smooth and comfortable leather couch.

What touched your heart were the pictures placed around his apartment of the two of you—pictures of private moments that Prompto had shot discreetly, many of them before the eternal night had settled over Eos.  There was one of you kissing him on the cheek while he was reading, another of Ignis wrapping his arms around you from behind while overlooking the Disc of Cauthess, and one of you taken in a studio with graduation regalia and medicine hood following your medical school graduation.  Ignis was a private individual while in public, and your PDA was usually limited to minimal amounts of hand holding and some sneaky kisses on his cheek.  The person he was in private, however, spoke of a different man—one who was hopelessly devoted to you.

You led him into the bedroom to help him change into his night clothes, fully intending to draw him a bath and then let him—or, make him, you didn’t particularly care which— get some rest. Ignis posed no complaints as you drew a bath or when you undressed him before gingerly helping him settle in.  While he soothed his muscles within the bath, you gently ran soapy hands over him from your place on the tub’s edge, leaning forward from time to time to place kisses over his face.  He may have gently protested to the attention you bestowed on him, but the smile that lit up his countenance when you peppered kisses over his face told you another story.

He allowed you to help him out of the bath and sat strangely obediently on the bed with a fluffy white towel wrapped low on his hips, while you rustled around finding his clothes. You wondered if he was lost in thought or he just felt uncomfortable letting someone take care of him.  As much as you liked to spoil each other, you wondered if this was the first time someone had truly taken care of him the way he was so willing to take care of everyone else.

You helped him put his clothes on, ending the ritual with a kiss to his cheek.

“May I make you something to eat?” Ignis broke the silence.

You cocked at eyebrow at the incredulity of the statement. “What?”

“I assume you haven’t eaten much at work.”

“Iggy, I love you, but are you that uncomfortable with someone taking care of you?” Your voice had no malice but instead held a hint of amusement at his obvious discomfort.

You moved between his legs, cupping his face in your hands, and leaned your forehead against his. His hands came to settle on your waist pulling you in just a little closer. A soft smile touched your lips when you noticed how he leaned into your touch.

“Did you forget that you promised to rest?”

“No, love, but—”

“NOPE. No buts. You’re going to rest Iggy.” You brushed your lips against his. “Doctor’s orders.”

His lips twitched upwards then. “I suppose I cannot disobey such authority.”

You laughed at that, helping him settle back, delighted when he pulled you with him to settle against his side.  “I still need a doctor’s touch it would seem. My injuries are agitated,” he explained as though obvious. There were no complaints from your end, and you curled up against his side, running your fingers through his hair until he fell into a deep sleep.  

With a small kiss to his temple, you left his side when you were sure he wouldn’t wake up—he was an exceptionally light sleeper after all, albeit his injuries seemed to have made him currently dead to the world—and stepped back into his living room, content to help set up for the days following his recovery.

Ignis slept like the dead. For the entirety of the day. In order to keep it that way and minimize the risk of his arousal, you took the guest room. The next day, as quiet as you could be, you managed to finish all the domestic duties Iggy usually did to keep his mind at ease.

You would probably have to go back to your shift tomorrow. It was already too generous of your colleagues to cover for you for two whole days. So you thought it would be wise to make a small batch of food that Ignis could eat for the next few days so he wouldn’t have to cook.  You made his favorite meals hoping very hard he wouldn’t wake up with all the sizzling vegetables and meats and the aromas permeating the apartment, but evidently your worries, while well-intentioned, were unnecessary as you heard nothing from beyond the bedroom door.

Or so you thought.  You were in the middle of wiping down the kitchen when a pair of arms wrapped around your middle and a very warm body pressed against your back. You shrieked in surprise, not amused even when Ignis buried his face into your shoulder and let out of a deep laugh at your reaction.

“You jerk!” You swatted his arm. “You scared the shit out of me!”

You still never figured out how the man could be so damn quiet.

He nuzzled into that area just below your ear that made you weak every time. “My apologies, darling. It was just too tempting.”

He nipped the area, and you swore your eyes rolled back into your head.  Goddamn it how is he so good at this?

“Am I forgiven?” he murmured against your skin.

You gulped but nodded.

You turned in his arms, taking a careful survey of his sleep mussed hair, the scars on and around his eyes, the stubble around his jaw, and felt your heart speed up. Just like the night at the hospital, you smoothed your hands down his chest, but this time there was no Gladio or Prompto to stop you from appreciating every thing about the man in front of you—the way his chest rose with his breath, the small clench of his muscles as you grazed a particularly sensitive spot, the soft inhale of his breath as your hands dipped lower down his abdomen.  Ignis caught your hands in his, bending down to your ear, warm breath tickling your ear and his body suddenly even closer.

“However shall I thank you for making me better?”

Your breath hitched at the gravelly timbre of his voice, but when he pulled back slightly to look at you with mischief in his eyes and arms leaving your wrists to wrap securely around you, you lost your composure all together.

Your voice came out as a squeak. “A kiss?”

A smirk slowly graced his lips as he bent his head towards you. “Hmmmm a kiss? That certainly sounds fair. But a kiss where I wonder?”

“Here?” He kissed your temple.

Lips slid down to your cheek. “Here?”

And then right behind your ear. “Or here?”

Lips grazed across your jaw as you clenched your eyes shut and your breaths became shallow. He knew how much you loved this.  He slowly trailed his lips up, catching your own. You made a noise somewhere between a gasp and a moan as he finally kissed you. But even this was short lived. He pulled away with lips quirking up into a smile when he felt you mindlessly move to follow him.

“No, that won’t do, kitten. I think I have another place that you would like even more.”

He picked you up then, as though he hadn’t just lain broken less than a few days ago, and carried you into the bedroom.

[animakupo]

Shortcake vs. Beefcake (Gladio x Reader)

i can stay up late working on a fic and yet i can’t even extend the same courtesy to my actual work. Nice™

I tried following the canon timeline for this one, just because a lot of the story was built up within the timeframe before the FFXV game. Also, apparently the whole Gladio vs. drunkard really was the reason for the scar on his face, but I changed it up a bit to accommodate the story.

This one’s a bit more similar to how I usually wrote fics prior to my 9845798-year hiatus from writing fanfiction. wow, yay, party on, woohoo, i’ll edit this later bc it’s almost 3am zzz

word count: 5.8k+, fluff, angst??? kinda slow burn mmm

Whenever people saw you and Gladiolus Amicitia together, they often mistook the two of you as siblings. While it annoyed you to no end, it couldn’t be helped. You often bickered with one another — playful or otherwise — and your substantial height difference only made you look more like a little sister than anything.

Seeing as your mother was a member of King Regis’ council, you were privy to occasional access into the Citadel. At least, whenever your mother was summoned to another council meeting, which grew in frequency over the years due to the continued strain with Niflheim. Thus, the Citadel became a playground of sorts for you growing up.

The royal family’s staff didn’t mind looking after you during those lengthy council meetings so long as you were well-behaved and didn’t get your hands on anything too expensive-looking. For the most part, you acquiesced to their wishes, especially with the threat of being banned from the Citadel — something your mother often imparted on you before heading off to the council room — looming over your naive head.

It was an empty threat, of course, but you were too young to comprehend that.

Many of your childhood afternoons were spent in the garden, filling up coloring books and devouring page after page of your fairy tales. Sometimes, when you thought the royal staff weren’t looking, you would explore the Citadel on your own accord. It was through this did you first encounter Prince Noctis, as well as his Shield, the mighty Gladiolus Amicitia.

One day, on one of your Citadel expeditions, you had somehow stumbled upon the Prince’s training room. Though he appeared to be significantly smaller than his opponent, you were in awe of how well he seemed to hold his own. Upon spotting you shyly observing from the doorway, the Prince became distracted for just a second too long, causing Gladio to send his wooden floor flying across the floor.

At this, you rather impulsively sprinted towards the Prince, opening your short arms as a means of screening him from his own Shield. “Stop bullying the Prince!” you cried, glaring at the much taller young man in front of you.

Gladio raised his brow, both in surprise (‘Who let in this kid?’ he thought to himself) and in mild annoyance at being accused of “bullying” the Prince. “I’m not bullying him,” he replied, walking over to where Noctis’ sword had slid off to. “I’m training him.”

You blinked owlishly as your arms slowly fell to your sides. Unbeknownst to you, Noctis was snickering silently from behind at your accusation towards Gladio. Hearing the Prince get back on his feet, you turned to him, as if seeking confirmation on what Gladio had just said.

Though Noctis appeared little against the strong build of Gladio, he actually had a good head over you, making him appear much taller than he actually was. You stared up at him with a pout, feeling slightly embarrassed at how you had wrongfully accused Gladio of being a bully.

“Don’t worry about me,” he assured you. “I’m fine. And you’re right — Gladio sure is a bully!”

And thus was the beginning of your friendship with the Crown Prince of Lucis.

Being of same age, you and Noctis got along spectacularly well. He had even introduced you to his father during one of your games of hide-and-seek. You offered a polite curtsy to King Regis, to which he responded with a hearty laugh and a small bow of his own.

“I like your dad,” you told Noctis. “He’s a nice king.”

Noctis shrugged as he sipped on his apple juice. “I like him too.”

Although your friendship with Noctis flourished, you couldn’t say the same about your friendship — if you could really call it that — with Gladio.

There was just something about the Shield that brought out every competitive bone from your body. Whenever he and Noctis sparred, you were often spurred on by this inexplicable need to take down Gladio with your own wooden sword. It was usually after his sessions with the Prince did you challenge him for a one-on-one match.

Having no practice or background in swordsmanship, you were — as expected by Gladio (and Noctis, if he was being completely honest) — frequently defeated more often than not. Despite facing the bitter sting of your loss over and over again, you never faltered, always coming in with another challenge for Gladio the next time you saw him.

Gladio had to hand it to you, though. For a small brat, you were pretty determined to conquer him, one way or another.

“Better luck next time, shortcake,” is what he would often tell you as you wallowed in your consistent defeat.

“Shut up, meathead,” was your usual retort, accompanied by a scowl and a huff.

Your competitive streak against against Gladio was not restricted to just sparring matches. Sometimes, you would challenge him to races. (He was always faster than you thanks to those blasted long limbs of his.) Other times, you would see who could do the most push ups in a minute. (You usually gave up after the third count.)

One time, you challenged him to an eating contest. Unfortunately, you challenged him to an eating contest with Cup Noodles. Basically, this meant that you were a goner even before you opened the first pack of Cup Noodles.

You vowed never again to consume another cup of the wretched noodles if it was the last thing you did.

As to why you continued to challenge Gladio — despite his blatant advantage in physicality — remained a mystery to Noctis. But hey, if it got him out of training, then he was all for it.

“Just give it up already, shortcake,” Gladio taunted. “Face it: you’re never gonna win against me.”

‘I will one day,’ you thought, sending a glare towards the smug Amicitia. ‘Mark my words, you stupid meathead. I WILL beat you someday!’

Over time, your challenges with Gladio became a typical occurrence at the Citadel. You later on befriended Noctis’ royal adviser, Ignis Scientia, who found your nearly daily provocations towards Gladio more amusing than anything. You liked Ignis — much more than Gladio, that was for sure — especially whenever he had some pastries to offer after testing out a recipe or two in the royal kitchens.

Still, your competitiveness towards Gladio never wavered.

You continued to challenge him. To his credit, Gladio continued to accept these (sometimes absurd) dares. But, you would still fall at his hands. It was a vicious and never-ending cycle.

“AGH!” you screeched, throwing your hands up in the air as you fell in step with Ignis, who was escorting Noctis to his chambers for another session of tutoring. “Why is he so good at everything he does?”

Ignis readjusted the spectacles on his face. “He has to be,” he said, opening the door to Noctis’ bedroom. “He is the future king’s Shield, after all.”

“Hmph,” you sulked, laying your things out on Noctis’ bed to get started on your own homework for the day.

Noctis sighed. “When are you ever going to learn?”

You squinted at your best friend with a pout. “Never.”

*

When you were 13 and Gladio was 16, he — for the very first time in the history of your relationship — declined a challenge, claiming he had an appointment to get to and didn’t have time for your “childish games.”

This struck a nerve with you, as you never appreciated being treated like a kid. Sure, you looked like one, and your short stature — along with your babyface — did nothing to help this, but it didn’t mean that you were still a child. You were 13 years old already, for Ramuh’s sake!

“Betcha you’re just scared that this’ll be the day you’ll taste defeat,” you provoked.

Gladio scoffed. “Aren’t you tired of always getting beaten by me?”

“Today’s the day, meathead,” you declared. “I can feel it in my bones. Today’s the day that I’ll beat you at something once and for all!”

It was only a year or two ago did you begin to seriously practice your weaponry, not just as a means of someday beating Gladio, but also to pave the road towards your current top aspiration: becoming a member of the Kingsglaive.

You had always admired the Glaives ever since you caught a few of them sparring during one meeting of your mother’s with their captain. They just looked so cool and powerful, and that was exactly what you wanted to be when you grew up.

No one had to know about your tiny crush on the one they called “Ulric,” though.

That felt like almost ages ago. Now, at the age of 13, you were still growing into your body, whereas Gladio was well on his way towards developing his physique into quite the powerful build. His jaw was already becoming much more pronounced, his hair was growing longer, and during one of his sparring sessions with Noctis, you had even noticed that his muscles appeared to be even more distinguished than how you remembered to be.

Gladio may have looked stronger and bigger than when you first met him, but this didn’t deter you in the slightest. “C’mon, Gladio,” you pleaded for once. “Please? This’ll be the last time, I swear!”

“I’ve never heard you sound so desperate for me,” Gladio teased as he set aside the last of the scattered equipment in the training room. “Sorry, shortcake, but I really can’t today. Can I take a rain check?”

You were disappointed and annoyed, but you knew you had to let the Shield go. His appointment must be something really urgent if he couldn’t spare a few measly minutes with you.

“Fiiine,” you relented. “Where do you have to be that’s so important, anyway?”

Gladio sent you a smirk. “Not that it’s any of your business,” he said with a bit of a cocky lilt to his voice, “but I’ve got a date tonight that I have to get ready for. See ya, shortcake.”

You weren’t sure why his response upset you to the point of near tears, but ever since that day, you pledged never to challenge Gladiolus Amicitia ever again.

*

For the most part, you managed to maintain your self-imposed ban on ever challenging Gladio again. It was something the people around you — namely Noctis and Ignis — noticed, but for Gladio himself, it was something he used as ammunition to aggravate you even further.

“What, no confident speech about taking me down today, shortcake?” the Shield jeered when you showed up at the Citadel one afternoon.

“Whatever,” you hissed, rolling your eyes at him. “I have better things to do, that’s all.”

“And what would that be?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, beefcake,” you shot back, “but I’ve got a date with Iggy today.”

At this, Gladio’s brows shot up. “Okay, first of all: beefcake?” Turning to Ignis, he said, “And really, Iggy? You’re dating this squirt?”

“Hey!” you objected hotly. “I am not a squirt!”

Despite already being 14 years old, you still appeared to be rather small for your age, making Gladio all the more relentless with his quips about your height. It didn’t help that Gladio only seemed to grow and grow the older he got, which meant he towered over you more and more as the years passed.

“I’d like to clarify that we do not, in fact, have any romantic plans together,” Ignis said. “However, we will be kept busy this afternoon in the training room. I’ve offered my services in the art of dual-wielding to our young friend here.”

When Ignis began his training in preparation of formally joining the Crownsguard, you sought him out, mostly due to his expertise in your weapon of choice. Taking after your mother, you had an affinity towards daggers, preferring short but quick attacks. Who else to further your training to join the Kingsglaive than Ignis, then?

“Ah, gotcha. Noct and I will give you two some privacy.” Gladio wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Ignis to sigh in exasperation at his friend’s antics.

“We will?” Noctis parroted, lost with what his Shield was getting at.

“C’mon.” The resident muscle head pulled the Prince by the collar. “We can spar outside. It’ll switch things up a bit. And you,” — he turned to you just then — “I expect your skills to improve after a few training sessions with Iggy here.”

You smirked. “Ready to get your ass handed to you, beefcake?”

Gladio snorted. “Bring it on, shortcake. Oh, and thanks for the new nickname. I’m flattered that you think so highly of my anatomy. I’ve worked hard on it, after all.”

Perhaps only Ignis noticed it then, seeing as he was the one closest to you in proximity at the time, but you were definitely red in the face after hearing Gladio’s parting comment.

*

Unlike your beefcake of a rival, you weren’t much for the dating scene and romance in general. In fact, your first date — if you could even call it that — took place when you were already 19. An old classmate of yours asked you out, and you thought he was pretty cute, so you agreed to catching a movie together over the weekend.

The date was… a disaster, to say the least. This being your first venture into the world of dating, you were a nervous wreck, and throughout the film, your date would obnoxiously make comments scene after scene like some wannabe movie critic. It irked you to no end.

Needless to say, you declined his offer to take you out for some drinks after the film ended. In spite of your blatant rejection, your date was nice enough to insist he take you home. However, wanting to spare yourself of any more moments of awkwardness, you politely declined, claiming your house was only a few blocks away.

Though reluctant, your date finally let you go after a rather uncomfortable parting between the two of you. ‘That… was the absolute worst!’ you thought to yourself, quickly making your way home.

Perhaps tonight was just not the night for you, because as you neared your side of the neighborhood, you accidentally bumped into a stranger in your haste to reach your living quarters.

“Sorry!” you reflexively called out, trying to navigate yourself away from the man.

Unfortunately for you, the stranger was not so forgiving, as he harshly grabbed your shoulder and spat, “Watch where you’re going, bitch!”

You were immediately on guard the moment you caught a whiff of alcohol from the man. Of course, his derogatory slur only caused your temper to flare. How dare he talk to you that way? Intoxicated or not, he had no right to talk to you in such a rude manner, let alone insult you.

“Let go of me,” you said, trying to keep your tone even despite the slight tremble of rage that was weaved into your voice. You didn’t think it wise to provoke someone so inebriated, especially since you were unarmed. There was the option of using your fists, but really, was this drunkard even worth it?

“You know what? I don’t wanna,” he slurred. You took notice of the rather delirious and borderline lecherous look in his eyes — the telltale signs that you needed to get out of there, pronto.

“I said let go!”

You thought taking on this drunk stranger would be a walk in the park. Considering how much time and effort you’ve dedicated to your fighting skills over the years, defending yourself from creeps on the street should come as no challenge whatsoever.

What you weren’t anticipating was for this jackass to grope your chest.

Never in all your 19 years had you ever been violated so… so… you didn’t even know what to call it. You were shocked and frozen at the spot, becoming all the more terrified when the man pulled out a knife from pocket. All your training flew right out the window the moment he took a hold of your… your…

When did you start crying?

The drunkard licked his lips, dragging the side of his knife across his chest. “Now, be a good girl for me and-“

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

In your hysteria, you were completely lost to the world. All you could hear were punches, groans, a lot of yelling, and the sound of metal being tossed to the ground. It was only after you felt a warm hand on your shoulder did you manage to snap out of your blankness.

Thinking it was your assaulter, you retaliated with a scream, tearfully crying out, “Please, don’t!”

“Hey, hey.” The voice was rough, but there was a gentle tone to it. “It’s me. It’s Gladio.”

The familiar name managed to pull you out of your cowering. “G-Gladio…?”

The young man nodded. “Gladio.”

With a sob, you slammed yourself into his chest, feeling instantly comforted by the feel of his bulky arms around you. “Gla-Gladio, I was… I-I-“ You felt terrified. Embarrassed. Dirty. “I-I’m… I…”

“Shh, you’re safe now,” Gladio cooed, rubbing your back in a soothing manner. “He won’t ever touch you again. You’re okay.” You felt his hand rest on the back of your head, keeping your face securely rested against his body. “I’m sorry. I won’t let anyone ever hurt you again. I promise.”

All you could do was wail, allowing Gladio to absorb your cries and having him become your shield for the night.

*

Things between you and Gladio changed after that dreadful encounter with the drunkard. You had apologized profusely after coming to the realization that your longtime — albeit unofficial — rival took a nasty blow to the face when he defended your honor.

The scar looked painful, but Gladio assured you that he wore it with pride. “Don’t worry about it.” He waved you off with an easy smile, ruffling your hair in the process. “Women love battle scars.”

His comment made you scoff, but nevertheless, it eased the tension in your chest. “Gladio, I…” You let out a deep breath, taking a hold of his hand in your much smaller ones. “Thank you. If you hadn’t been there that night, I-I would’ve…”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, giving you a sharp and warning stare. “Don’t go there. You’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”

Although the antics and banter between the two of you continued on like normal, the air you felt around Gladio felt different all of a sudden.

Jokes on your height went on as they usually did (“Need help with that, shortcake?” was a consistent offer whenever you had to stretch on your tiptoes in order to grab something on a shelf that was just out of your reach), but the shared glances between the two of you were friendlier. Softer.

You still competed with Gladio on the smallest of things, but they were much more lighthearted and comforting more than anything. At some point, you even sought out Gladio’s company with no underlying motive other than to spend time with him.

You didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the beginning of your romantic feelings towards Gladiolus Amicitia.

Developing feelings for Gladio felt almost burdensome to you. For one, you knew he’d never see you as anything other than a little sister. You were certain that you were just Iris 2.0 to him. Not that there was anything wrong with Iris; you loved that girl to death.

It was just frustrating having to keep your feelings at bay whenever you were around Gladio, because really, in his current state of physicality, how could you even resist this beautiful specimen who laid out his muscles for all the world to see?

It didn’t help at all that your height difference — paired with your incessant bickering, as endearing as it was for the both of you — made you look more like a charge he had to look after rather than a potential love interest worth considering.

It might’ve been naive of you, but you held onto your feelings for Gladio anyway, unrequited as they were.

“I’m still going to beat you one day, Gladio,” you swore, taking another swig of your drink on the eve of Noct’s 20th birthday.

“I hope that day comes soon,” the Shield teased with boisterous laughter. “I’m not getting any younger, you know.”

“Can’t the two of you take it down a notch for once?” Noctis groaned. Though he was used to your empty promises of “I’m-going-to-beat-you-one-day” towards Gladio by now, he at least wished that he could be spared of such words on own his birthday, at the very least.

“Someone sure is grumpy,” Prompto teased as he took a random photo of his best friend and his ever-so-permanent pout.

“I can assure you,” Ignis addressed Prompto, “Noct is always grumpy.”

This caused a surge of laughs across your circle, much to the Prince’s chagrin. “Cut it out you guys!” Noctis whined, only leading the rest of you (sans Ignis at this point, because of course only he could stay composed at any given time) towards even more peals of laughter.

Once your noises died down to some chuckling, Gladio suddenly nudged your side, prompting you to turn your gaze from your empty cup to his amber eyes. “What?”

“So,” Gladio started, “what’s it feel like to be officially part of the Crownsguard now?”

Despite your initial ambitions of joining the Kingsglaive, your mother — along with a few other influential parties, a.k.a. Ignis, Gladio, and even the Marshal himself — convinced you that you would be a much better fit in the Crownsguard instead. As the next in line to rule Lucis, Noctis needed his own set of guards, and it was unanimously agreed on that you would make the perfect addition next to Ignis and Gladio — and Prompto, soon enough — in the Crownsguard.

It took a little bit of persuasion (and, okay, maybe a little bit of good-natured provocation from Gladio), but you were eventually swayed into setting your eyes towards becoming a member of the Crownsguard itself.

Once you were decided, Gladio quickly took you under his wing in order to enhance your combat skills beyond not just what you already knew, but what you were comfortable with.

“Weeell,” you drew out. “It feels great, to say the least. Who wouldn’t be happy to be done training with a beefcake like you?”

“I’m giving you a five-second start, shortcake.”

You heeded Gladio’s warning, squealing as you zoomed past the rest of the gang to stay away from the Shield’s clutches.

*

“We’re near the treasure!” you cheered. “I can feel it!”

As fans of the Assassin’s Creed series, you, Noctis, and Prompto were beyond excited for the Assassin’s Festival being held in Lestallum. Not only were your assassin’s robes a nice touch, the slew of festivities to enjoy made everything all the more entertaining for you and your friends.

Well, it did for the most part. There was just one thing that continued to bother you at the back of your mind…

“I. Am. Disgusted!” Prompto scoffed at the sight of Gladio flirting with yet another woman during the duration of the festival.

You faltered at the mere thought of Gladio getting cozy with the women here, but what could you do? This was the resident ladykiller, after all. There was a reason why you called Gladio “beefcake,” and he was definitely taking advantage of his assets as he charmed one girl after another.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” you gagged. “Besides, we’ve got better things to look at other than Gladio flirting with anything that breathes.”

The quest to fulfill the festival’s treasure hunt was a bit of a long-winded one, but once you all solved the mystery at hand, the fruits of your labor made everything worth it.

“Well, that was fun,” Noctis commented at the end of the quest.

Ignis concurred with a nod. “Indeed.”

Being a massive fan of Assassin’s Creed, it seemed Noctis still wasn’t done with celebrating the festival, as he suggested that your group continue on with a few more rounds of games. Prompto latched onto this idea immediately, especially at the suggestion that they all go for a few Chocobo races.

“Count me in!” Prompto whooped, already giddy at the thought of getting to ride his favorite animal yet again.

Noctis turned to you, as if seeking approval. You nodded with a smile. “Why not? The night’s still young. Iggy?”

“C’mon, Specs,” Noctis egged on. “One race won’t kill you.”

Ignis shrugged. “I suppose a race or two wouldn’t hurt,” he conceded, to which Prompto cheered excitedly. “But I do believe it’s best we retire to the hotel soon. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

“Aye, aye, captain!” Prompto saluted, the grin on his face growing all the more. Addressing Gladio, the blond inquired, “What about you, big guy?”

You didn’t think it was possible for Gladio to further aggravate you for the night, but alas, how wrong you were in that assumption. “Actually, I’m meeting someone in a few minutes,” he declared, sounding somewhat smug. “You guys go on ahead.”

Indifferent, Noctis shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

“Keep it in your pants, big guy!” Prompto called, already racing Noctis towards the Chocobo stables.

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Ignis turned to you and asked, “Shall we?”

Your other three companion might not have minded — perhaps they were used to this side of Gladio by now — but you, on the other hand, were seething. Getting to enjoy festival activities was practically a luxury by now, especially with the Nifs always on your tails. Yet here was Gladio acting all high and mighty, declining the offer to spend time with his friends for a quick romp with a stranger?

You were absolutely livid.

And, okay, maybe a little jealous, but you were definitely more upset than anything.

“I’ll catch up with you in a bit,” you ground out. “I’m going to have a word with that dumb beefcake first.”

Ignis sighed. There was no doubt that your impending confrontation with Gladio was bound to be rather explosive to say the least, but it wasn’t really his affair to meddle with. Besides, he had his other kids — a.k.a. Noctis and Prompto — to look after. Who knows what those two could stir up when left unsupervised?

“Might I advise you not to make too much of a scene?” Ignis proposed. “We wouldn’t want to bring any more attention to us as it is.” At that, he left you to your own devices.

*

When you caught up to Gladio, you found him leaning towards a hooded woman who was backed up against a wall. The sight of the two of them being much too close for comfort made your blood boil.

“HEY, BEEFCAKE!” you hollered obnoxiously, disrupting the intimate bubble of privacy that Gladio had been sharing with the woman.

The large man groaned. “What now?”

“I’d like a word with you.”

He grumbled, irritated that he was being interrupted for the umpteenth time tonight. “This better be worth it.” Turning to his female companion, he said in a disgustingly flirtatious tone, “I’ll be right back, sweetheart.”

“Don’t keep me waiting too long,” the woman crooned, batting her eyelashes at Gladio.

You wanted to barf right then and there.

Once the two of you found a more private corner near the Leville, Gladio crossed his arms and glared at you. “This better be good, shortcake.”

With a stinging look of your own, you said, “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Gladio stared at you incredulously. “Me?”

“Yes, you!” You poked at his chest, the frustration towards the man in front you steadily rising. “Here we are wanting to celebrate the Assassin’s Festival as a group, and yet you ditch us — your friends, need I remind you — for a quick fuck?”

Gladio’s eyes hardened at your choice of words. “What I do with my time is none of your business,” he retorted. “Besides, we spend so much time together on the road as it is.”

“What the hell are you insinuating?” you spat venomously. “Oh, are you sick of our company already? Is that what it is?”

“That’s not what I said and you know it!” Gladio snarled. His eyes were ablaze with anger, but this only spurred you on even more.

“Then why would you rather spend the night with some… some stranger than with us?! Why go chasing skirts for something so meaningless when you could do so much more with your time?”

“And what do you propose, huh?” he growled. “What, wanna compete with me on another one of your dumb challenges?” Gladio chuckled almost mockingly, the sound making dread and unease settle in your chest. “No matter what you say, you’re never gonna beat me, you know. You’ll never be good enough.”

You didn’t know you had it in you to deliver a sucker punch that would send Gladio reeling, but it happened.

“Fuck you,” was all that left your mouth before you hightailed it out of there.

*

If he was being honest, Gladio didn’t know what came over him.

Despite the fact that everything you said was true, he had refused to back down, especially with his ego being afflicted by your statements. He wanted to counter with some painful remarks of his own, even if he didn’t mean a single word of it.

‘Good going, dumbass,’ Gladio thought to himself, massaging his sore jaw. ‘That was one helluva punch, though.’

His hot date long forgotten, Gladio searched high and low for you. Still, you were as evasive as ever. Before long, he retreated back to his shared hotel room, thinking it best that he give you your space for the time being.

It thus came as a surprise when, upon entering the room he shared with all of you, Gladio found you seated on the bed. By the looks of it, you had just taken a shower and were getting ready to go to sleep, what with your damp hair and pajama-clad body.

What really gripped at Gladio’s heart was how broken you looked. Your eyes were swollen, an obvious indication that you had been crying. You looked so… so defeated. The sight of you made Gladio regret everything that came out of his big mouth during your very heated exchange.

He took a step towards you, and this was enough to pull you out of your daze. Your eyes met, but only momentarily, as you turned your back towards Gladio and refused to face him any longer.

Anxiously, Gladio ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m-“

“Save it,” you croaked, rubbing at your eyes as another sniff escaped you.

Even your voice sounded so shattered. It only served to make Gladio feel all the more worse. He sighed dejectedly. “Listen, I know I’m the last person you wanna see right now-“

“That’s just scraping the surface.”

“-but I just wanted to apologize for earlier.” The bed dipped with Gladio’s weight right next to you. “I didn’t mean any of it, I swear.”

Being so close to Gladio, especially after being burned by him so recently, sent your heart into a frenzy. Taking a shaky breath, you whimpered, “You hurt me.”

Gladio frowned, feeling more and more despicable about himself. “I know, and I’m so sorry.”

“Y-you… you promised.” You were wailing now. Wiping the tears from your face soon became a futile action at how much you were crying. “You pr-promised you wouldn’t let any-anyone hur-hurt me again.”

Gladio stilled, his fists balling in anger towards himself. How could he forget such an important promise he made to you not too long ago? He felt like such a scumbag. “Some Shield I am, huh?” he mumbled sourly. “I can’t even protect the girl I’m in love with from myself.”

You froze at his sudden declaration. “Wha…? What?” You couldn’t help but turn to him then, your mouth agape in disbelief. He didn’t just… did he?

“I love you,” Gladio said sternly. Deeply. Surely. He held your teary gaze and let out a long exhale before continuing. “This… probably wasn’t the best way to go about with it, but I guess the cat’s outta the bag.”

Your eyes widened. “Ar-are you… you’re not joking, are you?”

“Why would I joke around with my feelings?”

“But… you’ve never… with me…” You were stumbling all over your words. “Since when?”

Gladio paused. You could tell he was going over the details in his head. Finally, he answered, “Probably a little after you started training with Iggy. But I don’t think I was really sure about my feelings until the night I got this.” He pointed at the trademark scar on his face. “After that, I was already certain that I was in love with you.”

Your hands were trembling. Gladiolus Amcitia, in love with you? Never in your wildest dreams did you think it was possible that he would ever reciprocate your feelings. By the looks of it though, it seems he did — and tenfold, at that.

You were still hurting a bit from his harsh words earlier, but there was no denying the heat in your cheeks that steadily intensified. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

He shrugged. “Didn’t wanna scare you off, especially not after that night. Then life just got in the way, and I didn’t really know if it was the right time, what with everything going on right now.”

It was silent between the two of you for a while. Maybe you were quiet for a beat too long, because Gladio suddenly took ahold of your face in his hands and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Say something. Please.”

There was a poisonous seed that had been planted in your head, and it was something you needed to clear out before moving forward with Gladio. In a voice that sounded so incredibly sad to his ears, you questioned, “Am I good enough?”

This was enough to break him. “Yes, Astrals, yes.” He was littering your face with kisses now, as if trying to cleanse any trace of the tears and heartbreak that he had caused. “You will always be more than enough.”

Gladio pulled you to him then, and you allowed him to do so, opening your arms not just to embrace him, but to accept his apology and simply open your heart to him fully and unconditionally.

“I love you, Gladio.”

He drew back slightly in order to gaze deeply into your eyes. “You might be a lot smaller than me,” he said, “but your heart will always be much, much bigger than I’ll ever be.”

*

When Ignis divulged to Noctis and Prompto that a storm was brewing between you and Gladio, they had expected the worst. Suffice to say, they were in for a bit of a shock when they found the two of you tangled in each other with your lips locked rather passionately.

One thing’s for sure: your vast height different was no issue when making out with Gladio — so long as you were both lying in bed.

[animakupo]

Unwavering (Ignis x Reader)

for the anony who requested iggy angst!!! with the following prompts:

#2: “Not you again”

#3: “Why do you hate me?”

#34: “I don’t deserve to be loved”

actually nonnie just said i could choose from either of the three but lol i am a Greedy Bitch™ who wants Validation from online strangers so i integrated all of the prompts (((they all worked out for the piece anyway hehehe)))

i worked on this nonstop bc idk i wanna make y’all happy with requests!! ironic bc this has some angst but uh.... i’m a sucker for happy endings so don’t worry everyone is happy in the end yay!!!!!!

(((thank you also to everyone who has sent love for The Way to a Man’s Heart like wow??? i thought it was shitty but a lot of y’all seemed to like it so thank u very much for being such darling angels mwah))))

here’s a more developed piece because i wanted to explore some character growth for iggy and his devotion to the throne whoop

word count: 5.8k+, unrequited feelings bc i LIVE FOR THIS SHIT, angst maybe, spoilers for ffxv

Ignis Scientia was a man known for many things. To those who frequented the Citadel, he was known as the young retainer of Prince Noctis. To some of the staff serving the royal family, Ignis was known for having a magic touch when it came to the kitchen. To his peers, the young man was regarded as hardworking, refined, and immaculately patient.

He had to be, if he was dealing with the stubborn prince, after all.

But, if there was one thing Ignis Scientia wasn’t known for, it was for losing his composed front in public. You, however, were an exception.

As a relative of Prince Noctis, you were a frequent — though not necessarily unwelcome — presence at the Citadel. Every summer, without fail, you would pay a visit to your “Uncle Reggie” — who would always welcome you with “the best hug in all of Eos” — and play with your cousin Noctis.

Though not much for socializing, Noctis — for the most part, at least — often looked forward to your visits, if only because you could get him out of his tutoring sessions and other princely obligations. “I have to go entertain the princess,” he would say whenever you arrived. “Duty calls.”

Having Noctis avoid his lectures was a headache enough for Ignis on any normal day, but with you in the picture? It was nothing short of a nightmare for the young Scientia.

You were hard-headed (more so than Noct, which was a feat in itself), obnoxiously loud, and awfully careless in a palace such as the Citadel. Noctis would argue that you “lit up the place” with your endless supply of energy, but if Ignis were to be frank, he thought you were a bit too much for him.

Though you had no bearing on the throne, you were still royalty under the Lucis Caelum line. Thus, as a member of House Scientia, Ignis was bound to you regardless of how often you got on his nerves.

Which was pretty often, and you weren’t even at the Citadel for the entirety of the year.

“Hi, Iggy!” you chirped at him during one of your summer stay-ins at the Citadel. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Not you again,” Ignis muttered under his breath. Time and time again, he couldn’t fathom what it was about you that grated on his nerves. Was it the lack of control in the volume of your voice whenever you called at him? Was it how reckless you ran around the Citadel, thus posing as a threat to the many valuables that decorated the palace? Or was it simply because Ignis had merely accepted Noctis as his sole responsibility, and so the added weight of you in the picture only placed more pressure over his delicate shoulders?

Whatever it was, Ignis had to remind himself to retain his cool composure, lest you throw a tantrum and cause an even bigger ruckus at the Citadel.

“What was that?”

Ignis cleared his throat. “Nothing.” Adjusting his glasses, he regarded you coolly with a nod. “How may I help you, Princess?”

You beamed, thoroughly basking in the royal retainer’s attention. “Sleepy Boy’s taking his royal nap, and I’m bored! Wanna play with me?”

“I’m sorry, Princess, but I’ll have to decline,” Ignis replied. “I have other things I must attend to.”

“But-“

“You can wait for Prince Noctis in the gardens, if you’d like. I hear the lavenders are blooming this time of the year.”

“Ig-“

“I’ll see you at supper. Good day.”

With his back turned to you, Ignis had failed to notice the tears welling up in your eyes that day.

*

Despite the fact that Ignis was only a year older than you, his poise and elegance made you feel like you were always lightyears behind him. It was due to this that you looked up to him a lot — a confession you had confided in Noctis many times during your yearly visits.

“How does Iggy do it, Noct?” you had asked after the festivities for your 10th birthday had wrapped up. You had opted to celebrate the day with your favorite people (“Sleepy Boy and Iggy! Oh, and you too, Uncle Reggie!”), and in the aftermath of the festivities, you and the prince were sprawled on his bed, too worn out to even bother getting changed into sleepwear.

Glancing at you from his handheld gaming device, Noctis asked, “Do what?”

“Do everything!” you cried, flopping down next to your best friend. “He’s only one year ahead of me, but he seems so much more…”

“Ancient?”

“No!” You whacked Noctis on the head, earning you a snort from the prince. “More mature! Iggy is so mature! I wanna be like him someday.”

“I dunno (Name), being Iggy doesn’t seem like a lot of fun.”

You frowned, brows furrowing at Noctis’ comment. “Why not?”

“He’s always doing stuff that the adults do. All the boring things.”

“Isn’t he allowed to hang out with us and take a break?”

“He is,” Noctis insisted. “But he’s always acted more like mom to me than anything. I’ve never really seen him slack off. Not even once.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah.”

*

The next year, you made it a point to visit Noctis much earlier than your usual scheduled arrival in the summer. You had wanted to surprise Ignis on his birthday, and that was exactly what you did when you showed up at the Citadel several months earlier than expected.

“Hi, Iggy!” You wrapped your arms around him in greeting, ignoring how stiff he was at your embrace. “Happy birthday!”

“What are you doing here?” was all that came out of his mouth, but you were more focused on commemorating his birthday than dwelling on his lackluster response.

“I’m here to celebrate your birthday!” you replied happily, shoving a small box into his hands. “Sorry it’s only store-bought, but all the other cakes I tried to bake kinda… deflated, heh.”

Ignis offered a short bow. “I appreciate the sentiment, Princess, but I have a meeting to attend to.” He handed the box back into your grasp almost apologetically. “You can share that with Noct. I’m sure he will enjoy it immensely.” Turning on his heels, he nodded at you before offering a few more words. “I hope you enjoy your stay.”

And with that, he left you there, standing dumbfounded with a box of cake in your hands and a hurt heart in your chest.

*

When it was time for you to enter high school, you became a permanent fixture at the Citadel. At this age, Ignis had already grown accustomed to your rambunctious personality, though that wasn’t to say he particularly sought out your company on his own accord. He liked to think that he simply tolerated your presence.

You always wished he liked you more, though, especially with your growing feelings for him.

“No fair, Noct!” you whined. “Now that I get to stay here at the Citadel, you’re gonna go and leave me to find a place of your own?”

The prince rolled his eyes at your antics. “I’ve been stuck here all my life, (Name). Don’t you think it’s about time that I at least get some time away from home?” You pouted at him, which only caused Noctis to chuckle. “Don’t dwell on it too much. We still have a year together before I’m off to high school anyway.”

You sighed dramatically. “At least I’ll have Iggy all to myself while you’re gone.”

“Well,” he drawled, “not exactly.”

Your groan sounded more exaggerated than the norm. “He’s gonna trail after you even when you’re away?” you complained, crossing your arms in frustration. “How am I going to get to use my womanly charms on him now?”

Noctis blanched. “Hey, it’s not like I asked him to dote on me. And since when have you been a woman?”

“Since puberty, you dweeb!” You made a motion to smack him on the head, but after years of training, the prince’s reflexes were much quicker now. You made no comment on his fast movements, but you were definitely impressed — and a little proud — by how much Noctis had grown over the years.

“Really?” As proud as you were of Noctis, you had to admit that the smirk on his face was still a little annoying. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Loser.”

“Brat.”

“Says the Sleepy Boy who gets cranky whenever he misses his nap.”

“I’ll have you know that we all need sleep to function properly.”

“Not in excess like you do, Sleepy Boy.”

And thus commenced a wrestling match between you and Noctis, your bitterness over his impending absence — and the lack of Ignis’ company, no less — long forgotten at the back of your mind.

*

High school was not what you thought it would be.

As a member of the royal family — never mind the fact that you weren’t even interested in inheriting the throne, nor were you even technically eligible to take over after King Regis, especially with Noctis having been groomed as the heir since his youth — many of your schoolmates flocked to you without any regard for your personal space.

Ignis had presumed you would have thrived in the spotlight, as revelling in people’s attention was something he had seen you enjoy during your many summers at the Citadel. It thus came as a surprise when, on what he was told was your first day in high school, you came knocking at his apartment door, looking rattled and frightened.

“Hi, Iggy,” you greeted shakily, your eyes lacking the usual mirth Ignis had always seen you carry. It was rather unnerving, having you suddenly show up at his doorstep looking all sullen and downcast. “Sorry for coming here unannounced. I didn’t know where to go, a-and…”

Your voice began to crack. Ignis was alarmed by the sudden manifestation of tears in your eyes; in all his years of watching over both you and Noctis, he had never been privy to your teardrops, so this was a sight that clenched at his heart rather unexpectedly.

“Please, come in.” He ushered you into his home, gingerly leading you to sit on the nearby sofa. “Tea?” he offered quietly, being careful not to aggravate your already bleak mood.

You shook your head. “No thanks. Can… can you just… stay here for a bit? With me?”

With the way you were looking at him so pleadingly — desperately — Ignis knew he wouldn’t be able to decline your request even if he wanted to.

What Ignis found rather odd, however, was that he didn’t want to deny you of your wish.

It had been a good while since the Royal Adviser last saw you. While he still wasn’t particularly fond of you, per se, his patience at least grew the older he became, and with it came a more formidable tolerance for your presence. He had a duty to the Lucis Caelum line — and in effect, to you — and he would stick to this commitment to the end of the line.

Today, though… today was decidedly different. For the very first time, he was seeing you not as a member of the royal family, but simply as you were: a young, vulnerable girl seeking comfort in his familiarity.

The two of you stayed there for the remainder of the evening. Not talking. Not touching. But you were together, and that was all you needed.

*

Ignis later found out from Noctis that your… episode on your first day of high school revealed your intolerance for crowds, especially with the likes of fanatic, hormonal teenagers — who wanted nothing but to rub elbows with royalty — swarming you left and right.

You had kept to yourself for the remainder of your high school life, but ever since that unforeseen visit to Ignis’, you noticed a drop in students harassing you on campus.

You liked to think that a certain Royal Adviser had something to do with the shift in treatment from your schoolmates.

Ignis never said anything about it. He deemed it unnecessary that you be aware of his involvement with campus officials and the warning words he had uttered regarding your safety and well-being.

You were his responsibility, after all.

*

A few days before Noctis was set to leave for Altissia, you decided to throw a party in celebration of not just his engagement, but your new assignment in Accordo as well. The small get-together — which consisted of you, Noctis, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto — was mostly for your own enjoyment. You were being sent off to Altissia ahead of Noctis’ departure, so it would be a while before you would get to see your favorite people again.

“I don’t understand why you can’t just wait a while and come with us, (Name),” Prompto commented with a pout. “We’re all going the same direction anyway.”

You shrugged. “As they say: duty calls.” Taking a swig of your drink, you gestured for Gladio to pour more wine into your glass. “Besides, we’ll see each other soon enough. Don’t worry about it.”

“I think you should slow down on the drinks, (Name).” Noctis attempted to swipe your wine glass from your grasp, but just like the prince, your own reflexes had also improved over time. “Don’t want you hungover on the trip to Accordo tomorrow.”

“I’ll be fiiine,” you sang, leaning onto Gladio for support. “Live a little, Noct-Noct!”

“Prince Charmless is right,” Gladio said as he attempted to steady your swaying form. “Drink too much and you might fall asleep waiting for your boat.”

You scoffed. “If anyone’s falling asleep, it’ll be Sleepy Boy over here.” You poked Noctis on the nose, causing him to scrunch up his face almost reflexively. “You better not fall asleep before your wedding, Noct. Can’t keep sweet ol’ Luna waiting too long. She’ll be expecting a proper prince waiting for her at the altar!”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“We don’t have enough time for that,” Ignis deadpanned, causing the rest of your party to erupt in laughter.

As the night dwindled, your group fell into a comfortable silence. Noctis was already dozing off, while Gladio and Prompto were in their little corner, with the former teaching the blond a few “tricks” up his sleeve on how to “charm the women.”

That left you with Ignis.

“Hey, Iggy,” you called softly. “Could I talk to you for a minute? In private?”

Ignis was in the middle of taking Noctis’ glass from him — as his charge was bound to lose his grip on the drink, what with him going in and out of slumber — when you asked for him. “Certainly,” he said, and the two of you wandered off a little ways away from your friends.

“Can you believe it?” Your words broke the quiet between you and Ignis, the moon and stars serving as your spotlight. “Who would have thought that our Noct would go and get himself hitched? And to the Oracle, at that! I never even dreamed that he would be the first of us to get engaged, let alone start his way towards married life.”

“Indeed.” Ignis adjusted his glasses, a habit of his you had grown fond of over the years. “Granted, the engagement was brought on by the treaty, but regardless, it’s certainly enough reason to celebrate.”

You nodded in agreement. “Definitely.”

“So what was it you wanted to discuss, Princess?”

You felt yourself grow warm even beyond the effects of the alcohol in your system. Under Ignis’ intense stare, you couldn’t help but fidget a bit. The Royal Adviser had grown all the more refined in the past couple of years, making him even more attractive than he already was to begin with.

Not only did he now tower over you with his height, his jawline became more chiseled, giving him a sharper and much more striking face. You also took notice of how much his shoulders had broadened, providing him with a much more masculine build.

Simply put, Ignis Scientia was a work of art. That’s all there really was to it.

“I…” You gulped nervously. “There was something I wanted to tell you before I left.”

“Yes?”

It was now or never. “I… I love you, Ignis. I’m in love with you.”

You shut your eyes almost immediately, too scared of what Ignis’ reaction would be. Had you kept your eyes open, you would have registered the shock on his face. There were tellings of tenderness around his eyes at your confession, but you remained blissfully unaware as you waited with bated breath for his response.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity too long, Ignis spoke. “This is…”

“… yes…?”

“This is highly improper.”

Your stomach fell at his words, eyes opening in shock. “What… what do you mean?” Already, you could feel the tears threatening to make their appearance, but you willed yourself not to let them escape. Not yet. Not until he explained himself.

“What I mean is that you must dismiss this nonsense at once, Princess.”

“Nonsense?” you croaked, hurt by how savagely Ignis was taking this. “How is this nonsense? I love you, Ignis!”

The sharp glare Ignis had sent you that day would be burned into your mind forever. “No, you don’t. You’re not mature enough to know what you’re talking about, (Name).”

“And you are?” Though your tone was scathing, the stray tears that managed to leak from your eyes betrayed you. “I know you’re smarter than me, Ignis, but I’m not that far behind you in age.”

“What you manage to keep up in age speaks nothing of your wisdom, Princess.” He looked away from you, the deep frown seemingly aging him beyond his years. “You’re not in love with me. You’re drunk.”

“Stop calling me that!” you snapped, rubbing at your eyes furiously. What was going on with Ignis? Your gentle, sweet, patient Iggy? “Don’t tell me what I feel, Ignis! I’m sober enough to know what it is that I feel for you, and it’s love! I love you! Why can’t you accept that?”

“Why can’t you accept rejection when you see it, Princess?”

You fell silent at his remark. The tears were flowing freely now, and you did nothing to conceal them any longer. Defeatedly, with your voice barely over a whisper, you uttered, “Why do you hate me?”

“I don’t-“

“You do,” you asserted tearfully. “You’ve never liked me. Even when we were kids, you’ve always hated me, Iggy.”

“Princess…”

“But me?” You laughed mockingly, the chuckles being drowned by your overpowering sorrow. “I’ve always loved you.”

That was the last Ignis saw of you, for the next time you met, his eyes could comprehend nothing but darkness.

His only regret was having your heartbroken face — from pain that he had been the source of — as his final memory of your time together before everything fell apart.

*

Several things revolved around Ignis’ mind as he processed the loss of his eyesight. What use was he now if he couldn’t even see his prince? Would he ever be able to cope? How was Noctis handling the passing of Lunafreya?

No matter what he thought of, though, you continued to remain at the fore of his mind.

He wondered where you were now. After that night, you had left for Accordo very early in the morning. Ignis had failed to see you off, as did the rest of his companions, Noctis included. It was as if you had made it a point to avoid all of them on the day of your departure.

He couldn’t blame you if you were avoiding him specifically, especially after how badly he had handled your confession.

The silver lining in your prompt expedition to Accordo was the fact that you were safe from the fall of Insomnia. Ignis at least had that to tide his worries over for the time being, though it did nothing to ease the gaping hole in his heart at his actions from your final conversation.

He had attempted to contact you countless times during the duration of his travel to Altissia with Noctis and the rest of their party. In spite of his efforts, you were adamant in rejecting his calls, though this was of no surprise to Ignis. Noctis, Prompto, and even Gladio had tried calling you as well — and they were especially consistent after they caught wind of Niflheim’s betrayal — but they were always redirected to either the dial tone or your voice mail.

You were simply unreachable.

“I pray that you are safe, Princess,” Ignis whispered softly into the air as he wobbled off the edge of his bed. He reached out for his walking stick, feeling the frustration of everything that had occurred become incredibly overwhelming. “There is so much I have left unsaid.”

*

“I told him not to fall asleep before his wedding.” Though your message was said in jest, your watery voice was telling enough of the grief you felt. “But did he listen? Of course he didn’t. That stupid Sleepy Boy.”

“Yeah.” Prompto chuckled sadly, wiping a tear from his eye. “That’s Noct for ya.”

“He’ll be back soon,” Gladio said, though the waver in his confidence was painfully obvious. “Or I’ll bring him here myself.”

You sniffed and turned towards the one who had remained silent during your tearful reunion. “And what about you, Iggy? I swear to the Astrals above, you really spoil Noct too much. Now look where it got you!”

Ignis frowned, expecting a comment or two on his eyesight. Or rather, his lack thereof. You were sure to offer pity for his handicap. In fact, he even expected you to mock him as a means of retaliating over the hurt he had lashed out on you that fateful night. It wasn’t even that long ago when you went your separate ways, and yet, it felt almost as if decades had come and gone since then.

He would have accepted any form of punishment from you, really, so long as it would mean he could obtain your forgiveness once and for all.

But, it seemed some things never did change, including the way you had never failed to render Ignis speechless and catch him off guard. What you said next made his cheeks burn — a sensation he never thought he would ever be able to feel anymore, particularly at this point in time when everything seemed bleak and hopeless.

“Look at what you’ve done to yourself.” Your voice was so sweet and so gentle, it made Ignis want to cry. The delicate graze of your fingers over his damaged face made him shiver in delight. “Not to worry. Scars or no, you’re still a work of art to me, Iggy!” Lowering your voice enough for just the two of you to hear, you murmured, “I’ll always love you no matter what.”

Everyone thought Ignis broke down into a heaping mess in your arms as his way of grieving for Noctis, but what no one knew was that he was crying over the love you still held for him even after all this time.

*

With the lack of communication between the two of you since your disappearance, Ignis had barely held onto any hope of possibly finding you again.

And yet, here you were, safe and sound with the rest of civilization at Lestallum. Not only did you look well — rather, you sounded well to Ignis’ ears, at the very least — you had even welcomed him into your loving embrace.

He knew he was entirely undeserving of your kindness and affection, especially with the memory of how he treated you still haunting him, but he allowed himself this momentary reprieve of selfishness. Just this once, Ignis gave himself this small window of putting his own needs before anyone else’s.

He needed you, and here you were, ready and waiting to catch him at any given moment.

“Shh, Iggy, you’re okay,” you cooed into his ears that night. At that very moment, Ignis knew he could go on — blind or otherwise — so long as he had you to lead him through the darkness.

Had you always sounded this angelic, or was his improved hearing warping his memory of your voice?

Or, could it be that he was hearing you not through brand new ears due to his lack of vision, but through the new development of his endearment towards his princess?

“You’re safe, Iggy, you’re safe,” you repeated like a mantra as you soothed his distress with your presence alone. You combed your fingers through his tresses as he held onto you desperately, not ready to face reality just yet. “We’re here. You’re not alone, Iggy. We’re here. We can do this.”

Ignis knew that you, too, were crying as well. He caught the soft whimpers that were scattered between your warm assurances. Even then, he couldn’t bring himself to be strong enough for the two of you for the time being.

Here, in your arms, he was safe, and he wasn’t ready to let go of the safety you provided just yet.

*

None of you addressed Ignis’ breakdown that night. It was a breakthrough for sure, but if Ignis chose not to bring it up, then neither were any of you going to forcefully pick at the wound he had opted to bury.

With both Noctis and Lunafreya absent, darkness surged into the everyday. Ignis, ironically, was one of the first to adjust into this nightmare of a world. He had lost his vision a little before the darkness took over, after all, so the lack of daylight didn’t make much of a difference to him.

What did make a difference was your constant companionship.

Ignis had yet to formally discuss that dreadful night before your trip to Accordo. He owed you more than an apology at this point, and yet, he kept mum, faltering at each opportunity whenever you greeted him with that sunny disposition of yours.

“How do you do it, Princess?” Ignis had asked one day, nearly a year into this life of darkness.

“Do what, Iggy?”

“How have you kept your light so brilliant all this time?” He readjusted his grip on his walking stick as he felt you settle yourself next to him. “Not even Prompto has managed to remain this bright, and he has always been the most cheerful out of all of us.”

You slipped your hand into one of his gloved ones, giving it a squeeze before explaining, “Well, I gotta be the light for you, Iggy. It’s the least I can do while all of you are out there fighting to protect us.”

“But why me?”

“Why not you?”

“I don’t deserve your compassion, Princess.”

“Of course you do! What you don’t deserve is getting your eyesight taken from you, but you’ve always been the selfless one, so I guess I’ll let that slide.” You released his hand in order to caress his face. “You best believe Noct’s gonna get a whipping from me when I see him! He owes you big time.”

“He owes me nothing. I live in his servitude.”

“Well, I guess that’s always been the case, but still-“

“However, I do owe you an apology.”

“Huh?” Your light touches on his face halted. “An apology for what?”

“An apology for how I treated you that night before you left for Accordo,” Ignis explained, a hint of regret lining his words. “I handled the situation inappropriately, and I hurt you in the process.” He blindly reached out for your hands, and you met him halfway, offering your grasp in his shaky one. “For that, I beg for your forgiveness.”

“Iggy, it’s okay. I… I got over it a long time ago. I shouldn’t have sprung something so big on you before I left anyway.”

“Regardless, I am deeply remorseful for how I treated you that night, (Name). You did not deserve to have your feelings regarded so poorly, least of all by someone such as myself.”

Much like that night, silence enveloped the two of you for a few agonizing moments. Ignis sat there, waiting patiently for what you had to say. Eventually, you let out a sigh, leaning a little into his side.

“Can I ask you something then, Iggy?”

“Go ahead, Princess.”

“You… did you ever really…” You were struggling to find the right words. Ignis gave you the push you needed by wrapping his arm around you. “I always felt like you hated me, Iggy. Did you?”

His answer was instantaneous. “Never.”

“Then how come you were always so… how come you always gave me the cold shoulder?” You traced patterns into his thigh as you said this, and Ignis struggled to focus on your words more than the tantalizing feel of your touch. “I mean, I always knew your duty was to Noct, and I was never jealous about that or anything, but…” Another sigh. “Why is it that you were never really friendly with me? And why… why were you so adamant about shutting me down when I confessed to you that night?”

There it was. The hurdle Ignis had to face if he wanted to garner your forgiveness.

“Truth be told, Princess, I was young and naive, and I simply did not know how to handle two Nocts at once.”

“Hey! I object!” you exclaimed. It wasn’t long before your protests fell into a brief wave of giggles. “Yeah, we were a handful together, weren’t we?”

“I wasn’t always as wise as you thought me to be.”

“Still, you were pretty mature for your age. I always admired you for that.”

Ignis felt himself blush at your praise. “As for that night…” He took a deep breath before turning to you. With his lack of vision, Ignis tried to keep his gaze trained towards what he surmised were your eyes. “I… I was afraid, to be frank.”

“Afraid?”

“The very idea of having a member of the royal family hold a great deal of intimate fondness for me in such a manner was terrifying. I did not consider it to be appropriate for me to pursue any inklings of romance with you, especially with my obligations to Noct.”

It took you a few moments to process what he said. “I see.”

“Unfortunately, I was much too brash in my dismissal of your feelings. I was blinded by fear to even consider a possibility with you. You may think me mature, but at the time, I was anything but. I was frightened by the prospect of having to entertain my already conflicting feelings for you.”

Ignis’ voice began to falter, but he continued nevertheless. “Since then, I have lived in regret over my actions. If I had opted to voice my thoughts better, then perhaps we could have…” He shakily reached out for your face, surprised to feel wetness seeping into his gloves. “I am truly sorry. Please, please don’t cry, Princess.”

“S-sorry.” You hastily wiped away your tears, only for Ignis to beat you to it. Instead, you clung onto his hands, which cupped your face in a tender hold. “Sorry, hah. I guess I’m still an emotional mess, huh?”

“There is no need for apologies, Princess. You are sublime just the way you are.”

“Ignis, I…” Your grip tightened around his hands. “I still love you. I love you, Ignis. I love you.” You couldn’t help but cry now, the sound of your wails tearing into Ignis’ heart. “I-I’m-I’m sorry, you don’t have to reciprocate or anything. I just… I just wanted you to know that I never stopped. I never stopped loving you, Ignis.”

How? How had you remained so unwavering in your devotion to him even after he had hurt you so? He didn’t deserve you.

The look of sadness on Ignis’ face made your chest tighten painfully. “I don’t deserve to be loved. Not by you. Never by you.”

“Ignis, no-“

“You deserve everything, Princess,” he said brokenly. “I can’t give you anything. Not anymore.”

“Ignis,” you interjected, “I know you’re blind, but don’t you see? You are my everything. You always have been.”

Ever so gently, you pressed your lips to his, finally breaking through the last of the walls around his heart. To your utmost joy, Ignis gave in and matched your passion.

Propriety be damned, he at least deserved this one thing, didn’t he? His entire life had been dedicated to Noctis and the royal family. For once — just this once — he could let his guard down, could he not? Did he not deserve his own piece of joy as well?

Surely he was allowed to find a happily ever after with you, right?

Fervently, Ignis melted into your kiss, expressing all the dormant feelings he had suppressed over the years.

With his lips merely a whisper away, you murmured, “Will you say it, Ignis? Do you love me?”

“Always. Forever.” His lips sought yours in a frantic dance. “I love you.”

*

Noctis wanted to say he was surprised when he found you and Ignis, many years later, sporting matching bands on your left ring fingers. However, he knew such a union had been a long time coming, even before he was absorbed into the crystal.

“About time, Specs,” the prince — now king — said. He turned to you, gaze turning just a touch softer. “Your womanly charms worked, eh?”

“At least I made it down the aisle,” you quipped, though your damp eyes were evident even in the darkness. “You just dozed off, like I knew you would. You always were one to oversleep, Sleepy Boy.”

“Hey, I’m back now, aren’t I?”

“Better late than never, I suppose,” Ignis remarked with a small smile. “Good to have you back, Noct.”

“Good to be back. Did the princess behave while I was gone, Iggy?”

Your laugh was watery. “Are you forgetting that I’m older than you?”

“It’s only by a year, (Name).”

“That still means she has 365 days over you, buddy,” Prompto teased. “You’ve been gone so long that she’s eons ahead of you now.”

“You’re making it sound like (Name)’s an old granny,” Gladio said, giving Prompto a light punch on the shoulder.

“I will be in no time!” you joked. “Having Noct as family really ages you prematurely.”

“Tell me about it,” Ignis added, joining in on the banter.

“How’d you do it, Iggy?” Prompto asked, the air surrounding Hammerhead feeling lighthearted for once thanks to the return of Noctis. “How’d you survive looking after these two all this time and lived to tell the tale?”

Ignis’ gaze turned much warmer as he glanced in your direction. “Unwavering perseverance is a must in this job, Prompto. I’m only fortunate enough to have learned from the best.”

He might not have seen it, but Ignis could feel just how brilliant your smile was at that moment.

A smile that was reserved just for him. All for him.

[animakupo]

In the Eye of the Beholder (Prompto x Reader)

hey waddup it me, was supposed to post this yesterday but a lot of family stuff happened this weekend that i hadta prioritize

This one’s a little special to me because I’m a photography enthusiast myself who Doesn’t Think They’re Good Enough™ so I really wanted to do something that was a little photography-themed.

Originally, this sat at about 2.4k words, but I bumped it up to around 3k because the development between Rea and Prom felt a bit lacking to me.

ANYWAY I LOVE PROMPTO ALWAYS!!!!! TIME 2 WORK ON THOSE REQUESTS NOW!!!!!

word count: 3.1k, NOTHING BUT FLUFF FOR MY PRESIDENT PROMPTO

There was something so therapeutic about the sound of the camera shutter. What wasn’t so therapeutic, however, was how none of your photos were turning out the way you wanted them to. You had spent all afternoon going from top to bottom around Galdin Quay, and still, the photos you had captured all left an unsatisfactory taste in your mouth.

You heaved a sigh as the beginnings of nighttime began to trickle into the sky’s orange hues. Another day, another struggle to capture any winner material.

The thought of the impending time limit that was looming over your shoulder just made your stomach queasy with unease. ‘If I don’t get anything good soon, then that Prompto’s going to take First Place again.’

The Galdin Quay Snapshot Contest was something that was commemorated at the Mother of Pearl every few months or so. It had taken you a full year to even work up the courage and send in an entry, as showcasing your work to the general public seemed more daunting to you than having to tackle a Catoblepas.

Not that you were even capable of facing off against a Catoblepas.

On your first attempt at the contest, you hadn’t even made the cut. It was incredibly discouraging for you, this being your first photography contest and all, but your friends and family urged you to persevere. And so, you gave in to their support.

Your second attempt proved to be more fruitful, as you at least managed to garner an honorable mention. From there, your placings in the Galdin Quay Snapshot Contest ranged from Second Runner-up to Crowd Favorite. The highest accolade you had ever reached was Second Place.

The coveted First Place had always eluded you, though.

You had thought that, in your most recent attempt at the photo contest, you were going to bag First Place for sure — except a newcomer dashed all your hopes with their very first appearance in the contest.

You didn’t know who he was, but the name Prompto Argentum has haunted you since he first swiped sweet victory from your hands.

Although you were slightly (okay, very) bitter about remaining in Second Place yet again, you couldn’t deny that this Prompto person really had an eye for pleasing aesthetics. With “Anything Under the Sun” being the previous theme for the contest, he had managed to perfectly capture the shadows cast by palm trees over a sleeping canine that lounged amongst the sands.

While you didn’t admit it out loud, his picture had definitely blown your generic sunset picture out of the water.

“Hey there, (Name)!” greeted Coctura once you reached her little station in the middle of the Mother of Pearl. “Got any good shots today?”

You slumped over the bar surface defeatedly. “Not at all. I’m never going to win First Place at this rate, Coctura.” You peeked up at her from your crumpled form. “Not with that Prompto always getting the spotlight.”

Coctura gave you a sympathetic smile as she plated another dish for one of her patrons. “There, there, (Name). I’m sure you’ll come up with something genius eventually! Your photos are really good!”

“But not good enough!”

“You still have a couple of months to go until the next deadline,” she reminded you. “Plus, Prompto might not even join this time.”

“What makes you say that?”

She shrugged, though the glint in her eye suggested that she knew a bit more than she let on. “He’s not in the area very often. For all you know, he might even miss the deadline altogether!”

“I sure hope that’ll be the case,” you grumbled sourly. “That guy is really good, so I don’t stand a chance if he’s in the running.”

“You do too have a chance! Don’t lose hope, (Name).”

‘Yeah, don’t lose hope that maybe Prompto won’t join the contest this time around.’

*

Unfortunately for you, your hopes were dashed with the appearance of four young men at Coctura’s station the very next day.

You hovered a bit behind them, not wanting to intrude on their conversation with the chef. Your smoothie could wait until they were done, and in the meantime, you could-

“(Name)! There you are!” Coctura called, gesturing for you with a wave of her hand.

The four men turned to you, causing you to wilt under their gaze. ‘Really, Coctura? You couldn’t have used a more indoor voice?’ You kept your head down as you approached her, not wanting to attract any more attention from the strangers around you.

“Good morning,” you greeted quietly, still fidgeting a bit at the questioning looks sent in your direction.

“This is the girl I was telling you about, Prompto,” she said, turning to the blond who was incidentally right next to you.

Your heart thundered against your chest at the mention of his name. Prompto? The Prompto Argentum?

“So this is the famous (Name) (Surname) we’ve been hearing about,” commented the biggest one of the group. You glanced at him, your interest piqued at the sight of the tattoos peeking from his sleeves.

“I-I’m not famous-“

“You are in our circles,” said the one with dark hair. He gave a smirk to his blond friend. “Prompto here never stops talking about you.”

“N-Noct!” Prompto exclaimed, reaching out to whack his friend on the head.

You turned to Prompto then, finally getting a good look at your unofficial rival in photography. He was looking pretty flustered thanks to the light teasing from his comrades. The redness of his cheeks only made the freckles scattered across his face all the more prominent, and the vibrancy of his eyes were a striking contrast to his blond hair. Which, come to think of it, reminded you of a-

“Chocobo,” you blurted, eyes still trained on Prompto’s hair. “You look like a Chocobo.”

This brought about a round of laughs from everyone — even the stiff-looking one with glasses. It was only when Prompto began sputtering about how his hair “does not look like a Chocobo butt!” did you realize what you had just said.

“I’m sorry!” you shrieked as the embarrassment of your actions began to settle in. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way! I just- You-“

“Don’t worry about it.” The dark-haired one — ‘Noct,’ you presumed — placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder. “We all secretly think Prompto’s half-Chocobo anyway.”

Prompto grew exasperated. “Noct?!”

The tall, bespectacled one nodded. “I’m surprised our feathered friends at Wiz’s have yet to stake their claim on our dear Prompto.”

“Not you too, Iggy!”

The tattooed beefcake dropped his voice as he stepped closer to you and added, “Between you and me, I think I’ve even seen the kid lay an egg our two at camp.”

“GLADIO!”

You couldn’t help it. The bantering amongst the friends burst open the bubble of giggles that had been building up in your throat. Once your laughter died down, everyone was looking at you with matching grins. Their attention made you blush, but it was the way Prompto was looking at you so earnestly that made you keep your gaze on the floor.

It was a few seconds of awkward silence before Prompto cleared his throat. “U-Um!” he squeaked, extending a gloved hand for you to shake. “I’m Prompto. I’m a big fan of your pictures!”

All form of decorum was thrown out the window at his declaration. Your mother had always stressed how rude it was to stare at people so blatantly, but that was exactly what you did with Prompto.

Your gaze went back and forth between his hand — which was still waiting for a shake of reciprocation — and his smiling face, which slowly began to waver the longer you gaped at him. The way your mouth fell open probably made you look incredibly crass, but that wasn’t even registering in your mind at the moment.

What was registering was the fact that Prompto — Prompto Argentum, the one who pretty much bested you at photography — was actually a fan of your work?

“Are… are you kidding me right now?!” you blubbered, still confused as to how to digest this seemingly major revelation.

“N-No…?” Prompto faltered at your reaction as the crimson hue on his cheeks intensified. “Am I… not allowed to like them…?”

“No! I mean, you are! I mean-!” You internally groaned at how poorly you were taking this. “Sorry, I just… I find it a little hard to believe that you like any of my photos.”

“What-”

Prompto was interrupted by Coctura’s chipper voice. “You best believe Prompto here is a fan of your photography, (Name)! He always tells me how your entries should’ve been at the top whenever results for the Snapshot Contest would roll in.”

“Coctura!” Prompto whined, the redness on his face spreading to the tips of his ears now. “Why is everybody dead set on exposing me today?”

“Well then.” The one with glasses — ‘Iggy,’ was it? — cleared his throat as he pushed his glasses against his face. “I believe these two shutterbugs would like to discuss their photography endeavors together.” He turned to his other two companions, Noct and the one referred to as Gladio. “Do either of you fancy a fishing session?”

“You know I do,” Noct answered, already leading the way towards the fishing area.

“Have fun, kid.” Gladio playfully slapped Prompto on the back and gave him a wink. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“But there’s nothing you wouldn’t do...” you heard Prompto mutter under his breath.

Once the three disappeared, Coctura turned away as she entertained another patron at the restaurant. This left you and Prompto to your own devices.

Feeling a little shy all of a sudden, you began to shuffle restlessly, playing with a stray thread on your shirt. You stole glances at Prompto, taking in his entire appearance. His freckles were undeniably an endearing feature of his, and though his body was lanky, you definitely appreciated how toned his arms seemed to be.

You had never imagined that Prompto Argentum would be such a cutie in the flesh.

“So…” you trailed off, unsure about how to really act around him. “You take pictures too, huh?”

This appeared to be the correct choice of words, as Prompto immediately brightened at the mention of photography. “Yeah! I’m no professional like you are, but it’s something I really enjoy.”

You eyed him quizzically. “Professional? Oh, no, you’re mistaken. I’m no pro at all.”

“You’re not?”

“Nope.”

“Wooow~” He whistled lowly, eyes seemingly sparkling in admiration for you. It made you fluster. “With how amazing your shots always are, I had always thought that you were a pro! Actually…” His smile turned bashful as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “You were the one who inspired me to join the Galdin Quay Snapshot Contest to begin with.”

“Me?” You had to stop yourself from scoffing at the very suggestion that you had inspired anyone — let alone a skillful photographer like Prompto — to join the photo contest. Sure, you were good enough to place in the festivities, but to actually be the very reason why someone else had joined? That was definitely hard to comprehend.

“Uh-huh,” he affirmed. “I’ve always wondered why the judges still haven’t given you First Place. Your pictures are amazing!”

You were unused to such praise, especially coming from a fellow enthusiast — one who had bested you in the field, even. “Th-thanks.”

“I was really shocked when they gave me First Place during the last round, to be honest. If anything, you definitely deserved the top spot more than any of us.”

“No way!” you denied vehemently. Even if Prompto stirred some bitter feelings and self-doubt in your craft, his photography — at least from what you had seen from his last entry in the contest — was definitely top notch and in a league of its own. “I mean, I wanted to win and all, but the judges were definitely right in giving you First Place.”

“Y’think so?”

You nodded. “I know so.” Your lips lifted into a small smile as you finally offered your own hand to him. “I’m (Name).”

“(Name),” Prompto repeated, shaking your hand in a firm grip. “It’s nice to finally meet you!”

“Likewise.” His friendly demeanor and happy-go-lucky nature was contagious. You couldn’t help but smile around him. “So what camera do you use?”

Prompto whipped out the device in question. “I use a Lokton X-T20.”

“Ooh, I see you’ve got good taste.” You pulled out your own camera and presented it to your new acquaintance. “I’ve been eyeing the X-T20 for a while now, but my A-1 still hasn’t let me down yet, so I haven’t really bothered replacing it.”

“See, you’re even more amazing than I thought!”

Man, he really didn’t hold back on the compliments, huh? “What do you mean?”

“It’s not the camera that makes the photographer,” Prompto explained. “The fact that you can take such beautiful pictures without the most top of the line equipment just shows how skilled you are!”

“Gee, I never really thought of it that way,” your murmured timidly, feeling your heart swell with appreciation for Prompto. “Thanks.”

“My pleasure.” You were certain that not even the sun could rival how bright Prompto’s smile was. “Anyway, I was hoping I could ask you how you managed to take that shot with the waves from that one entry of yours.”

You paused, trying to recall what he was referring to. “Oh, you mean the one at nighttime with the Mother of Pearl’s lights in the background?”

“That’s the one!” His eyes widened in excitement. “Will you teach me how you took it?”

Prompto’s eagerness to simply learn and improve on his skills melted away the icy blockade of bitterness you initially held towards him. “Sure. I can show you how I did it tonight, if you’d like?”

His enthusiasm reminded you of an energetic puppy being reunited with its human. “Would you really?”

“Of course.”

The two of you made arrangements to meet up later in the evening, with the promise of a hearty meal before your photography session. Unbeknownst to you, this would become the first of many picture-taking sessions with Prompto, who would not only garner your friendship, he would also — albeit unknowingly — capture your affections as your relationship developed.

*

Though you didn’t get to see Prompto all that often — as he traveled around with his friends a lot — whenever he did drop by Galdin Quay, he always made it a point to hang out with you without fail. Being his only other photographer friend, Prompto was always adamant that the two of you take pictures and share critique whenever you were together.

Of course, being such avid fans of each other, neither of you really managed to offer anything substantial other than gushes of praise and mutual squealing. Still, it was something.

Your time spent together was not limited to photography excursions, either. Sometimes, Prompto would shoot you a text whenever he was in the area simply to catch dinner together. In other instances, it was to take a stroll on the beach. Such activities were blatantly romantic in nature, but neither of you really discussed such a possibility in your friendship, too comfortable with what you already had between the two of you.

What you didn’t know was that Prompto’s friends would always egg him on whenever they dropped by Galdin Quay. They at least spared him once you were within earshot, but they were pretty much relentless during their car rides together.

On your end, there was Coctura who continued to push you in order to ask Prompto out. Despite her attempts, you were simply much too shy and insecure to even entertain the idea of exploring anything that wasn’t platonic with Prompto.

That wasn’t to say that you didn’t like the idea, because you did. You definitely, definitely did.

“This is so nice, Prom!” you raved at yet another one of his spectacular shots. Scrolling to the next picture on his camera, you cheered excitedly and pointed towards the device’s screen. “I love this one!”

“Me too!” he responded just as happily, that sunny smile of his shining even brighter at your compliments. “It’s one of my faves.”

The two of you were lazing by the shores of Galdin Quay, the soft setting sun acting as your backdrop. Maybe it was the photographer in you, but you couldn’t help but become enamoured by how gorgeous Prompto looked with the hazy lightning of the sunset surrounding him.

“You know,” you said, turning away from him to gaze at the glowing waters with the gentlest of smiles, “you’re really beautiful.”

The only response you got was the familiar noise of a camera shutter. The sound broke you out of your reverie, prompting you to turn your head towards your companion and look at him questioningly.

Prompto lowered the the camera from his face and peered sheepishly at you. “Sorry, I just had to. The lighting was perfect.”

You huffed. “You know I hate getting my picture taken, Prom. That’s why I’m always behind the camera.”

“You should be in front of the lens more often, though.” Everything about Prompto at that moment was so soft. His voice was quiet, his eyes were gentle, and his smile was so, so tender.

It was as if he was falling in love with you right then and there.

You couldn’t help but blush under his sweet gaze. “Yeah, well… so do you.”

The rhythm of the waves kissing the shore was brought to the fore as your conversation faded away. The silence was comforting and warm as the growing feelings you held for one another simmered under the protection of your respective secrecies.

The sunset had dwindled into dusk when Prompto broke through the quiet. “You’re… you’re really pretty too, (Name).” He wasn’t looking at you then, but had your eyes met, you would have found infatuation and fondness in his eyes.

The two of you admired the remnants of sundown, though you huddled together just a little bit closer, your pinkies linked together in the sand.

*

When the results for the next round of Galdin Quay’s photo contest came in, you couldn’t find it in yourself to be even remotely bothered by the fact that you placed second next to Prompto yet again.

Especially not when his winning entry was a candid photo of you from that time you basked in each other’s presence at twilight.

Galdin Quay Snapshot Contest - Round 15

1st Place: PROMPTO ARGENTUM

Theme: The Most Beautiful Treasure in Eos

*Special Message: “Will you be mine, (Name)?”

[animakupo]

The Way to a Man’s Heart (Ignis x Reader)

wow i kept putting this off for some reason, but hello cooking mama iggy!!!! yay!!!! lowkey unconfident about this bc i don’t think i executed it well but uh haha stab me

will this be expanded into a two-part story? or will it remain a one shot? whO KNowS

(Also, thanks so much for all the love for Shortcake vs. Beefcake ;___; I didn’t consider it to be one of my better works, so for it to have received this much love has been such a pleasant surprise huhu thanks ebribadi wah)

word count: 3.5k+, fluff + self-deprecation because wow i relate so much to self-hate, Prompto likes to think he’s Cupid haha sure keep telling urself that boye

‘Take cooking lessons, they said.’ You stared helplessly at your burnt attempt at a chicken cordon bleu. ‘It’ll be fun, they said.’ Discreetly shoving the charred poultry down the garbage, you sighed longingly at everyone else’s pristine and mouth-watering dishes. ‘How is it fun when everything I make is inedible?’

Boy, if any of your classmates from high school saw you now, they might possibly throw a fit at the sight of you. Or maybe they’d look at you in awe.

After all, you were never really one for the kitchen.

Sure, you loved food — probably more than the average girl, even — but all you could do was devour dishes that were presented to you. For you to actually prepare something meant for human consumption was easily a recipe for disaster.

Which was why you were here, taking a culinary class in hopes of acquiring even a smidgen of an everyday man’s cooking skill.

But, let’s be real here: you could have lived the rest of your days perfectly content with being a failure in the kitchen. It’s not like you had any ambitions of becoming a chef or anything.

The true reason behind your ongoing efforts in trying to learn how to cook lies in a sole secret ingredient — one that is integral in your current woes as of late: Ignis Scientia.

Now, you were never really one to go to such great heights just to impress someone — let alone a member of the opposite sex — but Ignis was different. Here was a man in an entirely other league of his own. He was refined, patient, kind-hearted, and one of the most well-mannered men you ever had the blessed opportunity to encounter.

Not only did Ignis have the charms to go with his elegant face, he was also incredibly skilled — almost famously so, at least amongst his peers — in the kitchen. You’d probably go so far as to say his concoctions could rival — even best — the foods provided by the royal chef.

(Not that you knew what His Majesty and his son would have for their daily meals. You just believed that Prince Noctis requesting for a certain pastry from Ignis — and Ignis alone — was telling enough of the Royal Adviser’s skills in the kitchen.)

So here you were, struggling to cook up something in order to catch Ignis’ attention and impress him for once. Unfortunately, despite your wholesome intentions, your efforts were simply failing to bear any fruit.

‘I might end up burning my apartment down if I keep up with this,’ you thought glumly, already packing away your belongings as your cooking teacher gave you an unimpressed look for yet another cooking disaster this week.

‘Don’t worry.’ You gave your instructor a nod in farewell. ‘This is the last you’ll see of me in this blasted class.’

The very idea of taking up culinary lessons as a step towards getting Ignis to look your way was actually a suggestion from your friend Prompto. On one of your rare mutual breaks — yours from assisting other staff members with admin work and archiving documents for the royal family, his from Crowsguard training with Cor the Immortal — the two of you had stumbled upon Ignis himself, who was well on his way to a meeting with the King and the rest of his council.

“Hey, Specs!” Prompto greeted cheerfully with a wave of his hand.

“Good to see you, Prompto,” replied the bespectacled man. Ignis turned to you and offered a curt nod of acknowledgement.

All you could do was reciprocate his nod, already feeling your cheeks burn — a usual occurrence whenever you were near Ignis. While this was not the first time you had encountered the Royal Adviser in the flesh — as you would sometimes assist him with research and paperwork when necessary — being around him often made you feel shy and flustered. It was a miracle that you had yet to pass out from the effect he had on you.

“Where are you off to?” Prompto inquired.

Adjusting his grip on the small stack of folders in his arms, Ignis answered, “I’ve a meeting with His Majesty. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I best be on my way.”

It was only when Ignis turned a corner did you release a breath you hadn’t known you were even keeping. ‘He’s so handsome,’ you thought to yourself, clutching at your chest from how fast your heart raced around him.

Prompto looked at you oddly. Although some would think him to be a bit more on the naive side, the young blond liked to think that he was actually much more observant than the people around him would give him credit for. Perhaps that was why he detected your odd behavior in front of his friend.

Or maybe your crush on Ignis was just that obvious.

In any case, Prompto took notice of how tense you had become in the presence of his friend, as he placed a hand on your shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze. “Hey, you alright? I know Iggy might seem a little intimidating, but he’s actually a fun person to be around once you get to know him.”

“N-no, I…” you mumbled, keeping your eyes on the floor. “I know. He’s just- I’m…”

“Haha, you sound just like me when I tried asking this girl from school on a date!”

“Y-yeah, hah…”

“There’s no need to be so shy around good ol’ Iggy!” Prompto gave you a friendly pat on the back. “He might look like a strict professor on the outside, but on the inside, he’s just like you and me.”

“Uh-huh…”

“Well, except we’re plebes next to him, but you know. I’m sure you’d like him a lot once you got to know him better.”

“I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON IGNIS SCIENTIA!”

Okay, you were definitely obvious about your crush on the Royal Adviser.

“Woah, what?”

Your face was probably burning brighter than the sun by now. How could you have suddenly blurted — practically yelled loud enough for the entire Citadel to hear, oh gods —your deep, dark secret? Your head must have been in the clouds while Prompto was talking, and in your carelessness, you somehow interpreted his words as an accusation of harboring feelings for Ignis.

Which… well, cat’s outta the bag now, then.

“I-I…!” The embarrassment becoming too much to bear, you hid behind your hands, mumbling into your palms, “I didn’t say anything!”

“Honey, you most definitely said something, and it was a little along the lines of-“

“SHUT UP!” You slapped your hands over Prompto’s mouth in a frenzy. “Someone might hear!”

Pulling your hands away from his face, he replied, “With how loud you were, I wouldn’t be surprised if even Noct heard you from his bedroom.”

You groaned. “Prompto, please don’t say anything to Ignis about this.”

Your friend’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Why not? I’m sure Iggy would be really flattered. Plus, you guys would make a really cute couple!”

“That’s really nice of you to say and all, but I’d rather keep my feelings to myself, thank you very much.”

“Yeah, but I’m a great matchmaker!”

You snorted. “Sure, Cupid.”

“I am!” Prompto whined. “Stop laughing! I’ll get you two together if it’s the last thing I do!”

“No, Prompto, please don’t,” you said. “It’s really nothing against you, I promise. It’s just…” You tucked a hair behind your ear, staring longingly at the direction Ignis had disappeared to. “I wouldn’t want to pressure Ignis into anything by informing him of my… c-crush on him.” Crush? What a schoolgirl term. Surely you were beyond this already, right?

“You wouldn’t-“

Completely caught up in your thoughts, you ignored Prompto and continued. “Confessing would just make things awkward, especially since I know he doesn’t reciprocate my feelings. He already has so much on his plate as it is, so I don’t want to make things uncomfortable between us if I ever do decide to confess.” As an afterthought, you added, “Which I won’t, mind you. It’ll never happen.”

This had always been your mindset right off the bat. Why would you ever tell Ignis how you truly felt about him? It would just be another burden for him to bear, and that was the last thing you ever wanted to be to him.

“But,” Prompto said after a few seconds of silence, “are you really content with never telling him how you feel? Ever?”

When you really thought about it… of course you wouldn’t be content. However, living in silence seemed like a much safer option than getting into messy feelings and affections. Plus, unrequited feelings were definitely a more tolerable reality than the bitter sting of rejection.

You shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. His duty to Prince Noctis will always be his top priority, and I respect that. So even if I did happen to confess, I really don’t think it’d take me anywhere with Ignis.”

Amidst your wistful admissions was a frown on Prompto’s face that you failed to perceive. “Well…” he trailed off. “Well, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least try to get Iggy to look at you the way you look at him!”

“What are you playing at, Prompto?”

“What if you just… try to woo Iggy a little, (Name)?”

“Woo him?” You gave Prompto an incredulous look. “As if I even have a chance with him to begin with!”

“But you do!” Prompto insisted. “I promise that you do! We just need a little somethin’-somethin’ to tip the scales and get the ball rolling.”

“Okay, I’ll humor you. What, pray tell, would your plan of action be to,”—you made quotation marks with your fingers—“‘get the ball rolling’?”

Prompto hummed thoughtfully before suddenly snapping his fingers. “I know exactly what you can do!” Giving you a proud smile, he declared, “You can cook him something!”

You stared at Prompto for a solid few seconds, causing him to falter slightly in his expression. “Or bake him a cake or something…?” he added unsurely.

“You’re joking, right?”

“N-No! I’m serious!”

“Prompto.”

“What? Why are you looking like me like that?”

“I can’t cook to save a life.”

“C’mon, everyone can cook!”

“Not me,” you deadpanned. “I’m serious. I once burned a scrambled egg.”

“That’s not so bad-“

“The heat was on low and I found eggshells in it.”

“Okay, maybe you’ll need a little help. But that’s what I’m here for!”

You raised a brow. “You’re going to help me cook Ignis something?”

“Well, n-no…” Prompto chuckled nervously at the disapproving look you were wearing. “But! I know where you can take cooking classes!”

“Prompto, I know you mean well and all, but cooking classes? I’m pretty swamped with work as it is.”

“You can go after work! They have evening sessions that run an hour a day. It even includes baking lessons!”

“I can’t possibly cook anything for him. Ignis has the taste buds of a god!”

“All the more reason to make him something he’s never had before!” Prompto countered. “You know what they say: ‘The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’ I betcha Iggy’ll love whatever you make him!” He was not going to let this go until you conceded, was he?

“I dunno…”

“C’mon (Name), don’t you want to show him what you have to offer? Make him see the wife material that you are?”

The wiggling of Prompto’s brows made you chuckle. “I’m hardly wife material.”

“And she’s so humble, too!” he cheered, pulling another giggle out of you. “It’ll be fun, (Name)!”

“Why are you so adamant about this, anyway?”

The grin on Prompto’s face softened into a warm smile. “I just want to see my friends happy, that’s all.”

If Prompto hadn’t won you over before, he definitely did now. This boy was truly an angel.

So that’s how you found yourself struggling to whip up a dish or two after work everyday. Everyday you came to class without fail, but also without fail was the stench of an actual failed dish after each session. Despite this, the encouraging looks Prompto always sent you whenever you chanced upon each other always inspired you to keep on going. Though you had called it quits on the cooking classes, it didn’t mean you couldn’t practice on your own, right?

*

It took a while, but the day finally came: you managed to make a seemingly decent platter of cupcakes. Baking was different from cooking, sure, but at least you finally made something even remotely edible. You had heeded Prompto’s suggestion of baking a cake, except you opted for a much simpler and smaller scale.

It only took about a month of daily trials and errors, but finally, you were able to produce a simple batch without killing yourself in the process. You even managed to put some pink frosting for a cute touch!

‘I’ll let Prompto taste test this first!’ you thought excitedly, scurrying towards where you knew your blond friend trained with the Marshal.

In your hurry to find Prompto, you failed to notice a presence making their way towards your direction. As you turned a corner, you accidentally bumped into the one and only Ignis himself — the very reason for the platter of dessert in your hands.

Alas, good fortune just wasn’t on your side today, though. Typically, bumping into Ignis would be a blessing in disguise. Today, however, it brought more distress than elation, because you lost your grip on the platter, causing the cupcakes to tumble to the ground with a generous smother of pink icing all over the Royal Adviser.

“Ignis!” you exclaimed, hands trembling at the mess you made. “I’m so- I’m sorry!”

You couldn’t read his face as he kept a stoic mask even after your collision. Ignis was often hard to decipher even on a regular day, but this time around, you were certain that he was unhappy with your stumble. His usually pristine clothes were now ruined by pink frosting, and his shoes were covered with the broken remnants of all your hard work.

Your hard work. You had slaved over this batch — the one you deemed the most acceptable out of the many others you had attempted — only for it to crumble before you. You didn’t even get to have Ignis try it.

Helplessly, you stared at what was meant to be a gift of affection for the man in front of you. Somehow, the sight of the disintegrated pastries brought forth a deep-seated frustration within you that served as a painful reminder that this wasn’t going to work out.

Who were you kidding? As if Ignis would ever go for someone like you. Baking or cooking or whatever, you would never amount to even half the person he deserved to be with. No matter how much effort you put into your work, everything will still fall apart — even something with Ignis.

‘What’s the point?’ you thought, downcast and discouraged. ‘No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be good enough for him anyway. I’ll still fail.’

You forced yourself to meet Ignis’ eyes in order offer another heartfelt apology, but the sigh that escaped his lips only triggered the appearance of tears in your own eyes. Now you knew for sure that he was definitely upset with you.

With your blurred eyesight thanks to your tears, you missed the look of what appeared to be panic on Ignis’ face. Bowing your head to avoid looking at him any further, you mumbled a pathetic “sorry, excuse me” before making yourself scarce.

Ignis was quite the sight when Prompto found him just a minute later, frozen in place and covered in pink.

*

‘I am an IDIOT,’ you thought miserably as you dragged yourself to work the next day. After your disappearing act on Ignis, you pretty much beat yourself up for reacting so brashly at your own slip-up. ‘Crying over a few measly cupcakes? Then running away? REALLY? Nice one, drama queen.’

“I bet the cupcakes weren’t even that good,” you grumbled, placing your things on your work desk and settling into your seat. You began to shuffle through some files that were left neglected just a day before, still a bit tense at your recollection of yesterday’s unfortunate collision.

“On the contrary,” a voice in front of you said, “they were actually quite delectable.”

Your eyes widened. Lifting your head from your papers, you found Ignis in front of you. He offered a charming smile to go with his nod.

“I-Ignis!” You shot up in surprise. “Wha… What are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed to greet a friend good morning?”

“No! I-I mean…” You cleared your throat as you nervously wrung your fingers together. “You’re allowed! You can do whatever you want! Um, I, I mean… Good morning…?

He chuckled softly. “Good morning.”

It was then did you realize that Ignis was holding a small box in his hand. Pointing at the object, you inquired, “What’s that?”

“This?” He held up the box before gently placing it on your desk. “This is a gift for you.”

“M-Me?” you repeated dumbly. Ignis Scientia — THE Ignis Scientia — had a gift for you?!

Ignis adjusted the glasses on his face before continuing. “It is an apology of sorts for causing yesterday’s mishap.”

“Th-that was all my fault!” you sputtered. “I’m the one who’s sorry, Ignis! I ruined your clothes and then I ran away like a crybaby…”

“I’d like to apologize for the tears, then,” he countered.

“No!” you blurted anxiously. “You weren’t at fault! It was all me!”

“Regardless, you would do me a great honor in accepting this gift.”

You stared at the box. “Really?”

“Most certainly,” he assured. “Please, go ahead.”

Upon his insistence, you gingerly picked up the box, feeling a moderate weight inside. When you opened it, you were pleasantly surprised to find a cupcake — one that was identical to the ones you made yesterday, pink frosting and all.

Taking advantage of your silence, Ignis said, “Yesterday was quite the tragedy, wouldn’t you agree? What a waste it was for all the pastries to go spoilt in such a manner. I at least managed to try the icing, since there was an… abundance of it, as you know.”

You blushed, recalling just how much frosting you managed to get on him yesterday. Ignis let out a small smile, as if assuring you that he meant no harm with his comment. “I tried to replicate the taste to the best of my abilities, though I hope you can forgive me for taking the liberty to give my own take on the batter, seeing as I had no basis for what you made yourself.”

“Tha-that’s fine,” you breathed, awe-struck that Ignis had even bothered to make you anything, let alone try to copy your own take on a lame cupcake. Although you were squirming a bit under his gaze, you managed to offer a sincere smile. “Thank you.”

Ignis nodded in response. “I must say,” he uttered, “the icing reminded me of you a bit.”

“It did?” you asked, a little absent-minded at the fact that not only was Ignis making casual conversation with you, he had actually made something for you — and in the same fashion as what you had intended to give to him, at that! What exactly was happening here?!

“Yes,” he affirmed. “It was rather… sweet.”

“O-oh!” You could feel your face burning up at this point.

“I mean that in the highest of praises possible,” Ignis added. “If you’d like, perhaps we could discuss your recipe over a cup of Ebony?”

You gaped. Did he just…? Was he offering…? IS HE ASKING YOU OUT ON A DATE?! “Y-ye-yeah! Sure!” you squeaked, belatedly realizing how stupid you must have looked with your mouth wide open in such an un-ladlylike manner.

“Excellent.” The smile on Ignis’ face grew saccharine, and it made you flush to the tips of your ears. “Will you be free tomorrow afternoon, then?”

You did a quick mental scan of your schedule. All free. “Yes.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Dazed, all you could do was wave at Ignis as he made his exit. Did that really just happen? Are you really going to have coffee with Ignis tomorrow? Sure, he didn’t really specify outright that it was a date, but…

‘Wait till Prompto hears about this!’

*

“Well?”

“She seemed to be delighted at the prospect of Ebony tomorrow.”

“I told you!”

“Shouldn’t you meet with the Marshal for training now?”

“Aw c’mon, Iggy! You gotta spill all the juicy details!”

“My lips are sealed.”

“After everything I did to get you two together?”

“You did no such thing.”

“Iggy! I am hurt!”

“I’m merely jesting. Thank you, Prompto.”

“You’re very welcome! I told you she liked you back!”

“I’ll be sure to express my gratitude to you in the form of some Meldacio Meat Pie.”

“This is why I love you, Iggy.”

“I’m afraid your feelings remain one-sided.”

“Of course they are. You’ve always had your eye on her, after all.”

Silence.

“Iggy, is that…? Are you blushing?!”

“Ahem.”

“L-Lemme get this shot!”

“Excuse me, I must make my leave now.”

“Iggy, hold up! IGGY!”

[animakupo]

Pretty, Prettier, Prettiest (Prompto x Reader)

henlo, it me

my first post on this blog

my first fanfic after about 4 (???) years of not writing anything

i wrote this on a whim just hours after making this account

(haven’t been on tumblr in a couple of years either)

wow

it wasn’t supposed to be this long i jUST WANTED SOMETHING SHORT AND SWEET but i guess that didn’t happen

this is high school!Prom btw a.k.a. my sweet darling Sunshine

word count: 3k+, fluff with a bit of prom’s lowkey self-deprecation

‘She’s so pretty,’ is what Prompto thinks the first time he lays his eyes on you.

It’s at the arcade on one of Prompto’s after-school excursions with Noct when he catches sight of you. Your uniform tells him that you share the same school, but it’s clear that you’re in different classes due to the unfamiliarity of your identity.

Neon lights of the rhythm game you were preoccupied with illuminate your frame, but it’s the look of sheer glee on your face that really catches Prompto’s attention. There’s something about that grin of yours that Prompto can’t seem to shake off, even after Noct has already beaten him at the shooter game they came here to play.

“Hey,” says Noct, waving a hand in front of Prompto’s face. “You okay?”

Prompto blinks, Noct’s words snapping him out of his stupor. “H-huh?”

“I beat you twice now,” Noct tells him, “and I never beat you at this dumb game. Your aim’s off.”

Prompto isn’t one to toot his own horn, but there’s no denying that he is the absolute best when it comes to shooter games. He just never misses. Today is apparently an exception, and it’s all thanks to you.

“O-oh, sorry.” Prompto clears his throat before letting out a nervous chuckle. “I’m just distracted, I guess.”

“Yeah, distracted by a certain someone over there.”

Noct may have a reputation for dozing off and leaving an overwhelming amount of untidiness in his wake (Ignis would argue that “overwhelming” doesn’t even begin to cover just how much of a mess Noct’s living quarters are), but he’s anything but unobservant.

“What? No!” Prompto screeches as he flails around Noct. “I was not staring at that girl playing Guitar Hero!”

“I never said you were drooling over anyone playing Guitar Hero,” Noct retorts with a smirk. “I was actually referring to the Chocobo plushie at the prize station. But hey, don’t let me stop you from crushing on her.”

At this, Prompto blushes. “Noooct!”

It seems Prompto’s voice is much louder than he thinks because all of a sudden, you turn your attention towards him, having failed at the song you were playing on the arcade machine. It’s at this moment that Prompto can practically feel his heart stop, because when your eyes meet, it’s as if everything else vanishes.

Prompto can’t help but stare, his mouth left slightly ajar. He’s a big appreciator of beauty, after all, and gosh were you one work of art. His face burns all the more when you offer a small smile of acknowledgement before scurrying off with your friends.

“I…” he starts, gazing at you as you cramp yourself into a photobooth with your comrades. “I think I’m in love.”

Noct scoffs. “Get a grip.”

*

The next time Prompto sees you is during his lunch break a few days later. He’s making his way towards Noct’s desk (“I hope Iggy made a new batch of those tarts!”) when a small voice from the classroom doorway reaches his ears.

“Excuse me?” you call out, hoping to catch someone’s attention.

Prompto ignores the voice, thinking it wasn’t anything that required his presence. He’s nearly at Noct’s desk when someone hollers, “Yo, Argentum!”

Prompto turns, seeing one of his classmates beckon for him. “Yeah?”

“Someone’s looking for you.” His classmate motions towards the entrance, causing Prompto to direct his gaze towards the classroom doors. His eyes slowly widen when he realizes who it is that’s waiting for him.

It’s you.

Prompto gulps, already feeling his palms begin to sweat. What in the world were you doing here, looking for him of all people? The blond boy blinks once. Twice. He’s staring at you, dumbstruck, before he belatedly grasps that you’re still patiently waiting for him to approach you.

So that’s what he does. Slowly. Almost robotically. Prompto doesn’t know what to think, being too caught up in the reality that he is making his way towards you. What is he supposed to say? What did you even want from him in the first place? Did you feel a connection just as he had at the arcade? Was it love at first sight for you as well? Could you-

-wait. Maybe you noticed that he was with Noct that day at the arcade. You were probably just here to ask about his friend, weren’t you? That’s definitely the case. Why want him when you can have the Crown Prince of Insomnia? You’d probably be a better match with Noct anyway. You’re much too pretty to be with someone like-

“Prompto Argentum?” you ask unsurely as the boy in question finally reaches you.

“Ye-yeah…?” Did his voice just crack? Astrals above, he was reverting into a prepubescent teen right in front of you!

“Hi,” you say, offering your name and a hand to shake. “You’re friends with Prince Noctis, right?”

Prompto’s too caught up in the feel of your hand in his (‘So soft,’ he thinks dazedly) to register the words that came out of your mouth. “What?”

You clear your throat, ushering him outside for more privacy. “Prince Noctis — you’re friends with him, right? I think I saw him next to you a few days ago at the arcade…?”

Prompto’s heart drops. He was right. Of course you were here looking for Noct. Of course. He sighs dejectedly, unable to contain the frown that was now marring his freckled face. Running a hand through his hair, he says, “Yeah, Noct’s a buddy of mine. Why d’you ask?”

The subtle blush on your cheeks — as darling as it was — was a tell-tale sign that Noct was the apple of your eye. “Well…”

“Want me to put in a good word for you?”

“I’m sorry?”

Prompto manages to reel his frown into a pout. “You’re here because you wanna know how to get into his good graces, right? I mean, I can’t blame you. My best friend’s a piece of work!” Prompto’s trying to sound chipper, he really is, but he can already feel his heart breaking. He didn’t even get to start anything with you — not even a mere friendship — before handing you over to someone else.

“Um, well,” you stumble a bit with your words, and it’s here that Prompto detects what seems to be a hint of embarrassment. “I do want to know how to catch Prince Noctis’ attention, but it’s not for my sake.”

The tightness in his chest — a pressure Prompto didn’t even realize was there — suddenly loosens. He raises his brows questioningly. “It’s for whose sake, then?”

“My friend,” you answer. “She’s a sweet girl who’s got a massive crush on the Prince. I told her to just walk up to him and say hi, but she was pretty adamant for some sort of intel before making a move.” You fumble with the skirt of your uniform before continuing. “I remembered seeing the two of you hanging out, so I figured you would be the best source of information on our royal schoolmate.”

Prompto says nothing, too dumbfounded by the turn of events. So you didn’t have the hots for Noct? Does that mean that he, Prompto Argentum, might have a chance? ‘Don’t get your hopes too high, Prompto,’ he reminds himself, taking notice of how you’re squirming at his silence.

You perceive his lack of response as a signal to continue. “I know it’s kinda… weird, asking something like this of you, but you seem like a nice guy and an even better friend to the Prince. I don’t need to know anything personal about him, but it’d help if you could-“

“Sure,” Prompto chirps easily, already feeling more at ease thanks to the knowledge that you aren’t actually here for Noct. Well, technically, you are, but it’s not for your own personal purposes.

Your rambling is cut short. “Really?”

The look of surprise on your face is absolutely adorable. Prompto has to mentally remind himself not to squeal at how precious you are. “Really.”

You let out a sigh of relief. “Bless you.”

“So whaddya wanna know?”

You shrug. “Anything, really. What does he like? Favorite video games? Dislikes?” You take a step closer, dropping your voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Boxers or briefs?”

Prompto chokes, not at your joke, but at how close you are. You smell like a dream. “Ex… excuse me?!”

Despite being caught off guard at your close proximity, Prompto can’t help but marvel at how delightful your laugh is. Such a beautiful sound is music to his ears, and it warms his heart knowing that he is the cause of your momentary happiness.

“I’m just kidding.” You wave your hand about, already beginning to contain your giggles. Prompto wishes he could hear more of it, though.

“I knew that,” he mumbles. “Well, uh… let’s see.” Prompto rubs his chin thoughtfully, trying to figure out what he can divulge without exploiting his best friend’s privacy. “He has a bit of a sweet tooth.”

“Really now?” You hum contemplatively. “I never would have guessed.”

“Yeah. Did you know that he hates veggies?”

You snort at this. “How old is he, seven?”

“On the inside, yeah.”

His answer makes you grin. “This is more than enough. Thank you, Prompto.”

Your hand latches onto his forearm, giving it an appreciative squeeze. The jolts of electricity he feels at your touch is both alarming and incredible at the same time. “My pleasure.” ‘Really, it was a pleasure getting to talk to you.’

“I hope you can keep this from the Prince though,” you state with a bite of your lip. “It might be awkward if he finds out I’m borderline stalking him, even if I’m doing it for someone else’s benefit.”

Your lip biting makes Prompto just want to kiss you now, but pouncing on attractive people just isn’t in his nature. He may not be royalty, but he’s definitely well-mannered. “As you wish, m’lady.” He bows jokingly, earning another soft laugh from you. “I have one question, though.”

“What’s that?”

“How’d you know who I am?”

“Oh.” Was that a blush returning to your face yet again? “That part was fairly easy.” Tucking a stray hair behind your ear — almost shyly, Prompto thinks — you say, “I just had to ask around for the name of the cute blondie who hangs around Prince Noctis all the time.”

You answer wasn’t one he was expecting. You… you think he’s cute? Surely Prompto must have misheard? Your words leave him speechless, so you take it upon yourself to fill the silence once more.

“Anyway, I’ve held you up long enough. Thanks again, Prompto! I really owe you one!”

Prompto’s gaze lingers in your direction even long after you’ve disappeared. He’s still in shock that you actually called him cute. Cute. How is this even real life?

He makes his way back inside the classroom with only one thought in mind: ‘She’s so much prettier up close.’

*

Prompto sees you a lot after that. Things might not have worked out between Noct and that friend of yours, but everything is definitely going smoothly for Prompto and his blossoming friendship with you. It’s a little odd that it was a schoolgirl crush on his best friend that led to a new companionship with you, but Prompto isn’t complaining. In fact, he thanks the Six everyday for bringing the two of you together.

Since that initial meeting, the two of you have become fast friends. Several lunch breaks have been spent in each other’s company. You’ve brought him into your small bubble of interests, (“Kingdom Hearts is the best game there is! You just have to give it a chance, Prompto!”) and have even indulged him in his photography by allowing him to snap a photo or two (or dozen) of yourself, even if you are a bit camera shy.

You’ve even hung out with Noct himself a couple of times, and to Prompto’s relief, the Crown Prince seems to like you enough as well. (“You have my blessing,” Noct tells him, to which Prompto responds, “Blessing for what?!”)

The more time spent together, the deeper his feelings for you become, and Prompto can’t really say he isn’t happy about it. It complicates things, sure, but the sentiments he feels for you are such nice feelings that he doesn’t even care anymore if his stupid crush grows more and more each day.

No matter what he does, Prompto just can’t seem to get enough of you. For all his joking about being a plebeian, Prompto feels like actual royalty whenever he’s around you. Growing up, Prompto often felt like a shadow next to the rest of his peers, but whenever he hears your charming laughter, it’s as if the entirety of Eos is within his grasp. Your bright smile rivals the sun, and in all his years behind the lens, Prompto swears he’s never seen anything quite as breathtaking as your happiness.

Prompto is completely content basking in your company at any given opportunity. Never mind the fact that he harbors the biggest crush on you. It’s one thing to have the balls to work through his nerves just to befriend you, but it’s an entirely different conquest to actually spill his guts out and make his true feelings known.

He’s not going to put you in that position. Prompto doesn’t even know if you feel that way about him; you might have your eyes on someone else, and confessing his yearning for you would just place your friendship in shambles. He may put on a brave face, but on the inside, Prompto is merely too scared of potential rejection (and, more importantly, losing you) to even consider thinking about pursuing some kind of romance with you.

It’s clear, then, that you’re a much braver soul than he is, because one day several months into your friendship, you disclose something that changes your dynamic forever.

“I have to tell you something,” you begin with yet another bite of your lip.

Having been with you for a considerable amount of time, Prompto knows by now that lip biting is a nervous tick of yours. His brows furrow at your unease. “Yeah?”

“Promise you won’t get mad?” The way you fold into yourself tugs at his heart rather painfully. Why do you sound so… scared?

“As if I could ever get mad at you,” he responds in what he hopes to be a soothing tone.

“Okay.” You take in a deep breath. “I like you.” Prompto opens his mouth to reciprocate (he likes you too, and he’s glad you seem to like his company enough to keep him around all this time), but you hold up a hand to stop him. “And before you misunderstand, I mean that I like you. As in I’ve had a crush on you since day one.”

If he’s being completely honest, Prompto has actually dreamed of the possibility that you might return his feelings. But for such a fantasy to actually be a reality? And for a confession to come out of you and not him? It’s almost unreal.

Becoming flabbergasted around you seems to be a recurring theme because Prompto is left stunned by your sudden outburst of feelings. All he could do is stare wide-eyed at you in shock. Someone as pretty as you — as gorgeous, as beautiful, as perfect as you — actually likes a good-for-nothing like himself?

“I’m dreaming again, aren’t I?” he murmurs almost incoherently, but you’re able to work past his bewildered tone to make sense of his words.

“You’re not,” you assure him. To further reinforce that this is indeed reality, you give his cheek a small squeeze. “See? You’re awake.”

“I’m… I’m awake.”

“Yeah.”

“This is… real life?”

“As real as Noct’s hatred of lettuce.”

“Okay, that’s definitely real then.” Prompto fumbles with his wristband a little anxiously before continuing. “I, uh, I like you too. Like a crush,” he adds. “I’m… Six, you’re perfect to me.”

Prompto didn’t know it then, but his declaration made all the butterflies in your tummy go wild.

“You’re… you’re perfect to me too, Prompto,” you return, your agitated expression morphing into one of joy.

“I am?” While he doesn’t take you for a liar, Prompto finds it hard to believe that you, an actual blessing from all the higher beings that be, actually find him even remotely close to perfect. In fact, Prompto has often believed that he was far from something good, let alone an embodiment of perfection. But to hear such praise from you? It’s difficult to swallow, but somehow, it feels so right because it’s coming from you.

You nod, linking your hand with his. “You are.”

The blond lets out a low whistle to ease his nerves. “So… since day one, huh?” He’s trying to come off as teasing, but really, he’s the one who’s losing his marbles on the inside.

Despite the redness of your cheeks (Prompto still can’t believe that he is the one responsible for evoking such a physical reaction from you), your response is confident and certain. “Since day one, yeah. I was actually glad that my friend asked me to help with her crush on Noct, because then it gave me an excuse to talk to you.”

His heart melts then and there. “I guess we have your friend to thank for this, huh?”

“I guess so.” You scoot a little closer to him, and Prompto is practically dying internally by now. “Prompto?”

“Y-yeah?”

“We’re okay, right?”

Prompto wraps his arm around you as a means of comfort. “We’re more than okay.”

“So you’ll kiss me now, right?”

“Yeah- wait, WHAT?!”

Your giggles worm their way into the pounding of his heart. Looking at you — deeply, thoughtfully, lovingly — Prompto can’t help but think, ‘She’s so pretty.’

Prompto thinks you can’t get any prettier than you already are at this moment in time. How can you improve on perfection, after all? It’s only after you share your first kiss — one of many in the years to come — that he realizes he’s mistaken.

You’re really pretty, and you’re so much prettier up close, but you’re definitely the prettiest when you have love in your eyes.

[animakupo]

The Best Story Ever Read (Gladio x Reader)

where dafok did this come from lmao i wrote this on a whim

the idea came to me originally with iggy in mind, but since gladio’s the bookworm of the group, it felt a little more fitting to have him written into this... drabble? not drabble. this is longer than a drabble. shorter than a one shot..... a ficlet???? whatevs zzz

This is a little different from how I usually write, but I like how it turned out anyway. I hope y’all like it :’)

word count: 1.1k+, fluff, a bit of angst, spoilers for ffxv i guess

“Can I read here?” is a typical inquiry passed from you to Gladio. He’ll never know how you always manage to find him working out or training, but when you do, you’ll always settle yourself in a corner and crack open a book to read.

Gladio’s responses have ranged from a short grumble of “sure” to incoherent grunts when he’s on push-up number 152. Regardless of what he says, you will always manage to sneak up on him and plop yourself somewhere in the room to read. Gladio doesn’t mind your company; you’re always quiet anyway, and when he packs up to leave, you quickly scurry to his side for a welcome discussion of book recommendations.

Over time, you become a little piece of comfort that Gladio looks forward to everyday.

“Can I read here?” you ask on the day before he is set to accompany Noctis to Altissia.

“Sure,” he replies, swinging his greatsword with practiced ease.

The air is a little thick, splattered with the audible sounds of Gladio’s weapon slashing into nothingness. He notices that you’re a little slower with your page turning today, but he makes no comment on it. When he finishes for the day, the Shield expects you to appear by his side — as you usually do — but he’s surprised to find you frozen in your corner, your book lying forgotten on your lap.

The light in your eyes seems a little dim today. You look lost and distracted, and even when Gladio settles himself next to you on the floor, you remain still and tense. He eyes the open book in your lap, taking note of how worn the green cover is.

Taking the book into his own hands, he asks, “Can I borrow this?”

You look at him then, looking a little weary and sad. “I’m not yet done reading it,” you mumble.

“I know,” he says. “The trip to Altissia’s gonna be boring, and I’ve read all the books in our library already. This one at least looks promising.” He breathes deeply before giving you a fond smile. “I promise I’ll give it back when I’m done.”

There’s an underlying meaning to his vow. I promise I’ll come back to you when this is all over.

“You promise?” Your voice is small, but there’s a little bit of hope in your eyes now. This is all Gladio needs.

“I promise.”

*

When news of Insomnia’s fall reaches him in Galdin Quay, Gladio finds that he can’t even be bothered to look at your beloved book. There are too many thoughts and memories buried within its pages now, and your unknown whereabouts only serve to tighten the pain in his chest.

All he wants is to hear your sweet voice that asks the same old question: “Can I read here?”

He wishes you could read in his company one more time.

*

Lestallum brings not just his only remaining family back into his arms, it also reunites Gladio with a piece of his heart: you. What a relief it is to know that you made it out in one piece. The tears that roll down your cheeks hurt him more than it should, but Gladio can’t be bothered to hold his affections back this time around.

Not now. Not when you’re in his embrace, alive and well.

“Hey,” he says, pulling away from you to wipe the wet trails from your flushed cheeks.

“Hey.” You offer a shaky smile, holding onto the large hands that frame your face. “Is my book okay?”

You’re rewarded with a hearty laugh for your question. There’s a shared look between the two of you in this moment, as you both recognize the deeper meaning in your query: Are YOU okay?

“It’s good,” he answers. “A little battered here and there, but it’s holding up.”

“Please take care of it,” you remind him, your watery eyes causing Gladio’s heart to throb rather painfully. “It's very special to me. I’ll need it back when you’re done, remember?”

“Got it.”

You remain in each other’s arms for a little while longer.

*

When daylight falls and the night reigns rampant, you fall into a routine of reading aloud for Gladio.

“I really don’t like the sound of my voice, Gladio,” you tell him with a frown the very first time he requests for you to read to him. “It’s so ugly. We can just-“

“Please.” The desperation in his voice is heartbreaking. “Please, just… will you read to me?”

Who are you to deny him of this one wish? And so you comply. Again and again, you read to him as a means of mending his broken spirit.

You become his beacon of light in the years of darkness, and it’s a responsibility — an honor — that you treasure in your time together. The love and appreciation that glow in his eyes whenever you read to him teaches you to love the sound of your voice. With your help, Gladio slowly manages to piece himself back together.

Just in time for the return of Noctis, 10 years later.

“You’ll come back to me, right?” No longer are you hiding behind double meanings and veiled words. There is no longer a need for that, not when you’ve woven so much of yourself into Gladio.

“I will.” He is steadfast in his word. As a man of honor, he pledges to do everything in his power to return to your love.

“You’ll read to me when you come back,” you say. “It’s your turn to read aloud this time.”

Gladio offers you a kiss on your forehead. “It’s a date.”

*

He comes back, beat up and bruised, but he brings the daylight in his wake. This is more than you could ever ask for.

He falls into your embrace, and you hold him, ushering tender whispers into his ear. The warmth of the sun is welcoming after all this time, but Gladio finds that you are much more soothing than the satisfaction of victory.

He clutches onto you like you were his lifeline. That is what you are, after all.

You are his life.

“Gladio,” you murmur, drawing soothing circles into his back. “Will you read to us?”

He pulls away from you then, brows furrowing in confusion. “Us?”

“Us.” You take ahold of his large hand and place it over your belly. “Us.”

The smile on Gladio’s face could have rivalled the brightness of the sun right then and there. The rest of his days are filled with fairytales, old and new, as he embraces this new chapter of his narrative.

Truly, you are the best story he has ever had the honor to read.

[animakupo]

IM ALIVE??!!!!?

SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING ON Y'ALL!!!! tbh i just lost interest in ffxv lol...........

but then i opened my notebook that i write fics in for when i'm not on my computer and i felt so bad for leaving requests hanging and just... falling into the shadows...............

i mean that's what started my writing hiatus in 2014. losing interest in the fandom and just disappearing. and i really don't want another repeat of that so uh

I'M JUST REALLY SORRY HUHUHUHU i hope you all know that i haven't forgotten those requests i owe you guys!!

thank you for the continuous support despite my absence ;__; my interest is slowly coming back but regardless, i hope to post some new work very soon!! (spoiler alert: iggy flangst??? HMmMmmMMMmMM) LUVU ALL SORRY AGAIN THANK U WAHHHH

[animakupo]

i'm in italy seeing all these pretty boys and they're just giving me headcanons for future prompto fics giVe mE STRENgTh

[animakupo]

a writing update

i’m writing a ravus piece for the first time

a ravUS PIECE

[cackles into the fire] this is gonna be interesting

[animakupo]

this noct flangst request is coming along nicely :^) i just hope the angsty bits are good enough to induce the kind of feelings i get whenever i read good angst lol

but anyway it’s 2am and i gotta get up early later so uh i guess i’ll stop here at 2.k words for now

also i hope i can figure out a title for this soon harhar rip

[animakupo]

omg pls write a NiffPrince!Prompto Drabble 😭 nsfw if u wanna bless us thirsty promthots 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

IM YELLING i keep asking for someone to write a NifPrince!Prom thing yet it turns around and comes to me instead……………………………………..maybe one day but probably not nsfw bc in all my years of being in fanfiction, i have not once attempted anything remotely smutty

perhaps now is the time? DUNDUNDUN IDK

[animakupo]

it’s taking me so long to finish this noct flangst request ;___; because i’ve been so busy lately ;____;

but!!!!! it’s friday today!!!!!!! so i’ll have time to write after work later!!!!!!!! which means!!!!!!!!!!!! this one shot will be up by tonight?????

[hanalwayssolo]

21! :)

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

Holy shit, anon. Okay. Let me try to do justice to this question. This is probably going to be long, but let me just use this to list down and thank and shamelessly admire out loud some of the wonderful creators that have been such a huge inspiration and in some way urged me to keep writing:

@dothewrite incorporates poetry and prose in a way that is so exceptionally visual, and they write the Haikyuu!! boys so, so well

@iinkpools is the first writer I came across in the ffxv community, and immediately fell in love with the way she writes her stories

@angelic-guardienne‘s headcanons and scenarios are always on point and have since been the source of my joy ever since I read this. Her masterlist is worth keeping and saving in your bookmarks

@nifwrites @mooshinspace @cupnoodle-queen, who are all incredibly talented writers, and it’s all because reading their wonderfully-written OC stories that fueled and inspired me to do the same. Nif’s My Darling Raincloud & Mish’s Chasing Suns are both a mighty treat to read (and I’m slightly panicking cos I can’t find and link Moosh’s Sunshowers and Moonlight Hero lmao)

@hypaalicious @louisvuittontrashbags @diabolik-trash-heap, the beautiful thot trifecta, if not for their insanely amazing and fap-worthy smut I wouldn’t be the trash that i am today lmao

@bleucommelhiver always does the Glaives and Nyx poetic justice in her writing, and never fails to give me a lot of feelings that I don’t really need. Like how her fic remember me as i was. fucked me up? Yeah. That was a trip down a very angsty lane.

@eternallydaydreaming2015 crafts back stories and characterization so freaking flawlessly, like filling the gaps I never knew existed. I will never forget how Cross To Bear ruined me.

@saphscribes, whose beautiful fic Keep What Remains have made me see Gladio in a different light. Also A+ prose, will forever recommend

@beauvoyr and her magical way with words. She nails second person/present tense POVs right in the head. Case in point: Lazy People Club’s For The Sleepy and Tired. Made me fall straight into Noctis hell. 

@hextme @sonsoflucis - both of their writings are so incredibly poetic, like they command words to make armies of paragraphs out of them to purposely hurt you with feelings. it’s that good.

@lazarustrashpit because Scared of Love destroyed me. Also, despite destroying me with said fic, she’s a wonderful human being

@birdsandivory‘s The Softer Side series of headcanons is a goddamn gift worthy of all the superlatives

@animakupo @stopmopingstarthoping - whose stuff I’ve only recently discovered but hot daaaaaaamn the dialogue, the prose, everything is so on point

fanfiction writer asks