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Ignis didn’t prefer dance clubs, not in the way his partners often did. Not like Gladio who would always get worked up dancing with strangers. Or Noctis who was surprisingly territorial and cut in constantly. Or even Prompto who just liked any excuse to dance. So Ignis watched, usually from the bar or an empty table in the corner where he nursed a drink. Even if it wasn’t really his scene, it felt better not to get left behind on the nights they wanted to go out.
It was busy, dark, loud, and humid in the building. Ignis had already abandoned his jacket after his third drink that night kept him relaxed and his blood warm. He could see Gladio was deeply entrenched in a woman on the dance floor; they’d been dancing for the last four songs and gotten closer by the minute. Any closer and they’d be fucking. Ignis had caught a glimpse of Noctis a few minutes prior, lurking off the dance floor while he worked up to the inevitable outcome: dragging Gladio off his dance partner.
Ignis caught a glimpse of blond hair by the bar, drawing his attention. While Prompto wasn’t old enough for alcohol he was still allowed inside with two black X marks on the back of his hands, marking him as younger than most patrons. Prompto rested his elbows against the bar, leaning forward and talking to the bartender. She was pretty but clearly uninterested in whatever Prompto was saying, dropping a glass of water in front of him before she moved on.
A look back at the dancefloor showed that Noctis was pulling at the back of Gladio’s shirt while the bigger man did his best to pretend he didn’t notice. The woman he was dancing with looked confused, but didn’t unwind her legs from her dance partner. Noctis looked about a second away from climbing Gladio’s back like a tree.
Ignis pulled himself away from watching the two of them. He’d seen this happen dozens of times and didn’t like being caught staring at the spectacle. Back at the bar Prompto was talking to someone new, still leaning on his elbows and sipping at the glass of water. Prompto didn’t look put out so Ignis stayed put.
The man at the bar was older, having trouble keeping his eyes on Prompto’s face while they spoke. He reached out, dipped a finger into the water glass in the blond’s hand, and leaned in close to speak something directly into Prompto’s ear with a filthy smirk.
Prompto recoiled. Ignis put his drink down. Before he could make it around the table Prompto moved, sloshing his nearly full glass of water to the ground between the two of them. The man took a step back, soaked from the knees down and cursing loud enough Ignis could hear him. He spared a glance at the dance floor but Gladio and Noctis were otherwise engaged.
Ignis looked back to the bar in time to see Prompto’s arm wind back, fingers curled into a fist. The man was still looking down at his pants, oblivious to what was coming his way. Ignis still hadn’t made it past the table he realized, and Prompto swung. The music was too loud for Ignis to hear the impact, Prompto’s fist connecting with the man’s jaw, but he did hear the thud when the man hit the floor cold and didn’t move. Everything had happened in the span of a few seconds, slick lightning fast moves that Prompto made look natural.
Only two people at the bar noticed what happened, looking panicked. Prompto shook out his right hand, stepped over the prone form, and headed for the exit like nothing. Ignis watched. It took ten seconds before the man came to, looking confused and gratifyingly ashamed while he sat up. One last peek at the dance floor showed that Noctis and Gladio were not likely to separate soon. Ignis grabbed his coat and headed for the exit.
It was bracingly cold out, a rush of frigid air that was too chilly to be refreshing. Ignis searched for a few long moments before a small light flickering to life caught his eye. Across the street the light went out; Prompto tucked his lighter away and looked up over a lit cigarette. It was a habit Ignis didn’t approve of but he couldn’t exactly stop him. Prompto was old enough to manage his own vices. Prompto met his eyes and waved with a smile, tucking his bare arms close against the cold.
Ignis jogged across the street, dumping his jacket over the blond’s shoulders. Prompto bumped against his side appreciatively, blowing a mouthful of smoke over his shoulder and away from Ignis.
“How’s your hand?” Ignis said, looking down at already purpling knuckles and fingers that delicately held the lit cigarette.
“You saw that?” Prompto asked, sounding surprised.
Ignis cleared his throat and Prompto took a long drag on the cigarette before dropping it and grinding it out. It was still mostly unburnt, but Ignis appreciated the consideration.
“What did he say?” Ignis asked.
“Hm?” Prompto hummed, dispelling the last breath of smoke.
“He said something to you, what was it?” Ignis pushed. Prompto was not known for possessing a violent nature, taking a lot to make him truly angry. It had to have been something specific, something that flew so far past hurt it went straight to violence.
Prompto shrugged, shivering and threading his arms through the sleeves of Ignis’s coat. Ignis stepped close in front of him, buttoning it and straightening the shoulders. It didn’t fit him, too big, and the sleeves went all the way down to his knuckles. Ignis felt a pang of wanting to see him in fitted and cut lines, not just caught up in an oversized jacket.
“If I told you, would you go back in and kick his ass for me?” Prompto asked with a coy smile.
“Certainly,” Ignis said quietly, close. “Although you didn’t seem to need my help.”
“Good to know you’ll protect my honor,” Prompto laughed, tucking an arm around Ignis and pulling. He smelled like smoke and sweat and hair gel and Ignis’s cologne wafted off his warm jacket. He started walking away from the dance club with Ignis in tow.
“C’mon, let’s get home before the cops show up,” Prompto sighed, tugging his phone out and unlocking it to send a quick text to Noctis with one hand.
“Is that likely?” Ignis asked, content to follow Prompto’s guiding arm around his waist.
“Iunno,” Prompto muttered. “Never punched a guy out at a club before. Not gonna find out.”
Somewhere inside Ignis burned to know the words that a stranger delivered with a breath against Prompto’s ear. What Prompto had heard that set him off without so much as a hesitation. Ignis had asked twice and been brushed off twice, he wasn’t going to ask a third time. Still the hole in his knowledge of the event pulled at him. Prompto tucked cold fingers into Ignis’s back pocket while they walked and Ignis draped an arm over his shoulders. They fell into a comfortable step together and headed home.