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Noctis frowned as his phone was connected to voicemail. Again. He’d been trying to reach his advisor for an hour, and each time it was the same - ringing and ringing, until the voicemail greeting played. Typically when he called Specs, the other man picked up practically before the first ring finished sounding. This was highly unusual, and while it wasn’t an emergency or anything, Noct was starting to feel a bit concerned.
“He’s still not picking up,” he said to his friend Prompto, who was sitting on the floor in front of the tv, their video game paused.
“Weird!” Prompto exclaimed. “Maybe… he forgot to charge it?”
Noctis snorted. “This is Specs we’re talking about,” he argued. “He doesn’t forget anything.”
“Maybe he got pulled into an extra session with the Council?” Prompto wondered. “Check the shared calendar!”
“Right… good idea,” Noct said, doing just that. A few swipes and taps later, he was looking at today’s schedule in a shared screen that let him see Ignis’s and Gladio’s appointments, as well as his own. “Huh… there’s nothing listed.”
Prompto shrugged. “I dunno, buddy. Maybe he’s sleeping? It is kinda late.”
Noctis paced a bit. Hearing his friend’s suggestion, he shook his head. “I’m calling Gladio.”
When his Shield answered the phone it was hard to hear him. It sounded to Noct like Gladio was out at a bar or club or something from the loud cacophony coming through the phone speaker.
“What?” was Gladio’s terse greeting.
“I can’t get a hold of Ignis.” Noctis wasted no words on small talk.
He heard Gladio chuckle. “Iggy’s fine. He’s with me.”
“But he always answers his phone,” Noct said insistently, still a touch worried despite knowing Ignis was safe.
“Give him the night off, Prince Charmless,” Gladio said. “He’s off tomorrow… er, today,” he corrected himself, noting the time. Relenting a bit, Gladio asked, “Did you actually need something urgent? I can put him on the phone.”
Noctis was embarrassed to realize he’d gotten so caught up in trying to figure out why Ignis wasn’t answering his phone, that he had forgotten why was trying to reach his chamberlain in the first place. “Nah, that’s okay. Thanks, Gladio.”
“Yep.” With that, Gladio hung up.
“He’s out with Gladio,” Noctis explained to Prompto as he walked over to sit by his friend, picking up his controller to resume their game. “Probably couldn’t hear his phone.”
“The Igster, not hear his phone? Come on, Noct,” Prompto laughed. “He keeps it cranked up so loud, I’m surprised we couldn’t hear it ring.” His face turned devious. “Something’s up.”
“Huh?” Noctis blinked at his friend’s mischievous expression.
“Where do you think they are? Let’s find ‘em and see what’s up!” Prompto suggested. “We can finish this game tomorrow.”
“Yeah… okay,” Noct agreed. He wasn’t really big on crowds, or loud music, but he couldn’t deny the truth in his friend’s words. Even when Ignis did take a rare day - or night - off, he had his ringer at max and phone on vibrate. On the off chance he didn’t hear it, he’d certainly feel it buzzing in his pocket. “They’re probably at that new club, The Coeurl’s Meow. I heard Gladio mentioning they were getting in a lot of new bands.”
“Alright, let’s go!”
A short walk brought the two young men to the club in question. After paying the cover charge and getting the bright red hand stamp showing they were underage and not to be served alcohol, they walked in and began looking around.
Astrals, it was loud. Noctis winced as the pound of the drums and the scream of the electric guitar assailed his senses. And that was nothing compared to the underlying din of so many people crammed together in one venue. Ugh. How could Ignis and Gladio actually enjoy this? How could anyone enjoy this?
“Hey, this band’s not bad!” Prompto said, a bounce in his step, in time with the beat.
“Yeah,” Noct agreed absently, cerulean eyes scanning the horde, figuring he’d see Iggy’s gelled up hair standing out above the crowd. If not, Gladio was huge, and shouldn’t be too hard to find.
He saw his behemoth-sized bodyguard first, and walked over to the large man, Prompto on his heels. “Gladio!” Noct shouted so he’d be heard.
The Shield turned his head, regarding the Prince and his friend with surprise. “Uh… Noct. Prompto.” A slight frown wrinkled his sun-bronzed forehead. “What’re you two doing here? Not really your scene.”
“We wanted to see what’s up with Iggy!” Prompto announced gleefully.
“Nothing. Go home,” Gladio growled.
While Prompto argued with Gladio, spouting forth crazier and crazier theories about Ignis and his phone, Noctis resumed scanning the crowd. They’d found Gladio, surely Ignis wasn’t far…
Oh.
Six.
Noctis found Ignis on the dance floor, a small space cleared around him by other revelers. It was immediately apparent why - Ignis was dancing with the same acrobatic passion he brought to his sparring. There was a ring of people around him cheering and clapping at his especially flashy moves. And some of those moves…
“Gods,” Noct muttered, cheeks darkening with a blush when Ignis rolled his hips in an exaggerated movement with the pulse of the song. The Prince grabbed Prompto’s arm. “Let’s go home. Need brain bleach. Why’d I let you talk me in to this?”
“Wha…?” Prompto turned to see what had his friend in a tizzy. He saw Ignis tearing up the dance floor and started laughing. “Oh, man! Didn’t know he had it in him!” The blonde grinned broadly. “It’s always the quiet ones, huh?”
“Can we go home? Please?” Noctis practically begged.
Gladio scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Don’t act so scandalized, Princess. Yeah, so Iggy likes to dance. So what?”
“At least it explains why he didn’t answer his phone!” Prompto said cheerfully, eyes glued to the cavorting tactician.
As the song ended, Noctis realized he’d lost his chance to slip out, since Ignis was walking right towards them, and even he knew how rude that would be. “H-hey, Specs,” he said a bit weakly, offering a wave.
“Noctis!” Ignis said, voice blurred with the alcohol he’d obviously been imbibing. “And Prompto!” The advisor grinned, green eyes bright, face flushed with exertion and shining with sweat. “Wonderful band tonight! Good of you to make it!” His handsome face settled into confusion for a moment, and he turned to his companion. “Gladio, were we expecting them to join us?”
“Uh, no. Surprise?” Gladio said with a chuckle, reaching out to steady Ignis. For a man who could dance so gracefully while in his cups, standing upright while still seemed to be a challenge.
Ignis stepped closer and leaned against Gladio, ostensibly for balance, though Noctis and Prompto both noticed the Shield’s arm wrapping around the other man’s waist in a familiar manner.
Was this… a date?
“Sorry for interrupting,” Noctis said, looking at his shoes, at the posters on the wall, anywhere but at the strangely intimate sight of his two oldest friends practically cuddling in the middle of the club.
“It’s no problem,” Gladio said.
“The more the merrier!” Ignis said grandly, sweeping an arm in what would have been a regally permissive gesture if not for the fact that the motion caused him to fall the rest of the way into Gladio’s lap. Rather than immediately extricating himself, Ignis looked up at Gladio with an expression Noctis could have really done without ever seeing on his advisor’s face.
Prompto cackled at the sight, taking it all in stride.
Noctis just sighed. “That is hardly appropriate.”
“Today’s my day off,” Ignis explained in the earnest voice of the extremely inebriated, before standing up and pressing a brief kiss to Gladio’s cheek. “This is a good song,” he explained before going back out to the dance floor, quickly losing himself in the music.
Gladio looked at the two younger men and smirked, arching an eyebrow, amber eyes filled with amusement. “Unless you want to watch me go dance very, very close to Iggy… might wanna leave.” The Shield stood and stretched, then headed away from the younger men.
Noctis didn’t waste time with words. He grabbed Prompto’s hand and practically dragged his laughing friend out of the club.
Ugh. The next time Ignis didn’t answer his phone, Noct would leave a message.