Work Text:
Will you be the one to stand by him?
A Final fantasy XV fanfiction
Pairing: Ignis Scientia/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Rating: K+
AU: Dragon!Noct and human!Ignis, spirited away into a magical kingdom.
When he speaks, his voice is coarse. Rough and quiet, soft at the same time somehow, like the washed out sands of Galdin Quay.
His posture, slumped over, as his body is wracked with pain, and it bites at his expression as well.
To the point where it almost hurts to even look at him.
And yet, when he meets the king's gaze, his eyes are as sharp and steady as they have always been.
As they are when they rest on Noctis, meeting his gaze.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
2 years later, there were still whispers floating around. In the castle walls, in the school corridors.
No, he shouldn't really call it whispers anymore, he thinks as he switches the tv off.
"They still talking about him?" Gladio echoes his thought.
"Yep." Noctis answers, with the faintest hint of annoyance in his voice.
"It's been a slow couple of years and Iggy's celebrity status, so guess it's only obvious."
A slightly more annoyed grumble from Noctis but he doesn't look up this time.
"You're still not done?"
"This. Needs concentration. Can't come up with snarky answers and concentrate at the same time, Gladio."
"You're the one rushing at the last minute."
"My stupid alarm clock didn't wake me up!!"
"Suuure, blame the alarm clock." Gladio pauses. "Oh, speak of the devil. He's coming."
"What?!"
"You got T-minus 3 seconds."
"W-WAIT"
"Threetwoone, go!"
"That wasn't three seconds-!"
Something snaps in Noctis' hands.
Ah.
He broke his concentration.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
They called Ignis, the stowaway.
A fitting name, he supposed, for a human spirited away by the empire, and stranded into the land of the otherworldly. People couldn't admire the Lucian king enough for taking him under his protection, but that was the obvious conclusion to make, the only thing left to do.
As it was, Ignis was, for lack of a better word, helpless in this strange land that looked so much like his own. And he didn't suppose he stood a chance with the kingdom who took him to experiment on his soul and turn him into a Daemon. The dragon king, the enemy king, it was then.
And that same dragon king had appointed him as part of his son's protective forces. A direct order.
It was also the most logical solution to say yes. What else could he do to repay them?
Two years had passed with that indecisive mindset.
Ignis looks at his hands. Two years. He suspects that there's roughly the same time flow in both his world and this world.
And the same day approaches, again, the same day when he woke up in this place.
He quietly tugs his gloves over his scarred hands. By this point, he'd reached the door
...? He can hear Gladiolus' voice inside.
"Threetwoone, go!"
"That wasn't three seconds-!"
"...!"
Ignis leaps back just as the door flings open and an alarming bang resonates within. What the-?!
"Noct!"
He rushes inside immediately, "Was there an attack?!"
A hearty cough as the smoke clears and he sees Gladio standing there.
"Whoops." He says, looking a little remorseful, "He wasn't kidding huh?"
"Gladio, what happened? Where's Noct?"
"He's fine, uh. We both are. Had a littke bit of an accident though."
"..." Ignis sighs. "So you say, but half your arm is gone from the shock of it."
"This? Nah." And Gladio proceeds to grow it back, effortlessly, "See? No big deal."
"Just because you're a Golem doesn't mean you can afford to be that reckless. Now, where's Noct?"
"Right here, Iggy." And for some reason, he's smirking now, "Go ahead and take your dose, princey. I'll catch you later."
"W-wait!" Says the voice from beyond all that smoke but Gladio vanishes, melting into the earth below.
"I can never get used to that.” Ignis mutters. To Noctis, he asks, “Are you alright?”
“Imfine! I’m-“ And Noctis hacks out a last cough before resuming, “Yep. Fine. Totally normal.”
“Then why are you half-transformed?"
"This? Uh." Noctis points to his horns with his very scaly arm and claws, "I was. Kind of in the middle of something."
"And did that something make half the castle implode within itself?"
"...Yes? I mean no?"
"You're acting oddly jumpy. Are you alright?"
"Yep. I'm fine, don't worry."
"I see. I'm glad, but keep your alchemy experimentation under control. It wouldn't do to blow that handsome face off."
"Oh, you think I'm handsome?" Noct says teasing.
"Lady Lunafreya would be most upset." Ignis parries, smoothly.
"She'll still like me. Probably."
"Right."
Ignis is about to leave when Noctis calls him. "Ignis?"
"Yes?"
Noctis takes a deep breath and stands up. Oh, he's flicking his tail. "Is something wrong?"
"...Here."
Noctis holds his hands out. In them were daggers, beautifully ornate and silver. Running along the metal was a faint hint of the blue of Noctis' magic.
"What..?"
"Happy birthday. Uh. I made these. Your hands are still messed up right? It'd be painful to try summoning anything or fighting on your own and I wanted to help."
"That's..." Ignis looks up at him.
"I know it wasn't a very happy day for you. But it was also the day we met and...the day you were born. It's an important day and I know you want to forget it but...well, uh. If you don't want to consider them birthday gifts you can just take them as regular old gifts."
"...Are they still in one piece from earlier?"
"They are! Definitely! And...wait, why are you laughing?"
"It's nothing." Ignis says, with another chuckle, "I do appreciate it. Thank you."
"You better use them well."
"Of course. You appear to have worked hard on this."
"Great. I'm going to sleep now."
"I was wondering why you were up so late. Also, go to the bed. Don't sleep here."
"Shuddup." Noctis mumbles, already half-asleep. And Ignis merely settles down in the other chair, only slightly marred by the explosion.
...Really. He's feeling a lot more optimistic about himself all of a sudden. Just holding the daggers stings his human hands, even through the gloves, but he holds them still.
Elegant, yet functional. He's 13 and able to come up with something this complex?
"It's exactly what I needed. I wonder if I made my frustration that obvious."
No, it's simply because Noctis just knows him.
His first friend in this world. Around him...
Even the king noticed it. Perhaps.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
When he speaks, his voice is soft. Rough with disuse and falling softer as he continues to talk.
His posture, withdrawn into himself, in his father's shadow, with a slightly uncertain expression, looking at him for a cue.
And when it came, when Regis asked the question, he moves towards Ignis, a small smile on his face.
His hands were warm, Ignis thinks, when Noctis takes his in his own. His fingers careful around those vicious scars.
"I will." He says.
And though Ignis was the one making the promise, to take the future king's burdens as his own....
...For the first time since he was spirited away, his heart felt just a little bit lighter.
For the first time since he was spirited away, he felt a smile on his face.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Noctis barely stirs when Ignis' hand touches his.
His fingers sting with the magic of the dragon bloodline. But he holds it, careful, gentle.
"Thank you."
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x