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The fire crackled softly as Ignis pulled Noctis close on the couch. The night had been perfect so far; a lovely dinner that Ignis had worked on all afternoon, a dessert of Noctis’ favorite pastries, and now reminiscing over their life together from a scrapbook Cor and Prompto had put together for them.
Noct leaned into Ignis’ side as they flipped through the pictures of their youth. He smiled as they came across the pictures from middle school and began describing them to his lover.
A teenage Noctis and Ignis smiled back at them from the image, braces gleaming in the flash from the camera. Noctis remembered when they had gotten their braces. He had cried upon finding out he needed them, fearful that he would have been made fun of.
But then Noctis had gone with Ignis to the older boy’s orthodontist appointment, and saw that it wasn’t so bad. He had made his father and ignis both hold his hands though, still anxious. Noctis always hated dental work, no matter how much Iggy assured him it would be alright. The fight Noctis had put up years later when it was time to remove his wisdom teeth was more glares than cries, but Ignis was still there, holding his hand through everything.
Noctis turned the page and laughed. He described the image to Ignis, a selfie of the two smiling softly with a light blush across Noctis’ cheeks. Admiration was strong in both of their eyes, showing the strength of their bond. It had been taken on their first Valentine’s Day as an official couple.
Ignis had been in Noctis’ apartment, preparing dinner for when Noctis came home from school. He hadn’t been expecting the teen to be blushing upon spotting Ignis. Noctis smiles shyly at Ignis and eventually sputtered out a request: he wanted Ignis to help him shave.
Ignis smiled gently and pulled Noctis into a loving hug. Of course he would help Noctis learn to groom himself. He told Noctis the act was very intimate, and it meant a lot to him that he wanted Ignis’ help with it.
A weight seemed to lift from Noctis’ shoulders and he beamed up at Ignis. They finished making dinner, then made dessert together. Ignis kisses Noctis softly and lead him to the bathroom. They slowly undressed each other, Ignis making sure Noctis was comfortable all the while.
Ignis was gentle in shaving Noctis. He explained what he was doing and why, making sure the younger man paid attention. Once Noctis was smooth, Ignis let him try. He leaned back and smiled gently.
Noctis was slower than Ignis, scared of cutting him with the razor. Once he finally finished, Ignis had them finish washing the rest of their bodies. Ignis explained to Noctis the importance of moisturizing after shaving, and they spread lotion on each other’s toned bodies.
That night, Ignis stayed with Noctis. Little kisses turned into deep, loving kisses. Gentle stroking of sides turned into passionate grabbing. Afterwards they laid in each other’s arms, sharing soft words of love. Noctis couldn’t imagine a better first time.
Ignis smiled at the memory and laid his head on Noctis’ shoulder. He laughed when Noctis got to a picture of them covered in flour; one of many baking disasters in Noctis’ apartment. This one had been taken a week before the previous, on Ignis’ 19th birthday.
Noctis had wanted to bake Ignis a cake for his birthday. The first attempt nearly set off the smoke alarm, and Ignis had arrived at the apartment during the second attempt. A startled Noctis accidentally turned the mixer on, sending flower all over the kitchen and effectively coating both men. They laughed as they cleaned up then set about making Ignis’ favorite chiffon cake.
After dinner, Noctis had pulled out a small, crudely wrapped present for Ignis and sheepishly pushed it into Ignis’ hands. Ignis opened the package to find a necklace with a skull charm nestled on a small pad of cotton. He smiled and pulled it out, offering it to Noctis to put it on for him. Noctis beamed and clasped the necklace around Ignis’ neck then kissed him sweetly, happy that Ignis liked the gift.
The next picture was of a sleeping Ignis with a sleeping kitten on his chest. Noctis remembered taking that one; Ignis had been up late the night before and was exhausted by the time he got to Noctis’ apartment. Noctis came home from school and smiled when he saw the kitten curled up on Ignis’ chest.
Noctis moved to cover Ignis with a blanket, taking care not to cover the kitten. He knelt beside Ignis’ head and stroked his hair back. Noctis loves to watch Ignis sleep; gods knew the man didn’t get enough.
Ignis stirred after a bit, groaning softly. He opened his eyes and blearily looked at Noct a moment before realizing where he was.
Noctis laughed softly and assured Ignis all was well. Once they coaxed the tiny cat off of Ignis’ chest, Noctis helped him with dinner and made Ignis promise to take care of himself better.
Not that Ignis was much better with taking care of his own health, but they were working on it. It had been something Noctis always teased Ignis about. Ignis just rolled his eyes and smiled at Noctis lovingly.
Noctis closed the book and kissed Ignis gently. He got up and took Ignis’ hand as they made their way to their bedchamber. There would be plenty of time to keep looking through their pictures.
Ignis held Noctis close as they reminded each other that their love only grew stronger through the years. They laid in bed with Ignis’ head on Noctis’ chest, Noctis’ fingers combing through his hair. Noctis stared out the window and described the stars to Ignis until they fell asleep. For now, everything was perfect.