Chapter Text
Ignis first saw it when they were changing after training. It was the first and only time they’d trained together before leaving Insomnia, partly because of the short notice but mostly because the sight of it had unsettled him. He’d seen many of them, most people keeping theirs out in the open, inviting the possibility of random chance to aid them in finding true love. Some kept them hidden, though, due to personal reservation, like himself.
Or shyness, like Prompto.
Gladio’s had been tattooed over, but it was still easy to spot the outline of it on his deltoid. Noctis’ was on his nape, often obscured by his hair or clothing. Everyone knew it was there, though, and that somewhere, Lunafreya had a matching mark on the back of her own delicate neck.
Ignis’ was easily hidden underneath his tailored suits, resting just above his heart, a dark shape against the olive of his skin. He didn’t pay it much mind, a passing glance at it in the mirror every so often. Few people knew what it looked like— his parents because of course and Gladio because the man was obsessed. Gladio Amicitia, for all of the flirting and casual relationships, was a die-hard romantic.
“Half the fun is looking for them,” he’d reason when anyone questioned his somewhat salacious methods of searching for the one who matched his mark. Ignis hadn’t been an exception. He’d been remit to show it to Gladio when they were younger, only revealing his arms to prove that he didn’t have the same one as the elder boy. Gladio had seen it eventually, the familiarity between them enough to quell Ignis’ anxiety surrounding it.
Ignis entertained the idea of what he’d do if he ever found the person who matched him, but never in any substantial way. Many people never found each other, a fact he held onto in the back of his mind as he allowed himself to become more and more absorbed in his duties as he grew older. The likelihood of finding the one the gods made for him was so slim, he almost found it a comfort. Because even if he did find them, the mere thought that he would have no control over this incredibly important part of his life pinched a nerve he couldn’t quite place.
So when he saw it, just moments after saying, “Come now, Prompto, we’re all men here,” he was shaken. He’d been smirking, buttoning up his top over his undershirt, his hair damp and flat against his forehead.
Prompto, shy and avoiding eye contact with any of the other Crownsguard in the locker room, gripped the towel wrapped around himself at the chest. At Ignis’ comment, he smiled sheepishly before lowering the towel to his waist, tightening it before rummaging through his bag for his clothes.
The smirk on Ignis’ face dropped, eyes widening in disbelief.
There it was, a perfectly identical shape over Prompto’s heart, stark against his pale complexion and impossible to ignore. Ignis stared at it.
Prompto realized he was being watched and slowly righted himself to stare back, a nervous chuckle falling out of him. “Kinda looks like a diamond, right?”
Ignis looked away without a response. Bafflement was his initial feeling, but it became slow embitterment. Because Ignis had already made his choice. There was absolutely no time or place for this in his life. He’d dedicated himself to the crown.
To Noctis.