Work Text:
Up on the housetop
Reindeer pause,
Out jumps good old Santa Claus.
Down thru' the chimney
With lots of toys,
All for the little ones,
Christmas joys.
“Iggy?” Noctis called out from the sofa. He was listening to a record of Christmas carols, inching himself to lay down as far as he could go without spilling his drink. The drink was his favorite: Eggnog with banana blended together and topped with a dash of nutmeg. It was a special treat that Ignis always made for him on Christmas Eve. He supposed that’s why it felt so nostalgic and warm to drink it. He remembered Prompto gawking at him when he said his favorite thing to drink on Christmas wasn’t hot chocolate, but instead was Eggnog. He was sure Prompto would have called the police for how “wrong” it was.
Shifting slightly, Noctis brought the mug to his lips to take a sip before calling out to get Ignis’ attention again. “Hey Specs—what are you up to in there?” He lulled his head back in attempt to see the kitchen of the small apartment.
“Just finishing the last few dishes.” Ignis took hold of the hand towel and began to dry off the plates that the two of them had used to eat dinner just a few hours ago. Noctis wondered just how many Christmas’s they had spent together…
Ah. Since they were kids, they’ve been around each other for the holidays. But only in the more recent years had they been spending Christmas Eve together as a couple. Perhaps if he was only counting those years, it would be two. Three, including the current one. Normally they would spend Christmas Eve together as a couple because Noctis’ father wasn’t ready to give up Christmas day yet. And Ignis’ parents weren’t ready for that either. So for now, until the two of them moved in together, they would continue to spend Christmas Eve together in Ignis’ apartment, and part ways for Christmas day.
“Put those dishes away and come over here. I wanna sit with you a minute before I need to go.” The disappointment was evident in Noctis’ voice, and he lowered his head back down to look into his cup. A few more sips was all he had left, and after that he would need to head home. He could make it last a while if he took the final sips really slowly. He would try to make them last until he sat with Ignis for a little longer, at least.
“Darling?” Ignis’ gentle voice woke Noctis from his daydream. “Mind sitting up just a bit so that I can fit on the couch?”
“I guess I can do that for you, Iggy. Even though I’m extra comfortable.” He teased as he scooted himself to sit up and make a space for Ignis. Once he took a seat, he reached an arm out to set around Noctis’ shoulders, and he carefully brought Noctis’ body closer to his own. The dark haired male lifted his grey eyes to observe his boyfriend.
So cute...
Noctis felt his heart warm. He really wished he could stay for the night at least, if he couldn’t spend Christmas Day there. But he knew his father would be disappointed... and he just couldn’t have that. Giving a soft sigh, Noctis lifted his free hand and used a finger to carefully press Ignis’ glasses back up the bridge of his nose. It was a small, loving gesture that he always did. And one that made him feel giddy because of the way Ignis would flush a light pink color every time he did it.
“What are you thinking about, dear?”
“…Not wanting to go home.” Noctis admitted, admiring the rosy pink that dusted Ignis’ cheeks. “Once I finish the drink, I should get going.”
There was silence between them. Silence always meant the wheels in Ignis’ mind were turning. He was probably trying to figure out what to say to make Noctis feel better. He would probably say something along the lines of ‘I’ll see you bright and early the day after tomorrow, at least’. Or ‘I’ll try to stop by your father’s place after I see my parents’. It was sweet, even though they both knew it wasn’t what either of them truly wanted. Of course, seeing Ignis the night of Christmas Day would still be lovely. And seeing him the day after would be perfect… but Noctis wanted to sleepover and wake up beside his boyfriend. He wanted to have breakfast together—he wanted to open gifts with one another, and be lazy in their pajamas while watching Christmas movies on TV all day. It didn’t feel the same doing that the day after. And there wasn’t enough time in the night to do it all either…
“Well,” Ignis tapped a finger to his chin in thought. “Don’t you think it’s much too cold to head back home tonight?”
The question took Noctis off guard. It was chilly, but too cold to go out? It caused a fit of laughter to escape him. “Where did you get that, Iggy?” He grinned, taking the last few sips from his mug. “It’s not even in the negatives out there!”
“But Noct. Have you felt it since earlier? Not to mention it’s supposed to start snowing.” A playful smirk spread across Ignis’ face. He planted a kiss to Noctis’ head before taking the mug out of his grasp. It was empty now, to Noctis’ dismay. And so, he stood himself up from the sofa as well.
“Surely it can’t snow that much from here to the car.” He lifted a hand up to touch a finger under Ignis’ chin. “You’re trying to come up with excuses for me to stay, aren’t you?”
Cheeks flushed from the gentle touch, Ignis looked at this lover with surprise. “Me? Coming up with excuses? You know I’m genuinely concerned. You could catch cold if you go out. Or perhaps sink into the snow if it gets too deep.” He continued to list off the different reasons. “Or worse, you could catch pneumonia! Imagine that. I could never live with myself if you walked out those doors and came down with an illness.”
Noctis let out a louder laugh this time, shaking his head. He took some steps away from the other and decided to attempt to get his coat from the closet. “I highly doubt any of that will come to be. Especially the pneumonia part. And sinking in the snow! There isn’t even a snowflake on the ground!”
“You’re laughing now, but imagine it!”
“Uh-huh. You’re being funny…” Noctis rolled his eyes playfully, before tugging his coat off the hanger. He was about to start slipping it onto his shoulders when he felt it being stopped by those familiar slender hands. “… what are you up to, Iggy..?”
“Don’t you want… at least another drink before you go? Just a quick one.” Ignis sounded hopeful now, far more than the teasing way he was talking just moments ago. He gently pried the coat out of Noctis’ hold.
“…How could I say no?” Stepping closer, he closed the space between them, reaching up to press a delicate kiss to Ignis’ lips. They were so warm and soft— Goodness, he wished he could stay all night and kiss them again and again. But he’d have to accept just the few more minutes they managed to squeeze in with one more drink. Once they parted he watched Ignis’ face light up as bright as their Christmas tree, before rushing off to make another drink. Probably another one of Noctis’ favorites. And he’d probably fill the mug, and it’d be rude to not drink the entire thing… his father would understand, no doubt.
“Noct, darling. Can you turn the record over? The music seemed to have stopped.”
“Oh— yeah. Got it.” The dark haired male wandered himself over to the record player and took the record out. He looked it over, appreciating its work and sound (they really didn’t make things like that anymore), before placing it back into the player. There was a light scratching sound, until the music finally kicked on again. And when it did, it was that all too familiar song:
I really can’t stay
Baby it’s cold outside
I gotta go away
Baby it’s cold outside
This evening has been so very nice
I’ll hold your hands they’re just like ice
Noctis watched the record spin and listened to the song closely as it played. And it wasn’t long before a light bulb turned on in his mind. “Hey!” He swung himself around and hurried over to the counter where Ignis was putting whipped cream around the top of his drink.
“What’s that, love?”
“You were making excuses just like this song that’s playing!” He stuck his thumb behind him toward the table that held the record player. “You even used the pneumonia part— the temperature being cold— how’d I not notice?!”
Ignis laughed out his nose and handed the mug to Noctis. “And I used the part about the drink, too.”
“I fell for it!” Noctis pursed his lips, taking the mug anyway. If that song hadn’t started playing he wouldn’t have even noticed. He wondered just how far into the song Ignis would’ve gotten with the excuses if he didn’t catch on!
…Probably through to the end. Well. That didn’t matter. So long as they had some extra time together, that’s all that truly mattered. Smiling to himself, he took a small sip of the eggnog — but it wasn’t its usual sweetness. There was a kick to it… and seeing as how Ignis had still yet to say anything had Noctis suspicious again. “… Iggy. You spiked this drink didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about~” He hummed in response and pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “You must be over thinking. It’s the same eggnog I always make you.”
“Except this one has alcohol!”
“Just a drop.” Ignis promised, but Noctis knew it was a tad more than that. He really was taking things from that Christmas carol and using them to get Noctis to stay longer, and even though it was silly, it was working. Noctis couldn’t help but laugh again, his cheeks warming.
“How much do you think our parents would scold us if we… “fell asleep” and didn’t show up until tomorrow afternoon?” Noctis took one more small sip of his drink before placing it aside. His arms lifted and rested around Ignis’ shoulders.
“I believe your father would be much more lenient than my mother.” He smirked. “Of course, though, they can’t be mad forever. Disappointed but they would still be happy to see us, even if not for the entire day.”
Noctis grinned wide, and reached up to place a kiss on Ignis’ lips once again. “Then let’s do it. Let’s finish the night together! We can watch movies and eat sweets.. I can kiss you all night until I’m satisfied!”
“I think that sounds like the best way to spend our Christmas.”
The two of them lingered a few more kisses, before gathering their drinks and tray of desserts, to head back to the sofa. As they sat down and got comfortable, the song that was playing came to an end, and it made both of them laugh. Noctis would have to admit, he had a new favorite Christmas song.
Okay fine, just another drink then
That took a lot of convincing!