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The living room was blocked off. Two blankets hung like curtains covering the entrance way. Ignis stopped in front of it and stared. What on Eos? He was about to push the blankets aside to see what was going on when Prompto’s face appeared between them. Ignis couldn’t help but snort at the sudden sight of Prompto’s seemingly disembodied head.
“Heeeeyyy, Iggy.” Prompto’s voice hit an octave that it only did when he was keeping secrets and Ignis shook his head.
“What are you up to, Prompto?”
“A surprise, of course! Noct and I aren’t finished yet, so uhh, you’re not allowed in.”
“Is that so?” Ignis raised an eyebrow. “And what do you suggest I do while I wait?”
“I’ll take care of that.” Ignis glanced to his left to see that Gladio was walking down the hallway toward him. “If you’ll come with me.”
Ignis looked completely confused, but followed Gladio. “What are you three up to, Gladiolus?”
Gladio smirked at him over his shoulder. “Operation Ebony has you on edge, huh? Well, won’t be for long.”
“Operation… Ebony?” Ignis was completely bewildered. What on Eos were his boys up to? Clearly it had to do with the living room and himself, but it wasn't anyone's birthday nor their anniversary, so he found himself at a complete loss as to what was going on.
"Now," Gladio was saying, completely ignoring Ignis’s confusion, "would you like to shower first or get right into your pjs?"
"Pajamas? At this hour?"
"It's a requirement, not a request."
Ignis blinked in surprise at Gladio’s no nonsense tone. "I see. Well, I suppose a shower wouldn't go amiss."
Gladio grinned and walked into the bathroom to start the shower, a still puzzled Ignis following close behind.
A few minutes later, Ignis was cradled against Gladio’s chest under the hot spray having his hair gently washed for him. When they were clean, they changed into some comfortable pjs and padded back down the hallway to where the living room was still blocked by blankets.
As they approached, Noctis stepped out of the living room and smiled at them. Ignis noticed that he was already in pajamas as well, fleece bottoms printed with cartoon fish colourfully adorning his legs. He bowed dramatically and stepped to the side, holding the blanket curtain open for them. “Prompto and I would like to welcome you to Fort Equinox.”
Full of curiosity, Ignis stepped through the opening and then immediately stopped short. The boys had completely transformed the living room into a giant blanket fort. Blankets were strung from the ceiling with fairy lights to create a cozy nook. Prompto was sitting cross-legged on the floor, chocobo print pajamas on display. Beside him, the coffee table was decorated with battery-powered candles nestled amongst some of his favourite takeout (including some Kenny’s salmon) and a wonky chiffon cake that the boys had clearly made themselves. As he stared, a hand landed on his shoulder and another landed on his lower back, one from Noctis and one from Gladio.
“What is all this for?” Ignis whispered, glancing at each of them.
“You’ve been working way too hard lately, Specs.” Noctis said, rubbing his hand in little circles on the small of Ignis’s back.
“Yeah,” Prompto piped up, “so we put together Operation Ebony, so that we can help you relax and, you know, show you how much we care.”
Ignis took an emotional breath. “Thank you, all of you.”
With a smile, Gladio and Noctis led him inside so that they could eat and curl up together on the couch.
The rest evening was spent with bad movies, cuddles, and most of all, love.