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A day without Noctis simply feels wrong. Unfortunately, there was no way for Ignis to say no to the King of Lucis when he’d asked him to let Noctis settle into his apartment on his own.
It makes sense. Ignis knows that Regis is worried about Noctis living alone, and that worry isn’t unfounded. He’s messy, occasionally careless, and just a little bit spoiled. Not that Ignis is much better when it comes to the latter, but that’s to be expected having been raised in a royal setting. Ignis’s only advantage in that regard is that he’s already living on his own. Now, it will be Noctis’s turn.
The timing isn’t bad either. Ignis has exams and Noctis has just entered the next phase of combat training with Cor rather than Gladio. Ignis spent the summer training with the Marshall, and he can say from experience that Noctis doesn’t know what he’s in for. It wouldn’t be such a bad thing for the two of them to learn to get by on their own. Aside from school and daily responsibilities, there’s hardly a moment when they aren’t together.
Ignis tries to make the best of it, devoting the extra time to his own studies and training. The council is eager to give him more responsibility, using the justification of experience as an excuse to make him do the busywork they’d rather avoid. It’s dull and exhausting, but at least it distracts him from wondering what Noctis is up to everyday. They still talk and text, but it’s not the same as being there. Ignis absentmindedly glances at his phone and does a double take when he realizes his lockscreen reads nearly three in the morning. Despite doing his best to regulate Noctis’s schedule, it seems that he has no regard for his own. He’s supposed to be reviewing a budget proposal for typos, but the words and numbers have lost all meaning. Once the documents are safely replaced in his bag, Ignis drags himself to the bathroom to wash up and change into his pajamas.
His mind is still buzzing as he climbs into bed, going through his mental to-do list for the following day, and he ends up tossing and turning, unable to settle and sleep at all. It’s unusual and he’s just beginning to consider the cause when he hears the familiar sound of magic coming from outside his window. There’s a loud thud on his bedroom's exterior wall, then the crackle of Lucian magic.
“Ignis!”
Ignis scrambles out of bed and over to the window just as Noctis appears, peering into his bedroom. He’s hanging off one of his training blades with his feet anchored on the side of the building. When he sees Ignis, he taps on the glass directly in front of his nose.
“Come on, Ignis. Don’t leave me hanging.”
Ignis frowns.
“I should leave you out there just for that,” he says, unlocking the window before stepping aside to let Noctis tumble in. The blade disappears into a burst of tiny sparks while Noctis brushes himself off. Like Ignis, he’s in his pajamas with the addition of an oversized hoodie thrown over his customary oversized t-shirt.
“What are you doing here?” Ignis asks. He can’t decide if he’s pleased or annoyed with Noctis’s sudden arrival. For a boy who loves sleep, he doesn’t look the least bit tired. Then he smiles at Ignis, making himself right at home, and Ignis decides he’s definitely happy with the surprise.
“I missed you,” Noctis replies easily. “Did you miss me?”
Ignis certainly did, but that’s not something he had intended to share with anyone, especially not Noctis.
“It was strange not to see you,” he says instead. Noctis strips off his hoodie and tosses it on the bottom of Ignis’s bed before plopping down to relax. Ignis is still standing in the middle of the room, watching him until Noctis pats the space beside him, expecting him to join.
“Why did you have to listen to my dad?” There’s a touch of petulance in his tone which Ignis would normally find irritating, but for whatever reason, he finds it incredibly endearing in the moment.
“I don’t think I have the luxury of disobedience the way you do. Besides, he only wants to know that you’re capable of taking care of yourself. That’s not so unreasonable.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m here to break the rules for you. It’s so boring when you’re not around. And hey, maybe you need me too! I saw your light on before I came up here. Why are you still awake?”
“I was just studying. I thought I would at least try to make the best of the extra time.”
Noctis rolls his eyes.
“See? You definitely need me. Someone has to tell you when it’s time to slack off and go to bed.”
“You’re here at three in the morning, so how am I supposed to do that?”
“Yeah, I was planning to apologize for waking you up.”
“You’re doing a fantastic job so far.”
“Nope. I’m not actually all that sorry.”
Noctis crawls up the bed, taking one of Ignis’s pillows to lie down. It’s a single bed, but he’s tucked himself against the wall. He doesn’t need to ask Ignis to join him this time. Noctis rolls onto his side, propping his head up on one hand.
“Talk to me.”
“About what?”
“I don’t know? Anything. Tell me about school or your family or something. Tell me what you cooked for dinner last night, I don’t care. You’re always talking my ear off about what’s going on with council stuff. Tell me all of that.”
“I thought that usually annoyed you.”
“Never. Okay, maybe sometimes. But I always like when you talk.”
Ignis looks over at Noctis. He suddenly has a strange look on his face and won’t make eye contact, fussing with his bangs instead. Then, he seems to recover from whatever it was and pushes again.
“Come on, Ignis. I want to hear about you.”
-
The next day Ignis is jarred awake by the sound of his alarm. It’s even more unpleasant than usual, and his very first thought of the day is that he’ll need at least a hundred cups of coffee to function. A very close second is Noctis. Ignis is almost certain he fell asleep mid-sentence, and after that, there wouldn’t have been any reason for the him to stay. The window is still open, and it seems that Noctis has forgotten his sweatshirt which is still at the foot of his bed. Ignis rolls over, his cheek colliding with his abandoned pillow. He’s on the verge of being late, but today he doesn’t care and lingers in bed anyways. It still smells like Noctis, his shampoo and undertones of the musk Ignis knows so well. He closes his eyes.
If only Noctis were always this close.
If only Noctis were his.