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It had been one of those days which simply seemed to drag on forever, no matter how efficiently Ignis could work. Meetings ran over schedule, vendors for the upcoming solstice gala were late in sending samples, and Six, the paperwork. Noctis had offered his help, which was a welcome surprise, but Ignis had cut him loose so that at least one of them could have a nice evening. There was simply no way Ignis could inflict that tedium onto his oldest friend, his prince, his-
It wouldn’t do to continue that train of thought.
And yet Ignis couldn’t help himself. The Crown Prince of Lucis was, naturally, the most wanted man in the kingdom, not for crimes, but for courting. As such, the list of eligible suitors was a mile long and Ignis couldn’t bear to join that list by confessing his feelings. He was Noct’s oldest friend, they were raised together after all, and to speak of wanting more would mean adding his name to that list and risk being filtered out like the rest of the hopefuls seeking his attention.
Noctis could hardly get a moment of respite, from the sons and daughters of the upper echelons of society attempting to make an impression during formal events, to the blushing baristas babbling nervously while making his coffee and bringing Noct a pastry “on the house” in the rare occasions the prince ventured into the public eye. Ignis could attest that sweets were not the way to Noctis’ heart. He had certainly baked enough goods for Noct that he could put that theory to rest. Other methods, such as cleaning Noctis’ apartment and mending his clothes, had produced similar results. Every button sewn, bed made, or cookie he baked contained within a silent “I love you” that nevertheless fell on deaf ears.
Ignis couldn’t take it personally, however. Noct had never acknowledged anyone’s attempt to gain his affection more than what was polite. His own small gestures were met with a “Thanks,” or an offhanded “You’re the best, Specs” to show appreciation. In fact, now that Ignis thought about it, Noctis had yet to show any interest in finding a partner. He seemed perfectly content with their small group of friends. Truthfully, Ignis was fine with that. Noctis’ happiness meant everything to Ignis, so Ignis could be happy too simply by maintaining the status quo.
But it was getting late now, as Ignis freed himself of his reverie to find his office bathed in the golden light of the setting summer sun, and he himself was now late to prepare dinner for himself and Noctis. The rest of the blasted paperwork would have to wait until tomorrow, as Ignis knew a hungry Noctis would simply eat whatever junk food was already in his apartment rather than a proper meal.
What greeted him first upon entering the apartment was the smell of smoke. But the entry faced the kitchen, so Ignis had could see the cause right away before panicking. Noctis was stood at the sink, frozen and looking at him with an expression that was caught between surprise and embarrassment. The prince was wearing Ignis’ apron and had been in the middle of scrubbing a terribly scorched pan while a few dishes of food were waiting on the counter.
“Specs! You, uh, weren’t supposed to see the mess. But everything’s a mess. Sorry. Prom helped me practice at his place, but his stove is different and-”
Ignis blinked, stunned for a moment as Noct rambled on before kicking off his shoes and setting his bag down. He went over to open the balcony door and started the fan in the range hood to clear the air before inspecting Noctis’ work. There was a bowl of vegetables, that may have been broccoli but had been cooked into green mush. Mashed potatoes with far too much cream added, steak that looked like charcoal, and something resembling a cobbler as a desert. Still on the stove top was a pot of gravy that had been made from the burnt remnants of cooking the steak and was worryingly gelatinous in consistency. Ignis was nearly overwhelmed by the gesture. Noctis had cooked. It was a simple dinner, and the results were considerably less than perfect, but Noctis had hardly done more than reheat the frozen meals Ignis often prepared in advance. He could recognize the tremendous effort Noct had made.
“-probably just throw it all out and order something for delivery.”
“No!” Ignis interrupted Noctis’ nervous babbling. Overwhelmed by the gesture, Ignis had tuned out most of what Noct had been saying. “You clearly worked hard on this; we can’t let that go to waste.”
“I wanted to impress you, and I don’t think it’s even edible.”
“Nonsense,” Ignis smiled, moving around the counter to put a reassuring hand on Noct’s shoulder. It was charming to see how Noctis fretted over this. “There’s plenty here that can be saved.”
Noct looked skeptical, but Ignis cut into the center of one of the steaks, pulling it apart to show a surprisingly medium-rare on the inside. “See? The skillet was too hot, causing the outside to burn, but this is cooked well.”
Relief visibly flooded Noctis as the tension left his body.
“Thanks, Specs. I… I wanted to do something special for you. You’ve been so busy with everything and getting ready for the gala, but you still make time to take care of me.” Ignis could feel a bit of a flush spread across his cheeks as his heartbeat quickened. Noctis looked like he was going to say something, then stopped himself, then changed his mind again. “Let’s eat?”
They chose to eat on the couch next to one another where they could relax better. The food tasted as interesting as it looked but a couple glasses of wine helped it to go down. Neither of them really paid attention to the meal and there was an awkward silence between them as they were both deep in thought. Ignis couldn’t be sure what was on the prince’s mind, but his own kept shifting back and forth between awe of the gesture of appreciation, wanting more from his friendship with Noct and also trying to manage his expectations. Suddenly Noct set his cutlery down on the plate and looked at Ignis with an intense determination. Ignis similarly set his fork and knife aside and turned to Noctis, giving him his full attention.
“Look Specs… Ignis.” He paused to take a deep breath. “You’ve been by my side for as long as I can remember. I always want you by my side. I really like you, I think you like me too, and I guess what I’m trying to say is… can we go on a date?”
Ignis’ mind was blank, as he was completely stunned by Noctis’ words. He tried several times to speak but the normally articulate advisor was without words. An eternity seemed to pass in the brief moments before he could collect himself, finally able to respond when Noct began to look worried.
“I would like that very much. I’ve wanted that for a long time.”
“I promise it’ll be better than this dinner.”
“It was pretty terrible,” Ignis admitted, and they both laughed away the awkwardness that had sat between them the entire meal. Feeling emboldened, Ignis pulled Noctis down into his lap and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead. “But the gesture meant the world to me.”
