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"There were carrots in that?!?" Noctis cried out in dismay as he stormed out of his bedroom waving his phone in his hands. Ignis' latest episode of Fit for a Picky Prince was paused on the screen.
Taking his friend's complaints in stride Ignis glanced up from his computer where he was making notes on a new recipe and replied casually, "Indeed, there were."
Noctis glared at Ignis and crossed his arms. "You're supposed to be my friend, Specs. How could you betray me like that?"
"I was under the impression that you enjoyed the ragout last night," Ignis responded calmly.
"That was before I knew you put carrots in it!" Noctis continued to complain. "You know I hate carrots."
"But you don't hate carrots, Noct," Ignis sighed as he adjusted his glasses. "You merely believe that you do. Had you not decided to watch my vlog, you would have been none-the-wiser that the carrots were even in the dish. You even asked me for seconds."
Noctis huffed in annoyance but he didn't refute the point. Instead he slumped down in the chair opposite from where Ignis was sitting at the kitchen table.
Well versed in Noctis' tells that something other than carrots was bothering him, Ignis carefully closed his laptop, and looked up at his friend, giving him his full attention. "Is something the matter, Noct?"
Noctis stared at the table for a long moment which confirmed Ignis' suspicions that the argument about the carrots was merely a convenient way for his friend to vent about what was really upsetting him. He remained silent, allowing Noctis to work through his thoughts in his own time. Finally, Noctis looked up and said, "There was a boy in my class who fainted in gym yesterday. He didn't wake up when the teachers tried to wake him, so they took him away in an ambulance and he wasn't back in school today. I just... I hope he's okay."
Ignis gave his friend a reassuring smile. "I am certain that between the school and his parents your classmate will be receiving excellent medical care. Perhaps whatever caused his ailment is something that will require multiple days to recuperate from, but hopefully you'll see him in class again soon."
"Yeah, I hope so," Noctis said softly.
Hoping to cheer him up, Ignis got up from the table and retrieved a couple freshly baked chocolate chip cookies from where he'd left them cooling on the counter, and set them on a plate in front of Noctis. He was immediately rewarded with a small smile.
"Thanks, Specs," Noctis said as he took a bite. "These are delicious!"
"Don't mention it," Ignis replied with a smile of his own as he chose not to mention that the cookies Noctis were happily devouring just so happened to have carrots as a secret ingredient.
The following evening, Noctis happily informed Ignis over dinner that his classmate was back at school and appeared to be okay.
“Glad to hear it, Noct,” Ignis said, genuinely proud that despite his friend’s tendency to pretend otherwise, that he cared so deeply about others. It was a good sign of the kind of king Noctis would turn out to be: one who genuinely cared about the lives of his people. A king who one day, Ignis would be proud to serve.
After dinner, Ignis dutifully pretended not to notice when Noctis snuck several more of the chocolate chip carrot cookies into his room while his back was turned. Instead, he finished cleaning up the kitchen. Then he set up his laptop and tried to decide what topic he should cover for his weekly blog post. Ignis hated to admit it, but he was beginning to run dry on ideas. So much so that he was seriously considering reducing the frequency of his posts to every other week on an alternating schedule with his vlogs.
A chime alerted Ignis of a new email arriving in his inbox and he was surprised to note that it was addressed to his blog email address rather than his official Citadel account. He'd never received a letter from a reader before. Expediently, he opened it.
Dear Mr. Scientia:
I just found your blog and it’s great! I tried to cook something for the first time! It’s not as pretty as yours but that’s ok cause you said it doesn’t have to be perfect yet. I’m not perfect yet either. I think maybe it’s because I don’t know what a large dice is or a small dice. Could you please tell me what those are? I tried to follow the pictures though! I attached a picture of what I made (yours is way prettier) but I’m really happy I was able to do it! Thank you for making your super cool video!
Sincerely,
Prompto Argentum
Charmed by sweet sincerity of the message, Ignis opened the attached photo. Prompto Argentum had apparently made an attempt at the carrot and ground bulette ragout from his most recent vlog. It was a more rustic version, with chunks of carrots in a larger dice and a slightly more orange in color sauce over a shell shaped pasta. While it was obviously not a picture perfect version of the recipe he'd concocted himself, it looked serviceable and tasty. He saved the photo to a folder for future inspiration, and printed out the email.
The timeliness of the question was impeccable. It hadn't occurred to Ignis that basic terms like a small dice might merit further explanations. It had been so long since Ignis himself had begun training as a cook that he'd failed to take a beginner's perspective into account. He immediately threw himself into writing his next blog post about basic knife work and the approximate dimensions of various dice sizes. Once that was completed he also began to plan out complementary supplemental material, such as a photo shoot, and video instructions. Then he quickly sent a text to Gladio to determine if he was free to assist Ignis with the camera this weekend since he normally only filmed ever other week.
He hadn't felt this inspired in a long time and threw himself into his work. It was days later, as he was publishing his blog on vegetable dices that Ignis realized he'd forgotten to reply to the young man who had asked the question.
Over the course of the next two years, Ignis received an email from Prompto Argentum once a week, containing a photo of his most recent attempt at one of Ignis' recipes, and either a statement or a question that helped shape his perspective about how better to communicate to members of his audience that are complete novices in the kitchen. The emails had completely rejuvenated his inspiration and he found these days he had more ideas than ever for his little cooking channel. He looked forward to receiving a new one each week and was a bit ashamed that while he always answered every question Prompto had asked him either via the blog or a cooking video, he'd never actually sent a direct reply. It had gone on for so long at this point that Ignis was too embarrassed to break the barrier that he'd unintentionally set up against direct communication. But each week, he faithfully saved each picture Prompto sent him into a special folder and kept a physical folder of the emails he'd printed out that he'd occasionally shift through whenever he was feeling a little unsure of his next video topic.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Ignis was delighted to see a new email had arrived from Prompto when he pulled up his laptop at Noctis' kitchen table.
Dear Mr. Scientia:
I know I usually send these emails about your recipes - but I guess this sort of is? I really just wanted to thank you. I had to teach myself to cook healthy meals because I was basically living on junk food. I was overweight, and it made everything else pretty bad. I couldn't talk to people because I was so insecure. Like, I tried to make friends with this boy at my school and he told me I was heavy, and I was so embarrassed! I didn't know what to do, and I knew even less of what to do when I started trying to eat healthy! When I started learning to cook, it was watching you and using your recipes. You made such tasty, pretty food, and you had all sorts of knowledge about how to cook and how much to eat and it seems like you always knew how to answer my questions. I attached a photo of me from before I started learning how to eat and started exercising, and another one of me today. I feel way better about myself. I'm not worried other people will look down on me because I'm heavy anymore, and I honestly feel healthier! I'm still not perfect, but I'm much better than where I started. Even my dishes look better!
Thank you so much for continuing to cook! I look forward to seeing more of your wonderful show!
Sincerely,
Prompto Argentum
Ignis was moved to tears as he finished reading the email. He'd received a handful of messages from other fans occasionally, and he appreciated them too, but it felt genuinely wonderful to have made a positive impact on young Prompto's life. The attached photos showed incredible progress over the past two years. Prompto had clearly put in the work to improve his diet and lose weight in a healthy manner. The young man looked handsome, with blond hair and freckles and a bashful smile. The final photo was of a perfect replication of the bulette and carrot ragout, served over egg dumplings, the very same recipe that had begun Prompto's regular correspondence. He saved all of the photos to his usual folder, and hastily closed the laptop as he heard Noctis and Gladio arguing as they opened the door to the apartment.
"Specs, Gladio is trying to kill me," Noctis whined as he threw his school bag down on the floor and flopped dramatically on the couch.
Gladio chuckled, "If by killing you, you mean making you run fifty extra laps for being late to training, well then I guess I did."
"Hey, I was only ten minutes late, and I told you, I was talking to a classmate."
Ignis tuned out their squabbling and headed to the kitchen to ponder over what to prepare for dinner.
"Hello, Eos to Specs," Noctis called out startling Ignis from his thoughts.
"He probably got another email from his favorite fan boy," Gladio teased. "He's got that faraway, glowing look in his eyes again."
"You both are ridiculous," Ignis said, blushing as Prompto's handsome features and shy smile came rushing back to his mind's eye. He shook his head to clear it and then turned his attention back to his intended task. He headed to the refigerator and pulled out some ground bulette and some carrots. It had, after all, been a long time since he'd last prepared the carrot and bulette ragout.
Ignis' already busy schedule grew even busier as the Solstice approached. His new cookbook was releasing soon, and he had a live stream that he was about to begin in just a few minutes. He found he was more nervous than he'd expected. Whilst his cooking videos were carefully scripted and edited, there was always the element of uncertainty that could not be prepared for in a live broadcast. He was grateful he wasn't going to be able to monitor the chat directly. That would be too distracting. It was bad enough that he couldn't help but hope that Prompto might be among one of the viewers watching live. He hadn't been able to get the handsome young man out of his mind since he'd sent those pictures of himself.
“Iggy, you’re live,” Gladio said gruffly.
“Can everyone hear me?” Ignis asked as he looked directly at the camera.
“Chat’s goin’ nuts. I think you’re audible.”
Ignis laughed and clapped his hands together. “Very well. Good morning, and Happy Solstice, everyone! I apologize that I won’t be able to actively respond to the chat, but I’m very grateful all of you are here! Thank you all for joining me.” He bowed to the camera and went on, “As my ingredient list suggested, I’ll be showing you all how to prepare an Anak crown roast, a favored Solstice tradition in the Citadel, and indeed, through much of Insomnia! We’ll be serving this with a side of rice pilaf and roasted vegetables.”
His mild case of nerves began to melt away as he began to speak, falling into the familiar rhythm he usually had while recording a video. “The star of the holiday meal, of course, is the crown roast. This dish has a storied legacy, but really, for our house, it’s a rather short book. “It’s simply His Majesty King Regis’ favorite. Open and shut.” He paused, laughing a bit at his own joke then turned to the refrigerator behind him and pulled it open. “You’ll have to forgive me if there are a few delays. Usually, I’m able to avoid any delays for things like fetching ingredients with a little bit of internet magic, so to speak, but this is entirely live. You all get to see how I actually work.” He brought out the prepared tray from the refrigerator, then motioned. “Gladio - ah, ladies and gentlemen, my good friend Gladiolus will be with us today helping with the camera work.”
“Hello, everyone.” Gladio said with a chuckle from behind the camera.
“Thank you, Gladio.” Ignis motioned to the camera and directed Gladio to, “Come a little closer, won’t you?” Before gesturing to the items on the tray and continuing, “So, as you all can see, we’ve the ingredients for the crown roast here! Two hefty Anak rib racks, fresh herbs and garlic, and a bit of sherry vinegar. I’ll begin by turning my oven to 375 to preheat, and then, ready your good knives and some butcher’s twine. This dish takes some preparation, but I assure you, it’s worth the effort.”
Time flew by as Ignis demonstrated how to prepare the roast. Things were going very smoothly, almost exactly like his usual recording routine, which is why, of course, fate had to throw a wrench in events in the form of a disheveled, half-dressed Noctis.
“Uh, Noct?” Gladio said as Noctis walked into the shot, shirtless, wearing only pajama pants without a care.
Ignis cleared his throat. “Ah, your Highness. Good morning. Dear viewers, your Prince, who, surprise surprise, is as human as the rest of us.”
“Mornin’, Specs.” Noctis yawned. “Filming that thing for your blog, right?”
“Indeed.” Ignis said in almost stunned disbelief as Noctis proceeded to reach under the kitchen island and took out a box of Carbuncle Charms and a large cereal bowl.
“Working on some veggies?” Noctis asked as he poured himself a big bowl. “You know I’m not eating those, right?” He then began to pick all of the cereal pieces out of the cereal, leaving only the marshmallows.
“Ah.” Ignis worked a little faster, chewing the inside of his mouth in embarrassment and frustration. He could feel his control of the situation unraveling rapidly. “Well, I’m certain your father will appreciate them.”
“Mm. Yeah, he will.” Noctis smiled, then grabbed the milk out of the refrigerator and poured it onto his marshmallows. “So, you’re just gonna stand there and peel?”
“It is a work-along livestream,” Ignis explained with a sheepish laugh. “However, I’m afraid just watching me stand here and peel will get boring terribly quick, so I’ve come up with a bit of a plan to keep my dear viewers entertained while I do the boring bits.”
“Now, I’d like to begin by saying that while I don’t have time to respond to all of my fanmail - or, to be embarrassingly honest, any of my fanmail - I do read every letter, and I love every single one.”
Apparently having lost interest, but still remaining in the shot, Noctis slipped his phone out of his pajama pants pocket and began tapping away on it, presumably playing some kind of mobile game.
Ignis forced himself to ignore his infuriatingly embarrassing friend and focused on continuing to engage with his live audience. “I’ve received quite a few questions from many of you! I’d like to answer some of those as I go.”
Ignis pulled the piece of paper containing his notes a little closer. “Let’s see. Ah, so, many of you have asked where I trained. I actually have not gone to culinary school, but I received skill lessons from the professional chefs in the Citadel kitchen and advice from the more experienced. Otherwise, my knowledge is based on theory reading and observation of experts. I’m generally self-taught.”
“He teaches others now," Gladio interrupted. "Private lessons if you ask nice enough. One of these days, my sister will learn when to take the muffins out of the oven.”
“Indeed!” Ignis laughed a little. “And what else - ah. The best way for one to get motivated about cooking is to be results motivated! There was a time I didn’t enjoy cooking, but I became enthused when I was able to share the results with my..." Ignis glanced over at Noctis mischievously as he decided a small bit of revenge was in order "...ahem, test subjects.”
Unfazed, Noctis swallowed another bite of milk-soaked marshmallows. “Yeah, I’m a real science experiment. You know most kids my age eat like I do, right?”
“Ah, that’s not entirely true. Many of my readers are younger people like us who want to learn to cook.”
“Oh, here we go," Gladio chuckled. "Gonna talk about your favorite fanboy?”
“Gladio.” Ignis chastised. His face flushed with heat in embarrassment and he cleared his throat as he looked back at the carrot he was peeling. It was perhaps, unprofessional of him, but... now that the topic had been breeched, Ignis found himself wanting to take the chance to acknowledge Prompto directly. “I do appreciate all of my fans, but I wish to make special mention of one of you, who’s been sending me letters every week for the last few years. There’s a certain young man, who will remain unnamed for privacy purposes, who has been writing to me as he’s been learning to cook. He’s even sent photographs of my recipes! Nicely taken photographs, at that. Eosgram-quality!”
Noctis rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his phone.
“He told me he wanted to be healthier so he could make friends, after a boy he admired at school told him he was ‘heavy.’”
Gladio laughed, for a moment and then frowned from behind the camera, “How old is he?”
“About Noct’s age, actually.”
“Don’t think I like the idea of any kid that young going on a diet. I mean, Noct’s fifteen and still growing into some of his puppy fat.” Noctis made a face, and Gladio scolded “Not like you won’t gain more if you eat nothing but junk, though.”
“I’m fine,” Noctis mumbled grumpily without looking up from his phone.
“My recipes promote a healthier lifestyle, not a diet," Ignis defended. "Some young people lack the guidance to know how to feed themselves, and I believe that is what that young man sought. Your questions, or, I should say, this young man’s questions helped me to think about how an absolute novice might approach some of my recipes. After all, I shouldn’t expect the average home cook to know a batonnet from a julienne! I owe it to you all to explain.”
Ignis thought about the attractive young man in the photos and his heartfelt thank you, and felt like if Prompto was watching, he owed the young man his own thanks in return.
“I’ve wanted to answer your letters,” Ignis admitted, as he kept his gaze fixed on the vegetables he was preparing “but after missing so many, I had no idea what to say. So, let me say this: I’m very proud of you. I’m proud of you, both of your improving skills and your healthier lifestyle. I truly admire your efforts. I hope you get to enjoy this holiday with your most beloved, and know that I admire you. I do hope, most sincerely, that if you’re able to visit me at one of my signings, you kindly do so, so I have the privilege of signing your book and shaking your hand.”
“Specs,” Noctis piped up abruptly, still looking at his phone. “You said he takes photos? Lemme see.”
“Noctis?” Ignis glanced over at him with a confused frown.
“I wanna see your fanboy’s pictures!” Noctis said as he hopped off of the breakfast nook stool and went to where Ignis’ computer was open. “He e-mails them to you?”
Ignis put his knife down and chased Noctis. “Don’t be nosy! If you do want to see - here. I’ve saved a separate folder with all of his photographs.”
Ignis clicked into the folder and Gladio left the camera on a tripod and came over to look alongside Noctis. “Here, one moment - ah, yes. Here’s an older photograph… and here. He sent a recent photograph of himself, now that he’s gotten healthier.”
Noctis’ eyes went wide. Gladio furrowed his brow for a moment, then whistled. “Damn! He’s got a runner’s bod!” Gladio turned back to the main camera and grinned, polishing one bicep. “Hey, kid, if you’re watching, don’t skip pecs and lats day!” He flexed again and winked for the camera. “Hey, you think I could do a workout show for your healthy fans, Igs?”
“Gladiolus,” Ignis scolded.
“Hey, Iggy.” Ignis turned to face Noctis as he spoke. “I bet he’s watching. Do you want to say Happy Solstice to him? Maybe he’ll get in the chat -” Noctis looked directly at the camera- “and you can talk to him.”
Ignis felt himself flush a bit as he saw the entire chat go suddenly and abruptly still at Noctis' words, but he smiled fondly as he took the opportunity his friend presented and spoke from the heart. “Er. I… I won’t say your name. But Happy Solstice. I hope you’re enjoying it with your family. Please send me photographs of whatever you cook. I’d dearly love to see your rendition of my work.”
A moment later a reply came through:
Hi Mr. Scientia! Happy Solstice! My family’s away so I don’t have anyone to cook for this year, and it’d be a lot of food for me to eat on my own, so this year I’m just going to watch you. When I have people to share this with, I promise I’ll make your roast and send you lots of photos! I hope you and Prince Noctis and all your family and friends have a Happy Solstice!
Ignis mouthed the words silently as he read then responded softly, “Happy Solstice indeed. Please keep watching me.” Then, Ignis turned around, and finally took back control of the situation. “I do believe I promised everybody a rice pilaf. Noctis, would you kindly go put a shirt on and possibly bathe, I don’t believe your father would appreciate your current appearance.”
Noctis wandered off, presumably to follow instructions, once again glued to his phone, and the rest of the livestream proceeded smoothly.
However, the second the camera stopped rolling and the stream concluded, Noctis immediately started babbling, "Specs, Gladio, get in the car. We need to go pick up Prompto for Solstice dinner. He's my best friend at school, and apparently it's my fault he thought he was heavy and needed to change, and he's all alone and Dad said it was okay for him to come, and I need to say I'm sorry to him right now!"
Ignis sank into a chair, not trusting his feet to remain under him as he processed this information. "You know Prompto?'
"Yes," Noctis said as he rushed to grab his coat. "Pack up all the food and let's go get him!"
"I got this Iggy," Gladio said as he moved to get the feast ready for transport. "Go clean up, and you can finally meet Blondie. I've met him a few times too, he's a nice kid."
Ignis washed his hands and face in daze. He didn't bother to change his clothes, but merely threw on his winter coat over his apron. He was nervous to meet Prompto in person since he had so much admiration for the handsome young man.
He trailed behind Noctis and Gladio as the prince burst out of the car the second it stopped and rushed over to knock on a door. Ignis watched almost in a daze as Noctis grabbed Prompto's shoulders the second he opened the door.
“Hey, you gotta know, when I said you were heavy, it was because I couldn’t lift you, not that it was bad that you were heavy! You believe that, right? Please tell me you didn’t hurt yourself because you thought I thought-”
“Noct. Chill,” Gladio said firmly.
Noctis stilled, “Okay, but - we’re cool, right? You know I would have liked you no matter what, you’re cool anyway!”
“We’re cool,” Prompto said and Ignis felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold air as he heard Prompto's voice for the very first time. “I’m - thank you, Noct.”
Noctis sighed with relief.
“I had no idea you had it in ya, kid," Gladio said as he gave Prompto a pat on the back. "Tell me where I can bottle that kind of grit. But first, I think someone else has something to say to you.”
Prompto looked up as Gladio stepped aside swallowing hard as he met Ignis' eyes. “Prompto Argentum, yes?”
“Um, Prompto’s fine, Mr. Scientia.”
“Ignis, please.” Ignis smiled as he walked to join Noctis and Gladio at Prompto's door. “Er. I had wanted to say it in person, as your biggest fan-”
“Second-biggest,” both Noctis and Gladio interrupted, then shot each other similar fiery looks and began to quietly argue.
Ignis laughed uncomfortably, then turned back to Prompto, gathered his courage and said, “I wanted to say I admire you. Happy Solstice.”
Prompto looked just as nervous as Ignis felt, but he met his gaze and replied, “I admire you too. Happy Solstice, Ign-”
The beep of a microwave went off from within the house. Ignis frowned and took charge of the situation immediately. “Gladiolus, whatever Prompto just made for himself, kindly wrap and return to his refrigerator. Noctis, please go and fetch Prompto’s coat. Prompto, I am formally inviting you to our Solstice Dinner as my personal guest.”
“Buh-” Prompto didn’t have a chance to speak as Gladio strode past him, into the house.
“C’mon, dude,” Noctis said as he grabbed Prompto’s coat off of the banister and tossed it onto his shoulders.. “Nobody should be alone, and Iggy made a lot of food. Dad already said it’s cool, he wants to meet you anyway.”
“I’m - are you sure?” Prompto sounded like he was going to cry, but Ignis put his arm around Prompto's shoulder and ignored Noctis when he called ‘shotgun’ and ran for the car.
“More than certain," Ignis insisted as he guided Prompto towards the car. "I only regret not responding to your letters sooner. Nobody should be alone; people gain too much from their connections to isolate themselves. In a way, I learned as much from you as you did from me.”
“Do you mean that?” Prompto asked.
Ignis squeezed his hand. “Yes! It’s precisely as I said. Your questions helped me reconsider my perspective on how I write my recipes, how I instruct people. I fear I get caught up in my own head, and forget how others might think.” He chuckled nervously and tapped his cranium. “I suppose I get a little jammed up in my train of thought sometimes.” He turned and opened the car door. “I’d love to, as they say, jam with you and get out of my own mind a little.”
“I can’t say I don’t understand! I just hope I don’t make your other fans jelly .” Prompto chuckled and got in the car. “If I helped, then I’m really happy I could help you.”
“You did help, you can’t imagine. Or, perhaps you could.” A brilliant idea suddenly occurred to him and Ignis winked at Prompto as he got into the car and sat alongside him. “Tell me, have you ever dreamed of being part of a cooking show?”
Prompto got misty-eyed when Ignis showed him the folder where he kept his physical copies of all of Prompto's emails, printed in black and white, with Ignis' hand written notations about how he planned to incorporate Prompto's questions into the next episode. "Really, dude?"
"You've already been a tremendous help to me and a huge inspiration to my show." Ignis said seriously. "If you'd be willing to join me on camera, I think it would add even more appeal to the program."
"If you're sure, then yes," Prompto answered. "I've already learned so much from you, getting to learn from you in person is like a dream come true."
Ignis' attraction to Prompto grew stronger the more he got to know him. He suspected the attraction was mutual, but he didn't dare say anything about it. He did however, test the waters a bit with flirting, and by inviting Prompto out to restaurants for "research purposes" when in actuality, it was merely an excuse for Ignis to buy him lunch.
This continued until Valentine's day rolled around and Prompto was brave enough to take the very first step.
"Ignis, do you..." Prompto paused peering up at Ignis shyly through his lashes, "I mean would you like to be more than just friends?"
Smiling broadly, Ignis took the next step, and pressed his lips to Prompto's in a sweet first kiss. Prompto melted into his arms, and it felt like coming home.
"Guys," Noctis half-heartedly complained. "Do you have to make out in my apartment?"
"Don't act like you haven't been playing wing man for both of them," Gladio chuckled as he helped himself to a slice of the orange cake.
"He has a point, Noct," Prompto teased as he took Ignis' hand.
"Yeah, yeah, congratulations," Noctis said as he rolled his eyes. "Just don't overdo the mushy stuff around me."
Ignis smiled and squeezed Prompto's hand. "Alright, Noct. I suppose that can be arranged."