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As you stared at the gift bag sitting on the end of the bed, you wondered if you had gone overboard. Sure, it was his birthday, but he didn't seem to care all that much. You hadn't been surprised to find out that he wasn't the type to want to have some big celebration, but you still figured he deserved something.
When you had seen him in the hotel lobby that morning, you'd wished him a happy birthday. A shocked look had crossed his face, he seemed to be surprised that you remembered, but he gave you a small smile and thanked you. You weren't certain if the others had said something, but if they had, no one was treating it like a special occasion.
You'd never understood the concept of not celebrating a birthday. Ever since you were young, you'd always celebrated another year of growing older. It was worth celebrating, you thought. It had never even crossed your mind that there were people who didn't want the same.
Regardless, you knew you had to do something for Ignis. You just hoped that it wouldn't make him uncomfortable. The fact that he hadn't had a negative reaction to you wishing him a happy birthday seemed to be a good sign, though. Even if he didn't like what you had gotten him, hopefully he would at least appreciate the gesture.
You pulled your phone out of your pocket, scrolling through your contacts until you found his name. It was late, but you figured he was most likely still awake. You could have just given him the gift you had gotten in front of the others, but you knew he wouldn't want it to be some big spectacle. You figured it would be better if you gave it to him when it was just the two of you.
“Hey, can you come to my room for a minute?” you sent.
His reply came quicker than you expected.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. I just have something for you.”
The little text bubble came up, indicating that he was typing out a reply, but then he stopped. A moment later, you heard a knock on the door and you couldn't help but smile to yourself. You quickly checked yourself in the mirror, making sure you looked presentable, before opening the door.
Ignis was standing there, and you noticed he looked slightly more casual than he usually did. He was still wearing his gloves, but he didn't have his jacket on, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. It was always a surprise to see him looking more relaxed than usual, especially now that it was just the two of you.
“Here, come in,” you said, stepping aside.
He stepped into the room and you closed the door. There was a bit of an awkward silence between the two of you. You were close, but it was rare that the two of you were alone together without at least one of the other guys around.
“You said you…had something for me?” he questioned.
“Yeah, I got you a birthday present,” you replied, smiling. “I hope you'll like it.”
“Oh!” he exclaimed, sounding genuinely shocked. “You didn't have to do that.”
“I know I didn't have to, Ignis. I wanted to.”
He seemed to be at a loss for words. He nodded, and you noticed his jaw was tight. You'd hoped you hadn't made him feel uncomfortable. Feeling a bit self-conscious, you walked over to the bed and picked up the gift before returning and holding it out to him. He stared at it for a moment before taking it from you.
Looking inside the bag, he reached in and pulled out the gift. You had decided to get him a few cookbooks. It was the only thing you could really think to get for him. You didn't want to overstep and try to buy him clothing, and giving money seemed too impersonal. Cooking was something he loved and you thought maybe he'd enjoy trying to make something new.
“Oh, well, this is…” he trailed off.
You couldn't make out what the expression on his face meant. His eyebrows were furrowed, lips pressed together. He held one of the cookbooks in his hands, staring intently at it. He almost looked upset.
Oh no.
Had you screwed up? Maybe he thought you were implying his cooking wasn't good enough. You had been worried he might not like the gift, but you hadn't expected a potential backfire of this magnitude.
“I-I'm sorry if you don't like it,” you said, your words coming out in a rush. “I just thought you'd maybe want some new recipes to try out. Not that there's anything wrong with what you cook. You're a great chef. I should have put more thought into-”
“This is very sweet,” he said suddenly, surprising you.
“Really?”
He nodded, putting the book he was holding back in the gift bag. He placed it down on the small table close to him, and before you knew what was happening, he was pulling you into his arms. You stood still for a moment, taken aback, before you wrapped your arms around him as well. You could feel him resting his cheek on top of your head.
The two of you stood like that for a few moments. Feeling him so close to you was bizarre, you couldn't recall a time when he'd shown any sort of physical affection toward you, but you certainly weren't complaining. He eventually pulled away, too soon, and smiled at you, still standing very close to you.
“You really like them?” you asked.
“I love them,” he replied, taking your hands in his. “I…wasn't expecting this.”
“I just wanted to do something nice for you.”
You stood there, hands still in his, expecting him to pull away, but he didn't. He was looking at you with such warmth that it made your heart flutter. You found yourself wanting to lean in, but you stopped yourself, unsure if you were reading the situation wrong.
“May I take you somewhere?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“Take me somewhere?” you repeated. “Where?”
“You'll see,” he replied, smiling.
He gave your hands one final squeeze before releasing them, and you immediately missed the feeling. He gestured for you to follow him, grabbing the gift bag and bringing it with him. The two of you left your room, making a quick stop at the room he had been sharing with Prompto so he could put his new cookbooks with the rest of his things.
The two of you made your way down to the lobby and went outside. You walked in silence, until Ignis stopped at the car. You looked at him, confused.
“We're driving somewhere?” you asked.
“If it's alright with you,” he answered.
“What about the daemons?”
“It's not far, and if we get into trouble, I'll protect you.”
You felt your face warm up at his words. You nodded and he opened your door for you, letting you get in before closing it. He made his way to the driver's side, getting in and starting the engine.
As he drove, you turned on the radio. It automatically connected to your phone, playing one of your favourite songs. You smiled, tapping your foot and nodding to the rhythm. After a moment, you noticed that Ignis was humming along.
“I didn't know you liked this song,” you said.
“I know it's one of your favourites,” he replied. “You play it all the time. I find it gets stuck in my head quite often.”
You smiled, finding his confession adorable. The two of you remained quiet for the rest of the short drive, music filling the air instead. You found yourself fidgeting just a little bit, wondering where the two of you were going.
Once the car stopped, you noticed you were in a remote area, surrounded by rocks and trees. Ignis got out of the car, coming around to your side to open your door for you. You thanked him for the gesture, and once the door was closed, he took your hand, leading you away.
Even the most innocent contact with him set your skin ablaze, and you were glad he wasn't able to see how red your cheeks were becoming. The two of you continued walking for a moment before stopping.
Looking around, you noticed you were close to the edge of a cliff. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be too high, so you weren't overly concerned about falling. When you looked up, you were in awe as you saw the stars shining brightly above you. It was beautiful. You returned your gaze to Ignis, and he smiled softly at you.
“It's so pretty out here,” you breathed. “Thank you for showing me this place.”
“Thank you for being so kind to me,” he replied. “I'm…not used to anyone doing anything for me on my birthday.”
“You deserve it, Ignis. Everyone deserves to feel good on their birthday.”
He nodded, seemingly at a loss for words. In all the time you had known him, you had never seen him look so…vulnerable. It was surprising, but you felt touched that he trusted you enough to let his guard down in front of you. Before you could stop yourself, you found yourself raising your free hand to cup his cheek. You heard him let out a shaky breath, seemingly trying to hide it, but to no avail.
“If I may,” he said. “I have…a request. I'd like to ask for one more gift, if that's alright.”
“Another gift?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of gift?”
“May I kiss you?”
Your eyes widened at his words. You hadn't expected him to ask that, but you also weren't going to say no. You'd been crushing on Ignis for quite some time, and you weren't going to let the opportunity pass. You'd pictured this moment so many times.
“I thought you'd never ask,” you said.
He smiled before leaning down and capturing your lips with his. His lips were soft as they moved against yours. He finally released your hand and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you as close as possible. You wrapped your arms around his neck, one hand moving to the back of his head and playing with his hair. He let out a small whimper, making your head spin.
He pulled away, much too soon for your liking, and you found yourself chasing his lips with your own. He let out a small laugh, giving you a quick peck on the lips before kissing your forehead. You felt the grip of his arms around your waist, holding you tight, as if he didn't want to let you go.
“Thank you for this,” he said, sighing and resting his forehead against yours. “I appreciate you, more than you may ever know.”
“And I appreciate you,” you replied, smiling. “So, you liked the cookbooks I got you. But how was that gift?”
“My dear, that was the best gift I could ever ask for."