[ Noctis only feels a little bad that he's pretty much egging Ignis on because he has a vague idea of just what happened -- but Ignis' voice is a gift, and he doesn't quite it let go, even if Pearl has taken to licking Ignis' fingers absently. ]
Has anyone ever told you what a good singer you are?
...I see we're not going back to discussing the cat, then.
[He sighs, taking another drag on his coffee for good measure, and lets the cat curl its tongue around his fingers for a little bit before moving to stroke the fur of her head.]
And to answer your question, I suppose that would necessitate them having heard me sing, first. Which they wouldn't have.
[ Gods, but his voice is like honey and chocolate and silk wrapped up in each other, and Noctis is listening, entirely entranced by him. As if it's even possible to have a crush on him all over again, right? Because for some unfathomable reason Ignis kind of really likes him back and lets Noctis kiss him.
He's leaning forward, entirely charmed even if Ignis hadn't probably meant to serenade him. ]
[ Noctis says warmly, before he gestures to the coffee, unable to keep it from Ignis anymore. ] Can't be sure, but I think Pearl accidentally tipped some of the vial's contents into that.
[Like before, someone who hadn't spent seventeen years of his life with Ignis might miss the nuance here, and simply assume that he's angry; really, though, the emotion here is more a combination of disbelief and exasperation.]
[ Noctis says, not all that apologetic -- he's more amused than anything; and oh, how he can read his Ignis better than anyone else, especially the thread of disbelief and exasperation lining his words. Ignis isn't angry, not really, and he's leaning forward to kiss him softly, while Pearl impertinently nestles against Ignis, an unwitting perpetrator of this particular crime. ]
You do have a wonderful voice, though. Have you ever considered being a singer?
I've never considered being anything but yours, Noct.
[It's supposed to be chiding, except for the fact that the kiss cuts it off, and when the sentence resumes halfway through, it's just fond.]
♪ And of course I forgive, I've seen how you live — Like a phoenix, you rise from the ashes; You pick up the pieces And the ghosts in the attic, They never quite leave...
And of course I forgive, You've seen how I live, I've got darkness and fears to appease, My voices and analogies, Ambitions like ribbons Worn bright on my sleeve —
[ If Noctis' heart hadn't melted into a worthless puddle of goo before, it has now, and he can't help but flush at those words, shaking his head at him. There's something about having Ignis sing to him that makes his pulse race, and he coughs. ]
You... is that song how you feel? About me and you?
[He coughs audibly, like he's trying to stifle another bout of singing before it even happens, and sits in stubborn silence until the whim fades and passes before trying again.]
It's rather like I get...distracted. The connecting thought seems to have relevance to both the topic at hand and whatever I sing about — here, I was trying to remark on your asking for forgiveness a moment ago.
[ Noctis says thoughtfully, contemplating him. ] But what... joined that together?
[ Thankfully, there was nothing serious in that vial aside from the harmless need to sing his words, and Noctis can't help but lean forward, using petting Pearl as an excuse to get closer. So maybe he's quite charmed by it, okay? There is a sort of magic in Ignis' voice, even if it's admittedly unexpected and involuntary. ]
...Well. The common denominator in everything I've sung has been you. So I think it's safe to say that my subconscious thoughts are driving the impulse.
[He pauses, then shrugs a little.]
Naturally, when you're close by, I'm always thinking of you on some level.
[ Smooth as hell -- that was definitely smooth as hell, Ignis. Noctis, being a twenty-year old hot-blooded male and definitely not a teenage girl, still manages to flush a faint pink at that observation. Yeah, he's pretty sure Ignis didn't mean anything slick by that; he was just... saying it as it is.
Which, honestly, makes it even more precious. ]
So what are you thinking about now?
[ And yes, that's a transparent ploy to get another song out of this lovely, honeyed jukebox. ] Not me and chocobos, right?
...Where, precisely, did the notion of chocob— no.
[It hits him, then, what it is that Noct might be doing with the privileged information he's been given, and he claps both hands over his mouth in an instant like that's going to somehow manage to stifle the impulse that he knows full well Noct is provoking.]
[ Surely he cannot be that cruel, can he? Noctis laughs, soft and gentle, before reaching out to ease his hand away from him, replacing that with his own mouth. In the meantime, his fingers come to twine with his, threading together.
There, better? It's definitely better for Noctis, because he gets to have an excuse to hold his hand. In the meantime, Pearl meows loudly, batting at both their chins.
[This brat, this utter brat. But it's nigh-impossible to hold it in once it's been set off, and even before their lips have touched, words are spilling out —]
♪ — ride my chocobo all daaa — ♫
[And then they're kissing, and the rest of it is blessedly stifled, and the groan he presses against Noct's mouth is less to do with the kiss itself and more just to do with exasperation.]
[ Note to self: inform Prompto of this particular development -- his best friend will be giddy when he hears about this, really. And Ignis will probably really poison their food, or something.
He laughs again at that exasperated noise, delighted and amused. ]
[He pushes Noct away, lightly, but it's mostly for show; once his little moment of semi-drama is over, he's reaching with a little bit more confidence to slip his arms around Noct and gather him back in again, wanting simply to hold him close.]
Noctis can't help but melt when Ignis settles in and wraps his arms around him, and here and now he doesn't need an excuse to be close. He's pressing his nose to his neck, breathing him in and reveling in just how warm and familiar he feels, how he still sets his pulse racing.
He closes his eyes briefly, and he thinks that he hasn't felt happier than this in... well, in ages. Here Ignis is, here they are, at the beginning of something important, and he wraps his arms around him, holding him tight and fitting nicely into the circle of his arms. ]
[Because this feels like a victory, somehow; it feels like something won, something taken and defended that he is loath to surrender. This is his right to do precisely what he's doing now, to gather Noct up into his arms and hold him like this, bringing them together in a way that they simply fit together and feeling each gentle exhale of his king's breath washing over his skin as his chest rises and falls.]
[ It's anticipation that wells up in him, affection and a surge of feelings that makes Noctis bite his lip at the intensity of it. It's profound and wonderful, this feeling, the fact that perhaps they will have time together to discover what this really is for themselves.
His arms wrap around him, and Noctis shifts up, grasping his chin to pull Ignis down for a kiss, this time it's slower, more purposeful, exploring him and offering of himself shyly in turn. ]
[It's always such an impulse, to answer a promise like that with the assurance that no one is going to hurt me. The problem, of course, is that they both know all too well that it's not an assurance Ignis can validly give. They both know full well what's coming for the both of them in the future, and there will be hurt by it, and pain, and death.
But it's hard not to want to reassure him, so for once instead of staying upright and strong, Ignis lets himself bend a little — just a little. Perhaps if he can't offer Noct the satisfaction of being right in the future, he can at least give him the opportunity to feel a little stronger in the here and now.
So he melts, just a little, and relaxes against Noct's arms, and lets it come true for at least this one moment — that right now, right here, he's safe, and Noct is the one taking care of him instead of the other way around.]
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[Still, he absently reaches for the coffee and takes a sip, more preoccupied with the cat and his vague bashfulness than anything else.]
In any case. I believe we were discussing the cat?
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Has anyone ever told you what a good singer you are?
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[He sighs, taking another drag on his coffee for good measure, and lets the cat curl its tongue around his fingers for a little bit before moving to stroke the fur of her head.]
And to answer your question, I suppose that would necessitate them having heard me sing, first. Which they wouldn't have.
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[ Noctis tells him cheerfully -- why would he do that when Ignis is offering up something so much better? ]
I'm not surprised; I've never even heard you sing either, not even when you're in the shower or something. Not that I eavesdrop.
[ You know, in case Ignis has the wrong idea. But here now is a chance to learn more about him. ] What's your favorite song?
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[The sigh of exasperation in his tone is so evident.]
And frankly I would've hoped you — ♪ would've had enough of silly love songs,
But I look around me and I see it isn't so — ♫
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He's leaning forward, entirely charmed even if Ignis hadn't probably meant to serenade him. ]
Is that your favorite?
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[He claps a hand over his mouth again, but for a shorter duration this time, more just out of reflex than anything else.]
Bloody hells, why can't I stop — this is ridiculous!
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[ Noctis says warmly, before he gestures to the coffee, unable to keep it from Ignis anymore. ] Can't be sure, but I think Pearl accidentally tipped some of the vial's contents into that.
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[Like before, someone who hadn't spent seventeen years of his life with Ignis might miss the nuance here, and simply assume that he's angry; really, though, the emotion here is more a combination of disbelief and exasperation.]
You do realize that this is mortifying.
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[ Noctis says, not all that apologetic -- he's more amused than anything; and oh, how he can read his Ignis better than anyone else, especially the thread of disbelief and exasperation lining his words. Ignis isn't angry, not really, and he's leaning forward to kiss him softly, while Pearl impertinently nestles against Ignis, an unwitting perpetrator of this particular crime. ]
You do have a wonderful voice, though. Have you ever considered being a singer?
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[It's supposed to be chiding, except for the fact that the kiss cuts it off, and when the sentence resumes halfway through, it's just fond.]
♪ And of course I forgive,
I've seen how you live —
Like a phoenix, you rise from the ashes;
You pick up the pieces
And the ghosts in the attic,
They never quite leave...
And of course I forgive,
You've seen how I live,
I've got darkness and fears to appease,
My voices and analogies,
Ambitions like ribbons
Worn bright on my sleeve —
Strange how we know each other... ♫
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You... is that song how you feel? About me and you?
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[He coughs audibly, like he's trying to stifle another bout of singing before it even happens, and sits in stubborn silence until the whim fades and passes before trying again.]
It's rather like I get...distracted. The connecting thought seems to have relevance to both the topic at hand and whatever I sing about — here, I was trying to remark on your asking for forgiveness a moment ago.
[He waves a hand, sort of dismissively.]
But then it's like it takes on a life of its own.
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[ Noctis says thoughtfully, contemplating him. ] But what... joined that together?
[ Thankfully, there was nothing serious in that vial aside from the harmless need to sing his words, and Noctis can't help but lean forward, using petting Pearl as an excuse to get closer. So maybe he's quite charmed by it, okay? There is a sort of magic in Ignis' voice, even if it's admittedly unexpected and involuntary. ]
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[He pauses, then shrugs a little.]
Naturally, when you're close by, I'm always thinking of you on some level.
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Which, honestly, makes it even more precious. ]
So what are you thinking about now?
[ And yes, that's a transparent ploy to get another song out of this lovely, honeyed jukebox. ] Not me and chocobos, right?
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[It hits him, then, what it is that Noct might be doing with the privileged information he's been given, and he claps both hands over his mouth in an instant like that's going to somehow manage to stifle the impulse that he knows full well Noct is provoking.]
Mmph mph mmmmph!
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There, better? It's definitely better for Noctis, because he gets to have an excuse to hold his hand. In the meantime, Pearl meows loudly, batting at both their chins.
Pay attention to her! ]
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♪ — ride my chocobo all daaa — ♫
[And then they're kissing, and the rest of it is blessedly stifled, and the groan he presses against Noct's mouth is less to do with the kiss itself and more just to do with exasperation.]
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He laughs again at that exasperated noise, delighted and amused. ]
Mmm --
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[He pushes Noct away, lightly, but it's mostly for show; once his little moment of semi-drama is over, he's reaching with a little bit more confidence to slip his arms around Noct and gather him back in again, wanting simply to hold him close.]
But one I'm terribly fond of.
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Noctis can't help but melt when Ignis settles in and wraps his arms around him, and here and now he doesn't need an excuse to be close. He's pressing his nose to his neck, breathing him in and reveling in just how warm and familiar he feels, how he still sets his pulse racing.
He closes his eyes briefly, and he thinks that he hasn't felt happier than this in... well, in ages. Here Ignis is, here they are, at the beginning of something important, and he wraps his arms around him, holding him tight and fitting nicely into the circle of his arms. ]
Don't let go.
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[Because this feels like a victory, somehow; it feels like something won, something taken and defended that he is loath to surrender. This is his right to do precisely what he's doing now, to gather Noct up into his arms and hold him like this, bringing them together in a way that they simply fit together and feeling each gentle exhale of his king's breath washing over his skin as his chest rises and falls.]
I've got you, Noct.
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[ It's anticipation that wells up in him, affection and a surge of feelings that makes Noctis bite his lip at the intensity of it. It's profound and wonderful, this feeling, the fact that perhaps they will have time together to discover what this really is for themselves.
His arms wrap around him, and Noctis shifts up, grasping his chin to pull Ignis down for a kiss, this time it's slower, more purposeful, exploring him and offering of himself shyly in turn. ]
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But it's hard not to want to reassure him, so for once instead of staying upright and strong, Ignis lets himself bend a little — just a little. Perhaps if he can't offer Noct the satisfaction of being right in the future, he can at least give him the opportunity to feel a little stronger in the here and now.
So he melts, just a little, and relaxes against Noct's arms, and lets it come true for at least this one moment — that right now, right here, he's safe, and Noct is the one taking care of him instead of the other way around.]
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