Oenomel

You fiddled with your hands in your lap, staring at the fire alongside him.

His gaze drifted from the stars, towards you, and settled on your face. It seemed as though he wanted to say something else but he refrained. He merely kept his eyes on you, a silent plea for you to continue.

So you did, “It’s about Noct…” you paused, taking a deep breath. “How much I care about him.”

Ignis observed your face, his eyes boring into yours, which somehow brought you comfort. He sighed quietly, “I think we all feel that way…” He glanced at the flames dancing in front of him.

After a few moments, his voice returned to normal, sounding distant. “Perhaps you shouldn’t dwell on your feelings… But don’t forget who you are. We will never lose Noctis, but we should not hold onto him so tightly.” A faint hint of concern shone briefly in his eyes. “We all love him…” Then he added in a softer tone, “even if he has trouble showing it in return.”

That statement gave you pause.

“That’s not what I meant-“ You said, trying to explain your point of view to him. But then you realized that you weren’t even sure what you meant. “I just… wish things were different.”

“You wish he would’ve chosen you instead of Lunafreya? You have feelings for him, do you not?” He interjected with utmost speed and punctuation.

You shook your head vehemently. “Not really. I mean, yes. Of course, I do. But that’s not the point.” Iggy’s glass fogged up with surprise, but it was only faint. “What exactly is the point of this talk, (Name)?”

“I don’t know…” You replied truthfully, looking anywhere but at him. Silence descended on the two of you again. You leaned backward until you were laying flat on your back, staring up at the black sky. You felt yellow all over, going stiff from the anxiousness.

Neither of you spoke until Ignis broke the silence once again. “Do you love Noct?” His emerald gaze fell upon you once more. The question caught you off guard not because of its nature, but because of his tone when he asked. He sounded anxious.

It sent a shiver down your spine, making you want to curl into yourself even further. You wondered if you should lie. “Well… I… uh…” Words wouldn’t come to you. Cottonmouthed, all you could manage was a defeated sigh. “Yes, I love him…”

At that simple answer, Ignis visibly relaxed, although you could tell the tension in his shoulders wasn’t entirely gone. “I see,” he muttered softly.

The fire was beginning to die out, getting dimmer and dimmer. “And yet, you do not pursue anything. What happens to the relationship between you and him if you keep waiting?” The fire cast eerie shadows over both of you; the flickering light made it seem like the two of you were facing each other.

You slowly rose back into a sitting position. “I want to tell him, I do. But…” You paused again. The words stuck in your throat.

“But I don’t think it would go well.” You balled up your fists against your leg, looking at the ground sheepishly.

Ignis draped an arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to him. “A confession isn’t guaranteed to change the circumstances. All one can do is hope. That hope may be futile, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be attempted.”

You leaned your head against his shoulder, shrouding yourself in silence for yet another long moment. “How do you get to be so wise, Iggy?”

As expected, a warm chuckle escaped his lips. “Human nature I suppose.” He squeezed your shoulder gently before releasing his grip, “Though I’m not as knowledgeable as I seem.”

He turned his head slightly and looked at you. Although it might have looked innocent, it held the slightest trace of worry within it. “There are times when people need encouragement to make their way forward. And I am always here to assist.”

His expression softened, turning gentle.

You smiled weakly in response. Just after a while, he stood up from the ground, looking down at you and offering his hand. “Get some rest. Tomorrow might bring with it many chances for you.”

The next day, you woke up with a heavy feeling inside your chest. The sun shone brightly through the tent flap, painting everything orange and yellow.

It was a new day, and you were brimming with confidence thanks you Iggy’s encouragement.

Leaving the tent, you immediately searched for Noctis. Though he wasn’t at the camp when you searched around.

Noctis was sitting near the lake’s shore, holding a sword in the palm of his hand as he watched the water. He looked like he was roughed up pretty well; no doubt he was training with Gladio all morning.

Seemingly lost in thought, the prince had a vacant look on his face as though he was thinking deeply about something. Every so often his hand would run over the blunt end of the blade before looking at the lake once again.

His features were hardened by the reflection of the lake on his skin, shielding the scenery around him in a soft blue dye. His eyes were narrowed with a cold expression that gave you butterflies just by looking into them.

Hair disheveled, and skin covered in bruises, Noct managed to look as majestic as ever.

After a few moments of watching him silently, you took a deep breath and decided enough was enough. “Hey, Noct.” You greeted him in a cheery tone as you approached him.

At hearing your voice, Noctis looked up and blinked. “Hey,” he managed in an exhausted tone. There were dark rings under his eyes; not having gotten enough rest either. And didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk.

“Gladio beat your ass again?” You chuckled softly with an amused smile tugging at your lips as you crossed your arms.

Noct only scoffed and rolled his eyes at the comment, planting his sword on the ground. “Only cause he’s a monster. All about ‘power’ and ‘strength’… Stuff like that…” He groaned as he stood up, rubbing the hell out of his sore neck.

Stepping away from the rock you were just leaning on, you moved closer—leaving enough space between the two of you. “I could give you some pointers if you wanna try again-“ At the utterance of your suggestion, he cut your words short.

“Yeah right. I’m done.” He interjected almost comically, sitting on the grass and then falling onto his back. “I don’t think I can take any more of this.” He threw his arms out, causing the grass under his arms to rustle.

A small laugh escaped you as you sat beside him, looking up at the clouds in the sky, which appeared to be forming a perfect circle. “It’s only for a little while longer,” You turned to him with a hopeful look in your eyes.

“Once you get married…“

Suddenly the air was taken from your lungs. Your body went rigid as the words registered in your brain. “Married…” You repeated much quieter; your mood turned sour.

Noctis seemed to sense your sudden shift, as his gaze shifted towards you, softening as he studied your reaction.

For a brief moment, you saw confusion and uncertainty flash across his face before he completed your statement. “Yeah… Once I marry Luna, we’ll have an advantage over the empire.” He raised a brow at you as if you weren’t already aware of the fact.

You swallowed hard, trying not to grimace from the embarrassment you felt at the moment. “Right…” You managed to breathe out, clearing your throat. “Then you’ll be leaving… With her?”

Noctis raised both brows and leaned in your direction. “Of course not. Where did you get that idea?” Even though he didn’t sound annoyed, but rather curious, it still caused you to shrink down a bit inside.

You looked away, avoiding his curious gaze. “Nothing... just wondering…” An intense amount of heat flowed to your face, making you sweat.

Silence engulfed the pair of you again, and tension continued to grow stronger by the minute. It didn’t help that tears were beginning to spill from your eyes, yet you didn’t know why.

“What’s wrong?” He prodded, scooting closer to examine you. However, you were afraid of what might happen if you looked back at him.

You sniffled, “Because…”

Your head hung low from the embarrassment you felt. Taking a moment to wipe your eyes until they turned dark and puffy, you sucked up every ounce of courage you had left, forcing out:

“Because I love you.”

Noct’s hitching breath was uncomfortably audible, “What?” He was taken aback by your words. His body went stiff as he sat there wide-eyed and genuinely surprised,

“You love me?” He repeated a soft utterance of your words, leaning back on his palms and continuing to look at you. “Like, really love me?”

You only managed to nod your head. A few more minutes of silence passed before you began to curl up into a ball.

“I know it makes no difference when I tell you,” Your eyes stayed fixed on the grass in front of you. You couldn’t stand to even imagine the look in his eyes anymore. “But I wanted to.”

He sighed, running his fingers over the grass as he stared straight at the lake, “I always saw us as just friends. You, me, and the guys…”

Visibly uncomfortable with his choice of wording, Noct searched for a better term for his feelings. “I like you all the same.”

“As friends…” You returned in a gloomy tone.

“No, more than that…” He shook his head and waves his hand out in front of him like he was denying your statement. With a frustrated grunt, he forced out the only thing he would think of:

“I love you as a family!”

It didn’t hurt as much as you thought it would. The word “family” hit you right in the feels and almost brought fresh tears to your eyes, but the heartache was soon replaced with a wave of relief.

“That’s the only way I can say it,” Noctis showed a hint of remorse for making you feel upset. “Sorry…” His apology was genuine, though I necessary since he wasn’t at fault for anything.

“I’m sorry for getting all mopey…” You uttered in a quiet tone, calming yourself down until your breathing was even again. “I knew what to expect and shot for it anyway,” You laughed softly, wiping your tears on your sleeve.

You felt pathetic crying over something like this, but Noct was surprisingly understanding.

He stood up from the grass, offering a hand to you. You accepted it, allowing him to pull you up off the ground.

After brushing yourself off a bit, you glanced back up at Noct and saw that his arms were outstretched. An invitation for a hug—something he rarely ever did.

You took the chance, hugging him tight. Closing your eyes, you used the time to lean into him and let your bodies sync in both pulse and movement. You sighed,

“Thank you for listening.” You mumbled into his shoulder, holding him tighter with a tender embrace. He patted your back gently, saying nothing before pulling away.

You could tell by the expression on his face that he probably wanted to say something else but decided against it in the end. “You gonna be okay?” He asked awkwardly.

You nodded, “I think so.”

Walking back uphill to the haven, you noticed Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis packing up the camp as they prepared for the next voyage.

As they spotted you walking toward them, they waved excitedly, “Yo! You’ve been gone for a while now. Did something happen?” Prompto inquired, dropping everything as he faced you.

“Was just talking to Noct over there…” You pointed behind yourself, continuing to walk towards them.

As Ignis stepped away from his makeshift kitchen space, he stepped towards you cautiously. “How did It go?” He whispered, placing his arm on your back and leading you away from the earshot of the others.

“Guess.” You groaned, leaning into his touch; eventually pressing your forehead on the upper part of his shoulder.

“You knew what would happen and told me to talk to him anyway. You set me up.”

Though your tone was more playful than hurt, a small part of you regretted even confessing to Noct in the first place. If only Iggy never talked you into it.

You felt his hand travel up your back, slowly making its way to your head—where he stroked your hair softly. “My apologies… it is simply impossible for someone to predict what will happen in a situation such as this.”

His eyes seemed to smile at you, yet you could hardly tell through the tinted lens of his glasses.

Sighing, you closed your eyes tightly, feeling your stomach churning... “I knew how it would turn out, and still told him like an idiot…” You felt nauseous.

Ignis gave a soft chuckle, “Well… I’m sure he won’t hold it against you.” His tone was hopeful and gentle as he squeezed your shoulders lightly. He always tried his best to make you feel better.

You nodded absentmindedly. “Still sucks though.”

Ignis, still holding you close, brought you to his cooking space—he hadn’t finished packing it all up just yet. “It will get easier once you get used to it. If you need to talk, you know I’m always here.”

Your lips curved up a bit as you felt a warm feeling enveloping your chest. “Thanks.” You mouthed, stepping away from Ignis and taking a seat on a log.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw you sit down, anticipating your next action behind a blank stare.

“Gonna join me, Specs?” Tapping the space on the log beside yourself, you gestured at him expectantly. Ignis looked over at where the others stood, who were doing well on their own, before nodding and following your instruction.

As soon as he was seated, you reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it slightly. When you released it again, he looked down at his fingers and smiled faintly. The two of you sat together without saying anything, just enjoying a platonic moment of intimacy in silence.

The calm breeze gently blew through your hair, bringing with it a cool feeling, making you sigh content.

Once again you leaned against him, resting your head on his shoulder. It did feel like Ignis was the only one in the group who truly understood you. You could tell him anything so easily and he would listen with or without reply.

He would just listen with patience and understanding. That alone made you believe he cared about you, which made it easy for you to trust him more and more.

With his hand wrapped around yours, Ignis continued to rub soothing circles on your wrist, hoping that it would calm your nerves a little more.

You closed your eyes, humming softly under your breath and letting out a long breath.

The two of you remained in silent comfort and warmth, enjoying each other’s company while being able to do nothing but enjoy it.

When the others started to make their way back to join you at the camp, neither of you made any move to get up.

Instead, Ignis kept looking at you and smiling fondly as he watched you relax further into him. His hand squeezed yours again as he turned his head to look up at the sky.

Your breathing was growing softer and eventually, you fell asleep right on his shoulder. With a soft chuckle, Ignis continued to hold you against him while uttering quietly to himself: