#chocobro writes

I finally did it! I wrote one whole reader-insert fanfiction! First one ever!

This is incredibly self-indulgent. Fight me

Why? Just why? Why today of all days did you have to be overcome by this feeling of tiredness. You had plans for today, damn it! It was a rare day off for you, and days off were something that you cherished since your job at the Citadel took up most hours of the day and nearly all days of the week. Sometimes your work even followed you home in the form of paperwork that still needed to be done and notes that needed to be reviewed by the next day. You were so excited the day prior for this, making a list of the things you planned to accomplish with your free time. It’s the previous excitement and planning that made your sudden situation seem so unfair.

Here you were, awake since your partner Ignis left for work in the early hours of the morning and feeling entirely unmotivated to do anything except lie in bed. It’s been hours since Ignis gave you a sleepy kiss good morning and an Ebony flavored kiss goodbye, and yet still you lie in bed, drifting between sleep and blearily looking at your phone for any updates from your Iggy or checking your social media feeds. Anything to keep your mind off the fact that you were being lazy and entirely frustrated that you couldn’t find the mental means to change that.

A deep sigh escapes you. How could this happen? You had so many things you wanted to do today! You were going to clean up around your living space, take a trip down to the small local bookstore to browse their selection and to say hi to the cats that watch over the shelves, take a walk in the park nearby since you’d seen that the weather was supposed to be beautiful today, visit one of your friends that works at a cafe a few blocks from your apartment building. Most importantly, you were going to go grocery shopping in preparation for dinner tonight. You had wanted to semi-surprise Ignis when he got home with a meal already prepared since you knew that he had been working overtime for the past few weeks or so. You weren’t a stranger in the kitchen, and you’ve made meals for the two of you before, but it doesn’t happen very often with Ignis being the true master of the kitchen. Still, you wanted to do something to make his day easier, so you thought a nice, simple dinner would help ease the burden of his day when he got back.

Tears of frustration began to fill your eyes, but all you felt you could do was hold the pillow that Ignis slept on close to your body in an attempt to calm yourself down. Ignis’s lingering scent did help ease some of the bubbling emotions inside of you, but nothing could compare to having the man there himself to ease you through your frustrated state. You grab your phone and text Ignis, relaying your frustrations to him for what seemed like the third time that day.

I just don’t understand! It’s like there’s a heaviness all around me and I can’t do anything about it! It should be so easy to just get out of bed and do things, but I just can’t!

The tears were starting to fall from your eyes now, and you quickly rub at them with your hands to clear your vision. Texting Ignis about your predicament helped a little bit, even if just to get some of your emotions off of your chest. Of course, you had already relayed these feelings to Ignis earlier in the day when you realized just what was happening, but you just needed some sort of outlet to vent those returning feelings. The two of you had a pretty good system going, with the both of you sharing any negative feelings before they were bottled up and became too much to handle. There was an incident early on in your relationship where that happened, and the two of you promised each other to never let that kind of negative build up happen again.   

*ping*

Ignis was quick to send a reply and you let out a small breath of a laugh. Despite how much he worked and how dedicated he was to the Crown, he was never too far away from his phone when the two of you were conversing. It brought some warmth into your heart, knowing that he would take whatever time out of his day just to send you a response.

There are just some days where we simply can’t.

I know you’ve been working hard and have exhausted yourself these past few days.

Please, don’t feel bad about your current state, just relax. And do make sure you eat something as well, my dear.

Another sigh escapes you after reading his words. You and Ignis were, unfortunately, familiar with these kinds of days. Days when a heavy exhaustion would hit you like a truck and render you immobile in the bed, but those days were few and far between, and when they did happen Ignis was usually around to at least motivate you to move from the bedroom to the living room so that you could eat some food and the two of you would sit together on the couch and watch empty shows on television. You two never really paid attention to what was on the television, rather you were both too absorbed by being in each others presence on such a sluggish day, merely enjoying each others company. Or if it was a work day Ignis would give you some tough love and get you out the door so that neither of you would be late.

But Ignis wasn’t here right now, and while texting back and forth with him throughout your time in bed made it a little more bearable, all you really wanted was for your partner to be here with you physically. You miss the soothing sound of his voice, how he would gently encourage you to at least sit up in the bed, how he would hush your voice and sooth your thoughts when they turned too self-deprecating about your position, how he would hold you in his arms and give you whispered reminders of how much he loves and cherishes you.

You look to your phone once again to send another message. Your body is feeling heavier and it’s getting harder to keep your eyes open, but still, you want to send this text to the unbelievably kind man that you were somehow lucky enough to call your love. At first, the message seemed almost childish to send, but it held the truth for how you felt, and would eventually lead to a very welcomed surprise.

I wish you were here, Iggy.

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Ignis was, to put it bluntly, having one hell of a day. Granted, the day started out pleasantly enough, waking up next to his beloved in the early hours of the morning, listening to their sleepy grunts and groans as he kissed them good morning and went about getting prepared for the day. Today was your day off, and Ignis was relieved that you had one given how much stress you’d been under the past few days. That relief quickly gave way to worry, however, when he received a text from you around 11 that morning.

It was going to be one of those days for you again. The days where it seemed the weight of the world was on your shoulders and you were loathed to do anything about it. The days where you would grow angry at yourself for not being able to pull yourself out of bed without his intervention. He knew it was killing you inside not being able to do the things you had plan on today. You had excitedly told him yesterday all that you wanted to accomplish with your free time today, even not so subtly hinting at preparing dinner for the two of you so that he could relax once he got home. He gave a brief smile at the thought because while you simply couldn’t match his own skills in the kitchen, he found your cooking to be delicious and it was nice having a meal prepared for him every once in a while.

Ignis tried to shake himself out of his thoughts. He was currently with Noctis in an empty room in the Citadel, trying to go over the notes for the upcoming political meeting. It was an important one, talks of new taxes, royal gatherings, and the war with Niflheim all on the docket to be discussed. Ignis knew of the importance of this meeting but was having a difficult time trying to get Noctis in the same headspace. “Why do I even have to be there? It’s gonna be my dad who makes the final decision anyways,” the young Prince complained, his voice nearly coming out as a whine. “You need to be there because you’re the Prince, Noct. Which means that you’ll one day be King and then you’ll be the one making these decisions. So, it’s important for you to get experience now so that you’ll be better prepared for the future.” Ignis received a soft glare from Noctis. “I hate it when you’re right.”

Ignis took a brief moment to bask in victory until the vibrating hum of his phone interrupted the quietness that had filled the room after the Prince’s final comment. Momentarily distracted, Ignis took out his phone to see yet another update about your situation, and it wasn’t good. His heart dropped when he read your words, your language showcasing just how lowly you felt, laying in bed at home with nothing compelling you to leave the false haven of the bedroom. Ignis typed out a hasty reply, trying to convey through text that you had nothing to be ashamed of and that he loves you no matter what. He put his phone away with a sigh and wished for nothing more than to be home with you, either helping you throughout the rest of the day, or even more tempting, to join you in bed and simply cuddle and sleep the day away. It wasn’t often that Ignis felt the need to simply lie down and do nothing, he was often too busy to even consider the idea, but with the mounting pressure of this upcoming meeting and you being at home in bed Ignis could feel a small part of his no-nonsense resolve crumble.

Noctis took note of Ignis’s sudden change in demeanor and the gears in his head began to turn. He didn’t know about your situation at home, but he could guess something was happening based on how Ignis looked when he responded to the text. He looked tired and worried, like he’d rather be anywhere else besides sitting here going over relentlessly boring notes and procedures for this meeting. Noctis knew that Ignis was nearly running himself ragged in preparation for the upcoming meeting, something that he was grateful for since he himself didn’t put much effort beforehand to prepare. A feeling of guilt slowly began to take over the Prince. He loved Ignis like a brother and hated that he sometimes felt that he was taking advantage of his Advisor. Well, there’s no use in feeling bad about a situation when you know that you can do something to make it right, and Noctis was prepared to do just that, even if it meant being responsible for himself for the rest of the day.

“Hey Ignis? Why don’t you take the rest of the day off.” Noctis could see the way Ignis flinched when he spoke, like he was startled out of some deep thought. “I’m terribly sorry, Noct. I didn’t mean to appear out of sorts. However, we do really need to continue going over these notes so that you’ll be better prepared for-” “And I think I can handle that on my own for now. Seriously Igs, you’ve been fretting over your phone for a while now. Obviously whatever it is, it’s important. Astrals know that the sky could fall and you’d still be here working.” That last line was said with a tone of amusement, but it also held an underlying truth. Noctis stood up and walked over to where Ignis sat, took the meticulously prepared notes from his person and stared Ignis down. “You always do so much for me, Specs. Even when I don’t deserve it. Let me do this for you, please?”

Ignis was at a personal stalemate. On the one hand, he was devoted to the Crown and the service of the Prince, it’s what he’s been raised to do. The majority of his life has been spent taking care of Noctis and trying to prepare him to one day be King, and it wasn’t a job he took lightly. He and Noctis grew up alongside each other like brothers, and the friendship they forged only served to further encourage Ignis to be the Advisor that Noctis needed. He would do anything for the young Prince, as was his duty and his wish. On the other hand, you were at home and very clearly not in a good mental place. Ignis wanted nothing more than to rush home and see to it that you were taken care of, wanted to see your eyes light up when you saw him home, wanted to see your smile when he would greet you with a hurried retelling of his day before completely devoting his time to you. Ignis was a caregiver through and through, and the fact that he wasn’t in your physical presence to help ease your mind was eating away at him.

The hesitation was clear on Ignis’s face, but his phone buzzed once again and as Ignis read the message on the screen it morphed into resolve. “Just to be clear, you are to go over these notes almost ad nauseam. Now is not the time to fall back to your *ahem* study habits of school, Noct.” Ignis stood from his seat and began to gather his belongings, now sans notes, and fixed Noctis with a pointed stare. “Be forewarned, Noct. I might just have a pop-quiz ready for you tomorrow morning” Ignis gave a small smirk.“Just get out of here, Specs!” Noctis laughed as Ignis made his way out of the room. As he walked down the halls of the Citadel towards the parking deck his pace increased gradually, your last text message running through his mind, making him determined to get back home to you as soon as possible. He soon reached the car and as he got in he hastily sent you a text, hoping that you would be awake to read it.

I’ll be there soon, my darling.

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Ignis was uncharacteristically careless while driving home, needing to be with you as soon as possible. He didn’t break any severe laws, he wasn’t that crazed, but he did drive over the speed limit just a tad and had taken a few turns just a bit too hard, earning the ire of the other drivers and some pedestrians. Every little delay caused him some level of irritation, the only thought in his mind being you waiting for him at home while he was stopped an yet another traffic light. “Of all the days to hit every red light in the city.” His fingers tapped on the steering wheel in aggravation. He was so close to being home, so close to being with you that he was almost vibrating with energy in his seat. The light finally turned and Ignis stepped on the gas hard, and in the back of his mind he knew that he was overreacting to his need to be home with you, but he also didn’t give a damn at the moment. He soon arrived at the apartment building’s parking deck, and as he pulled into a space Ignis thought to maybe neglect any mention of his reckless driving when he saw you, though he knew that you knew him well enough to tell when he was hiding a mischievous secret. Oh well, you’ll probably get a laugh out of it.

Ignis quickly grabbed his work belonging from the car and hastily made his way into the apartment building, rushing through the halls to reach his goal, not even stopping to give brief greetings to those he passed. Once he finally made it, he quickly but quietly opens the door to your shared home. Ignis, after not receiving a text from you in response to his message earlier, made a guess that you had fallen back asleep sometime earlier and didn’t want to risk disturbing you, so he entered the apartment quietly. He toed off his shoes at the entrance and made his way to the bedroom, putting down his work items on the couch in the living room. He carefully opens the door, not wanting to disturb you if he was correct in guessing that you were asleep. The curtains were drawn and all the lights were off, but once his eyes adjusted to the dim room and spied your disheveled sleeping form in the bed, it was like the air in his lungs had been stolen from him.

You were somehow simultaneously sprawled out on the bed and curled in on yourself at the same time, your legs splayed out while your arms clutched at Ignis’s pillow with your face buried into it, like you were trying to become one with it. Your form was half wrapped in the covers and half exposed to the air of the room. Ignis was caught in the moment, staring at the sight before him with tired eyes that held a deep affection. He inhaled deeply, the exhaustion he’s been refusing to acknowledge finally settling in his bones, and let out a long sigh. His work routine was punishing these past few weeks, sometimes keeping him away from home for days at a time with the intense preparations for the upcoming political meeting that he couldn’t even recall what it was about in this moment. Ignis was tired, and right now he could think of nothing better to do than to join you in bed and sleep the day away.

As quietly as he could, Ignis stripped down to nothing but his briefs, not feeling like putting forth the extra effort to put on his pajamas. He doesn’t even take the time to properly put away his clothes, he just leaves them on the floor, joining your discarded garments from the night before. As he sized up your form in the bed he tried to make a plan of attack. You had situated yourself in the middle of the bed in your attempt to find a comfortable sleeping position when you had given up the fight to stay awake earlier. You were facing towards Ignis’s preferred side of the bed while holding his pillow, so Ignis decided to try and climb in behind you, mindful of your legs that stretch out across the bed. He pulled back the covers slowly, trying not to disturb you as he began to settle in the bed, removing his glasses and placing them on the nightstand along with his phone before laying down on his side facing your back.

As gently as he could, Ignis began to cuddle up against your form. His legs intertwining with yours the best he could manage, wrapping his arms around your torso and nestling his nose against the back of your neck, breathing in your scent. It felt so good to be back with you, even if you weren’t awake for this moment. Ignis relished in the closeness of your body, your warmth and your solid form grounding him from the floating feeling of exhaustion from earlier. He took in a deep breath and let out another long sigh, finally feeling fully relaxed from the stress of his life at the Citadel. Ignis’s eyes were closing, ready to slip into the comfortable embrace of sleep when he felt you begin to stir against him.

Something was pulling you back into the realm of consciousness, and at the moment you couldn’t pinpoint just what it was. A sleepy groan escapes your mouth as your eyes flutter open. You shift your body in an attempt to get comfy again so that you can get back to sleep, but you stop suddenly when you finally gain enough awareness to feel the other set of legs against your own and the arms wrapped around your torso. You startle a bit, and in jerking motions begin to turn yourself around, your body still heavy from sleep and caged within another’s limbs. When your sleepy eyes adjust to being open and in dim lighting, you can just barely make out the form who had taken residence in the space next to you. “Ignis?” A soft chuckle greets you from the darkness as Ignis readjusts himself to pull you back closer to him. “You are correct, my dear. How was your sleep?” Your mind was slow in catching up to the situation. Ignis was at work today. You were at home, spending the day in bed and being an absolute lump. You had fallen asleep. You were awake, and Ignis was home. You fell asleep, woke up, and Ignis……

“Shit! How long was I asleep?” You lurch into an upright position in the bed, your lungs tightening with panic and your heart feels like it’s dropped right out of your body. How? It was just past 2:30pm when you sent that last text to Ignis. Did you really sleep for the entire day? Ignis had been coming back home late with his workload keeping him at the Citadel for extended hours, so the fact that he was here with you now in bed seemed to confirm your suspicions. You were mortified. “Shhhh shhhhhh, it’s alright. It’s only a little past three in the afternoon, love. You’re fine. I’m here.” Ignis had sat up with you and was attempting to soothe you from your sudden upset. Ignis’s whispered reassurances were calming you down, but only a little. Reaching out for your phone to check the time to confirm what Ignis was telling you. When you did this you saw his last text pop up on the main screen.

You had missed the text while you were sleeping, but reading it now made you misty-eyed, but also confused. You turn back to Ignis, confusion evident on your face. “Ignis? What are you doing home so early? Not that I’m not happy to see you, but you never come home early.” Ignis brought his hands up to cradle your face, bringing you in for a brief kiss before resting his forehead against yours and staring into your eyes. Gods, you could lose yourself in those beautiful green eyes for hours. “It seems that our dear Prince decided to take pity on me today. I thought that I was being careful, but Noct took notice of my frequent phone checks today and decided that it would be best that I take an early leave.” You breathe out a laugh and begin to pepper Ignis’s face with kisses. “How very kind of the Prince. I’ll have to write him a nice letter thanking him for sending you home on this rotten day.” You start to pull away in an effort to get out of bed, your consciousness nagging at you to do something now that your Iggy was home, but Ignis was having none of it. Wrapping his arms around you once more he pulls the two of you back down onto the bed.

“Ignis! What are you doing?” He only pulled you closer, feeling the need to be completely in your space, to have you as close to him as possible. Normally he would help you go about your day, even if it was just to get dressed and move to relax on the couch instead of in the bed. Right now, however, the only thing he wanted to do was remain in bed with you in his arms. “I’ve decided that today will just have to be a lazy day for the both of us, darling. These kinds of days are best when shared with someone you love, wouldn’t you agree?” You gave a small nod in agreement. You were incredibly thankful that Ignis was here with you and began to settle down in his arms, your head resting on his chest when you remembered. “....But what about dinner?” Dinner that you were supposed to make for the two of you so that Ignis didn’t have to work more after he got home. Your frustration was building itself back up quickly, but Ignis’s next words stamped them down completely. “Guess we’ll just have to order takeout, then.” You move your head to look Ignis in the eyes, almost not believing what you were hearing. Takeout was a rare treat for the two of you. Nothing could compare to the home cooking that you and Ignis created on a day to day basis, but there was just something special about having food delivered to you, no extra work needed. All you could do was laugh when Ignis gave a confirming smile and snuggled back into his arms, unbelievably happy that this was the man that loved you.

I’ve finally finished the thing! Big thank you to my friend for beta reading this! She doesn’t know a whole lot about ffxv, but she does know her grammar. 

Pairing: Ignis Scientia/Reader

Word count: 5,825

Uses Y/N

Everything that could have gone wrong today, did. Ignis couldn’t remember the last time he felt so exasperated. Was it when Gladio nearly broke his ass trying to impress one the Glaives that he fancied? Maybe when Prompto got sick all over the bathroom at Noct’s apartment after making a bet on who could eat the most marshmallows in 10 minutes. Definitely the time when he found out that Noctis threw out the groceries he just bought for dinner since there were veggies in the dish he planned on making.

The veggies weren’t even the main component of the meal!

Unfortunately, Ignis had little time to dwell on the straining events of the past as yet another folder of papers was nervously placed onto his desk by a Citadel employee. He didn’t even get a chance to try and force out a ‘thank you’ before the person in question quickly made their way out of his office. Ignis’s ‘slightly pissed’ face was out in full force today, so anybody who even breathed wrong would receive a glare that would make Shiva herself shiver. Ignis breathed out a heavy sigh as he moved the folder over to the quickly growing pile of other folders and papers that needed to be dealt with before the rapidly approaching end of the day.

It wasn’t even that the day had taken a sudden turn for the worst for the advisor. No, it started nearly at the beginning of the day. He had a pleasant enough morning with you at home. You prepared a simple breakfast today and the two of you ate together in comfortable silence. Ignis finished his cup of Ebony after the food was eaten, gave you a kiss goodbye and wished that your day at work would be calm before he left the apartment for the Citadel. That’s when the first incident occurred.

It wasn’t a big incident in the grand scheme of things, but it would set the tone for the rest of the day. Ignis, the mad coffee addict that he is, had an extra serving of Ebony in the car for the drive to the Citadel. You occasionally joked that he loved his coffee more than he loved you, and this usually led to him doing his best to prove you wrong in the best possible way *ahem*. That open can of Ebony would be the start of Ignis’s downfall.

Ignis was, unusually, running a bit late to work since there was an accident on the route that he normally took to the Citadel. He quickly changed routes when he decided that he would rather be a little late to work than unforgivably late if he stayed on his intended course. In his haste to make up for lost time he took a turn just a touch too fast, just a smidge. Ok, Ignis actually just took the turn way too hard. He knew that his car could handle it, and thanks to some terrifying moments with Noctis behind the wheel Ignis’s sense for motorized terror was dulled a bit, but that open can of Ebony couldn’t take the turn at all.

“Bloody Hell!”

The can had tipped over and fallen out of the cup-holder, and with the momentum of the car both the can and its contents found their way right onto Ignis’s pants, most notably in the crotch region. “Oh, well this is just perfect,” Ignis couldn’t do much in the way of fixing the situation other than try to dry as much of it off with a spare rag that he kept in the car. He was thankful that he was wearing his black slacks today, nevermind the wet and sticky feeling that he’d be feeling on his thighs for the rest of the day.

The second incident wouldn’t be as benign as some spilled coffee.

The problem was evident the moment that Ignis approached his office door to see another Citadel employee standing nervously in front of his destination. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Scientia, but these forms need to be inputted into the computer system again.” The shaking man quickly handed Ignis a thick folder of paper while he could only stare dumbfounded at the offending object. One could almost hear Ignis’s jaw clenching as he looked at the poor man. “….And why would these need to be re-done?” He hissed out. Ignis was trying his best not to seeth at the man as he flipped through the papers, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold himself together.

“There was a computer error and it wiped the data for the bi-weekly reports. All employees who fill these out need to re-input them before the end of the day,”

Oh, fuck me.

Ignis, being the Advisor to the Prince, had what Gladiolus would call a “metric fuck ton” of forms to fill out. Not only did he have daily forms to fill out, but incident reports and meeting reports were also required of him. At least my physical forms weren’t lost . All Ignis had to do was copy the handwritten forms to the electronic filing system, but the problem would be finding the time.

“I-In addition to having to re-do the forms u-uh.” Ignis fixed the poor man with a glare. In addition to? What else could there possibly be? Ignis already had a full day ahead of him with meetings and planning and his own paperwork to fill out. “Well, um, someone had to call out sick today, and since they work under you it was decided that you, ah, Mr. Scientia are you ok?”

Oh Ifrit himself would avoid the heat of the glare that Ignis was giving this poor man. “What was decided?” he gritted out. Ignis already knew what was coming, but he still needed to hear it to believe it. “I-It was decided that since they work under you that you should be the one to do their work for the day since it’s time sensitive. Please don’t look at me like that I don’t know who made the decision I’m just the messenger!” The man quickly shoved another folder into Ignis’s arms and scurried away before Ignis could respond.

So, Ignis had to do his own work, re-submit two weeks worth of reports, and do somebody else’s workload along with attending meetings and filling out more forms to report on those meetings. All this happened within the first few minutes of arriving at the Citadel, and Ignis had a dreadful sense that the day would only continue to get worse somehow. At the very least I can change out of these pants. They’re starting to get….sticky.Ignis entered his office, put down the undeserved workload on his desk, and reached for the drawer that held his spare clothes.

Since there were sometimes when Ignis had to stay for extended periods of time at the Citadel, he found it refreshing to put on a different set of clothes instead of stewing in the same outfit for days at a time. As he pulled opened the draw Ignis made an unfortunate discovery. The drawer was empty. He had forgotten that he had taken the clothes back home a few days ago to put them through the wash and forgot to pack a new set. He could always call you to see if you could go back home to pick him up a new set of pants, but he didn’t want to pull you away from your own work day.

Ignis was going to have to spend the rest of the day in sticky pants that smelled faintly of Ebony.

God damnit.

———-

The day hadn’t been any kinder to Ignis by the time noon rolled around. He had gotten right to work with re-submitting his bi-weekly reports, which took up the majority of his morning, and had tried to sift through the extra work that was dumped on him from the absent employee. I’m going to have a few words with whoever made that decision. Ignis had many, many choice words he wanted to share, but first he needed to get his workload in order. He already had a good amount of his own work to do before the events of the morning and Ignis made little headway in that regards before he broke for lunch.

Ignis didn’t even bother leaving his office for his break, preferring to remain in his workspace while he ate. He used to work while eating, but a few unfortunate stains on some documents and a brief scolding from you eventually put an end to that practice. ‘ Believe it or not, you do need to take a break away from work every now and again, Ignis. If lunch is the only time that happens, then damn it put the work down and eat your food! ’ How you ended up being Ignis’s voice of reason he’ll never know, especially since you had a hard time taking your own advice. How many times did he have to physically pull you away from work at home while saying in a light mocking voice ‘ home and work should always be separated, Darling. Isn’t that what you told me? ’

These fond memories brought a little light back into Ignis’s day and he chuckled to himself before a literal ray of sunshine came bursting through his office door. “Heya, Iggy!” The blond nearly bounded into the room, filled with his usually bubbly energy. “Prompto, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” It wasn’t uncommon for Ignis’s friends to stop by during the day, but usually there was a catch. Noctis would settle himself down on the couch and take a nap after a day of his own meetings, Gladiolus would come in and share some harmless gossip about the Crownsguard or Kingsglaive, or gush over his younger sister. Prompto usually came in for some peace and quiet after a training session with the other members of the Crownsguard.

Ignis judged by the flush on Prompto’s cheeks and his heavy breathing that today’s visit was for the usual reason. “Oh, ya know. Just doing some training with Gladio today and decided to turn tail for lunch before he could pull me into a 5 mile run.” Prompto seemed to shudder at the thought, but quickly brought his attention back to Ignis and the state of his workspace as he stepped further into the room. “Oh wow. What, uh, happened here?” Ignis grimaced, aware of the messy state of his usually immaculate office. Papers were scattered hither and thither, pencils and pens were laying across the desk and floor. Ignis was sure that he looked a mess, strands of hair falling over his eyes from repeatedly running his hands through his hair in frustration.  

“There were some….unexpected events this morning, and I’ve been buried in work ever since.” Ignis sounded as exhausted as he looked, which made Prompto a bit uneasy. Ignis was possibly the hardest working individual Prompto had ever known. Having grown up with Noctis as both his future advisor and friend put a lot of stress on the guy, and it seemed like he barely knew how to relax. He noticed that Ignis’s habits got a little better after becoming friends with them all and he and Noct conspired together to get Ignis to chill a bit. Things almost smoothed out all together once you and Ignis finally got together after much mutual pining, which is still the subject of jokes when the five of you got together for hang out nights. Prompto knew that you and Ignis were good for each other, the two of you serving as each others checks and balances, but seeing him so haggard now brought back memories of late nights and irritated arguments of how not to self-destruct.

“Do you maybe want to talk about it? Let out some steam? Or I could even try to help out if you think I can handle it!” As the last line left his mouth Prompto looked over at the papers on the desk and nearly froze. The poor boy didn’t know what most of the papers meant and he knew that there would be no way of helping. Thankfully, Ignis took note of the panic creeping into the blond’s features and took pity on him. “While I don’t think I can trust you with these sensitive documents,” he teased, “I wouldn’t mind airing out some grievances to a willing ear.” With that, Prompto breathed out a sigh of relief, sat down on the nearby couch, and settled in for the story of Ignis’s day so far.

Ignis knew that he was taking a longer lunch than he should have, but found that he couldn’t bring himself to care. It was nice to share his story with Prompto, and watching his reactions to Ignis’s morning situation was downright amusing. The boy’s cornflower blue eyes widened comically whenever Ignis mentioned the added paperwork, and Prompto did his best to stifle a laugh when Ignis mentioned the Ebony incident. Ignis had a few laughs as well, as reflecting on his unfortunate morning with a friend brought some light to the situation. A frown made its way to his face when he saw Prompto stand to leave, however.

“Welp, better get back to Gladio. The last time I was gone for this long he wiped my ass on the floor during combat training.” Ignis gave him a look. “Fine, he wiped my ass on the floor harder than he usually does, ok?! It’s not my fault that the guy is built like a brick shithouse while I’m just a lean bean!” Prompto’s voice faded into a whine when he saw Ignis’s shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter. “It was good to see you, Prompto. Thanks for stopping by.”

Prompto gave a smile and a shrug. “Next time you have a bad day like this, shoot me a text. I’m always down to hang with ya for whatever reason.” Prompto moves to the door and Ignis follows to lead him out. “I mean it, Iggy. It seemed like you really needed to get that stuff off your chest.” Ignis was about to reply when Prompto suddenly stopped just before the door and stared at Ignis when something had caught his eye. Confused, Ignis followed Prompto’s gaze until his eyes landed what had grabbed the blond’s attention so suddenly.

Prompto started to shake, small giggles bursting from his mouth as he did his best to not burst out laughing. There was a just barely noticable stain, darker than the black of Ignis’s pants that spread along his crotch and thighs. Oh Gods, Prompto’s ribs were aching from the superhuman effort to hold in his laughter and was doing his damndest to not think of the coffee stain as a different kind of stain altogether. It wasn’t working and the mental image proved to be too much for the blond and the gates were open. Laughter flowed freely from his mouth, unaware of the searing look that Ignis was giving him.

“I think it’s time for you to leave.” Ignis grabbed Prompto by the arm and did his best to drag the giggling boy over the threshold of this office door, the boy’s body nearly convulsing with the powerful laughs that left his body. Ignis bid the ray of sunshine a good day and quickly went back into his office and closed the door. Exhaustion took over his body almost immediately and he leaned back against the door and brought his hands to his face. He could still hear Prompto’s giggle fit as he walked down the hallway. Ignis couldn’t help himself: He started to laugh too. Despite the embarrassment, he still had a good time with Prompto and the boy’s laugh was infectious. He soon got back to work, still tired but with higher spirits than before.

———-

Oh, was Ignis going to have a story to tell you once you saw each other later this evening. The brief moment of respite that he had during his lunch break only last for a few hours when more work was dropped off at Ignis’s desk. He had a death grip on the pen in his hand as he glowered at the man in front of him. There were very few moments where Ignis’s temper got the best of him. He could count the number of incidents on one hand, but Ignis was thinking he might need to add another incident to the count. Whatever words the shaking man in front of him was going to say were exchanged for a forced and strangled sounding “I’m sorry” before he dropped a folder full of paper onto Ignis’s desk. He didn’t know who decided that he should be the one to shoulder the work of those absent, but he was going to find out, and they were going to pay. At the very least he had gotten the work from the morning done before this new hell was suddenly thrusted upon him.

I’m nearly at my breaking point. I just know it. Ignis was frustrated. He was usually such a workhorse when it came to work at the Citadel. He could remember the days when he would work through the night to get reports done, meetings planned, and finish any other sort of official business that needed doing. Now he couldn’t do any of that to such an extreme like he used to. Despite his negative feelings towards his apparent decrease in productivity, he knew that back then he wasn’t that healthy. He would run himself ragged with the excuse of being devoted to his future King, and that he needed to do this work to prepare for the future, his own health be damned. That way of thinking changed a little when he, Noctis, Gladio, and Prompto stopped being just the Prince’s royal retinue and started being friends.

There were concerns shared between the four of them: Prompto’s family and self-esteem, Gladio’s heavy burden and life expectation of being the Shield for the future King, Noct’s sleeping habits and concern for his father, and Ignis’s self-destructive working habits. After this habit was brought to light Ignis did his best to better himself. He still worked hard and long hours, but he also made sure to make time to spend with the boys– or the “chocobros,” as Prompto had started calling their little group, much to the dismay of Gladio. After spending time with the others as just friends and not just those he worked with, Ignis found himself able to relax more, joke more, laugh more, and just be happier in general.

The final nail in his workaholic coffin was you. You, who had caught Ignis’s eyes during one of his many trips to a cafe near the Citadel for a coffee break and had somehow become a recurring character in his day to day life. You, who would take the time out of your own busy day to ask about his once you had exchanged phone numbers. You, who had somehow wormed your way into their tight knit friend group with hardly a struggle and seemed to fit right in. You, who made Ignis realize that he had a life outside of the Citadel and the people who inhabit it. It was funny to think how such a cliché meeting of two people would lead to an intense mutual pining for each other, and eventually to confessions of crushes that would turn into love.

The two of you balanced each other out nearly perfectly. You were a bit more laid back in your day to day life and Ignis was more rigid. The both of you were natural born caretakers, always willing to help and take care of others, but rarely doing the same for yourselves. This was made all the more clear when the two of you moved in together. It was almost a contest to see who could take better care of the other. Ignis would prepare elaborate dinners and draw divine baths for you, you would give him massages and run your fingers through his hair to de-stress him after a day of work. Neither of you would take the pampering without a fight, not believing to be deserving of the attention, but the both of you would eventually cave and give in to the other. It worked for a while, but the two of you eventually sat down and talked about this strange and comforting dance that you performed. The talk led to a greater understanding of each other and yourselves and it was understood by Ignis, you, and the other members of your party that you and Ignis were each others’ rock.

And by the Astrals did Ignis need his rock now more than ever. He was at his wits end. The warm feeling he had after his visit with Prompto was all but gone as paper after paper needed to be filled out, and there only seemed to be more of them. Were they multiplying before his very eyes? Was he going crazy? Ignis was reminded of the days when he would work through the night endlessly without pause and wondered just how he did it. He felt absolutely miserable! His eyes ached and his head was throbbing. It felt like every muscle in his body was screaming at him to just lie down and accept defeat.

I’ve only a few hours to go, and then I can go home, embrace my darling Jordan and relax for the remainder of the day.

So, Ignis worked, barley registering in his mind what he was actually doing. His muscle memory was enough to get through the mountain of paperwork that he had to conquer before he could leave for the day. In the back of his mind he knew that he should maybe pay closer attention to some of the papers, but he was confident enough in his own abilities and tired enough not to care. When Ignis thought he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching his door he quickly made his way over and locked it. He would have no more interruptions for the rest of the day. Anything else could wait another day. The hours seemed to melt by and Ignis was completely focused on his work, his vision tunneling and his hearing blocking out any outside distractions. This level of focus was enough for him to ignore his cell phone ringing. He didn’t even see your name pop up on the screen.

———-

“Hey Ignis! It’s Y/N. Just calling to let you know that I’m off work and heading home. Do you have anything in mind for dinner? Thought I might fix something tonight since you’ve been working harder than usual for the past few days. Let me know when you get this message and shoot me some ideas for dinner! Love you, babe.”

You looked at your phone after you ended the call, your brows furrowed with worry. Ignis usually never missed a call from you, especially at this hour. The sun was low in the sky, casting the world in a warm red glow as you looked out of your car window. Must have called at a bad time . You start up your car and before you put it into drive you make sure to take your phone off silent, not wanting to miss a call or text from your Iggy. Oh well, if he didn’t manage to call you back before you got back home you still had an idea for what you wanted to do for dinner. Ignis had an excess amount of veggies in the kitchen from past attempts to feed them to the Prince. You figured that you might as well put them to use in a stew that Ignis taught you how to make early on in your relationship. It was a hearty and refreshing stew that would warm your insides, something that you thought the both of you needed after your hectic schedule during the past few days.

Your workday had been just the usual, but still tiring nonetheless. You haven’t had a decent day off in Gods know when, this latest project taking much more time than initially anticipated. You drive home with the windows down, music playing in softly in the background as you allowed your mind to depart from work-mode and move into relaxation. You couldn’t wait to just get back home, fix dinner, and cuddle with your partner. It was grossly domestic and you remember a time when you thought your little crush would never amount to anything. You would have never dreamed that your feelings would be returned, and forget about living together. A snort escapes you as you recall how the two of you had rather ungracefully admitted your feelings for each other. The two of you were stuttering messes and failing to talk over each other when both of you had blurted out your feelings in pure frustration. It was quite the sight, seeing Ignis so flushed when you had thought him to be the most composed being in creation, and you with nervousness clear on your face with the thought that you had ruined the casual friendship you shared with the man.

You hadn’t even realized how bad you had zoned out to the memory until you drove past the entrance to the parking garage. Annoyed, you did a quick lap around the block and pulled into the building. Gathering your things and getting out of the car you checked your phone for any missed calls or texts. Nothing. You were getting worried. What the heck is going on today at the Citadel ? You eventually made it to your apartment and after entering and placing down your things got to work on dinner. You shoot Ignis a quick text to inform him that you were back home and that you were getting started on the food.

It’s fine, Y/N. You know that his job can be unpredictable sometimes. There’s no need to worry. You let out a deep sigh to calm your nerves and got set to prep the veggies

———-

Thank the Astrals the day was over! He had managed to finish everything that was assigned to him before he locked everyone out of his office. Ignis was a bit proud of himself, but Gods he was tired. The end of the day couldn’t have come soon enough, and once he finished the last of the paperwork he was a blur leaving his office. Ignis wanted to leave the Citadel as soon as possible, and his hurried pace gave a physical outlet for some of his pent up frustration. When he reached the car he promptly opened the door and collapsed into the driver’s seat. A headache was making itself known and Ignis pressed his hands his eyes in an attempt to stave off the pain. After he was sure that the pain had gone he placed his glasses back on his face and got ready to leave, but paused when his phone suddenly pinged. Ignis let out a hushed curse when he saw who sent him a text and the missed call from earlier. He had completely ignored his cell while he was working, missing your call and voice message.

After listening to your message and reading your text Ignis slumped back into the driver’s seat. He couldn’t believe that he had missed your call and could only hope that you didn’t hold it against him. Ignis thought about sending you a text to let you know that he was on his way home and that he was sorry for missing your call, but he wanted to get home as soon as possible and he’d rather apologize in person. He started the car, pulled out of the parking spot, and carefully sped his way home to you. He pointedly did not open his usual end-of-day can of Ebony.

You were trying your best to not worry, but it was getting more and more difficult as the minutes passed. The sun was almost fully set and you still hadn’t heard from Ignis. Should I call again? Should I call one of the boys? No, stop it. You’re fretting over nothing. You were doing your absolute best not to yield to your anxiety, but it was hard when the two of you had gotten into the habit of calling each other, no matter what, at the end of your work days. The break in the usual rhythm was throwing you off kilter.

The stew was finished, so you turned the heat down to a simmer to keep it warm and checked your phone once again. It might have been selfish of you, but you really wanted to hear back from Ignis. The two of you had been working almost non-stop for what felt like forever, and it seemed sometimes that your evening check-ins were the only thing to look forward to at the end of the work day. Yes, the two of you lived together, but were often so exhausted by the time you got home that you merely ate dinner in near silence and went to bed together after exchanging chaste kisses.  

Where is that frustratingly beautiful man of mine? You sat down at the dining room table and resigned yourself to wait, mindlessly fiddling with your phone. You weren’t sure how much time had passed just waiting, occasionally getting up to stir the stew and looking out the kitchen window to watch the sky change colors. You were just pulling down two bowls from the kitchen cabinet when you heard heavy footsteps coming down the outside hall. You had just barley placed the two bowls on the counter when the door to your apartment was flung open and you gave a small shriek of surprise. Shit, did I not lock the door? You grabbed a knife from the counter and quickly turned around to fend off the intruder, but when you saw who it was your panicked mind screeched to a halt.

In the doorway stood the man you’ve been wanting to see and hear from all day, and Astrals  he looked……terrible. His usually meticulously styled hair was an absolute mess, strands of hair falling into his face with other strands sticking up on all sides. His clothes were rumpled and his whole posture was slumped in exhaustion. His face, oh his beautiful face, was the picture of pitiful tiredness, but he was looking at you like you were his salvation. Despite the tired lines on his face, his sea green eyes were alight with joy at the sight of you, though there was some guilt in there too.

“…Darling,” Ignis’s voice was breathy and void of any energy.

You only had a moment to put the knife down before Ignis practically dive bombed into your arms, almost sending the both of you tumbling to the floor. Ignis was so relieved to see you and his arms wound tight around your body. His day had been absolutely terrible and being able to hold you in his arms was like paradise. You were surprised by Ignis’s actions but had a feeling that you knew what caused it. You voiced your question while tightening your own hold on the tired man. “So, uh, rough day there Iggy?” His only response was to breath in deeply and bury his face into the crook of your neck. Ah, so your suspicion was confirmed. You rubbed your hands up and down his back, giving some ‘there there’ pats and simply enjoyed the feeling of being held. The two of you stood and swayed together in the kitchen for a bit longer before you pulled back, not without resistance, and gave Ignis a quick series of kisses on his forehead, nose, and lips.

“I’m so sorry that I didn’t call you once I got your messages, Dear. I was just in such a hurry to get home and-” Ignis tried to apologize, but you shushed him with a finger to his lips. “I’m just glad you’re home, Ignis. You can tell me all about your day over dinner.” He let out a relieved sigh and kissed you deeply. It was like he was trying to relay how much he missed you in that one action, and you returned the kiss with equal fervor. He broke the kiss first and gave you a small peck on your nose, pulling a small giggle out of you. You gently pushed him over to the kitchen table, making him sit down while you got ready to serve the stew.

Watching Ignis’s posture change over the course of dinner was telling in just how exhausted of work he really was. Slumped shoulders straightened out, his face brightened up, and the tone of his voice took on a lighter lit. It was so nice to see him relaxed as he talked through his day. You could only nod sympathetically throughout his tale, having had similar days like that in the past, though none with the importance that come with Citadel work. You did end up laughing at the part where Prompto pointed out the unfortunate accident on Ignis’s pants, almost cackling even. To your surprise, Ignis joined in on your laughter, his soft giggles joining with yours and filling the room with joyous noise. After the two of you finished eating and Ignis finished telling his story the two of you were cleaning up in the kitchen.

“Dinner was perfect, Darling.” Ignis followed this statement with a small kiss to your forehead. You blushed, “Well, I have a pretty decent teacher, and he’s really attractive to boot.” Both of you had a quiet chuckle at that. You finished cleaning up in the kitchen in silence, both of you settling into the comforting quiet that filled the air. After exchanging a few glances the two of you moved into the bedroom to turn in for the night. The energy from earlier had dissipated and both of you were too exhausted to stay up for much longer. Laying in bed the two of you were practically plastered to each other, neither of you wanting to keep your distance from one another.