#sharpdressedchef

Just before the world went dark around him, he saw green eyes that seemed to glow with moonlight, pale skin, and a flash of dark green scales. His last thought before the darkness closed in on him was mermaid.

Of course, no one believed him. He was a seven-year-old child who’d been through a traumatic experience, falling off his father’s boat during an evening fishing trip. Noctis could hear the disbelief and condescension in their words, see the amusement in their eyes every time he’d said that he hadn’t managed to swim back to the surface. That something- someone- had helped him.

But Noctis knew it wasn’t his imagination. It wasn’t the trauma. So as soon as he had recovered, he waited for the next full moon, and he climbed down to the seashore.

The beach along the water here was no beach at all, but mostly large rocks. The whole east side of the citadel was bordered by this inhospitable, rocky shore, leaving no need for guards or stone walls, especially in times of peace such as this. So Noctis was alone, having snuck out of the citadel, the light of the moon his only guide as he scrambled among the boulders.

He got as close as he could to the water, shivering in the chill and trying not to slip on the smooth surface beneath his shoes. The water was calm tonight, like darkened glass stretching out beyond the horizon, broken only by the reflection of the moon and stars.

“I know you’re out there!” he called out, watching the water for any sign of life beneath the surface. Only the rhythmic hush of the waves against the shore replied, and Noctis frowned and sat down on the edge of the rock, prying off his shoes and setting them to the side.

He kicked at the water in a way that would have gotten him scolded for scaring the fish away. “Don’t make me come back in there to find you!” he threatened, because that always seemed to work for the adults. Which meant it should work here, too.

And after a few long moments of silence, he saw something ripple the water.

It was so quick and subtle that he thought maybe it had been his imagination. But he didn’t want to think that his mind had made all this up; the adults said it was ‘oxygen deprivation’ and other fancy things like that. It wasn’t. He knew what he saw that night.

So he shifted on the rock to lie on his stomach, and he reached down and plunged a hand into the cold water, holding it out in invitation. He waited there until his fingers started to go numb, and just when he was about to pull his hand back-

-a warm hand closed around his. A hand that felt just like his own, human, except not quite. He felt the pinprick of sharp claws on each finger, and there was something between the fingers, too-

A head broke the water next, and Noctis found himself looking at those pale green eyes again, just barely glowing in the moonlight. Were it not for that, or the fact that the boy had flared fins where he should have ears, Noctis would have thought him human. He couldn’t have been more than a couple of years older than Noctis, his skin was pale, his hair tawny and falling damp across his forehead, and he looked…nervous.

“You’re real!” Noctis said, and his face broke into a wide grin; the other boy looked surprised, but then he seemed to relax.

“Of course I am,” he said, and Noctis wrinkled his nose.

“You talk funny. Do all mermaids talk like that?”

“I’m not a mermaid. Girls are mermaids. And I do not talk funny,” the boy said, and only then did he seem to realize they were still holding hands. He started to pull away, but Noctis didn’t let go, instead tugging his hand in for a closer look.

He’d been right- the merman’s fingers were tipped with sharp claws that matched the green of his scales. Between his fingers was a sort of scaled webbing, like the kind frogs had between their toes. His hand was warm, though, in contrast to the chilly water.

“This is so cool. Now everyone will know I wasn’t lying!” he said, only to have the merman yank his hand away in what seemed to be sheer terror.

“Don’t!” he snapped, and Noctis winced, the smile disappearing.

“What? Why not?”

“Because you’re not supposed to know about us. None of you,” the boy replied, glancing up at the citadel warily. “I’m breaking our laws, letting you see me like this. I broke them when I saved you.”

Noctis wanted to protest. He wanted to know why it wasn’t allowed, what the merpeople were so afraid of- but at the same time, his new friend looked like a trapped animal about to bolt.

Noctis had so few friends, he didn’t want to lose this one when he’d just found him.

“I won’t tell. Cross my heart.”

“Cross your heart…?”

“It means I promise,” Noctis said with a laugh, and he sat up to dangle his bare feet in the water. “I’m Noctis.”

The lighter haired boy seemed to hesitate for a few moments, looking back at the sea one more time before he turned his attention back to Noctis. He braced his hands on the rock, and with one strong push, he’d managed to seat himself on the rock next to the prince, his tail fin dangling in the water next to the human’s feet.

“My name is Ignis,” he said with a shy smile- and this close up, Noctis could see the distinct shape of fangs where humans would normally have just slightly pointed teeth.

A high-pitched noise suddenly shattered the silence, like a bird calling out at dawn, and Ignis snapped to attention. He made the same call out toward the ocean, and then looked to Noctis with regret.

“I have to go. They’ve noticed I’m gone,” he said, and he slid off the rock and back into the water. Noctis reached down and took hold of Ignis’ arm before he could dive beneath the waves.

“I wanna see you again!” he said, blue eyes pleading. “Please? Next full moon, right here?”

“Next full moon,” Ignis agreed, and he smiled again. “Cross my heart.”

He disappeared into the dark water, and Noctis scrambled to his feet- he needed to sneak back in before he was seen, too.

* ~~~~~ *

True to his word, Ignis was there waiting when next the moon shined its brightest.

“Your name means fire,” Noctis said as he sat down on the end of the rock, and Ignis once again hauled himself out of the water and gave Noctis an amused look.

“That it does.”

“That’s silly.”

Ignis outright laughed at that. “Why is it silly?”

“You live in the water,” Noctis complained as he kicked at said water with his toes. “Why did your parents name you something that means fire when you live in the water?”

“Because we have our own fire,” Ignis said, and he held out his hand- and blue flames flickered to life, dancing along his fingers, reflecting off his scales. It was a strikingly similar blue to Noctis’ eyes, the human noticed, and he reached out only to find that the flames were cool to the touch.

For the rest of the night, Ignis showed Noctis all of the magic he knew, and the kinds he was still learning. Told him about how they used magic to protect themselves, to hunt, and to create undersea artwork.

It wasn’t until almost a year later- after meeting for every full moon between- when Noctis finally told Ignis who he actually was.

“I’m a prince,” he muttered, not the same way a child would normally announce the fact that they’re royalty. “My dad is the king, so he’s always busy. And they’re gonna expect me to do all kinds of royal stuff and then become king and I just don’t wanna.”

Ignis burst out laughing, and Noctis looked up with a pout. “What’s so funny?” he demanded, and Ignis smiled at him.

“I’m a prince too. I can safely say I know exactly what you mean.”

* ~~~~~ *

As expected, there were times when one prince or the other couldn’t make it to the shore on the full moon. It wasn’t cause for worry; and inevitably, a new tradition grew. Every time one or the other missed their seaside meeting, they would bring a gift to the next.

Ignis would bring jewelry made of shells, starfish, anything interesting from beneath the waves, items that Noctis kept hidden away in his room and cherished. Noctis would bring jewelry, books to read together, anything he could find that they could enjoy or that wouldn’t be destroyed by the waves.

One year, he gave Ignis his favorite necklace; a small skull pendant on a delicate chain. And though Ignis couldn’t usually wear or show off the things given to him, he wore that one from then on, evidently using the excuse to other merfolk that it had been dropped off a ship and he liked it.

Being a teenager, Noctis wasn’t entirely sure why it satisfied him so much to see his necklace on that pale skin.

But they were both getting older, growing out of their awkwardness. Noctis was a handsome young man by any account, and Ignis had become stunning, growing into his fins all too well. The color of his scales deepened, and any new scars from hunting were things for Noctis to fret over.

Their nightly visits on each full moon lasted longer, often until there were mere hours before one or both would have to wake for their day, and yet neither complained. Neither minded the sleep deprivation when remembering the conversations under moon and stars, the stories shared, the little things they would bring by to show off.

Neither could imagine his life without the other, despite it being their greatest secret.

* ~~~~~ *

Four months shy of his 21st birthday was when things changed.

He’d been pining before then. Ever since he was eighteen or so, he’d realized that his feelings for Ignis went beyond friendship. He didn’t dare say anything; after all, it would only hurt worse, no matter what the response was. Either Ignis didn’t feel the same, which was probably the case, or if he did…

Well. Noctis was human, and Ignis was not. Unless he flooded the halls of the citadel with salt water, there was obviously a big physical barrier there.

Ignis showed up later than usual to their meeting, and when he did arrive, Noctis could tell something was wrong from the way the merman winced when he hauled himself out of the water and up onto the rock beside Noctis. Noctis immediately noticed the dark bruising along his gills on one side- normally the gills along Ignis’ ribs were quite well protected, but if they took a blow, it would hurt worse than any other place on the merman’s body.

Noctis had learned a lot about merfolk, spending time with Ignis.

“You’re hurt,” he said, immediately scooting in closer. Ignis chuckled softly, though he was obviously winded from the swim there and the effort of pulling himself out of the water.

“It’s just bruising. I’ll be fine.”

“Can you breathe alright in the water?”

“Yes, yes. It wasn’t a direct blow. Merely a dolphin that got a bit out of hand.”

“Fuck dolphins,” Noctis muttered, and Ignis laughed and shook his head.

“If I weren’t already well versed in your vernacular, I would be concerned that you truly wished to fornicate with a dolphin,” he pointed out, but Noctis was already reaching in, carefully touching the edge of the bruises with a feather light touch.

“You should be more careful,” he said, and he looked up only to realize just how close they were. Nearly nose to nose. His breath caught, his gaze flickered down to those lips, and his hand dropped to where skin became scales.

He wasn’t sure which one of them closed the distance first. It didn’t really matter. They were kissing, and Ignis tasted like saltwater and moonlight and everything Noctis had wondered about. Even the sharp edge of fangs couldn’t keep him from deepening the kiss, and when they parted, Ignis looked dazed.

“Noctis…” he said, and Noctis frowned and looked down, unwilling to move from where he sat.

“I know,” he muttered miserably. “I know, we’re different species, we’re both princes- I know we shouldn’t-“

Ignis sighed and cupped Noctis’ face with one hand, coaxing him to look up again. “All I wanted to say is that if we had a choice, I would choose you, Noct.”

Noctis kissed him again, desperately, and tried not to think that some of that salty taste in the kiss was from his own tears this time.

They didn’t have that choice. They never would.

* ~~~~~ *

Ignis didn’t show up the full moon after that. Or the next.

By the third full moon missed, Noctis was distraught. Something had to have happened; Ignis wouldn’t just stop showing up. He wouldn’t.

Noctis stood on the rocky shore and called out for Ignis until his throat gave out. He didn’t get out of bed the whole next day, exhausted and worried sick, barely managing a raw ‘thank you’ when his father brought him tea out of worry.

He asked what was wrong, but Noctis couldn’t tell him, of course. What would he say? I’ve been sneaking out to see a merman every month for almost fourteen years, we fell in love, and now he disappeared?

For all he knew, Ignis’ council had found out what their prince had been doing every full moon. Ignis might be dead, and Noctis would have no way of knowing.

The last thing he wanted to do was go to his coming of age ball, but he had no excuse not to go. He would have to spend all evening forcing a smile, pretending to care when some noble or other presented their ‘beautiful, ambitious daughter’. He would have to dance with people who were supposed to be suitors for him.

And all the while, the one person in the world that he wanted was the only person he couldn’t have.

Getting dressed in the royal raiment felt like getting ready for his own funeral. He looked the part of a perfect prince in black and gold, though he felt only dread as he made his way to the ballroom and into the crowd that had already gathered.

He struggled his way through the first hour, saying the right things, being unfailingly polite- but only polite. And he could see that more than one suitor or parent was rather upset that he didn’t seem smitten by the offerings.

But every time he looked at someone, all he could think of were pale green eyes, glowing softly under a full moon.

At least Gladio and Prompto seemed to understand, even if they didn’t know why he was so despondent. They frequently bailed him out when someone got too chatty or too pushy, and Prompto made sure he didn’t manage to get himself drunk on the champagne, which he was sorely tempted to do. Noctis could tell that even his father was keeping a careful eye on him.

When the party was almost half over, Prompto elbowed Noctis so hard he almost spilled his champagne. “Dude,” the blonde said, his voice hushed. “Who’s that guy?”

Noctis followed Prompto’s gaze, and his heart stopped.

It couldn’t be.

The man in question was tall, with dark blonde hair styled up and out of his face save for a few strands, and wearing a dark formal outfit with a high, open collar and gold detailing. And when he looked up from the conversation he was having, pale green eyes met Noctis’ blue.

Noctis shoved his drink at Prompto without even thinking about it, already pushing his way rather rudely past a couple of chatting nobles, his heart beating somewhere in his throat. The blonde met him halfway, and Noctis forced himself to stop, to not tackle the man in a hug right there in the middle of the ballroom.

“Iggy? Is that…?” he asked breathlessly, and Ignis chuckled, glancing down at himself.

“I suppose it is,” he said with that familiar accent, and Noctis’ gaze fell to the hollow of Ignis’ throat, where a small skull pendant dangled on a delicate chain.

“You’re late,” he said with a laugh that was almost a sob, and Ignis smiled.

“My apologies, Your Highness. As it turns out, learning to walk on these blasted legs is a bit of a time consuming project,” he said, low enough so those nearby couldn’t quite hear.

Because they were gathering quite a bit of attention by now- a beautiful young man with a strange accent shows up, and the prince himself barrels across the room like a Garula to greet him? Yeah, that was bound to turn some heads. Noctis took hold of Ignis’ hands- his hands, no claws, no webbing- and pulled him onto the dance floor.

“Dance with me.”

“Noct, I can hardly jog, you can’t honestly expect me to-“

“Follow my lead. It’s a slow song,” Noctis said, and he pulled Ignis in close and wrapped one arm around the man’s slender waist. His reasoning was twofold; one, so the dancers around them wouldn’t overhear their conversation, and two, because he was selfish and he’d missed Ignis. He wanted him close.

He swayed Ignis gently in time with the music, looking at him with fascination. “How did this happen? You’re…human now? For good?”

“I may have told the council that I wasn’t interested in any of their matchmaking offers because I’d fallen in love with a human,” Ignis said, and Noctis’ eyes went wide. That was treason- Ignis had committed treason, for him.

“They could have killed you.”

“Oh, they wanted to,” Ignis said with a chuckle. “The council wanted me executed then and there. But…my father intervened and proposed a different punishment. That if I was so in love with a human, that I be left at the mercy of humans.”

Noctis’ breath caught when he realized just what Ignis was implying. “He knew you would be safe as a human,” he said, finishing the unspoken thought. “He did it to save you.”

Ignis nodded, stumbling a little but managing to recover quickly. “Luckily for us, the council didn’t catch on. They thought that it was clever, condemning me to death at the hands of humans. They…”

He paused and cleared his throat, and Noctis saw the pain flicker across his face, the frown he tried to hide. “They stripped me of my magic, gave me this form, and left me on my own,” he said, his grip tightening on Noctis just the slightest bit. “I can now see how you so nearly drowned all those years ago. Legs don’t seem to be made for swimming well.”

Guilt hit Noctis like a hammer to the gut, imagining everything that Ignis had gone through for him- stripped of his magic, exiled, turned into a different species, and left alone. And Noctis hadn’t been there to help him, hadn’t even known it was happening. “How did you…?” he started to ask, and Ignis nodded toward a young lady not far away- a woman in a yellow dress, her blonde hair chin length and delicately curled, talking to Prompto. She grinned and waved at Ignis, and then winked.

“That young lady found me on the beach. She and her grandfather run a boat repair shop,” he said with a fond smile. “I’m lucky she didn’t decide I was crazy and kick me back out to sea. She helped me- taught me how to walk, got me some clothing, went over some of the basics of human life with me so I could come here without your guards thinking I needed to be carted off to the nearest asylum.”

“I guess I owe her, huh?” Noctis said, studying Ignis closer. Sure enough, while his eyes were the same pale green color, that subtle glow of magic was gone.

“We both do.”

“So, this is our mystery suitor?”

Noctis and Ignis both stepped back in surprise at the new voice, and Regis stood there smirking, like a cat who got the cream. Noctis narrowed his eyes. “Mystery suitor?”

Regis laughed and clapped a hand on Noctis’ shoulder. “Noctis, you were not a subtle child. Did you really believe that I never knew you were sneaking out every month? I have the best eyes in the country watching out for your well being,” he said, and Noctis’ eyes went wide with realization.

“Cor.”

“And he’s given you your privacy and kept your secret, all these years,” Regis pointed out before shifting his attention to Ignis. “Though I must admit, you don’t exactly fit Cor’s description.”

“I made some…life changes, Your Majesty,” Ignis said- to his credit, he seemed to be handling this rather well.

But he had been royalty himself…up until he threw it away for Noctis.

“Life changes indeed. He might be out of your league, Noct,” Regis said, smiling at the pair and earning an eye roll from his son. “Well, I’ll let you two get back to your dance. We can talk later, once the party is over.”

Noctis watched his father walk away, and then he grabbed Ignis’ hand again. “Come on,” he said, and he dragged Ignis through the crowd and out a side door, onto a balcony. He closed the door behind them, and in moments he’d turned and pulled Ignis into a heated, desperate kiss, one that was readily returned.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he said when they finally broke apart for air, and Ignis smiled and kissed Noctis’ forehead.

“I’m sorry I didn’t have anything to bring you to make up for my absence this time.”

“Ignis,” Noctis said, and he cupped Ignis’ face in both hands, holding him like he was something priceless. “Having you here with me now is better than anything you could have brought me from any ocean in the world.”

Ignis sighed, tension seeming to drain from his body at Noctis’ touch. “Glad to hear it.”

“You’ve sacrificed so much for me- your magic, your home, your family-“

“And I would do it all again, given the choice,” Ignis interrupted him, not a shred of doubt in his words. “You have my heart, Noctis, should you want it.”

Noctis tugged Ignis in close again, determined to keep contact, as if worried that Ignis was a vision that would vanish with the dawn.