004. noctis/ignis; i find shelter in this way

[heavyweighsthe]

under cover hide away

( The sound of the wind rattles across the roof of what was not much more than a glorified shack, rain pounding against the walls and windows. And Noct eyes, as much as he can, through the darkness. He supposes it could have been worse — they’d found somewhere relatively safe to duck into, similar runes lining the walls that line the havens and he hopes that’s enough to keep any daemons from coming too close. Now all there was to do was wait. Wait and beat himself up some more for insisting on Ignis taking him out to fish that afternoon. Which in and of itself wasn’t that awful of a request probably, how could he have known they’d get swarmed by some nasties on the way back, stranded with weather and poor Ignis burning up with something that the legion of potions he’d forced on him had barely touched. Yeah… it had been a good day. He pulls his phone out as it buzzes in his pocket and quickly replies to Gladio’s text, checking in. It had taken a lot to force the other to stay still at the motel — no sense him and Prompto getting lost in the weather too. He tears himself away from the window and moves to the lone bed in the room, sinking gently to the edge of it as he looks over Ignis. His lips press together, worry clear in his face. ) Can I get you anything? ( Not that he’s exactly sure what that would be. Water maybe, there was a sink. )

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[mumistheword]

[ Ignis is feeling pretty damn horrible. His stomach is roiling, and he's certain that the only reason he is not throwing up are all those potions. He is both hot and cold at the same time somehow, he can barely keep his eyes open - his head is hurting so bad and he feels dizzy - and his whole body is aching.

But the bed dips, and he forces himself to focus. Breathes deeply, opens his eyes. ]

I apologize for this all, Highness. I... am afraid that I may not be able to keep anything else down.

[ A moment, and then he frowns, slightly. ]

You are cold.

[ That is not even a question. ]

[heavyweighsthe]

( He shakes his head as Ignis apologizes, which is... ridiculous. But also so Ignis at the same time. Of course he would be apologizing, even when he was the one feeling like shit. And it's one of those things, the little nuances of their relationship that's never quite sat well with Noctis. That at the end of the day Ignis felt like he had to apologize for something like being sick. ) Don't, it's fine, Iggy.

( He turns his head to look at Ignis, a tight lipped smile that he hopes is somewhat reassuring. But the situation sucks and he's never been good at hiding when he's borderline sulking. He lifts a hand and presses it to Ignis' forehead, suddenly struck by how often the same motion had been done the other way around throughout the years. He frowns a little feeling the warmth, too warm. )

And you're hot. ( He counters and shuffles a little to lay down beside him. He was, cold, but he'd live. And the heat radiating off Ignis helped a little. ) Stop worrying about me. ( He requests, though he knows that's probably an impossible ask. )

[mumistheword]

[ Ignis is, first of all, somebody that Noctis has to be able to rely on. And, currently, he is in no state to provide that, and yes, of course he is apologizing. The fact that everything else between them makes Noctis worry more? Extra reason for the apology.

But he simply has no strength to continue to insists. He shivers, slightly, at the hand over his forehead, but also presses a little into it, because it's pleasant, and when Noct lies down next to him, Ignis's body reacts first, pressing close to the coolness, before his slow-acting mind catches up, and he stiffens. ]

Noct. If it is something infectious... I do not want you to go through the same. It's... Perhaps if I turn to the other side, and you stay close to my back...?

[ Yes, that is a question. Suggestion, almost. He is worried. He is worried, Noctis is worried... he has to... has to find a way to break that vicious circle. So he bites the inside of his lip for a moment, drawing a bit of strength from the sliver of pain. Making sure his voice sounds appropriately steady. And dry. ]

I must be truly fevered, however. I just thought you asked me to not worry about you.

[ Sorry, Noct? His sense of humor is disastrous at the best of times, and he's definitely up to it properly? ]

[heavyweighsthe]

( He wants to point out that it’s probably not contagious, this was clearly the work of some toxin from their fight and not just a run of the mill flu or something similar. But he knows Ignis well enough to let him have this at least and shuffles around in the bed to accommodate his request. Even if it kind of sucks talking to a back instead of a face. Noct’s hands curl under his chin as he shifts a little, trying to get comfortable. Close but not quite touching — like it’s not really cuddling when he ends up all but barnacled to Ignis in the morning if they start out with that little bit of space between them. Sort of the new normal he’s fallen into since personal space and things like having a bed to oneself have gone out the window.

Really… sharing sleeping spaces has been a revelation in more than a few things.

There’s a huff of something that could almost be a laugh at Ignis’ attempt at a joke. ) I mean it, I’m fine. ( Cold, but really that was the least of the concerns at that moment. )

So come on, Specs, stop for even just an hour or two and get some rest. Let me worry about you for once. I promise the world won’t end. ( Not that it would be for once — Noct worries more than he’d ever say, mostly because he knows Ignis wouldn’t want to know. But he does, worry.

He bites at his lip for a moment, debating his next action before he lifts a hand and runs it along Ignis’ back. A soothing stroke, one he remembers Ignis doing to him countless times over the years when he himself was ill or upset. )

[mumistheword]

[ And Ignis is not entirely enough out of it to miss the fact that Noct agreed to this without even a token protest. That is... plenty enough of a sign of how much he is worried already, and Ignis actually bites his lip to try to focus, to try to improve it. He has almost managed to get his body to obey him properly to reach back to hold Noct's hand when that caress comes and.

Ignis shivers all over, making a soft whimper. Definitely strange, with the way his body is feeling now. Almost too much. Almost.

He speaks up, a trifle more slurred, before Noctis can decide the effect was bad. ]

That felt good. But... Noct. You are still cold. Move closer. I am - still feeling a little too warm. It will be a decent heat exchange. [ Beat. ] Use the blanket, too.

[ See, he is about halfway obeying. At least giving some thought about his own comfort, as well as Noct's.

A moment, and he sighs. ]

I shall try. So long as we are both aware that it will not be the normal state of matters.

[ Which is probably a great degree of ridiculous, for him to insist on this being momentary, when everything else between them... well. Far more complicated. ]

[heavyweighsthe]

( He’s not expecting the little whimper, and he’s sure as hell not expecting the way it hits him. Or the way his thoughts go from a sort of innocent Ignis feels like crap this might make him feel better to something entirely else at such a rapid speed it honestly leaves him dizzy. And it takes a lot to reign his thoughts back in, to come back to the moment and not get lost to thoughts he knows he maybe shouldn’t be having in the first place.

He swallows a little and repeats the move before Ignis can get the rest of his words out.

And Noct has to smile a little at the compromise. At all of it really. How even now Ignis is still being well… so Ignis about everything. Entirely frustrating but endearing it its own little way. And in all honesty it keeps his own worry down, that he still at least had the strength to only meet him halfway. )

I wouldn’t dream of thinking as such. ( He assures Ignis, a small tone of amusement to the words as he slips under the blanket and shuffles in closer.

He tucks his face into the back of Ignis’ neck, and it’s kind of awkward because he’s not entirely sure what to do with his arm, this close it’s kind of hard to put it anywhere but around Ignis. So he does, lightly resting it over him and there’s a small pause before he asks quietly: ) Is this okay? ( It was one thing to do nearly the same thing in the dead of his sleep, another entirely to do it actively. )

[mumistheword]

Mm.

[ Ignis is, honestly, completely exhausted right now. But making his mind work about himself is extremely difficult under the best of circumstances, and with Noctis right there, it is nearly impossible.

But he also knows just how difficult this must be for his ... prince, and so he tries.

He can also feel the arm hovering over him, and sighs lightly to himself, but at least Noct is going to get warm faster.

He makes sure that his hands are dry, wiping them carefully of any trace of sweat, before reaching up, just so, until he's tugged Noct's chilly hand between both of his palms, sighing a little with relief. (He does not think this is... suggestive. He just knows that it feels better, and it will be warmer for Noct. Good enough reason, no?)

He swallows, realizing again how tangled the cursed things makes his thoughts, and takes a deep breath. ]

It will ease up soon, I am sure. But taking advantage of it until it does just has to be better than not. You should feel warmer soon enough.

[ ... oddly, the regular-ish huff of Noct's breath against his neck both makes him want to drift and energizes him, like electricity tingling in his veins, urgently wanting to know what next. ]

[heavyweighsthe]

( He doesn't really mean to, but there's a soft — content — sigh as Ignis’ hands envelope his own. Warmth spreading through him for reasons more than just the heat of Ignis’ hands. And once he feels his hand start to warm, fingers unthaw he moves the digits. A shift in the hold to lace his fingers through Ignis’ as his thumb brushes lightly against skin.

Which was — fine right? Hand holding was well within the parameters of friend behaviour. Or at least he's trying to tell himself. Even if it feels wholly intimate, laying in that small bed with the sound of rain… the warmth of their bodies pressing close together.

And Noctis, even as his mind clouds more and more, tries to justify. Ignis is sick, it's been a trying few weeks since they'd left. There was comfort in the touch, nothing more. Comfort like the way Noct can smell Ignis, as close as they were. Under the small hint of sweat and dirt it was there. A fragrance he's known all his life and he can't help but nuzzle his face in closer to Ignis’ neck.

Maybe though… maybe it's a little less seeking comfort though that has his leg sliding between Ignis’. And it's definitely something else than comfort behind his next move. Lost to how good — how right it feels to be curled into Ignis like this, his own nature that is too demanding and impulsive at times as he lets his lips drag along the skin of Ignis’ neck. And then he promptly stiffens as he realizes what he's just done, the line he's just crossed. )