Ignis Ardenti

Ignis Ardenti (Part Three)

Soft dawn light filtered through the windows, illuminating the room just enough to rouse Ignis from slumber. Normally, he woke quickly, but this morning, his mind was slow to return to full consciousness. But even before he was completely awake, he became aware of something highly unusual.

There was a warmth beside him that hadn't been there when he'd gone to bed.

His green eyes slowly opened, and he looked down. You were curled up against him, tucked almost beneath his chin. One arm was thrown loosely over his side, and he could feel that you had hooked one leg over his. He'd slept next to you in a tent long enough to know that you weren't one to cuddle in your sleep (though you had occasionally been known to kick Prompto – who was a sleep-snuggler – just hard enough to make him let go when his arms or legs found their way around you in the night), so this was something quite unexpected.

A part of him was slightly annoyed with himself; he was normally a very light sleeper – the slightest noise or shift in his surroundings would wake him up, but he had completely slept through this. He must have been more tired than he'd thought. But an even larger part of him was intrigued; this had to mean something had happened after he'd gone to sleep the night before. Something had changed, so that you no longer cared who knew about the two of you, and even felt comfortable enough to do this.

A quick glance over his shoulder told him that Prompto was still asleep, so you had time to retreat to your own bed, if you still wished to remain undiscovered. Carefully raising one arm, he gently stroked a knuckle down your cheek. You didn't even stir as he touched you. Then again, he rather liked having you here, even though he had never been one for blatant displays of affection in front of others.

However, this also meant that he couldn't get up, either. No matter how carefully he moved, he didn't think he would be able to extract himself from your hold without waking you. Ordinarily, this would have been a problem, since it would mean that he couldn't get up and prepare breakfast for everyone. But when the five of you stayed in a hotel, he usually allowed himself to sleep a bit later than he did while camping, knowing meals would be made by the staff, or easily found in a nearby restaurant or food stall.

Folding one arm beneath his head, he lightly draped the other one over your smaller form, closing his eyes once more, though he didn't plan on going back to sleep. Instead, he simply remained still, enjoying the feel of your warm frame against his. It was a complete change to how you had felt in that cavern; you'd been like a block of ice then (though he recalled that your inner walls had been borderline hot when he'd sheathed himself inside of you). But now, it was almost as if the two of you had never been trapped in that frozen chamber.

Almost. Except for the fact that you were now sharing his bed, and bore his fading mark on your throat.

But he was also curious as to what kind of reception awaited the two of you when the others awoke. He was prepared for anything, but were you?

He would soon find out.

Prompto turned over, raising his arms above his head and stretching lazily. There was nothing like waking up in a soft bed, beneath warm blankets. He didn't mind camping, really, but he didn't have the passion for it that Gladio did. Plus, camping usually meant being woken up at an ungodly hour by Ignis, who didn't want the breakfast he'd made to get cold.