Final Fantasy One-Shots

FFXV | Ignis Scientia x Reader

"Here seems like a good spot to set up camp," Ignis informed the group, kicking aside a few loose twigs and crumpled leaves to clear the ground of the clearing. There was a wide gap in the trees here, moonlight swinging through the branches like ghostly apparitions. The sky was a dusky blue, not quite eclipsed with night, and peppered with stars that blinked down at you sleepily. As the guys started setting up the tent, you found yourself entranced, gazing up at the patches of sky visible through the branches. "[Y/N]? Are you going to help?"

"Hm? Oh, right, sorry," you said, dragging your eyes away from the sky and moving over to help them. It was your first time travelling with the Prince and his three companions. They'd picked you up at the Chocobo ranch as extra muscle for the journey and had been walking for most of the day. Your feet were sore from the pace the men had set and were thankful for the chance to finally rest. You helped Ignis dig the last peg into the ground, brushing a thin layer of sweat from your brow and shooting him a smile. "Hey, Iggy," you said, using the nickname you'd taken to calling him since you first met, "I'm sleeping outside the tent, right?"

Ignis pulled a face you couldn't quite decipher. "The tent's only built for four people, I'm afraid. And I daresay having a girl sleep amongst four men might not be... ahem, all that appropriate," he added, his cheeks dusted with a fine spray of pink. Prompto, overhearing, sniggering loudly and shot you a wink, which you chose to ignore.

"That's fine. I was just double checking," you said, forcing your lips into a smile you didn't feel. The thing was, you weren't so great being by yourself in the dark, especially in a wild forest. Luckily, the moon seemed fairly bright tonight, a strong white disk on the breast of the sky, and you'd have the fire going strong. But they were only going to keep the shadows at bay for so long. What if the fire died out and a long cloud passed over the moon? Then there'd be no escape from the shadows, from the monsters that crawled around in the dark...

"Are you okay? You look rather pale," Ignis said, taking a step closer to you. You shook away your silly fears and shot him a thumbs up.

"I'm fine. Just a bit hungry, that's all," you lied, patting your stomach for emphasis. "I hope you guys don't live off mushrooms out here."

Gladiolus gave a throaty laugh. "Oh, don't worry. Ignis is the best cook you could ask for. He'll cook you anything you like."

The man nudged his glasses up his nose with an embarrassed cough. "Well, permitted we have the correct ingredients," he pointed out, and you cracked a smile, genuine this time.

"As long as it's not just mushrooms, I'll eat anything."

***

Bellies full and the route for tomorrow decided, it was time to settle down for the night. The ground was hard and clumps of dirt and rotted leaves dug into your back and wafted damp smells across your nose, but that wasn't what was bothering you when you lay your head on your lumpy equipment pack. What was bothering you was that you were alone and it was dark. Clouds had sidled over from the East while you were eating and the moon was now partly obscured, a ghostly half-smile. The fire was still strong, eating away at the firewood you kept feeding it, but the glow that it cast didn't stretch very far; shadows still bruised the edges of the camp, hiding whatever creatures chose the darkness as their domain.

You curled your fingers around the hilt of your sword, cradling it to your chest as your eyes flickered to and fro in the darkness. The cold metal was a consoling presence against your skin. But it did little to quell the apprehension you felt as being alone in the dark.

A sudden rustling caught you off guard and your heart started up with short, erratic bursts of panic. You jolted upright, sword swinging as a silhouette detached from the shadows in your peripheral vision.

"It's only me," a familiar voice said, and you immediately lowered your sword.

"Sorry, you scared me," you said, your breathing still tumbling out in short, sharp pants. "What are you doing?"

"I came to check on you," Ignis admitted as he came over to sit by the fire. The top button of his shirt was undone and his cuffs were loosened. His eyes were heavy-lidded behind his glasses, lulling him into a doze, but he managed to shake it away. "Why are you still awake?"

"Oh, uh, couldn't sleep," you said, shrugging loosely.

"Hm. Too much on your mind?" He asked, his eyes glinting like two round stones of sapphire in the firelight.

"Something like that."

Ignis hummed quietly, bringing a knee up to his chest, the other one stretched out in front of him.

"You don't have to stay. You've seen that I'm okay," you said, not quite looking him in the eye. Despite what you said, you didn't want him to leave. When he was there, you didn't have to worry about the stupid dark.

His brow quirked smoothly. "I can stay if you want."

You swallowed, resting your sword on the ground and playing with your fingers. "N-no, it's okay," you stuttered. Those were the wrong words and you knew it. Why did you find it so difficult to admit what you really wanted? You sighed, brushing your hair out of your eyes. People can't help you if they didn't know what's wrong, your mother used to say to you. Maybe it was time to start listening to her advice... "I'm scared of the dark," you blurted when you saw Ignis start to stir, brushing the dirt off his gloves. He stopped and lifted his eyes to yours, but you were looking elsewhere. "I... I know it's silly, being more scared of a few shadows than a behemoth," you said, keeping your eyes on your hands, dragging a twig through the dirt. "It's just... the dark is a fear that I've never managed to conquer."

You risked a glance up, expecting to see the man sniggering at you or at least looking at you like you were stupid. But he smiling. It was a kind smile, a soft curving of his lips, the kind that reflected in his eyes too.

"If that's the case, then I'm not going anywhere," Ignis said matter-of-factly, scooting over to you and brushing aside a few stones so that he could lay down.

"Really, it's fine, you don't-" you started, but he silenced you with a look, crossing his arms behind his head and looking up at the sky. "Thank you, Ignis," you said instead, you voice a low hum as you watched the flames twist and curl into faces on the fire. Embers floated around in the air like fireflies.

"Don't mention it. Sleeping out here is better than having to put up with the Prince's snores anyway."

"Oh my, Prince Noctis is a snorer," you teased, feeling calmer, safer already as you laid back down and twisted your head slightly to face him. "Wait until I tell everyone back home."

Ignis chuckled. He had removed his glasses now and his face looked smooth and young. "Trust me, you'll learn a lot about the four of us once you've been stuck with us for a few days," he warned you.

You smiled shyly. "I'd like to get to know you more, Ignis."

"Yes. You too. But let's save that for the morning because I'm getting awfully tired," he said, stifling a yawn beneath his hand. "Goodnight [Y/N]."

There was a smile in your voice as you turned to look up at the sky again. Maybe sleeping outside wasn't so bad after all. "Goodnight Ignis."