The door opened.
Ravus awoke with a start, breathing in sharply as he backed himself up against his bed, as if to fend off any unwelcome guests. It was the middle of the night, and no one had access to his room. No one except for Ignis, of course. He had made sure to move Ignis up to his floor and into Minerva's old bedroom long ago, when their nights together had been frivolous escapades that held little meaning in the grand scheme of their confusing relationship. Easier access if they needed each other for anything.
He was sure that he'd told the man to never come into his room in the night unless night terrors plagued him to the point of a breakdown. Still, he heard no crying or sniffling, nor any shaky breaths that would indicate sleep troubles.
So he kept up his guard, until Ignis turned the corner and entered Ravus's view.
Holding a cat. Correction: Three cats. Particularly large ones, like the breed he himself was so fond of- wait.
Dear Gods, no. No, he didn't find them, no! His eyes widened in horror as he recognized the cats as his indeed. Shiva take me, why couldn't they have been strays that he'd been hiding?! Ignis approached with the cats and rounded the corner of the bed to join him, letting the cats down onto the bed, where they padded over to Ravus, and climbed onto him, meowing and purring up a storm.
Ravus glared over to the younger man, annoyance evident on his features. How many times did I tell him to stay out of the rooms that weren't my room, the music room, my personal training room, or his? Especially in the middle of the night! He released an exasperated sigh and ruffled the fur of the smallest cat of the three. Not that any of them were small in the traditional sense. He waited and waited for the snarky comment from Ignis to come, frowning as one of the cats climbed up his chest and shoulder to rest atop his head. You aren't a kitten anymore; you're liable to break my neck!
"I didn't know you liked cats." Was Ignis's remark of the whole thing, a smile playing upon his lips. "What are their names?" It seemed a genuine question and Ravus proudly presented each cat as he named them for his partner.
"Yes, well...this is Balthasar," Ravus passed Ignis the smallest of the three cats. He was a dark coated tabby with startling green eyes.
"And next is Gaspar." He lifted the cat that was sitting on his head off of him with a smile. "He's the unfortunate middle child, although I like to think I care for them equally." He made sure to show off the cat's white and gray tabby coat, making sure his eyes -equally as green as Balthasar's- caught the light of the moon that was filtering through his many windows.
As he lifted the largest of the three cats, his heart swelled with pride. "This is the old man, Melchior. I've had him the longest." He lowered his voice and leaned over to whisper in Ignis's ear. "Please don't tell the other two but he's also my favorite." The cat leaned up to rub against Ravus's face and he laughed. "Melchior stop, or I'll push you off the bed...!" He truly was a beautiful cat, standing tall, with a regal look, his nearly black pelt only lightening to an ash gray color around his mane of neck fur and paws.
Gaspar jumped down from the bed and slinked out of the room, followed closely by Balthasar. "Those two never are far apart..." Ravus shoved Melchior towards the edge of his bed until the cat jumped down and walked away, purring happily. "Lunafreya loved dogs more than anything...so as she kept dogs, I kept cats." He let out a strained sigh before grabbing Ignis's hand and pulling it to his lips. "I should punish you for going places I told you not to."
Ignis began to protest weakly, but Ravus had long since discovered that his simply needed to shove a finger or two into the younger man's mouth to silence him; so he did, eliciting a delightful sounding moan from him. "Hush, love, I don't need your explanations." He pulled his fingers from Ignis's mouth and leaned in to press his lips against Ignis's own. He mumbled against them with the commanding tone that never failed to drive Ignis crazy, letting a wicked smirk dance across his mouth as he spoke, "Just know that there will be...consequences if you 'happen' to do it again."
And oh there would be. But something told him that Ignis wouldn't mind.
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I Didn't Know You Liked Cats
FanfictionIgnis discovers Ravus's secret affinity for cats when he is set upon by three rather large ones and comes into his room one night during his stay in Tenebrae to ask about it.