FFXV Drabbles/Oneshots {📥}REQUESTS OPEN{📥}

Trouble With Paradise - Ignis Scientia

Note: the character is Noct's adopted sister.

"Ignis?" When the man heard his name, he turned around. Instantly, he wished he hadn't.

"Invidia? What are you doing in Lestallum?" the ash-blond male asked, his guard already up. This woman ... She was trouble. Always had been, always will be. It seemed that, wherever the royal retinue went, this woman followed.

"Oh, me? I'm just taking a trip to visit friends in the Cleigne region," she said sweetly, but Ignis wasn't fooled. He knew that she was infatuated with the prince, and that she would do anything to make him hers. But he didn't say anything to the woman that would make her defensive. Instead, he pursed his lips, grabbed the bag of ingredients from the proprietor, and made his way back to The Leville.

As soon as he entered the hotel room, the breath was knocked from his lungs as someone ran into him. The person fell to the floor while Ignis barely managed to stay on his feet. His glasses ... not so much. They fell to the floor with a clatter, but even without them he could see the culprit's face just fine.

"Maris," he began. The tone of his voice made the girl before him jump in her skin. She didn't dare stand up, or even lift her eyes to meet his. "What are you doing?"

"Um, I-I ..." she stuttered, cheeks red in embarrassment. After watching her for a few more seconds, Ignis sighed, crouching down to grab his glasses.

"Be careful," was all he said before he walked further into the room, placing the bag in his hand on the table. Maris watched the way he moved -- how fluidly he walked, how he seemed to float around the room with nary a sound. She watched the muscles in the man's back when he stretched, and she couldn't help but wonder just how toned he was under that shirt ...

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought her back to reality, her cheeks turning an even deeper shade of red when Gladio gave her a knowing look from where he lounged in an armchair. She sent him a glare, trying her best to seem furious with his antics, but it only caused him to laugh.

"What's with that look, kid?" he smirked. At his question, Ignis turned to the girl, who was still sitting on the floor. He noticed that her face was redder than it had been a few minutes ago, and how it seemed to grow redder as he watched her.

"Are you just gonna sit there?" Prompto asked, pulling out a deck of cards with a smirk. "Or are you gonna join us?"

***
Why did I agree to this? Maris was playing 5-card draw poker with the guys, and Ignis was thoroughly kicking her ass. What made it worse was they were playing a rendition of strip poker. Currently, Prompto had the least amount of clothing; only had on his boxers and the bracelet on his right wrist. Next was Noct, with only his pants. Gladio had bowed out earlier; he wore little clothing to begin with, so maybe that was a blessing in disguise? He was clearly having more fun watching the girl squirm. She had her undershirt and the shorts she wore under her skirt still on, which was roughly a third of what she started with.

But Ignis ... Six above, that man was a god. There could be no other explanation. He had only lost his glasses and gloves, the two articles placed neatly next to him.

Gladio spectated and dealt the cards for the current round, redealing cards as the others put them in the discard pile. Cautiously, Maris took a look at her cards. She had all the cards needed for a full house -- well, almost. She was just missing a seven or a queen. She discarded the useless card, then took the card Gladio handed to her. As soon as she took her first look at it, she struggled to contain her excitement: she had gotten a seven! So as not to tip off the boys, she kept a straight face as she added the card to her hand, waiting for the boys to finish with their strategies.

"Anyone wanna fold?" Gladio asked. His eyes rested on each of the players, waiting for their answers. When they all shook their heads, he smiled. "Ready? Show!"

Maris' heart jumped into her throat as her eyes scanned the others' cards, then went back to rest on her own. A smile tugged at her lips.

"Fucking finally!" she shouted, arms shooting into the air at her victory. Her smile sent Noct and Prompto into silence, and not long after the two bowed out. Ignis, however, accepted the round for what it was, and took off his shirt. He folded it neatly, placing it underneath his gloves and glasses. As soon as he was finished, his eyes locked with the girl's. They were wide in shock, her face about as red as one of Prompto's sunburns. Quickly, she covered her face with her hands, standing up. She muttered softly before exiting the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

"Poor girl's got it bad," Gladio smiled, throwing an arm around Ignis' shoulders. The ash-blond didn't need to ask what he meant: it was pretty obvious.

"You counted the cards, didn't you, Gladio?" Ignis asked, eyes narrowing on the Amicitia. Gladio only smiled in reply, and Ignis sighed. "You should know better than to mess around with her, Gladio. She's very sensitive."

Ignis stood from his seat, pulling on his shirt as he went to follow his girlfriend.

***
A few days later, the group was hanging out with Iris in Lestallum. Ignis was off somewhere else -- more than likely gathering information or ingredients, maybe both. Maris sat next to Noct at a small cafe, sharing smiles and jokes with the prince and Prompto, when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked around, her eyes finally landing on a woman that was glaring at her. She squirmed in her chair, uncomfortable under the woman's frigid gaze. Noct noticed, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, everything alright?" he asked, eyes showing concern for his little sister. She just nodded, not trusting herself to say anything as she looked away from the woman.

"Yeah. Everything's fine, Noct."

***
Later that night, as the group was walking back to The Leville, Maris felt eyes on her once more. This time, she didn't bother looking around. Actually, it was more like she couldn't, because a pair of hands reached out and snatched her from the rear of the group. One hand covered her mouth so she couldn't shout for her friends.

Maris was dragged into one of the many alleys of Lestallum, her body pinned to the wall by the woman she had seen glaring at her earlier.

"Leave my Noctis alone," the woman hissed, spitting in Maris' face. The young princess shied away from her assaulter, squeezing her eyes shut tight. "What a pathetic girl. What does he even see in you?"

Even though she knew the woman was talking about Noct, Maris couldn't help but feel like she was talking about Ignis. She knew the man was so much better than herself, in more ways than one. On more than one occasion, she would doubt herself, doubt the reason why she was sent on this journey with her adoptive brother when Noct would have been fine with just Gladio, Prompto, and Ignis.

As these thoughts ran through her mind, Maris didn't realize that the woman had been pried off her until she sank to the ground. She covered her head, curling into herself as the waterworks began.

"Maris?" the familiar voice made her lift her head to see Ignis crouching in front of her, a worried look on his face. She went to look at the ground again, but Ignis' gloved hands kept her from doing so. "Are you alright, love?"

More tears slipped from her eyes as the love of her life held her so gently, so ... tenderly. He wiped away the droplets with the pad of his thumb. With his other hand, he helped her to stand, pulling her closer to himself.

"Everything will be alright, Mar," he whispered against her hair, and the girl grasped at his shirt, letting the tears fall as she was held by her beloved.