024 » hey mister dj keep playin' this song for me

[inlay]

[shopping in lestallum is always a hectic affair, so it doesn't surprise prompto when noctis says he's going to stay in their hotel room and take a nap. it also doesn't surprise prompto when gladiolus says he'll stay behind with noct: the prince's shield can't ever be too far from the prince, and all.

that leaves prompto to help ignis shop for supplies (potions, groceries, the usual) — which is a good thing, because prompto likes shopping. he's agreeable enough in personality that he doesn't question ignis's purchases, and he takes the heavier things without even being asked, out of consideration to ignis. which doesn't make sense, really, because ignis could probably outlift prompto any day, but prompto figures that the brunette does enough for all of them as it is — so helping him take stuff back to the hotel is the least he can do.

by the time they manage to escape the hustle and bustle of the market, their wallet is lighter and their bags are heavier — but prompto's cheery demeanor doesn't waver as he puts what ignis wanted him to carry down on the leville hotel kitchen counter and dusts off his hands like he's accomplished some momentous task.]

So! What were you gonna make with all this anyway, Iggy?

Comments

[blindloyalty]

A fine feast to mark our progress. While i prefer fresh fish, I may as well try my hand at marinated meat- much like the kind on skewers behind the market. It will take a few hours to prepare, but I think it will be well worth it. We ordinarily don't have the time for such development in flavor...

[he ties his apron around his waist, pulling out various pots and pants for his means. He pulls a couple of wine glasses down from the cupboard and fetches a bottle of Gewürztraminer from their shopping. He uncorks it with no unnecessary movement and pours each of them a half-glass.]

Let it aerate for a few minutes. And don't simply guzzle it down- it's a sipping wine.

[once he says this, he goes about dealing with the ingredients. he breaks them down with practiced precision. He begins to boil salt water and spices in a medium sized pan]

Your birthday is soon, isn't it?

[inlay]

[prompto's whole face lights up at the word "feast" — and he's about to say something when suddenly ignis pulls out the wine glasses and pours out two shots. the blond seems taken aback, mostly because he assumed that the wine would be for cooking, not for drinking.]

Wh-Wha — ? Ignis...?

[a pause.]

I... wow. Yeah, I guess it is October, huh? You remembered?

[once ignis sets the wine aside, prompto can't help himself from staring at it with a teenager's curiosity — he can't bring himself to touch it, since ignis told him to "let it aerate for a few minutes" (whatever that means), but he crouches at the counter so that he can peer at the wine through the kitchen light, as if the pretty pale lemon color of the liquid will reveal to him some deep secret.]

[blindloyalty]

But of course. It is my responsibility to keep a good calendar. I figure that we may not have this opportunity again properly on the day. Whilst it isn't perfectly legal... Well, I won't tell if you won't.

[ after a few minutes, the brine boils and he sets it aside. he pulls a clean pot and inspects it before setting it on the stovetop.]

Would you like me to bake a cake in your honor?

[he figures that's enough time judging by the speed of the water's boil. He picks up both glasses and hands one to prompto.]

Cheers. [this is said with decent enthusiasm and a nod as he holds his glass out for a nice little clink.]

[inlay]

Oh — no no no, that's fine! You don't have to make a cake! I'm just really surprised that you remembered. And — and that I'm turning twenty-one.

[he (belatedly) takes up the glass and hastily clinks it against ignis's, with probably not the proper amount of solemnity that ignis would have liked. before he sips it, prompto's gaze falls to his feet — a thin layer of shame veils his expression.]

...Man, I feel bad. I don't even know your birthday...

[with that, he takes a sip of the gewürztraminer. he doesn't... appear to dislike it, but he purses his lips and tilts his head at the glass as if it's asked him some kind of question.]

[blindloyalty]

Well. I don't really use social media, so that information isn't easily publicly available. But I do keep an eye on Noctis' accounts for safety.

[he sips his wine, a grin slipping across his features. He gives prompto a few pats on the back.]

My birthday is February 7th: precisely a week before Valentine's Day. If you multiply the month and the day of my birthday you arrive at Valentine's. Easy to remember, don't you think? [He leans up against the counter and idly crosses his ankle over.]

Do you think our prince should have a glass?

[inlay]

February 7th, week before Valentine's! Got it. I'll figure something out.

[prompto nods to himself a few times, as if to solidify the idea. the question about noct makes his lips twitch in a vague approximation of a smile.]

Eh, I don't think Noct would go for it.

[the wine certainly isn't as chuggable or easily accessible as sweetened tea from a crow's nest diner.]

I like it, but it's not really his royal taste, you know?

[blindloyalty]

[he gives a little smile and nod at that. he doesn't want to be so discouraging as to say "oh no, i won't hold you to it". sometimes a little pressure is good for you.]

Oh, I know. Gladio hates it, too. He buys that... commoner's beer. It looks like it was manufactured purely to put cigarettes out on.

[he takes up the bottle, refilling both of their glasses, but this time to full servings. he keeps an eye on all pots, checking his watch in increments.]

Perhaps we will be allowed to share the bottle in peace, then?

[inlay]

[prompto laughs despite himself at the comment about gladio's beer. truthfully, yeah, prompto doesn't like that beer all that much either, but he figures it's just an acquired taste.]

Damn, Iggy, that's harsh. On behalf of all commoners, I am sorry for our beer.

[the wine is much better, anyway. prompto smiles at the glass refill, though he wonders if it isn't a little too much. how high is the alcohol content in this bottle of wine? how good is his alcohol tolerance? he's never had any more than a sip of gladio's beer or a couple of liquor-filled chocolate truffles...]

But sure, I can toast to that. [he holds up his glass in a mock-toast before bringing it up to his lips to sip again.] To... poppin' bottles. Cheers.

[blindloyalty]

It's above his pay grade! And yours! Even before we had to scramble for this currency conversion, he took a madman's delight in buying cheap beer. It's like his fascination with those damn Cup Noodles. I could cook that from scratch and better, but it seems to take all the fun out of it for him. [The bitterness is palpable.]

Uncorking white wine is hardly popping, but I'll allow it. [he offers a lopsided toothy grin as he mirrors the mock-toast and sip. He bounces his hips out of his leaning stance to tend to the food preparation. ]

Do you have any plans for the evening, Prompto? There seems to be some recognizable nightlife here, after all.

[inlay]

Uh, you say that like I have a pay grade...

[well, cup noodles are fun, prompto wants to say — but he can tell ignis's culinary spirit has been personally offended by the dried noodle blocks, and he wisely decides to steer the conversation away from gladio's taste in cheap noodles and beer.

prompto paces around the kitchen; he keeps his distance from the stove so that he's not in the way, but stays close enough that he can be in arm's reach if ignis needs any help.]

But, nah, I wasn't gonna go out or anything. I could, I guess... but where's the fun in getting rejected by girls if Noct's not there to laugh at me?

[blindloyalty]

You have a peculiar definition of fun, but I suppose we all do. Not to be too crass, but you're hardly in the situation where you could bring a girl back. As it is you're already sharing a bed. [He waggles his stirring spoon at Prompto with a laugh.]

It's been an age since I even contemplated going out like that, honestly. Most mens' clubs are too rowdy for my tastes, and the ones that aren't are a bit too refined. And by refined I mean old. You and Noct may have your fun, but I am a young man at heart.

[inlay]

Not to be too crass, but you don't need a bed — a-and I'm loyal to Cindy!

[he adds that last part hastily, like he only just remembered to tag it on at the end.]

Anyway, no one said you weren't a young man, Ignis. We make fun of Gladio for being old.

[prompto wrinkles his nose in mock disgust at gladio's age, but at twenty-three, gladio's very much a young man, too. he leans over the kitchen island, staring at ignis while bent over at the hip.]

So you're saying dance halls are too loud for you, but the classy places are too stuffy, right? Maybe you need to try, uh... speed dating. Or, like... apps. You know, hot singles in your area. But I guess the time for that has kind of passed.

[blindloyalty]

I'd hope your loyalties laid with Noctis! [He chuckles into his wine glass. He moves a few pots around the burners. He pulls a mixing bowl and and starts wordlessly making a cake.]

I'm not sure speed dating even properly exists for gay men. There's too few of us to fill a roster for something so specific and disheartening as speed dating. I've had a look at the apps, and they're much too embarrassing to regard for more than seconds at a time... But, yes, the time has well passed now. We haven't more than a moments respite at a time. It's just enough to become a bit bored and little else.

[inlay]

Noct's... taken.

[that's all that prompto says for a moment before something that he just heard sinks in, and he looks up over the rim of his wine with half his expression comically distorted by the glass.]

...waaaaaait a... sec. I — what? Iggy, you're...?

[prompto doesn't finish his question, mostly because his voice rises to too high a pitch for him to say gay without his voice breaking.]

[blindloyalty]

Homosexual. [his voice is as flat as chests of the sex he's after.] Yes. It's not as if this was ever a secret, but I suppose it's old enough news that it isn't news.

[he sips his wine down, nearly emptying his glass.]

Besides that, I meant your loyalty as a subject, not a romantic partner... [You fucking walnut]

[inlay]

Oh.

[there's a pause, and then prompto winces hard enough that his eyes actually close.]

Ohhhhh... cheese fries.

[that is, apparently, prompto's idea of a comical swear word, as he leans forward and sort of wipes his face with his hands.]

Shit. Am I the only one who didn't know about this?

[blindloyalty]

[He has to laugh. He has to.]

Well, as much as it isn't a secret, I don't particularly broadcast it. It's alright, Prompto. I'm more amused to think that you could imagine me with a woman.

[Maybe it wasn't even that. But it was funnier to imagine that. As a matter of courtesy and to shift the mood he pours more wine into Prompto's glass]

I knew my whole life, really. But I had only addressed it at an age where I thought Noctis could handle it.

[inlay]

I-I don't know! You're just — I'd always think, "Why doesn't Iggy have a girlfriend?" I mean... girls should be all over you, you know? You're just — you're absolutely the perfect guy. You're tall and cool and you cook and you're responsible and stylish and — you smell nice, Iggy. You smell nice. I mean, I would date you. For real. I could not...

[prompto has to set his head on the counter for a moment. like, arms folded, face down on the counter. like it's preschool and the teacher's preparing a surprise.

he's not gonna be okay.]

This makes a lot of sense, but it's also... wow. Okay! Whew! I need a moment.

[blindloyalty]

The reason I don't have a girlfriend now should be terribly apparent! [he laughs as he catches the thread of this.]

What an honest admission, Prompto. You would date me? What's more, you think I smell nice.

Take all the time you need. [he fiddles with the pots and pans before refilling his glass. He places a hand on Prompto's shoulder]

It'll be alright, I can promise this.

[inlay]

You smell amazing, Ignis. You ever gotten the tailwind of Gladio's sweat after a long day's hunt? Grody. You, though... you just smell a little more... refined.

[the hand on his shoulder makes him jump. the downside to not wearing sleeves is, uh... bare skin. he feels strangely sensitive in the kitchen air.]

I don't know if I should be mad that I didn't figure it out, or that Noct never told me.

[blindloyalty]

Well, it's hardly any interest of Noctis'. Besides... he knows I used to be sensitive about it, so he does his bit in preserving the dignity of a younger, teenaged me.

Why should you be mad? Does this really matter that much to you?

[He gives a tight, sly grin. His hand shifts as he leans in, fingers moving under the cloth of his vest. He speaks softly into Prompto's ear.] Careful. It sounds as if you're trying to make me consider you with this flattery.

[He stays in pretty close. He can feel this air, too. But it seems like Prompto is the source of it.]

[inlay]

[it's all too telling how prompto freezes up when he realizes that ignis is reaching under his vest. blue eyes widen, his lips part. but, well, this is normal, right? they touch each other all the time. in battle. and stuff. this is normal. this is normal.

he stutters all too belatedly.]

Oh — nonononono! I'm not — that's not — I like girls! [very helpful, prompto.] I was just, sorta — I was wondering what kind of guys you're into? You know, just, curiosity, not...

[in his frantic gesturing, he almost drops his glass of wine; he sets it aside in a desperate bid to keep it safe.]

Nothing else!

[blindloyalty]

[He keeps his hand there because Prompto's reaction is really interesting here. He looks about the room. Still no one in sight. He withdraws his hand and crosses his arms, laughing.]

I can't very well tell you something like that. Next you'll be pointing out every other man in Altissa as if you're giving chase for the police.

I'll never have peace again!

[The more he insists over girls the more suspect it was. He softens he gaze, his natural purse to his lips revealing some teeth. ]

Plenty of men find it difficult to imagine that they could ever be with a man until they've already kissed one. There's hardly any shame in a bit of leading curiosity.

[inlay]

[prompto relaxes marginally when ignis restores his personal space; he can feel his heart rate drop back to something vaguely in the realm of normalcy. as it so happens, though, prompto's alcohol tolerance is not very good at all. he's had only about three-fourths of his glass thus far, but already his entire face is flushed, even his forehead, but especially his nose and ears. he looks rather like he's run a marathon. his mild intoxication doesn't make his protests very convincing... and it's lowering his inhibitions more than he realizes.]

It's not about me, I promise. It's just... guys like guys like Gladio, right?

[blindloyalty]

[ damn it prompto, come on. You don't get to look that cute and flushed and edge in on his privacy so dumb like this. ]

Not necessarily. You're focusing on his muscles over his personality. I suppose some go for it, but... Come now, Prompto, you can't think that every man is just vying to look like and be with him. For instance, I'm not particularly attracted to Gladio and I never want to be as bulky as him. I don't think I would turn someone down for it, but it's not what I look for.