Right. It's still better than nothing, too. Sounds like a plan.
[ Because if they don't have an excuse, however flimsy, for the way they choose to spend their time... he doesn't know. It starts to feel like something else. No time to think about it. He moves the rolls around a little on the plate, now fully sorted out and separated cleanly in two groups; the ones that have tomato (and there's one with peppers too, he thinks) facing Ignis, and the ones that just have egg and sausage on his side. He's delegating duties, like kings should. Not.
Though there's a pause, because the server pops back up to bring their ice. Well, the ice that Ignis ordered more precisely, but Noctis isn't shy at all in stealing a cube of it to pop into his mouth. Or... press against his lips in thought, for now. ]
It's, uh... been a while. Since the last time it was just you and me.
[ The trip works different from their lives back in the capital, when they were often all split up and only got together when they planned it. They'd had a lot of quiet evenings to themselves back then, since Ignis was the one assigned to check on him most often. Sure, depending on the duty, it could be Gladio sometimes; and he spent a lot of his private, personal time with Prompto instead. But Ignis was just... kind of always there, overall. Not that Noctis minds the group the way it is right now at all, they're all his friends. It's just... a bit nostalgic, he supposes.
He'd taken it a bit for granted then; never realized he'd miss it. ]
[He eyes the rolls that were nudged his way and were "politely ignored" because they had a single veggie in it, and only sighed softly. Some things will never change. At least he can make him eat some roasted veggies when they are camping because they mostly smell like barbecue.
His idle thoughts about camping and roasted carrots (?) were briefly interrupted by the image of Noct sucking on that goddamn ice cube. Ignis is trying to minimize his reaction to it because he's not sure what his reaction is (just the sight of it is very distracting), and fishes out a handkerchief from his pocket.]
Hmmm, that it was. I think the last thing we did was marathoning documentaries about stars. Or, there was an attempt- you fell asleep right after dinner, 30 minutes in.[Packing for trip Ignis doesn't count- they were alone in Noct's apartment, but not for fun. Besides, being at Noct's place is just something he's used to do- if anyone ever brought it up as odd, Ignis would've been offended.
He leans over and takes a handful of ice cubes, puts them all in the handkerchief, wraps it, then places it on the back of his neck. If he were not in public, there might've been a moan right there.]
If we find accommodations that have TV and movies, we could organize such a night again, [this time, he's leaned back in his chair, contemplative a way more relaxed, with his "cooling bag".]
...Yeah, well, sorry about that. Guess I'll have to try not to repeat it if we do.
[ It's mumbled well enough for an apology, a turn of his head to mask the embarrassment as Noctis pretends to be casually interested in someone a little distance away, passing by. He isn't, though. He's just remembering the evening in question, and what Ignis is talking about. Not only is it true he fell asleep -- he's guilty as charged of that like always -- but it's where he'd done it in that instance, too. Right against Ignis's shoulder, from where Noctis woke up a while later with his face near burrowed in the crook of his neck. He'd probably drifted there for warmth, but still... almost close enough to make it weird. Why didn't Ignis just wake him instead of sitting through that?
...He's not even feeling all that hungry anymore for now, so he can't use eating as a distraction again. All he has is the ice cube, but it melts rather quickly once he's put it in his mouth. Crossing one leg over his other under the table instead, he folds his arms and chooses to sink further in his seat. ]
That actually working for you?
[ The chair tilts with him when he shifts his weight, hovering precariously on just its left-side legs as he leans closer. He's got it balanced well for now though, so it's fine. He gives the makeshift ice pack a scrutinizing sideways look, as if trying to either doubt it or suss out its efficiency for himself. ]
Nothing to apologize for, I've known you long enough to suspect it could happen.
[He's not sure why he vividly remembers that night, what he made them for dinner, what they talked about (mostly nonsense and fishing gear), Noct almost eating himself into a lasagna-induced coma, then dozing off and, for a big surprise, Ignis after him too. It's just that he woke up at the first stir coming from Noct because he's a light sleeper.
It was... nice. Perfect even, if you ask him, too comfortable to admit it, and a secret he'll take to the grave with him (probably). It's perhaps because of that, the fact that such nights didn't happen so often, especially with Noct dozing off on him, that he remembers it so perfectly. He had to squish the wish to organize more of such evenings in hope of it repeating but that would've been too suspicious. Right?]
It makes me crave an actual ice bath, [Ignis admits, completely ignoring that the ice is melting and making his shirt wet on the edges.] I suppose those are a luxury in Lestallum, [a small huff and attempt at a joke.]
Do you wish to depart now for the cars or later? Perhaps at a higher altitude, we will catch some fresh air and a bit of cooler winds. [He eyes the off-balance chair and gives Noctis a look.] You'll topple over. [A statement because this, too, has happened before.]
[ Stubborn, with a note of eyeroll to deliver the rest of his intended message -- get off his case. He only tilts the chair even further in defiance, until the corner of its backrest clacks lightly against the one Ignis is occupying, bumping their shoulders together in the process too. Although unfortunately that's also like a prophecy coming true the next moment, because the impact does kind of throw it off-balance, and he's forced to let it emergency land back on its previous spot before it does tip over for real. There's nothing elegant about the sound of those plastic legs on the cobblestone of the terrace, either.
...He's just gonna pretend that didn't happen. ]
I'm good with now, but... you should probably eat something too. You're gonna lose your rights to keep lecturing me, y'know.
[ He quirks an eyebrow with that one; this wasn't supposed to be breakfast for just him. And no, coffee alone does not constitute breakfast either. Iced or not. ]
[Ignis watches in bemusement as Noctis proceeds to do what he told him not to do, and eventually threatens to fall onto the floor as predicted. He doesn't say anything, but raises his eyebrows at him and pushes his glasses up in the "I told you so" fashion. Honestly, he suspects that's way more annoying than anything he could've said right now.
He's lucky he didn't break those plastic legs and that they don't have to pay for destroying someone else's property.]
I will take some with me, do not worry. [He doesn't skip breakfast, and he did eat one. He'll pick up a few more to eat on the way there.]
And I will always lecture you if you are doing ['dumb shit' almost slipped out,] things that endanger you. [... too formal?]
[ Yeah. It's way more annoying, which is why he ignores it, chair scraping unharmoniously on the ground as he pushes it back to stand. And pretends he didn't just feel like folding his arms again, by busying himself with searching for coins through his pockets instead. Not with any semblance of order, one might add. ]
I wasn't doing things that endanger me. I was messing with you, there's a difference.
[ He dips a little towards Ignis as he says that, in something like the faintest mock-bow of "you're welcome", but there's a tug at the corners of his lips and a second later the very first huff of a chuckle, which kind of ruins it. To his credit, he does find a bit of change however, which he drops on the tabletop without ceremony. A couple of coins roll off under the edge of the plate, but they stay mostly together. Can be a tip for the staff, for accommodating Ignis's weird ice request, or for the noise, or whatever.
Noctis grabs one more roll from the plate as well, then turns. He doesn't know why; the ones over here don't look anything like them, and he hasn't thought of the Crown City in a while, avoiding the topic in his mind for reasons that feel still all too fresh to them all, but the streets of Insomnia come to mind. Right now, there's a pang in his chest and it feels like they're back for a second, having never left.
He's with Ignis. No, Ignis is with him, like always. That sets him at ease. ]
C'mon. I think the ticket point is this way, like... past the power plant and to the left? Y'know, high ground.
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no subject
[ Because if they don't have an excuse, however flimsy, for the way they choose to spend their time... he doesn't know. It starts to feel like something else. No time to think about it. He moves the rolls around a little on the plate, now fully sorted out and separated cleanly in two groups; the ones that have tomato (and there's one with peppers too, he thinks) facing Ignis, and the ones that just have egg and sausage on his side. He's delegating duties, like kings should.
Not.Though there's a pause, because the server pops back up to bring their ice. Well, the ice that Ignis ordered more precisely, but Noctis isn't shy at all in stealing a cube of it to pop into his mouth. Or... press against his lips in thought, for now. ]
It's, uh... been a while. Since the last time it was just you and me.
[ The trip works different from their lives back in the capital, when they were often all split up and only got together when they planned it. They'd had a lot of quiet evenings to themselves back then, since Ignis was the one assigned to check on him most often. Sure, depending on the duty, it could be Gladio sometimes; and he spent a lot of his private, personal time with Prompto instead. But Ignis was just... kind of always there, overall. Not that Noctis minds the group the way it is right now at all, they're all his friends. It's just... a bit nostalgic, he supposes.
He'd taken it a bit for granted then; never realized he'd miss it. ]
no subject
His idle thoughts about camping and roasted carrots (?) were briefly interrupted by the image of Noct sucking on that goddamn ice cube. Ignis is trying to minimize his reaction to it because he's not sure what his reaction is (just the sight of it is very distracting), and fishes out a handkerchief from his pocket.]
Hmmm, that it was. I think the last thing we did was marathoning documentaries about stars. Or, there was an attempt- you fell asleep right after dinner, 30 minutes in.[Packing for trip Ignis doesn't count- they were alone in Noct's apartment, but not for fun. Besides, being at Noct's place is just something he's used to do- if anyone ever brought it up as odd, Ignis would've been offended.
He leans over and takes a handful of ice cubes, puts them all in the handkerchief, wraps it, then places it on the back of his neck. If he were not in public, there might've been a moan right there.]
If we find accommodations that have TV and movies, we could organize such a night again, [this time, he's leaned back in his chair, contemplative a way more relaxed, with his "cooling bag".]
no subject
[ It's mumbled well enough for an apology, a turn of his head to mask the embarrassment as Noctis pretends to be casually interested in someone a little distance away, passing by. He isn't, though. He's just remembering the evening in question, and what Ignis is talking about. Not only is it true he fell asleep -- he's guilty as charged of that like always -- but it's where he'd done it in that instance, too. Right against Ignis's shoulder, from where Noctis woke up a while later with his face near burrowed in the crook of his neck. He'd probably drifted there for warmth, but still... almost close enough to make it weird. Why didn't Ignis just wake him instead of sitting through that?
...He's not even feeling all that hungry anymore for now, so he can't use eating as a distraction again. All he has is the ice cube, but it melts rather quickly once he's put it in his mouth. Crossing one leg over his other under the table instead, he folds his arms and chooses to sink further in his seat. ]
That actually working for you?
[ The chair tilts with him when he shifts his weight, hovering precariously on just its left-side legs as he leans closer. He's got it balanced well for now though, so it's fine. He gives the makeshift ice pack a scrutinizing sideways look, as if trying to either doubt it or suss out its efficiency for himself. ]
no subject
[He's not sure why he vividly remembers that night, what he made them for dinner, what they talked about (mostly nonsense and fishing gear), Noct almost eating himself into a lasagna-induced coma, then dozing off and, for a big surprise, Ignis after him too. It's just that he woke up at the first stir coming from Noct because he's a light sleeper.
It was... nice. Perfect even, if you ask him, too comfortable to admit it, and a secret he'll take to the grave with him (probably). It's perhaps because of that, the fact that such nights didn't happen so often, especially with Noct dozing off on him, that he remembers it so perfectly. He had to squish the wish to organize more of such evenings in hope of it repeating but that would've been too suspicious. Right?]
It makes me crave an actual ice bath, [Ignis admits, completely ignoring that the ice is melting and making his shirt wet on the edges.] I suppose those are a luxury in Lestallum, [a small huff and attempt at a joke.]
Do you wish to depart now for the cars or later? Perhaps at a higher altitude, we will catch some fresh air and a bit of cooler winds. [He eyes the off-balance chair and gives Noctis a look.] You'll topple over. [A statement because this, too, has happened before.]
no subject
[ Stubborn, with a note of eyeroll to deliver the rest of his intended message -- get off his case. He only tilts the chair even further in defiance, until the corner of its backrest clacks lightly against the one Ignis is occupying, bumping their shoulders together in the process too. Although unfortunately that's also like a prophecy coming true the next moment, because the impact does kind of throw it off-balance, and he's forced to let it emergency land back on its previous spot before it does tip over for real. There's nothing elegant about the sound of those plastic legs on the cobblestone of the terrace, either.
...He's just gonna pretend that didn't happen. ]
I'm good with now, but... you should probably eat something too. You're gonna lose your rights to keep lecturing me, y'know.
[ He quirks an eyebrow with that one; this wasn't supposed to be breakfast for just him. And no, coffee alone does not constitute breakfast either. Iced or not. ]
no subject
He's lucky he didn't break those plastic legs and that they don't have to pay for destroying someone else's property.]
I will take some with me, do not worry. [He doesn't skip breakfast, and he did eat one. He'll pick up a few more to eat on the way there.]
And I will always lecture you if you are doing ['dumb shit' almost slipped out,] things that endanger you. [... too formal?]
So, shall we?
no subject
I wasn't doing things that endanger me. I was messing with you, there's a difference.
[ He dips a little towards Ignis as he says that, in something like the faintest mock-bow of "you're welcome", but there's a tug at the corners of his lips and a second later the very first huff of a chuckle, which kind of ruins it. To his credit, he does find a bit of change however, which he drops on the tabletop without ceremony. A couple of coins roll off under the edge of the plate, but they stay mostly together. Can be a tip for the staff, for accommodating Ignis's weird ice request, or for the noise, or whatever.
Noctis grabs one more roll from the plate as well, then turns. He doesn't know why; the ones over here don't look anything like them, and he hasn't thought of the Crown City in a while, avoiding the topic in his mind for reasons that feel still all too fresh to them all, but the streets of Insomnia come to mind. Right now, there's a pang in his chest and it feels like they're back for a second, having never left.
He's with Ignis. No, Ignis is with him, like always. That sets him at ease. ]
C'mon. I think the ticket point is this way, like... past the power plant and to the left? Y'know, high ground.