Get in time traveller

[warmgaze]

[Altissia. The ring, burning into his finger, burning into his skull, and he knows the price without asking, knows before it's paid. The thing you value most, isn't that always how this works in fairytales?

Ravus. Noctis. Ardyn, and that little revelation barely enters his mind at the time, the familiar glowing signature of a warp in an unfamiliar color. The prophecy, the visions that hang in his mind, a last wish from a woman who spent her life to ensure it, Lunafreya's final message to ensure that Noctis would survive.

The last clear words he can remember clearly, You've a calling to fulfill, and then Prompto and Gladio's voices, concerned, in a blur...

And then nothing. Just the feeling of a ring's power, setting him alight from fingertips to crown -

It's still in him, that power. The ring of the Lucii binds to its wearers for life, knotting strands of light into their souls, be they kings or anyone else.

(He had expected to die. Living is harder.)

And in the depths of his unconsciousness, in the place where he knows the things that he hasn't had time to consider, Noctis and Ardyn and prophecy and all of that terrible weight -

From there, from the connection of the fire in his soul that will never go out, that can only be smothered and locked away in the dark, a voice says, what would you give to change fate?

And, of course, he answers, Anything.

----

In another world, Ignis Scientia wakes in Altissia, his face scarred, his vision burned away, and continues on.

In this one, Prompto Argentum enters the room just in time to see a flare of purple flame lick along his friend's body and leave nothing behind, not even a char mark on the wrinkled sheets.

And Ignis?

Ignis wakes, with a groan and a hand pressed to his face, in the back of a cart that trundles to a stop to pick up another passenger, a young healer with cheeks not yet sunken by pain and eyes not yet yellowed by plague. He wakes bereft, on some fundamental level, of the touch of magic that bound him to Noctis, the hum of energy that bound retainer to prince...

He wakes with the imprint of a ring on his finger, the memory of agreeing, and not the damnedest idea where he is.]

Comments

[warmgaze]

[The scars aren't at all surprising, when he considers it, letting himself be pushed into a seat. He runs his fingers along them, memorizing without seeing, his eyes drifting closed in concentration.

He has a few himself, even aside from the burns from Altissia - and the slash that Ardyn will soon be discovering, if he didn't know it already, a parting gift across his shoulder from Ravus and his electrified sword. How many more would he have, with a power like Ardyn's? All of Noctis' scars, certainly. Probably no small number of Prompto's as well, the civilian underneath hurried Crownsguard training always more fragile than the rest of them.

He digs his fingers in, just a little, at the thought.]

[burninglight]

Mm-

[A sharp intake of breath and a noise that was nowhere near complaining came with that slight pressure, Ardyn pulling back just enough to speak.]

...still alright?

[warmgaze]

Marvelous. Please do keep going.

[burninglight]

As you wish. [well he's just gonna settle right into your lap and let his hands do just a bit of wandering over those nice scars, then.]

[warmgaze]

[There's a small twitch of his hips as Ardyn settles his weight, but then it's just back to pleased noises and returning the touch, gently hiking Ardyn's shirt up and leaning in to kiss him again.]

[burninglight]

[His hands slipped under Ignis' shirt in a gentle stroking motion on his sides, looking to reassure him as Ardyn pressed another gently insistent kiss to the adviser's mouth traced with the smallest edge of a smirk.]

[warmgaze]

[Don't worry, Ardyn, he really is quite perfectly comfortable with this, at least so far. After all, aside from you being you, some of this is close enough to what he'd imagined his first time would be like, tent included. Callused fingers under his shirt, just going at a comfortable pace...

Another mmmm into the kiss.]

[burninglight]

[So long as Ignis was comfortable and responsive, Ardyn would most certainly keep right on going; one hand drifted from side to hip to thigh with an encouraging squeeze, the other tracing a gentle touch along the lines of shoulder to neck as if Ardyn couldn't possibly be touching him enough.]

[warmgaze]

[Never fear, he's quite comfortable, making another little noise as he breaks off the kiss.]

It seems like my shirt is starting to get in your way.

[burninglight]

What a shocking coincidence. I think mine is as well.

[warmgaze]

Definitely a situation we can't permit to continue.

[burninglight]

Perhaps we could help each other with our respective problems?

[warmgaze]

Certainly not a solution I would oppose.

[Gonna slide his hands back around to your front, Ardyn, laying them palms against your chest.]

[burninglight]

How spectacular.

[He finished unbuttoning Ignis' shirt, sliding his hands along the adviser's shoulders to helpfully relieve him of it entirely with a quietly appreciative sound.]

[warmgaze]

[It comes free of his shoulders easily - underneath, as Ardyn no doubt expected, is lean muscle with the occasional scar. Not much of the burns, at least - what Ardyn didn't remove of those is clustered around his eyes and left hand.

In turn, Ignis starts undoing buttons, pausing only to slide his hands out of his sleeves.]

[burninglight]

[Reluctantly Ardyn took his hands off Ignis to pull free of his own sleeves in turn; he was just as slender under his shirt as Ignis would already know from how closely he'd held the savior lately. And sure enough, there were more scars; not quite covering his body, but scattered here and there along his upper body and arms in a disjointed way that made it clear they'd not been connected injuries sustained in one single fight.]

...my, but you are achingly beautiful.

[warmgaze]

[Or indeed, in all likelihood, from one single person. He was prepared for that, but to actually see it is something else.

Each mark a proof that this Ardyn is someone completely different from who Ignis expected him to be.]

You're not so bad yourself.

[Almost absently, he traces one of the longer scars with a fingertip.]

[burninglight]

Hm, you truly flatter me. [Ardyn trailed his hands in lazy, drifting lines, along Ignis' chest, down to his sides and around to rest on his back before pulling himself closer against the adviser's chest.]

Now--where were we?

[warmgaze]

Somewhere around here.

[He leans a bit forward to put an arm around Ardyn's back again, running a finger down the full length of his spine this time.

This is good. This is real good.]

[burninglight]

[Ardyn certainly seemed to be in agreement on how good it was, arching his back under Ignis' touch with a low contented murmur. As fun as it was to draw things out and take it slowly, he'd already been presented with all the explicit permission in the world to do as he pleased.]

[...Which he did, naturally, in a quite thorough and deliberate fashion. It turned out Izunia had perhaps underestimated Ardyn's range of expertise, though in this case that was likely to be far from a terrible thing. He was gentle and cautious throughout, the kind of person that lavished his partner with endearments and praise while keeping their comfort and pleasure at the forefront of his priorities. As much as the happiness of others was his main joy in life, there were also few things he liked more than to see someone driven to forget every word of language but his name underneath him.]

[After the fact, Ignis would have earned one very satisfied stringbean savior curled up against his chest, thoroughly exhausted and very content.]

...probably going to want to get you a scarf on the way home. Might've left a few marks.

[warmgaze]

I'll surely perish.

[And oh, Ignis had been perfectly happy to be led, for once, even as some corner of his mind kept taking careful notes For the next time that would certainly happen. At least, as long as he could manage that much focus.

He could definitely respect the appeal of letting go, as well. For now, he curls up closer to Ardyn, amused smirk planted somewhere near where he left a mark of his own.]

I'm going to have to learn another language to fully express my appreciation without repeating myself.

[burninglight]

Mm...flatterer. [The words came out in almost a purr, slender scarred arms coming around Ignis' neck to stroke calloused fingers through his hair.] You're liable to give me a terribly inflated ego.

[warmgaze]

You needn't worry about that. After all, I do do my best to remind you how perfectly imperfect you are in other areas of your life.

[He turns his head to press a kiss to the inside of Ardyn's wrist, at the pulse point, before settling down into the petting.]

[burninglight]

...perhaps someone has to, don't they?

[warmgaze]

Hardly the most terribly thankless job I've ever done, if it involves more of this.