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

[burninglight]

Hm...you're going to be terribly distracting, you know.

[But he'd at least drop all the camping gear out of the Armiger and start to make an attempt at setting it up.]

[warmgaze]

Am I a terrible thing to be distracted by?

[Don't worry, he'll help. The sooner they have a camp, the sooner they can get on to other things.]

[burninglight]

Heavens, no. Perish the thought.

[Got one (1) very comfy Solheim-era tent!]

[warmgaze]

[Time to fill it with one (1) very comfy Solheim-era Ardyn.]

Then whatever are you complaining for?

[Said while sliding a hand around his hips.]

[burninglight]

Whoever said I was complaining? Pointing out that you are distracting simply by being magnificent is naught but addressing a fact.

[and goodness, of course he's gonna go right back to ignis' throat. it's a nice throat that could use a bite mark or two.]

[warmgaze]

[It certainly could and they are certainly nice bites, Ignis arching his back into it just a little.]

Good. I was careful to save the best of my distracting for an appropriate time.

[He assumes he's allowed to touch in return, here, so his hands slide a little lower. Nice ass, Ardyn.]

[burninglight]

[Allowed and even encouraged, Ardyn making a softly appreciative noise against Ignis' neck before venturing to slowly kiss a trail to his collarbone.]

And should I presume this to be an appropriate time?

[warmgaze]

Quite so.

[Well hey if he likes that handling, how bout a gentle squeeze?]

[burninglight]

[That got Ignis a sound that was not entirely dissimilar to the purring of a giant contented coeurl, hands tracing up his chest to work at unbuttoning the adviser's shirt. It was terribly in the way of a few more kisses to the juncture of neck and shoulder, Ardyn's hands falling away to trail along Ignis' sides.]

[warmgaze]

[What an excellent reward for his efforts. Ignis tilts his head to one side, giving Ardyn greater access, with a pleased mmmmm. His hands linger a moment before starting to work at the bottom of Ardyn's shirt and vest, crawling under the layers to the bare skin that must be underneath.]

[burninglight]

[And wasn't that just a delightful sound he'd try to get more of, gently pushing Ignis to guide him to sit down with Ardyn practically straddling his lap.]

[Beneath the (fewer than there would someday be) layers was a thinner frame than his clothes suggested, and at least one reason for the long sleeves and high collar became clear--under Ignis' hands were the beginning of what would someday be a wide collection of scars scattered across the healer's body.]

[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.]