aterat | One Fall And One Less Bear

That got a head turn and a smile. "As if I would ever mind something like that." It was odd, he hadn't thought he'd get that protective over anyone else other than Noct and the other two lads. And half of him had been pretty convinced that side of him was done and over with.

It was a pleasant surprise to be wrong.

Well, that's good.

"Wonderful. I fear I shall remain a barnacle," he grins. And Ignis lets him to, which is just fine for him.

Ignis laughed a little as he got some things set onto the table and came back over to Nida. "I have been promised a barnacle so I fully expect that not to change."

Looking over his beau's shoulder, green eyes blinked. "How are you coming along on your apple project there?"

"I would hate to deny you the attention," Nida grins as he looks over his shoulder at Ignis. And with the man so close, he earns a peck on the cheek.

"It's all sliced up. Get me another would you?"

The look in the green eyes clearly conveyed that Nida better not change his barnacle promise but Ignis accepted the kiss on the cheek with a smile. With a small nod he went and got a few more apples and set them down.

"Dinner's all set, but would like some help with the apple project in the meantime?" He was all about assisting or not as the other so chose.

"Please do," Nida grins at his partner. "I definitely don't mind being close to you while you work."

Especially anywhere he can feel the heat radiating off of the man.

A smile showed on Ignis' face at Nida's reply but there was a warm feeling he got in his chest at the words spoken. It was really sweet of the other to want to work close to him and the advisor found it to be very comforting.

"More of that barnacle business I take it."

So he grabbed another apple and began to peel it with a knife. The sooner they made dessert, the sooner he could get dinner on the table. And he was really looking forward to this too.

"More like... you give me things I miss," Nida admits with a smile. "There's something about you that makes me think of the first time I held a guy's hand, and how warm and fuzzy it made me feel."

Nida takes the peel as it's cut off and munches it lightly as he starts to arrange apple slices. He's almost got this.

Ignis paused mid peel as he heard what Nida said. A gentle and grateful smile lit his features and there was a small blush. "That is very sweet and is quite the compliment if somehow being with me brings you back to a wonderful time in your life."

He remembered how broken Nida had sounded when telling him about being dragged through other worlds and all of the hell he'd been through with the scars to prove it. It was so heartwarming to see some of the healing that must be taking place. Now warmth, light and life seemed to be replacing the cold, the sorrow and the great losses that had been previously endured.

Amusingly, it wasn't Elijah that he'd first held hands with. So really, Ignis was giving him something back, and it left him aching in delight.

But truth was, Ignis was doing something amazing for Nida. He truly had grown from knowing Ignis. This? This man, smiling and delighted and warm, this was the man he had grown into from the Iteration. From friendships and love and giving up on being SeeD Nomura. And Ignis had found that man again, though the darkness.

"Being with you is a wonderful time in my life."

The smile that was on his face didn't seem as if it was about to go anywhere so he just kept his gaze on the floor, unable to bring himself to look at Nida for a moment. With how sweet the other man was, it was no wonder he was so called 'smitten' or what was it..twitter pated? Well whatever it was, Ignis would certainly agree he definitely had a case of it.

"I don't know how I can ever thank you enough for your kindness."

His beau of course made him very happy and he was never sure how to go about saying it so he tried to show it instead. The man gave him a direction and hope here which were things he never thought he'd have. So he'd just gladly wear whatever labels were given to him due to it.

"Kindness? My flame, you're far more kind than I am," Nida chuckles as he considers the other man. But he takes the mostly peeled apple from Ignis and finishes it quickly before he turns to chopping. Once the slices are finished he lays them out carefully.

"But I don't mind admitting that I thrive on this kindness."

He tried to wave the compliments away but that endearment just stuck with him. And Ignis found that he didn't want to shake it at all. "It's just easy to be kind to you I suppose." Really he didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but it was still nice to hear.

Smiling at that last part he just thought back to some of the chats they'd had. "Indeed. It is rather nice to see a smile on that handsome face of yours."

He then consulted the book after laying down his knife to see what else needed to be done at this point.

Easy to be kind to him. Nida wants to laugh. Back home that wasn't a thing at all. In these worlds... in these worlds people seemed to care. And oh how he smiled at the appreciation for his smiles. The handsome didn't even figure in as he moved to kiss the other man's cheek.

"You give me more than a few reasons to smile again."

"I'm glad to hear that." Ignis replied with a smile of his own. Really he didn't think he did much to earn those precious gestures at all. But if Nida thought so and that made the man happy, that was what counted. It seemed so easy to have the other smile and the advisor would do whatever it took to keep them going as much as he possibly could.

You know what? Cooking could wait, for just a moment. Nida reached for Ignis, turning the man toward him to kiss him. Light, sweet, happy.

"After dinner, I'm going to rock you. If you want."

He was quiet as Nida turned him around, wondering what he wanted. But there was a genuine smile as he was kissed. Ignis loved every moment of the affection between them whether it was given, received or somewhere around mutual.

A small chuckle escaped him as he looked into those wonderfully warm dark eyes and he gave a small kiss of his own. "I don't believe that I would ever be inclined to say no to you in that regard."

"But if you are, please do so," Nida counters, smiling back. But with their kisses exchanged... he pulls away.

"Okay. I'll... uh, try to mix up this seasoning if you want to get back to dinner proper."

Ignis smiled and unnecessarily fussed with his glasses to give him a moment for something to do once Nida pulled away. So he went back to heating the oven. "That's fine, give me just a moment or two here so it can get onto the table."

The rice was done, the fish was in the process of getting reheated and the vegetables had been already chopped up waiting on the side.

"Alright then," Nida smiles, starting to mix things up. They can probably throw this into the oven after.

"Hey Ignis... Thanks for stopping by the tree that night."

The blondish head looked over his shoulder and he blinked a few times. What made Nida bring that up? But he just smiled instead of asking that question. "I'm rather glad that I had. You might not have otherwise danced with me that night." Or..who even knew if things would be as they were right now and there were no regrets on the advisor's part at all.

Nida had put pieces of him back together and he didn't realize some of the things that he'd been missing out on.

Of course he brought it up. That was the night they rolled from casual acquaintances to friends. Friends to lovers. Lovers to... more.

They had rebuilt each other, and perhaps neither of them knew just the extent of that.

"We've got to find real music to dance to, my flame. I want to teach you some of what I learned. Swing dancing, I think you have the body for it."

Real music..that might prove to be quite the challenge. "I'm not quite sure what they have here." And his face was turning red at that endearment again. But he looked at Nida when the swing dancing was mentioned.

"That isn't something I learned back home. But I'm willing to give it a shot.." And that's when he realized his body was being mentioned so he turned red again and lowered his head with a self conscious laugh.

"We'll find it," Nida counters. "Music. And I've got to ask, is swing music a concept your world has?"

He nodded. "Yes, but it wasn't something I learned. The dances there were more formal, more ballroom type for more formal royal occasions as it were." Ignis had learned them early on and had to in turn teach them to a sullen dark haired Prince who'd rather be playing video games or sleeping or who knew what else.

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