Work Text:
Breathe in… 1, 2, 3, 4
Hold… 1, 2, 3, 4
Breathe out… 1, 2, 3, 4
Ignis chanted internally as he breathed, sitting upon the fountain that mellow spring day. And yet, his leg wouldn’t stop shaking, his heart beat relentlessly, and his mouth was as dry as a desert.
Gladio would be arriving soon. This was supposed to be the moment. But how could Ignis confess his feelings if he wasn’t even sure he could speak properly? He wondered if perhaps this was an ill-fated endeavor and considered retreat-
“Hey, Iggy!”
Alas. Too late to run away now. Ignis let out a heavy breath, stood up, straightened his shirt, and turned to the sound of the voice, expecting to see Gladio walking over to him.
However, while it was indeed Gladio approaching, he wasn’t walking but rather… gliding on his heel?
Is Gladio… wearing heelys?
Ignis was dumbfounded for a second, until he realized that Gladio was coming straight for him with no signs of slowing down. “Wait, Gladio! You’re going to- ACK!”
Unfortunately, Ignis was not quick enough to warn Gladio, and the older man crashed right into him, sending them straight into the body of the fountain. Ignis plummeted fully in the water, and he scrambled to sit up and get his head above the surface.
“Gladio, why?” Ignis groaned, tensing up as he realized that Gladio was positioned right over him.
“Sorry, Iggy!” Gladio gave a sheepish grin (Gods, why is his smile so perfect?). “Guess I still gotta practice more with these heelys.”
“Since when do you own a pair of those, anyway?” Ignis averted his gaze from Gladio’s beautiful face to his feet.
“Iris gave them to me recently! Not gonna lie, they’re pretty fun.”
“20 years old and wears heelys,” Ignis muttered, sighly. “How did I ever fall for you?”
“Because I’m- wait, what?”
Ignis slapped his hand over his mouth, cheeks getting hot. Not like this, Scientia! Not while drenched in a fountain! “N-nothing! I’ll just be on my way!”
Ignis pulled his legs from underneath Gladio and pushed with his hands to stand up, but Gladio pressed down on his shoulders, halting his escape.
“Hold on, Iggy…” Gladio leaned in, eyes wide. “You have feelings for me? Is that what you wanted to tell me?”
Ignis considered lying, but as he looked into those gorgeous amber eyes, shining sweetly… “You are correct… on both accounts.”
Gladio broke into another award-winning smile. “Great! Then can I kiss you?”
Ignis blinked. “Right here? In the fountain?”
“Why not?”
“...All right.”
Ignis had certainly not expected his love confession to entail soaked clothing and wheels on shoes. But with the end result consisting of the taste of Gladio’s lips and him being “taken off the market,” Ignis couldn’t say he minded at all.