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Something was weird when Ignis entered Noctis apartment. He knew that Noctis was training with Gladiolus at the Citadel, they wouldn’t be here for hours. But there were shoes standing at the entrance. Prompto, but Noctis hadn’t mentioned he would be here and he himself had said that he had to do some research for a school project. Ignis wondered if Prompto had left a second pair in Noctis apartment, when he heard clattering noises from the kitchen and rushed in this direction.
“Oush.”
Prompto was holding his burnt hand when Ignis entered the kitchen. He approached the younger man and gently grabbed his injured hand.
“This will help,” he said, when he held the hand under cold running water.
A quick look told him that Prompto tried something to bake. Something that required a waffle maker, as he noticed with surprise. It smelled a little bit burnt, but underneath he could sense the smell of caramel.
“Ignis,” Prompto said with a hint of panic in his voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I'm here to make Noctis' dinner and drop off some reports of the council meetings for him.
I guess I know what you are doing here, may I offer my help.”
“I… This want be necessary. I… just… .” stuttered Prompto, who now had wrapped a kitchen towel around his hand. Ignis could see that the young man was close to tears.
“I tried to make some Stroopwafles for you,” the Blonde mumbled, his gaze lowered to the ground. “But I’m hopeless. I did everything the chef in the citadel kitchen told me, but the waffles still stick to the waffle maker and burn.”
“You did this for me?”
“Yes, I mean you mentioned once you like them and that you were so grateful when your uncle brought you some from Altissa. But when I searched for them, … I didn’t know that the shipping costs are so high. So I looked for a recipe and asked the chef in the citadel for advice, and when Noctis found out he said I could use his kitchen,... .”
Ignis grabbed his fidgeting hands, before Prompto could succumb to a full panic attack.
“Please, Prompto let me help. I know it is a bit unconventional, but I really like to do this with you together. No one’s ever chosen such a thoughtful gift for me before. Would please let me share the experience to make them with me?”
These words seemed to calm the younger man and he finally looked up to Ignis.
“Really?”
“Yes,” Ignis nodded. “I was ever curious how to make them by myself, but I never found the time to try it or at least to look for the recipe. You would fulfill a long cherished dream for me.”
“Oh…,” was all what Prompto could say to this and he blushed even more.
“Shall we?” Ignis asked.
“Yes.” The younger blonde seemed more confident now and led him into the kitchen.
The kitchen was a small chaos, but when Ignis looked closer, it was an organized one. Sure there was flour everywhere, nevertheless he could see that Prompto had started the way it was written down for him. He had made the dough and had let it rest the prescribed time at a warm place. He had also made the filling and had put the bowl in a pot that was filled with warm water. Then he had put the pot on the stove at a very low heat.
Then he looked for the waffle maker and he understood the problem.
“Prompto, did you grease the waffle maker?”
“Uhh, no? The chef said it is non sticking,” Prompto answered.
“Yes, but because of these small grooves here we need to grease it.”
Ignis took the now cold waffle maker to the kitchen sink and cleaned the device, before they greased the plates and heated the waffle maker.
While he did this, Prompto had formed small balls from the dough and had put them on a baking tray. When the plates were hot enough they put one of these balls in it and baked it until it was golden brown, and this time it came off without problems.
It was adorable how much this success cheered Prompto up, Ignis thought, when he watched the young man.
And so they continued, Prompto was baking the waffles while Ignis spread them with the filling. The younger man told him where he found the recipe, how he had bought the ingredients, how Gladio brought the waffle maker over and so on.
It filled Ignis with a warm feeling to listen to Prompto’s bubbling.
He realized how distracted he was, when Prompto said: “I think we are done.”
Ignis looked at his hands and found his hand still holding the spatula, but no waffles anymore. He chuckled lightly.
He mentioned that Prompto had packed the flawless waffles in a purple and golden box that was laid out with white baking paper. He wondered how much effort Prompto had put into this gift. Would he really have appreciated the gift, if he hadn’t helped to make the waffles?
The young blonde had ordered him to sit down and put a pot of coffee and the broken waffles before him, then had started to clean up and store the cooking ware at the right place. He was softly singing a melody. Ignis loved the way Prompto sparkled with joy while he was working. Maybe today was the day to take a step forward. He asked himself how, when Prompto returned to the counter. And there it was.
Ignis pointed at the corner of Prompto's mouth.
"Prompto, you have some caramel there. May I?" he asked and came closer.
Suddenly not trusting his voice anymore, Prompto simply nodded and a blush was dusting his cute little freckles. He closed his eyes, waiting for Ignis' delicate fingers touching his face, but instead he could feel his warm lips touching the corner of his mouth and the tip of a lip grazing the point of his skin where the caramel had been. Prompto's heartbeat skipped one or two beats and his now opened eyes went wide. He looked into Ingnis' enchanting green eyes, asking himself if he had died and this was the afterlife.
This couldn't be real. Or could it? He must have considered these options for quite a while, because Ignis suddenly looked worried. He opened his mouth to say something, but Prompto beat him to it.
"Hey Ignis." He lowered his gaze a bit.
"Yes, my dear?"
"Can you do this again?"
"As you wish."