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Noctis knows it’s going to be a horrible day from the very moment he wakes up.
The remnants of a nightmare still linger behind his eyes, and when he glances at his phone, he realizes he’s slept through his alarm and only has five minutes to get ready for school. He lets out a frustrated groan, burying his face in his hands. He can already feel a headache coming on.
“Noctis?” comes Ignis’ voice through the door, soft and laced with concern. Noctis groans into his hands, tears welling up in his eyes for no reason other than that he’s exhausted. “I’m coming in.”
Noctis doesn’t have it in him to protest. He simply hides his face in his pillow as Ignis enters the room.
“Noct.”
Noctis shakes his head. Whatever Ignis is about to say, he doesn’t want to hear it. He shoves his face deeper into the pillow, doing his best to block out Ignis.
“Noct,” Ignis repeats, and Noctis can feel the bed dip as Ignis sits down beside him. “You’re running late. Are you alright?”
“Don’t wanna,” Noctis mumbles, his voice muffled by the pillow. Ignis sighs, resting his hand on Noctis’ back.
“And why is that, my love?” Ignis asks gently. It’s clear he can already tell what headspace Noctis is in.
“Hurts.” Noctis’ voice is still muffled by the pillow, barely audible.
“Can we put the pillow down, dearest? I’ll be able to hear you better that way.”
Noctis is reluctant, but does as asked nonetheless. He uncovers his face, dropping the pillow into his lap and clinging onto it.
“There you are,” Ignis says. “What hurts, my love?”
“Everything,” Noctis responds unhelpfully. Ignis nods.
“‘Everything’ is a lot. Do you think we can narrow that down a bit?”
“Head hurts. Back hurts. Had a bad dream.” Noctis clutches his pillow tighter, staring down at the bedsheets. “I don’t feel good.”
“I can imagine,” Ignis responds, nodding. “Would you like some pain killers, dear?”
Noctis nods, then, after a moment, says, “Yes, please.”
“Alright.” Ignis stands up, and before Noctis can even think to make grabby hands at him, opens his arms in a silent invitation. Noctis accepts the offer almost immediately, clinging onto Ignis and allowing him to carry him to the kitchen.
Despite his usual aversion to Noctis sitting on tables, Ignis temporarily sets Noctis down on the kitchen counter while he rummages through the kitchen.
“I suppose it’s safe to assume you haven’t had your morning meds yet,” Ignis mumbles, mostly to himself. When he grabs Noctis’ pill holder and sees today’s slot still full, his suspicion is confirmed. He turns to face Noctis. “Think you can stomach anything for breakfast, little one? I’m hesitant to give you pills on an empty stomach.”
“Uhmmm.” Noctis thinks for a moment. “Toast?”
Ignis is reluctant to give Noctis such an unfulfilling breakfast, but he also knows it will be easy to keep down and better than nothing.
“Toast it is, then,” Ignis says affirmatively. He leans down and presses a kiss to Noctis’ forehead.
“Thank you, mama,” Noctis says, so quietly Ignis almost misses it.
“You’re very welcome, my love,” Ignis replies. He pops two slices of bread into the toaster and grabs some butter and a knife. “Did you want to talk about your nightmare?”
Noctis immediately shakes his head at that, and Ignis nods in understanding.
“Alright. The offer still stands if you change your mind, dear.”
As they wait for the bread to toast, Ignis works on detangling Noctis’ bedhead. He gently runs his fingers through Noctis’ hair, picking out the tangles and pushing his bangs out of his eyes. Noctis leans into the touch and closes his eyes, nearly falling asleep before getting rudely awakened by the toaster going off.
Ignis steps away to grab the toast and butter it. He throws it on a small plate and hands it over to Noctis, who seems to be in somewhat better spirits than he was earlier.
“How are you doing, darling?” Ignis asks as Noctis nibbles at his toast. Noctis frowns, looking down at the floor.
“Still hurts. ‘M sorry.”
“Sorry?” Ignis questions. “For what?”
“Dunno.” Noctis swings his legs back and forth, fidgeting with the piece of toast in his hands. “Just feel bad for bugging you. ‘M supposed to be at school, but…”
Noctis trails off, gesturing vaguely in place of words. Fortunately, Ignis has become almost completely fluent in the language of Nonverbal Noctis in all his years with the prince.
“You are never a bother, my love,” Ignis says, gently yet firmly. He presses a kiss to the top of Noctis’ head and smooths his hair back. “Never. I am here to take care of you, always.”
“‘M not very hungry,” Noctis mumbles, changing the subject. Ignis glances down at his plate, and decides that he’s at least eaten enough to take his medication. He picks up Noctis’ plate and leaves it on the counter by the sink to deal with later. For now, he grabs Noctis’ pill holder and pours today’s pills into his hand. He hands them over to Noctis along with two tablets of painkillers and a bottle of water, and Noctis reluctantly takes them.
“There you go.” Ignis pats Noctis’ head. “You should feel better soon.”
Noctis nods, leaning forward to slump against Ignis. He rests his chin on Ignis’ shoulder, burying his face in the crook of his neck.
“Tired, are we?”
“Mmh,” Noctis mumbles. Ignis laughs softly.
“I suppose you’ve earned some extra rest.” Ignis wraps his arms around Noctis, and Noctis quickly gets the message and clings onto him. Ignis lifts Noctis up off the counter and takes him back to his room, gently setting him down in his bed.
“You gonna leave?” Noctis asks as Ignis tucks him in.
“Only if you want me to, my love.”
“No, no, no,” Noctis says frantically, shaking his head. Ignis huffs out a laugh.
“I shall remain with you, then,” Ignis says, climbing into the bed. He sits beside Noctis, resting his back against the headboard. Noctis scoots over so he can rest his head in Ignis’ lap.
“G’night, mama,” Noctis mumbles, nearly cut off by a yawn. Ignis pets his hair, tucking his bangs behind his ears.
“Goodnight, little one. Rest well.”