fandomtownies | Luke's Diner; Tuesday [10/15].

The influence of fall flavors had officially worked its way into Ignis' likely choices for new recipehs at the diner, although he had to admit, the mutltide of choices that went with the harvest season was almost too much to even choose from! But that week, he was feeling in a particularly breakfast sort of mood, the sorts of foods one might use to ensure that their day started on the right foot with fuel for whatever they might pursue, and he felt the menu today was reflecting that, and it was inspiring a little bit of a debate amongst the staff about whether breakfast really was the most important meal of the day or if that was all just clever marketing and advertising for to sell breakfast cereals.

Ignis was, as it so happened, mostly staying out of the debate to tend to the front-of-house once he'd set the specials, mostly so that he could enjoy what he considered to the most important meal of the day: coffee.

Today's Specials
Pumpkin Waffles
Acorn Squash Breakfast Bowls
Apple Ginger Turnovers

Luke's is open!

[[ potential exploding work caveat applies ]]

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Oh, but when Liliana tried to declare something a meal, some people felt the need to bust out the nutrition facts or whatnot. Okay.

Also, surely the narrative meant 'mostly so that he could enjoy what he considered to the most important meal of the day: coffee, while waiting near breathlessly for Liliana's arrival.' Surely.

Because she did arrive, sweeping into the diner in a swirl of fresh air and familiar fragrance, blissfully still unaware of how much ground she had lost to coffee. Tch. This is what you got for letting your guard down, Liliana. "Hello, my darling," she called, firmly wrapped in her fur mantle, arm still bandaged after yesterday's fracas. "You're looking delightfully Byronic over your coffee today." She leaned in and kissed him. "And no need for pedantic commentary on looking or seeing, thank you; I'm fully and shamelessly allowed to ogle you to my heart's content, and you'll just have to deal with the compliments."

Ah, but it was important to understand that coffee was an exception. To a great, great many things.

"Mmm," Ignis' hum was thoughtful, the lift in the corner of his mouth betraying any attempts toward stoic contemplation, as his hand found its way from the light brush against Liliana's cheeks to that fur mantle, because textures in fashion were always deserving of additional considerstion. "Does that include pedantic commentary on one hardly even needs vision to know beyond a shadow of a doubt what a truly exquisite vision you are, my 'Iana? Very well then."

The turn in the corner of his mouth grew.

"I shall keep my own compliments to myself, as per your wishes, darling."

Edited 2024-10-15 11:20 (UTC)

Oh and like Ignis didn't understand that compliments were also an exception to a great, great many things.

"As if your very question wasn't engaging in pedantry to begin with," Liliana said with a laugh, leaning in for another kiss, this one longer and slower. "And do you really want me wilting here before you from a lack of compliments like a drought-touched flower?"

Well, she had said pedantry on a specific topic , after all, so he was well outside of the margins she herself had set...

"Ah, yes," Ignis said, "because 'wilting flower' is precisely the term that comes to mind when I think of Liliana Vess."

But, with that laugh, that kiss, and....well, her everything, really, that smirk had even out into just warm and frank admiration in his smile.

"How are feeling, though?" Because she may not be willing, no, but there had been injuries yesterday, and he would be remiss to not ~~mildly obsess~~ have a passing concern. "Arm doing well?"

"Very well," she assured him. "I'm only wearing the bandages to make sure the wounds stay covered until they heal a little more. Though, when you return home, I don't suppose you'd mind rubbing some healing balm on them and rewrapping them for me?"

Liliana had been a healing cleric and had learned knife-and-herb healing along side magic. She remembered with exquisite detail the amount of time they spent on gauze alone. She'd bound herself quite competently yesterday.

...But still she asked, without pretending to weakness or incompetence, to have him take care of her. Perhaps she only wished to be fussed over and petted. That seemed most likely.

"I would all but insist upon it," said Ignis, adding a small nod of approval, although he expected no less from Liliana, who no doubt also knew that such fussing and petting was inevitable, anyway.

And maybe that was why his next kiss was all the more tender, or maybe not, but it was there all the same, and he added, with a smile, "So I assume something rather uncomplicated is in order for lunch today, wouldn't you agree?"

Well, what else could it be? Giving him the chance to feel, once more, for himself how it was healing? Liliana was incapable of that kind of consideration. Ask anybody.

"I do," she said, her fingers finally coming up to brush against his face like small, chilled kisses along his cheek. "The less complicated the lunch, the more time I have with you."

Since they were not inclined to take their long, leisurely, multi-hour lunches at Luke's in quite the same way they did the Consortium or her office.

Generally.

"Do you know what you want to make for us?"

Ignis, of course, leaned into that soft, cool touch like a flower toward the sun. "I should think," he said, "some rather bite-sized morsels would be in order, and, wouldn't you know it? I believe I always have a few things exactly to that order prepared already in the kitchen. Should only take a small amount of time to put them all together satisfactorily enough to meet the level of quality and standard you've come to expect from this fine dining estsablishment."

"I don't know," she teased, and since he was already leaning in, it just made sense to kiss him again. "I think my best Luke's dining experiences all ended up somewhere not in the restaurant."

And something - something about the reminiscences about those days when they'd go running out to get to the apartment as fast as they could, the way that Ignis had begun setting aside food for her lunches, even the way he leaned into her touch - they all combined to leave her breathing out, "I love you so much, my 'Nys. So much more than I would ever think I was capable of."

There was a moment, very briefly, barely the span of a heartbeat, where Ignis found himself a bit nonplussed, caught off guard, albeit not unpleasantly so, by this gentle, tender admission. It was, of course, not new information, but not something he would expect to be uttered anywhere but the privacy behind closed doors or moments of particular exception.

But it was fleeting, and replaced with his own warm, tender, mleting feeling, as he took Liliana's hand in his and brought it to his lips to brush a kiss again it.

And another. Followed by another, until it was clear that they would simply not be enough, and his hand found her cheek to better guide him into kissing her in a way that would much better convey his feelings in that moment.

Which he felt would also be more expressive than even his words, but he would include those, too, insufficient as they may always seem.

"And I," he murmured, "am still finding whole new depths to the love I have for you, my 'Iana, every single day. Fathomless. Eternal."

There was a smile against her lips.

"I shall surely never find my way out of it now."

Edited 2024-10-15 15:52 (UTC)

It was all Ignis' fault, of course. Even now, months later, it was still so easy to fall into that space where only they existed and the world fell away.

"Be careful of the things you say," she warned playfully. 'Playfully.' "Else I will hold you to them. Never let you get away."

Ignis had long been afraid of caging Liliana, of holding her back once she decided to fly away. Liliana had never been that selfless and she knew herself well enough to be fully aware that if there ever were to be a time where she had the choice to let him go gracefully, she would cling with everything she was and everything she had.

Galling. Embarrassing. A blow to her pride even just in thought.

True.

Luke's Diner; Tuesday [10/15].

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