~3rd Person POV~

Walking through the streets of Lestallum made everyone's curiosity skyrocket. Gladio was mesmerized by the cup noodles he found while Prompto snapped a picture every ten seconds. Noctis busied himself with the different aromas that wafted his way.

Ignis watched as his companions smiled at the new sights. Lestallum was like a breath of fresh air compared to Insomnia. Even though the Crown City is beautiful, a vacation is needed every now and then. The advisor's eyes scanned the area to take in the surroundings. His eyes stopped on a young lady who was walking up the steps with heavy-looking boxes. With no other thought in his mind, Ignis ran over to assist her.

When he reached her, the advisor took one of the heavy boxes from her. A small gasp escaped her lips as their eyes meet. "Oh, thank you," she said with a brilliant smile. "My pleasure." Ignis returns her beautiful smile with one of his. Following her closely, he was led to the market.

"There you are, (Y/n)!" An older man waves to the girl. She apologizes profusely as Ignis sits the box he was carrying down on the ground next to the others.

"Thank you for the help," she said.

"No need. I could not bear to see a young lady get injured," he said sincerely.

"You're too kind. May I get a name?"

"Ignis Scientia."

"Well, Mr. Scientia, since you did help me, how about accepting a small reward?"

Ignis was curious as what she was offering. Gently taking his hand in one of hers, she guided him to the stall that the older gentleman was tending to. (Y/n) let go of his hand and began assembling a variety of fruits and vegetables in a basket. Once she was done, she handed the basket over to him with her fetching smile. "I hope these will suffice. They're the freshest in all of Lestallum."

"I could not accept such a reward, (Y/n)."

"How did you-- oh, wait, my father yelled out my name earlier..." She sighs. "Anyways, please, accept them. I would've fallen down the stairs and injured myself without you."

Making up his mind, Ignis gladly accepts the basket of ingredients. "Much obliged."

"Do visit my father and I at our stand. We've got plenty of fruits, vegetables, and some meats."

(Y/n) waves to Ignis as he gave her a small bow. He left the market to search for his companions. He found the three of them looking at Prompto's camera with smirks. Once the others spotted the advisor, they turned their smirks towards him. He sighs as he joins them to figure out what was with their strange behavior.

"So, Iggy, who's the special girl?" Gladio asked with a raised eyebrow. Confused at what the shield was getting at, Prompto showed Ignis the camera. When he saw the picture, he was taken aback. It was a picture of him smiling while taking the basket from (Y/n).

"Prompto, did you follow me?" Ignis asked the blonde.

"No! I just saw you talking to a really pretty girl in the market and couldn't pass up the moment! I've never seen you so happy before," he quickly defends.

"We've known you for years and haven't seen you crack a smile like that before," Noctis adds. Ignis sighs once again as he hands the camera back to Prompto. "Did you at least get a name?" Gladio questions. Ignis nods and tells them about (Y/n). He also showed them the basket of goods she kindly gave him.

"Wow, this stuff is really fresh!" Prompto examines one of the oranges in the basket closely. "Yeah, and it's probably expensive," Noctis pipes up. While they continued chatting, the only person on Ignis' mind was (Y/n). Her gleaming (h/c) hair and sparkling (e/c) eyes filled his mind as they headed to the hotel to rest.

-Next Morning-

Ignis was the first to rise. He left the others to sleep and left the hotel. Walking through the streets of Lestallum early in the morning made the advisor feel refreshed from such a long drive. He was walking down a flight of stairs when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Ignis?"

He turned at the sound of his name and saw a smiling (Y/n) not far behind. A book in her arms caught his attention. As she made her way over to him, she gave him a sweet "good morning". He returned the kind gesture with his own.

"Would you like to join me for breakfast?" She asked. Ignis smiled and nodded. "I'd love to." The two headed to a restaurant not far from the main road. While waiting for their meals, (Y/n) opened the book she was carrying. "You strike me as a man with exquisite taste. Also, you appear to know your way around the kitchen."

Ignis was completely shocked. He couldn't believe she had read him so easily as to know he was capable of cooking. He leaned forward in his seat and glanced down at the book. "May I?" She nods and gladly hands over the cookbook. Flipping page to page, countless of recipes caught his eye. From dishes that were commonly made to ones that were exquisite in detail filled the pages. Picking up on his baffled state, (Y/n) spoke up.

"I want you to have it. My mother passed away a few years ago and I have committed to remembering all of her recipes."

Ignis peels his eyes away from the book and gazed at the beaming girl that sat across from him. "I could not accept such a memento," he said as he closed the book. "I know I have already given you something for helping me, but this is what my mother would've wanted. She wanted me to pass on her recipes to someone who could put them to great use. I hope you will accept the cookbook, Ignis."

Hearing those words made Ignis' decision waver. His hand that laid upon the book was soon covered by a small and gentle one. Resolve filled his being as he felt (Y/n)'s soft hand squeeze his. "Your mother was a lovely person by the way you talk about her. I gladly accept this beautiful gift, (Y/n)."

"Thank you, Ignis. I hope one day you'll make one of her dishes with me," she replied happily. Their meals arrived and both ate with smiles on their faces. After finishing, they both spent the rest of the day together. Ignis gladly shared recipes and stories with the interested (Y/n). Hours passed as if they were seconds when the two were together. The sun was setting and Ignis had to reluctantly return (Y/n) back to her father.

"Goodnight, Ignis," (Y/n) said and gave him a peck on the cheek, making his eyes widen in shock at her sudden affection. Even her father was shocked at the kiss on the cheek. (Y/n) giggled and headed inside, disappearing up the steps. Still in complete shock, Ignis headed to the hotel. He was greeted by his three companions when he entered the lobby.

"Dude, I totally called it!" Prompto cheekily shouts. "No, you owe me a hundred gil, Prom," Noctis corrects. "Hell no. You both owe me two hundred gil. I was the one who betted they would spend the day together," Gladio joined in on the bickering. Ignis shook his shock away and sent a glare to the three bickering men. They all froze and stiffened at his intimidating glare. "My affairs are none of your concern. If I find out you three are following us around, punishment will arise."

"H-hey, don't be so harsh, Iggy. We're happy for you!" Prompto quickly spoke up. Noctis and Gladio nodded in agreement to the blonde's words. Ignis slowly closed his eyes with a sigh. "It still does not excuse you for snooping around my business."

"B-but I got really cute pictures of you two!" He shouts, showing a few of them to the advisor. Ignis walks pass them and heads up the stairs. "Let's call it a night," Gladio announces and follows. Noctis and Prompto soon fall in line as well.

-Next Morning-

All four of them were awake and ready to head out to Cape Caem. Ignis made sure to grab the basket of goods and the book (Y/n) had graciously given him. While heading the the car, Ignis felt he should say farewell to her. "I will be back shortly," he announces. The others turn to face him with smirks. "We know. Take your time," Noctis replies.

"Make sure to--"

Prompto was cut short by a man running towards them, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Y-you've gotta help her!" All four were confused at what the stranger meant. Noticing this, he took a deep breath and steadied his breathing. "T-there's a psychopath in the market. H-he's taken Canon's daughter as a hostage."

Connecting the pieces, Ignis ran as fast as he could to the market with the others in tow. Passing through a throng of bystanders, he was able to hear shouting from the man who had gone insane. He pushed through a few more people to reach the front of the crowd.

"You bastards owe me for handing me over to the Empire! I'm not letting her go until I get what I want!"

The man wrapped an arm around (Y/n)'s throat and held a pistol to her head. Fear surged through her eyes as the man dug the gun into the side of her head. "What do we do?" Prompto asked, his eyes glued to the scene before him. Keeping his eyes on (Y/n), Ignis began to tell his companions of his plan.

"My daughter has nothing to do with this! Let her go!" Canon, (Y/n)'s father, yelled desperately at the man. Once everyone understood the plan, Prompto readied his pistol. He stepped back into the crowd to hide from the man's sight. Noctis and Gladio followed suit and hid within the crowd, waiting for Ignis to distract him. The advisor took a step forward, catching the man's attention.

"Stay back or I'll shoot!" He shouts. Ignis doesn't say a word as his emerald eyes connect with (Y/n)'s fear-filled (e/c) ones. The man tightened his grip around her neck, causing her to whimper in pain. Ignis felt his whole body being consumed with anger. "I-Ignis." (Y/n)'s shaky voice reached his ear, making him even more eager to let his plan work.

"You will be fine, (Y/n)," Ignis reassures the frightened girl. The man began cackling at his words. His finger was slowly inching closer to the trigger as he grinned like a maniac at Ignis. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

A gun went off, but it wasn't the man's. He screamed out in pain as his gun flew out of his hand, blood pouring from the wound the bullet had left. Ignis summoned one of his daggers and aimed it at his other hand. The blade lodged into his hand, resulting in him loosening his grip on (Y/n). Ignis immediately closed in and grabbed (Y/n), pulling her into his arms. Noctis and Gladio emerged from the crowd and aimed their weapons at his bloody form. While they dealt with him, Ignis felt (Y/n)'s body slump against his. Worry filled him as he looked down at her in his arms.

Her knees buckled and her head rolled back. If he hadn't been supporting her, she would've fell to the hard ground below. He held her tightly as he noticed she had fallen unconscious. Canon ran over and checked on his precious daughter. "(Y/n) will be alright," Ignis reassures him. Canon sighs in relief at the news.

"She needs rest. I shall carry her home." Ignis readjusts (Y/n) and scoops her up in his arms gently. Canon walks next to Ignis as they head to his home. Once inside, he directs him to (Y/n)'s room. Ignis laid her on the bed and carefully checked her for wounds. The only thing he spotted was a red mark along her neck. He grits his teeth as he replays the scene in his head of her being held by that man.

He gently caressed his hand over the red mark with a grimace. Ignis moved his hand from her neck to her face, pushing a few loose strands of hair away from her eyes. Checking her pulse, he slumped in relief once he felt it was strong.

The door opened and revealed Canon. He entered the room and gazed down at his daughter. "Thank you for saving her." Ignis kept his eyes on (Y/n) as he replied to him. "I am glad we made it in time." Canon began to smile as he remembers what his daughter told him about Ignis. "Y'know, ever since she met you, you are all she talks about. I've never seen her so happy before."

Ignis was surprised and ecstatic at the news. A smile graced his lips as he remembers the day he spent with (Y/n). She was a smart, kind, and beautiful girl who had easily wiggled her way into his heart. Just the thought of her made his heart skip a beat. When Canon saw Ignis smile, he continued. "I... I hope you will watch over her for me."

He patted Ignis on the back and left his daughter in the advisor's care. "I will," he whispers. Ignis takes one of (Y/n)'s fragile hands in his and strokes her palm.

An hour passes before Ignis hears a faint moan from (Y/n). Jolting upwards, he watched as her eyes slowly opened. A sigh of relief escapes his lips at the sight of her glistening (e/c) eyes. "How do you feel?" He asked. She sits up and smiles faintly. "Much better. Is everyone else okay?" Ignis chuckles a little at her question.

"You must worry about yourself before others,
(Y/n)," he replied, caressing her cheeks gently. Her smile widens and Ignis moves to sit next to her. "I'm glad you're safe," he whispers to her.

"Does that make you my knight in shining armor?" She asked while giggling. Ignis wraps his arms around her small frame and cradles her head against his chest. "If you'll have me."

Without warning, (Y/n) connected her lips with his. Ignis ran a hand through her (h/c) locks as the kiss continued to grow deep. Even though the kiss was short, it was passionate and breathtaking. When they broke apart, Ignis pulled her head back against his chest. He leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes in bliss at the feeling of her in his embrace. Before long, the two had found themselves completely lost in their own world.