Life after the return of the King was a bizarre, domestic tightrope. While the rest of the world saw a quiet analyst in an oversized hoodie and his mysterious, tall, scarred cousin,the reality inside the apartment was a logistical nightmare.
Kaelan had officially taken it upon himself to integrate Ignis into the human workforce. It was a disaster. On his first normal day, Ignis had tried to pay for a grocery bill with a singular, raw ruby the size of a pigeon's egg. When the cashier had rightfully balked, Ignis had nearly begun a lecture on the structural stability of gemstone based economies before Kaelan had physically dragged him out of the store.
"You cannot pay for milk with the blood of the mountain, Ignis!" Kaelan had shrieked in the parking lot, his black panther ears vibrating with livid embarrassment. "Use the plastic card! The tiny rectangle!"
However, the Dragon King couldn't truly leave his throne. Ignis had struck a compromise: he would live in the human world to be with Kaelan, but he would rule the Dragon Realm remotely.
This led to the most surreal sight Kaelan had ever witnessed. He would walk into the living room to see Ignis sitting on their modest IKEA sofa, a portal , a shimmering, jagged tear in reality, hovering over the coffee table. Ignis would reach his scarred hand through the golden rift, grab a stack of heavy, vellum paperwork from his high advisors, and pull it into the human realm.
He would spend hours signing decrees of land ownership and war treaties while The Great British Bake Off played in the background. When a physical presence was required, Ignis would simply stand up, straighten his human tie, and open a portal to step directly into the High Court. He would spend twenty minutes terrifying the Dragon Lords into submission before stepping back through into the apartment, usually carrying a bag of take out or a souvenir for Kaelan.
One Tuesday, the workday ran particularly long. The South Lord was being difficult again about water rights, and Ignis had been forced to stay in the Dragon Realm for an emergency summit.
Kaelan was alone in the apartment, and the seed was in a particularly demanding mood. His belly had grown to the point where he moved with a slow, heavy waddle, and his phantom symptoms had shifted into a state of perpetual, ravenous hunger.
It was nearly two in the morning when the air in the kitchen suddenly shimmered and cracked. Ignis stepped out of a golden rift, looking exhausted, his crimson hair messy and his shirt sleeves rolled up. He carried the scent of ozone and ancient stone.
The kitchen light was on. Kaelan was standing at the stove, wearing his favorite grey hoodie and a pair of fuzzy socks. He was focused on a pan with the intensity of a diamond cutter.
Ignis dropped his leather satchel of royal decrees on the table and moved silently across the linoleum. He hugged Kaelan from behind, his large, warm hands splaying over the high, firm curve of Kaelan's stomach. He rested his chin on Kaelan's shoulder, inhaling the scent of wild mint and...grilled cheese?
"It is nearly three in the morning, my cat," Ignis rumbled, his voice thick with a weary but manic affection. "Why are you still up? I felt your irritation through the link two hours ago."
Kaelan didn't pull away. He nuzzled close to Ignis, his head tilting back to rest against the King's chest. The heat from Ignis's body was the only thing that could truly soothe the restlessness of the life inside him.
"I tried to sleep," Kaelan rasped, his sharp tongue softened by the late hour. "But the scaly brat decided that if I didn't feed it immediately, it was going to start eating my ribs. I felt hungry, Ignis. Like... I could eat a whole cow. I'm making a grilled cheese with pickles and peanut butter. Don't judge me."
Ignis let out a soft, vibrating laugh that echoed in Kaelan's chest. He squeezed Kaelan gently, his thumb tracing the movements of the seed beneath the hoodie. "I would never judge the cravings of a King. Do you want me to finish the cooking? My power has returned enough to toast bread without a stove."
"No," Kaelan muttered, turning around in the circle of Ignis's arms. His face was a little pale, his puffed up eyes soft with sleepiness. "You look like you've been arguing with lizards all day. Sit down. I'll make you one too. But if you touch my peanut butter, I'll bite your other arm."
Ignis smiled, a look of pure, obsessive peace on his face. He watched as Kaelan moved around the kitchen, grumbling about dragon politics and unreasonable cravings.
"I like this job better," Ignis whispered.
"What? Being a house husband to a grumpy panther?" Kaelan asked, sliding a plate onto the table.
"Being yours," Ignis replied, reaching out to pull Kaelan into his lap.
Kaelan groaned, but he settled onto Ignis's knees, leaning his heavy belly against the King's chest. "You're a narcissistic, sappy lizard. Eat your sandwich so we can go to bed. I have a meeting at nine, and the seed wants a nap."
Ignis kissed the top of Kaelan's head, the dragon earring glowing with a soft, eternal light.