A/N: Written at the request of bagpipes5k2 to write Ignis's first experience at cooking. Enjoy!

To most people, cooking was a chore. To young Ignis, it was heaven. An escape for the rigors of daily life filled with studying and training for his station in life. The aroma of the kitchen was like therapy to him, each of which lifted his spirits. He marveled at how various combinations of ingredients could yield either a savory or sweet concoction. His taste buds tingled with each bite as he worked to decipher each individual flavor. Art and science joined harmoniously in the kitchen.

Often times, Ignis would sneak away from his duties to hide in the Citadel's kitchen. He never bothered the staff; he just observed, envying at how fast they chopped vegetables or how raw, pale, slimy meat turned into a golden-brown roasted masterpiece with a crispy layer of skin. If he timed it right, Ignis would even earn a freshly baked treat.

But today, Ignis was given an apron. While in the past he had been able to help here and there with some of the dinner preps and received verbal instructions on proper techniques, today he was finally allowed to stand behind the stove. His task: to cook carrots. This was the vegetable accompanying the fish for dinner. This was also Noctis's least like vegetable. Not that he liked any vegetable, but there were certain ones he could suffer through albeit with a scrunched up, disgusted face. Carrots, on the other hand, were the bane of his existence.

It's too bland.

It's too crunchy.

It's too mushy.

No matter how they were prepared, Noctis always found something wrong with carrots. Ignis concluded that there must be the right balance in the preparation in order for Noctis to give them a chance.

After heating the pan, Ignis dropped in a large slab of butter. Once it was just barely melted, he quickly added in some fresh thyme along with some salt and pepper. Scooping a spoonful of the butter, Ignis tasted it.

"Mmmm," he moaned at the light flavor that would complement well with the fish. Yet, he felt it was still too mild for the prince's liking.

Smoked paprika!

That should be enough to pep up the flavor without overwhelming it. Ignis searched the counters, knowing that the ingredient was being used in the preps. Finally his eyes landed on the jar of the red powdered spice. Ignis scooped up some and added it to the pan. As warm wafts of steam hit his face, Ignis sniffled as his nose was tickled by the peppers, but he ignored the annoyance. Finally Ignis added the carrots to the flavored butter and thoroughly coated the orange sticks.

"Hi, Iggy!" Noctis suddenly popped up from the other side of the counter.

A puzzled look must have been evident on Ignis's features as Noctis giggled victoriously for successfully catching Ignis off guard.

"Noctis was curious about your first day as chef," King Regis commented with a warm smile.

Ignis blushed at the title "chef."

"I'm nowhere close to being a chef."

"What are you making?" Noctis interjected, not quite able to see inside the pan.

"Carrots," Ignis announced, not deterred by Noctis's sudden mock vomiting gesture. "Oh, come on. At least try my version. Pleeeeease!"

Ignis did his best to pull Noctis's infamous puppy eyes, which only earned him an eye roll. Nonetheless Ignis placed one of his test carrots on a plate and set it before his royal finickiness. He waited patiently as Noctis pushed the long, orange vegetable around the plate with his fork.

"Noctis," Regis stated – his voice firm and holding an expectation. An expectation that perhaps had already been discussed in advance.

Groaning, Noctis cut a piece off and shoved it in his mouth. Noctis began the task determined to chew fast and swallow as soon as he could without choking. However, the chewing came to a screeching halt as his eyes watered. His cheek and tips of his ears grew pink. He instantly spit the carrot out, whining as he tried to wipe his tongue clean with his bare hands.

Ignis's jaw dropped. He shot a distressed look at King Regis, who was in the process of filling a cup up with water.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Noctis accused. Betrayal filled his eyes as he stared Ignis down, seeming to say "how could you?"

Ignis cut another piece of carrot and shoved it in his own mouth. The beautiful mixture of butter and thyme was no longer detected by his taste buds. No, his tongue was too busy raging battle against the fiery burn that quickly coated his whole mouth. Tears welled up, blurring his vision. The fire spread into his ears, inducing a slight ring. He too spit the offending carrot out. Regis handed him a second cup of water, but it failed to extinguish the burn.

Ignis's mentor rushed over to investigate the commotion. When asked what had been added to the pan, Ignis pointed to the jar of red powder. The chef's eyes widened as he informed Ignis that the jar did not contain paprika, but cayenne. He continued to explain that the label had worn off and had not yet been replaced. Ignis's breathing grew quicker and choppy as his mind frantically raced to find a solution to rectify the situation, but all he could do was apologize profusely.

"I'm never eating carrots again!" Noctis declared. And true to his word, no matter how Ignis prepared them, Noctis never touched a carrot again.