A trickle of uncertainty seeps into Noctis' resolve when Ignis does that thing where he snaps immediately to Attentive Mode and says 'of course, Noct.' He doesn't want Ignis to feel like he can't or shouldn't say no, or like it's somehow an obligation regardless of his personal feelings. Maybe it's stupid to think Noctis, the guy who took Ignis for granted for basically his entire life, could be mature and sensitive enough to other people's feelings not to unwittingly abuse his station and Ignis' devotion to duty.

...but he has Gladio here to give him reality checks when he needs them, and Prompto to tell him when he's doing something right. Just because they're no longer on a life-threatening, world-saving journey, doesn't mean he can't still rely on all three of them to keep him on the right path just like he always has. With their help, he can do this.

"Well, I, uh..." Oh, come on, you can do better than that! Noctis clears his throat and tries again.

"...I don't ever want to be away from you like that again. And, like I said before, I've had a lot of time for introspection. Looking back on my victories, my mistakes, my relationships...everything I've done, and everything we've done together. Time to figure out my own feelings, too. And...lately I've had some life lessons in how important it is to get over myself and let people know what my feelings are before it's too late. So...that's what I'm doing."

In his mind, Noctis can practically hear Gladio telling him to spit it out, already.

"...I love you, Ignis."