Cordyceps

Noctis hasn't been himself lately.

Ignis stands back, Prompto practically clinging to him as Gladio yells furiously at Noct. Gladio has him by the collar, banging his fist against the Regalia's roof as he tries to prove his point.

A dead man lies at their feet, the pooling blood staining their soles.

The streetlamp above them is the only light on this desolate road. Despite the late hour, Ignis doesn't interrupt to tell them they need to leave, to get to somewhere bright and safe.

Not that he needed to, the group hadn't caught sight of a single daemon for nearly a week.

The last one they had seen had apparently seen them first, for it fled in what could only be fear. That had been right after they had left those distant ruins, far from any trace of humanity.

The change in Noct had been unnoticeable and drastically clear at the same time, like a corpse hidden beneath the still water of a pond. They hadn't noticed until the poison had already spread.

Noctis had been leading them with a hungry drive, with a destination only he knew.

For the most part, he would make the right choices, say the right things, and do the right things.

Maybe that was a warning in itself.

There was an unnaturalness to everything he did, like there was something bubbling, squirming beneath his skin. It hadn't been such a change to cause Ignis and the others to question him, to acknowledge the rift that had formed between them and him.

Ignis's own skin crawls at the thought. Yet, he refuses to acknowledge the idea that something is horribly, irreversibly, lethally wrong.

A dead man lays at their feet because Noctis had killed him.

Ignis assumes the man had been trying to break into the Regalia simply to escape the daemons. The car had a sturdy shell, and had been parked under the light. It was the only place for a chance at survival for miles.

Ignis assumes, because once the man had seen them he had raised his hands in surrender and, with fear in his eyes, had opened his mouth to plead with them.

Noctis had slain him in that instant.

So now Gladio shakes him by the collar, rage contorting his voice as he tries to understand why Noct had done such a thing.

From his spot behind Ignis, Prompto can't even stand to look at Noct. Noctis himself remains limp in Gladio's hold, head bobbing back and forth with each furious shake from Gladio.

He doesn't even look like he cares, his expression the same as if it were a simple sabertusk he had just killed.

Gladio raises a fist and suddenly Ignis's heart leaps into his throat. Ignis jumps forward at the last second, catching Gladio's arm before he can punch Noct.

For a moment, all he can hear is his own heart thudding in his ears as adrenaline courses through him.

He hadn't stopped Gladio to keep him from hitting Noct.

Ignis had stopped Gladio to save his life.

For if Gladio had gone through with his strike, Ignis was sure Noctis would slay him too.

Gladio looks down at Ignis, the both of them breathing rapidly and deeply, and he lets Noct go and turns his back on them. Ignis turns to look at Noct.

He's smiling, it's twisted and wrong - sending all the hairs on Ignis's body on edge. It's wicked, and it's manic, it's predatory and threatening to split his face in half.

It's a cheshire grin, and it doesn't belong on him.

Noctis hasn't been himself at all.

Thank you for reading!

I would love to hear what you guys think about this!

And that concludes my contributions for hurt!noct week. It was a blast, and I really hope there will be another next year! I really hope you guys enjoyed it to!

I will be getting back to work on Damnatio Memoriae again now that these shorts are done, so please keep an eye out for that in a couple of weeks!

Thank you guys again for reading! You all are great!