Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting
So, saw on Tumblr a few pairing weeks that were going on soon, and I wanted to partake in a couple of them, so here is my little contribution for Gladnis week.
And yes, this is a shipping story, so, you have been warned. ;D It's nothing major, pretty much just a bunch of fluff for the cuteness of it. And, does contain spoilers from the game...I guess it's still considered a spoiler anyway.
His breaths were coming in in gulps, his muscles still tense long after the worst of the battle were over. All around him, twitching remnants of artificial imperial soldiers sparked in the continuing downpour. Gladio breathed in deeply and held it for a moment before slowly and carefully releasing it. He glanced around, soaking in the carnage, the weight of what transpired finally setting heavily in his chest. Dismissing his blade, he swiped the back of his hand across his brow, unsure if that was sweat he was wiping or just water.
The more he scanned around him, the more he became painfully aware that he saw no familiar faces. It was then that he started to question the safety of the others. "Noctis!" he shouted over the roars of the rain. "Ignis! Prompto!" he called out for them one after another. His feet began to carry him around the scene of their own accord.
Where the hell was everyone. In the distance, he could make out a few cries, others pleading and begging, pained wails, but none of them quite earned his concern at the moment. There was that small pang of guilt at having to ignore them, but his mind was only focused on those closest to him. "Hey!" he yelled, voice cracking from exhaustion. And, now that he really paid attention to it, his whole body ached and protested against his stubborn searching.
"Noc-" his breath hitched, his call getting cut short by a choked and muffled cry. There was a sense of recognition there, he knew the owner of it. "Iggy?" he questioned, his heart plummeting into his intestines. Before he knew it, he was quickening his pace, his feet splashing through the growing puddles. "Where are you?" he asked desperately, squinting his eyes to see more clearly through the curtain of moisture.
Again, an agonised whimper; he was close, maybe just a few yards away. He followed the groans, his legs moving faster the closer he got to the source. Gladio dragged his feet just a few more feet and dropped to his knees next to what looked to be a downed MT. But, underneath it, he found what he was looking for.
"What happened?" he breathed out, his hands shaking as they hovered over the mechanical foe. Using what little strength he had left, he hefted it off the adviser, the latter gasping with the dramatic shift in pressure. "Hey, hey, can you hear me?" the brute asked, almost afraid to lay a hand on him.
The brunet opened his mouth to speak, but nothing but another pained croak came out. Gladio went to roll him over to his side, hesitating when he only got him halfway there. "Iggy…" he uttered, the name lost in the weather. "The hell did they do to you!?" he questioned with more force behind his words, anger tugging at his rational mind. His stomach churned with the sight of crimson washing over the other's features, streaming down the side of his face to drip to the sodden pavement.
Ignis never replied, Gladio was surprised he was still as lucid as he was with an injury like that. His inhales were sharp and his exhales were forced; his fingers unconsciously gripped at the fabric of the shield's jacket, his hand trembling from both pain and blood loss. "N-Noct…" he whispered, and as quiet as the name was, the pure fear and worry was tangible. Even in his current state, he was worrying about the well-being of the prince. Not that Gladio would expect anything else from the man, but did he ever think about himself?
"Look, we're gonna find him, alright? But first, we need to get you help," Gladio promised, wrapping one arm around the man's shoulders and propping him up to lean against him. "Just s-stay calm," he mumbled, unsure if he was still speaking to the adviser at this point. Glancing around, he saw no one who could help, guess he had to take this into his own hands, literally. Gently, he slid his other arm under the brunet's knees and carefully lifted him into his grasp
There was a stifled whimper as he was jostled, his features paled even further with the new wave of torture it brought. The shield winced with the warmth soaking into his clothing, the substance drizzled down his arm and he held his breath as he glanced down. As much as it hurt him, he was unable to turn his attention from the man's eyes. They were completely destroyed, covered in blood and maimed, appearing as though the strategist's flames betrayed him.
"Just hang on," the brute spoke softly while his burden clung to him, uncharacteristically buried his face against him in seek of comfort. "And, I promise, once we get you taken care of, I'll look for Noctis, alright? Prompto too," he added.
Ignis didn't reply, he only hissed and groaned as his body was jarred, hastened and short breaths puffed against the the shield's exposed chest. He instinctively clung tighter, his legs moving faster, wanting nothing more than to get help for the other man as quickly as possible. Finally taking his attention off the brunet, he searched forward, swearing under his breath when there were no intact buildings in sight. Where the hell were they supposed to take the injured then?
"W-Where...Where's Noct?" he asked, his face twisted in a grimace of discomfort. "I...Is he...a-alright?" It was as if he didn't hear a single thing Gladio had said.
Taking a deep breath, the shield sighed sorrowfully. "He's fine, Iggy, he's alright," he lied, his veins freezing with the instant regret. "Right now, we need to get you some help, so, just focus on staying awake if you can," he instructed, giving the other an encouraging and light squeeze. Holding the man securely, he broke out into a steady jog, there was no time to waste; at this rate, the man was bound to bleed out in his arms.
It hurt, it hurt so damn much; he was blinded by the orange and yellow sea that was engulfing him, enveloping him in its searing embrace. Ignis cried against the fiery torment, but he was unable to escape its hold on him. He flailed his arms against it, trudging on in a fruitless attempts to break through. "Noctis!" he called out, his voice echoed and died in the endless hell. "Noct!" he shouted again, his throat drying out, the name grated against it painfully.
He was nowhere to be seen, nothing was to be seen, only blackness and fire in every direction, and it was absolutely overwhelming him. Soon, he could no longer find his voice, the brightness and heat was taking over, washing over him in waves until it was all he knew.
"-nis...Ignis!" His senses came rushing back, the intense burning ceased as he heaved in breaths. The adviser jerked awake, sitting up in only a fraction of a second. A strong pair of hands were fast to push him back down, shushing him and urging him to remain calm. "Hey, try not to move to much, you're still hurt," he needlessly reminded.
Obeying, mostly due to his confusion and disorientation, the brunet leaned back, now noticing how soaked the sheets beneath him were and how much his body was shaking. "G-Gladio?" he asked between breaths. He swallowed thickly and winced at the burning sensation it brought with it. The man waited until he was more composed before asking his next question. "The others... are, are they alright?" his tone was tight and forced.
"Yeah," Gladio sighed, "they're alive," he muttered, the words not leaving a pleasant ring in the adviser's ears. There was something off about the way he said that.
"I didn't ask if they were alive," Ignis almost snapped. "I asked if they were alright." He went to stubbornly sit up again, but he was stopped once more. "Gladio," he said sternly, tell me what's become of them." It was obvious he wasn't going to let up, so he had no choice then.
The shield hesitated, the slight pause not going unnoticed by the adviser. "Prompto is fine, just shaken a bit, and I can't blame him...but Noctis…" he took another slow inhale, unsure how to say this next part. He guessed it was best to be straight about it. "Noctis will be alright, but he has yet to wake up. It's, uh, well it's been a couple days already." he announced, his stomach filling with lead with every word spoken.
It's really been that long? He felt like he couldn't breathe for a few seconds, but this was good news, wasn't it? The prince was alive, and he'd be fine. But, why did guilt still wind through him? He did what he could, he did everything he could, he should be relieved, even proud about the extent he went to for the sake of the heir. "H-He'll be alright," he panted, reminding himself that things would work out as he relaxed against his sheets.
Once that processed and he had time to really dwell on things, one of his hands drifted to his face, the one place where the burning never evacuated from. His fingertips brushed over rough bandages, a gasp slipping with the inspection at the searing sensation that surfaced. "Don't touch it," Gladio commanded, instantly yanking his hand away from the injury. "It's still healing, it's best not to irritate it." He lowered Ignis' hand back to his lap, allowing his own touch to linger for a moment before drawing back himself with a nervous clearing of his throat. He never really noticed before how soft the man's skin really was, never paid attention to it.
"How bad is it?" Ignis asked, gulping as the question left slightly trembling lips. If his memory served correctly, he feared the worst. But, whatever the outcome, he was still surprised he was still alive, he had been so sure... There it was again, that reluctance that told him the other didn't wish to reveal the extent of the damage. 'Come on,' he begged internally, 'tell me.'
The shield rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his whole body ran cold. "I-It wasn't pretty," he replied vaguely. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it, but it was pretty severe." He paused again, unsure how he should say the next part, if he should say it. But this was about him, he had every right to know. "Ignis, your eyes, they took the brunt of the damage...and. Well, it might take a while before you get vision back." His voice trailed off until it was barely audible. "...If...you get it back." He had to drop his gaze, not wanting to see the faltering expression on the other man's face as he relayed the news.
Ignis fell silent, thinking about what he was just told and simply nodded, unsure how he was supposed to take this. Should he be upset? Angry? Maybe he was numb from having such a bomb dropped after having just woke up. "You mean… I'm going to be...blind?" his brows rose, both hands gripping the cover on either side. "I guess it can't be helped," he muttered, trying as he might to accept the circumstances. The question now was, how was he supposed to fulfill his duty as the king's adviser? He couldn't carry out his job when he was missing one of his most vital senses.
"Are you alright?" Gladio asked as he went to stand, knowing this couldn't have been easy. Hell, he still hadn't acknowledged the news to be truth himself. "Do you need to be left alone for a minu-"
"No," Ignis cut in, his voice a ghost of its usual authoritative nature. His left hand seeked out the shields, taking it in a tight and secure grasp. Aware of what he just did, he snatched his hand back away, a subtle heat crept onto his features. "I mean, you're free to stay here, I'm alright."
The brute nodded, easing himself back on the bed. "Don't worry, I don't exactly have many other places to go anyway," he chuckled, the sound coming out dry. Gently, he took the brunet's hand back in his own, grasping it in a sign of companionship. But, his thumb soon started running circles on the back of it. "I'm right here if you need anything," he mumbled, warmly smiling to himself as the tension drained from the other's shoulders.
"Thanks, Gladio," the adviser whispered, not caring that he was showing a vulnerable side of himself, one he despised for others to have to witness. But, this was Gladio, he's known the man for ages. And, if there were anyone that knew him, it was this man. "You've always been there, and I've never told you how much it's appreciated," he added, taking his other hand and draping it over their clasped ones.
"Yeah," he replied, "don't mention it." His gaze wandered from the intertwined hands up to the man's face. Even with only the bottom portion of his face visible, there was no doubting the guy's charm. Without thinking, his free hand moving as if it had a mind of its own, he reached to brush a few wilted brown strands from the man's face, tucking it gently behind his ear.
What happened next, well, he wasn't sure how to explain it, but Ignis didn't even try to stop him, didn't appear to want to stop him. He cupped the brunet's face, his other hand released his to brace against the mattress as he leaned forward, his weight just above the other. It was as though something else took over, he pressed his lips against the adviser's, the latter leaned into it, his right hand slipping in to grip the dark locks.
What just occurred finally clicking, Gladio jerked away. "I-I'm sorry!" he blurted out, jumping to his feet and taking a step back. "I don't know where that came from," the words tumbled from his tingling lips, and he knew he had to be blushing. "L-Let's just forget that happened, alright?"
Ignis said nothing, his mouth slightly agape in stunned silence. Slowly he shook his head. "Gladio, it's alright," he assured, his fingers brushing over his bottom lip in near disbelief. He inhaled deeply. "I don't mind," he whispered, almost longingly. Anxiously, he chewed on the inside of his cheek, his face dropping to stare down at his lap. "You," he cleared his throat, "You didn't need to stop," he admitted quietly, embarrassed the moment he said that aloud.
"I, uh, I'm gonna get you a glass of water," the shield offered, finding whatever excuse he could to get out of there. He nearly tripped over his own feet on the way to the door.
His fingers just barely touched the doorknob before the soft "Wait," stopped him in his tracks. "Please, Gladio, don't go," he pleaded, the tone something the brute was not accustomed to. The larger man averted his attention over, sighing at the way the other sightlessly looked to him, seeking him out in total darkness. Sighing heavily, the shield sauntered back over, his steps heavy and hesitant. He paused a few feet away, his searching gaze glancing the bedridden man over and his chest clenched painfully.
"Ignis…" he started, taking a spot closer to the other, "we're both stressed, and that...that was nothing." He tried to reason out the kiss, thinking of anything that could have explained it away, but even he knew the stuff he was spewing was pure bullshit. "I wasn't thinking, and you, in the condition you are, it was uncalled for and I-"
"That's enough," Ignis again interrupted. "You and I both know that's not the case." He grabbed the man's hand again, surprised himself at how quickly he had found it and gripped it tightly, making it clear he was completely serious. "I told you, it's alright," he muttered, his head still angled downward. "Though, I don't want anything to be uncomfortable between us. So, for now, I just want you to stay by my side, if that isn't too much trouble, that is," he asked desperately, slowly moving his head, angling it towards the brute, who did nothing to stop him. If anything, he wanted this just as much. Even if nothing happened, just being there for one another was enough for the time being.
Wrapping his arm around the adviser, he pulled him in close, his hand rubbed supportive circles on his back. "Yeah, I'll be right here," he promised, leaning back to lie next to the other. Ignis warmed up to him quickly, pressing himself into the warmth and security of the other. He relished in the strong embrace. "I'll be here for as long as you need," he promised, planting a kiss on top of the brunet's head, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes with the natural and sweet scent of the man. "I promise, I won't go anywhere."
Ignis hummed in response, for the first time since waking, he permitted himself to really relax. The others were safe, they all still had their lives, which was more than he could have asked for. And, they still had one another, so long as they had that, everything would be fine, they would be fine. He buried his face into the other's chest, not caring that the action stung his eyes; he needed this right now. For once in his life, he craved to have another to lean on, another to support him when he had nowhere else to turn to.
"Gladio," he whispered.
"Yeah?" The brunet sighed at the vibration the single word sent through his head.
Exhaling in comfort, he mumbled a soft, "Thank you," and let his troubles melt away for just a little longer. This one time, he'd let someone else take care of things, and he could think of no one more capable.