Listen I know blind people wouldn't be able to go back to fighting just like that, but the game wasn't really all that realistic about it either so bear with me will you?
Also, there's no real plot, I don't even know, this is a mess.
Title taken from Rea Garvey's song Darkness, I recommend everyone listen to him.
If you asked Gladio, Ignis' fighting days were over. It didn't matter that he survived that mine in Cartanica nearly unscathed, or somehow made it all the way to and through Zegnautus Keep without getting himself killed. That had been luck, or mercy from the gods, or whatever else there was, but if you asked Gladio, it didn't mean he was capable of fighting daemons all day long - or all night long, rather - in the eternal darkness.
Which was precisely why Ignis didn't ask Gladio.
He asked Prompto, instead, which admittedly was kind of a low blow, because he knew Prompto wouldn't tell him no, wouldn't have the heart or the courage to. But Ignis was desperate enough to take advantage of his friend's kind nature at this point. He couldn't just sit around doing nothing while everyone he knew helped to keep the population of Lucis at least a tiny bit safer.
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Iggy? I mean, I'm not saying you can't do it, but-" Prompto argued helplessly when Ignis asked, as expected.
"Prompto," Ignis sighed, "I know you and Gladio are trying to look out for me, and let me assure you it is most appreciated, but I need to learn how to fight again. And I cannot learn without practice."
Prompto still hesitated, so Ignis delivered one more low blow, because what did it even matter at this point. "What if one day I get attacked and neither you or Gladio are there to protect me? You can't expect me to stay holed up at home and never go out, and I'm sure I do not need to remind you of my opinion on assigning a guard to me, do I?"
He spat out the word as if it were poisoned. That one had been Gladio's idea, mainly, but Prompto hadn't exactly protested, and frankly, Ignis still hadn't quite forgiven the two of them for it. A guard. Absolutely ridiculous. It didn't matter that he'd called it an 'assistant' rather than a 'guard' hoping Ignis would agree more easily that way. As if he were an imbecile. Ha.
"Iggy…" Prompto sounded very unhappy now. "I just… Gladio is gonna kill me, and it's not like I want something to happen to you either. If we lose anyone else-"
Ignis cut him off, knowing exactly where Prompto's thoughts were headed. "Noct will return, Prompto. And that is just another reason why I must train to fight without my eyesight. If I want to stand beside him again, I need to be ready." He paused for a moment, then added, "Please, Prompto. Let me try, at least."
Prompto let out a long sigh. "Fuck, Iggy, you so owe me. You're gonna make me green curry until the day I die!"
"Of course," Ignis agreed immediately, anything to get him fighting again.
"We're gonna start with the easiest, weakest daemons we can possibly find," Prompto rambled on, "and if there's even one single second in which I think you're in danger, we're leaving immediately. Oh, shit, what am I even gonna tell Gladio?!"
"We won't tell Gladio anything. He doesn't have to know everything, does he?" Ignis soothed, even though he didn't like the thought of keeping secrets from one of his oldest friends either. He had no choice, though, if he ever wanted to get back to fighting again, he needed to go behind Gladio's back, and hopefully, once he could prove his ability to survive and be of help in a fight, Gladio would agree to fight beside him once again.
Prompto still muttered unintelligible things under his breath, sounding very displeased, but Ignis tuned him out and smirked, satisfied with himself.
A few days later, Gladio was on a longer mission with a few hunters, so Ignis convinced Prompto to take on a mission of their own, a simple one, truly laughable compared to what the four of them had done before, but it was a mission and Ignis didn't dare push his luck with Prompto. Besides, it was probably sensible to start off with something that wouldn't have been remotely a challenge back when he'd still had his sight.
It went well, Ignis dared to say. He'd always been glad for his Crownsguard training, but he had never appreciated it more than he did now. Thanks to it, fighting felt not like a skill, but rather part of his nature. It allowed him to rely on his instincts and his other senses, and he found himself dodging attacks and getting hits on the enemy without much trouble.
Of course, the enemies were weak and not very skilled in battle, but he hadn't gotten ripped to pieces or been eaten alive, so he counted it as a win. It also helped easing Prompto's guilt about taking him along in the first place; Ignis could tell from the relieved chatter on their way back.
Ignis couldn't quite explain it to himself, how he was able to navigate in battle fairly easily despite still struggling with mundane daily tasks and regularly stumbling on uneven terrain. The mine in Cartanica had been a disaster, and part of him had been afraid it would turn out like that all over again. But he figured that at that time, the fact that his loss of sight had been very fresh, his wounds not quite mended, and his fear of being left behind overwhelming, had affected his battle skills greatly.
Now, being over the general shock of being blind, he was able to focus on the essentials. He trusted Prompto to have his back if things went awry. And he trusted his own abilities in combat enough to overcome his handicap in battle.
They didn't tell Gladio yet.
It became a routine for the two of them whenever Gladio was away. Ignis felt guilt over keeping something so important from his friend, and he could tell Prompto struggled with the same feelings, but somehow the right moment to tell him never came.
Of course, Gladio ended up finding out himself. It had been bound to happen at some point, Ignis admitted to himself.
"Are you absolutely nuts?" Gladio yelled in his face, and for a moment Ignis thought he would hit him. He didn't step back.
But Gladio didn't hit him. He kept yelling, kept stepping closer and closer menacingly, but Ignis never took a step back, didn't say anything in his own defence, simply let Gladio speak his mind.
Until he turned to Prompto and started yelling at him instead.
"That is enough, Gladiolus!" Ignis snapped, stepping between Gladio and Prompto. "Yell at me all you want, but don't you dare yell at Prompto! None of this is his fault! I am not a child who has to be babysat at all times. I am an adult, Gladio, and I made a choice. Prompto didn't allow me, and he didn't take me out there, he simply agreed to help me."
For a moment, not a single sound could be heard. Then, Prompto mumbled, very very quietly, "I'm, uh, gonna give you two a moment," and left with hurried steps.
"Well?" Ignis said impatiently, but Gladio seemed to have run out of steam and said nothing in return.
Ignis sighed. "You know, I am doing well out there. I've got Prompto with me, but I hardly ever need his help. Astrals, the most I need help with is finding my way to and from the battle. In combat, I'm doing just fine. Why won't you realize?"
"Fine," Gladio snapped, "Do what you want. Just don't get yourself killed out there." He didn't quite storm off, determined to keep at least some of his dignity instead of acting like a spoilt child, but the way he stomped out was close to it.
Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose as a headache flared up. Well. That could have gone a lot better.
He fully expected Gladio to mope for a few days, or weeks even, but he was surprised when his phone rang the same evening and the AI informed him that it was, in fact, Gladio calling.
"Scientia speaking?"
A sigh on the other end of the line. "Iggy, I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that today."
Ignis wasn't impressed. "I see." Then, he noticed the unintended pun and let out a quiet snort, not intending for Gladio to hear, but of course, he heard it anyway it anyway.
"Damn, Iggy," he said, sounding somewhat amused as well.
In spite of himself, Ignis smiled. "Was there something you wanted?"
"Yeah… I… I wanted to apologize. I'm really not doing a great job at controlling my temper, these days."
"So I've noticed. But I suppose I owe you an apology as well, for keeping it a secret from you. Though you did kind of justify my actions with your reaction, I might add."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll admit it, I still don't like the idea of you going out there. But I've known your stubborn ass for a long enough time to know you won't listen."
"That is absolutely correct."
"Right, so that's why you're gonna train with me again, like in the old days. That way, I can at least make sure you're ready to kick some daemon ass out there. How's that sound?"
Ignis raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then his expression morphed into a much fonder one as he shook his head smiling. "That is a marvellous idea. I have to admit, I've missed my sparring partner."
"Damn, yes, it'll be good to spar with you again. I'm looking forward to kicking your ass, Iggy!"
"Ah, you're very welcome to try."
A laugh from Gladio before he asked, hesitantly, "Just… promise me to be careful. Promise me, okay?"
Ignis' expression softened. "Of course, Gladio. Contrary to popular belief, I am not very keen on getting myself killed anytime soon."
A breath of relief came from Gladio's end of the line. "So, we cool?"
"Of course," Ignis repeated "After all, I am quite used to you being as stubborn as a mule most of the time by now.
"Heh… I'm glad."
Ignis was glad, too.
The most ironic thing, Ignis thought, was that by now he was able to take out a bunch of daemons pretty much by himself, but he still didn't manage to go about everyday tasks without messing up, and no matter what, he couldn't quite get the hang of using a cane. Prompto was living with him temporarily, or at least it was supposed to be a temporary thing. But at this point, it was starting to feel like a permanent thing, at least if he didn't succeed in living by himself anytime soon. He was getting frustrated, and of course, Prompto caught on soon and as a result started to feel guilty for something that wasn't even his fault.
It was only a few more days before Prompto addressed the issue over dinner Ignis had made, slowly, sloppily, and nowhere near the dishes he used to make, but he had made it by himself at least.
"You know, Iggy… this isn't ideal. I know you hate this, me helping you and stuff. I don't mind, but you do." Prompto paused, but continued talking before Ignis could tell him he didn't hate Prompto helping him, but the fact that he needed help at all.
"That's why I've been thinking… I'm going to Hammerhead to help Cindy out, I think. Keep Hammerhead safe and stuff, y'know."
He fell silent once again, so Ignis gave him an encouraging nod. There had to be more to the plan. If he was being sensible, he knew he was nowhere near capable of living by himself yet. And there was no way Prompto was just going to leave him, so he waited for the boy to continue.
Prompto's cutlery clattered against the table as he put it down, apparently giving up on eating until they'd talked about this. "How do you like dogs, Iggy?"
"…Pardon?"
Prompto laughed nervously. "I just, I know you were friendly with Luna's dogs, but I couldn't remember if you particularly liked dogs or not, but I just think this could be a really, really good idea, and-"
"Prompto," Ignis reminded him gently, "What are you implying?"
"A guide dog, Iggy!" Prompto said, sounding more than excited about the idea. "Y'know, a dog with special training that can guide you and help you with stuff. I saw a person with one the other day and I think it could be perfect for you, so, uh… what do you think?"
Ignis sat in silence, stunned. Of course. Why hadn't he thought of it himself? He'd known certain animals could be trained to act as support animals, dogs being the most common, but the thought hadn't even occurred to him. Trust Prompto to be the one to point out the obvious once again.
"I- that might actually work," Ignis said slowly. "In fact, I think it an excellent idea."
Prompto gasped in delight. "Really?! Oh man, that's so cool, we're totally getting you a dog, and you're getting your independence back!"
Ignis smiled, feeling strangely excited himself at the thought of finally being independent again. Plus, he had always been quite fond of dogs.
Two days later, they went to a shelter Prompto had somehow managed to locate. It was strange, Ignis thought, that there were animal shelters when the world was in ruins and so many people needed shelter themselves. He didn't think anyone would pay the animals in need any mind, but apparently, people wanted to adopt a pet now more than ever, be it for moral support, or to make a difference to at least one living being even if they couldn't help the rest of the world.
Ignis ended up going home with a big young dog. She was not a puppy, those were too young to train as guide dogs, but young enough to learn easily. Initially, he'd expected it to be a difficult choice, to decide between so many dogs, but when that one particular dog went to sniff at his eyes and licked over the scar that engulfed his entire left eye as if she knew exactly what was wrong with him, it really had been an easy decision.
Of course, in a world that was falling apart, there were no people that specialized in training guide dogs. But Gladio and Prompto raided an abandoned library and brought all the books about guide dogs they could find, which was a surprisingly high number.
For the first few weeks, until the dog - Aqua he'd named her, an allusion to his own name – learnt the basics, Prompto stayed with him but eventually moved to Hammerhead when Ignis no longer required him.
Aqua, Ignis found out, was excellent at giving not only physical but also emotional support.
By now, he had mostly accepted that he was blind, and was going to remain blind. It didn't do him any good to dwell on it too much, and he focused on adapting more and more instead.
But the one thing he had not yet managed to overcome were the nightmares. Almost every night, he was being terrorized by them, night after night he'd wake up drenched in sweat, gasping for breath and not remembering anything from the dreams except for the agonizing pain in his head and his eyes that lingered even after waking up.
He never yelled upon waking up, never made a sound beside his harsh breathing, which was why Prompto never found out he had nightmares in the first place.
But Aqua caught on immediately.
The very first night she slept in his room, when he woke up terrified and disoriented, trembling in his bed, the mattress dipped with the sudden addition of weight as Aqua jumped onto the bed and crawled up next to him, cold nose pressing into his cheek as she whined in distress.
Ignis brought his trembling arms around her, tangling his fingers in her soft fur and holding onto her for dear life.
Until he was finally able to breathe again, she didn't make a move, just stayed there by his side, sensing his distress and determined to help him through it.
And at that moment, the wave of affection he felt for his dog was enough to nearly take his breath away.
From then, she slept in his bed every night.
So, the rest is pretty much finished, I just need to proofread and edit a bit. There's gonna be about 9000 words in total so uh, not too long? Sorry... but I might write a sequel maybe, I don't know. I'd certainly like to write a sequel.
Next chapter: enter Ravus