Water Under the Bridge
Chapter 3
His finger was poised over his phone screen where he knew the big red 'STOP' button to appear when his alarm went off. It had to be nearing 4:30 am and Ignis didn't want to wake either of the other men in the hotel room, so he waited patiently for that first note to ring. By the time both men got home the night before, Ignis was tucked into bed with the covers pulled high to his face, feigning sleep. Neither one had any idea that he planned to sneak out to meet with Aranea for their first training session together and he wanted to keep it that way. If they woke up before he got back (which he highly doubted would happen with how frenzied their schedules had been lately), he would just say he went on a walk to clear his head. A little white lie never hurt anyone.
Through the darkness, Ignis could make out the faintest glow as the phone screen faded on, ready to sound the alarm. He heard the single note and quickly dismissed the nuisance before it droned on anymore. Freezing and listening for Prompto and Gladio's snores, he sighed a breath of relief when he realized the noise did little to disturb them. He cautiously peeled the covers back and kicked both feet over the side of the bed and onto the Berber carpet, yawning wide. He reached for his tinted glasses, normally kept at his bedside, but frowned when he remembered the fight with the hobgoblin and the loss of his glasses in the brawl. No matter, he thought. They were mostly worn to keep the rude stares of others at bay and to have something on his face as he had been used to wearing glasses his entire life. For now, he'd have to get over it.
Ignis carefully snuck to the bathroom, making sure to step over Prompto as he slept peacefully on a cot and a bundle of blankets between Gladio and Ignis' beds. The night before, he remembered to stash away a pair of dark jeans and his gray casual t-shirt into a bottom drawer under the bathroom sink so he wouldn't have to rifle through the drawers in their room to get dressed. This morning it seemed that every move he made, from donning his outfit, to brushing his teeth, even running a comb through his hair and styling it as he always did, felt like it was making a cacophony of noise. I don't have to get ready with the lights on, so I have that slight advantage going for me.
Grabbing his cane and sheathing the daggers he failed to send away after yesterday's madness, he took a deep breath and reopened the bathroom door, taking his time slipping through the shadows, easing their hotel room door open and gently closing it behind him. Finally out, he moved through the hall with less stealth behind his steps and descended the stairs, taking a seat in the lounge area. He realized he was the first one downstairs, which wasn't a huge surprise. In all the years he'd been alive, Ignis never recalled an instance where he had been late to any engagement or appointment and this morning was no exception. He figured he'd wait patiently for Aranea to join him.
Outside it was eerily calm, a stark contrast to what he'd been used to lately—even up until the day before. Cor had been working tirelessly with Iris and Talcott to place the refugees in various rooms and shelters across Lestallum, but undoubtedly a new wave would come in soon enough and override the silence once more. It was inevitable.
A pair of chilled and slender hands covered his eyes lightheartedly, sending an involuntary shiver down his spine. "Guess who?" Aranea's voice teased.
He placed his hands on hers and pulled her fingers down. "Good morning, Aranea," he greeted as she slid away and sat across from him in a matching plush seat.
"Glad to see you're doing better this morning. Did you lose your glasses yesterday?" Ignis nodded and she hummed in thought. "Well, that sucks. I guess I'll see if I can keep an eye out for a new pair somewhere."
"Oh, that's unnecessary— "
She cut him off. "Shut up and just take the damn offer."
He wanted to disagree with her and argue that he could obtain his own glasses without her help, but thought better of it and nodded again. She reclined lazily in her chair, taking in the man before her. Ignis could practically hear the wheels turning in her head as she tried to find a way to insult him. "Before I say anything else, forgive me, but I have to ask: Why the hell did you find it necessary to style your hair this morning? And not even well done, I may add."
Yup. Nailed it.
Ignis cringed internally and forced himself not to run a hand self-consciously through his hair. He was starting to wonder if she just liked to see him squirm. "What's wrong with my hair?"
"Nothing at all, if you like the styled bed head look."
"Not that it's any of your business, but I happen to like my 'styled bed head' look. And you're quite rude if I do say so myself," he replied evenly.
"Is it rude if it's true?" Aranea sneered and rolled her eyes as he debated how to respond to her. "Ahhh, at ease, Four Eyes. It's called, 'get a sense of humor.'"
"My sense of humor is very much intact, thank you. I just fail to find your words very comedic is all," he countered, going to push the phantom glasses up further on his nose but grumbled when he realized they weren't there.
She took notice of the oversight he made and snorted. "You're not very chipper today. Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" she badgered. He ignored her taunts, not giving her the satisfaction of seeing him bothered. After another minute of silence and Aranea growing bored, she clapped her hands to her knees in finality. "Alright, enough of this. Let's get going. We have some training to do. Are you able to follow me on your own, or do I need to personally escort you?"
Ignis rose to his feet, his cane in hand. "I can manage without assistance, for the most part," he confirmed. Although her hand was outstretched, poised to help, she immediately retracted it at his words and shrugged indifferently.
"Your choice. Come on, we don't have all day . . . err, night, rather."
They walked together into the balmy, night air. Aranea noticed she was farther ahead than intended, so she reduced her pace just enough to allow for Ignis to keep up as he started to fall behind. She feigned ignorance at his insistence that she needn't slow down for him, innocently lying that this was how slow she always walked and that he was being ridiculous.
Aranea had done her research prior and scoped out an empty lot behind some buildings, closer to the power plant toward the back of Lestallum. An abundance of artificial light shone on the area, making it near impossible for any daemons to come near them – a somewhat comforting thought. The heat from the lights made the area hotter than necessary.
They were both positioned in the middle of the cobblestoned quad, neither one sure of what to do next. Aranea broke the stillness first, pacing back and forth with her hand on her hip before Ignis. She seemed to be debating a thought in her head, finally acting on it by snatching his cane from his hand and pitching it to the side. Flabbergasted, Ignis started to protest but she interrupted him by talking over his complaints. He went quiet rather quick.
"First of all, before we do anything, you're going to have to learn to fight without relying on that stupid thing. I don't care what you do with it outside of our little sessions, but here you're going to have to learn to get along without it."
His eyebrows knitted together in sheer aggravation. "How on Eos do you expect me to get around in battles without it?"
"Oh, hush. You're not doing yourself any favors by holding on to that security blanket you call a cane," she said. "C'mon Ignis, you're not an idiot. You know there are plenty of other ways to ensure you're in the right place at the right time. It's not doing you any good to rely on your cane right now when you should be learning to fight without it. Plus, look at it this way: by always keeping one hand on it, you're limiting your movements and leaving yourself with only one hand to attack at any moment."
His posture subtly changed from a defensive one to one that conveyed slow acceptance of her words. "You have a point," he conceded.
"Duh, I know. And I honestly have faith that, with time, you can probably learn to get around in everyday life without it, too. But for now, let's just focus on getting you back to fighting the way you used to, alright?" She patted his arm firmly as he smiled softly at her. He felt her hand leave his arm and heard her boots click on the stone as she walked away to the other side of the square.
She turned around and faced her rival, suddenly very serious. "Alright Ignis," her voice carried over the space of the open area as she called out to him. "You're aware I'm not going to go easy on you, right?"
Ignis let a smirk grace his lips as he pulled his daggers from their sheath. "Quite frankly, my dear, I'd be insulted if you did."
"Cocky, aren't we?" She wordlessly called to her spear and it appeared within her hand in a blaze of red energy. "Sweetheart, you have no idea."
With that, she hurdled across the lot, closing the distance between her and Ignis. She swiped her spear in a wide motion in front of her and, as she figured, was able to knock him to the ground without so much as a fight. She did a 180 and vaulted back toward him. He was a lot more aware this time around, blocking her blow and using the force behind her inertia to throw her up over his head in one smooth motion.
Aranea spiraled through the air and still managed to fall gracefully on her feet like some sort of cat. She didn't remain on the ground long, taking off high into the sky and preparing herself to dive back down to Eos. As she reached the pinnacle of her ascent, she kept her eye on Ignis and aimed to secure a blow beside him instead of on him. After all, she didn't want to kill the poor guy.
"Are you just going to stand there like an idiot or are you going to do something?" she yelled as began to rocket toward the ground. She hoped that by calling out to him, it would alert him in the general direction of her whereabouts. Her tactic worked and she saw him look up at her. His dagger whistled by her as he hurled it her way, close but barely missing her.
A shockwave of energy pulsated from her powerful crash landing and knocked Ignis forward onto his knees, caught off guard. The dagger clanked onto the stone nearby as it, too, fell back to Eos and Aranea walked over to kick it back his way. "Get up! I told you I wasn't going easy on you!"
Ignis felt within the vicinity of the where the dagger ended up and grabbed the hilt. He tried to run where he assumed she was, but he tripped and fell just a few steps into his run. Without his cane, he felt defenseless. Aranea was right—he was using it as a security blanket, but he desperately wished he had his security blanket now. He was frustrated that he couldn't throw his daggers accurately, run without help, or land any type of hit on his target. One successful defensive move wouldn't be enough to save his life against the ruthless daemons in the world. He stayed on the ground, his faith in himself waning.
Aranea recognized the discouragement in his body language and stormed over to him, prodding him harshly with the toe of her boot. He smacked her away. "How pathetic. I didn't take you for the type to give up so easily, and so quick, too. You really have changed, and I'm not talking about those scars on your face. The guy I remember would laugh in the face of a challenge, not run away. What was this? Just a huge waste of my time?"
Ignis blinked. What she was saying didn't make him angry or want to disagree. On the contrary, he felt the words light a fire inside him. His hands held the daggers just a little tighter and every muscle in his body tensed up. Was she seeing something in him that he was failing to see himself?
Her red lips, before pursed in impatience, now turned upwards smugly. "That's right. Get up. We're just getting started."
Ignis nodded, pulling himself up onto his feet while Aranea returned to where she was last standing. She waited until he was positioned and ready to go before resuming where they left off. She didn't find it necessary to ask if he was ready, instead just charging toward him unannounced and using the handle of her spear in an attempt to push him back. Surprisingly, he evaded her and executed a well-timed strike with his elbow to her upper back, almost knocking the wind out of her. It didn't cause her to fall, but she staggered a few steps forward and reached behind to rub where he hit her. She looked over her shoulder and defended herself from another capable hit.
"If that's all I needed to say to get your ass moving, I would have done it sooner," she said.
Back and forth they went, entangled in a battle of wits and blows. They exchanged hits and defended each other's attacks, Aranea more so than Ignis. Aranea continued to make more noise than usual, yelling and grunting, knowing Ignis would catch on and use her sounds to plan his next strike. Though Aranea threatened Ignis with giving it her all, she found herself toning down her more powerful hits, not too obvious but just enough. This wasn't supposed to be a game of 'who was the strongest of the two'. She was trying to help him learn to fight as he struggled without one of the most important senses any fighter can stand to lose. It wasn't her goal to knock the guy out on their first morning of practice and ruin any remaining self-confidence he had left.
From across the courtyard, Ignis threw both of his daggers in succession at Aranea. She managed to duck one but lost her balance when she saw the other one follow. She toppled onto her back, her head hitting the stone pavement. Ignis, not realizing she was now inhibited, swung around and kicked his leg out to knock her to the ground. Instead, he obviously missed and gracelessly tumbled to the ground. He expected to hit the cobblestone, but instead, he collided against Aranea, still lying on the ground where he unknowingly knocked her down.
His face burned with the heat of humiliation, suddenly feeling very vulnerable at their position. His face turned a shade darker—if that were even possible—when she seductively ran a finger across his collarbone, across his shoulder, and down his arm. "Ignis, I'd prefer it if a man took me out on a date before being so forward with me; but for you, I can make an exception," she cajoled before pulling her legs up under him, suddenly launching him away from her. He skidded painfully across the ground, coming to a rest across the lot.
Neither one could move anymore. Both were beyond spent. Ignis sat up, panting as he tried to catch his breath while Aranea remained immobile, sprawled out and waiting for her heart to stop racing. She took a deep breath and pulled herself to her feet, lethargically dragging herself over to Ignis and letting a hand rest on his shoulder. "I think I've kicked your ass enough this morning to warrant a break."
Ignis agreed, wiping the sweat that poured from his brow with the back of his hand. She gently helped him up and guided him to the wall where they both rested, legs pulled to their chests and arms languidly draped over their knees. They were sitting so close together that Ignis could feel the heat radiating from her body, yet he made no effort to move away. He found himself strangely enjoying the contact.
"You know, you've still got it," Aranea complimented, nudging him with her entire body. "I mean, you definitely need a lot of work and all, but at least you haven't lost your touch."
He tried not to let it show, but hearing that made him beam inside. "I appreciate that."
"Must have been all that fighting coming back from Gralea, huh?"
"I guess that played a large role in my ability to sustain my form, but I have been fighting for most of my life. I guess it'll always be second nature."
"Hmm, true." She cracked her knuckles and looked at him. "I still can't believe you guys made it all the way back from Gralea in one piece. That must have been one crazy adventure."
"For lack of better words. It was intense, to say the least," he ruminated stoically. "Every town we came upon was infested with monsters. Most of the food supply and curatives were ravaged through by the time we arrived. Even when we found a safe haven to make camp and sleep, Gladio or Prompto would still remain on guard for any daemons lurking nearby. I don't believe we ever got a solid few hours of rest the entire way back to Lestallum. There were plenty of times we thought we would perish before making it to safety. It was a true test of survival."
Aranea's eyes were wide upon this revelation. The thought of having to travel that entire way, even without the plague of daemons, was a grueling concept in and of itself. She was suddenly in awe of the royal advisor sitting beside her. How they managed to survive and come out relatively unscathed did not go unnoticed by her. "That's . . . insane. Wow . . . I-I'm really glad you made it back."
He side-eyed her, surprised at her authenticity, and she faltered at his gaze. "Errr . . . not you, personally. Like, you in general, like you and your friends. But I mean, I'm glad you're back, too! I didn't mean anything really by that. Sorry, just forget it."
Ignis laughed. "I didn't take it in any way other than how you meant it. My apologies, I just tend to forget that you have another side to you other than always being incredibly sarcastic. Not that that's in any way a negative thing. It's quite refreshing sometimes."
"Oh, well . . . thank you, I guess. You're not so bad yourself sometimes, especially when you loosen up and you're not so uptight. No, really, though; does anyone tell you how boring you tend to be?"
"I prefer 'disciplined' and 'pragmatic' as opposed to 'boring'."
"Ah, ok. Whatever helps you sleep at night," she said playfully. Her eyes cast themselves from Ignis up toward the hazy sky, urgently longing for the sun to return. "Man, I'd give anything to see a blue sky again," she thought out loud. She turned to Ignis dispiritedly. "You have no idea how bleak and ugly this world is now; how indescribably depressing its become. Honestly, as messed up as it is, you're kinda lucky that you don't have to witness it."
"I'm lucky because I can't see? Well, now I've heard it all," he joked.
She laughed. "No, no. I don't mean it like that. I just . . . I don't know. I've always loved the night. For as long as I can remember, it was always my favorite time of the day. I felt alive and free when the sun went down; it's when I thrive. I think I may have said at one point that I wish it could stay night forever. I never thought that wish would come true, you know? And now with the daemons roaming Eos and we're basically living the out the end of the world . . . I wish I could take those words back now."
"I suppose you never know what you have until it's gone."
"You've got that right," she agreed. Silence befell them and Aranea picked at the dirt under her fingernails. Curiosity got the better of her and she quietly inquired, "So, what happened to you? With . . . you know . . ."
Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. It felt like hands were wrapped around his neck, choking him. Ignis knew she was referring to his injuries. He struggled to keep his face forward, almost wishing she hadn't asked. He didn't want to relive that horrific day by speaking of the events out loud. It was still too painful for him. Even though a fair amount of time had passed since the incident, there were still many nights that Ignis jolted awake in the middle of the night, writhing in a cold sweat from the realistic night terrors that plagued him. There was no use anymore in denying the effect that day had on him, but it didn't mean he wanted to talk about it. He wanted to keep that compartmentalized and locked away in the back of his mind forever.
"It was Ardyn, wasn't it?" she guessed. When Ignis didn't acknowledge her, she shook her head in disgust. "That bastard."
He brought his head back against the brick wall, his face tilted upwards and his right eye closed, wishing away the excruciating memories. Aranea found the overwhelming urge to comfort him by leaning against him, wanting to dispel the anguished expression on his face. Instead, she hugged her arms around her legs and placed her chin on her knees. They stayed that way for a while, losing track of the time in the comfortable peace.
Aranea stole a peek at her phone and stretched her hands up high. "Well Specs, I think we should probably head back. I have paperwork to rifle through and Cor's ridiculous discourse to listen to. Plus, I think your friends will probably wonder what you're up to."
"What time is it?" he asked, overlooking her obvious snub at the Marshal.
"Close to 8:30." She rose to her feet, her legs asleep from being held close to her body for far too long. "Here, give me your hand. I'll help you up."
Ignis willingly held his hand up and enclosed it around hers. She only struggled briefly against him before he was towering above her. Their hands held on to each other's for a second longer and Aranea felt that familiar heat and rush of emotions hit her. It was the same feeling she got back when she camped with the men and Ignis handed her the plate of food; the same feeling when he once looked her straight in the eyes and smiled so radiantly at her.
She yanked her hand back and avoided having to look at his face, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. Ignis either didn't notice or just pretended to not care at the sudden change in her attitude. "Would you be so kind as to get my cane for me? I would, but we may be here all morning if left to my own devices," he politely requested.
"Oh." She scanned the lot and found the cane discarded right where she tossed it when they first got to the lot. She shoved it into his hands and went back to folding her arms in front of her. On Shiva's grave, Aranea had never felt more awkward or shy in her entire life. What the hell is wrong with me? she chided herself
"Shall we head back? I would hate for a lady to walk back alone in these dark times, even if she far outmatches me in battle."
Aranea hedged around the decision before relenting, her arms falling to her side. "Do I really have a choice?"
Ignis smiled over his shoulder as he stepped away. "I'm afraid not."
Author's Note: I'm so excited seeing everyone favorite/follow/review this. Please don't continue to lurk and feel free to reach out to let me know how you like the story so far! :) Thank you everyone for your continued support!