Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting
Ok, so I normally say it doesn't matter if you know the German parts in this or not, whch it still technically doesn't, but for this chapter knowing what's being said does give some hints and make this a bit more intense for the most part. But, keep in mind, that translators do make the translated version sound a bit weird and extremely formal; just know that what's spoken is pretty vile.
Gladio strolled down the streets at a quickened pace, his feet clacking along the stone pavement as he weaved around the various citizens. Frequently, he gazed back at his phone, checking the address for about the twentieth time in the last ten minutes; eyes flicking back up and around to lock onto every sign and scan over them. Damn, why did everything have to have such complicated and fancy names, why couldn't they make more sense like they did in Insomnia? He scoffed, coming to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk to peek around, for once in his life the temptation to ask someone was nagging at him. "Iggy, couldn't you have it least come back by the room first?" he mumbled to himself, scratching the back of his head as he slowly realized he was just delving deeper into the realm of getting lost.
At this point he may as well have been wandering around aimlessly, he would have had the same success rate. Hell, he may have even had more luck with that method, and frustrated, he stuffed his phone back in his pocket and decided to carry on without its assistance. Pulling his hand back to scratch the side of his neck, his eyes skimmed across a few windows across from him and his lid twitched at the familiar face on the other side. With a sigh, he glanced at the sign over the door, and of course that was the place. He was too preoccupied with being frustrated about overlooking the place to be relieved.
Ducking in, he made a bee line for the table Ignis was seated at, not hesitating to sit across from him, "The hell this all about?" he asked the moment his arms were leaning on the table. The adviser nodded to the bag lying next to his feet. The shield leaned over and pulled the edge back, raising an eyebrow at the black materials the filled it and was that...rope? "And what's this for?"
"Tonight," he replied simply, closing up the back and dragging it closer to rest between his feet, "We're gonna do what we have to."
"So, you really intend to do this then," Gladio had a smile badgering him to break through, "Where has this devious side been all these years?" He caught the glare that was directed at him, silently lecturing him on the severity of this decision, and that under other circumstances this would have never been a consideration of his. "You gotta plan? You know we can't run in there guns'a blazin'"
Ignis rolled his eyes at the absurdity, "I'm quite aware of that, and yes, I do have a plan thought up; though, I'm not quite sure how well it will work, or if we can pull it off, but I don't have any better idea."
"Well?" he waved a hand, asking for an explanation.
Slowly, Ignis shook his head, "We can't discuss this in public, not when there are so many people out and about anyway. I'll explain before we carry it out, when we're there."
"Or we can just go back to the hotel and talk about it there," the brute recommended, an air of 'that's obvious' to his tone, "No one there but Noctis and Prompto." He gave a one shoulder shrug and pulling his attention towards the window.
"I'd prefer not dragging them into this; you know if any of this is discussed in their presence, either they will be highly opposed to it, or they'd pester to come along. I'd prefer to keep this up to the two of us if it can be helped," he reached his right hand to push his glasses up, wincing with the accompanying pain, "Yes, I'm sure they are already quite aware of what we're up to, but that's why we're here at this moment; hard for them to tag along if they know not where we are."
Gladio was beginning to understand now, leaving so early in the day, hours before the sun would even begin to depart, they wouldn't suspect they were already in the process of snatching the painting. Then, the remembrance flashed back up, the photo. "Hey," he started expression morphing into that of a more concerned appearance, "Something happened while you were gone, I'd almost forgotten about it, but I don't think we have to worry about them wanting to help out anymore." What should have been delightful to hear was nothing but dread as the strategist picked up on the graveness in his voice.
"What happened?" his hand was lowered to provide his undivided attention as the information was painstakingly relayed to him; each word plunging his heart further down. "I see," he mumbled once it was all out in the open, his mind rushing back to all the instances of the blond's discomfort as he subdued a shudder at having a reason for all that now. Sighing heavily, his gaze fell to the table's surface, eyes following the deep grain, "So, things are escalating quite a bit quicker than I thought it would."
"Which means?" he asked, but he was certain he didn't want an answer to that; he wasn't sure why he bothered asking.
And, to his surprise, Ignis shrugged with a sad shake of his head. His right hand combed a tad shakily through his hair, "As was mentioned, this isn't a field I'm familiar with; creatures and daemons are one thing...but spirits and beings of the supernatural realm, I have limited knowledge on. But what I do know, that if this thing has the ability to cause physical harm and discomfort, then it's clearly quite powerful."
Gladio saw something in the others' eye that screamed his uncertainty, "There's more, isn't there?" he whispered, voice tight with unease and apprehension.
Ignis' mouth tightened into a straight line, his hesitance evident, "I didn't want to say this in front of the others," he started, keeping his gaze down, refusing to meet Gladio's eyes, "But, I'm genuinely fearful for Prompto's well-being. I'm concerned about the safety of others as well, especially if things continue to get out of hand, but this is and will be effecting him the most drastically." He blinked rapidly a few times and eventually looked back up, "And I have no clue how to help him through this, and I believe that's the worst part about this; the not knowing, the unpredictable behaviors, and the aftermath once this is all over."
The other nodded slowly, understanding fully how Ignis felt about all this, and hearing him admit this did no favors for his own anxieties and fears. "Son of a bitch," he nearly growled out in frustration, fist balling up on the table, "Why the hell did this bastard choose him? Never had these issues before, so why then?" he asked rhetorically, his anger and disheartenment intensifying. He took a deep breath and released it before he allowed his emotions to take over and caused a scene.
"If I had to guess, I'd say he's just more susceptible. Spirits are more attracted and likely to attach onto those that are emotionally and mentally vulnerable." Saying that out loud stung the both of them. "I'm sure you're even aware that the majority of that optimism and energy he has is nothing more than a facade." He folded his hands under his chin, "It most likely saw the opportunity and took it, possibly saw or felt something about him that it could relate to."
"I thought you said you didn't know much about this stuff," Gladio narrowed his eyes from all the information.
"I said I didn't know much about dealing with them," he clarified, "I know enough about them and how they work for the most part, but that's as far as my knowledge goes." He pulled out his phone to check the time; only four in the afternoon, still a lot of time to kill. "Hope you're prepared to play the waiting game."
"I am as long as you think Noctis will be able to handle Prompto with the way he turns into a maniac," his voice carried an essence of humor, but his expression held nothing related, "Even I had a hard time keeping him still last night," he muttered with a heavy exhale of breath.
Ignis pondered on that for a moment, the throbbing in his face flaring up again, "I have confidence he'll be able to take care of things, if anything it doesn't seem to last long before he wears himself out. In any case, there's no helping it."
Gladio's foot tapped impatiently against the tile as he watched yet another young couple, drowning in their own sickening affection for one another, waltz on out. At this point he had long lost count of how many left before them and he could feel the judging and questioning stares they were starting to receive from the staff of this establishment. Either they thought they were up to no good, which would have been correct, or they had other assumptions on their mind, none of which left a good taste in his mouth. Glancing at Ignis, the man showed no signs of being at all affected by the watchful eyes.
"Excuse me, sirs," one of the waitresses finally strolled up to them, stack of dishes balancing precariously in one hand, the other fidgeting nervously at the edge of her apron, "We're going to be closing shortly, so if you plan on ordering anything, I suggest you do so within the next few minutes," she cleared her throat, eyes skitting around and never focusing on one of them for very long.
Ignis checked the time once more, a little past eight now, "Oh, it appears we have lost track of time," he feigned surprise, but did a fairly amateur job on his performance, "We'll just be leaving, we have some matters to attend to." He grabbed his bag and dug around in his pocket a moment to toss a few gil onto the table, "Your tip," he stated the obvious.
She didn't get a chance to reply, the both of them left her with a confused expression. Cutting her eyes down at the offered money, she pursed her lips and hummed lightly, "A tip for what?" she mumbled under her breath, but scooped it up anyway.
There was still a considerable amount of daylight left, but with the distance they now had to cover it was highly likely it would be fairly dark by the time they got there. Already though, the crowds had thinned noticeably, a good amount of them heading back to their homes or rooms, and those that remained appeared to be finishing up their shopping or simply going for an evening walk. "What time you plan on doing this?" Gladio asked, stepping closer to the adviser's side in order to keep their tones low.
"As soon as it's dark enough," he answered straightforward, "Dark enough to not be seen easily anyway." His hand unwittingly gripped around the handles of his bag, "Before we get there though, how well do you do with heights?" He cut his eyes over with a knowing and teasing half smile, "I do hope you handle those well." Gladio didn't reply, but the insinuation of that statement had him equally curious as he was scared at this point about what the man had thought of to get this done.
The closer they approached their destination, the more Ignis' nerves burned and the more he began to second guess things. But, every time he questioned whether or not this was right, his mind flashed back to that scratch on Prompto's face, and he was determined not to allow things to get worse than that. No, no way in hell that was happening if he could prevent it. And, now that they were almost there, he was dead set on seeing this through. Grabbing Gladio by the wrist, he took a sharp and unexpected turn into an ally, dragging the other deep into it before letting go. "Put these on," he almost commanded, tossing some of the dark clothing at his chest.
"Could at least say please," he joked, removing his jacket and throwing the long sleeve shirt on. Next he lifted the toboggan, "Really? I'm gonna look like a damn criminal," but he placed it on anyway.
"That's because we're about to be," Ignis reminded, putting on his own sketchy attire. "Now, if you can, I need you to find a way to the top of that building," he turned his attention upward, and pointed to the roof, at a spot directly above them, "Go up there, and try to find away to get on top of the place containing the painting and wait for me above its entrance. And do try to be quiet about it."
The shield raised one eyebrow, wondering how he was supposed to manage that, but with a little bit of searching around, he was able to locate a sturdy-enough pipe running along the side of the bricks, "Not sure how this is gonna be useful, but I trust ya," he sighed, wrapping both hands around the metal and giving it an experimental tug. "Well, here goes nothin'" he spoke softly to himself and began the tedious and iffy ascent to the top. Without looking down, he hauled himself over the edge, only risking a glance down once he was certain he was stable up there. And, to his annoyance, Ignis was gone, already off to start his part of this plan of which he still failed to explain.
With nothing better to do, he carried out his only instructions and made his way towards the other side of the building, coming to a full stop when he approached it and gazed down. It wasn't an incredibly huge gap, but it was wide enough to make his guts tangle with the sight of it. The fall would be enough to kill someone should they slip, but he was self-assured that his leap would suffice in this situation. And, taking a few steps back without thought, he sprinted forward, pushing off the edge of the roof with his left foot to land a little less than gracefully on the next building. He assumed this was the right rooftop, so there was nothing left for him to do but sit and wait.
Ignis waited until the shield was almost at the top before he turned and slithered around the corner, eyes darting in each and every direction with every step he took, and so far, the coast seemed clear enough, permitting him to continue forth. The pace was steady and arduous, but with due time, he eventually made it to the entrance, wasting no time to run in and hurry the process up. His hands moved swiftly, and he dumped out the remaining items in his bag, rope and black sheet spilling out. Leaving those on the floor, he stepped over to the painting and stood before it for a long minute, scanning over it and hesitating placing his hands on it; almost afraid of touching it.
Swallowing the growing lump, he laid both hands on either side and lifted it off its mount to slowly place it on the floor and lean it against the wall. Keeping his eyes glued on the painted ones, he grabbed the sheet with his left hand and draped it over. The purpose being to help keep it hidden as well as cushioning it against any possible bumps it was bound to receive. "Remember, this is for everyone's sake," he muttered, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath when he started to doubt himself again. "Alright." he snapped them back open and grabbed the rope next, tying it securely around the wire on the back of the frame, going as far as to tie a couple more knots to guarantee it wouldn't come loose.
Everything now in order, he stretched his hands back on either side and walked it over to the entrance, leaving the bag where it was; he had no more need for it. He propped the canvas up just outside in order to search for the last thing he needed, finding something that would work for the job almost instantly with the mess that occupied this area. Lifting the brick in his right hand, he tossed it in the air a few times to evaluate its weight, deciding that it was heavy enough for its intended purpose and tied the other end of the rope to it.
With everything securely in place, he pulled his phone back out and typed out a quick message for Gladio, 'Step away from the edge.' Ignis waited a good few seconds, giving the man time to read it and follow it through. Keeping an observant watch on the edge, he reeled his arm back and just chucked the brick as hard and far as possible, a satisfied smirk creeping onto his face when it landed. Quickly, he sent another quick message, 'Make sure that doesn't fall off, and wait for me.'
His heart was thrumming uncomfortably against his chest with the anticipation and thrill as he slinked back into the ally, pressing himself against the side of the structure as soon as he was hidden in the shadows of it. Taking a couple deep and calming breaths, shoving down his disquiet, he followed Gladio's earlier example in using the pipe to pull himself up and let out a relieved sigh upon reaching the top. Speaking of which, he found him almost instantly across perched on another roof, brick in hand.
"Got a pretty good throw, who would have guessed?" He raised an eyebrow and pushed himself up to his feet, "Think you can handle that jump now?"
The adviser rolled his eyes and stood on the edge to peer down, "I don't suppose I have much of a choice," very similarly to the other, he leapt across, landing easily on the other side, "Alright, we need to pull it up now, do so slowly and carefully, we don't need this thing banging against the building for multiple reasons."
"Yeah, I gotcha," he stepped back, brick still in hand, to pull enough of the rope up in order for Ignis to grip a section of it. And, slowly, they started hauling the painting up, both of them cringing inwardly and outwardly every time the felt the vibration emitted from it colliding lightly with the building. Luckily, it never hit hard enough to cause concern. As the top of it peaked over the edge, Gladio rushed forward to grab a hold of it, lifting it in a way to prevent it from scraping along the coarse material of the building. "Alright, so now what?" he asked, holding it a few inches from the roof.
The strategist dropped his section of the rope, "Now we head back to the room and keep it in a safe place," he stated matter-of-factly, rubbing his hands together.
"What, along the rooftops?" Gladio nodded in the direction of their hotel, and it had to be at least eight or nine buildings away.
"How else do you suppose we get back, we can't carry that thing down the streets. Even though it's covered, that's still insanely suspicious, don't you think?" He stepped around the other and untied the rope as he spoke, "It shouldn't be that hard," he shrugged, dropping the rest of the rope. "It will take some time getting the picture across, I'm certain, but other than that, piece of cake."
"Mmhm," Gladio glared out of the corner of his eyes, not buying it for a moment.
"Ich will nicht mehr hier sein, Warum hältst du mich hier?" Prompto bowed his head, bloodied hands gripping at either side as crimson stained the blond locks, "Ich will gehen," his forehead was against his knees now, shoulders shaking hysterically as muffled sobs racked through him. "Ich habe getan, was du wolltest, Ich habe es beendet. Sie sagten, ich könnte gehen, wenn es beendet ist."
Instead of approaching, Noctis did the only thing he could think of that wouldn't startle him again, crouched where he was, sitting across from him and locking his gaze, "Can you even understand me right now?" he questioned softly, communication was hitting a brick wall at the moment, neither seeming to understand the other.
"Was zur Hölle willst du? Wenn ich nicht gehen kann, dann töte mich," he lifted his head again, nearly spitting the words out as they ripped from his throat; primitive and terrified in tone, "Das ist es was du willst, nicht wahr? Mich töten?" Without thinking, Noctis made the mistake of lifting his hand to quickly to brush hair out of his face. "Fass mich nicht an!" Prompto shouted, voice echoing off the walls, teeth now bared almost ferociously, "Nimm deine schmutzigen Hände weg."
Slowly, he lowered his hand, deciding it was best if he didn't speak anymore, it didn't do him any good anyway. The king stared back though, trying to stay as still as possible, noticing how the blond's eyes kept flicking over his shoulder and towards the door. And, he knew exactly what he was thinking. Carefully, he eased his way to the right, gradually placing himself between his friend and the only exit.
At this gesture, his brows furrowed, pure anger and overshadowing that previous fear, "Dreckskerl," he growled, fingers crawling and clawing towards the back his neck now, "Lass mich gehen, lass mich gehen, lass mich gehen," he kept uttering, over and over, as he started to rock back and forth again, once more inheriting that desperate and pleading voice that tore at Noctis' heart. Soon his ramblings faded into unintelligible mumblings like what he heard when he woke up, nothing but disjointed noises that only slightly resembled Prompto's voice.
And, all he could do was watch, watch while one of his closest comrades was in clear pain but unable to do anything to help. He stared as those maimed fingers trailed down to his collar, pushing his shirt out of the way in their journey to his chest where they settled and to his shock, began digging in. What remained of his eroded nails were gouging into his own flesh, "Ich will nicht mehr eingesperrt sein, ich lasse mich von dir nicht mehr festhalten," he scratched further in, speckles of red bubbling through the new tears.
"Prom, stop it!" he abandoned his resolve to keep his distance now, preventing Prompto from harming himself taking top priority. Noctis, gripped both of the blond's wrists and tried to pry them away, only managing to pull them about an inch or so off his body, "Come on man, that's enough," he forced out, fingers tightening around the limbs, trying not to allow them to slip away from the slickness that now coated them.
"Bitte, ich kann einfach nicht mehr," the gunner wailed, his head listing to the side as the rest of his body went limp. And if it were for the continuous shudders and heavy panting, it would have appeared he had finally given in. "Es ist egal, es ist doch alles egal," he turned his head just enough to glare at the other, pure and unadulterated animosity swirling in dulled blue eyes. They darted around a little bit and eventually settled, staring at the hands that bound his own, and a stifled snarl-like sound hummed in the back of his throat. "Nimm deine dreckigen Hände weg," his tone was low and precise, the rust of desperation chipped away to expose the sharpened spite that lied beneath.
"Prom-" a gasp leaked out as he flinched back, the sudden movement taking him by surprise and he felt a sharp pain explode in his lower arm. "What the hell?" be bit out, flexing the muscle in his arm to try and prevent teeth from sinking in farther. He closed his eyes against the searing agony. "Dammit," he realized there was no option to be gentle about this; if he didn't turn towards force then he was certain he'd be missing a chunk of his arm soon enough.
He released his hold on the other's wrists, instantly regretting doing so when those hands switched targets and wrapped around his throat, but at least the clamp on his arm was gone, though he wasn't sure this was any better. Noctis choked against the pressure, having no choice but to let himself be thrown onto his back as Prompto positioned himself on top of him, face leaned down closely. "Verrecke, du elendes Stück Dreck," he growled, droplets of either saliva or blood sprinkling his face; he wasn't sure which it was with the poor lighting, but he was willing to bet on the latter. "Stirb, stirb, stirb, stirb," each one was spoken louder than the last, strength increasing along with it.
Noctis was swiftly losing the battle for control, the edges of his vision fading; the only noise he could produce was that of strangled gargles. Letting his instincts take over for just a moment, his fight kicking in, he sensed the familiar weight of his blade in his hand; and, using the butt of the hilt, he swung it up with all the energy he had left in him. Prompto cried out at the blunt collision, staggering away from the shock of it more than anything. He had no time to recover as the tip of the blade teased the base of his neck, pressing slightly into the flesh, "I don't wanna...do this," Noctis breathlessly begged, other hand massaging his nearly crushed throat, "Please, Prom, just get a hold of yourself."
Prompto leaned his head back to expose more of his neck, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips and the red that painted them, "Nun mach schon du verdammter Feigling," he actually smiled at it, his breaths coming out quickened and uneven. "Tu es endlich!" his voice contrasted highly with his last words, his body inching forward, causing the sword to break skin." But, he faltered as blood peeked through, a flash of realization shooting across his features, "S-stop," he pleaded, butchered hands wrapping around himself as he stepped back, legs instantly buckling. Noctis had to withdraw his blade before it had the chance to pierce straight through. Another sob broke out, this one sounding a lot more like the Prompto he knew, "Please, go away," his hands moved back up to cradle the sides of his head, which shook back and forth with his attempts to clear it.
The raven sighed in relative relief, "You back?" his voice was still shaky and unsure, but he dismissed his sword, dropping to his own knees to be on the same level, "Can you hear me?" he placed his own hands over the soiled ones, holding his head steady, "I-It's alright now, ok? Everything is...it's fine," he winced at his own tone, so obviously drenched with blatant lies and skepticism, but he had to believe he was speaking honestly. "Look at me," he asked more than demanded.
Slowly, the blond complied, gradually raising his head, stopping momentarily when his eye caught his bloodied arm, "Noc-" the metallic taste in his mouth became bitter and prominent and he could feel bile rise with the flavor of it. He yanked his right hand out from under Noctis' and clamped it over his mouth to keep himself from getting sick from the sight of clear teeth marks marring the surface.
"Prompto, look at me," he clarified, now using his own hands to guide his attention to him, "It wasn't you, and you know this, ok?" He wasn't listening, his other hand was removed as well to be held in front of his face, and seeing those covered in the substance and throbbing made him feel more disgusted; the urge to vomit was more impending than ever when his body heaved to try and rid itself of whatever it had. He shut his eyes, energy failing him and consciousness fleeting; the overwhelming acknowledgement of him causing more hurt to those around him adding to the crushing factor.
"Sorry," he whispered, letting himself be pulled into a comforting embrace, "I can't...I can't stop it," he lamented into Noctis' shoulder, left hand grasping at his shirt and he ignored the pain it sent through his fingers. "Please, forgive me...please." His face was buried deeper into the king's jacket, trying to hide itself and cower away from the world, "I want it gone, I want this to be over already," his words muffled against him, another tremor vibrating through him, and his body stiffened at his futile attempt to silence his soft whines.
"I kn-ow," Noctis replied, his own words cracking, "I know, Prom, don't worry about it, alright? We'll get things taken care of, just don't worry about it." He moved his hands to his upper arms and pushed him away to sit at half an arm's length, "We should uh, we should probably get cleaned up," he suggested, wanting nothing more than to get all the blood off the both of them; the sooner that was done, the more comfortable they both would be. "And get these wounds cleaned up as well," was quickly added as he glanced at the fingers still intertwined in his shirt and the marred scratches and tears on Prompto's chest.
The blond nodded slowly, understanding what the other was trying to do, and more than thankful for it, but he knew it would do no good to cleanse his guilt about it. "Yeah," he whispered, avoiding meeting his friend's gaze as well as directing his line of sight towards any maimed or stained area. Together the two of them rose up, Noctis having to take most of the other's weight when he wavered slightly, exhaustion highlighting his features. As they made their way to the bathroom, he glanced back at the wall, an ugly scar to remind them both of this night's events.
Since I hate the way this thing does the reply to reviews thing, Imma do it the same way most people do and just add my replies here. lol
ellaygee: I have no idea what 33 means. lol I think something kinda messed up with that one.
twaxer: OHhhh yesssssss, finally getting to the good stuff, the fun stuff. :D Everyone can do thissssss, even if it hurts a little both inside and out. ;w;
websky: XD You know by now that I love doing cliffhangers, best way to keep interest and torture people~
Bagpipes5k2: Ahhhhh, yes, actually got to that in this chapter. XD Took a while, but I finally explained it at least a little bit.