Pure angst and hurt/comfort all over this chapter. It's a bit confused in places, but that's because the bros are pretty confused. Bear with me, for this chapter is short. And I nearly cried writing parts of it. I hope you still enjoy the chocobros trying to keep each other together through it all.

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Calling Umbra

Chapter 14 – We're so done

There was a bark somewhere in the background and Noctis only recognized the fact there was light beyond the hands covering his eyes. He was still shaking as the bricks beneath his knees shifted, still trembling as the visions of Luna suffering remained, echoing across his mind, thankfully no new wounds or torture appearing. He heard Prompto gasping and Gladio grunting. Felt Umbra's muzzle against his thigh, the dog whining softly.

We're back, he thought.

"The hell!" Gladio managed, his voice sounding different then his usual.

Something had happened to him down there, Noctis was sure of it. A few feet from him, Prompto dropped to his knees. The young King looked up through his tears, seeing the train station and very few people minding their business. The two brothers he'd risked were there, going through different stages of shock from what they'd seen, and yet someone was missing.

Luna. Gods, Luna, what have I done to you?

But he would come to terms with her absence later, when the awful, awful vision would be gone, when he'd know at least, the people he hadn't lost in Altissia were still here.

"Iggy?" he tried calling out.

His voice croaked out of his throat pitifully.

The cane was lying on the ground, letting him believe that something might have happened and while Gladio whipped around in alarm, Prompto just pushed his head against the ground. He was holding himself, sobbing.

I hurt them all.

The realization made everything ache twice as bad.

"Iggy!" Gladiolus called, heaving a gasp as he finally spotted the man.

Noctis followed his movement, his eyes widening at the sight.

Ignis's suit was covered with dirt and mud from being kicked around, his glasses broken, the star shaped scar so raw, it was hard to tell if it wasn't actually bleeding. He had been laying on the ground until Ardyn's voice actually left his head for good, his hands still raised in front of him in self-defense, his entire body shuddering.

Noctis couldn't breathe. The last time, his absence had been nothing more than a second, Prompto had sworn to him, he'd barely had any time to blink and he was back…

How long were we gone? Who the hell did…?

"You're back," Ignis managed, raising himself up despite the weakness in his arms.

"What happened?" was all Noctis could say, Ignis crawling his way to them with his head hanging so low, it felt like torture all over again. He wanted to warp forward and halt him, but he was also scared, because Ignis's blind eye was looking for him with pure despair and he didn't trust his trembling arms enough to throw a weapon forward.

"You were gone, Noct," the advisor stated. "You were gone for so long and left me with no way to find you if anything happened."

"I…"

Ignis almost tripped on his hands and caught himself, tears burning down his eyes. Somehow, Noctis knew, they weren't even due to shame. He swallowed, blinking away more of his own tears, shuffling forward to at least save his friend some of the distance. When the prince touched his shoulders, the advisor seemed ready to fold back on himself, his body was still on high alert from the attack he'd been through. From close up, Noctis could tell he'd been burned again. The scar on his face looked fresh and rawer than when he'd woken up in Altissia to hear the news about Luna.

"Ig…"

Ignis cut him off with the strongest hug he could manage, forgetting to confirm whether the prince was wounded or not first, forgetting that such a thing was unsightly, unable to even remember there were strangers potentially staring at the scene. His world was a void with the picture of Noctis dying, over and over and he needed to know that reality was not yet…

"You left me behind," he whispered, all composure gone, his hands gripping to Noctis's coat, face hiding against his shoulder. "Twice and I can't… Don't leave me another time, Noct, I beg you! I know I'm a burden, I know I can't…"

Noctis couldn't breathe, his throat tied up with a knot the size of his heart. All he could do was hold Ignis back, hard enough to hurt.

"I'm sorry, Iggy, I…"

"I'm sorry for Luna, Noct, I know…"

"Iggy, please, I'm not leaving again, I'm sorry, I didn't want you getting hurt."

"I'm…"

He wanted to say fine, but the word burned in his throat and instead he hid himself a little more, every wall cracking down as the sobs took over.

Noctis was such a mess already, he didn't need that, he needed one of them to be strong and from what Ignis could hear, Prompto was in bad shape and Gladio might not… Could the advisor really pretend his ears were even working by now? Noctis was telling him he wouldn't leave again, but a part of his brain was convinced that if he let go of the prince for even a second, it would be back to that painful void of reality.

"Just don't leave again. I know I can't look after you, but I will, I'll…"

"Stop, Ignis, please. I'm not… I'm not going back, I'm not losing anyone else."

They both jumped as they felt a shy hand on their shoulders, Prompto taking the few steps keeping him apart from them, remaining standing since he knew dropping to his knees would mean never getting back up again.

"I can't lose you guys either," the gunman whispered.

"Prom…"

Noctis barely managed that word, shell-shock by the state Ignis's was in. His older brother, advisor, life-guide and mentor was… broken and adrift, lost in pain and it was his fault. He'd put on the ring in his name. He'd given up his sight for his sake. And most of all, right after forcing him back to cecity, Noctis had turned his back on him to run after a hopeless dream.

He wanted to cry with him, but nothing came out, not a sound, not a whimper, not even a tremble of his hand.

"Guys," Gladiolus tried to call some reason into them.

Prompto looked around, seeing the looks on the passersby's faces. The last thing Ignis needed was to be under the spotlight, but the outside world had stopped existing for him since Noctis was back. The sad part was, maybe the outside world had stopped existing for him since Noctis had left…

Their Iggy was out of reach, needing warmth after the horror, needing reassurance after the pain. The four men could sense every burden and trauma from their journey prickling at their skin, like they'd broken through the surface, wearing down every defense.

People were staring and murmuring, but no one dared to interfere. If Gladiolus had asked about what had happened to Ignis, they would admit the man had been seemingly pushed around by some invisible force. He wanted to break down too, he had pulled his phone out of his pocket without even realizing it. Iris was a call away, and her answer would be enough to calm him down, unless the terror of ending up on her voicemail did him in.

"Guys…" He tried again.

His voice sounded so weak and the sight of the three of his friends hurting as they held on each other… He almost wished his arms were large enough to hide each and every one of them from the rest of the world.

Gladiolus pushed his phone back into his pocket, grasping for the best way to actually hide his friends. They needed somewhere safe to break down. And once that was done, maybe they could try to piece something back together. He was afraid to touch any of them, afraid the tears might shift to the black tar he'd seen on Iris's face. Afraid their shaking would win him over if he didn't steel himself hard enough.

"Hey. How about taking this somewhere else?"

He didn't dare to touch Ignis, seeing as he was hiding himself a little more in Noctis's arms and that very behavior was enough to shake up the King's Shield. His hand fell on the King's back, Gladio wincing as Noct jumped, Prompto almost taking a step back.

They were worse than frightened kids.

"I…" Noctis tried to align his thoughts. "What do we do, Gladio?"

"I just told you," the Shield sighed. "Prompto, help him get to his feet. I'll carry Iggy…"

"I'm staying with Noct!" came Ignis's protest and the warm tears rolling down his bare face were worse than a punch in the gut.

"It's okay, Iggy, I…" Noctis bit his tongue instead of giving him a promise he didn't know he could keep. He had been powerless to save Luna, how could he pretend there was anything he could get accomplished after that? Travelling back through time was Umbra's doing and he'd played right into Ardyn's hands… A second time.

"We need to get you somewhere safe," Gladiolus offered.

"There's nowhere really…"

Prompto shivered, knowing full well what their friend meant.

"Come on, Iggy. We can't have people seeing Noctis in the state he's in."

It was a clumsy attempt, but it reached the advisor, his throat seizing upon a broken gasp, his hands falling at his sides as he struggled to recall there was a world existing outside of just the prince he was looking after. And people could see Noctis and his friends, unlike Ignis. There was no looking after that could be done, literally, and the pain was swarming back up, breaking through every crack in his armor. His legs held him and he could tell Noctis's arm was around his shoulder, while Gladio offered him support, Prompto rushing around to grab his cane, his boots always making a different sound against stones than the other's shoes.

"There's a step here," Gladiolus warned him as they stepped into the train.

Ignis wished he had enough working brain cells to pray he wouldn't stumble, but instead he stumbled and felt the strength of his friends keeping him on his feet, letting himself be carried like a doll the rest of the way. They rented a room and guided him to their cart, having him sitting on a bed so they could check his wounds, Noctis barely recalling that he sported burns and that both of his friends did.

"What happened to you three?" Ignis managed despite how raw his throat felt.

"The boiling rain was still falling," Prompto offered him an explanation.

"Nothing a few potions can't fix," Noctis whispered, looking through his pockets, still trying to gather his senses. As he found an energy drink and pulled it out, he made one false move, the bottle falling and breaking on the floor, making the four of them jump in their seats, Ignis literally shifting backward, curling on himself.

The tears frozen in the prince's blue eyes poured out, as though this was just another sign of his weakness. His inability to protect or save anyone. His throat tightened and he pushed against the rough knot growing inside, his eyes blinking desperately as they burned.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Dude, there's no…"

But Noctis could see the way Gladiolus was shaking with his phone laying in his hands, his big fingers struggling to hit keys. The way Prompto tried to make Ignis more comfortable, ignoring his own scratches and cuts which needed treatment.

"I'm sorry, you're worth more than that, I risked you all like some… selfish brat and I can't…"

"Noct…" Ignis tried shaking his head, but his voice broke over the name.

"It's so unfair, Ig… I can't fix you… My stupid magic does nothing to help the people around me."

"I never asked to be fixed," the advisor managed with a steady voice, his resolve faltering as Noctis wrapped his arms around him.

"You should ask for more things, Iggy…"

Who said that was unclear as Prompto and Gladio moved in to join on the hug, the four men equally needing comfort. Noctis had questions to ask, Prompto did too, but neither dared say them. They simply held on, hiding each other, Gladiolus's arms managing to contain them all somehow even as feelings spilled over. Ignis and Noctis were like the little boys they once were, holding on to each other to fend off the nightmare their lives had become. Sleep came, taking over some of the pain, threatening to induce more nightmare, but somehow, being together kept the darkness at bay.

Had the princess left a little speck of light in their hearts?

…

Gladiolus was the first to wake up and sensed that something was different from usual. His bed felt small, but that wasn't new. What was new was the sleepy feeling in his right arm and realizing that both Noctis and Ignis were cuddling next to him, Noctis with his back leaning into his chest.

The fuck? The Shield thought, not immediately remembering the most recent events.

This was the first time he was getting sleep in the past 36 hours and he needed much more rest. Except that his legs couldn't move either. Shifting over ever so slightly, he realized that Prompto was nested with his head on his hip, holding onto his right leg like a teddy bear.

"Are you guys for real?" he couldn't help his barking laugh from coming out.

"What is it? What is it?!" Prompto panicked as he tried batting the sleep out of his eyes.

Ignis did blink, very slowly, his good eye eying Gladio with something akin to murderous intent. There was something uncanny about the way he'd managed to find him and look in the perfect angle despite his cecity.

"Sorry specs, I was just shocked by all the snuggling. When next will the king be able to boast about being sandwiched by the best-looking men in Lucis?"

"God, Gladio, are you trying to start some sort of tabloid?" Noctis grunted, struggling out of sleep.

"I don't think I've snapped any picture of it. Stop getting up!" Prompto teased them, happy to fall back in their usual ways.

"Don't be rude now, we don't need puffy red eyes immortalized for posterity," Ignis declared, the hint of a warning in his voice as he untangled himself from Noctis to sit up.

The prince imitated him, actually helping the advisor in remaining steady.

"Prom, consider yourself warned, he has a very mean right hook," Noctis added.

Gladiolus scrambled out of bed at that, laughing as he defended his speedy retreat, "can't stay in the crossfire, my jaw has a tendency of breaking Ignis's fingers."

"Like you're made of rock. Get off your crazy cloud, Gladio," Prompto teased the giant back.

Neither of them could think what it was that brought the Shield back to Eos, but his whole attitude shifted, his shoulders lowering as he recalled the fright from the previous day. And how crazy his crazy cloud had gotten.

"Will you guys be okay if I leave a minute?"

"Oh no, you don't…!" Noctis protested, fearing this was a repeat of his disappearing right after the confrontation with Ravus.

"I need to make a phone call, it's going to be a matter of minutes, I swear."

Gladio had never sounded like he was ready to beg before. But the pain in his eyes was painfully real and Noctis found himself nodding. In fact, they all nodded in unison, Prompto voicing everyone's question as soon as the tall man had walked out of their cabin.

"What the hell happened to him out there?"

…

"Gladdy, I swear, I'm doing fine," Iris told him.

"It's so good to hear your voice," he sighed.

"You're scaring me!"

"I'm sorry, sis. I… We all went through hell. Some monster messed with our heads and…"

"And…?" Iris wondered if he wanted her to encourage him or not.

"It turned into a zombie apocalypse and I got to see… too many people I knew. You included."

Her gasp made him wince, because he didn't want her to hurt, but then again, putting into words and hearing her say she was the liveliest she'd ever been and so not a zombie… He chuckled into the phone.

"Stay that way, sis. I can't wait to see you."

They exchanged a few more banalities, Gladiolus stepping all around the fact he'd seen both of their parents. And killed them. He wasn't going to make her cry when she was too far for him to reach her. It was already bad that he told her this much.

"Noctis and the others are alright, though? You're going to get all back in one piece, aren't you?"

There was a knot in his throat he could barely swallow.

"Don't tell me how to do my job, sis!"

Walking back into the room, he found the guys working on fixing Prompto's wounds, that had remained untreated last night.

"Why did you let yourself remain forgotten?" Noctis asked, and it was clear it wasn't the first time he'd done so.

"I…" Prompto's voice shivered in and out. "I always fear I'm not worth those…"

"Prompto, please!"

"Listen to me, Noct," Prompto cut him off with a raised voice.

He knew he sounded whiny, but this was too important for him. Waking up and seeing how he was just clinging to the others, unable to find his place once more…

They gave him silence and their full ears, Prompto taking in a short breath before throwing himself in the water.

"I was originally born in the empire and adopted by a Lucian family for some… reasons I don't really know. So the guys who caused Altissia. The people who took away Luna and made our lives so hard… I could have been one of them."

At first, all he got was silence.

Was it one bomb too many dropping on their heads?

To be continued…

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Next chapter will be about… Luna! So we'll get answers as to what's going on with her! Stay tuned!