Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting
Request for: FredrikssonT
Summary: When Prompto nearly drowns, the others have to do what they can in order to save him. This is from an earlier story, only told from the guys' point of view. So, sorry it's a bit short, but I didn't wanna drag it on and only covered the part where Prompto was unconscious. I hope that's alright. ;w;
Bagpipes5K2: Yessssss, especially with all the combos they pull off, like there is no way those maneuvers are safe. Oh yeah, from what I heard, it's an awful experience, apparently it burns and everything, and I would rather avoid feeling that at all costs. lol Neither of them would know how to handle this kind of stuff healthily, I don't think, they both of the wrong ways of coping. XD Ignis is a national treasure that should be cherished by all. And, honestly, I have no idea which of those two would win in that contest.
websky: It really seems to put things into perspective for him, I think, makes him take a few steps back and actually look at things. XD
Luna the Wolf Mage: Sweet, thank you so much. I know it won't be for a while, but wanted to be sure in case it does become a thing.
xYukiNoYume: XD Honestly same though, I think it's because Gladio does so much that makes me not feel sorry for him, that a little bit of blame won't hurt him. lol At this point, I'm sure he's questioning whether or not they're really trying to protect him. lol
He wasn't sure what it was, but something caught his attention, ungracefully pulling him from his sleep. Gladio groaned slightly against the disturbance, screwing his eyes closed tighter in an attempt to block it out and return to his peaceful slumber. His awareness was more than a little delayed, but within a few moments, he was able to figure out just what had woken him up. He was fairly certain his arm had been nudged aside, and him being the light sleeper he is, that was enough to yank him to the world of wakefulness.
The shield pried one eye open and took a peek. Eyes still slightly blurred, the only defining feature he could make out was a bunch of blond hair. Yawning, he shrugged it off as Prompto merely having to use the bathroom and turned over to his other side. But, try as he might, he just couldn't return to that blissful paradise, something nagged at that back of his mind and prevented him from slipping into unconsciousness.
The man wasn't sure how long he was lying there, but there was a voice in the back of his mind that was screaming, yelling and pestering that something was very wrong. There wasn't anything that would cause him to sense it, but it was still there, jabbing him with a sharp stick. And, the more he lied there and thought about it, the more he wondered what was taking the gunner so long. Surely he should have been back by now, unless something happened… He shook his head, he was just being paranoid. With all the stuff they endured day after day, it was no wonder he thought that way.
Unable to stand it any longer, he begrudgingly slipped out from under his cover and pulled himself to peer outside, his eyes taking the time in adjusting to the change in lighting. At first, he saw nothing, no sign of anyone or anything. It was as still and peaceful as it was before they had called it a night. He hummed to himself as he gave the area one more quick scan.
Then, he saw something, it was small and seemed insignificant, but it instantly had his focus, his intent and unwavering focus. "What the…" he muttered to himself, squinting to get a better look at whatever it was. It wasn't until it moved that alarm bells were going off in his head and he was up in another second.
"Ignis!" he shoulder, rushing over to give the man one solid shake before ungracefully pushing his way outside. Behind him, he picked up a few incoherent questions from the groggy adviser. And, although he couldn't quite make them out, he blurted out a quick, "Prompto's in trouble, get a fire started and get ready to help." His tone was demanding and loud, causing the prince to rouse awake as well.
The adviser almost instantly woke up at that, his body nearly acting on its own as he jumped up to his feet, further rustling a sluggish prince. "What's going on?" he asked, heading out right after the brute.
Gladio never answered, in fact, he was already off, too far to really make out what the brunet was saying. Ignis' gaze trailed off, wandering off in the direction the other was headed, and his eyes widened at the scene. It was pretty far out there, too far for comfort and the pit of his stomach filled with lead. His blood was replaced with ice and he switched over to autopilot as he got right to getting a fire started.
The shield was wading through the water in a matter of seconds, swearing under his breath as the currents gripped him and tried to prevent him from going any faster. "Come on," he muttered, growing frustrated with every step he took. And, soon enough, he was forced to start swimming, in too deep to reach the bottom any longer. Fear wrapped around his heart when he could no longer see those struggles on the water's surface, the lake becoming eerily still aside from his own desperate paddles.
'Prompto, what the hell have you done?' he asked himself, his mind running circles within his skull, all the possible outcomes playing out mentally. By the time another minute went by, he was fairly certain he was in the spot he saw him. But, there was no time to think about it, there was no more time to waste. All he could do was pray he was in the right place and that he made it in time. The lack of bubble rising to the surface though didn't bode well.
Taking a deep breath, he dove under, his heart beating what felt like a thousand times a second as panic really started to overwhelm his senses now. Down he went, for what had to have been an eternity. Just as he was beginning to lose hope, to fear that he really was too late, he spotted it, the blond's still form as it continued to sink farther away. His face was set in a frozen state of tranquility, features pale and almost unrealistic in appearance.
He was so close, but he continued to drift farther away, just out of his reach. His fingers just barely glanced over Prompto's, brushing over before he sank deeper. Gritting his teeth, the shield pushed himself downward, putting everything he had into this dive. At last, he had his hand clasped tightly around the gunner's in a death grip. Relieved, he yanked him up and towards him, eagerly wrapping his arm around his form in order to pull him in close, refusing to run the risk of losing that grasp.
With the blond now securely against him, he kicked his feet with ferocity, working his way back to the surface as quickly as he was able. He was almost there, just a few more feet and they would be in the clear, or he prayed they would. 'Hang in there,' he begged to himself, his heart growing as limp as the body in his arm. Even underwater, it was as if he was losing warmth by the second.
Gladio took a deep and greedy breath, his lungs basically on fire after just a minute, and his limbs weighed heavily on him from all the exertion. And there was still a great distance to swim before they could get Prompto the help he needed. He pushed himself past the point of exhaustion. Doing this alone was one thing, but accomplishing this while bearing the weight of another at the the same time was almost more than even he could do.
"We're almost there," he promised, all his muscles on fire and throbbing, "just a little bit farther, and you'll be alright."
From the shore, the prince watched on in stunned horror, his body refusing to move and his mouth denying him the usage of words. His jaw hung open, his intense gaze locked onto his friend being hauled out of the lake by the brute...unmoving. His chest was still, his form dripping wet and his skin an unnatural shade. He looked positively dead.
"P-Prompto?" he whispered, managing to stumble forward a couple of steps. He faltered, almost losing his footing, but was able to save himself. Before he had a chance to do anything, Gladio was shoving past him, not bothering to spare him a single glance as he rushed the gunner over to the fire.
"Iggy, I need you over here!" Gladio barked, lowering his burden onto the spread out cover next to the flames. "He's not breathing," he choked out, voice cracking uncharacteristically as he stepped back to allow the adviser some room to work and do what he could.
In the background, Noctis continued to stand dumbfoundedly, staring on uselessly and glued to the spot. He couldn't take a single breath, his chest locking up and not allowing the entry of air. Nausea crept up, swirling in his guts, and he was certain he'd throw up at any second now, his insides shriveling up. "W-What's happening?" he asked, the question never reaching anyone aside from himself. "What the hell is going on?" he asked louder, finally getting the attention of his shield.
"Noctis," Gladio uttered, strolling over, effectively standing between him and the scene. "I-I'm not gonna sugarcoat this, but it doesn't look good, alright? But, you need to stay calm and keep a level head. Freaking out isn't gonna do anyone any favors." He placed both hands on either of his shoulders and gave the younger man a gentle shake, urging him to look his way. "Do you understand?"
The raven hesitated, gaze flickering to the blond as Ignis bore over him, both his hands cross over his chest. "Yeah," he mouthed, barely a sound coming out. Slowly, he forced himself to close his eyes, to block it all out even of for just a moment. 'Don't you dare,' he threatened to himself, his hands clenching at his sides as nails bit into palms.
He had no idea how long he stood there, how long he listened to Ignis pleading the blond to just take a breath, or how long he watched his still form. But it had to have been a lifetime, he refused to accept that it had only been about a minute. Then, out of nowhere, they all heard it, a sound so beautiful, yet pain-fill, called out to them. He was alive, he took a single gasp before coughing, choking on excess water. Immediately, the adviser rolled him over to his side and placed a single supportive hand upon his back, holding him steady while he composed himself, or as much as he could.
"Easy," Ignis coaxed, hand now working small circles on the center of his back. "Just try to relax, everything's fine."
Both Gladio and Noctis let out a heavy breath of relief, but they didn't quite allow themselves the luxury to relax just yet. He may have been breathing on his own now, but it was obvious he was still far away from lucidity. Prompto was mumbling to himself, nothing making sense, the words not even sounding like real words at this point.
"Is he alright?" the raven asked instantly, too enthusiastic just from the fact that he was talking, albeit in a butchering way, but he was making some sort of sound that wasn't choking. "Ignis, is he alright?" he repeated, swiftly losing patience.
"I don't know!" the adviser snapped back. "He was out for a long time, he's alive, but that's all I know. I don't know if there's further damage from going without oxygen for so long, and until he fully wakes up, we won't know." The man never took his attention off the gunner, continuing to sooth him the best he could without causing any more discomfort. Once he was taking in somewhat steady breaths, the brunet carefully turned him over to his back, placing a hand on his chest to make sure things were still going relatively fine.
The raven bit back a response, fighting back his need to push things. He understood that Ignis was right, that there was nothing they could do anymore until he woke up fully. But, he still longed for answers, needed to know exactly what was going on.
"We should probably get him back inside," Gladio offered, knowing he'd be more comfortable within the confines of the tent, at least it was a place that was more familiar than out in the middle of the night. Whether he was aware or not, he was sure he would be able to tell a difference. The adviser nodded, giving him the go ahead. And, with that, the shield scooped Prompto back in his arms, inwardly wincing at how frail and appeared in his hold. It was as though the smallest movement would snap him in half.
Sighing heavily, the man hauled him over and ducked inside, laying the gunner down as carefully as he were able. "Here ya go," he breathed out, grabbing the cover that was handed to him by the prince. Draping it over the kid, he stepped back and glanced him over one last time. "What have you gotten yourself into?" he mumbled to himself, shaking his head and strolling back out.
Left alone with Prompto, Noctis stepped a bit closer, being careful about his movements from not wanting to disturb him. He lowered himself down to sit next to him, his hand already reaching out, but hesitating an inch from his shoulder. He hadn't thought it possible for him to appear even more fragile, but here he was proving that wrong. Slowly, he lowered his hand, allowing it to rest down over the cover. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for a long night, waiting until the other finally decided he wanted to actually wake up.
~AND I BELIEVE IT IS TIME TO CLOSE REQUESTS~
(I apologize, but they're starting to really ad up now. xD)
And, I'm sorry and hate to do this, but from now on, I will message people before I do your story, and if I don't get a reply, it will be skipped until I hear from you again. Only reason I feel the need to do this is because multiple times, I have written a request, and the person would never show up again. And, honestly, these take time, and if the person that asked doesn't stick around, then I don't want to take the time to do it.
~laurelilith (I think this user no longer exists, so it has been skipped)
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MsChievous
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