Two weeks.
It took two weeks for his schedule to free up. Well not completely, he had some free days but Noct was around so he couldn't sneak out and go to Prompto himself. Gladio shook his head. No matter what, Noct couldn't find out. Gladio couldn't stress that enough. And after hearing it so many times Ignis couldn't help himself. He got curious.
He knows Prompto is safe. Gladio has said so, and he wouldn't lie. Especially not to him and not about Prompto.
Now, finally Noct is busy while Gladio and Ignis are free for a couple hours. So while Noct do his thing they both sneak away to Prompto's apartment. Not completely sure if she's at work or not but they go anyway hoping she is. When Gladio was there at the same time, the same day of the week, two weeks ago she was. So unless her shift changed drastically then it should still be the same. Pray to the six that it is.
Ignis drives them in the regalia. When they get there Ingis parks while Gladio goes on ahead. He takes the elevator, walks down the same hallway he did two weeks ago. Knocking on the same door, quietly this time. Again she answers. Her hair up this time. It look like she was cleaning the apartment. She gives him a smile, moving to the side to let him in.
"Gladio, what a happy surprise. What brings you here?" She wonders, making small talk as she close the door behind him.
"Ignis is on his way up too." He says jumping right into it as he makes his way to the couch and sitting on it, more comfortable this time around.
"What?" Prompto asks shocked. She felt it was still too soon, she worries about not only Ignis' reaction but what he plans to do. What if he decides to tell Noct or worse the king? What can she do about it? Can she do anything? "I was hoping you kept silent about this for a while longer." She says standing in front of him, pout on her lips.
"We would have come earlier but we couldn't so count yourself lucky. When I was here last time I told Ignis immediately." Prompto looks away half upset but also half glad that they couldn't come earlier. It's already a shocked for them to be here today. "Look sunshine, you can't keep running away from this. Not forever at least."
"I know but I wanted this to be hidden as long as I can." Prompto says exaggerating her motions of falling on the empty half of the couch.
"Tough luck." Gladio says. Prompto sits up and looks at him.
The baby interrupts anything anyone was going to day. "I've got him." Prompto tells him, moving, going to her room to check on him. She changes his diaper.
While Prompto is doing that the door is knocked on. Knowing who it is, Gladio gets up and answers the door. Ignis is slightly stunned to see Gladio opening the door, him being the last one Ignis would think would open the door. Gladio moves aside as Ignis walks in, he looks around. Checking around the apartment, making mental notes of where everything is. It's clean, but not spotless. At least not how he knew Prompto always had her home. But it was so empty and lonely. Even at her parents place there were pictures and paintings hanging on the wall. Little things to cover up space for no real purpose other than to decorate the place. But here there is nothing. Just furniture. It all looked rushed, and it's all the basic. There wasn't even a carpet put under the coffee table, on the hardwoods floors no less.
"Iggy," said man turns his head to the side at the familiar sounding voice. He smiles at the blonde, her freckles are so nice to see again. "It's been a while." She smiles, pushing what's in her arm up further catching his attention. He stares, body going rigid in shock, at the baby in her arms. One hand holding onto the spaghetti strap of her tank top in the other hand the baby held a raddle. Prompto lets out a strained chuckle, trying to not show how nervous she is. Gladio can see it though. Ignis just stands there, not able to comprehend the situation. Surely this must be a joke. Gladio did get here before him, so maybe, maybe, they planned this to mess with him? Right?
Ignis jumps in his skin as the baby sneezed. Prompto smile down at him, he look so shocked with himself. Prompto looks back up at Ignis to see he's come back to reality. He doesn't looked angry but he looks like he wants answers. "What is going on Prompto?" he demands with a frown. He really hopes this is a joke. Prompto shrinks in on herself, her smile fading, holding her baby closer and protectively. He sounds mad.
"Iggy, relax." Gladio says standing next to the brunette, one hand on his shoulder to calm him down, ground him to his spot. Gladio doesn't flinch when Ignis frowns at him. His eyes filled with rage.
"You knew. For two whole weeks you knew, and didn't tell me." Ignis says, voice getting an octave higher. Also sounds offended.
"Yes, I did. Prom asked me not to tell anyone but you. And I thought about telling you but you wouldn't have believed me at first so it was better to show you." Gladio gets glared at from Ignis.
"Who is the father?" He asks more calmly, turning from Gladio to Prompto. He wants an answer.
"Who do you think? Princess." Gladio answers for the blonde. Ignis's eyes widen, he hides his reaction by pushing his glasses up.
"I'm mad," Ignis tells the room, this all happened because they weren't safe but now, now that it's all happened, the baby is here and now he can't do anything about that anymore, "but I can't change the past but I'm also mad that you didn't tell us. How can you keep something as important as having Noct's baby to yourself?" He's doesn't say it but he knows Noct doesn't know about this. "You should have told us." Ignis says hurt, she didn't trust them enough.
"Sorry," Prompto's voice cracks, "I-I was a-afraid." She bites her lips to try to hold her sob in. "I... I couldn't face Noct anymore. A-a-and I didn't w-want to-to get r-rejected." Not again. She shakes her head. She didn't want to get heart broken again. "If w-we faught, i-if there was an argument between us you both would have taken Noct's side no matter what. It was best this way." She tells them her messy bangs helping in hiding her face as her head hung low. The baby none the wiser on what's going on.
Prompto's tears begin to fall. Ignis' expression softens. Ignis and Gladio both hated that she didn't trust them, the worst part, what hurt the most is how right she is. They don't know how Noct would have felt about the baby, but the worse case scenario and they have to choose a side, they would have gone with Noct all the way. "I understand." Ignis says, reaching forward to rub Prompto's back. "I'm sorry you felt that." He says. "It must not have been easy making any choice." He adds. Gladio also rubs her back to calm down her crying. She had choices and she mader her decision, a decision she favored which didn't involve them.
The baby seems to have caught on that something was wrong and starts to cry. Immediately Prompto stop her own crying to sooth her baby. Resting his head on her shoulder, he hand rubbing circles on his back, as she bounce slightly with a bit of a sway, shushing him. "Mommy's okay." She says to him, kissing his black hair. Gladio and Ignis smile at her. It was quite the sight to see their young friend be so adult like with her baby.
After a while the baby calms down, drooling everywhere on Prompto's freckled shoulder. The drool making Ignis cringe hard on the inside, he knew baby's are messing but to see it up close. Gladio wasn't any better, who likes to get drooled on? No one, but Prompto didn't seem to mind it, if she even felt it.
"Hello, little one. My name is Ignis, but I think you are aloud to call me Iggy." Ignis tells the baby who stare back at him with his big round blue eyes. Ignis, using his index finger to mimic shaking the baby's hand. The other two laughing with a smile.
Next is Gladio, standing next to Ignis to rub his large hand over the very small head of the baby. "The name's Gladio, short for Gladiolus." Is all the behemoth of a man says. Prompto smiles.
"Gladio, Ignis, meet Astrum." Prompto introduces, holding his arm up to wave his hand at them.
