Jason couldn't get enough air.
He heaved, chest expanding in great, fruitless gulps. His lungs were constricted, and sweat trailed down his bare sides in rivlets, pooling at the fabric just below his waist and at the small of his back only to drip into the dust. Black curls stuck to his forehead and neck uncomfortably, but he didn't even notice, too distracted by the cacophony of signals his body was sending him, skin on fire and heavy, hot ache in every muscle, body shaking with exertion.
Gladio had him pinned.
The larger man straddled Jason with his considerable bulk, hips weighing Jason to the ground mercilessly and large arms on either side of Jason's shoulders, caging him.
Gladiolus smirked, canines glinting smugly. Sweat trickled down his brow, face just as flushed as Jason's, but he looked unfairly composed considering how long they'd been going. Jason scrabbled for purchase on Gladio slick forearms, but to no avail.
Gladio leaned down until they were practically nose to nose, added heat engulfing Jason's already overheated body, and Jason gasped as his heavy weight shifted on him. "Give up yet, baby face?" he growled in a deep, aggressive rumble.
Fire lit in Jason's eyes and a small grin grew on his face, breath abruptly evening out, and Gladio's smile faltered. That was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
Earlier that morning.
When Jason woke, he found himself alone.
The sun had already risen. He could tell even before he opened his eyes because the tent was hot as sin. He pried open his dried lids and hissed as his head throbbed with one hell of a hangover. Hnnnnnnnugh. How much did he drink last night? He couldn't quite remember how many times Gladio refilled his glass, to be honest.
Speaking of. Jason's eyes adjusted to the light, head complaining sharply throughout the entire process, and noted its stunning lack of large, tattooed man.
For which he was absurdly grateful.
Jason groaned, both in pain and in embarrassment. He clenched his eyes shut and chuckled a little, running his hand through his hair.
You'll always be safe with me.
Ugh. Ugh. What the hell was his life, some kind of cheesy drama? But he couldn't deny the flush of warmth in his chest, the distinct lack of the tension he'd had to become accustomed to as of late. Damn Gladio and his smooth lines. Jason should be taking notes or something.
Gladio's deep rumble outside of the tent made Jason jump, a little thrill that had nothing to do with fear for once. He buried his head. Well, this was going to be a tad embarrassing. Especially after they'd practically plastered to each other in their drunken haze the night before.
What was a little cuddling between friends? Guy friends. Adventure bros. Jason cringed.
Whelp. Best to get it over with. Jason was nothing if not completely smooth in awkward situations. Totally.
He shifted himself to a sitting position with considerably more effort than he would normally and waited a good thirty seconds for the tent to stop spinning. What the hell was that stuff last night? Aaaaand where could he get more? Heh. But seriously, he would give anything for Nat's hangover cure. Maybe Gladio could give him a potion or something.
He heaved himself up, ignoring his protesting stomach, and exited the tent with a zip, hand shielding his eyes from the inconsiderately bright morning. "Ugh, Gladio, do you have a something to take the edge off? I don't think my body can handle what you gave me last night–"
Jason stopped abruptly when four pairs of eyes locked on him. His eyes skittered over Gladio's face before taking in the other three men. "Uh. When did you guys get back?"
Ignis, Noctis and Prompto all stood on one side of the dead fire, Gladio on the other. All four were eerily silent, and Jason blinked at the tension he could feel practically crackling through the air like electricity. He blinked, trying to suss out just what it was he was sensing.
Ignis was the first to look away, locking eyes with Gladiolus, a questioning tilt to his brow. They seemed to be having some kind of silent conversation that Jason wasn't privy to. Noctis wasn't quite glaring at Jason, but it was a close thing. And Prompto had this grin on his face, somewhere between amusement and nervousness. He couldn't look Jason in the eye as he shifted between Noctis and Ignis like some kind of jittery pendulum. Gladio gave the movement a pointed look, small smile edging at his lips.
"Didn't know you had it in you, Iggy," he finally said. Inexplicably, Noctis choked and Prompto let out an aborted laugh.
"Yes, you did," Ignis said lightly, though his expression didn't change as such.
Gladio chuckled. "Yeah, I did. Nice." He crossed his arms, brows furrowing a litte. "We good?"
A complicated expression flitted over Ignis' face then, something Jason couldn't even begin to describe. "I should be asking you the same question, I should think." Gladio nodded slowly, considering his shoes as he thought.
Whaaaat was happening? Jason didn't know if it was the hangover or if he was missing some vital detail, but he couldn't make heads or tails of this situation. He flicked his eyes between the two men as if watching a tennis match, volleys of expressions that he couldn't decipher passing between them. Noctis and Prompto were watching just as avidly, standing close together as if they were waiting for something.
Gladio's face broke out into a grin. "You and me, Iggy? We're always good."
The little knot of tension between Ignis' brows released, and he pushed up his glasses with a nod. Then he took this little half step back, Gladio doing the same towards the tent until there was a distinct vibe of 'us' and 'them' going on, Prompto, Noctis and Ignis on one side, Gladio and Jason on the other.
Prompto and Noctis' face fell. "Wait, are we not going to talk about this? I really think we need to talk about this," Prompto said nervously.
"And we will," Ignis said, placing a calming hand on Prompto's shoulder. "But right now, the Marshall is waiting for us."
Prompto looked a little relieved, Noctis looked a little dismayed, and Jason was a little too hungover to deal with this.
"Ah, hate to interrupt this...whatever. But I could really use a remedy right about now."
Gladio snorted, and the tension popped like a bubble as sanity resumed its regularly scheduled program. "Lightweight," he jabbed.
"Juicer," Jason quipped right back. Gladio's golds flashed with surprise that Jason was joking with him and he laughed, all sharp canines and crinkled eyes.
Ignis sighed. "I suppose you drank the whole bottle, then?"
"Half," Jason agreed with a grimace.
"Wait, what! You had alcohol this whole time?" Prompto said indignantly.
Gladio scratched his head, looking to the sky innocently. "I don't know what your talking about."
"How are you completely fine?" Jason glared at the larger man accusingly, then finished with a pained whimper, "I think I'm still a little drunk."
"You might have had just a smidge more than me."
"Bastard. You actually were trying to liquor me up."
"Um, guys? It's great to see that you're getting along better but, why did no one tell me there was alcohol?" Prompto whined.
"Let me reiterate. Hungover. Where's the humanity? I'm dying over here!"
"I'll just start breakfast, then, shall I?" Ignis said with all the longsuffering resignation of a man accustomed to dealing with demanding people.
Jason smiled, relieved. "Thanks, Ignis, you're a–" he paused, eyes widening as Ignis turned to set up the camp table. He walked between Prompto and Noctis, placing a light hand on both of their shoulders as he passed, and Prompto and Noctis' face exploded with identical flushes, both sets of eyes glued onto Ignis' back as he bent over to pick up the table from the pile camping equipment. "...saint," he finished weakly.
Before he could figure out what the hell he just witnessed, Gladio elbowed him lightly in the arm. "Hey. We've got fuel now and we'll be heading out to meet up with Cor soon. You mentioned you were a self-defense trainer last night?"
Jason blinked, rapidly shifting gears. That's right, the raid. That would be happening now. "Yeah," he said. "I help run an MMA gym."
"MMA?"
"Mixed martial arts, Haganah, Taekwondo, Jujitsu–" he stopped when he saw the complete lack of understanding on Gladio's face. Right. Different world. "We train to fight, among other things."
Gladio nodded. "I've seen you fight. But this ain't gonna be easy. You think you'd be up for a spar after breakfast?"
Jason grimaced, a little queasy at the prospect, and his head chose that moment to give a sharp throb. "Was that your plan all along? Get me wasted so you could pummel me the next day? Not very chivalrous, sir shield."
"Ha! Don't you worry, Iggy will fix you right up."
Jason considered. He'd assumed that they would leave him behind for the raid, like they had been doing pretty much the whole time. Gladio responded to his unspoken question.
"Our lives are going to be pretty dangerous now. We won't be able to protect you all the time, and you don't seem like you need a babysitter, in any case. You travel with us, I need to know you can pull your weight."
"...Fair enough," Jason said. "Alright, you're on."
"That's what I like to hear."
Jason and Gladio set up the chairs while Ignis stood over the camp table, making something simple. Prompto and Noctis hovered around him, just as they had the day before. But. There was something different about it. Noctis was smiling just a little too big, and Prompto had this bright look in his eyes. Jason would have just assumed they'd slept together last night, but the way they were interacting with Ignis set off alarm signals in Jason's head. He narrowed his eyes, trying to suss out what had changed between the three men when he was distracted by Gladio's voice.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Jason's eyes focused on Gladio's face, the man standing beside him with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. A look that would have startled Jason only the day before, but now. It just. Didn't. He blinked, leaning away a little. "Um." He looked to the ground where he'd been about to seat himself, since they'd still not purchased another camp chair. Gladio rolled his eyes and poked him in the chest, pushing him off balance and sending him tumbling into a chair instead. Before Jason could so much as peep in protest, the big man was handing him a tin of water and falling into the seat beside him. "Drink. You're going to need it."
Jason grumbled, sipping at his drink and wondering just when he'd gotten used to being pushed around like this.
Noctis and Prompto walked around the table with plates in their hands, Noctis not even glancing Jason's direction before sitting in his usual seat. Prompto looked around and smirked at Jason, throwing him a wink before promptly sitting in his boyfriend's lap and taking a huge bite of Noctis' sandwich. Noctis made a show of grumbling, but it didn't stop him from wrapping an arm around the blond's waist.
"Try to behave, boys," Ignis drawled with barely a glance in their direction, and both men grinned in response. Prompto leaned over and whispered something to Noctis and the prince's blush grew crimson, abruptly shoving Prompto's face away. The blond just laughed, holding onto him tighter.
"Okaaaay?" Jason said to himself. Gladio coughed out muffled a laugh beside him, but didn't comment. Jason resolved to ask Prompto about it later. Must have been one hell of a night.
On second thought, maybe Jason didn't want to know.
A few minutes later, Ignis brought three plates over, balancing them as expertly as any waiter, and handed two to Gladio and Jason. Jason took his with a grateful smile and with a flourish, Ignis summoned a little green bottle and handed it over as well. "An antidote. It should take care of the remaining alcohol in your system."
"Thanks." Jason hummed as he crushed it, cool magic rushing through his body and providing instant relief. His world had nothing on this magic business. This would have come in handy so many times in his life...Then again, drinking without any consequences. Yeah. What a way to get into trouble.
A half hour later, Jason and Gladio faced off in a wide swath of empty sand, shirts and armour removed and hands empty. Jason only had a moment to prepare mentally before the fight was on, the other three men watching from the edge of the haven, their shouts of encouragement echoing in the desert wind.
Jason felt the second Gladio's weight shifted just so and pounced, dropping his defeated act and hooking his arm around one of Gladio's massive forearms. Digging his heels into the ground, he pistoned his hips up. Hard.
Jason relished the look of utter surprise on Gladio's face as he fumbled and failed to catch himself, hand trapped, and tumbled to the side, Jason rolling with him in a flurry of dust. Now he was in between Gladio's legs, pinning the man beneath him.
Gladio immediately tightened his legs around Jason's middle, trying to lock Jason in with his considerable strength, but the other man was too quick. Jason jabbed his elbows into the soft flesh of Gladiolus' inner thighs and when the grip loosened with a grunt of pain, he feinted a heavy punch to the bigger man's groin. When Gladio flinched predictably, Jason slipped out and backed up several paces, hands at the ready beneath his chin and stance light.
Gladio sat up on his elbows, chest heaving and the two stared each other down. It was another impasse, one of several that had happened in the last few rounds. Every time Gladio thought he'd had Jason, the man would slip away, and at times when Jason tried to use his usual tactics, Gladiolus surprised him with something he'd never seen before, fighting with a style foreign to him. Without Gladio's weapon's and magic, they found themselves surprisingly matched in hand to hand.
"That was a dirty trick," Gladio commented, but it was without heat. There was this little grin growing on Gladio's face, a glint of respect in his eye that had Jason shifting his weight, smiling back a little.
A loud whooping broke the moment, Prompto jumping up and down on top of the haven. Noctis and Ignis watched silently, in projected boredom and contemplation, respectively.
Jason ignored the peanut gallery and held out his hand to help Gladio to his feet. He groaned beneath the larger man's weight as Gladio took it, body protesting loudly from all the bruises and abrasions on every inch of him. They'd been going at it for a good fifteen minutes with only short breaks between rounds, trading blow for blow before Gladio finally pinned him.
Jason was pretty sure he'd gotten the brunt of the damage. Gladio was a freaking beast.
"Not bad," Gladio commented, brushing off his shoulders.
Jason snorted. He held his own, but only just. Gladio had significantly more strength, but Jason was accustomed to fighting people stronger than him. He'd only filled out in the last couple years after all, and he used to be a skinny little shit. Now he was intensely grateful for his punishing workout routine he'd been doing religiously since he hit twenty. Speaking of, he'd better get back on that. Interdimensional kidnapping tended to mess with one's schedule. "Thanks," he said dryly, rolling his shoulders to gain feeling back in his limbs. He breathed deeply, trying to calm down, exhausted.
"Now if you just had magic, we could go at this for real."
Jason raised a brow. "Is that how you swing that big freaking sword around?"
Gladio grinned. "You know it. Noctis' power gives us strength to do a lot of things. In any case, this raid should be no problem. Just have Iggy cast a shield on you, and you'll be fine."
"Great," Jason drawled. "You know, for once I don't think I'd mind being thought less of." Still, despite his nervousness at fighting in another battle, he couldn't help but preen at Gladio's confidence. It really was something to be acknowledged by someone like him.
Gladio just patted him on the shoulder, shaking dust out of his hair as he walked back to the campsite.
"Dude! That was amazing! Why didn't you tell us you could fight like that?" Prompto greeted as they got back. Gladio tossed Jason a wet rag and the man wiped down his face and torso gratefully.
"You didn't ask," he said, cringing a little as he swiped over a fresh abrasion. He strained his shoulder, trying to get at his back, when Prompto stole the rag from him and did it for him casually, as if it were commonplace. Jason jumped a little at the overly familiar touch, but Prompto chattered on, oblivious.
Jason shuddered at the smooth drag of cloth across his skin, cooling his shoulders and soothing his burns. It was weird that Prompto just...did it. But maybe it was commonplace in this world? He decided not to think anything of it, even if he was driven to distraction by the firm swipe of Prompto's hands across his lower back.
"Yeah, but! Here I thought you were just an average guy and then you throw Gladio around like he's nothing! And that leg swipe thing! You gotta show me how to do that!"
"Um. Yeah, sure…"
"Sure, he can fight without magic," Noctis interjected, "but if that were a real fight he would have been dead." Jason's brow twitched in annoyance. That wasn't quite fair. Now that he knew what to expect from the MTs, he rather thought he could handle himself. Especially since he was getting the hang of his new gear. He frowned at Noctis, seeing a similar expression on the prince's face.
"He's better than Prompto," Gladiolus said matter-of-fact, dismissing Noctis' statement easily ("Hey!" Prompto protested). "And he could fight with magic if you inducted him into your house."
"No," Jason and Noctis said at the same time. The two men stared at each other for a second, Noctis' face inscrutable, before Jason said, "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather take my chances with the gear Cor gave me and the abilities not linked to Noctis' life force. Not gonna lie, this magic stuff kinda freaks me out." Also, he was pretty sure he had to commit his life to the crown or something if he wanted to have that power. No thanks. He'd help, but he wasn't going to become a life-long bodygaurd of His Broodiness, thankyouverymuch.
"Yeah, not happening," Noctis agreed, for reasons of his own. Jason could guess, judging by the surely look on his face. They'd called a truce, sure, but things still weren't easy between them. Before things could get too uncomfortable, Ignis cleared his throat pointedly.
"Then you're going to need this," Ignis said, handing over a belt with a metal pocket on it big enough for several potions. Jason's knives were already attached to it and Jason slipped it around his waist before pulling his shirt back on.
"Great, can you guys help me break this camp down, now? We need to get a move on. Iris is waiting for us and we've got a long way to go."
An hour later saw the five of them back at the gas station where they'd left the Regalia. Refueled and resupplied, they were ready to go. After some shuffling around, they found a comfortable arrangement. Due to Jason's size, there was no way he was going to fit in the back seat comfortably, so he traded spots with Prompto, hearing no protests from the cheerful blond who seemed perfectly content wedged in between Gladio and Noctis.
As the desert wind whipped around him, the scenery flying by leisurely, Jason closed his eyes and allowed himself to focus on the familiarity of the sensation, the rocking of the vehicle. For a little while, he could almost pretend that he was catching a ride from his friends. Yeah, that sounded nice. If he really tried, he could even pretend Gladio's rumble was Toby, complaining about the heat. Or Prompto's chatter was Lydia talking about her latest artwork. Or that instead of Ignis, Nat was at the wheel, humming along to whatever horrible pop song was popular at the moment...Nice, normal stuff. That he wasn't going to a warzone to slaughter a bunch of genetically manipulated clones.
Urgh. Okay. Nice fantasy officially gone.
With a sigh, he turned his thoughts to a more pressing matter. He needed to tell the guys about Ardyn. And outline what he remembered from the game. Even with the vaguest of timelines he could give them, a great deal of trouble could be avoided completely, and some events changed for the better. So, easy enough, he just needed a list of things he could change by telling them about it, or at least make it better.
The most important thing first: the ten years of darkness.
That. That was a thing that could not happen if Jason wanted to change this story into a happy one. And he kind of did, since he was living it now. Honestly, even though the game ended with Noctis ending his life to bring back the light, he couldn't help but wonder what the point was. After ten years of darkness and daemon rule, most of the population of the world was dead. There was no way around that, and even if it was never explicitly shown. So, to most people Noctis' ascension and sacrifice meant nothing at all.
Talk about depressing.
On a lighter note, there were some things that could be avoided that would save these people a good deal of grief. Luna's death for one. Regardless of whether Noctis loved her more than a sister in the end, everyone was torn apart by her death. He was still kinda iffy on how they could accomplish that, since apparently her life-force was being drained by awakening the Astrals way before Ardyn got to her. Or something. He wasn't quite sure on that part since the last few chapters of the game made, like, no sense. Tch. Circuitus Japanese plots. But Jason digressed. He would just have to tell them what happened and leave the figuring out business to greater minds than his.
Speaking of greater minds, the second thing he would definitely try to avoid is Ignis' blindness. That part might actually end up being even trickier for one very important reason: Jason never got around to playing Ignis' DLC, and he honestly had no freaking clue how Ignis lost his sight in the first place. All he knew was that Ignis somehow ended up with the Ring of Lucii.
Maybe they should just avoid Altissia altogether. It was a thought. But again, Jason just didn't have the knowledge to get from point A to point B, and in the end, it probably wouldn't be his call. He wasn't from this world after all. It wasn't his kingdom to save.
...Even if he was trapped here. Jason frowned, resting his head against his arm over the edge of the door, watching idly as the countryside flew by.
There were other things too, like Prompto's unfortunate discovery of his origins. But honestly, even though it pained him to admit it, it was rather low on his priority list. He didn't want to put Prompto through that, but fuck him, he didn't want to tell him either. And...if he recalled correctly, Prompto actually ends up preventing a huge catastrophe by destroying his original's weapon of mass destruction. Just another thing to add to the list.
There was also the matter of Ardyn himself.
The game has changed.
Jason still didn't know what he meant by that. Is it because Ardyn saw him that he changed his plans? Or was it something else? Jason wasn't the most proficient when it comes to remembering details, but he did finally remember that the first time the guys met Ardyn was at Galdin Quay, not at Keycatrich. Did that mean that the events of the game were already changed from what they were before? If so, how much? Jason had no way of telling until things started to come to pass. Maybe nothing he did would amount to anything because what he knew of the game was completely out the window!
And Ardyn had fucked with Ignis and Gladio's memories, so trying to explain anything to them will be that much harder since they wouldn't even remember him. Jason grit his teeth, phantom sensations of Ardyn's corruption burning his skin, the sleazy tilt of his tainted smile, the ache of grip digging into his arm and that feeling of utter helplessness, weak–
"Tch!" He didn't want to think about it. There was something though, something big he felt like he was missing, but what? It dug at him, niggled insistently in the back of his mind. If he could just–
"–son. Jason!"
Jason came out of his thoughts abruptly, his surroundings finally intruding in a rush of light and sound. His hands ached dully and he realized with a grimace that he'd been clenching his fingers harshly around the edges of the car door. He released them with a wince, sitting back upright and flexing them slowly, allowing his erratic heartbeat to slow.
"Are you quite alright?" Ignis asked, glancing at the man out of the corner of his eye, both hands still firmly placed on the wheel.
"I…" No. No, he wasn't. There was too much pressure on him, too much stress to make all of this right. It wasn't like he had to do any of it alone, but...Jason looked into the back seat, noticing for the first time that Prompto's chatter had ceased. Prompto and Noctis were out cold, the blond snoozing against Gladio's side and Noctis passed out against the door frame. Gladio had his arm casually thrown out on the seat behind Prompto and another held his book upright, though his gold eyes met Jason's with a lifted brow when he looked. Jason swallowed, and Gladio lowered his book with a frown. Honestly, at the moment, these four didn't look like the saviors of anything, any more than Jason himself did.
"Jason?" Ignis prompted.
Jason bit his lip. Were they even ready to listen to him now? Ardyn's interference aside, did they trust him enough now to actually believe him when he told them what he knew? Prompto would, he was pretty sure about that. He already kind of told him about Ardyn and the man believed him easily enough. Ignis would need convincing, but at least he was a little more open than Noctis, who, although he no longer looked at Jason with outright loathing, didn't exactly like him either. Gladio...Jason thought about how the man reacted right after Ardyn left. He'd–well, he hadn't really seemed to believe him, but he did seem willing to listen. And with their talk the night before then. Maybe.
That's fifty-fifty, then. Those odds weren't great. But what choice did he have? The longer he deliberated, the closer they were to the very tragedies he was trying to avoid. He took a deep, bracing breath. "After we make it through the blockade...I need to talk to you guys about the future."
Ignis didn't take his eyes from the road, but the corner of his mouth creased in a frown. "What do you mean by that, precisely?"
"I mean, I'm going to tell you everything I know. And then we're going to make sure that none of it ever happens."
Jason didn't look up from his hands, clenched loosely in his lap. He didn't want to see the looks of doubt on their faces. He was already discouraged enough as it was with the monumental task before him.
"Alright." Jason's head snapped up to face Ignis, surprised. Ignis elaborated. "I don't know by whom you were sent or why, but someone out there granted you a great deal of power and knowledge, and we would be fools to ignore it."
"Yeah," Gladiolus agreed. "But we need to focus on one thing at a time. Right now, that means getting through this blockade."
"Agreed. And sooner rather than later. We've arrived."
Ignis pulled over. A wall of sandstone stood to their left and the plains of Liede spread out to the right. The road bent around the wall, leaving whatever lay behind it out of sight. It didn't look familiar to Jason, but then again, little did these days.
Jason got out of the car and lifted his arms above his head, stretching until his spine popped. A whole new anxiety settled into his stomach uncomfortably and he winced, only paying the barest of attention to Prompto's whine when Gladio woke him, trying to get his head in the game. This was the real world now, and he needed to put everything he had into this or he might end up dead. For real. Cheery thought. He flexed his forearms, adjusting the straps on his enhanced armor one last time before turning and following the four men into a crevice in the rock.
Cor waited for them there, standing against the stone wall with the same look he always seemed to have; that patented 'I don't have time for your shit' scowl. He gave a cursory glance to all of them before cutting straight to the point.
"Good, you're here. We've got about thirty MTs patrolling out front. Noctis, you're with me. The rest of you, distraction tactics. Take out as many as you can while we handle the troops inside."
"Oh, hello Cor, it's so good to see you alive," Jason drawled sarcastically. "We're doing well, thanks for asking." Gladio dropped a heavy hand onto Jason's head, bowing it and ruffling his hair roughly while Prompto let out a startled laugh. "Urgh!"
"Show some respect, would'ya?" Gladio said lightly before facing Cor, expression serious. "We'll take care of them, sir."
Cor nodded, not even raising a brow at Jason's weak attempts to shake Gladio off. "Good," he said shortly. "Don't get killed." With that, the Marshall about faced and headed into a small crevice in the rock.
Noctis sighed. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys in a bit. Try not to have too much fun without me." He headed for the crevice as well, and was about to push through when Jason had a thought.
"Wait, hold up!" He dislodged Gladio's hand, gripping the larger man's wrist while he shoved back his hair. "All the enemies should be MTs in there, but once you get the gate open, some asshole in a mech shows up."
Noctis barely acknowledged him, waving over his shoulder before squeezing in after Cor. "Noted."
A pause. "He didn't believe me, did he?"
"Hm, I'm gunna say no."
"Focus, gentlemen. We can worry about the possible future after we complete the task at hand."
"Speaking of hands," Gladio said pointedly, shaking his wrist. "You planning on giving mine back?"
Jason scowled. "That depends. You going to mess with my hair again?" Gladio only grinned.
"Uuuh, guys? I think Iggy's leaving us behind."
True to Prompto's word, Ignis was indeed pulling ahead. Jason let go of Gladio and the three hastened to catch up. Once Ignis reached the bend, he held up a hand, poising a finger over his lips to indicate silence. The three of them froze, Gladio summoning his great sword with a quiet grunt.
"Alright," Ignis said quietly, pulling back around the bend and facing the other three. "Thirty, as Cor said. Prompto, there's a shielded spot about ten metres to our left that will provide sufficient cover. Take out the riflemen on the wall. I see seven, but there may be more." Prompto nodded. "The rest are axemen and should be easy enough to take out." He walked up to Jason and placed his hand on his chest. Jason gasped as a prickling heat spread through his body, setting his nerves on fire. It faded after a few seconds, and Jason recognized it as the shield spell Ignis had used on him before. "This spell only lasts about ten minutes. The second it wears off, find cover and stay down."
Jason gulped and nodded, quailing a bit under Ignis' glare. He got the feeling the man wouldn't take it lightly if he broke his orders again. But, hey, that was cool, Jason had no desire to break them. He wanted to live!
"Whelp, time's a-wastin'. Let's make some noise." With a roar, Gladio hefted his sword and burst from cover, Ignis and Prompto hot on his heels.
A sharp burst of adrenaline, almost like the kind Jason felt at the start of a race or the beginning of a competition, had Jason sprinting to catch up, taking his place beside Ignis, Gladio at the point. Heart pounding somewhere in the vicinity of his throat, he examined the battlefield in the few seconds he had before they ran into trouble.
A man-made wall stood between two natural ones, a smaller version of the gate Jason saw when he infiltrated the base with Cor. More importantly though were the hoard of MTs they were bowling towards.
A few paces in, and Prompto peeled off to take cover behind some crates, the percussions of his gun echoing harshly off the canyon. He whooped as one, then two MTs went down, but then Jason had no more time to pay attention to what others were doing, because the hoard was upon them.
They came at the three charging men in an arch, bunched together with their axes tight to their sides and gaits unnatural. With a roar, Gladio sprang forward and spun, crashing through them with inhuman strength, his sword sending MTs flying. Soon enough, he'd cut a swath through them, effectively breaking through to the other side and splitting the hoard in half.
Jason was vaguely aware of Ignis splitting off to battle the group on the right, but he only had eyes for the four troops that had escaped Gladio's initial attack and were coming after him. He felt focused, and though he was afraid he was no longer drowning in it, reassured by his past experiences with the drones and the support of Ignis' magic. They were dangerous, sure, but dumb as bricks, and moved clumsily. Jason was half convinced that the only reason Niffleheim could claim victory in any battle was sheer numbers. Jason backpedaled, hands at the ready, drawing the first one in.
Predictably, it charged in blindly. It had its hands by it's sides, leaving its head completely–foolishly–unprotected. Jason continued his retreat, slower than its advance, waiting for it to catch up. Even when it raised its axe to swing, Jason only had to stop abruptly to bring it in range, swinging his fist into–and through–its head, shattering it as easily as popping a water balloon.
Jason didn't allow himself to get distracted by the horror this time, having already learned his lesson–painfully. Adrenaline pumped through him, banishing his conscious thoughts with a steady rush pulsing at the pace of his frantic heartbeat. The other three were upon him, but each were just as clumsy as the first, awkward and puppet-like in their armors. It was easy enough for Jason to find openings, redirecting their attacks and sending them stumbling into each other before breaking their limbs with crushing force to take them out of the fight. Jason never appreciated just how useless these low level MTs were in the game. Now that he was more collected, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Compared to the fighters he was accustomed to training with, these were practically children.
Jason grimaced through his harsh breaths at the comparison. They're just daemons, now, just daemons, he chanted to himself. He grunted in pain when three hits, like punches, struck him in succession on his shoulder, stomach and thigh. He spun around, the areas buzzing with magic but already he could feel the bruises spreading beneath his skin. Focus! He'd taken out the four behind him, two dead and two flailing uselessly with broken legs, but two more axemen and a rifleman were headed his way. Crap! He had no way to deal with the long range fighter!
"Jase, look out!" With an ear shattering bang Prompto was at his side, spraying the three with bullets. The MTs stumbled, but didn't stop their advance. "Crap, outta ammo! Gimme two seconds!"
"I got you," Jason shouted, bursting forward to cover Prompto while he reloaded. Two more shots slammed into his chest, but he bore them with only a grimace of pain and slight stumble, focusing instead on getting into range.
Just as before, the two axemen were as easy to take out as if they had no combat training at all, and by the time Jason had finished with them, Prompto was beside him, taking out the last rifleman with two well placed shots to the head. The two breathed heavily as they scanned the battlefield for any more threats. With none forthcoming, Prompto turned towards Jason and grinned, laughing giddily.
Jason swayed where he stood, a little dizzy as his adrenaline fizzled out, and smiled. His lungs ached, and he knew he'd be feeling those hits he took later with a vengeance. He spotted Gladio and Ignis making their way towards them, but grunted when Prompto elbowed him in the side.
"Dude! You were awesome! Seriously, how'd you learn to move like that!?"
"Urh, Prompto, watch it. I'm pretty sure one of those bullets cracked a rib…" Jason winced. A rush of tingling down his body announced the dispelling of his shield and left him aching. Man, did all that really only take less than ten minutes? He was exhausted.
"Well, that didn't last long," Gladio said, sauntering up with his sword resting on his shoulder. "I'm barely warmed up." He sounded almost disappointed. But a teasing look at Jason's swaying form told the other man that he was joking at his expense.
"Fuck you, Gladio," Jason said, trying his best to even out his breathing as Gladio laughed.
Ignis pushed up his glasses, allowing his daggers to dissipate. "Is everyone alright?"
"All good here," Prompto said brightly. He pulled Jason into his side with an arm around his shoulder. "This guy took some hits though." Jason was honestly too damn tired to resist, so he just used Prompto as a pillar. He smiled when the smaller man grunted under his weight.
"I'm fine, just bruised," Jason waved away Ignis' concern.
Ignis nodded in acknowledgement. "You did well, all things considered. We may need to invest in some armor for you so you don't have to rely on my magic to defend yourself."
"Yeah, wouldn't want to take a hit if we're caught by surprise," Gladio agreed.
Jason grimaced. "Armor? As in, metal plating or something? That would just slow me down…"
"Regardless, it is better than nothing. Without Noctis' magic, you are vulnerable."
Jason sighed, resigned. He didn't like it, but he liked the idea of joining Noctis' house even less. It was either that, or risk getting shot for real at an inopportune moment. Ignis wouldn't always be able to cast on him before a fight. His gaze was drawn to one of the fallen MTs and he shuddered. Hopefully they could find something that didn't look like that.
As if reading Jason's thoughts, Ignis elaborated. "Not to worry. There is plenty of gear that is imbued with protection magic, such as the Hunters' uniforms. We just need to gather enough funds–"
A low rumbling and a whirring of machinery interrupted their conversation and they turned to watch as the gates ground open. Noctis and Cor strode towards them and the four of them picked their way through the fallen MTs to meet in the middle.
"Yo," Noctis called once they were in earshot. "Looks like you guys cleaned up."
"What'd you expect?" Gladiolus scoffed. Noctis' eyes flickered to Jason with a small frown, which Jason chose not to interpret as surprise he was still alive. He ignored it, choosing instead to scan the skies for the engine he knew was coming.
Noctis responded, but Jason was no longer listening. Instead, he leaned towards Prompto and placed a hand on his shoulder, lowering his voice. Prompto turned to him with a questioning noise. "When that mech gets here, I'm going to try and stop time. I want you to get to the pilot before the three minutes are up, okay?"
Prompto's face brightened. "Oh, yeah! I forgot you could do that! Yeah, sure, I think I can manage."
"What are you guys whispering about?" Noctis said, drawing the two back into the conversation with a suspicious scowl.
A low rumble filled the air, and Jason's head jerked up. "That." He pointed to the sky, and sure enough, a ship was coming their way. Eyes widening slightly, the prince spotted the giant hulking flying machine and threw Jason a startled look. Jason smirked and raised his shoulders in a shrug. "It's all yours, your Highness," and then he beat a quick retreat behind one of the large containers surrounding the field. No way was he going to try and take down a freaking mech. Normal guy, here. Not happening.
"Wait, Jase! When are you going to do the thing?" Prompto called.
"Just get in close! Trust me, you'll know when!"
"What is he talking about–" Noctis started waspishly, but he was interrupted by an obnoxious monologue from the ship, which hovered just above them now, ready to drop its payload.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Cor the Immortal…"
Jason stopped listening, focusing inward and leaning back against the giant shipping container out of sight. He would only get one shot at this. Hopefully, they would come out the other side with one Niff in custody and a wealth of information for Cor. He thought of the idea when he'd remembered the mech attack, or rather, who was in it. Not the name, just that it was some dumb manchild who was apparently important enough to command troops. No use in killing him when they could make use of his knowledge. He just had to time it right, and the rest would be up to Prompto. Now, he needed a good vantage point where he could watch without getting in the way...Jason eyed the corner of the shipping container, spotting small indentations laddering up to the top. With a steadying breath, he wedged his fingers into the first one and began to climb.
In the time it took him to make it to the top, the mech had descended and the fight was in full swing. Blasts shook the ground and the air, nearly knocking Jason from his perch a couple times, but he managed to pull himself over without incident. The sight of the five men fighting the mech was just as chaotic as Jason remembered from the game, and he half wondered how they weren't getting in each other's way. But he had a job to do, so his gaze sharpened on Prompto, waiting for the man to be in an ideal position, idly tapping his finger so his ability didn't kick in before he wanted it to.
An entire minute passed as Jason waited, ignoring the man's echoing taunts and blocking out the guys' grunts and roars as they hacked away at him. His heart pounded and his fingers tingled as he jittered in place. And...there! Prompto was close, only about ten metres away, and the mech stumbled as Cor swung mightily at it's knee joint, putting the cockpit close to the ground. Fighting back the frantic shaking of his body, Jason froze as well as he was able, body buzzing with the exertion of holding still. He gripped his hands harshly between his knees and hunched over. A split second later, the world grayed, the pull of magic in Jason's stomach a distant ache as he watched with wide eyes.
Prompto jerked to a stop, looking around before whooping loudly, making for the mech.
Jason smiled, letting the white noise settle around him almost comfortingly. Yeah. He wasn't completely useless. At least this one ability didn't seem to have any horrible consequences. He watched almost fondly as Prompto scurried his way up the side of the mech, blasting it open with his gun and leaning over to get inside.
Jason eyed the diminishing timer, which looked more like a blurred out bar than the sharp graphics he was used to, just as the rest of the menu. But he hardly cared at the moment, just relieved that he could do it at all. Yeah. Still plenty of time. He wished he could hold it longer. Ardyn didn't seem to be limited by a timer–
Jason's smile froze on his face before falling slowly, eyes widening in shock. The rest of the world faded to nothing as he re-examined the interaction with Ardyn, some things finally clicking into place. His heart leapt and he let out a strangled sound of realization.
Ardyn. Could stop time. Like him. And not just like him. Exactly the same as him.
His breath started coming shorter, a sharp ache in the back of his throat as he stared unseeingly forward.
The game has changed.
The game…
The GAME.
"Oh shit," Jason gasped. How had he been so blind? He should have realized immediately–but how? Was Ardyn somehow aware this was a game? Did he know what Jason was? But–but he'd called Jason a Messenger. It didn't make any sense– Unless, whatever force that had manipulated others into thinking Jason was a Messenger fooled Ardyn as well.
Whatever the case, one thing was certain. Ardyn wasn't following the script like everyone else in this universe and he seemed to have the same abilities as Jason. Which meant that Jason's knowledge of the future might mean jack shit. This was so much worse than he thought.
Time started flowing normally again, and he could hear startled shouts and whooping, but he hardly noticed, frantic thoughts numbing him to all else.
He'd thought he would be able to change the future of this world just by telling the guys what he knew. But now Jason and his mysterious benefactor weren't the only players anymore. If I'd ever even been a player in the first place, he thought angrily. He got the feeling he was just a pawn in a game of chess between Ardyn and the one who brought him to this world.
Great. Just freaking great. Did Jason have control over anything?
"Jason! Where you at, man? We won!"
Jason flinched, jerking out of his thoughts forcefully. He swallowed, throat completely dry as he shook himself from his crouched position. He walked to the edge of the crate and smiled weakly down at the guys. They stood in a group in the center of the field, the mech slouched uselessly beside them. A young looking man was sprawled at their feet, hands up in surrender and looking ridiculously small in his oversized armor. Gladio's boot was on his chest and the kid looked about ready to piss his pants.
Jason let out a sigh of relief. At least this one thing worked out. He had no doubt Cor could make use of the information from this guy. When Prompto caught sight of him, his face lit up like the sun, waving enthusiastically. The rest of them just looked stunned, clearly not sure what just happened. Well, the three younger men did. Cor just glared at Jason in his usual grumpy way.
By the time Jason had climbed down and joined the rest of them, he was just ready for this freaking day to be over. Fatigue pulled at him, just as it did everytime he used his abilities. That on top of sparring with Gladio that morning and the battle with the MTs? Done. But it was barely four in the afternoon and it felt like the rest of the day stretched endlessly on before him.
Cor was the first to speak, surprisingly. "This your doing, Messenger boy?" he drawled, gesturing to the kid on the ground. Jason looked at the captured man with disinterest, barely taking in his terrified face before nodding.
"Yeah. Thought he'd be more useful to you alive than dead."
The kid's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Smart. There was no way he could survive getting out of this now. He was done.
"And me!" Prompto interjected insistently, leaning an elbow on Jason's shoulder and crossing his leg smugly. Jason flicked him in the forehead, smiling a little when he flinched back with a protest.
"Prompto too."
"How?" Noctis demanded. Ignis and Gladio looked just as invested in that answer, if more politely so.
"By stopping time," Cor answered for him, much to Jason's surprise.
"Oh, so now you believe me," Jason said, and Cor smirked.
"I wouldn't go that far."
Jason could see a million more questions on the tip of everyone's tongues, so he held up a hand to forstall them. "Sorry, guys, I'll tell you about it later. I've got something you all need to know." He glanced down at the fallen Niff, hesitating. "Erm. Ignis, can you…?" He gestured.
"Certainly."
The man's eyes widened. "W-wait, are you going to–" Ignis placed a palm on his forehead.
"Sleep." The man fell limp.
Jason gaped. Wow. Not what he was expecting. He sent a fearful look Ignis' way and was gratified to see that he wasn't the only one. Ignis adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat pointedly for Jason to continue.
"R-right." Jason stuttered. He sobered. "We've got a problem. Ardyn Izunia, Chancellor of Niflheim...he might be a player."
-o0o-
AN:
Okay, not gonna lie, I thought the conversation was going to happen this chapter. But it was getting way too freaking long and if I didn't post now, it would be like another two weeks. You're welcome ;)
So whooo dog, so much happened in this chapter. Jeezus. If you want to know exactly what happened at the hotel, read my oneshot 'I want you to want me'. If you don't, no big, they talk about it later.
Ardyn...what are you up to? This is where the canon really starts to diverge, so hold onto your tits guys. It's going to be fun.
Hey, if you like this, hit me up. I need some love after the shitty week I've had. See you crazy kids next time!
Next Chapter: The implications of Ardyn's apparent duplicity puts a wrench in Jason's plans. Also he somehow has to explain this to Cor. Good luck.