Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting
Alright, so I am absolutely terrified right now uploading this one, not sure how people are gonna take it because of how vulgar some of the language is. and for the excessive swearing. ;w; I'm so sorry, but in my defense, malevolent spirits don't sugar coat things.
But yeah, fair warning, language will get worse a bit later.
"I think that about does it," Gladio sighed, taking a step back to view the wall as a whole, "At least until we get that bleach," he added, pressing his lips together at the stains that lagged behind, leaving rust-hued evidence. "I'm not sure how much more of this we can take," he admitted, feeling the stress of it even weighing heavily on him.
Ignis cleared his throat from where he was seated, chair dragged next to the window where he had the side of his head resting, "From the way things are going, not much more," he gave the answer none of them wished to hear, but one they all knew deep down. Glancing at the blond, gazing over at his pale and curled up form, he continued, "It's already taking quite a toll on his body, the strain of it wearing him down quicker than I care for." The man turned back away, "To be frank, I'd be surprised if he can even still walk come tomorrow night with the way things are going."
Noctis' chest tightened at that last comment, "He literally just nearly killed me, I doubt lacking in strength is much of an issue right now," he kept his voice low to prevent waking the other up, "I had to give him a blow to the head to get him off, and even that didn't knock him out." The others heard the stiffness in that revelation, clear that it was difficult even for him to think about, "It was hard enough, dammit." His hand clenched, the feeling of the vibration the blow caused still fused into his muscle memory.
"That doesn't mean a thing," Ignis pushed himself up to stroll over next to them and sat himself on the edge of the bed, "Despite how much strength or ability he shows when it's...not him, it doesn't reflect his real condition. Right now his body is a step above a puppet," he nearly spat the foul taste of those words, "And it will continue to use him until one of them gives out."
"So..." Noctis lowered his head, his right hand unconsciously gripping the sheet next to him, "What you're say is, this bitch is going to destroy him from the inside until either it gets cast out or until Prom...dies?" He cut his eyes to peer through dark fringe to see the subtle and reluctant nod, causing him to clench his teeth further, "In other words, Luna needs to pick up the pace." With that being said, he pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time; almost six in the morning now. Another sleepless night for the others then, "I'm calling her, this can't wait anymore," he declared, nearly throwing himself off the bed. "Please, keep an eye on him."
Ignis nodded, "Of course." Did he honestly expect him not to? "Gladio, mind bringing the painting in? We can't leave it out there, and I think everything is calm enough to do so." As he listened to the departing footsteps, he inched closer to the blond and extended a hand to brush some loose hair out of his face to take in his appearance. The color was practically non-existent anymore and there was obvious signs of his discomfort etched on even in his sleep. "What have you gotten yourself into this time?" he whispered, removing his hand in order to pull the cover higher up over his form.
"Alright, where do you want this damn thing?" Gladio eased his way back in, towing the canvas as he struggled to keep the noise to a minimum.
The adviser glanced to the empty bed and nodded towards it, "I believe under there will suffice, just make sure it doesn't stick out, don't need anyone tripping over it." The shield did as instructed, slowly sliding the painting along the floor until it was hidden from view. As his hands parted with it, he flicked his attention at the small whimper that sounded out, a hint of a guilty pang racing through him. "Don't worry, I doubt he's waking up anytime soon," he assured, seeing as his eyes remained shut and he quickly quieted once more. "Or we can hope that's the case."
"So, what now, we just sit around on our asses until Lunafreya gets here with her miracle remedy?" he didn't mean to sound so on edge, but that's exactly what he was; with the lack of sleep and the constant worrying and stress, it was a wonder they all hadn't snapped by now. "And what do you suppose we do if it gets worse before then? It's already clear this thing is getting stronger by the hour, and before we know it, we won't be able to restrain him."
The absence of a response was something he hadn't craved at that moment, "So, that's it I guess," he continued, sitting on the free bed, "Just wait like sitting ducks until someone competent comes along." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, "And then what if she gets here and there's nothing she can do?" he voiced the concern they all had on their minds, "Hmm? We just pray to the Six that it resolves itself? We try to wait it out and spew some bullshit that if he just fights it, then it'll be fine?" He sighed heavily, running a hand through dark locks, "Or do we try to make him content while this thing slowly eats away at him?" he dropped his hand back down to his knew with a loud 'smack'. "I for one don't want to have to depend on 'what ifs' and 'maybes.' I want some fucking definite answers."
"Gladio, no more of that," Ignis whispered, venom on the tip of his tongue, "I want some genuine solutions to this ordeal as much as the next, but I have to think about this realistically; there's no point in trying to figure out something we don't understand, not when time isn't on our side. If this weren't as precarious as it is right now, I'd be more than willing to indulge in other answers, but we simply don't possess that luxury."
The shield lowered his head in his hands, "Yeah, I know that, but still..." Silence fell between them, the gravity of that minor exchange taking time to sink in for the both of them; nothing but their own breathing and the occasional hitch from the blond making a sound.
Ignis glanced over his shoulder when another light groan met his ears, this one more pronounced than the last, "Prom?" he asked, getting a small cracking of his eye in response, "Apologies, didn't mean to wake you," he turned back forward to gaze at the floor, "You should probably get back to sleep if you're able."
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" The abhorrence in his voice was unexpected, catching both of them by surprise, "Up yours, s'not happenin'." He muttered a few other things under his breath as he started pushing himself up with another small whimper. A hand going to rub at his right temple. "Hmm, sorry, I didn't mean that," his tone inherited its usual innocence. He dragged himself to lean against the back of the bed, a single hand resting over his chest as he sighed deeply, "I just feel so...angry, I guess, but, I'm not," he tried to explain.
The brunet simply nodded, "With good reason, emotions that are transferred ove-" he was cut off by a few harsh coughs, a couple whimpers and winces following when the sudden movements jostled his wounds. "I'll get you some water," he opted for instead of finishing his statement. He got to his feet with ease and drifted right over to the sink and grabbed a glass. "Prompto," he began filling the container, "I know this is going to be a rather rough ride, so I don't mean to impose, but I ask that you try as well as you're able to keep...it...at bay until The Lady arrives." He knew it was asking a lot, but he didn't know what else they could do.
He didn't get an answer, not unless he considered those extra coughs a reply, but there was a drop in his chest at how they sounded; they didn't sound right. Picking up the pace, he finished filling the glass and swiftly joined back with the others, "Here, drink slowly," he held the glass out for him, almost forgetting the condition of his hands, "Are you able to hold it?"
Prompto nodded and clutched it with both hands, and, now with his mouth uncovered, the adviser caught sight of the speckles of red decorating the corner of it, fresh looking at that. "How are you feeling?" Ignis asked as the glass was lowered, narrowing his eyes at the new crimson stain on the rim of it.
The blond cleared his throat and winced, "If I'm being honest, then like shit," he openly admitted with a false chuckle to lighten the confession, "Tired, nauseous, and everything hurts." He blew a puff of air out and slowly relaxed further back. "And I don't know how I want to feel, emotion wise." Blinking a few times, he stared down into his glass, "I don't know if I should feel rage, fear or upset; or if I should feel all three for that matter. It's like a mix." He closed his eyes and lowered his head as a few twinges pricked the inside of his skull.
"Is there anything else?" the man pressed, not worrying about boundaries at the moment, "Anything at all."
The gunner hummed in thought before shaking his head, whining a bit when the pricks escalated into full blown stabs, "No," he uttered. "Nothin'," his palm dug into his temple, forming small circles in the area in an attempt to expel the dull and festering throbs. Seeing the glass tilt slightly in his grasp, Ignis quickly took it in his own to prevent it from spilling all over the bed; the action going seemingly unnoticed by Prompto.
He sat it on the side table with a subdued 'clank', yet still enough to rip the younger form his minor trance, "I despise this; I absolutely detest every bit of it," he drew his knees up to place his forehead against them. "I just want it all to be over, I want out of this, please I just want it to end." His voice crumbled to fractured shards at the end, breaking off at the end as his bit into his lip to control himself and keep his emotions in check, "Why is that so hard?" He breathed in a shuddering breath to calm himself and turned his head to the others, "Hilf mir...bitte," he gasped out, "Please..." He choked on the plead, trying to swallow down a surfacing sob.
Ignis' heart cramped at the unfamiliar language, and the eerie silence from Gladio told him he heard it as well, "What did you just say?" he asked, keeping his tone from climbing into that of alarm.
"Didn't you hear me?" he replied acidicly, "I said I want this whole damn thing to be over."
"Prompto, I mean after that, something we didn't understand," he cleared up.
The blond met his analytical gaze, holding it for an uncomfortable amount of time, and shook his head, "Nothing." He lowered his face back to hide away in the sanctuary of his knees, "I didn't say anything."
Gladio grunted lightly, "But, you kinda did, we heard it," he followed Ignis' example in trying not to sound too accusing in his allegation, "Hirf...hurf...something like that."
"Hilf mir," Ignis corrected, never taking his scrutiny from the younger's coiled position, "That's what was said, do you not know what it means?" Again, he denied ever saying that with another head gesture, "Do you know any other languages?"
Prompto's pulse began to race, thrumming relentlessly and dangerously through his veins, "No," he answered plainly, "I donnnn't," murmured, voice falling into a bit of a low hum, "No."
"Are you positiv-"
"Yes, I'm sure!" he snapped, hands roughly disheveling his hair. "Ok, I don't know any other goddamn language, how many times to I have to repeat myself?!" The outburst left him panting, a slightly wild glint in his eyes, "I just don't!"
Ignis cringed at the strain in his voice, the thickness from being saturated in misery springing his regret for pressing the subject further than it should have been pushed, "Right," he breathed out, "I just wanted to be one-hundred percent sure, I didn't mean to invade." He held up a surrendering hand, "I'm only trying to figure things out for the benefit of us all, so that will consist of a few questions."
"Well, if you have questions, then ask the damn questions. But, if I already answered it, then stop fucking asking it." His mouth was set in a hard line while he breathed heavily through his nose; his chest heaving with each inhale. From the looks of it, he was on the verge of lashing out at any second.
Gladio stood up and went to sit between the two of them, legitimately concerned for Ignis' safety at that moment, "Hey, everyone just settle down, everything is fine, so just take a deep breath," he held a hand out in front of both of them.
It startled him when it was harshly smacked away on Prompto's side, "I don't need your patronizing shit!" he seethed between clamped teeth, jaw virtually fixed in place, "I don't need it, and I sure as hell don't want it." He stared the shield aggressively in the eyes, almost challenging him to say or do something. "Erbärmliche Existenz" he uttered, setting the larger man with a disgusted look, "Nichts als ein Stück Scheiße, das diese widerliche Welt verschmutzt." He was now leaned closer, breathing heavily as a dimmed current could be witnessed waving across his eyes. "Fucking patheti-" he was cut off by an unpredictable and harsh gag, his head barely managing to lower itself in time before the mess was evacuated.
Gladio leaped to his feet, narrowly evading the ejection as it spluttered where he had just been sitting, "Holy shit," he muttered, "Prom? You alright?" Ignis was left speechless, never having seen that coming himself. But, once he gathered his wits, he rushed to gather some rags to start cleaning it up. "Prom?" Gladio asked again, crouching to try and get sight of his face.
Prompto was holding himself up on unstable arms, a couple more tinged drops fell from his still open mouth. And, he actually chuckled, an unpleasant and unsettling pitched sound cackling from the back of his throat, "Damn pitiful," his voice was a little hoarse, but still just as adverse as it had been previously. He laughed again, a bitter and anguished noise, "All of you...feeble wastes of flesh." He spoke quietly, as if talking to himself.
Rounding the corner, the adviser set right to mopping everything up, hesitating momentarily when he caught the swirls of red, but quickly shook it away; the whole time, Prompto stayed how he was, not bothering to so much as move out of the way. He just remained there, heaving breaths and watching the man work through blond locks. Giving Ignis a small grin, he spat a bit of leftover blood-infused vomit to join the rest. "Who is this?" he asked after a moment, seeing none of the kid they've come to love in those features.
"Das wüsstest du wohl gerne, was?" he remarked snidely, flicking his tongue to lick his lips as he finally sat back upright, "Guess what? It's none of your damn business." Prompto kept a close eye on every movement the brunet made, nervously swallowing any time he would cut it close. So, despite his vulgar and threatening exterior, there still seemed to be trepidation residing underneath. As long as he kept a level head and didn't show his own anxious disposition, everything should be relatively alright for them.
So, he just nodded, and turned his attention back to the task at hand, "What, you too good to reply, you sniveling servant of a man?" Still, Ignis said nothing, "So, that's it huh, Mr. High and Mighty, doesn't even have the balls to say anything else? Wertlos," he bit, "Wertlos, wertloser, rückgratloser Abschaum," this time he literally spat in his direction, the spittle striking the side of his face; and, against his flourishing frustration, he mustered enough self-control to merely swipe it off with the back of his hand. Though, he felt relief that it was him and not Gladio, he would not have been so composed. "Mach's Maul auf, du Wichser! You prideless ass-kisser of a peasant!"
"Alright, I've heard about enough out of you," Gladio fumed, stepping closer once again, "Possessed or not, I don't care, but I'm not gonna stand back while you spew your nonsense." He wasn't sure if he should have been furious or disturbed at the fact that he had the audacity to laugh at him.
"What's wrong, did I hurt your boyfriend's feelings?" he feigned regret, exaggerating a pout and everything, "Fucking weaklin-"
"I think it's time you shut the hell up before I drag you right out of that body myself," he spoke lowly, gripping the collar of the blond's tank top in his hand, marred chest forgotten in his moment of passion, "If anything, you're the real coward, hiding behind a shield." Both bandaged hands reached up to overlap the man's determined ones.
"Lass mich runter, Schwachkopf. Always so quick to choose the violent route like a damn uncivilized beast," he bared his teeth at him ever so slightly, eyeing him up and down and waiting for him to make a move. "What are you waiting for, 'drag me out'."
"Gladio, release him," Ignis instructed calmly, "You're doing exactly as it wants, just let it go; giving it a negative reaction isn't going to help." He thought about it for a moment, and with a huff, dropped the blond back down, giving him a glare as he walked a few feet away before he got the urge to do something he'd regret.
Prompto laughed again, mocking and victorious, "I knew it, you don't have the backbone! 'Drag me out?' Viel Glück. I ain't going any damn where; I happen to like it in here. I don't know where this sickening pile of flesh spawned from, but it's delectable. So much self-doubt, festering secrets hiding in here. All der Schmerz, hier könnte ich ewig bleiben. You better slit this fucking throat if you want me gone," he leaned his head back to expose more of the tender area. "All it takes is one quick slash."
The shield just shook his head and turned away, "Hmf," he grunted.
Ignis finished cleaning the bed off, having no choice but to leave the sheet on for the time being, no way was he going to persuade this thing to move. Up until this point, he's been amazed at how calm he'd managed to be, holding it together until that minute sniffle echoed from next to him. He cut a wary eye over and his impenetrable front collapsed in the blink of an eye. The blond seemed to be reduced to a curled up ball of apprehension, shoulders shaking and eyes chaotic with terror, "Bitte," he mumbled, his tone light and cautious.
"You back with us?" Gladio spoke up, hearing the shift from where he was, "Say something."
"Ich will hier weg, aber ich schaffe es einfach nicht," he wailed, tightening his form into a more condensed coil, "Bitte." He grew quiet after that, uttering incomprehensible words to himself before his body began shaking again.
"Prompto, come on, I know you're in there," Gladio tried to get through.
"That was close," the blond sighed out, "That insufferable bitch just doesn't know how to stay down." He twisted his attention back to the others, "She tries so hard, but that damn whore hasn't given up." He grinned at the shocked expressions staring back, "Don't tell me, oh dear. You two really believed I was the only resident?" He let out a ridiculing chuckle, "It's a fucking tango in here."
And sorry for the shorter chapter, but I wanted that plot twist and cliffy so bad. ^-^
MysteriousBean: Well, Merry early Christmas. XD And I can't play that one, so I'm cheering myself up with writing. ;w; I got to watch it though.
twaxer: XD Wow, what are the chances, I guess I just have very lucky upload times. lol Omg, that Episode...I'm STILL NOT OK! I refuse to accept so many things that I won't say cuz spoilers, but god they hurt. I'm the same, where ever I find a person, that's the only place they exist. lol And I have to agree with the Noct thing, and with this chapter, I can genuinely say, possessed or not, I would have lost my patience with him...no matter how much I love him.
websky: Pretty sure none of us could have been as chill as he was about it, albeit panicking internally, but still. XD And oh yeah, this chapter got a bit deeper, and it's gonna get a tad worse in the next one. ;w;