Water Under the Bridge
Chapter 4

Over the next couple of weeks, Ignis and Aranea met in secret a handful more times to continue their practice. Aranea pushed Ignis harder than he'd ever been pushed before and, in return, he kept her on her toes with what he could pick up on and retain. It wasn't that she was shocked—she was well aware of how incredibly sharp he was and it was foolish to consider he'd have any difficulty —but she couldn't help but stand back and watch in awe as she began to see his skepticism and fear in himself give way to the confidence and coolness he previously so effortlessly exuded.

One day, Ignis came downstairs—as he did every other time before their sessions — and waited longer than he normally would have for anyone running late before he realized Aranea wasn't going to show up. He did the same thing the following morning and then again the morning after that. Confused and a little perturbed that she'd leave him alone without so much an explanation, he casually brought up Aranea's disappearance to both Gladio and Prompto in passing, only to learn that she had been sent out on a mission close to Cape Caem and wouldn't be back for a while. Something about more daemons and survivors and having to leave immediately.

Without knowing how long Aranea would be absent for, and with Gladio and Prompto away more often than not, Ignis took to working on himself by focusing on his mobility around the hotel and the town itself. Aranea's little speech on their first day together had inspired him to attempt to get by without his cane, so little by little he'd leave it behind.

He started small by navigating around the hotel room. It was pretty simple once he had the layout of the room and its nuances memorized. Dining room table in the corner, two beds against the wall facing the TV and entertainment center, Prompto's pile of blankets and pillows between the beds, attached kitchen here, bathroom there. Easy enough. He'd just have to be careful to ensure that nothing changed dramatically or he ran the risk of bumping into something.

On the days that he wasn't teaching himself to get by without help, he was knocking out rounds of pushups, sit-ups, and planks. He wanted to show Aranea that he took their drills together seriously— that is, whenever she returned. When he reached 100 reps of either pushups or sit-ups, he'd restart with 100 more. Planks were barely a challenge, but the routine was the only thing keeping him sane right now amidst the utter loneliness he felt.

One evening, in the middle of yet another round of pushups, the door opened and Gladio's imposing figure leaned against the frame. "Busy?"

Ignis grunted. He counted out several more pushups and lowered his body to the ground, his arms and chest numb from the effort he put forth. Gladio continued into the room, pulling a chair up next to Ignis and sitting with his chest resting against the back. "Well, if you're done, I wanted to let you know that Talcott and I are headed over to Hammerhead for a day or so. Cindy has some new daemon-repellent headlights and said she wouldn't mind installing them in some of our convoy vehicles. Thought I'd extend an invite."

Ignis' forehead rested on the backs of his hands, overlaid one on top of the other below his face. He turned his head to the right toward Gladio. "Give me a few minutes to shower?" he requested between labored breaths.

"Take your time. We still have to gas up the truck and get our supplies packed up, just in case we run into any monsters along the way," Gladio informed, standing up and pushing the chair back against the wall where he grabbed it from. "I'll be downstairs, but let me know when you're ready and I'll come back up and get you."

Ignis discreetly rolled his eye, annoyed that Gladio insisted on treating him like he was some fragile and delicate child. With his upper body completely sapped of any feeling, he laid for a few more minutes on the course carpet alone before struggling to get up, practically dragging his way to the bathroom to shower off. Once out and with a towel secured around his waist, he ran a razor over the growing stubble on his face, brushed his teeth for the second time that day, styled his hair (but damn if Aranea's teasing his choice in hair style didn't still taunt him in the back of his mind), and moved slowly back into the room, running his hand along the wall until he reached his closet. His hands fingered the fabric of his clothes and he was able to identify and pull his usual dark leopard print shirt from its hanger. From there, he took a few careful steps over to a nearby dresser and found his dark slacks and a pair of socks and underwear.

Dressed and ready to go, Ignis grabbed his cane from his bedside and locked up the room, making his way to the downstairs lobby. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows but stopped midway when he heard Gladio clear his throat. "I told you to yell for me when you were ready."

"A bit unnecessary, don't you think?" he mumbled as he finished rolling up his sleeves.

Gladio hummed his displeasure. "Uh-huh. And did you forget your glasses? You've never gone anywhere without them. Come to think of it, I haven't seen you with a pair in a while."

Ignis froze. His hands went unwittingly to his face as if he, too, was shocked at the missing spectacles. "Oh, yes. I must have lost them while I was out. Silly me," he conjured up the pathetic lie on the spot.

"When was the last time you of all people lost anything?"

"I suppose there's a first time for everything."

Gladio narrowed his eyes, seeing right through the fib, but allowed Ignis this win. He sighed in defeat, draping his arm over his friend's shoulders and leading him outside and away to where their vehicle was parked. At first, the air between them was tense, but eventually, they made small talk, falling back into comfortable territory with each other. For a moment, both found themselves forgetting that anything was ever wrong in the world. It felt like old times again, back when they lived in Insomnia.

Their joyful trip down memory lane ended abruptly when Talcott's meek voice called their names. Gladio removed his arm from Ignis' shoulders and walked ahead with Ignis trying to follow by listening to the sound of his footsteps. He was trying to take some of Aranea's suggestions and advice from their trysts and apply them to his everyday life, starting with actually listening and taking cues from the subtle noises around him. One day, he wanted to be able to get by without using his cane. Was it going to be hard? Probably, but something about Aranea saying he could do it almost made it seem like it could be a reality.

"Gladio! Ignis! Thanks for letting me come with you guys to Hammerhead. I'm really excited!"

Gladio smiled, ruffling the pre-teen's hair. "No problem, big guy. Cor said you've really taken a liking to cars and machinery. Figured this would be a good opportunity for you to learn a thing or two."

"Awww, I hope. I promise I won't get in the way or anything!"

They all piled into the armored truck and Gladio brought it to life with the turn of a key. He carefully drove to the front gate where Prompto was standing guard, gun in hand in case any daemons decided to get bold and rush the city. The car occupants laughed as Prompto whined and stomped his feet when he learned that they were headed to see Cindy, his longtime infatuation.

"Don't worry, Prom! We'll tell her you said hi. I'll make sure to keep her company for you," Gladio winked and gave a thumbs-up.

"Not cool, bro. Not cool!" he decried, looking heartbroken as he pressed a button on a control panel and opened the gate for them. They all waved goodbye as Gladio drove away.

Ignis had his hands in his lap and kept his gaze forward. It wasn't typical for Gladio to take the wheel and Ignis found the concept to be absolutely horrifying. Relinquishing control to Noctis when they drove around Lucis was one thing; Gladio was a completely different animal to drive with. At least Ignis had the foresight to buckle up now, unlike when he used to drive and the other three would snub the use of seat belts, choosing instead to monkey around by standing and sitting on the hood while the top was down and turning around to face the backseat and . . .

Gladio's voice brought him back to reality. "So . . . Iggy. Thanks for coming. I uh . . . you know I'm not good with this whole feelings bullshit, but I really appreciate you agreeing to come with."

Ignis was confused. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh well, you know. With how things have been lately between us and how busy we've all gotten, it's just nice to be able to go on a mission somewhere together again, even if it's something as tiny as placing new daemon-repellent bulbs in our cars."

Ignis waved away the sound of culpability that accompanied Gladio's words. "Yes, these times haven't been the kindest toward us these last couple of months. I do understand, though, the pressure we're all under and just what is expected of us. Of you. I don't hold any of that against you, I hope you're aware."

"It still doesn't make it any easier," the large man sighed, swerving to avoid a rogue Thunder Bomb daemon on the side of the road. Talcott, still somewhat naïve to the dangers around them, let out a thrilled 'woohoo' from the backseat while Ignis' hand flew to the grab handle above the window to save himself from flying across the front seat. Gladio muttered an apology under his breath.

Ignis knew that wasn't all that was on Gladio's mind and he waited for the truth to spill. As suspected, he heard another forceful breath and the sound of Gladio's grip rubbing steering wheel. "Cor wants to take Iris and train her to hunt daemons."

That disclosure didn't shock Ignis at all. Iris was an Amicitia and her brother's sister for sure. The need to fight and protect ran deep in her blood, as it had throughout their entire lineage back to the beginnings of their ancestry. She was never the girl to sit back and passively let the world fly by around her and Cor knew this. It was only a matter of time before he took her under his wing. Despite how strong and capable Cor was, it probably didn't do anything to deter the stress that this put on Gladio. Ignis turned slightly to indicate he was listening.

"She's the only family I have left. I'm not sure I could go on if anything happened to her, you know? I . . . I was practically on my knees begging Cor to leave her alone. How pathetic, right? Then Iris found out and she said she was going anyway and there was nothing I could say to change her mind. I've . . . I've never seen her look so determined about anything in her life. But . . . Goddamn . . . what if something happens to her?"

"Gladio, you know you can't protect her forever."

He let out a small laugh. "Can't I at least try?"

"You can, but I doubt it'll get you far. Trust her. Trust that she's making the right decision for herself and her life. She's always been capable of handling herself and I don't think she'd even entertain the notion of becoming a daemon slayer if she didn't think she could do it. Whether she's your only surviving family or not, you can't hold on to her forever. Sooner or later, you have to let go and learn to trust."

Another laugh. "Are we still talking about Iris? Or are you subconsciously talking about yourself?"

It hadn't crossed Ignis' mind to lump himself into someone that Gladio needed to let go of, but it made sense. It seemed that it made sense to Gladio as well. Ignis tried to ignore the comment, but the words were already out there and they knew them to be true. The larger man shifted in his seat and changed his hand position on the steering wheel, nimbly avoiding another daemon as it swiped at their car.

"Now that we're on the subject of you, I've noticed you've been getting up and leaving in the mornings. Something going on that you want to talk about?"

Gladio wasn't beating around the bush today with his questions. Ignis faced the window, blankly staring into the dark abyss. "Just going on a walk. Nothing to fret over."

"Mmhmm. At 5 am? Alone?" He slowed at an intersection before turning onto another road. "What's the real story?"

"If there was a real story, don't you think I'd tell you?"

"No, but then again, the three of us haven't exactly been close these days," Gladio sadly remarked, bringing Prompto into the conversation.

"It's nothing more than a morning stroll in the city," Ignis lied again, his body language and voice remaining even and calm. He could be a great liar when he wanted to be. Right now, he wasn't ready to divulge any information about Aranea teaching him to fight. In time, maybe. But not now. It was still a fear, albeit a small one, that Gladio would ask him to stop so he could continue to stay out of harm's way.

"Whatever you say, Iggy," he replied, shaking his head and dropping the subject as he slowed again. The sound of a chain-link fence clanking just outside their vehicle let Ignis know they'd arrived at Hammerhead. Gladio drove through the gate and parked in front of the Hammerhead garage where Cindy waved them in eagerly.

"Well, ain't you boys a sight for sore eyes. Long time since I've seen the likes of you. Paw-Paw said ya'll'd be here to get these new headlights put in. If these work the way they're supposed to, maybe we can get them installed in the rest of the trucks. Sure would make driving around from town to town a lot easier," she drawled in her sweet accent.

"We really appreciate all the help, Cindy."

"Aw, anything for my favorite boys. Go ahead and pull into the garage and make yourselves at home in the caravan. I can't promise I'll get this done today, but I'll work as quick as I can."

Gladio did as instructed and drove into the bay of the garage, parking and unlocking the doors so they could all get out and stretch their legs. The drive wasn't long at all, but just knowing there was danger lurking everywhere now kept everyone on edge. The constant tension wasn't exactly doing wonders for their muscles.

"And who's this handsome devil?" Cindy cooed as Talcott jumped out from the backseat. He held a hand out and she reciprocated, shaking it firmly.

"This is Talcott, my family's butler's grandson. I asked him to come along since he's developed quite the interest in machinery lately; if that's alright with you?"

The blonde woman squealed with delight. "Of course it is! Who am I to turn down a hand in the shop? I know I can find plenty to keep him occupied."

Talcott couldn't contain his excitement. His head whipped back and forth from Gladio to Cindy and even to Ignis before getting the affirmative nod from Gladio to follow after Cindy. The two men listened and watched with amusement as Talcott eagerly rambled about everything he wanted to learn and everything he already knew. Cindy was enthralled at his enthusiasm.

Gladio placed his hand under Ignis' elbow and led him to the rickety caravan on the other side of the gated compound. They entered and attempted to get settled, but something about it just being the two of them without Noctis and Prompto alongside made the caravan feel empty. Desolate. It didn't feel right at all.

Gladio tried to fill the void with conversation as he searched the cabinets and fridge for any leftover food or drinks. He found two lone beers and offered one to Ignis, but he held a hand up to deny it. The large man shrugged and took both for himself. He cracked open the first one and sat in the built-in dinette booth, kicking his feet up on a nearby spare ottoman and taking a swig of the chilled beverage. "He really needs this distraction, Talcott does. Hopefully, this will boost his spirits."

Ignis rested his arms on the table of the dinette table, leaning forward as he spoke. "Agreed. He has been through far more than any child his age should ever go through. It's a shame that he loses out on any innocence of a childhood."

"This coming from the man who had to grow up at the age of . . . what was it? Four? Five?" Gladio raised his bottle in Ignis' direction and let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Growing up was on my own accord. I never abhorred my duties to the Prince. In fact, I fully relished all those years taking care of his Highness."

"And there wasn't a day that went by where you shirked your responsibilities. You made taking care of Noct your entire life."

"Only doing what was asked of me."

"And you did it well," Gladio reassured. He lowered his head and abstractedly clenched and unclenched his fist. "It was so frustrating to me that he listened to you with no fuss, but when I tried to reason with him on anything, it was as if the sky was going to collapse on him."

Ignis chucked at Gladio's false impressions that guiding Noct through life was some easy feat. "We had our moments. Noct wasn't always impressed with me or my orders. Stubborn to a fault. It drove me mad some days, but I reasoned it had more to do with his emotions around the King growing weaker from the Ring of Lucii rather than anything to do with me."

"Yeah, that was especially hard on him," Gladio nodded, chugging the last of his beer and opening the second one. "You know, speaking of difficulties, Prompto's not taking Noct's absence well. Between that, the lack of sleep, and just the overall shift in the world, that kid is one step away from a full-blown breakdown."

"Given the circumstances, I'm not surprised. Prompto is a . . . sensitive man, to be frank. With his best friend missing, I'm sure he also feels somewhat abandoned; not that he blames Noct by any means, but it's an emotion one can't help. His façade will only last for so long before it cracks."

Gladio's mouth formed a grim line as he drummed his fingers on the table and flicked a glance out the window. Ominous clouds floated across the sky, obscuring the moon from view while a breeze rustled the sparse brush of the desert and could be heard sweeping the sides of the caravan. It was a soothing sound that threatened to lull the men to sleep.

With that, Ignis yawned and Gladio followed suit. They wanted to retire to bed but decided to stay awake until Talcott came to the caravan. Until then, they passed the time with stories of years ago and better times. Anything to take them away from this living hell.

"Alright fellas! She's as good as new. Headlights are installed and I gave her a good washin' for the road. Sorry it took so long," Cindy apologized again for the hundredth time. Getting the headlights in the vehicle and working took a couple of days, but the three men didn't mind. Talcott was even a little sad to leave, having learned so much in such a short amount of time.

"We are grateful for your help, Cindy. If there's any way we can repay you-." Ignis began but was cut off when Cindy jumped at something that came to mind.

"Yes! You can do something for me! I'm sorry, but I have all these ingredients for different meals taking up room at Takka's restaurant. I know you boys were really into cooking, especially you," Cindy pointed to Ignis, "and I was hoping you'd get more use out of taking the food back to Lestallum instead of letting it rot here."

Ignis shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "How kind, but I . . . I actually don't-."

"Yes, we'll take it," Gladio interjected, his hand reaching out to cover Ignis' mouth, stopping him from speaking further. "Load whatever you don't want into the trunk. We'll find a use for it."

As Cindy thanked them profusely and ran off to grab the food from Takka's restaurant, Ignis shot his friend a glare. "You know I don't cook anymore."

"No, but the rest of us can still try. You can still try. It's not outside the realm of possibility for you to cook small dishes."

"It's ok for me to scorch dinner and waste food, but Gods forbid I come out and daemon slay with you?"

Gladio grunted and crossed his arms. "Apples to oranges, Iggy, and you know it."

Cindy stopped the brewing argument by reappearing with two large coolers full of food. "Someone wanna gimme a hand getting these into the trunk? They're a little on the heavier side."

Gladio, Ignis, and Talcott all rushed to grab the handles of the coolers. Cindy wasn't kidding—she packed these coolers to the brim a variety of items. Once loaded, they slammed the trunk shut and dusted their hands of the grime and gunk from the handles, turning once more to the blonde mechanic before them.

"Y'all be careful heading back. I'll call you if I need you and I hope you do the same. Oh, and . . ." she trailed off, fidgeting nervously with the brim of her hat. "Tell Prompto I said hey, will ya? I missed seeing his smiling face 'round here. Lord knows we could use some sunshine these days and he's about as close to sunshine as we can get," she glowed as she spoke so highly of the gunslinger.

Ignis could clearly hear the adoration in her voice. "We will. You take care, Cindy, until we meet again."

They all exchanged brief hugs and handshakes before climbing into the vehicle. The truck's engine roared loudly and the new headlights allowed them to see farther than ever before. Already the lights were a welcome change from what they were accustomed to until that point. Another round of goodbyes and Gladio pulled forward to the chain-linked gate, waited for it to open, and drove onto the open road back to Lestallum.

The car ride was quieter this time than it was before. Everyone was just ready to get home to the city where everything seemed a little safer. Before they knew it, they were parked before the gates of Lestallum, waiting for Prompto—on his third consecutive shift of guard duty—to open it up for them. When he appeared, the large dark circles under his eyes and the lack of any cleanliness to him told them he was severely sleep-deprived and running on fumes.

"Only a few more hours and I'm off. I'll be up in a bit to shower and sleep," he wearily said, stifling a yawn with the back of his hand.

"Keep your head up. Oh, hey! Will it make you feel better to know that Cindy personally asked that we tell you she said hi?" Gladio probed.

As expected, Prompto immediately perked up, any semblance of fatigue wiped from his face. "She did? What did she say? Did she say she missed me? That beautiful, beautiful woman . . ." he fired off questions rapidly but drifted off into a dream-like state as his thoughts turned to the woman he so plainly placed on a pedestal.

Ignis couldn't help but laugh. Their conversation didn't last much longer and Prompto, after running through all his questions, waved them through to the parking lot. Together, Ignis, Gladio, and Talcott grabbed their belonging and the two coolers and walked the, what felt like, abnormally far distance back to the Levelle.

They dropped Talcott off at his room, waiting until he was inside and the door locked before taking their haul to their room. Gladio awkwardly balanced the belongings on top of his gigantic cooler pinned between his arm and hip as he fumbled to unlock and open their hotel room door. A 'click´ alerted them to his success.

Ignis pushed the door open with his backside and crossed inside, dropping the cooler loudly in the kitchen. Normally one to clean up and put things in their proper home as soon as possible, Ignis reasoned that there would be enough time in the morning to unpack. He was far too drained tonight and there was no sense in rushing to get everything put away when the ample ice would do its job at keeping the food chilled in the meantime.

He eased himself onto his bed, glad to be back within the confines of their room. He didn't think he'd miss the hotel bed he'd grown to call his own, but anything was better than the springy, tiny, uncomfortable bunk he slept on in the caravan at Hammerhead. He sighed and rested his head on his hands.

The sound of Gladio's hesitant footsteps drew Ignis' attention back to the doorway. "What's wrong?"

"There's . . . something here for you. It was outside our door. A package?" he wondered, placing a box in Ignis' lap and setting his cooler next to Ignis' in the small kitchen.

Ignis lifted the box, twirling and spinning it curiously in his hands. "Who's it from?"

"It doesn't say. The note that came with it only says, 'I told you I'd keep an eye out for these. Your IOU just keeps growing."

Aranea?

Ignis felt for the seam and politely tore the package open, careful not to cause any undue rips lest they needed the box again sometime soon. He reached inside and his fingers touched on three pairs of new glasses. The style seemed to be different than what he was used to wearing, less rectangular in the frame and more visor-like, but the fact that Aranea remembered him while away made him grin so wide that his cheeks started to hurt.

"Oh, wow. Those are nice. Do you have any idea who got them for you?"

Ignis took a pair out and tried them on. What he wouldn't give to see how they looked on him. It was funny how, in this moment, he wanted nothing more than to see what Aranea thought of them. Not that her opinion mattered all that much, but the thought of wearing them the next time he saw her gave him a renewed sense of delight.

Gladio snorted as he watched the royal advisor marvel at his new glasses. "Hmph. Well, judging by that ridiculous smile on your face, you must think highly of whoever it is."

Ignis took the glasses off and placed them on the nightstand while he placed the rest of the ones in the package in the drawer underneath. The smile was replaced with a tolerant stare. "Come now, Gladio. She's just an ally in these dark times."

"Oh, she, hmm?"

Ignis blushed at this sudden revelation. "Stop. It's nothing."

He felt Gladio's large hand slap him on the back as he passed by to his own bed. "From where I'm standing, it sure doesn't look like nothing."

Author's Note: Yes, I realize there was a lack in IgnisxAranea, but I promise this chapter has set up for plenty more fluff and interaction between the two next chapter :) These two are too cute for their own good.

As always, I love you guys and your reviews/favorites/follows. I love knowing what you all enjoyed and what your favorite moments are. Please keep the feedback coming because more feedback from you means more motivation for me!