Good evening, remember the mission with the old traps? The mfs you can barely see in the grass and only spot after running around the area for like 15 real life minutes? Yeah.
For this fic I spent entirely too much time researching bear traps until I came to the conclusion that I can just do what I want, so enjoy!
Prompts:
No. 11: "All the lights going dark and my hope's destroyed."
Animal trap | Captivity | "No one will find you."
Warnings: Just *gestures* general description of a leg being stuck in a bear trap, but there's not like, heavy gore or anything. Also everyone keeps all their limbs, no worries.
"Remind me again why we took on this job?" Noct groans as they walk around the area the hunter indicated for the third time.
"Because you have that insatiable need to help everyone you come across," Gladio says dryly. "Just don't understand how we keep getting dragged into it."
"Less bickering, more focus, gentlemen. And do watch your step," Ignis snaps. He's been irritable all day, a result of the rest area being fresh out of coffee, and Noct agreeing to find those old traps for the hunters might just be his personal last straw.
Slowly but surely, Noct is starting to share the sentiment.
Prompto, wisely, says nothing at all and instead shuffles around the grass nervously, eyes trained on the ground.
Noct on the other hand has grown up with Ignis and has long since lost the particular sense of self-preservation that tells him not to push his luck, so he turns around to face Ignis and says, playfully, "C'mon Specs, maybe you're lucky and that shipment happens to contain some Ebony. If you ask them very nicely-"
He doesn't get the chance to finish his sentence. Prompto's cry of "Noct, watch out!" coming a fraction of a second too late as something snaps with a loud metallic clang and Noct's leg gets caught in the trap.
Choking on a cry, he stumbles to the ground. The movement digs the spikes into his skin and his vision fades momentarily. Blood rushes in his ears and he can vaguely hear someone yelling his name, but the pain is too intense for him to focus on anything else.
It hurts, in a way that takes his breath away. His leg throbs in sync with his heartbeat and the pressure from the trap is too much to bear. It's meant for large prey, designed for the monsters that prowl around the area - his leg doesn't stand a chance.
He wishes he could just pass out and let the others deal with this mess, but his body doesn't grant him that mercy. Instead, the world swims back into focus and he becomes aware of Ignis talking to him, gentle hands on his back and chest to keep him steady.
Gladio is already examining the trap, but he seems afraid to touch it - afraid to hurt Noct any further.
"Iggy, hold him down," he says, and immediately, panic wells up in Noct's chest. "Prompto, get the first aid kit from the car. Shit's all rusty, don't wanna give him a potion without cleaning it first."
Ignis pulls him into an embrace, both for comfort and to hold him still. His arms are wrapped around Noct in a way that makes it impossible for him to flail or lash out, and he's making shushing noises into his hair. It's only then that Noct notices that his own breath is coming out in shallow, panicked bursts.
When Gladio starts testing the trap's mechanism to try and find a way to release it, even the small amount of jostling nearly takes Noct's breath away.
"It's stuck," Gladio says grimly, "I'm gonna have to break it open."
Ignis' lips press against Noct's sweaty hair. "Do it quickly. He might be going into shock."
"I wanna wait til Prompto gets back with the-" Gladio starts, but Noct interrupts him, teeth gritted to keep himself from crying out.
"Just get it off! "
"Alright, alright," Gladio gives in, moving to better access the trap.
Noct closes his eyes, not wanting to look. Instead, he focuses on Ignis' whispers of comfort, but a scream rips from his mouth nonetheless when Gladio wrenches the jaws open. The metal spikes slip free, the pressure lessens, and immediately, it's easier to breathe.
"Well done, Noct, shhh, you're alright," Ignis soothes, rubbing his hands up and down Noct's arms as if to warm him. "Gladio, what's the holdup?"
Gladio's silent for just a beat too long, and immediately, Noct knows the universe isn't done with him yet.
"One of the spikes broke off in his skin. I gotta get it out before we can give him a potion."
Ignis swears quietly, settling back around Noct. "Just a little longer, Noct, I promise."
Noct presses the back of his head against Ignis's shoulder, taking comfort from the familiar presence and touch. He doesn't say anything, doesn't think he could manage even if he wanted to.
A warm hand finds his and squeezes it. Noct opens his eyes to find Prompto looking at him with a shaky smile.
"Hey, buddy, you can squeeze my hand as hard as you need, okay?"
"'M not giving birth," Noct sob-laughs, and then he has to bite his lip as hard as he can to keep himself from just… dissolving into sobs without the laughing.
In the meantime, Gladio has prepared everything to extract the rusted piece of metal from Noct's leg - gods, just thinking about it makes Noct feel sick.
He imagines Gladio digging around the wound, spike slipping out of the tweezers and deeper into the skin and he thinks he's close to hyperventilation, but Gladio, thank the gods, is quick and skilled with the tweezers and so it's barely a minute until Gladio sits back with a sigh of relief and says, "Got it."
His hand brushes against Noct's knee. "Well done, kid," he rumbles. "Just gotta keep it up for a little while longer and then you can have a potion."
Right, Gladio's been wanting to clean the wound first. Part of Noct wants to tell him to fuck off and just give him the damn potion, but he knows Gladio takes first aid and field medicine too seriously for that. The potion would probably take care of the rust and whatever the hell else was on that trap, but Gladio won't take any chances.
So Noct leans his head back against Ignis's shoulder and resigns himself to another round of pain.
Gladio works quickly and efficiently, cleaning the wound with brisk strokes, and when he's finally done he doesn't waste a second to crush the potion against Noct's leg.
Immediately, relief floods through him - the pain subsides and even though Noct cranes his neck to see for himself, all that remains of the grisly wound is the memory of it.
"Shit," Noct says and breathes shakily, letting his head drop back against Ignis' shoulder. "Let's never do that again."
"I very much agree," Ignis says, finally releasing Noct and helping him stand when he says he's ready to get up.
Noct's leg feels weird still, not hurting, but the phantom pain lingers and he feels weak and fragile. He leans on Ignis a little more heavily than is probably warranted, but Ignis, bless him, doesn't comment on it.
"I think we should probably call it a day," Prompto laughs nervously. He's white as a sheet and looks ready to keel over, but he's got a smile plastered on his face and Noct is immensely grateful for it.
"I'm gonna sleep for like three days," he announces as he takes a first, shaky step. Irrationally, he expects his leg to crumple under him, but of course it holds. He limps a little and he's still clutching Ignis like a lifeline, but he knows he's gonna be alright in a little bit.
Just, ugh. He is not looking forward to the nightmares of giant monster traps tonight
When I played the mission I was so worried about accidentally stepping on a trap I snuck around the area super slowly and then when I found one I had to test it of course. And let me tell you, it was so anticlimactic when I realised they wouldn't even trigger if you stepped on them.
I've done the mission a few times since and I still have to google the trap locations for help :(
Anyway I was despairing to my friend about how I didn't think bear traps came high enough to pierce the skin above Noct's boot, and then I realised I'm an idiot and there are no bears in FFXV; therefore those are not bear traps and I can make them as big as I want because there do be some bigass monsters there. Also I watched a video of the mission and they actually do look pretty big so yknow.
Tomorrow I'm bullying Ignis again, see you around!