iwillshieldhim | The World We Fought For [for fieryknowledge]

He couldn't hear, he couldn't see, he couldn't feel. All he could do was be. It had him in a blind panic because this was very different than moments before. The last thing he could remember was looking up at the ghost of his father, begging him to finish this, then the terrible cold pain of metal in his chest and the burst of raw power- the beyond. The feeling of everyone behind him.

Darkness.

A very different darkness than this.

His body was responding to his panic, but Gladio and Prompto were doing their body to hold him in place. For Noctis, it started to return slowly, so slowly, as static hissing in his ears. The sound was enough to make him realize something was happening, changing, but what? Where was he? Was this... death?

Another gasp of air, then a spasm in his chest that turned into a horrible coughing, blood leaving his lips, but it was all what he had inhaled before his death.

"What's going on!?" Prompto asked, fear of what he was seeing heavy in his voice.

"He was just about dead ten seconds ago, how the fuck should I know?!" Gladio snapped, swaying slightly on his feet.

Ignis was quick to move, pulling away from Noctis even as he reached to find Gladio. A quick pat on that strong arm told him he'd found his partner so he tugged to catch his attention even as he turned his head to find Prompto.

"Is there somewhere we can lay him down? On his side, preferably. It sounds like he's trying to clear his lungs?"

He'd move him himself but one, he could see a spot to do so and two, there was no way he'd be strong enough to get him away from his fellow survivors.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on Prompto, help me." Gladio couldn't hold Noct stable even if he could have picked any of them up single handedly, so it took the pair of them to get Noct to the floor.

But something really bothered him about it. Noct's body wasn't... acting right. He couldn't put his finger on it but right now, trying to help their friend get his lungs clear was more important. Prompto was already there, kneeling with Noct's head in his lap as they kept him on his side, letting his friend cough out the terrible liquid out of his lungs.

Gladio watched, frowning hard. He looked to Ignis as Prompto stroked back Noct's hair, speaking quietly, "...Iggy... we know... we knew for years how this would end. What in the hells is going on?"

There was no mistaking that Ignis was listening in as keenly as he could manage to Noctis and his coughing, but Gladio's voice tugged at his attention so he stepped away from where Prompto was settled and back to Gladio's side.

He didn't look happy.

"... I don't know. None of us should've made it, least of all Noct. There's no doubt that he was the Chosen King, but... maybe the Six isn't done with us yet."

There was dread in his voice at that. Hadn't they suffered enough?

"Noct, Noct, we're right here, I've got you, I've got you..." Prompto was repeating, again and again, his hands smearing blood on Noct's face as he stroked over it, not sure if it was his or Noct's or daemon's but it didn't matter. Noct was still alive, still breathing. But why wasn't he responding, or opening his eyes? "Noct, I'm still with you." Prompto was crying, tears falling, but he didn't even seem to notice it.

"What else can they ask of him!? He was pinned to his throne by his own fucking sword, Iggy! He banished the darkness... what else could they possibly want with him!?" With us.

He'd known he'd be dead, too. Yet here they all were, all of them terribly injured, confused, and scared.

"No matter what it is, we will remain at his side, as we always have been. We will remain together. All of us."

Should he tell Gladio about Noct's reawakening? About the light and the warmth of something soft and gentle there with them at that moment? The faint air of divinity about it all, or at least something inexplicable? Had Gladio seen anything? Perhaps he'd ask some other time, when things weren't quite so jarring and desperate.

Without even thinking, his hand searched for Gladio's, silently asking for as well as offering up support. As long as Noctis was breathing and his heart still beat, there was hope. After all, how long did it take him to awaken after subduing the Hydrean? Long enough for a gravely injured Ignis to be back on his feet, his fresh scars already scabbed over.

"Prompto. Is he still coughing something up? What color is it?"

As bad as it sounded, the darker the better. Dark blood was old blood, which meant that there was no fresh bleeding.

All of us. Gladio squeezed Ignis' hand when they found one another, their fingers falling together. Terrible things were drying on their skin, and the pain was terrible for them both in the form of open wounds, broken bones, but in the fact of fate somehow being fulfilled and denied at the same time, something smaller.

"It's... It's this horrible stuff. It's thick and really dark red, almost black," Prompto didn't want to touch it, but it was sitting here on the floor, partly on his leg, but he was brushing it away from Noctis' mouth.

"Where can we even take him?" Gladio murmured to Ignis. "There's no where safe..." His voice trailed off. "I guess it's all safe, now. But people will start to come back here. He needs a doctor, damn it."

There was even pain when Gladio squeezed his hand but it was the most brilliant pain. It told him deep down that they'd made it. They were alive and they were still together. He bore that pain with a tight smile, the motion creasing scrapes and scratches that littered his face he hadn't realized he'd gained, but they would be fine.

They would all be fine. They had to be.

His mind whirled with possible locations nearby that might still be standing and stable enough to afford them a bit of shelter for the time being. Noctis wasn't the only one that needed tending to.

"... we can't remain here. Not until we know if the Citadel is sound. There was a hotel just a few doors down... we used it for dignitaries and such. Maybe that, if it's still standing. Either that or my uncle's old apartment. It's within walking distance."

On a good day. Ignis wouldn't be able to walk far, much to his silent chagrin. He had no idea of his own damage, only that he'd hurt his leg.

"How can the Citadel be any less sound than anywhere else?" Prompto said, looking up to Ignis and Gladio and steeling himself. "We can't carry Noct anywhere like this. Ignis is hurt pretty bad and Gladio, man, your shoulder... I don't know what's wrong but it looks really messed up, and right now I can't see straight. This is the Citadel! Seriously, can't it be locked down against intruders or something?? Nothing else would have been living here except daemons, and well, we can defend like, one room somewhere in here, right? We've got almost no potions, no more downs, and this is the best looking building for miles. We might as well stay here."

Gladio was silent for a few seconds before looking towards his lover. "...He's got a point, Iggy." Not one Gladio was exactly happy about, though.

"Locked down against what? There's nothing left living here."

It was rare that Ignis allowed his temper to flare up enough for it to be noticed by anyone else. He took a moment to quiet himself, lips pursed over another outburst before he huffed and reached up to scratch at a patch of something dark that was drying on his face.

It was enough to make him wince.

"Alright. We need somewhere we can bunker down for the time being. I normally wouldn't worry about defensible in a case like this, but we don't know what the day will bring... or the night, if we remain that long. Gladio, think you can look around a bit while Prom and I keep an eye on Noct? Try the sitting room on the next floor... should be something there we can use. Once we get settled, one of us can go scavenge the infirmities to see what we can find. Surely there's still something there."

"You're the one who said the Citadel might not be sound!" Prompto said back, his hands tightening on Noct, but when the King finally stopped coughing, laying there with eyes closed, still but breathing.

"We're staying here," Gladio decided along with Ignis, trying to calm Prompto down who looked green around the gills. Only then did he realize that Prompto's face had been pretty torn up on the side there. Shit. "You two guard him. I'll be back as soon as I can. Just- stay here."

He wasn't keen about leaving, but there wasn't a lot of choice. They had no idea who would come looking, friend or foe, and he wanted to be somewhere he could defend them if necessary.

When Gladio left, though, Prompto felt almost defenseless. He didn't want to admit how true his words had been - everything was getting sort of doubled, which wasn't helping his stomach at all. "...Iggy... what- what do we do now?"

"And you're the one that said otherwise. I'm erring with your judgement on this, Prompto."

He sent Gladio off with a quick squeeze to his hand as well as a quiet 'be careful, love'. Once he'd heard Gladio's familiar steps retreat, he carefully picked his way over to Prompto. There were a few stumbles and his side and leg were going alarmingly numb, but for now, it was fine. They were fine.

Gingerly, Ignis settled beside Prompto, hissing softly as strained muscles pulled and his back put up a serious protest to any kind of major motion. Without thinking, he reached out toward Noctis, his hand seeking contact again as if to make certain that he really was there and still breathing.

"We remain calm and patient, like we have for the last decade. We've won a true victory today. Now, we work to recover what we can."

Prompto would have normally helped Ignis in a heartbeat, but not with Noct like he was, still laying with his head pillowed in Prompto's lap. Under Ignis' hand, he can still feel Noct, warm and breathing, maybe better than all of them thanks to how powerful those phoenix downs were, but still very much unconscious. Looking down on him, Prompto just felt utterly, stupidly helpless.

"This... this feels like Altissia, all over again. He's hurt and I can't do anything else to help him except wait..." Prompto's eyes shut as the tears started again, though he didn't even know where he had the strength left to cry. Every part of him felt tired and hurt more than he could ever remember. "Recover... recover!? I thought we-" He bit his lip so hard, feeling the edge of a teeth cut into a wound already there.

It really did feel like Altissia, didn't it?

Sighing, Ignis reached out and settled his arm around Prompto's shoulder, tugging him close as carefully as he could. Noctis wouldn't be disturbed much but at the moment, he knew when Prom needed some comfort. It wasn't an ideal position, but Ignis offered up a one armed hug before he turned his head enough to brush his filthy cheek against Prompto's hair.

"But we're still here. And yes, all we can do is wait for now. I know that's not what you want to hear, but remember, he's still with us. We've all survived and we won't let him go. Agreed?"

"Never." Prompto's agreement came immediately, his fingers stilling on Noct with their slow, easy strokes across his face as he leaned into Ignis with exhaustion in every line. "I don't care what's going to happen, Iggy... I thought I was going to be dead. I thought he-" he swallowed hard on those words as if perhaps one of the Six might hear him. "I'm never doing this again." He would never turn his back on Noct again, even if it was considered the 'right thing'.

The sound of footsteps made Prompto jerk slightly, his gun coming unconsciously into his hand as he brought it up to line the sights. Too many years in the darkness. It was Gladio, though, who, on seeing the gun pointed at him, put up his one hand slowly until Prompto dropped it. "I've got somewhere we can hole ourselves up," he said as he came closer, giving what seemed to be a nod of approval to Prompto. "...The King's suite. It has a secret way out if we need it, but it's meant to be defensible and has two bedrooms in it. Should give us somewhere we can hide out. Otherwise, we're going down into the floors under group. Closer to the kitchens but I don't know if anything's there that's still good."

Ignis knew the cadence of Glaido's footsteps well enough by now that he didn't start when he heard them. He offered Prompto a quick squeeze, praise clearly telegraphed there for his quick response, before he let him go and tried to heave himself upright again. The kitchens were something he could tackle once they'd settled into the King's suite. For now, they needed to drag their respective butts down there so they could start to get patched up as best they could.

"... I'd forgotten about it. It's been so long since we've been here. Since we've been home."

Home. The Citadel felt like home to Gladio as much as his own had, someplace he wasn't sure he dared to go just yet. He didn't know that it was nearly in tact, though with so many years of disrepair it would need some help, but the idea of going there still made him feel sick. He also wasn't ready to tell Ignis yet the other sight he had seen, for once grateful that Ignis couldn't see the tight lipped expression.

Prompto didn't immediately stand up, but said quietly, "he's cold. We need to get him somewhere warm."

"We'll get you tucked up in bed with him. Help me get him up." Gladio was the only one with enough outright strength to carry Noct, given that Noct was bigger than Prompto and Prompto wasn't exactly a power house to begin with. It would take all of their combined efforts to get Noct up in a fireman's carry, maybe not the best position but all they had, on Gladio's shoulder, with Prompto helping to make sure their precious load remained balanced. They moved slow through the Citadel, down into halls familiar to Gladio's eyes and maybe Ignis' mind, completely a labyrinth to Prompto, until they arrived at the King's own suite. Noct's by right and inheritance. Ghostly, in its way.

Ignis' old apartment likely hadn't fared well but that was a discovery for another day. For now, they were going to get as settled as they could and catch some much needed rest. Ignis knew that it wouldn't be long before people started returning to Insomnia as well as all the other cities and outposts that had been surrendered during the long night.

He didn't have to see that expression to hear the renewed tension in Gladio's voice. Perhaps it was just the gravity of the situation, but it was something that Ignis would ask about. Later. Once they tended their King and he saw to their injuries.

The halls were remembered with uncanny clarity thanks to Ignis' memory. He'd roamed these halls for years but now, the silence in them was as heavy as the tang of dried blood that seemed to cling to them.

Getting Noctis settled wasn't easy, but the bed that would've been his had his life been normal was oddly clean and clear. Privately, Ignis thought that was where Ardyn had holed up during his wait for the Chosen King. As far as Ignis was concerned, he would've rather burned the damned bed before putting Noctis there if that was the case. Still, they needed somewhere warm and safe for him and right then, that was their best option.

"During the King's later years, they converted a nearby room into a rather well stocked infirmary thanks to his waning health. I'm going to go see what I can find there."

It would be better for them all if that name wasn't mentioned aloud. Gladio was already at a certain level of breaking point and hearing it would have turned his anger up all over again. Right now, he stroked a broad hand over Noct's hair in a briefly affectionate gesture, once they had Noct settled and out of blood stained clothing, while Prompto didn't even think twice about going right down to his underwear. Only then did he climb into bed beside Noct, wrapping himself around the man he loved, trying to warm him up because he was terrifyingly cold. It left the damaged side of Prompto's head more visible than it had been and Gladio sucked in a breath on seeing it. Kid was definitely going to have twin scars and he'd be lucky if hair ever grew there.

"I'll go with you. Prom can keep an eye on Noct." Prompto made a quiet grunt of agreement to Gladio's words and closed his eyes, one arm over Noct, the other under the pillows. Gladio touched Ignis' arm, suggesting that if Ignis knew what room it was to lead the way.

There was the briefest protest on his lips, but it died off the moment Gladio's hand settled on his arm. With a sigh, he nodded and led the way, a hand up to trace idle fingers along the wall as he walked. It wasn't that he needed to use it to help him manage the darker hallway, but more that he needed something to touch. His thoughts were still too damned scattered and he needed that physical contact to allow him to ground himself.

The short trip wasn't an easy one. It was still slow going for Ignis and likely would be for some time thanks to his hip. Still, his injuries were the last thing on his mind. He knew that Gladio was hurt. He'd felt how wrong his shoulder was and he needed to be somewhere where he could take the time and see if it was something he could set. Hopefully, it was just out of socket. While resetting it wouldn't be pleasant, it would be easier and something he could manage. Once that was done, a potion could set it on the path to recovery, albeit a slow one.

The little room was right where he'd remembered and for once, there was something working in their favor. It was a small victory but on a day like today, Ignis would take any win they could get. Now to see if they could find anything useful.

"... something's wrong, isn't it?"

For a blind man, he could be very perceptive.

Gladio made sure that Ignis stayed firmly upright as they walked, providing support with his good arm, ignoring the pain that came from every step. Something was majorly wrong with his other shoulder, something he almost wanted to panic about because that was the kind of injury that potentially could destroy a good fighter, but there was no time. He had to worry about the others, first, because their injuries involved blood. Possibly infection. He could feel Ignis' strength sapping as he had to walk on that bad thigh.

They needed this room right now, because they weren't going to be able to go on much further. They were all exhausted, dealing with severe injuries and blood loss and shock, and Noct... they didn't know about Noct, yet.

"It seems... some areas of the Citadel haven't been touched." The sudden almost emotionlessness in Gladio's voice left it terrifying flat. "I found them, Iggs. ...Still... Still together."

Hopefully, their future wouldn't involve much fighting. Ignis was tired of fighting. Hells, Ignis was just tired. It was a weariness that went bone deep, soul deep and right then, he might've been content to just sit himself down and wait for his end. He couldn't, though. Not when his family had made it through. Right now, they needed him. He wouldn't fail them.

The news that Gladio shared was something he was both afraid of and relieved to hear. He would mourn them in time, but that tone of voice from his lover told him that his strength was needed more than his emotions. He bowed his head with a sigh, then turned to face his love, a hand automatically reaching for his without real thought.

"I expected as much, and it's good in a way. They were together. Regis wouldn't have wanted anyone else by his side and if I know your father, he would've been proud to serve his King to that extent. Who else could say that they met their end protecting someone they cared for so strongly?"

But that was who Gladio was. He was a fighter. Born and raised to be a fighter, and to tell him that there was nothing left to fight, to leave him without the purpose his life was for? That would destroy who he was. But Noct was still alive, and he swore to be Noct's Shield until the day one of them passed. That wouldn't change, but he hadn't planned on being here for this. He had been ready for his death, knowing he had protected Noct until the end.

"...do we... deal with this before Noct can see them, or leave them as they are for now?" Gladio's mind was almost... broken on that concept right now. He had never been allowed to properly grieve over his father, but to see that was like a blow to his heart, twisting it violently. After all of these years, he knew. The wrap of their armor, the rotten leather, holding the bones, but impossible to know exactly who it was lying there, even down to the glint of the small crown laying there by the skull of the previous King.

Those same thoughts had been a focal point of Ignis' thoughts just after he'd been blinded. What good was he? How could he continue to serve his King? He'd been trained to watch and gather information, to watch his liege and provide for him before he realized he had a need. It had taken time, but Ignis adjusted. He adapted. In his mind, Gladio was skilled and stubborn enough to push past this, even if it proved to be something permanent.

He hoped it wasn't, though. He wouldn't want Gladio to go through the same damn near crippling self-doubt that he'd gone through so long ago.

"We leave them for now. The dead can wait. The living can't. When you're ready, then we'll decide."

This was something Ignis would leave for Gladio to think on. He'd come to love Clarus and Regis both as father figures in the years he'd known them, but for Gladio? It was blood. In this, he would defer to the Shield and the King, if and when he woke up.

There was no when. Noct had to wake up, because if he didn't, it was infinitely worse than when he had been inside the Crystal, when they had been sure he'd been dead. A state of half-life... Gladio was fairly certain it would kill Prompto, not that either of them would take it much better. When they had a chance... they would discuss it. Something proper had to be done with both King and Shield, living and dead.

"What do we need for everyone? Prompto.... Prompto's gonna have some scars to rival mine." He wasn't sure if Ignis had been able to feel out those wounds. "Surprised he's still up. Need to look at your thigh and back." And his ribs and shoulder, but he pushed that to the back of the pack, though. "Once we're up... I'll try going down into the kitchens. No one's lived here in all this time - some of the dried stuff has to still be good."

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