iwillshieldhim | What Stalks in the Night [for fieryknowledge]

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What Stalks in the Night [for fieryknowledge]

The day had started out like any other. The pinging of Ignis' phone alarm. The snuggle of Prompto because that kid turned out to be a snuggler at night and always tried to hide it in the morning. The grumbling from Noct. Breakfast. Clean up. Deciding what to do.

Today turned out to be a day for a hunt. Good. Gladio itched for a fight today and a hunt mean a fight and gil, even if the latter was the more necessary right now. Those damn energy drinks for Noct to turn into potions were annoyingly expensive; thank the Six they were popular enough to be absolutely everywhere even if the blasted things were pricey.

The hunt itself proved to be surprisingly elusive, though. Most of the afternoon was spent in just trying to track down the beast, perched on the backs of their chocobos with maps pulled out and a lot of cursing because this place proved to be a bit of a maze of canyons cut into the rock. Eventually, they found it, though, and Gladio had to admit... this wasn't going to be easy.

It was almost like a giant scorpion, except it had paws and a sort-of-face like a lion and it was furred. The tipster had called it a Chimera; Gladio called it ugly. By the end of the long, damn difficult fight, he had called it several far less appropriate names. It had managed to put the hurt on all of them, but only Gladio had taken a blow from its glowing tail, stabbing right into the muscle of his left arm. One of those expensive potions had taken care of that, or so they thought, and they had gone back to camp stinking, exhausted, and ready to just get some food in their stomachs and pass out.

But as they finally saw camp in the distance, Gladio was surprised at how the heat of the day was clinging to him because he felt even more sticky-sweaty under the leather. Fuck. Last thing he needed right now was to have to air-dry his fatigues, but he probably wasn't going to have a choice.

Little did he know.

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He'd been out for that long?

Facts were good. Concrete knowledge was good. What wasn't was the lingering confusion still swirling in his head. That vague confusion was probably clear as he absently reached for the mentioned glass, draining it rather robotically as he tried to start piecing things together.

"... Noctis? He's safe? Was he with you when you found me?"

His first concern. Not for himself.

A safe topic to keep on, so Cor chose to answer. "The King is safe." His emotions remained absent as he put down the whetstone and tested the feel of the place the nick had been carefully with the edge of his thumb. "It wasn't me who found you. I kept him under my eye, here, until you were located. For that you can thank Auburnbrie when you see him next." Dave, the hunter.

If Noctis had been able to control himself, instead of panicking, he could have gone out with Dave and two of his hunters to search for Ignis and Gladio with only the knowledge that they had found a haven, but Noctis' safety, even from himself, took priority.

Well, that was the first thing that'd gone right in days. Ignis' relief was visible, the tension lining his shoulders and back easing almost immediately. While that didn't ease a lot of Ignis' confusion, it helped ease his mind. Sighing, he absently scratched at his cheek before realizing that he was clean. That knowledge sent awareness screaming back into his mind. He couldn't help but shift a bit uncomfortably, quietly thankful that Cor was busy with his blade to be watching him.

"Yes. Well. I'll be certain to offer him my gratitude the next time I see him."

If Ignis truly thought Cor was occupied with his blade, he would be wrong. Cor was watching him closely but allow Ignis that certain privacy. He himself had taken care of Ignis once he had been brought back, not allowing Noctis or Prompto to see what had been done for all of their sakes. Gladio had been handled by Dave and his men (it had taken more than one to properly haul an unconscious Gladio around) but there was no doctor to be had. They were dealing with potions and antidotes to try and stop what had infected the Shield.

"Noctis and Prompto are waiting to see you, but I told them they'll have to wait until you give the okay. They're in the next room over, and Gladiolus is on the other side of this one."

For a moment, the urge to argue about the cost of three rooms was there, waiting on the tip of his tongue. Something else was closer to the forefront of his mind, though. Just the mention of Gladio's name made Ignis lick his lips, a nervous reaction and a telling one. He didn't really remember what had happened, but he knew that Gladio had been part of it.

"... Gladiolus. He was... ill. How is he?"

Very telling, and it prompted what he chose to say next.

"...He's alive," Cor said quietly as a start. He had handled the cost of the rooms which, in fact, were currently costing them nothing except a favor owed to Cor by the motel's owner. "However, there was some form of poison or venom that went untreated and infected all of him. ...Currently he is chained to his bed and has yet to regain complete consciousness due to the fever, we believe. His Majesty mentioned that earlier that day, you had taken on a particularly dangerous hunt?"

He was well aware how much information that was, but he wanted to start to find out how much Ignis knew of the attack and Gladiolus' behavior leading up to it.

Chained?

Brow furrowed, he kept himself from questioning that simple fact, though it wasn't easy. The only reason he didn't was that he trusted the Marshal. He respected him. If that was trying the best course of action, then he knew that it was something that Cor had agreed with.

That didn't make it any easier to think about, though.

His question pulled Ignis' mind back to the moment, an absent nod his answer at first.

"Yes. A rather nasty chimera that had been plaguing the locals. It was a hard fight, but we won. We were all hurt, but... we took care of it. Gladiolus as well. At least, I thought he was taken care of. I should've checked better-"

"I've seen chimeras before." This was where he had to be cautious because he knew it could rapidly progress. "Terrible beasts. Local legends say that it's from a daemon mating with one of the behemoths, and what was born could stay in the daylight but preferred to come out at night." Which might explain why they had been forced to fight it in a cave. "...supposedly," his voice staying calm but there was that brief, almost telling pause, "it's forced to find something to mate with it to create more of them, then it eats the mate like a praying mantis."

Ignis' face was expressionless as he listened to Cor. He'd heard the local legends about their prey and as usual, he hadn't taken much of it to heart. Sure, it could lead to some knowledge about the beast's habits and mannerisms and such, but little else. Each word from Cor made his stomach twist a little tighter. He had no clear memory of everything, but there were flickers of images if he thought about it hard enough, and what he saw there made him want to stop thinking about it.

He remembered seeing Gladio coming out of the underbrush. He remembered the unholy light in his usually warm amber eyes. He remembered crushing pressure at the back of his neck, begging words-

He hadn't realized that his hand was clenched up in the sheet still covering him and he hadn't realized that his skin had paled even more than before. No, his brain was locked in a loop of those images still lingering in the back of his mind.

Cor lifted his gaze and watched Ignis carefully, frowning when he saw the color drain from the advisor's face. "Ignis." His voice firm, tight, attempting to wrest Ignis out of his thoughts he could practically see moving across his face. "Ignis Scientia, focus. Focus on my voice.

The next step would be a physical pull out, but given that Ignis was a fighter and a spooked one, he wanted to avoid that for both of their safety.

Burning hot skin against his- the hand at the back of his neck tightening- skin peeling away from his hip as-

Ignis-

The sound of his full name made Ignis' hands tighten even more, the knuckles white with strain. It took a moment and the effort was visible, but slowly, wide green eyes crept up to stare at Cor. The next breath he took was shaky, but his gaze never left the Marshal.

"... does Noctis know what happened?"

Cor's eyes kept with Ignis', giving the other man something to focus on. There was no judgment in his eyes, no sympathy, only the same calm understanding that Cor seemed to have about everything. He even kept that gaze as he shook his head slightly. "He knows you and Gladiolus were attack and injured, and that his Shield is sick. Nothing more."

But his tone said that he was well aware. He knew something far more, even more than Ignis did.

There was no way that Ignis could look away even though he wanted to. What he wanted to do was burrow back down into the bed, shut the world out and try to wrangle the memories still bouncing around in the back of his head. He still couldn't remember a good chunk of what happened, but Cor's words, the way he was watching him... Ignis was starting to suspect and it made him feel ill just thinking about it.

A million questions were there, waiting on the tip of his tongue. All of them were fearful things, things he didn't want to ponder, much less speak. He was smart enough to reason out what he knew and speculate what he didn't, but he wouldn't. Not when everything pointed to Gladio-

He couldn't. He wouldn't.

His gaze locked on Cor, Ignis' head slowly started to shake as if that would be enough to negate the whole situation.

"You can't be implying what... you can't."

"Gladiolus was out of his mind, and we currently have no concept of how he will be if he comes out of unconsciousness." His tone stayed even, but his eyes were watchful. He knew all too well the small signs that Ignis was showing of possibly going down a very dark road very quickly, and while he could not fault the other man for it, he also was aware that they likely could lose both of the King's friends if they weren't careful over the next few days.

One from withdrawal or depression, the other from sickness or guilt. It was not going to be easy, but he hoped, for their sakes, for the sake of the King, they would be able to keep it together.

Cor's lack of denial told Ignis that his fears and speculations were right. He felt bile rise up in the back of his throat and in the back of his mind, he idly wondered when the last time he'd even thrown up was. No. No. If he kept thinking like that, he wouldn't just be thinking about it. His body would allow itself to do just that and right then, being sick was the last thing he needed. It was bad enough that he already felt like he'd never be clean again-

It was hard, but he managed to tear his gaze away from Cor's all too knowing one, his green eyes dropping to rest on his lap. The sheets, Anything else but Cor's eyes.

"Has he attacked anyone else?"

That was the strategist talking and that emotionless tone was a sure sign that he was trying to disconnect. If he didn't, he wasn't sure he could function.

Cor allowed it to happen, for now, but he knew well that it wouldn't be able to remain as such for long. "No, but we can't risk it, either. ...He'll know what happened within minutes of waking up." That if still hanging in the air unspoken. It was a waiting game to see if Gladio survived the venom at all. "We only have legend to work off of here, and the closest doctor is still days away."

He was giving Ignis something else to concentrate on, for the moment. "What do you want me to tell his Majesty?"

"If you're working with knowledge from local legend only, then you have no idea if he'll remember it or not. Let's hope that he doesn't for all our sake."

The last thing they needed was an enraged or guilty Shield. One was likely to hurt others while the other was likely to hurt himself and neither of those options were allowable. The if.... wasn't something Ignis was willing to think about. Noctis needed his Shield. Whatever happened between him and Ignis was secondary, or so he kept telling himself.

"... I'll talk to him. I'm sure he's concerned enough that seeing one of us is the only way he'll settle down."

"No, we don't, but he will know something is up if he wakes up with chains on him. There are also marks that won't be so readily explained away. I want you to be prepared for the idea he might remember, or he might remember later. He might even be guilty that he didn't protect you." Cor laid the facts out as he saw them, given his long time standing with Clarus had how very similar father and son could be.

"As for Noctis, I'm fair certain you're right, even if he won't admit it." Cor stood up, finally sliding his katana home into the sheathe at his side. "I'll handle this as you want it to be handled, Ignis, but if it's proving unhealthy, I won't hesitate to do what's necessary to make it not. The King needs you both and I intend to make sure he has you both."

"Then unchain him. If he shows signs of awakening or violent behavior, then come find me. I'll handle him. As to his guilt... he's the King's Shield. Not mine. I don't expect protection. Better I be the one that was attacked than Noctis or Prompto."

Oh, he knew that Gladio would feel guilty if he remembered what happened, but that was something Ignis couldn't help. All he could do was be a reminder that what had happened hadn't been in either of their control. To Ignis, he was the one at fault. He should've checked him over better. Should've noticed the venom and found a way to counter it before it even got to the point it did.

The motion off to his side wasn't even enough to pull Ignis' gaze back up and over. Not now.

"Then we proceed as if it were nothing more than him acting out under the influence under the chimera venom. No... violation. That is how I want this handled."

Cor kept his gze on Ignis, even if the other wouldn't meet his eyes. "You're sure you want to be the first called if he wakes up?" It was offering to take that responsibility off of Ignis' shoulders because he damn well knew Ignis might have a piss poor reaction if Gladio came up violent. As it was, he was already mentally noting to make sure he was in that room with Ignis when it happened, just to be on the safe side. "But if you think we should remove the chains... we will."

Ignis, in this case, had the most say, given that Noctis didn't know the full truth.

They both knew that despite Ignis' words, Gladio would still feel that guilt. Yes, he was the King's Shield, but a man would have to be a fool not to realize how protective of all three of them Gladio was. Besides, if something were to happen to Prompto or Ignis, Noctis would suffer for it. Even more reason to make sure they were safe.

Cor had a sinking feeling this was all going to come to a very dramatic head at some point, but he wasn't sure when with this lot. Their brotherhood, obvious within minutes of being around them even if he hadn't watched them as they grew, might very well save them what could break others... or it would be the very thing that tore them apart.

"That's what I thought you'd want," came the blunt reply to Ignis' final words, "so as far as what leaves this room-" meaning that no one else other than Cor knew the full truth, "-it'll remain a secret."

"Absolutely."

Ignis did his best to sound sure. To his own ears, he did. There'd been the briefest hesitation there, but he reminded himself that Gladio was a much a victim of this situation as he was. Perhaps on a different level, but a victim all the same. He couldn't deny a flicker of fear when he thought about facing off against Gladio again, but fear was something to be understood and controlled and Ignis was all about control. He had to be.

There was a sigh of relief at Cor's words. The last thing that Noct needed to know was the truth. Prompto either. They would be better off not knowing what had happened. It would worry both of them too much and worry was something that Ignis should deal with, not the young king and his closest friend. Let this ride on his shoulders alone. He could handle it.

"... I appreciate that, Marshal. Just... one thing. A question. Are you certain that Gladiolus- without a doubt? I still can't remember most of the attack."

To Cor, that hesitation meant he'd be in the room for certain.

Finally, Cor did look away, but only slightly down as he thought how to word his next statement. After a long pause, he decided on, "Without going into detail, it's very likely what occurred, from what I saw of both of you." The marks on them both. The bruising on Ignis' neck and Gladio's cheek. The blood on Ignis and on Gladio and where it was.

It very well might mean he would need to stay in the same room as Ignis until he was certain that those missing memories didn't crop up in the younger man's nightmares.

He was quietly thankful that Cor didn't go into detail. It was disheartening, but Ignis couldn't hold it against Gladio. He wouldn't. In this, there was no blame to be had. Nodding absently, he slowly uncurled his fingers from the sheets and reached up to try and straighten his hair into some semblance of order. Best to get himself back his usual state. Best to just do what he could to get on with things...

"Very well. If Noctis wants to see me, he's welcome to. Prompto as well. There's no need to keep them in the dark any longer. Better they see me before Gladiolus comes to, so I can tell them what's happened... minus a few unnecessary details."

"I will let them know," Cor said before he turned and briefly left Ignis alone in the room. Less than two minutes later the door opened again and there was Noct, looking in with what could only be an expression of worry and concern that rarely came across his visage. Prompto was right behind him with a similar expression, but he was a step behind as Noct came over to Ignis, looking him over once. Thankfully, the potions had done their work well, clearing up the bruising and scratches.

"Iggy..." Noct never had been any good at showing his emotions but the worry stayed in his eyes even as his posture changed to that typical 'no big deal' slouch of his.

"We were so worried about you guys!" Prompto spilled instead, as if Noct was letting him emote for the both of them. "We were trying to figure out what to do when that phone call came in from Gladio... longest night of my life."

The only outward signs of anything being wrong was Ignis' still overly pale skin and the worn look in his eyes. He looked tired, even if he'd been out for so long. Still, he did his best to smile, hoping to ease some of their worries. He had no idea if that smile reached his eyes or how stilted it looked, but he tried.

"As you can see, I'm going to be alright. Gladiolus... that remains to be seen. The Marshal told me that he informed you both about what happened, yes?"

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