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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"Y-Yeah. Something up and attacked you while you were out and Gladio wandered off sick," Prompto informed Ignis, looking still worried, specially after that smile. Ignis didn't generally fake-smile around them. He either smiled for real - the kind of pictures Prompto loved best - or he didn't bother. He'd seen it before around others and Ignis, though.

Noct shifted, watching Ignis for a long moment before he looked away. "Just glad to see you up." Given that Cor had admitted that Noct had been downright panicked, he believed Ignis had no idea of that.

For a long moment, Ignis was silent. It seemed that Cor had given them the very basics of the situation and while he was partially glad for that, he was also a bit frustrated. They needed to know that Gladio was seriously ill and that even if he woke up, they would need to be careful around him for a while. At least, until Ignis knew how he would respond to everything that had happened.

Slowly, he moved to push the sheets off of him, sighing when he realized that he wasn't really wearing anything that served as proper attire even if he knew better. First order of business was to get up and get some clothes on. That should help.

... right?

"From now on, we have to be careful when going after chimera. Gladio was affected by chimera venom. It made him... violent. At the moment, he's still very sick. Only time will tell if he'll recover. For now, we remain here while he and I rest and recover. As I said, I should be fine in a few days. Cor was very thorough in his treatment."

While he'd just pretty much admitted that Gladio had attacked him, he left it at that.

Prompto at least got the notion and super decided to stare at the wall, trying to give Ignis privacy. Noct, on the other hand, was watching him closely (though his face, not the rest of him) at those words, putting pieces together quickly. He might have been lazy, but it was hard to suggest he didn't have a mind behind those dark eyes. "...Gladio attacked you."

Which made Prompto jerk, ever so slightly, and he stared at Noct. "N-No way would Gladio attack one of us..." As if he didn't, couldn't, believe that was the truth. Gladio hadn't hurt them, and they had been closer, right? It- it couldn't be true.

Oh, Ignis was well aware how keen Noctis' mind could be when he applied it. Not giving a flip about his state of near undress, he got himself to his feet and while he was a bit shaky thanks to still recovering from blood loss, he managed to wander over to where he'd hoped someone had left him some decent clothes.

He'd have to remember to thank Cor later.

"... he did. That's why Dave and some other hunters are keeping an eye on him. They're not sure how he'll be when he comes to. I told them to make sure I'm informed the moment he shows signs of waking, just in case."

Prompto's cheeks turned red as he stared at the wall (proving he was watching Ignis from the corner of his eye... the man looked good, okay?) but he kept right on staring at it even as he worried about Gladio. It seemed Cor had gotten his things in here at some point for there were his bags that had been left at the haven with the tent. Noct hissed softly through his teeth at Ignis' information, staring mostly at the ground, his fingers clenching at his side.

"He could still be dangerous." Noct let out a breath and nodded, but it showed in the lines of his body how worried he actually was. "There's got to be something we can do to help." Not a question but a statement, a demand of himself. If he was King, he should be able to figure out something to help his Shield, shouldn't he?

"Noct... Iggy's gotta rest," Prompto pointed out quietly. "Gladio's strong. He'll make it through this."

There wasn't a word from Ignis as he dug through his clothes and got himself dressed. There was a moment of hesitation as he felt the drag of clean pants along his hips, his fingers tightening up just a little while he worked himself through the moment. The skin was healed. There were no bruises to remind him. Still, the sensation of material being pulled along that skin was enough to tug at the memory just lingering in the back of his mind.

Once he realized that he was just standing there, staring off, he huffed under his breath and yanked them up, quietly cursing himself for his silliness.

"The only thing we can do is wait and see if he'll come out of this. If he doesn't, then we take matters into our own hands."

Noct actually missed the hesitation, but Prompto didn't though he had no idea of what it meant. The idea of Gladio actually trying to hurt any of them was terrifying to him because Gladio could benchpress a behemoth as far as he was concerned so if he really tried to hurt a person... why wasn't Ignis broken into a thousand pieces? He bit his lip, even more confused, but he wasn't about to say anything on it.

Least not to Ignis.

"He will." Sharp and tight from Noct, allowing for no doubt at all. For Noct, the idea of losing Gladio all but killed him inside. He'd already lost his father; he couldn't lose another part of his family.

The why was something Ignis would never be comfortable discussing. If it came down to it, he would, but it might pretty much take a command from Noctis to make it happen. He'd been busy getting his clothes on to notice Prompto's attention. If he'd seen that he'd noticed, he would've been mortified for several different reasons.

Once he was dressed (still casually for Ignis), he moved to settle himself closer to his friends. He was still moving slowly, and though he'd been healed up rather nicely, the ache inside him was anything but physical.

"Of course he will. It'll take something much bigger and meaner to finish him off."

"What's bigger and meaner than Gladio?" Prompto murmured, shifting uncertainly from side to side. There was a tension in the air he couldn't quite place his finger on what it was. Was it Noct's obvious worry? Was it how calm Ignis was about everything? He bit his lip, wanting to just shout it out but he already was king of putting his foot into his mouth.

"I'm guessing you're agreeing with Cor and I shouldn't go in there and talk to him," Noct said flatly, not happily either, looking towards Ignis. Clearly Cor had been doing his job in every way to try and protect their uncrowned King while the others were injured. Prompto, somehow, had managed to keep Noct on top of that haven all night though which meant Gladio had trusted true.

Prompto wasn't the only one feeling the tension. It was damn near palpable, heavy in the air around them as Ignis worked to keep his gaze away from the others and his voice steady. Only his iron will kept him as calm as he seemed, while he was chittering in fear in the back of his mind.

"Absolutely not. From my understanding, he's not even conscious yet. I'll... once he wakes up, then we'll see. Until then, it's best you two stay away from him, just in case."

"But if he hears us, he might wake up-" Noct pointed out, a flare in his eyes that spoke volumes about how honestly he worried he was about Gladio. Prompto glanced between the two of them and reached out, touching Noct's arm.

"Iggy just woke up, Noct. If he says we need to let Gladio rest, then we do it. The last thing Gladio would ever want to do is hurt you, and if he woke up and did that? It'd kill him. So... we'll wait, okay? Dave said he needed help with some stuff, so let's go help him. It'll make the time go by quicker, right?" Prompto tried to make it sound easy, even though inside his stomach was churning. He didn't mind helping Dave but usually it meant a fight, but with Cor there it was probably a good guess Dave wouldn't send them on anything actually dangerous.

"I said no."

There was a flare of temper that was completely unlike Ignis. Oh, he had a temper alright, but it was usually harder to spark and in all honesty, he rarely felt the need to raise his voice even then. In this case, it might be easy to pass off as anger behind those words, but there was fear there.

Prompto was right. If Gladio woke up and hurt Noctis, then there would be no hope for him. Recovery would be a moot point then. He wouldn't want to get better. All he would want to do was die. Bad enough that he hurt one of them at all.

Sighing, he reached up to pinch at the bridge of his nose, idly realizing that he still didn't have his glasses on.

"Prompto's right. Until we know if the venom has run its course, we can't risk you being around him. If Dave has things he'd like your help on, then go ahead. You have my blessing as long as Cor is with you. I'll stay here and keep an eye on Gladiolus. As soon as I see a change, I'll let you know. I promise."

Both Prompto and Noct jump at the sudden sharpness from Ignis, who earned a stare from both of them because they clearly didn't immediately know what to do with Ignis actually snapping at them. The two of them shared a look before Prompto just looked down, shoulders slightly hunched. Noct, however, just sighed.

"As soon as you see a change." It was a command, the kind Noct rarely gave, even if the tone wasn't particularly King-ly, but at the same time he was agreeing to what Ignis told him to do. He moved towards the door, his body obviously tense.

Prompto gestured for him to go ahead. "I'll be right there, 'kay?"

Noct looked back to Ignis, then grit his teeth and left the room. Prompto just shifted, then asked quietly, "what do you want me to do about him? He... He pretty much went insane when I told him he couldn't leave last night."

He knew the command for what it was even if the tone wasn't there. There was a faint tension in his face as he stared over at Noctis before he nodded with a quiet 'yes, your Majesty' chasing the motion. The exchange was odd for the two of them but right then, he knew it was best. If being harsh would keep him safe, then so be it.

Green eyes followed Noctis as he left, some odd wariness lingering in them before he glanced over to Prompto when he realized that he was talking to him. That was another issue that Ignis really wasn't sure he could deal with right then but he couldn't that worry show. Not now.

"Keep him busy. Keep him distracted. Take him fishing and drag Cor with you. Just keep him away from Gladiolus until I know he'll be safe around him. It's bad enough that he got ahold of one of us. I won't let that happen to Noct."

Noct hated when they called him that when it didn't need to be said and Prompto's head hung. Noct was going to be in such a mood when he came back out. He looked to Ignis, prepared to mention that, when he caught a weird look in Ignis' eyes, something he wasn't sure what to do with. Really, he had no idea what it was but it wasn't anything he'd seen before on Ignis.

Everything... everything felt so messed up.

"I won't, either," Prompto said quickly, quite seriously for him. Then he softened and murmured, "look... for what it's worth, even if it doesn't seem like it, I'm a good listener, 'kay? If... you want someone to talk to, about stuff. It's you, I know you probably won't but like, know it's out there."

He hated to use that title when he knew Noctis hated it so much, but when a king commands, then he gets the title. It was that simple. In a way, it might've been Ignis' way of getting back at him for not only butting heads with his adviser (who has experience with the current situation) as well as daring to command him when he'd already offered to do something.

It was petty and Ignis knew it, but he was still far too on edge to be thinking as clearly as he needed to be.

The offer was something Ignis didn't expect. Not in such a serious voice and not from Prompto. It wasn't that he didn't think the younger man capable of it. It was simply... unexpected.

"It isn't that I don't appreciate the offer. I'm... not sure you would want to hear everything, Prompto. Cor had good reason to keep you two away from us until I told him it was alright."

Noct reverted to something other than his fear when confronted with it, usually with anger. Took after Gladio in that way, really, though Noct's other main emotional defense was his 'I don't care' lackadaisical attitude. They all had masks they hid behind, to one degree or another, but Noct's was often surprisingly confrontational, as this was proving.

Prompto didn't immediately respond, which spoke volumes in of itself that he was actually thinking over what he was going to say. However, it was more he didn't know what to say to that, so instead it sort of rambled out from him as was far more normal. "You're right, I might not, but if it's something I don't want to hear about? That means it was probably a lot worse to go through and if you're still here after that, then I can listen. We-"

There was a hard hesitation, realizing what he was saying, "N-Noct needs you, both of you, like a lot and that whole keeping it bottled up thing just makes it hard to do what you need to do. So- you know- if you need someone, just grab me. Friends to things for each other even if it sucks to hear... right?" It was such a lame finish and he knew it, showed in the grimace he made at his own words.

Ignis had been on the other side of Noctis' confrontational side many times. None of them were good memories. He hated being at odds with his charge but he couldn't bend this time. There was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to open up and let everything out, but he couldn't. A distance needed to be maintained. It was necessary. What had happened wasn't his fault, but there was still a sharp, putrid kernel of shame on Ignis' soul because of it. If he told someone...

He couldn't. For his own sake. For all their sake.

Still, Prompto was a good friend to be offering his time like he was and Ignis truly appreciated it to no end. He offered the younger man a wan smile, but it was a good deal more honest than his earlier attempt.

"Thank you, Prompto. I'll... think about it. There are things I need to settle first, though. In my own mind."

"No time limit or anything. Just... let me know." Prompto gave a smile in return, then hauled himself up and went to the door. "I'll try to keep Noct out of trouble." As if the pair of them normally didn't get themselves into a ridiculous amount of trouble.

But it left Ignis alone, giving him space to think as Gladio lay in the next room, now unchained, but pale, sweat on his brow, and lost somewhere in fever dreams as he fought off the last of the poison.

Meals were brought, but they were very simple, things the hunters could cook. Cor did check in from time to time, and so did Prompto, but Noct stayed away. Prompto admitted that Noct had all but stopped talking to him, too.

It wouldn't be until the midway through that following day that Cor knocked on Ignis' door sharply, his voice coming through the wood. "Ignis? He's waking up."

Noct staying away hurt more than Ignis would admit but he couldn't fault the young man. It wasn't the first time they'd been at odds and it wouldn't be the last. To hear he'd pretty much shut Prompto out as well made it even worse. As far as Ignis was concerned, those two needed each other. To know that Noctis had willingly cut Prompto off wasn't a good sign.

Trying to get Noctis to start talking to Prompto again had been what Ignis was thinking about when Cor knocked on his door. As soon as the Marshal had stopped speaking, his heart dropped and a knot clenched in his gut. Gladio waking up... was good. Maybe he was getting over the venom finally. Maybe he wouldn't remember anything.

Maybe.

What had happened was something that Ignis had firmly tried to put out of his mind but it haunted him. He woke earlier that day, his body tense, his skin clammy with sweat and a shout in the back of his throat. This... he wasn't ready for this. Not yet. Still, he had said he would be there and Ignis never went back on his word. Instead of doing what he wanted and burrowing back into the bed, he stood and went to the door, not even looking at Cor as he opened it, then made his way to the room where Gladio was waking up.

It scared Noct. It scared him absolutely to the depths of his core that Gladio and Ignis had been so badly hurt without him being there and to hear that Gladio had been the one to attack Ignis made it all that much worse. Not that he blamed Gladio but... Gladio was laying in that room, possibly dying from a hunt that he had insisted they could take on. If Gladio had died from his stupid decision, how was he ever supposed to forgive himself? He was supposed to be a King, but getting someone hurt because of his choice... what kind of King was he?

Noct was struggling with himself and struggling hard.

When Ignis came into the room with Gladio, it reeked of sickness. Gladio was laying there, on his side, still breathing hard. His skin was sallow and his eyes weren't quite focused, but he was awake and that was a huge triumph at this point. The noise of Ignis' footsteps made him look towards the door and he worked his throat, focusing. "...Iggy?" Scratchy, but he tried to get himself to sit up.

He would be a King, even if his decisions ended up getting people hurt. That was the nature of royalty. Ignis and Gladio knew long ago that their service to Noct would likely end with their death and they would gladly go that far if they had to. Noctis might've insisted they take the hunt, but Gladio and Ignis could've talked him out of it if there had been a real reason for concern.

The scent of the room made Ignis' stomach turn even more than it already was. Normally, the sight of his friend in so much distress would've pulled him to the bedside, his hands full of care and potions and his voice soft as he encouraged Gladio to lay back, to rest. To recover.

Now, he stood there, his back to the wall and looking like a wary animal even if he didn't realize he was doing it.

"... Gladiolus. You're safe."

His mind processed that something was wrong - physically, he could barely manage to get himself partially shifted up the wall the bed was against and he had to use the wall to support him, and mentally, where his mind felt frantic trying to remember how he ended up here with no concept of what it might be.

"Where-? What happened?" His throat sounded completely dry, but Cor had left water on the nightside table. Ignis had said he wanted to handle Gladio waking up, but that didn't mean he wasn't right outside, waiting to see if there would be an issue from it.

For a moment, Ignis' only answer was a shake of his head. He made a point to nod toward the glass of water, but he didn't even dare move closer. Not when his nerves were on edge being this close to his old friend. His memories were still a bit hazy, but there were flickers here and there, imagines that left him pale and breathless and shaky. He hoped that the others couldn't tell, but he worried that they could.

"... the chimera we hunted. We didn't heal you properly. You were poisoned and had a... bad reaction to it. Your body has been trying to burn off the venom. It's been days."

"Days?!" Gladio froze in reaching for the water, staring at Ignis in shock. How sick had he been that he needed days for recovery? He barely managed the glass, sitting back and using both hands to keep his hands steady. "...shit. Days. I... Iggy, I don't remember anything. Have I been out of it that long?" He couldn't remember waking up to piss or drink or eat...

"Last thing I can remember is all of us back at the haven? I think?" He frowned, as if he wasn't even sure if that was true or the last thing.

It was only then that he noticed Ignis was staring back from him and his brow furrowed. "...am I contagious?"

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