KING SHIELD

                            “  ——–  then  don’t,  gladio!  i  am  not  FORCING  you  to  divide  your  attention  betwixt  myself  and  his  highness!  “

        gladio  is  bound  by  duty  only  to  NOCTIS,  and  where  ignis  is  concerned,  this  shouldn’t  even  be  cause  for  discussion.  ignis  comes  dangerously  close  to  REMINDING  the  shield  of  noctis’  crucial  importance  over  the  adviser’s—  ignis  was  disposable,  and  the  heir  apparent  was  NOT,  but  such  dark  talk  would  only  fuel  the  fire.  he  knows  gladio’s  reasoning  comes  from  the  care  he  houses  for  the  sightless  adviser  (  and  they  are  MUTUAL,  in  that  regard  –  how  many  times  has  gladio  returned,  painted  in  bruises  and  fresh  wounds  as  if  he’s  just  waltzed  with  death  himself?  ),  but  ignis’  choice  had  been  his  own,  and  he’d  sooner  give  up  his  life  COMPLETELY  before  removing  himself  from  the  picture  for  the  sake  of  his  own  ‘  safety.  ‘

                         he  refuses  to  be  treated  like  a  charity  case.  REFUSES.

       perhaps  it  is  unfair  of  him  to  unleash  all  that  he  has  unwisely  pent  up  upon  gladiolus.  ignis  is  the  levelheadedness  that  diffuses  the  bomb  that  is  gladio’s  emotions,  and  the  shield,  in  return,  serves  as  the  emotionally  dodgy  adviser’s  key,  granting  freedom  to  chaotic  feelings  he,  too  commonly,  tried  to  lock  away  and  neglect.  they  balanced  each  other  out,  but  in  times  so  trying,  bleak,  and  unbalanced,  even  their  relationship  had  lost  its  equilibrium.         ignis,  now,  was  the  blazing  fire,  teeth  grit  and  brow  furrowed  –  he’s  FRUSTRATED,  at  himself,  at  gladio,  at  their  predicament  that  seems  to  WORSEN  by  the  hour,  but  ultimately,  he  feels  trapped  and  suffocated.  hopeless—  as  if  there’s  no  escape  from  this  seemingly  eternal  darkness.

        “  i  haven’t  placed  an  OUNCE  of  worry  towards  the  thought  of  myself  or  my  condition,  and  i  beseech  you  to  do  the  same.  focus  on  NOCTIS.  “  a  bite,  to  his  words,  and  in  his  tone,  but  behind  it,  desperation.  a  plea.  the  adviser  has  had  so  much  taken  from  him  already,  and  only  a  fool  would  claim  the  loss  was  set  to  end  here.  his  ability  to  fight,  though  hindered,  noctis,  prompto,  and  the  guilt  ridden  shield  who  stood  afront  him,  were  all  he  had  left.

                        and  even  those  were  not  guaranteed  come  the  morrow.

&& Ignis can’t see the way his expression goes crestfallen, and the way the fury and frustration BITES at Gladio.  But it is spoken and told in the sudden muteness in the Shield.  The way he bites his tongue and swallows against the closing of his throat.  ( They’ve never fought like this.  Not ever like this --- small trists, maybe, usually about Gladio’s habits or Ignis overworking himself ... but never like this ... )  The fight leeches out of him, tired.  He wants to reach out and TOUCH him, hold him, offer COMFORT because Gladio needs to comfort him -- like second nature.  Wants to diffuse it with some promise that things will be okay but he can’t promise anything at all. 

“ I ... “ focus on noctis, he insists, and Gladio had never intended NOT to do so.  He knows what’s required of him -- he’s known it may one day come to this.  To duty and heart and the space between them.  But ASTRALS, it’s awful.  He cannot win this argument without completely shattering their relationship.  Eyes implore silently, memorize and adore in equal measure.  

“ I know ... I know Noct comes first, Iggy ... “  It’s soft, spoken SMALL and tender and wounded.  As close to BEGGING as Gladio has ever come.  “ ... but you’re ... “ EVERYTHING.  He wants to say -- Ignis is the whole world to him.  Gladio is familiar with fear.  Overcoming it has been a part of life since childhood -- He cannot make Ignis stay, so he will have to adapt. 

“ ... extra training, every chance we get, Ignis.  I won’t go easy on you.  If you can’t keep up with me, you’re sure as hell not gonna be able to keep up in a real fight.  Got it?  We’ll ... we’ll work together, help you get used to it -- “  that’s what he should be doing, isn’t it ?  SUPPORT.  He can’t fix this -- he can’t give him his sight back and he can’t watch him in the middle of a fight ... but Gladio has always been responsible for training regimens.  He can get them READY.  

������ //LIES ON ��

         —  and  gladio  is  wise,  in  that  regard.  though  he  would  repeat  his  actions  for  the  rightful  king,  ignis  very  well  couldn’t  lie  and  claim  he  LIKED  being  blind.  it  was  daunting,  going  into  battle  lacking  such  a  vital  sensory  asset,  and  he  knew,  too  well,  that  this  handicap  was  causing  additional  strain  on  his  beloved  shield.

         the  adviser  tried  his  best  to  aid,  yet  remain  out  of  the  aggressive  fighter’s  way  all  the  same.  there’s  an  unspoken  amount  of  tension  betwixt  them,  before  every  battle,  and  though  ignis  cannot  SEE  it  upon  gladio’s  visage,  he  knows  it  exists,  in  the  silence  that  lingers  amidst  heavy  preparations.  it  would  be  better  for  them  if  he  stayed  behind…  maybe  took  refuge  somewhere  a  safe  distance  away  from  the  thicker  herds  of  daemons.

                                     better  for  everyone  except  himself.

           “  as  do  i,  but  we  musn’t  allow  ourselves  even  a  moment’s  repose.  “  —  he,  just  barely,  fought  back  the  urge  to  emphasize  the  ‘  WE.  ‘  this  is  HIS  fight,  too…  his  battle,  his  WAR,  and  noctis,  his  king.  surrendering  to  his  encumbrance  is  surrendering  to  ardyn,  and  he  REFUSED,  no  matter  how  much  gladio  begged  him  otherwise,  to  take  a  front  row  seat  on  the  sidelines.

                            “  if  you  are  exhausted,  allow  me  to  take  on  the  brunt  of  the  battle.  you’ve  done  more  than  your  fair  share.  “

“ Guess it’s just not in my nature to let others carry what I can, yeah? “  Which is the nicest way of saying NO that he can think of.   But he knows, he does.   He knows that each instance where he refutes Ignis’s ABILITY to help, to fight, stabs at their connection, at them.  The heart of them.  “ ... Iggy -- it’s not because I think you can’t.  I swear. “  ( he promises with his voice pitched low and soft between them, hands seeking Ignis’s own. ) 

“ And it isn’t that I don’t TRUST you ... I know it’s OUR fight. “  He answers the unspoken argument given with soft reassurance but doesn’t address the heart of it -- no.  He doesn’t tell Ignis that he’d still do the same damn thing if Ignis still had his eyes.  Doesn’t tell him that FEAR is a paralytic that Gladio cannot compensate for -- and he’s very much afraid.  

 --- couldn’t protect noct.   Can’t afford not to protect Iggy, too.  

He knows he can’t ask Ignis to stay behind.  Not only would it be uncalled for, it would start a FIGHT.  He KNOWS Ignis can handle himself, but it always comes down to this.  They prepare for a hunt and Gladio just wants him to stay safe and out of the line of fire.  (He doesn’t have to worry about the prince first and Ignis second now, but that isn’t a comfort, and it leaves ashes bitter in his mouth to even think of. ) 

He can AFFORD to look out for Ignis on the battlefield now, and it not be as detrimental.  But he knows Ignis loathes it.  It isn’t for any belief that Ignis can’t do it, can’t take care of himself or fight on par with any of the hunters --- it’s because in this world, abyssal and dark, Ignis is all he has.  Prompto has gone off, separated from them, and Ignis is all he can protect.  

(- Slides you an Iggy- :I )