#ravusxignis

“Are you certain that there is another tomb located here?” Ravus groused. He was walking a few steps behind Ignis and had gradually grown more irritable the longer their fruitless search went on.

“Just like I’ve told you the last four times you’ve asked, I am!” Ignis shot back, not quite able to keep his own frustration from bleeding into his voice.

He didn’t blame Ravus for being annoyed. They’d been walking for the better part of the day trying to locate that damned tomb with little success, and Ignis’ nerves were starting to fray as well.

Ravus growled and quickly caught up, putting himself in Ignis’ way so Ignis was forced to come to a stop. “I know you cannot see it, but we have been walking in circles!” Impatience and irritation finally seemed to have finally gotten the best of him.

Ignis bristled. That was a low blow and they both knew it. A small part of him, one that was just as fed up with walking around without finding anything as Ravus was, wanted to react to the obvious provocation. Yet, Ignis knew that Ravus was right, of course he was. It wouldn’t do them any good if they exhausted themselves any further; perhaps it would be best to simply call it a day.

He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, shoulders slumping as he released some of the tension they held. “Very well. Let us find the nearest haven and make camp. We’ll resume our search tomorrow.”

There were a few seconds of tense silence before Ravus agreed. “We passed one about forty minutes ago,” he offered.

Eager to bury their small quarrel, Ignis nodded. “Lead the way.”

He followed Ravus silently, neither of them feeling much like talking. Unsurprisingly so, at least in Ravus’ case, because Ravus was generally not a very chatty person. Though Ignis often missed Prompto’s constant chatter, Noct’s quiet complaints and Gladio’s cheerful comments during long hours of travel, he had come to appreciate the companionable silence he usually shared with Ravus. Either companionable silence, or at times some rather immature banter. Ravus, despite the stoicism he was always so adamant about displaying, was surprisingly fun to bicker with.

Part of the reason why Ignis wished not to fight with Ravus was that he was in no way obliged to accompany Ignis in his search for the royal tombs. Yet, he chose to remain by his side. Ignis knew to appreciate that, and he certainly had no intention of provoking Ravus into leaving. He wouldn’t have admitted it, of course, especially not to Gladio who was still somewhat apprehensive of Ignis getting himself into fights with daemons, but things were generally easier with Ravus. Easier, and a lot less lonely.

“We are close,” Ravus informed him after roughly half an hour of walking. “Not much farther now.”

Ignis nodded and listened for the haven. The telltale hum from the magic protecting the place steadily grew louder, a clear indication that it was likely already in sight. There was a different noise too, and as he focused on it more intensely, he realized that voices were mixing in with the sound of the haven. The haven that was, as it turned out, already occupied.

“Ravus,” Ignis said quietly, almost certain Ravus had noticed as well. His hearing, whilst not as keen as Ignis’, was still sharp enough to make out this potential threat.

“Yes,” Ravus replied, confirming Ignis’ thoughts. “I see them.”

His coat rustled as his hand went to his sword. The clinking of metal indicated that he had pulled it out of its scabbard just a fraction and was ready to attack – or defend, whichever was required.

“Easy now,” Ignis said. “They’ve got just as much of a right to be there as we do. Perhaps they will let us stay.”

In different times, he might be amused at Ravus’ ever-belligerent attitude, but one could not be too careful these days. A safe space to stay the night was just another precious resource that was not to be taken for granted. The darkness was making those who were kind even kinder, and those who were hostile before were growing even worse. Here was to hoping these ones here were the former.

As he and Ravus approached, the voices grew silent.

“Hey!” someone called, nearing the haven’s edge, “Fuck off, we don’t have room for you!”

Next to Ignis, Ravus hissed, tension practically radiating off him.

Ignis took another few steps forward, brushing his shoulder against Ravus’ in passing in an attempt to placate him. “We wish not to cause any trouble. We only need a place to rest.”

“Shit, man, he’s blind,” someone else muttered, sounding both surprised and distinctly uncomfortable. “Maybe we should…”

“Shut up,” the first man snapped at his companion before turning back to Ignis. “You deaf as well? I said fuck off!”

Ignis’ hand shot out just as Ravus moved, curling around his bicep and squeezing gently. “Don’t,” he murmured.

Too late, the man had already noticed how very close Ravus was to slitting his throat, and happily rose to the challenge. He jumped off the haven, weapon drawn with a metallic sound. His companions followed suit.

Ignis summoned his daggers and braced himself but as it turned out, these people, despite their friend’s loud mouth, seemed to have qualms about attacking a blind person. Insulting but understandable, and certainly proof that they had at least some sort of moral compass. Very well, he could work with this.

Ravus was doing his best to fight them off. For a while, it worked out rather well, and Ignis saw no reason to get himself involved and lose the element of surprise just yet.

Never dropping his guard, he took note of his surroundings. He and Ravus were sorely outnumbered, as there were… five foes in total if he wasn’t mistaken. And they were all ganging up on Ravus. Ravus, who was…

Ignis narrowed his eyes. Ravus was shielding him, he realized. Subtle enough for Ignis to nearly miss it, but Ravus was undeniably moving just so he was keeping Ignis covered.

“Fool,” Ignis hissed quietly to himself.

Ravus was getting tired, he could tell. He was a skilled fighter for sure, but in this fight, skills did not hold the same value as numbers. His breathing was growing more fast-paced as the time passed, once he even stumbled. He was quick to regain his footing, but if he kept this up, he wouldn’t last much longer. And frankly, Ignis was not keen on finding out what that leader planned to do with them if he came out as the victor of this fight.

Ignis made up his mind and moved, sliced at the assailant closest to him, not aiming to kill but to injure and deter. The blade caught their arm and cut deep into the skin. They spun around with a noise of surprise and pain, but Ignis was faster. He sensed the blow coming at his head before it could connect and ducked underneath it, the blade whizzing right over his head. With a swift cut to the back of the thigh, he sent them crashing to the floor with a pained yell.

Wasting no time, he located his next target, but this time they were anticipating him. His initial strike was blocked, and it took his second dagger as well as a precise kick to the ribs to knock them down.

Similarly, he took care of the other two who had now turned their attention away from Ravus and towards him instead. They had tired Ravus out, but Ravus had put up quite a fight himself. That left them too exhausted to stand much of a chance against Ignis now.

Ignis’ next move would’ve been to help Ravus take down the leader, but Ravus’ voice made him stop in his tracks. “Ignis, wait!”

“If you don’t want your friend’s throat cut, I suggest you back the fuck off,” the leader cried from a few steps away, audibly distressed, desperate, and therefore unpredictable.

Ignis’ mind raced. The man wasn’t bluffing, Ravus had sounded alarmed enough. He had Ravus at knifepoint and something about him left no doubt that he would act upon his word and kill Ravus on the spot if Ignis did anything to set him off.

The situation was rather dire, but Ignis still had one crucial advantage: he was blind. Clearly, the man underestimated him. He had witnessed Ignis being capable of close combat, but he was unlikely to suspect any other skills. It was a reasonable assumption to make, but it was still a mistake.

It would be a deadly one.

Ignis dismissed his daggers into the Armiger and moved his hands where they were visible as slowly and non-threateningly as possible. He took a moment to listen for Ravus’ breathing and determine his location the best he could before he refocused on the man.

For a couple of excruciatingly slow seconds, nobody moved.

And then, at lightning speed, Ignis called forth his daggers and threw, praying to the gods that he would not hit Ravus.

The sickening crunch of bones told him his dagger had indeed found a target. Ravus drew a sharp breath, but it was tinted with surprise, not pain, thank the Six.

With a thud, the man’s limp body crumpled to the ground, Ignis’ dagger no doubt still embedded in his skull.

Ignis turned around with a disturbing sense of calm to face the other four of the group. They were more or less conscious and groaning on the ground, and very, very frightened.

“Leave,” he said. He didn’t bother to pay any further attention to them even as they scrambled to get away, dragging their friend whose leg Ignis had injured with them. His focus was already on Ravus.

“Are you alright?” he asked, quickly crossing the distance between them. Almost unthinkingly, he reached out and frowned at the wetness that stuck to his fingers when his hand met Ravus’ throat. “You’re bleeding.”

“It is but a nick, it will stop bleeding soon,” Ravus said dismissively. “You saved my life. Thank you.”

“Not at all. Don’t believe I have not noticed you shielding me,” Ignis waved him off in order to make his way over to the haven. His left foot bumped against something solid. As he bent down to inspect it, he realized it was a small camping stove with something still cooking on it. Probably some sort of stew, judging from the smell. “Would you look at that. Our friends appear to have us left some supplies, how kind of them.”

Behind him, Ravus made a faint noise of amusement. “They left their tent, too, but I will not sleep in there.”

“Well then, you can go right ahead and set up our own tent,” Ignis told him, already busy with the stew that turned out to be rather delicious. If he added some of their own supplies, he and Ravus would be well fed for tonight. It would certainly be better than the canned food that made up most of their meals nowadays, too.

Ravus grumbled a bit but did as he was told. It wasn’t too long before he was done and busied himself by looking through what the group had left behind in case there was anything of use. The adrenaline from the fight was wearing off quickly, and so they retired to the tent as soon as they had eaten.

Ignis settled down and waited for sleep to claim him, but something was not right. Next to him, Ravus was tense, his breathing forcibly relaxed as to fool Ignis into thinking he was asleep.

“Is there something wrong?” Ignis asked eventually, begrudgingly accepting the fact that he would not be able to sleep before any possible issues were solved.

“You killed him without hesitation,” Ravus said after a long stretch of silence. He sounded curious and a little puzzled, as if the situation did not quite make sense to him.

Ignis’ eyebrows shot up in wonder. That was what was bothering Ravus? “What, did you not take me for a killer?”

Ravus snorted, an entirely undignified sound that Ignis would remember with delight in the future. “Oh, I’ve never had any doubts that you would do what was necessary. I always knew you would take a man’s life in a heartbeat if it meant saving one of your loved ones. I… simply had not expected you to kill for me as well.”

Oh. That was… unexpected, and surprisingly endearing. There was something vulnerable underlying in Ravus’ voice, very subtle yet glaringly obvious in the quiet of the night, and so very foreign on him.

That might have been just the trigger for Ignis’ next words. Quietly and perhaps a bit carelessly, he said, “Well, you see, I have become rather fond of you. I cannot just let you die now, can I?”

Too soon, too intimate – it was the truth, was it not? Here, in the darkness, it seemed very easy to admit.

“I see,” Ravus said, very softly. “I… understand.”

And then, he moved and tentatively, as though he were afraid of rejection, laid an arm around Ignis’ back and drew him closer, just a bit. “It is cold tonight,” he said.