To Each Their Calling

Chapter two

I can't move. Can't speak. Or even breathe. Ignis would kill me himself if I chose him over Noct but then, Noct would never forgive me if I left Ignis to die. Ardyn… Infected them with the star scourge. Slowly making them into daemons.

But… Didn't Noct disappear? We made it to Altissia. Noct took down Leviathan. Ignis fought Imperials, Ravus and Ardyn to save him, nearly died for it. Or was it all a lie? Some sick dream that gave way to a more horrifying reality. 

I was with Ignis a few months ago. Noct is gone. So is the light.

Distantly I can hear Ignis' voice calling out to me but his lips aren't moving.

-----

"Gladio. Wake up. Gladio!" Someone said, lightly patting his cheek. 

Startled, scared and half-asleep, Gladio shot up ready to attack but breathed a sigh of relief immediately. He grabbed the intruder, one hand locked around their throat, his other thrown across their chest, shoving them back all the way to the wall. Gladio’s brow furrowed upon seeing who it was, gritting his teeth in an effort to not strangle the man. Strangely enough, Ardyn wasn’t smiling at all, instead he looked frightened. 

“The fuck are you looking scared for? Gotta admit, you’re brave showin’ your face around here.” Under his hand, Gladio could feel Ardyn’s pulse hammering away, lips parted a fraction as he mulled over what to say, ultimately rendered speechless. 

Slowly Ardyn’s figure began to change, shrinking a little in his grasp, red hair shortened to a sandy blond and amber eyes shifted to mismatched jade and white. The instant Gladio looked into the others eyes he let go, stepping back mortified. 

“Iggy? Shit, I’m so sorry-” Gladio spluttered, hands twitching to just tug Ignis into his arms. “- I didn’t mean to… Wait, how do I know it’s really you?”

Ignis just stood there, slumped back against the wall as he watched Gladio’s every move, every twitch and breath. Already Gladio could see very slight bruising where his hand had been and a wave of shame washed over him like icy water. Whether it was just, was another question that depended on if the man before him was really Ignis. After all, none of them really knew how far Ardyn was willing to go to destroy them all, starting with Noct. It’ll be like dominos, Noct’ll fall and then the rest of them will follow suit. 

“If it’s really you, tell me. Please. Just- Tell me something only you would know.” Gladio begged, his voice cracking.

For the longest moment, Ignis- Ardyn- remained silent. He merely stared at Gladio as though he were speaking the language of the Hexatheon. “When we were children… There was a time you coaxed me into sneaking out with you at a ridiculous time, though fearing the wrath of my uncle, I complied thinking it was urgent.” He paused and a brief, fond smile appeared. “You convinced me to break the rules to go stargazing with you.”

What Gladio felt next was a disturbing mixture of relief, grief and shame. 

He took a cautious step forward, laying a hand on Ignis’ shoulder, testing the waters as it were. It was reassuring when Ignis didn’t immediately shrug him off. “I’m so sorry- I didn’t… I thought…” He trailed off, not sure how to finish. Watching Ignis’ brow furrow at his hesitance forced him to spit it out. “I thought you were Ardyn… I’m really sorry. I never meant to- To hurt you.”

“I understand. I don’t think ill of you, admittedly that probably wasn’t the best way to wake you. I fear as though he’s grown rather tiresome of waiting, perhaps he’s entertaining himself by making us suffer.” Ignis said, gaze shifting from the floor to Gladio’s face. “On another note, I’m surprised to find you here, I half-expected you’d have taken up a job elsewhere by now.”