Deviation Actions
Description
His eyes met those of Prompto Argentum and even in the harsh brightness of their lights Gladio could see the that the young gunslinger had meant every single word he just said. “What?”
Prompto snorted and made a step forward. “You heard me,” he said and there was a freezing chill in his normally playful tone. “Ignis has been through enough - he doesn’t need your anger and frustration on top of his own problems. You said that it’s not our job to look out for him - you might have noticed that it’s not this way but the other way round. It’s Ignis who is looking out for us, even in his state. Without him and his expertise we wouldn’t have made it out there alive.”
Gladio sighed frustrated. “But we can’t be always on our toes checking if he is alright, because his injuries are a risk in battle.”
“Maybe we don’t have to look out for him as much as you think we have to,” Prompto replied while he turned around and looked back towards were Ignis stood with Noct, silently talking to the young king. “Did you pay attention to Ignis in the last battle? He was hit a few times and he is not in the best form, but by the Six, Gladio: He is not helpless. He phased through two-thirds of the incoming attacks. He couldn’t evade all of them, but most. I don’t know how he is doing it, but he can sense what’s coming at him somehow.”
The shield of the king shook his head. “This is too feeble, it’s not enough.”
“And leaving him behind, after all he has done for you, for Noct, for me... for us? Was none of this enough, that we stay true to what the word friendship means and have his back, now that he needs us?” Prompto asked. When Gladio fell silent - to Prompto’s surprise - the young man held his breath for a moment before continuing with a much calmer and softer voice. “And there is something else, Gladio. When you leave Ignis behind now, where do you think should he go? For once we are sitting here on imperial turf, how is he supposed to get back to Lucis on his own? A blind man? And once he is back? Where should he go? Insomnia is no option and that would leave Caem and Hammerhead and then what? You and I both know, that Ignis was born and trained for bigger things... not for spending the rest of his life in darkness away on some outlaying outposts in the midst of the wilderness.”
Gladio crossed his arms in front of his chest. “You’re done?”
Prompto shook his head. “No, not quite. The where should Ignis go to, is one question - but to whom is the other. Ignis will need help and support for a while but who should give him that support until he can live his life on his own again, when we are not with him?” Prompto stopped for a moment then turned away. “Think about it Gladio,” he said softly and his eyes fell on Ignis and Noctis once again. “For Ignis and myself, Noctis is the only thing left that we call family. When Insomnia fell, we all lost people we love, but you still have Iris. Ignis hasn’t heard from his uncle since that day and my parents haven’t messaged me either, so we can assume that we lost them. Noct and you are the only thing we have left to give us stability, a purpose, a reason to be. For Ignis even more than for me most likely since he was with Noct since his early childhood. His whole life is build up around Noct... what does he have left when you force him to stay behind? No purpose, no goal, no family, no friends - you can just as well kill him. How would you feel if you got hurt and somebody told you to stay behind, far away from Iris cause you are no good anymore?” Prompto stopped for a moment, before turning around to walk back to Ignis and Noctis for real now. “Think about this for a second and then tell me you still want to leave Ignis behind. Ignis knows very well himself that he is not in the best shape right now, but rubbing that into him Gladio, is just not fair. We can do it, no matter if Ignis is blind or not. You guys pulled me through, despite the fact that I first had to learn how to handle a gun properly. Now let’s do the same again. Stick together, help each other, be there when one of the others needs a hand.”
When the gunslinger fell silent and walked away, Gladio took a deep breath. One part of him wanted to grab Prompto and argue with him about every reason he had just named him, but the other side of Gladio began to think. About Ignis, about what Prompto had said, what he had said and about the young man, who was his king. It took him a while, while they were slowly making their way back to the elevator which brought them out of the mine, that Prompto had been right with all his arguments. Gladio had been so angry and frustrated at himself, that he hadn’t realized how hard and how much he had lashed out at those closest to him. That things had ended as they were standing now, wasn’t the fault of any of them. They had tried and tried, but the fate and the gods had been cruel. Prompto knew that Gladio only wanted to protect his friends, wanted to keep them safe but the gunslinger and Gladio himself knew, that sometimes to protect those you loved you had to let them walk their path... you had to let them stumble, that they could rise taller again. Gladio would never stop worrying, would never stop protecting them... but maybe it was time to protect them in a different way.
When they reached the train station in Cartanica Gladio vowed to himself, that before the sun would rise again he would talk things out with his friends, finish the bridges that Ignis had started to build in the midst of this darkening world.
I wrote this a good while ago already and the picture is more or less the intro to it, since I can imagine how frustrated Prompto must be - not because of Ignis - but because of the behavior Noctis and Gladio show towards each other. I can understand all of the boys though, because when I'm angry, tired and frustrated I sometimes lash out at those closest to me. I regret it afterwards and don't even mean it, but the words are faster out than I can think them over and I believe Gladio is pretty similar. The four are stressed, hurt and tired beyond measure and it's understandable that this leads to some tension. Their strength is, that in the end they work all of this out again and this is the true soul of the friendship they have. Despite all differences, they stick together through everything.
Sidenote: Due to some events in the past, we have decided these models are not going to be released. If you want to leave a comment regarding my picture, feel free to do so (and thanks in advance) but please don't ask me nor the kind soul who ported them for a download.
Gladio, Ignis & Prompto: xBaebsae
Background: Screenshot from FFXV - "Fodina Caestino"
Made in XNALara, render in Blender Cycles!
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Don’t upload anywhere else or claim as your own!
NightysWolf
